Though Chen Cuihua disliked Granny Sun, Dazhuang and Qiu-ger were decent lads. She went to see if she could help.

When the three arrived, Granny Sun was clutching her stomach and rolling on the bed. “Ouch! Ouch! This pain is killing me!”

Granny Sun was known for her harshness and gossiping ways. Now that she was ill, none of the neighbors were willing to come help. Only the elderly neighbor, whom Qiu-ger had given two persimmons for her grandson, kindly called Qiu-ger home.

A few neighbors had gathered outside the Sun household to gawk, yet none stepped in to assist. Qiu-ger paced anxiously by the bedside. “Mother, what’s wrong with you?”

“My stomach hurts, it hurts! Ouch, it’s killing me!”

Chen Cuihua glanced over. “Dazhuang isn’t here. I’ll have my son Hu-zi carry her to the next village to see a doctor. Did she eat something bad?”

At the mention of seeing a doctor, Granny Sun, unwilling to part with her copper coins, began shouting loudly, “I won’t go! I won’t go! Just bring me some hot water to drink! Ouch! Ouch!”

Qiu-ger hurriedly poured her some hot water. Even after drinking it, Granny Sun still cried out in stomach pain, yet refused to go to the doctor in the neighboring village. Qiu-ger was at a loss.

He wanted to ask someone to help call Dazhuang back, but the rain had just stopped, and the roads were muddy. Who would be willing to help him find someone?

Chen Cuihua urged from the side, “Grandma Sun, you’re in such pain. Please go see the doctor.”

“I won’t go. I won’t.”

Song Ning glanced at her. “Did you eat too many persimmons?”

“I don’t know.” Though he disliked his mother-in-law, they were family after all, and he was worried. ”Mother, did you eat persimmons today? I know she ate five or six yesterday afternoon.”

Because he had picked a few yesterday to give to Song Ning, his grandmother didn’t like it and said she would eat them all herself. She stood under the tree and ate five or six in a row.

“This morning? I ate five or six early on.”

Song Ning understood what had happened. “Eating too many persimmons at once can cause stomach pain.”

“What should we do then?” Qiu-ger asked.

“Try roasting dried tangerine peel and coptis root in vinegar, then grinding them into powder to drink.”

Chen Cuihua grabbed Song Ning’s arm. “Ning-ger, don’t just blurt out anything! She’s already in pain. If it makes her worse, that’s no good!”

Qiu-ger was at a loss, too. “Auntie Cuihua, dried tangerine peel and coptis root aren’t potent medicines. They won’t hurt her. I have some dried tangerine peel at home, but I don’t have coptis root.”

Grandma Sun was clutching her stomach in pain, yet reluctant to spend copper coins on a doctor. For now, they could only try this remedy.

Qiu-ger started to leave. “Aunt Cuihua, watch over my mother. I’ll go buy some Corydalis.”

“Send your brother Hu-zi instead. The road’s treacherous, and he walks faster.”

Qiu-ger hurriedly handed Wei Hu some coins. Granny Sun protested again, “Coptis root is cheap! Why on earth would you need so many coins for it?”

Chen Cuihua rolled her eyes. “Granny Sun, if you went to see a doctor, the consultation fee alone would cost ten coins! Yet you’re stingy over these few coins? I’d say your pain isn’t that bad after all.”

Wei Hu took the coins and hurried off to buy the corydalis. Granny Sun drank two more sips of hot water, but it didn’t help. She wailed in pain, drawing the attention of neighbors from all around.

Song Ning said, “Massage her stomach. Maybe it’ll ease the pain.”

Qiu-ger hurriedly undid Granny Sun’s clothes and massaged her stomach. Her cries finally lessened, though she still moaned weakly, “Ouch, ouch…”

Someone at the door asked, “What’s wrong with Granny Sun?”

A neighborly auntie replied, “Ning-ger said she ate too many persimmons.”

“Can eating too many persimmons really cause stomach pain? Young Master Ning, don’t just blurt out whatever comes to mind.”

The neighbor replied, “Who knows? I’ve never heard of it either.”

In this poor village, anything sweet was a precious treat. Families with fruit trees either sold their harvest in town or gave it to relatives. No one would ever eat so many at once—usually just one or two, saved for later. That’s why no one had ever heard of anyone getting stomachaches from eating persimmons.

Qiu-ger had originally planned to give away the family’s persimmons, too. Who knew his grandmother would eat so many? He hadn’t realized that eating too many persimmons could cause stomach pain.

The neighbors gathered at the door were saying all sorts of things. Some said Granny Sun deserved her stomachache, that she had given Qiu-ger a few, and she’d gone and cursed the child. Others wondered if Song Ning was just showing off recklessly. All sorts of opinions were flying around.

Only then did Song Ning realize how difficult it must have been for Qiu-ger to give him the persimmons. His mother-in-law had probably scolded him again, and Song Ning grew even fonder of him.

Chen Cuihua heard people at the door saying her Ning-ger was showing off. She came out and loudly retorted, “My Ning-ger was saving lives! What’s a few coins’ worth of dried tangerine peel and coptis root? The medicinal properties aren’t strong—no harm if a patient misses a dose. Keep spouting nonsense, and I, Chen Cuihua, won’t hold back!”

Chen Cuihua had a fiery temper. Widowed young, she raised her teenage son Wei Hu alone. Facing constant harassment from malicious villagers, she had no choice but to be fierce.

Her early widowhood and Wei Hu’s reputation as a wife-killer when he reached marriageable age had tarnished the Wei family’s name in the village. Gossip spread relentlessly, but Chen Cuihua wasn’t one to be provoked. If she overheard it, she’d spit it right back in their faces.

The villagers knew Chen Cuihua was formidable, and after a few words, they finally quieted down.

Sun Dazhuang had returned from who-knows-where just then. Qiu-ger immediately punched him. “Where the hell did you go? Mother’s in terrible pain, and I couldn’t find you anywhere! I was worried sick!”

Sun Dazhuang quickly apologized. “Old Liu’s house was leaking, so he called me over to help lay down some straw.”

Sun Dazhuang didn’t get angry after being punched twice by his husband. He hurriedly asked his mother what was wrong. Granny Sun was still lying in bed, groaning. Qiu-ger rubbed her stomach, and the pain eased a bit.

Sun Dazhuang immediately insisted on carrying his mother to see a doctor. Granny Sun, dreading spending money, refused outright. A lively tug-of-war ensued.

Chen Cuihua pulled Ning-ger to the side, hoping to avoid bumping into her son-in-law.

Qiu-ger tugged at Sun Dazhuang. “Enough! She doesn’t seem to be in as much pain now. Hu-zi went to buy herbs and will be back soon. You weren’t around when we needed you, and now you’re just making things worse.”

No sooner had he spoken than Wei Hu returned. Fresh rain had soaked his shoes, coating his soles with thick mud, and even his trouser legs were splattered with muddy spots.

“I got the coptis root.”

Qiu-ger hurriedly took it. “Brother Hu-zi, thank you.”

There was some aged citrus peel left at home. Qiu-ger fetched it and took it to his mother to roast in a small iron pot. Granny Sun lay in bed, half-dead, moaning incessantly, “It hurts so much.”

Chen Cuihua peered over. “Alright, the medicine will be ready soon.”

“Hu-zi, Hu-zi, how many copper coins did it cost?”

“Five copper coins.”

Wei Hu hadn’t bought much coptis root—just enough for two doses. Knowing how frugal Granny Sun was, he hadn’t bought more.

Chen Cuihua rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You’re in such agony, and you still have the mind to worry about how many coins it cost?”

Chen Cuihua said with some concern, “This medicine should work, right?”

Wei Hu hummed in acknowledgment. “I asked the doctor. Persimmons really shouldn’t be eaten in large quantities. Eating too many can cause anything from severe stomach cramps to, in the worst case, kidney stones.”

At the mention of possible kidney stones, Granny Sun turned pale with fright. She collapsed back onto the bed, wailing, “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

Chen Cuihua hurriedly asked, “Did you ask the doctor about the formula Ning-ger mentioned?”

“I did. The doctor said it should work.”

Hearing Wei Hu say this, Chen Cuihua felt reassured. Though the two herbs weren’t potent, she still feared they might harm someone, and then Ning-ger would be the subject of gossip.

Over there, Qiu-ger had already roasted the herbs, ground them into powder, and mixed them with hot water as Ning-ger had instructed. “Mother, drink the medicine quickly. It’ll stop the pain.”

The medicine carried a pungent, bitter, and sour odor as it was brought over. Chen Cuihua waved her hand in front of her nose. “It smells awful.”

Qiu-ger offered the medicine to his mother. Granny Sun took a sip and immediately spat it out. “What is this stuff? Trying to sour me to death?”

Chen Cuihua snorted. “How old are you, acting like a spoiled child? Stop fussing and just drink it already.”

Granny Sun had never missed an opportunity to gossip about her family. Chen Cuihua seized this chance to give her a taste of her own medicine, her words sharp and unsparing.

Song Ning couldn’t help but chuckle. His mother was blunt—her words might be harsh, but they held truth.

Song Ning tugged Wei Hu’s sleeve. “The road’s rough, huh?”

“Not too bad. It’s not far.”

Just by the mud caked on Wei Hu’s legs, Song Ning knew the path had been rough. Brother Wei Hu might not be good with words and look a bit fierce, but he had a soft heart.

As the two stood whispering together, over on the other side, Granny Sun was fussing again about the medicine being too bitter. No matter how much Qiu-ger tried to coax her, it was no use. His mother-in-law was truly a handful—he’d never seen anyone so hard to please.

Chen Cuihua rolled up her sleeves, snatched the medicine bowl from Qiu-ger’s hands, and, without a word, forced it down Granny Sun’s throat by pinching her mouth shut. “Stop fussing. I’d say your pain is mild.”

Chen Cuihua acted so swiftly that no one nearby had time to react before the medicine was forced down. Song Ning was stunned—his mother was so fierce, pinning the old woman down with one hand so she couldn’t move.

Today, feeding the medicine was Chen Cuihua’s chance to vent. Who gave this Granny Sun the nerve to constantly gossip about her family? If she had to rank the people she disliked most in the village, Li Guifen would be number one, and Granny Sun would be a close second.

Granny Sun, spoiled rotten, had the bitter, sour medicine drip down her neck. Her wrinkled face scrunched up as she gagged and retched. Chen Cuihua doubled over laughing, unable to straighten up. Song Ning joined in the laughter, too. This old woman really was a troublemaker. No wonder Qiu-ger said life with her was no picnic.

Granny Sun cursed with a thick slur, “Chen Cuihua, you did this on purpose!”

Chen Cuihua, feeling thoroughly refreshed, pulled Song Ning along. “Let’s go. It’s getting late. We should head home.”

Granny Sun continued ranting and raving as Sun Dazhuang and Qiu-ger escorted the three out. Sun Dazhuang kept thanking them, “Brother Hu-zi, Sister-in-law, thank you so much for your help.”

Wei Hu waved it off. “We’re all neighbors. Go inside and check on your mother.”