Until after the late dinner, the System's voice ban was lifted.
Sitting on the heated brick bed, Qi Huan gripped embroidery scissors in her right hand and a paper box in her left, cutting out cards of suitable sizes and writing the letters 'VIP' on them.
Next, she found some wide tape from the stationery she had obtained previously, and wrapped it around the cards, making them tamper-proof and durable.
After making the membership cards, she stretched lazily, suddenly recalling what Xu Nanny had said earlier.
"System, is Qi Yu also a time traveler? Xu Nanny said he has many special medicines and can even cure tuberculosis..."
"To be honest, he was my previous host."
"!"
Stunned, Qi Huan asked expectantly, "Did Grandfather leave me any points as inheritance?"
"No, he owed me thirty points instead."
"...How did he end up so miserable?"
"In his previous life, Qi Yu was killed by a medical dispute, along with his desire to heal and save people.
After coming to this world, he was indolent for many years.
The space bound to him was a pharmacy, and the points he earned could only redeem items from that pharmacy.
He would only see patients to earn points when he was out of medicine. He charged consultation fees for regular treatments, so he had no points income and his balance was always zero.
This System followed him for decades, living in utter poverty, with the few points left in the account being consolation points given out of pity by the System headquarters.
He was the most lethargic host this System has ever seen. After earning enough silver for living expenses each month, he would stay in the back courtyard dallying with his beloved wives.
Although he saw few patients, his medicine was effective, so he gained some renown in the capital and was even promoted to the Imperial Medical Bureau in an exceptional case. Later, he was accused of corruption and exiled.
He was too hungry on the journey and borrowed thirty points from this System to buy glucose solution, but never repaid it until..."
"What happened after that? How did he die?"
"He was bitten by a banded krait. There was no antivenom in the pharmacy, so he died from the venom. The sudden attack by a group of snakes bit dozens in the Qi family, and all except Qi Yue and Song Zhibai, the parents of this body you're in, were killed.
At that time, Qi Yue and Song Zhibai were frozen in fear, hugging each other and not daring to move, so the snakes slithered away from them and they survived."
"I smell a conspiracy here."
Qi Huan frowned, a tinge of suspicion arising in her heart.
Banded kraits live in the south, but Qi Yu and his family were traveling northward - how did they happen to encounter them?
And a whole group of them at that!
Imagining the scene, Qi Huan shuddered with goosebumps. She was most afraid of limbless creatures...
To divert her attention, she suggested, "System, it's been a while since we sang. Let's listen to a couple of songs."
From 'The White Snake Enchantress' to 'Waiting a Millennium', she finally yelled for it to stop after growing impatient.
Covering her head with a blanket, Qi Huan began counting sheep. She finally fell asleep after counting to nine hundred and ninety-nine.
The next day.
Dark clouds covered the sun, and a cold wind howled.
Such weather was only suitable for curling up on the heated bed, not going anywhere except for meals and the toilet.
Qi Huan continued copying medical books, resting her eyes on Chen Jinyou sitting opposite when she grew tired.
After copying two pages, Chen Jinyou's voice suddenly rang out from the courtyard.
Qi Huan walked out, looking at the mink-wrapped Chen Jinyou and smiling, "Why are you here?... I happen to have something to give you."
"What is it?"
"A membership card."
Taking the card she handed him, Chen Jinyou examined it carefully, unable to see any use for this yellow-tinted card.
"Bring it with you when you eat at the Qi Inn from now on, and you'll get a discount!"
Chen Jinyou laughed sheepishly, "Thank you Qi Huan, you're so good to me!"
"Don't misunderstand, this is something you earned through merit, a reward for eating my crispy meat buns every day."
"...No wonder it's called a 'circular' card, turns out I ate my way to it."
Casually stuffing the card into his waistband, Chen Jinyou brought up the real reason for his visit today.
"Qi Huan, two thieves were caught in the farm!"
Chen Jinyou clenched his fists, indignantly saying, "They're a married couple from the neighboring village. They're Old Lady Wang's nephew and niece-in-law. Old Lady Wang bragged a bit when visiting her hometown, and they got corrupted ideas."
"They snuck into the farm in the middle of the night. Just as they reached the greenhouse, the farm dogs were alerted and chased them halfway across the farm before the tenants came and tied them up."
"There wasn't much loss of produce, only that the rascals put several holes in Old Lady Wang's family's greenhouse cover."
"They said Old Lady Wang's bragging was grating on their ears, so they didn't want her to live well."
The Wang couple didn't care whether Old Lady Wang's family could still grow vegetables in the damaged greenhouse since they could just steal from others.
After hearing the story, Qi Huan's expression turned grim, "Report them to the officials and make an example of them."
"Got it, I'll go submit the report. Then I'll go back home and massage Father's shoulders."
The next day in court, Chen Jinyou stood by Qi Huan's side, repeatedly winking at his father and giving him the middle finger, reminding him that thieves should have their hands chopped off!
Catching his actions from the corner of his eye, Chen the county magistrate fumed, glaring angrily.
This wretched son! How dare he insult him!
Chen the county magistrate was in a foul mood, slamming the court gavel with great force.
Then, he addressed the shifty-eyed couple of thieves with disdain, "This official is giving you one chance. You can choose to confess directly or be flogged before confessing."
Wang Huai pondered in his heart - both options required him to confess, didn't they?
He chose the one without getting beaten.
"I'll confess!"
"I only stole a few vegetables and put them in my bag... I was going to return them."
After speaking, he elbowed his wife Wang beside him and muttered, "Hand it over first, we'll steal more next time."
Reluctantly, Mrs. Wang opened her bag.
However, the tomatoes inside had been squashed into a mush, and the cucumbers were snapped into pieces.
She pursed her lips dismissively, "It all turns to shit in the stomach anyway, being smashed doesn't affect eating them."
"So you eat shit?" Qi Huan couldn't help but ask.
"......"
Mrs. Wang wanted to curse her out but held back, intimidated by Chen Jinyou and the 'human icicle' behind her.
One was the son of the county magistrate.
The other was cold as ice, looking at her like she was a thorn in his side.
A good woman doesn't pick fights with men or swallow losses.
She replied dryly, "I don't eat shit."
"So it's completely different. I don't want these spoiled vegetables, you'll compensate at the full price."
The village headman quickly produced a scale with an ebony rod and after weighing, calculated: "Two hundred and fifty-one copper coins. I'll round it up to an even two hundred and fifty for you!"
Wang Huai and his wife were stunned. They had only stolen one tomato and one cucumber, yet they were being extorted?
Subdued by Chen the county magistrate's intimidating presence, they dared not burst into a tirade. Instead, they could only swallow their anger and negotiate: "We'll compensate you in the summer!"
"These tomatoes and cucumbers are worth two hundred and fifty copper coins in winter, but in summer, they'd be about two coins. You can repay the vegetables in summer, but remember to add the two hundred and forty-eight coins difference in price," Qi Huan said, her voice rising slightly at the end, a teasing lilt that made Wang Huai and his wife's anger surge. They longed to stand up and scratch her smiling face.
As the couple teetered on the edge of fury, Chen the county magistrate spoke again.
"Will you pay compensation now, or wait until after you've been beaten with the rod?"
