Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power
Chapter 18 - 17 Narrow Road for Enemies

Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Narrow Road for Enemies

Old Mrs. Chen arrived at Chen Yongsheng’s house and deftly instructed those who couldn’t help to stand outside.

The crowd dispersed, and Xie Liangchen followed Old Mrs. Chen into the house.

On the earthen bed lay a frail child, it was Chen Yongsheng’s son, Hei Dan.

Hei Dan lay on the bed, his body burning like a coal, yet his hands were icy cold.

Old Mrs. Chen didn’t understand medicine, but she was old enough to recognize this condition as potentially dire.

She was away for just a day, and the healthy child was now in this state. Old Mrs. Chen wanted to complain but feared it would upset Hei Dan’s mother even more.

"What should we do, Auntie?"

"Have you called for the doctor?" Old Mrs. Chen asked.

"Yongsheng went to call for him before dawn, but he hasn’t returned yet."

Everyone knew how hard it was to find a doctor, given the city couldn’t handle all its patients; who would come all the way to Chen Family Village?

Hei Dan’s mother began to cry: "We gave him medicine before. That medicine seller said it could cure any illness, so why isn’t it working now?"

Hei Dan’s mother was now panicking, hurriedly pulling out a tattered cloth bundle from her pocket, revealing the ginseng slices inside.

"And this," her final resort, "I gave him two slices yesterday, there are two left."

These were dug up in the mountains by Chen Yongsheng and others. Old Mrs. Chen decided to save some for emergencies in the village.

Hei Dan’s mother was about to stuff the ginseng slices into Hei Dan’s mouth when a hand stopped her.

A girl’s voice said, "You shouldn’t use ginseng slices when there’s a fever."

Hei Dan’s mother suddenly noticed the stranger in the room.

She was stunned, "But it’s good medicine, why shouldn’t we use it?"

Xie Liangchen handed over Chaihu: "Herbs aren’t classified as good or bad; they need to match the symptoms. I see you have Chaihu at home. We should use this."

When Xie Liangchen entered, she noticed herbs drying in the courtyard—this time of year, Platycodon, Siler, and Chaihu were common in the mountains.

Knowing Chaihu effectively disperses internal heat, she relaxed after finding it upon seeing Hei Dan’s condition.

Hei Dan’s mother didn’t understand what Xie Liangchen meant.

Old Mrs. Chen, to be safe, pulled Xie Liangchen aside to ask a few questions.

Xie Liangchen nodded, "Ginseng shouldn’t be eaten. Chaihu decoction should work, but it depends on Hei Dan’s condition."

If it could save Hei Dan, that would be best, but Old Mrs. Chen hesitated. What if it didn’t work?

"Grandmother," Xie Liangchen clutched Old Mrs. Chen, "this concerns a life; I wouldn’t dare say it carelessly."

Since meeting Miss Chen, she had never done anything wrong.

"Trust my granddaughter," Old Mrs. Chen decided, "She knows what she’s doing."

Old Mrs. Chen wasn’t entirely convinced. She had seen firsthand at the Papermaking Workshop, even General Song trusted her, could she be wrong?

If Old Mrs. Chen hadn’t taken charge, Hei Dan’s mother wouldn’t have agreed. How could a young girl know how to treat illnesses?

Chen Zigeng helped Xie Liangchen prepare the medicine.

The medicine was fed to Hei Dan.

Chen Zigeng, holding a cloth, with teary eyes, said, "Sister said we also need to wipe Hei Dan with warm water; Hei Dan will surely recover."

The room was busy.

Xie Liangchen squatted in the yard, examining the herbs brought by every household. These herbs were harvested by villagers from the mountains—a mix of various kinds. Ordinary people usually didn’t know much about medicinal properties, even if they knew how to pick them.

Most people had never used medicine when ill, or they used those from the bell doctors claiming to "cure all diseases." In the past, Hei Dan’s death wasn’t just due to illness but also from taking random medicine.

As night fell, Chen Yongsheng finally returned to the village with the doctor.

Seeing someone waiting at the village entrance, Chen Yongsheng’s heart sank with a sense of foreboding. Was he too late, had something happened to Hei Dan...?

"How is Hei Dan?" Chen Yongsheng asked anxiously.

"Waiting for you."

Chen Yongsheng breathed a sigh of relief, meaning there was still time, and without a word, he pulled the doctor along, "Hurry, come with me."

Xie Liangchen advised Hei Dan’s mother to use Chaihu and had also given Hei Dan acupuncture. Although Hei Dan’s fever hadn’t subsided, his limbs were no longer cold—a sign of improvement.

At this moment, Chen Yongsheng brought the doctor to check Hei Dan’s pulse. Xie Liangchen watched as the doctor pulled out Cassia Twig and White Peony from his kit.

Cassia Twig dispels cold and releases the exterior, while White Peony conserves Yin and stops sweating.

Xie Liangchen realized the doctor had some skill, feeling glad her efforts weren’t in vain—Hei Dan was saved. Now that she was no longer needed, she turned and walked out.

"Sister." Chen Zigeng followed and held Xie Liangchen’s hand.

His eyes slightly reddened with joy, "The doctor said, with good care, he’ll be fine."

Xie Liangchen nodded.

Chen Zigeng continued, "The doctor also mentioned, it was fortunate we didn’t continue using ginseng slices."

Chen Zigeng, speaking, tightened his grip, "My sister is amazing."

As they spoke, Old Mrs. Chen also came out, her worry now gone. She took her granddaughter and grandson’s hand and said, "Let’s go home, we haven’t organized our things yet."

Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Zigeng stopped in front of a courtyard with Xie Liangchen.

In sight were two thatched cottages. Xie Liangchen, alongside her grandmother and younger brother, walked inside. The earthen bed was covered with a mat woven of reed grass. A small table stood against the inner side of the bed, holding a basket with some scraps of cloth and an unfinished shoe sole.

At the bedside was an old wooden cabinet, with some tools hanging on the wall by the door, and nothing else.

Fearing disappointment, Old Mrs. Chen quickly said, "There are more things in the east room, which your brother and I don’t use usually. I’ll prepare them for you tomorrow. If that’s not enough, we still have some silver coins."

Thinking of how her granddaughter seemed when shopping, Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth, "Whatever you want, we’ll buy it."

Xie Liangchen sat on the bed, looking at Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Zigeng.

Her brother seemed nervous, fingers clutching his hem, as if afraid she’d flee, while her grandmother looked ready to do anything.

Unable to hold back a chuckle, her eyes misted over, "This place isn’t ideal, but if we work hard, it’ll be better in the future."

Together, they would make things better.

Chen Zigeng’s heart lifted and fell, fearing his sister would leave, but hearing her words, he leaped into Xie Liangchen’s arms.

Old Mrs. Chen turned to wipe her tears away and then said, "Hungry? I’ll cook."

Xie Liangchen hurriedly stood up, "I’ll help you."

Old Mrs. Chen waved her off like shooing a chick, refusing her help: "No need, you’ll just mess things up. If I ruin the food, it’ll cost more money."

As soon as Old Mrs. Chen finished speaking, she saw two figures approaching, Chen Yongsheng and Hei Dan’s mother, Mrs. Gao.

Mrs. Gao overheard Old Mrs. Chen, stepped forward, "I’ll cook."

Before Old Mrs. Chen could refuse, Mrs. Gao had already headed into the kitchen.

Chen Yongsheng, full of gratitude, bowed deeply to Old Mrs. Chen, "Thanks to your care, Hei Dan is alright."

Old Mrs. Chen smiled broadly, "That’s good; Miss Chen didn’t waste her efforts."

Knowing it was Miss Xie who helped, Chen Yongsheng hurried over with Mrs. Gao, glancing toward the house, seeing Xie Liangchen and Chen Zigeng coming out to greet him.

"Come inside," Old Mrs. Chen said, recognizing that Chen Yongsheng had something to discuss. Now, as the village chief, Chen Yongsheng felt responsible for notifying everyone in Chen Family Village that Miss Chen was staying.

"Liangchen is staying in Chen Family Village now?" Chen Yongsheng asked Old Mrs. Chen, recalling that when she visited the Xie Family, it was to assess the situation.

Old Mrs. Chen smiled, "My granddaughter returning to Chen Family Village is a good thing."

Once Chen Yongsheng finished speaking with Old Mrs. Chen, Xie Liangchen spoke up, "I will be staying in Chen Family Village from now on, is that okay?"

Chen Yongsheng nodded, "There was war before, many fields were abandoned. Everyone is collecting herbs to make ends meet. Once we’ve collected enough, we’ll sell them to those who come."

"But this time, it seems better. I plan to find out more before selling; I heard ’Baiji Hall’ offers the best prices."

Hearing "Baiji Hall," Xie Liangchen knew it wasn’t just about the price for the herbs there.

""