CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47: TRUMP CARD

"Who did you learn this handwriting from?"

The gaze had taken on a probing tone, Yi Chichi could feel it.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was He Yunsong asking this question out of pure curiosity, or had he become suspicious of her?

If it was mere curiosity, it made sense.

If it was suspicion, what was the reason for his doubt?

In an instant, her mind went into overdrive, but she maintained her usual calm demeanor on the surface. Even her voice was steady and composed.

"Self-taught!"

Confident and decisive.

He Yunsong’s mouth twitched, was she taking him for a fool to deceive?

"If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. I’m not insisting on knowing, but there’s no need to fool me."

Yi Chichi rolled her eyes, "Just wash up and go to sleep, buddy, everything’s there in your dreams."

The words stung a little, nearly pushing He Yunsong into silence.

But he remained resilient, showing a spirit that grew stronger with resistance.

"I..."

"Shut up!"

Yi Chichi didn’t want to waste words with him, directly pulling out her trump card.

"Do you want the medicine or not?"

She shot him a sidelong glance, her face clearly stating if he wanted the medicine, he better cut the chatter.

He Yunsong sighed, this girl was unconventional.

Her stubbornness left him at a loss.

The crucial point was, he needed her help, so he couldn’t afford to offend her.

"Write carefully, Old Wen and I are counting on you for the medicine."

This was an indication of conceding.

Yi Chichi was pleased and continued to write down the medicine names and required dosages.

After finishing, she handed the list to him, "Follow the list."

He Yunsong took it and looked it over, "Once everything’s gathered, how long will it take you to make it?"

"About a week."

Alright, they could make it in time.

"Should we find you at the Youth Corps Courtyard once it’s gathered?"

"Go to Uncle Yaozi’s; the infirmary there has tools."

The Youth Corps Courtyard had no tools whatsoever, how else could she make medicine?

She planned to make her ointment along with Bai Chen and their ointment for frostbite, as she’d have nothing much to do after finishing the clothes.

It was a well-thought-out plan, but in reality, He Yunsong and Wen Shi didn’t manage to gather the herbs.

The day after having the braised meat dish, the two brothers braved the knee-deep snow to buy herbs.

They first went to the commune’s herbal collection station.

Upon hearing their intentions, the staff member apologized, saying, "The herbs were cleared out three days ago and sent to the provincial city."

The two exchanged glances, Wen Shi, unwilling to give up, asked, "None left at all?"

"Some are left. If you need them, we can spare some if the station has what you want."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shi immediately pulled out the list, "Comrade, see if you have any."

The staff member took the list and couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

This wasn’t a purchase for herbs; it was more like a supply procurement.

The variety alone was one thing, but the weight units were ridiculously high.

Who buys "sanqi" by the pound for personal use? It’s not like it can be cooked and eaten like food.

"You’re not planning to resell it, are you?!"

The straightforward guy couldn’t speak subtly; he said whatever came to mind.

His gaze at Wen Shi and the others was filled with suspicion and inquiry.

His eyes roved over their faces like a searchlight, his stance instinctively adjusting.

Gave off the impression of being ready to run to the authorities at any moment.

Wen Shi’s brow twitched, not bothering to explain but taking out a certificate, "We have discipline."

The Red Star emblem in this era was more convincing than any explanation.

The guy immediately felt embarrassed and smiled at the two, "Can’t blame us for being suspicious, the quantity you want is just abnormal."

Wen Shi felt a chill, "??? Abnormal how?"

"It’s too much. Generally, only hospitals and higher-up departments require this amount, not individuals."

The two suddenly realized, He Yunsong asked, "Do you have it?"

"No."

The guy was straightforward, "The remaining herbs aren’t on this list."

He handed back the list, "If you want to buy, you might have to wait."

Waiting wasn’t out of the question, but how long would it take?

When asked, they learned it would be until spring.

Because the snow would fall nonstop, and the medicine gatherers would call off work until spring next year.

The lives of the medicine gatherers were precious too; no one would risk their lives in the snow and ice to gather herbs.

It was easy to encounter life-threatening situations.

Furthermore, with snow covering everything, herbs would be hard to find.

So, the commune’s herbal collection station would have empty storerooms for a while.

Having learned this, Wen Shi and He Yunsong began to worry.

If the commune’s station had no herbs, what about the county...

"Does the county have any?"

"No way."

"Why not?"

"Think about it, if they were taken from the commune, would the county be spared?"

That made so much sense.

Were their herbs doomed then?

He Yunsong wore a bitter expression looking at Wen Shi, "Old Wen, what now?"

"Let’s check the county."

If the county didn’t have any either, there’d be nothing he could do.

He could only leave Yi Zhqing an address to send the medicine once made after spring.

Now, all he could do was pray the county’s herbal collection station had herbs.

But the harsh reality revealed there were none in the county either.

Left with no choice, the two could only go with hope and return in disappointment.

When they arrived at the Youth Corps Courtyard, Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu were making snowmen in the yard.

Wang Nan and the other farmers were standing under the eaves, watching the two fools play in the snow, looking helpless.

"When you’re about done, you should come in, careful not to catch a cold!"

"No, we won’t!"

Yi Chichi was holding a large snowball, shaping it with a kitchen knife here and there.

Upon hearing Wang Nan, without lifting her head, she said, "I’m wearing a lot, not cold."

"Qiuyu feels cold."

"I’m not cold."

Zhou Qiuyu, rolling a small snowball, quickly countered, "Chichi sold me her big cotton pants, they’re warm."

After Cotton Jackets, Yi Chichi had sold her a pair of cotton pants too.

She had no choice; this girl only had a pair of ill-fitting knitted pants with holes, not even thermal leggings.

The only somewhat thick pants she had were made from work cloth, washed to the point of wearing thin, patched upon patch, suitable for spring, summer, and autumn, but completely inadequate for winter.

To keep her from freezing, Wang Nan and the others pooled money and lent it to her to buy cotton pants from villagers.

They couldn’t even dream of new cotton pants; their goal was to find pants worn for several years.

When leaving, Yi Chichi, curious, noticed and asked a question.

And so, the deal for the cotton pants was made.

Having acquired the cotton pants, Zhou Qiuyu couldn’t resist the allure of the vast snow and joined Yi Chichi in playing at her invitation.

The two busied themselves non-stop, while Wang Nan and the others had developed resistance to the snow, having no interest in enduring the cold, they could only watch in helplessness.

As they watched, two little dots appeared outside the gate.

The dots grew closer, from small to larger dots.

"Is the chief and the rest coming?"

Wang Nan squinted, examining closely. Upon hearing this, Yi Chichi, curious, turned her head to look outside.

Then—