Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 58 - Luo Xi's Mother Takes the Medicine

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the buildings.

"Tap, tap, tap." Clean white sneakers stepped on the sunlit pavement, a ponytail swaying slightly as the girl climbed the stairs.

Stopping at her doorstep, Luo Xi unlocked the door with her key. The pungent smell of herbal medicine that greeted her was familiar.

"XiXi, you're back?" A voice came from a small room. Luo Xi changed into her slippers and hurried over. "Mom, how are you feeling?"

The smell of medicine was even stronger in the small room. A thin woman with dry, yellow hair lay on the bed. 

Despite her pale face, traces of her former beauty were still visible. She forced a smile. "I'm fine, the doctor said I'm a little better today."

"Really? That's great!" Luo Xi's smile widened.

Mother Luo reached out and brushed Luo Xi's bangs. "You've been working so hard, studying and helping your dad at the night market. I can't do anything, I'm just a burden to you."

Luo Xi shook her head and held her mother's hand in hers. "Mom, don't say that, we're family."

As if remembering something, Luo Xi reached into her pocket and took out a small white paper package.

"Mom, this is the ancestral remedy ChuanChuan gave me."

Ancestral remedy?

Mother Luo's eyes were filled with doubt. The Ye family didn't have any ancestral remedies.

Didn't they used to sell fruit?

"Yes, you wouldn't believe how much better ChuanChuan is now, completely different from before!" Luo Xi explained in detail.

Mother Luo knew that Ye Chuan's health wasn't good. After all, the boy always looked pale and coughed frequently.

Hearing that Ye Chuan had recovered after taking this ancestral remedy, Mother Luo just smiled and shook her head.

She had taken countless "ancestral remedies" before, and she had heard similar stories many times.

It was probably just Ye Chuan's youth, not the medicine.

"You're so grown up, and you still call him ChuanChuan. Your birthday is in a few days, invite Ye Chuan over for dinner," Mother Luo said.

"I've always called him that, what's wrong with it?"

"Heh." Mother Luo smiled but didn't reply. "I know you too well."

"Oh!" Luo Xi's face flushed, and she quickly stood up. "Mom, I'll go brew your medicine!"

Just then, the sound of the door lock clicking echoed.

A middle-aged man walked in. Although his face was weathered, his eyes were still firm.

"Dad," Luo Xi greeted the man.

"Mm." Father Luo grunted. As Luo Xi's stepfather, he wasn't good at expressing his emotions, always showing his care through actions. 

Seeing Luo Xi brewing medicine, he glanced at the time.

"Luo Xi, it's a bit early for your mother's medicine."

"This is the ancestral remedy Chuan Chuan gave me. It worked really well for him, so I wanted Mom to try it," Luo Xi replied.

Father Luo frowned, his voice hoarse. "The checkup today said your mother's condition has worsened. Don't give her random medicines."

Worsened?

Didn't she say she was feeling better?

Luo Xi froze and looked towards her mother's room.

Just then, a voice came from the room. "Just let me try it. What do I have to lose?"

Hearing Mother Luo's voice, Father Luo stood there for a while, then sighed and said to Luo Xi, "Is there a lot of medicine?"

"Just one packet, the amount Chuan Chuan took."

Father Luo shook her head. "Then let your mother try it. Don't ask Ye Chuan for any more."

"If his family really had some ancestral remedy, that kid wouldn't have been so sickly for so many years."

"Okay." After brewing the medicine, Luo Xi let it cool slightly before taking it to her mother.

Mother Luo took a sip, and in the next second, her face turned pale. "?!!!"

The foul, nauseating taste made her cough violently, clutching the blanket tightly.

"Mom! Mom?!" Seeing her mother's reaction, Luo Xi was terrified and quickly put down the medicine. "Are you okay?"

Father Luo rushed in from outside and patted Mother Luo's back.

"I told you not to give your mother any strange medicines!" Father Luo seemed angry and glared at Luo Xi.

"I-I didn't, I just-" Luo Xi was at a loss, her face pale.

Mother Luo calmed down, took a few deep breaths, and said with a wry smile,

"This medicine tastes like Banlangen mixed with rotten fruit. It's so strange."

(ED: Banlangen, also known as Radix Isatidis, is a traditional Chinese herb primarily derived from the Isatis plants, particularly Isatis tinctoria or Isatis indigotica. It is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for its antiviral and antibacterial properties, often employed to treat conditions like influenza, viral pneumonia, and other respiratory infections. )

"And why are you scolding XiXi? What did she do wrong?"

Father Luo didn't reply, just silently wiped the spilled medicine from Mother Luo's clothes.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I won't give you any more random medicines," Luo Xi said.

Mother Luo smiled and shook her head. But in the next second, she seemed to sense something and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

"What's wrong, Mom? Should we go to the hospital?" Seeing her mother's sudden change in expression, Luo Xi asked worriedly.

Father Luo also frowned.

"No, it's just- I feel stronger?" Mother Luo lifted her arm tentatively. She felt strength returning to her limbs. Not only that, but her pale face had also regained some color.

Father Luo also noticed this and touched Mother Luo's face. "Your complexion does look better."

Luo Xi, seeing this, said, "Could it be that ChuanChuan's medicine is working?"

"It's only been a few seconds," Father Luo clearly didn't believe it.

But Mother Luo, looking at the medicine on the table, said to Luo Xi, "XiXi, give it to me."

"But Mom!"

"It's fine, I trust you and Ye Chuan," Mother Luo smiled. She just hadn't expected it to be so bitter.

She often took traditional Chinese medicine, so she was used to bitter tastes.

But this was on another level.

Taking the bowl from Luo Xi, Mother Luo took a deep breath, as if making up her mind, and drank it all in one go.

Her face paled slightly, but this time, she didn't make a sound.

She just gripped Father Luo's arm, her nails digging into his skin, making him wince.

"Cough, cough." After finishing the medicine, Mother Luo put down the bowl.

She hesitated for a moment, then got out of bed and took a few steps.

"How- how do you feel?" Father Luo asked.

A look of surprise appeared on Mother Luo's face. "Oh my god, I feel so much stronger! It's not like before, when I couldn't even exert myself."

The long-lost feeling of strength filled Mother Luo with joy. 

To prove it to her husband and daughter, she even jumped a few times. "See?"

Father Luo was also stunned by the scene. "The medicine worked that fast? And it's so effective?"

Could there be some illegal ingredients in it?