Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Li Xiaonuan didn't ponder the female doctor's words deeply. She thanked the doctor anyway before leaving the cubicle. She thought to herself: "It must be that Doctor Qi's overly compassionate heart that led him to ask the female doctor for help. Indeed, the medical ethics of this era are incredibly good."

Outside the private room, in the main hall, Xiao Gang sat listlessly on a bench. A servant in blue robes, sitting beside him, offered him a box of delicate pastries, seemingly urging him to eat some. But Xiao Gang was completely unmoved, ignoring the servant's attempt to ingratiate himself.

Seeing this, Li Xiaonuan called out to Xiaogang. Xiaogang smiled and ran over, leaving the servant in blue sitting alone in a corner of the bench. The servant lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.

"Sis, why did you take so long to go in? That guy was driving me crazy." Xiao Gang pouted, looking even more silly.

Li Xiaonuan was quite jealous of Xiaogang's innate ability to play dumb and outsmart others. She pulled Xiaogang over and made him help Su Shi, instructing him, "Be good, help your mother sit over there for a bit. I'll go get the medicine first. When Father comes out, we'll go have a big meal together."

Xiao Gang knew they were going to a "Guests' Home" dinner, which was obviously different from the usual lavish feasts. So, he suppressed his excitement and helped Su Shi sit obediently to the side to wait.

When the female doctor prescribed medicine, Li Xiaonuan asked if she could stew Ganoderma lucidum for Su Shi as a tonic. The female doctor suggested that Su Shi was suited to gentle tonics and could take a small amount of deer antler wine or stew some donkey-hide gelatin. As for strong tonics like Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng, it was best not to use them, lest her body be too weak to handle them.

When getting the medicine, Li Xiaonuan gritted her teeth and bought ten taels of silver, which only amounted to a little over five taels of donkey-hide gelatin. She also bought five catties of high-quality red dates and two catties of excellent quality goji berries. With these, plus the cost of the medicine and the consultation fee, she spent thirty-one taels and one hundred and twenty wen.

After getting the medicine, Li's father and Xiaoyang still hadn't come out. Li Xiaonuan sat down on the bench where Xiaogang and his mother were, with Xiaogang on either side of Su Shi.

The listless young servant in blue, clutching the box of pastries, perked up immediately upon seeing Li Xiaonuan. He abandoned his previous arrogance and approached her with a slightly ingratiating air, asking, "Miss, have you finished your business? If so, may I take you to the Guest's Home? My young master has been waiting there since early this morning."

Li Xiaonuan wasn't displeased; in fact, she was curious why the peacock-like man was so eager to buy the recipe for milk shortbread. So, she spoke to the servant in a gentle tone, "My father is still inside and hasn't come out yet. Go back and tell your master to wait patiently. Just say that I'll be there at lunchtime and ask him to prepare a good meal."

The servant didn't think the request was excessive. He nodded in agreement and handed the pastry box to Li Xiaonuan before leaving. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Miss, I'll go back and make arrangements first, and come back later. Is there anything else you need? If so, I'll fetch it for you."

Li Xiaonuan shook her head, thanked him, and let him go. Once the servant was gone, Su Shi, whose curiosity was practically bursting, hurriedly asked, "Xiaonuan, that young man must have been a servant from a wealthy family, right? What did he want with you? I heard he wanted to buy some milk crisps or something. What are milk crisps?"

She had originally planned to tell Mrs. Su once they arrived at the guesthouse. But Li Xiaonuan knew Mrs. Su was an impatient person. If she asked now and wasn't told, she'd be so anxious she'd bang her head against the wall. Li Xiaonuan smiled wryly, leaned close to her ear, and whispered:

“Mother, during the days I was unconscious, I dreamed of many things I had never seen before. That milk custard was the one I saw in my dream. The servant’s master wanted to buy the recipe for that milk custard.”

"Really?" Su's voice was somewhat high-pitched.

Li Xiaonuan quickly put her arm around Su's shoulder and gently patted her arm to calm her overly agitated emotions. Fortunately, although Su was an impatient person, she knew the occasion was inappropriate. Therefore, after seeing Li Xiaonuan nod in acknowledgment, she calmed down and composed herself.

Before Su could fully calm down, the young apprentice called them into the inner room. Li Xiaonuan thought it must be because her father's test results were in. With trepidation, the three followed the apprentice silently into the room.

In the separate room, Qi Ji sat behind a long table, his brows slightly furrowed. On the couch, Father Li's face showed despair, but his eyes held a struggle. Li Xiaoyang sat on the edge of the couch, his face filled with sorrow.

Upon seeing this scene, Li Xiaonuan's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling. She quickly helped Su Shi sit down in front of the bed and then stepped forward to ask, "Dr. Qi, is my father's condition very serious?"

Qi Ji said solemnly, "It's very serious. Your father has large kidney stones. Some small particles had passed before, but some got stuck in the ureter. Your father has been unable to get out of bed for the past few years, which is probably due to the kidney stones. Now, the stones in the ureter have caused other symptoms, and your father's kidneys are already showing signs of failure."

"No wonder, I knew Dad's legs had been swollen badly these past few days," Li Xiaonuan murmured. She knew that kidney stones in her previous life were a very common and easily treatable condition. Therefore, she asked Qi Ji:

"Dr. Qi, is there any cure for my father's illness? We are not afraid of spending more money if it is necessary. We would even give him one of my kidneys if it can cure my father."

Qi Ji glanced at Li Xiaonuan in surprise. After a moment, he slowly said, "It can be cured, but it's a bit troublesome. If we could find a renowned surgeon, your father's ailment would be nothing. But the surgeon's whereabouts have been a mystery for the past few years, so it's difficult to get him to come. Besides, his consultation fee is very expensive."

Knowing that Li's father could be saved, Su, who was already grieving, hurriedly asked, "Dr. Qi, if we can't get that so-called expert to come, can you cure the child's father? It doesn't matter if it takes a long time, we can wait."

Qi Ji smiled wryly, looked at Li Xiaonuan who was deep in thought, and shook his head slightly. But he offered a glimmer of hope: "I can only stabilize Uncle Li's condition. My father can remove some of the stones from Uncle's body. But if we want to cure Uncle's illness, we must find a master doctor. Otherwise, Uncle will still suffer from the colic caused by the kidney stones in the future."

Lost in thought, Li Xiaonuan only grasped the words "stabilize the condition." She earnestly pleaded with Qi Ji, "Dr. Qi, please stabilize my father's condition first. If possible, help him recuperate. As for the surgical expert, I'll think of a way. Now, please tell me, how long can my father hold on?"

"Two years." That was the result after he took action.

Thankfully, there are still two years left. Li Xiaonuan breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing completely and almost collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, Li Xiaoyang caught her quickly.

"Sister, don't worry, I'll go out tomorrow to find that so-called master healer. If I can't get him to come, I'll bring him here by kidnapping. But, Doctor Qi, could you draw a portrait of that master healer for me?" Xiao Yang asked.

Li Xiaonuan turned around and patted Xiaoyang's shoulder. She walked to the bedside and said to her father, "Dad, did you hear that? Doctor Qi said your illness can be cured. Now, you have to grit your teeth and bear it. Think about it, if you give up, I'm already nineteen. In three more years, will I still be able to get married? So, for my sake, you have to hold on."

Madam Su nodded frantically, urging, "Father, did you hear that? Our Xiaonuan has had a hard life. She suffered a lot when she fled famine with us. Now, she's been jilted at her engagement. If you really care about the child, then you'd better live a good life."

Xiao Gang, holding back tears, stepped forward and hugged his father, saying, "Dad, you haven't taken me to fly kites yet. Also, you said you would send me to school, but now the school doesn't want to accept me because I'm too old."

Xiao Yang is rather reserved when it comes to emotions. With red eyes, he only called out "Dad" once and then stood there without saying anything more.

As Xiao Gang spoke, cracks appeared in the despair on Li's father's face. When he turned to look at Xiao Nuan and the others, he finally couldn't hold back and nodded in agreement, tears streaming down his face. Li Xiao Nuan and the others wept with joy, surrounding Li's father and talking about their bright future.

Once the family had calmed down a bit, Qi Ji spoke up: "Given Uncle's current condition, it's best for him to stay at the clinic to recuperate. Due to the clinic's limited resources, you don't need to leave anyone to take care of him. I will arrange for a young apprentice to attend to him. Uncle's food and clothing expenses will be covered along with his medical bills."

Xiao Gang asked innocently, "What should I do if I miss my dad?"

Qi Ji smiled knowingly and said, "As long as it's not nighttime, you can come to visit your father anytime."

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? Why don't you let me stay?" Madam Su had been by Li's side day and night and was not used to being away from him.

Qi Ji advised, "Auntie is already unwell, so she should stay home and rest. I told you, you can come to visit Uncle anytime. For his sake, so that he can come home healthy in the future, please be patient for a while."

Li Xiaonuan nodded and replied, "We understand, thank you for your trouble, Dr. Xie Xiaoqi. Mother, let's help my father to his place first, and if there's anything inconvenient, we can provide timely assistance."

Qi Ji nodded and led the way with the young apprentice. Xiao Yang carried Li's father on his back, and the family followed behind. Because of the unavoidable pressing and rubbing during Qi Ji's examination, Li's father was in so much pain that he couldn't walk.

By the time Li's father was settled, it was past lunchtime. Li Xiaonuan's family was quite satisfied with the accommodations at the clinic. Everything they provided was better than what they had at home—safe, hygienic, and very clean.

After saying goodbye to Li's father, the family hurriedly left the clinic and headed towards Binzhirugui. Li Xiaonuan wanted to take a gamble and make a deal with that peacock-like man. At this moment, she desperately wanted to see that young master.

The group had barely left the clinic when the young servant in blue caught up with them. "Oh dear, where did you all go? I was so worried! If you had run away today, I would have been in big trouble."

Li Xiaonuan was anxious and urged the servant to hurry up, saying as they walked, "Then let's go quickly. My father's illness is quite serious, so we were delayed for a while. Your master can't even wait this long, can he?"

The servant knew Wei Yu and thought Li Xiaonuan was afraid, so he comforted her, "Don't be afraid, young lady. My master is very easy to talk to. As long as you go along with him in everything, he won't get angry. If you disagree, just subtly persuade him and make him happy, and he won't pursue the matter."

Li Xiaonuan was stunned. What kind of personality was this? Was he really a peacock man? But his threatening tone and expression yesterday clearly didn't belong to the peacock man's style. Perhaps, this was a survival strategy of a large family. If that were the case, then her deal would definitely be successful. As for the servant, was it really okay to betray his master like this?