Bringing Good Luck to your Husband in the 70s - Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Buying Medicinal Materials

Because the weather had cleared, members of the village would resume work the next day. But since the educated youths’ compound had been badly damaged by the heavy rain, the house was still a mess, and many things had to be relocated and repurchased. The brigade therefore allowed the educated youths to begin work one day later so they could settle in.

This arrangement suited Su Yue perfectly. She happened to be planning to surprise Han Aiguo, so she asked Li Xiaoqing and the others to clean up the house while she headed to the Han household.

The Han family had gone out to work, leaving only the few children at home. Maomao, Xiaolei, and Taohua were playing outside, while Old Lady Han and Han Aiguo were busy making pastries in the kitchen with Hehua.

Su Yue went straight to the kitchen before anyone else noticed. “Auntie, I’m here!” she called cheerfully.

Old Lady Han smiled. “Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to work today?”

Han Aiguo looked at her without blinking. Su Yue, noticing his gaze, quickly answered, “Auntie, the heavy rain ruined many things at the educated youths’ point, so the brigade allowed us to start work tomorrow after resettling.”

Busy kneading dough, Old Lady Han said, “If you’re short of anything, come get it from our house. Don’t waste money buying it. If there isn’t enough firewood, let Aimin and the others fetch it for you. Don’t trouble yourself.”

Su Yue slipped her arm around the old lady’s and rubbed it affectionately. “I know, Auntie. I won’t be polite with you. But I actually have something important to talk about today.”

She then winked at Han Aiguo playfully. “I’ve brought you a surprise!”

Old Lady Han chuckled at her lively demeanor, feeling she was just like a child. “You girl, what kind of surprise? Tell me quickly.”

Su Yue carefully pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It was the prescription she had exchanged for in the system mall the night before, though rewritten in her own handwriting with modern pen and paper. She couldn’t simply show the original ancient script as people here would neither recognize nor understand it.

“Dang-dang-dang!” Su Yue waved the paper in front of the old lady. “Here comes the surprise! This is a prescription I managed to find through someone in the city. It’s especially good for treating legs, I heard it’s very effective for leg injuries.”

“What?” Old Lady Han dropped the dough in her hands. She didn’t even bother picking it up. Staring at the recipe in shock and joy, she wanted to take it but hesitated for fear of soiling it. “Girl, you’re not lying to Auntie, are you? Can this really cure the legs?”

Seeing that the old lady was nearly in tears, Su Yue hurried to reassure her. “Auntie, why would I lie? I heard this prescription works wonders. It can definitely heal Brother Han’s legs. Let’s try it right away!”

“This… this is wonderful. Is it really possible? Could his legs really be cured?” Old Lady Han wiped at her eyes, trembling with excitement. “We have to try it, we must! Even if we’re unsure, we can’t waste the chance. If my eldest’s leg could heal… that would be a blessing.”

Relieved at her support, Su Yue felt the matter could finally move forward. She turned to Han Aiguo and asked quickly, “Surprised?”

Han Aiguo understood then. Looking into her sparkling eyes, he realized her so-called surprise was a prescription for his legs. For years, he had asked his retired comrades to inquire about one, but to no avail. He had almost given up hope. Yet here she was, placing a remedy in his hands.

Whether it cured him or not, he felt deeply moved.

Since it was still early, Su Yue said, “Auntie, I’ve got this prescription, but I don’t know if the medicinal herbs can be obtained at the hospital. I was thinking, since there’s still time, I could borrow a cart and go with Brother Han to the town hospital to ask a doctor and see if we can get the medicine. If not, we’ll head to the city hospital.”

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Han quickly wiped her hands and rushed out of the kitchen. “I’ll go borrow a cart right now. You and Han Aiguo must go today. The sooner you prepare the medicine, the better.”

She was gone in a flash, her legs unexpectedly nimble. Before Su Yue could even finish shaping a pastry, the old lady came trotting back, breathless but triumphant. She had borrowed the brigade’s mule cart and urged them to hurry to the hospital.

Han Aiguo took the reins, sitting in front, while Su Yue sat close behind him. Mischievously, she poked his back with her finger. “So? Are you surprised? Do you like it?”

He let her tease him, then tilted his head slightly, reaching back to tap her nose with a finger, his expression full of fondness. “Yes, I was surprised. I like it.”

After a pause, he added sincerely, “Yue’er, thank you.”

Su Yue only grabbed his finger and shook it lightly, saying nothing more.

The two arrived at the commune hospital in about forty minutes. Han Aiguo went straight to Doctor Wang, who had treated his leg before, and handed him the prescription.

Doctor Wang, an experienced doctor in his fifties who also dabbled in Chinese medicine, studied the paper for a long while but couldn’t make sense of it. “What prescription is this?” he finally asked.

Han Aiguo replied calmly, “I came across it by chance in the city. I heard it’s effective for leg injuries like mine. I want to give it a try.”

Doctor Wang frowned. “You mustn’t rush into things. If it doesn’t work, it might make your condition worse. Don’t take such risks.”

But Han Aiguo said firmly, “Doctor, you know my leg. Even if it doesn’t worsen, it won’t recover either. What else can I do? It’s useless anyway. Better to try while there’s still hope.”

Doctor Wang thought it over. The leg was indeed beyond recovery by conventional means. At worst, nothing would change; at best, there could be improvement. And the prescription, though unusual, at least didn’t look life-threatening.

“Alright,” Doctor Wang finally conceded. “I’ll prepare the herbs. But if you notice anything wrong, stop immediately.”

Han Aiguo and Su Yue exchanged hopeful glances.

After a long wait, Doctor Wang returned empty-handed.

Su Yue’s heart sank. “Doctor Wang, does your hospital not have the herbs?”

The doctor waved his hands awkwardly. “We do, but… some are precious. The hospital has only a little, and the price is very high. I don’t know if you can afford it.”

Su Yue answered without hesitation, “No matter how expensive, we’ll buy it. Please make the order.”

Doctor Wang looked at her in surprise, then carefully explained, “A pack for external use is three yuan and internal medicine is two yuan per pack. It must be taken internally three times a day and externally once. That’s nine yuan a day—nearly three hundred yuan a month.”

Su Yue’s heart skipped. Three hundred yuan in an era when most workers earned thirty yuan a month was astronomical. No wonder he had warned her. But still, she nodded. “We’ll buy it. Give us half a month’s supply first.”

Han Aiguo opened his mouth to protest, but Su Yue shot him a glare, silently warning him not to interfere.

Doctor Wang, a little surprised at her resolve, thought privately that this young woman was truly devoted to Han Aiguo. With a smile, he went to fetch the herbs.

This time, he returned with a large bundle of half a month’s supply, neatly packed. “Here are the external and internal medicines. Try them first. If they work, buy more. If not, stop.”

“Thank you, Doctor Wang,” they said in unison before leaving with the heavy bundle.

On the way out, Han Aiguo said softly, “Yue’er, these herbs are far too expensive. If they don’t work, it’ll all be wasted. Why buy so much?”

Su Yue retorted firmly, “You can’t see results in a day or two. We need persistence. Don’t worry about the money this time. If you give up halfway, I won’t forgive you.”

Han Aiguo’s heart warmed. She had gone through so much for his sake; how could he let her down? Even if it cost dearly, he would persevere.

Back at the Han household, they explained everything to Old Lady Han, who agreed with Su Yue’s stance. “No matter the cost, we must try. Money isn’t more important than health.”

She immediately began preparing the medicines as instructed by decocting the herbs for internal use, and boiling the external ones until they thickened into a paste. Soon, the house was filled with the pungent aroma of Chinese medicine, even overpowering the sweet scent of pastries.

When the rest of the family returned home, Second Brother Han wrinkled his nose. “Are we making medicine at home? Who’s unwell?”

At dinner, Old Lady Han explained about the prescription and the cost.

The third daughter-in-law of the Han family was horrified. “Mother, this medicine is far too expensive! How can we afford it?”

Old Lady Han snapped back, “Why not? It’s for treating your eldest brother’s leg. No matter how costly, we’ll use it.”

“But it’s three hundred yuan a month!” the daughter-in-law shouted. “Our whole family will starve!”

Anger flared in Old Lady Han. “Then I’ll eat less! Have I ever kept you hungry?”

The quarrel escalated, with the daughter-in-law questioning the effectiveness of the prescription and accusing the old lady of favouritism. Old Lady Han exploded, slamming her bowl down with a loud crack. “Black-hearted people!” she cursed.

Han Lao-san, furious at his wife’s insolence, threatened divorce and so she ran off crying, slamming the door behind her, leaving the children frightened into silence.

Han Aiguo finally spoke. “Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, do consider this as me borrowing money for treatment. Once my leg heals, I’ll repay it all.”

His words softened the atmosphere. Han Aimin quickly said, “Brother, no need to repay. We’ll pay whatever it takes!” Han Lao-er agreed as well. Even Han Lao-san, ashamed, muttered apologies for his wife’s outburst.

The old lady’s anger finally eased. She glanced around and said coldly, “If anyone else has objections, speak now.”

No one dared.

They ate in silence. That night, Old Lady Han purposely left her third daughter-in-law without dinner.