Chapter 003: Sis Is Rich Now Too

A chime sounded on her phone.

There were twenty-two hours left for the delivery.

Fearful that failing to make the deadline would bring unbearable punishment, Ying Shu hurriedly put away her phone and opened the large box Cheng Shan had given her.

Six gold bangles slipped out at once.

The box was also filled to the brim with gold and silver jewelry: a jade ring, jade pendants, a gold fan, a necklace of ornate beads, and many more pieces.

Ying Shu’s eyes lit up instantly.

She could not tell whether they were genuine or not, but even a glance at the craftsmanship made her feel they must be worth a great deal.

She selected a jade pendant and a gold fan, slipped them into her bag, then put the rest of the gold and silver jewelry back into the box and hid it in the wardrobe. After that, she went downstairs and told Qi Zhen, “Mom, I have something to take care of. I won’t be back for lunch.”

“Wait.” Qi Zhen stopped her. “Has the hospital sent the bill yet? How much do your grandfather and the others owe for their hospitalization?”

Every time a family member was discharged, they had no money to pay the hospital fees and could only keep delaying until the hospital sent a notice demanding payment.

As she spoke, Ying Shu was already heading out. “You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it.”

Qi Zhen said irritably, “Even if you run errands all day, it still wouldn’t be enough to support this whole family. Where exactly are you going to get the money for medical bills?”

Ying Shu touched the backpack behind her and curled her lips in a smile. “I have my own way.”

As long as everything Cheng Shan gave her was genuine, medical expenses would be no problem at all.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

At the right moment, her phone rang with a string of message alerts. Ying Shu opened it to check.

Dear Mr. Ying Li, hello. Your medical expenses at our hospital, Capital First Hospital, have not yet been settled. The outstanding balance is 2,395.23 yuan. To ensure the normal operation of the hospital and provide you with better medical services, please settle this debt within fifteen working days.

Dear Mr. Ying Xing, hello. Your medical expenses at our hospital, Capital First Hospital, have not yet been settled. The outstanding balance is 10,362.44 yuan...

Dear Ms. Ying Yu, hello. Your medical expenses at our hospital, Capital First Hospital, have not yet been settled. The outstanding balance is 13,911.89 yuan...

By rough calculation, the medical bills came to nearly twenty-seven thousand yuan.

And that was only for one month. When next month came and they were admitted again for a checkup and treatment, another large sum would be due.

On top of that, once they were discharged they would still need to buy targeted medication to control the illness. Even if part of the cost could be reimbursed, the medicine for the two of them would still come to more than ten thousand yuan. Ordinary people simply could not afford such treatment.

Her mother also survived only by taking whatever funeral-related jobs she could find.

Ying Shu drove to the Treasure Pawnshop on the main street.

When the owner, Qian Qian, saw her, he looked as though he had seen an omen of misfortune. He hurriedly stood up to chase her out. “Ying Shu, what are you doing here? Go on, get out. Don’t come into my shop and ruin my business.”

Xiyue Street was lined with self-built houses, and many generations of families had lived there, so everyone knew one another.

Ying Shu took the jade pendant from her bag and waved it in front of him. “Uncle Qian, are you sure I’m here to ruin your business, and not bring it to you?”

The moment Qian Qian saw the jade pendant, his gaze sharpened. Seeing that it did not look fake, he took it and asked, “You want to pawn a jade pendant?”

“Yes. See how much it’s worth.”

“Where did this pendant come from?”

Qian Qian was in business, so naturally he had to ask clearly where the item came from.

“It’s an heirloom from my ancestors.”

Before coming here, Ying Shu had already thought up her explanation.

Qian Qian did not doubt her. The Ying family had once had an ancestor who was a tomb robber and had stolen many fine things. It was not strange at all for the family to possess such a valuable jade pendant.

He took out a magnifying glass and examined it carefully. From the texture, pattern, color, and the traces left by time, he could conclude that it was an ancient jade pendant.

Beautifully carved, elegant in shape, flawless and perfectly intact, it was a jade pendant from the Han Dynasty. I can offer you this amount.

He entered 200 into the calculator.

Ying Shu raised an eyebrow. “A Han Dynasty jade pendant is only worth 200 yuan? Uncle Qian, are you trying to rip me off?”

Qian Qian said unhappily, “Two million.”

“Oh.”

Ying Shu remained calm on the surface, but inwardly she was overjoyed.

My heavens, all the gold and silver jewelry Cheng Shan gave her was genuine. If she sold everything, it might not reach a hundred million, but even if it were only forty or fifty million, splitting it in half would still leave her with twenty million.

One delivery could make her so much money. If more came, wouldn’t she become rich beyond measure?

Heh. Just thinking about it made her happy.

She then took out a gold fan. “Uncle Qian, take another look and see how much this fan is worth.”

Qian Qian snorted. “Ancestral too?”

“Yes.”

“Your family sure has a lot of heirlooms.”

After inspecting the fan, Qian Qian quoted a price of five hundred thousand, then transferred the money to Ying Shu on his phone.

Looking at the string of numbers, Ying Shu nearly burst out laughing.

After all, in all her years, this was the first time she had ever seen so much money.

Heehee. She was a rich woman now too.

“If you have anything good in the future, don’t forget about me.”

Once the two items were resold, Qian Qian would make at least three hundred thousand from them. For him, that was no small deal.

“Fine, but you must promise not to tell anyone about this.”

Some people were jealous by nature. If they found out she had money, who knew what they might do.

Qian Qian rolled his eyes at her. “Do you think I’d do something that ruins my own business?”

He was still waiting for Ying Shu to help him make a fortune quietly. How could he possibly tell others and let rival dealers steal his chance?

After leaving the pawnshop, Ying Shu took the subway to a fruit shop near Tianbin Huafu Residential Complex and bought several bags of fruit before heading to Cheng Shan’s home.

It was summer vacation now, and Cheng Shan’s child, Cheng Jia, was at home. Upon learning that Ying Shu was his father’s friend, he invited her inside.

In the living room, Ying Shu saw two men sitting on the sofa.

One looked like a newly graduated university student, young, cold, and stern. The other was mature and refined, with peach-blossom eyes that held a deep smile, giving off a particularly approachable impression.

The man stood and introduced himself. “Hello, my name is Feng Ye. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The other, younger man spoke briefly: “Wu Ling.”

After a brief hesitation, Ying Shu gave her real name. “Ying Shu.”

Feng Ye asked, “Are you also a friend of Cheng Shan’s?”

Ying Shu nodded slightly.

Feng Ye ruffled Cheng Jia’s hair. “Since other friends are here to see your mother, we won’t disturb you.”

Cheng Jia saw them out. Only after they returned did he lead Ying Shu into the room to visit his mother, Jiang Yu.

After enduring illness for so long, Jiang Yu had grown extremely frail, even speaking with great difficulty.

“My son says you’re a friend who made medicine for my husband?”

“Yes. I’m truly sorry. I only learned what happened yesterday. Please accept my condolences.”

In order to make Jiang Yu trust her, Ying Shu first transferred one and a half million to her.

“This is the profit Cheng Shan earned from investing in the cultivation of medicinal herbs.”

“Cultivating medicinal herbs?” Jiang Yu was very surprised. “Why had I never heard of this before?”

“It must be because the risk was too great, and he wasn’t sure whether it would make money, so he didn’t tell you, so as not to worry you.”

Jiang Yu choked up. “If he knew the herbs he invested in could make money, he would surely be very happy.”

Ying Shu took out the Restoration Pill. “This is the restorative pill he asked me to refine for him. It’s specifically for treating ALS.”

When Jiang Yu heard that it was a pill her husband had specially sought out for her, she could no longer hold back her tears. “Ah Shan was a good husband, a good father, and a good doctor. But why is heaven so unfair to good people, letting him leave so early...”

Ying Shu comforted her for a while, and only after she had stopped crying did she urge her to take the medicine. “I need to observe whether the pill works. If it doesn’t, I’ll go back and make a new batch.”

“Okay.”

Ying Shu placed the Restoration Pill into Jiang Yu’s mouth, and the pill dissolved almost instantly.

Jiang Yu said, “It feels like eating cotton candy. The moment it touches saliva, it melts, and there’s still a faint herbal fragrance left in my mouth.”

Watching her closely, Ying Shu asked, “How do you feel now?”

Jiang Yu laughed. “This isn’t a miracle pill. How could it take effect so quickly? No matter how good a medicine is, you have to take it for at least a month before you can tell whether it works.”

Half-joking, half-serious, Ying Shu said, “It is a miracle pill. It will definitely cure your illness.”

What else could a pill refined by a cultivator be, if not a miracle pill?

“I’ll take your good words to heart.”

Jiang Yu had been ill for many years and had taken countless medicines, so she did not hold out much hope.

“Don’t you notice? Your voice has more strength than before.”

Jiang Yu froze. “Really?”

It did seem like she had more strength.

And more than that, she discovered that her hands and feet had sensation again.

Overjoyed, she tried lifting her arm. Though the movement was slow, she could move it now. “I-I can move.”

Of course, her body still had no strength. It took quite a while before she could barely prop herself up and sit upright, but this result was already excellent.

“Wonderful, Mom can move, Mom can move!”

Seeing Jiang Yu sit up, Cheng Jia clapped his hands in delight.

Jiang Yu laughed and cried at once. “Thank you, Xiao Shu. Truly, thank you.”

Cheng Jia also chimed in, “Thank you, Sister Ying.”

Ying Shu was happy for them as well. This meant her own family’s illness could be saved too.

“Actually, the one you should thank most is your husband and father. If not for him, I might not have been able to refine the medicine. So there’s no need to thank me.”

She was telling the truth. If Cheng Shan had not kept Jiang Yu in his heart, Jiang Yu would not have improved.

Only after confirming that Jiang Yu could slowly stand and walk did Ying Shu leave the Cheng household.

Just as she stepped out of the residential complex, her phone rang.

Ding.

Congratulations on completing the mission. You have received two hundred points and two hundred merit points. The employee may now draw a prize.