Grandpa Su stepped forward quickly, his voice filled with anxiety, "How is my precious child?"
Li Mingcai was already accustomed to Grandpa Su always calling his grandsons "stinky boys" and his granddaughter "precious child."
Most elders in the village were biased, but he was the only one biased towards his granddaughter!
"I'll write a prescription. After two doses, we'll see. If the fever goes down, there's no major issue. From now on, you must be extremely careful. Little girls are delicate; you absolutely cannot let her catch a chill again. If she catches another chill, it will be serious."
Li Mingcai walked to the table, solemnly took out a pen and a piece of paper, and began writing the prescription.
The adults in the room stared intently at Li Mingcai's pen, as if they could see flowers bloom from it.
Those who didn't know would think the entire Su family was literate. In reality, apart from the grandchildren, none of the elders could read a single character.
"Doctor Li, will it help?" Grandma Su asked nervously, finally seeing Doctor Li put down his pen.
"If we caught it in time and the fever goes down after taking the medicine and sleeping for a day, she'll be fine. If not, I'll adjust the prescription."
Hearing the doctor say this, the whole family was still nervous. Would the fever really go down?
"Who will go with me to get the medicine?" Doctor Li asked, packing up his paper, pen, and medical kit.
"Doctor Li, I will."
It was Uncle Su who spoke, his face filled with eagerness, more anxious than the child's own father.
"Eldest, take the money for the medicine," Grandma Su quickly fumbled in her pocket for a few small bills.
"Thirty-five cents!" Li Mingcai said, already walking out the door.
"Yes! Got it, Doctor Li." Uncle Su responded, taking the money from his mother and chasing after him.
After the doctor left, the several half-grown boys wanted to see their sister, but Grandma Su disagreed, firmly driving the group of half-grown boys out.
"Third child's wife, stay and watch. Eldest child's wife, stew some millet porridge for Sweetie, soft and mushy, for her to drink when she takes her medicine. Second child's wife, find our medicine pot, wash it clean, and I'll have it simmer the medicine for my precious child later. Second child, you stop guarding and go get firewood. Third child, find something to do yourself, don't block the way here. Old man... forget it, you stay!"
Grandma Su quickly directed the reluctant individuals out, not even sparing Su Xiaotian's own father.
With everyone gone, the room finally became quiet.
Su Xiaotian felt a warmth in her heart. Nestled in her mother's warm embrace, she unconsciously fell asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiaotian was woken by Grandma Su.
Grandma Su sat on the kang with a loving expression, holding a coarse porcelain bowl.
"Grandma!" Su Xiaotian called out.
"Precious child, let's eat some porridge, then take your medicine and sleep."
In her previous life, Su Xiaotian's body had been injured after falling into the water, and she had to endure the bitter taste of medicine countless times.
For the sake of her future health, although she disliked the bitter taste of traditional Chinese medicine, she still wrinkled her pretty little brows and swallowed the medicine in one gulp.
Her obedient demeanor melted Grandma Su's heart.
Grandma Su produced a piece of candy from somewhere, smiling as she placed it in Su Xiaotian's mouth.
The medicine was very bitter, but Su Xiaotian found it sweet, sweet to her very core.
Under the care of Grandma Su and Liang Xiu, Su Xiaotian, after taking her medicine, soon fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, it was broad daylight. Su Xiaotian felt refreshed.
Recovering like this on the second day was much better than in her previous life. In her previous life, she had been confined to the kang for ten days before she could barely get up.
Su Xiaotian's heart also felt much lighter.
Grandma Su, worried about her little granddaughter, slept next to Su Xiaotian.
With a slight turn, Grandma Su woke up.
"Precious child, what's wrong? Are you feeling better?" Grandma Su said urgently, reaching out to touch Su Xiaotian's forehead as she spoke.
"Grandma, I'm better!" Su Xiaotian hugged Grandma Su, blinking her clear, bright eyes and acting spoiled.
"That's good. Don't go out today, sleep a bit more," Grandma Su immediately pulled up the quilt, saying to Su Xiaotian with concern.
Nature called. Su Xiaotian couldn't hold it in any longer. Her face flushed red as she said to Grandma Su, "Grandma, I need to go to the toilet."
"Grandma will get you a chamber pot. You absolutely cannot go out. What if you catch a chill again?"
Grandma Su opposed it immediately, as if facing a great enemy.
If she were truly a little child, Su Xiaotian might have agreed.
But Su Xiaotian's heart was that of an adult, so of course, she couldn't agree.
After much pleading and sweet-talking, and amidst Grandma Su's nagging, Su Xiaotian went to the outhouse to relieve herself.
Feeling refreshed, Su Xiaotian stood in the large courtyard, tilting her small face towards the clear blue sky.
The morning sunlight in the courtyard cast dappled golden light under the plane trees, almost blindingly beautiful.
It was truly wonderful!
The Su family were all very diligent and had woken up early to start their work.
Seeing Su Xiaotian come out, they stopped what they were doing and flocked around her, asking with concern if she was feeling better, if she was still dizzy, if she was hungry, if she was thirsty, and so on.
Su Xiaotian smiled sweetly and replied, saying she was all better.
This atmosphere made Su Xiaotian feel very warm and comfortable.
Even though the family's conditions were poor, she had never been wronged.
She ate and wore well; the clothes on her back were the only ones in the family without patches.
Thinking about how the family was currently struggling to get enough to eat and wear, Su Xiaotian felt a pang of sadness.
She had to find a way to change the family's circumstances, to ensure her grandparents and parents could eat white flour, white rice, and eggs.
However, this was only 1974, many years before the market economy, and getting rich was a bit difficult.
At this time, people worked in communes, participating in labor under the unified arrangement of the team leader to earn work points. There were no other ways to earn money.
Su Xiaotian then thought of her system.
With the system's appearance, it was bound to bring her surprises, perhaps it was the key to getting rich.
She couldn't wait to study it, but breakfast was ready, and it was almost time to eat.
After breakfast, everyone in the family had to go to work, even her eldest and second eldest brothers. As for the other brothers and herself, they still had to go to school.
Let's eat first. After eating, Grandma wouldn't let her go to school today anyway, so she could secretly study the system at home.
The Su family ate in the main hall.
After a simple wash, Su Xiaotian refused Grandma Su's suggestion to eat separately in a side room and went to the main hall.
There was a table on the kang in the main hall, which was for the elders. Another table was placed on the ground for the nine boys.
Su Xiaotian's seat was at the adults' table, next to Grandma Su.
"Precious child, come here to Grandma," Grandma Su called to Su Xiaotian kindly.
The Su family was large, and the young men were all at the age where they ate their parents out of house and home. Grain was never enough to eat year-round.
All year round, breakfast was always a soup with coarse grain noodles, and lunch and dinner were vegetable buns.
Today was no different. The eldest and second daughters-in-law carried basins, and each table was served a basin filled with clear, watery vegetable soup mixed with cornmeal.
The third daughter-in-law carried a large stack of coarse porcelain bowls and followed her two sisters-in-law into the room.