Rebirth of the Black-bellied Princess Mo

Chapter 5 : Recruiting People

Xia Chu found a pharmacy in the western part of the capital by following her previous life’s memory.

She wanted to do this alone and didn’t want to make her father Marquis Xia worried. So, what was it that she wanted to do that had to be hidden from her father?

Recruiting people of course!

She would recruit the people that Xiao Yanjun had around him in her previous life and make them her people in advance. She would suppress him with his own strength. She felt happy from just thinking about it.

As soon as she thought about it, the ones who came to her mind was the Su siblings. In her last life, Xiao Yanjun provided treatment for the Su sister. But since it was left untreated for a long time, it was at a stage where it could not be cured anymore. She could only sustain her life just for a while longer using the precious medicines that Xiao Yanjun provided and in turn the Su family brother would keep working for Xiao Yanjun.

Xia Chu remembered that Xiao Yanjun mentioned that he met the elder brother at the entrance of Ji’an Pharmacy in the western part of the Capital city. Seeing that he had no money to buy medicine and bullied by others, he also noticed that he was burly, well-mannered, and seemed to know martial arts, he took action and saved him from the bullies. Later, he discovered that his swordsmanship was excellent, and wanted to win him over. Discovering that his sister was seriously ill, Xiao Yanjun asked Xia Chu to help him treat the girl.

At this time, Xia Chu was wandering through the alleys searching for the said pharmacy, and finally found it.  Entering Ji’an Pharmacy, she started looking around and found that the shop was not big, but it had everything. The shopkeeper saw that she was well dressed but did not seem to want to buy anything. So, he approached her and asked, “Young master, do you need something?” (T/N: Pls remember that she’s dressed as a guy all the time and only people close to her know she’s a girl)

“Did someone come here often to buy medicine for Tuberculosis? That person should be around eight feet tall with a decent appearance and a burly stature.”

“Indeed, there is such a person.” Halfway through his words he stopped talking and stared at Xia Chu.

Xia Chu smiled knowingly and showed him a piece of silver.

The guy stretched out his hand for the silver but Xia Chu motioned for him to continue.

“He came to buy medicine everyday around 3-5pm. Although the physicians at our pharmacy said that Tuberculosis cannot be cured completely and it is useless to eat medicine, he ignored their words and continued to buy medicine.”

“Forget seeing me here today” Xia Chu put the silver into his hands.

The guy nodded happily, “This lowly one understands. Young Master, please take care.”

Leaving the pharmacy, Xia Chu noticed a tea house that was diagonally opposite to the pharmacy and went there to wait.

It took about two tea cups of time and she saw the Su brother entering the pharmacy. Xia Chu put a piece of silver on the table and went downstairs.

She calculated the time, and just when the Su elder brother left the pharmacy after buying medicine, she bumped into him.

Of course, both of them were fine. It was just that the medicine, which had got scattered all over the place. Xia Chu apologized to him while helping him pick up the medicine.

“This medicine is for treating tuberculosis, isn’t it?”

Elder brother Su didn’t reply and silently picked up the medicine.

“It is said that Tuberculosis is an incurable disease.”

Brother Su raised his head and fiercely stared at Xia Chu angrily.

“But I can cure it.”

Hearing that, Brother Su’s expression collapsed, as his eyes widened in surprise, then he seemed to ecstatic and then finally his expression turned to one of probing.

Xia Chu waved her hand in front of him, “Hey! Did you turn stupid or something? I said, in the whole world only I can cure Tuberculosis…”

Before even Xia Chu fully finish her sentence, elder brother Su knelt in front of her.

“As long as you can save my sister, my life is yours.” He kowtowed loudly as he finished speaking.

“Your life is mine?” Xia Chu raised her eyebrows.

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Xia Chu didn’t talk nonsense, and helped up elder brother Su, “Lead the way.”

Hearing that, elder brother Su nodded and lead the way. Along the way, he was silent and Xia Chu looked at him with a smile, “You think that I’m young and suspect that I lied to you?”

Brother Su nodded, but immediately shook his head with a guilty conscience.

“Don’t worry, it is not that I’m boasting. It is a fact that only I can cure your sister in this world.” Xia Chu boldly stated.

It was a terminal illness and if Bai Ruofei came, there indeed is a chance that she could be saved. But her master was not as proficient as she was with this disease and with sister Su. After all, in her last lifetime, Xia Yanjun came to her too late and sister Su could no longer be cured. But now, it is two years earlier, so Xia Chu is very confident in treating her.

Seeing her confident appearance, Brother Su calmed down a little.

“It’s here,” he pointed at a dilapidated temple. He saw that Xia Chu was dressed in luxurious clothes and was afraid that Xia Chu would dislike this dirty temple and thus explained, “We can’t live in an inn.”

Xia Chu nodded and understood. Tuberculosis was a contagious disease, and people were afraid and avoided the infected ones. They even called it white plague. Naturally they must have been driven out of the inns and even couldn’t stay in the residential area.

Xia Chu saw how sincere brother Su was in inviting her to trat his sister, she entered the temple.

The temple was empty except for the girl lying in the innermost corner. She was sleeping lightly and when Xia Chu came to her side, she woke up. Even in winter, her face was covered in sweat.

“Girl, you often sweat in the nights, right?”

The girl nodded.

“Can I take your pulse?”

The girl glanced at her brother and reached out her hand when she saw that he nodded.

Xia Chu took her pulse for a while and asked, “Do you have tightness in chest, chest pain, loss of appetite, cough or coughing up blood?”

“Yes, I do have all the symptoms you mentioned except for coughing up blood. Bud occasionally, there is blood in the mucus.”

Xia Chu nodded, since she didn’t cough up blood, the disease must still be in its early stages. With the herbs she took from her master’s pharmacy, it should be no problem if she gave sister Su treatment for a while.

Seeing that Xia Chu was still thinking, he thought that she was the same as other doctors and asked in a dejected tone, “It can’t be cured?”

“Brother, it is okay. I’m already used to it.” Sister Su tried to comfort him.

“Huh?” Xia Chu saw that her silence was misunderstood and hurriedly clarified, “It can be cured.”

“Really?” The siblings asked in unison and they were delighted. They had a glimmer of hope after being in the dark for a long time.

“Of course. You siblings are poor. What can I get by fooling you two?”

The two of them looked embarrassed, but Brother Su pulled sister Su to kneel.

“I’m Su Qian’an,” said brother Su.

“I’m Su Qianle,” said Sister Su.

“I’ll work like a horse and repay benefactor for saving my sister’s life,” after saying that Su Qian’an pulled Su Qianle to kowtow three times.

“Get up quickly, your kneeling is a problem and this should be corrected in the future.”

“Yes, yes” Su Qian’an pulled up his sister and stood up.

“You guys clean up, uh … seems like there’s nothing to pack. You two should go back to the manor with me, and there Qianle will recuperate from her illness.”

“Eh? Manor? Which manor?”

“My surname is Xia, and the name is Chu. I’m the only son of the Marquis Xia’s mansion. Which mansion do you think you should go to?”

When Su Qian’an hear this, he was about to kneel again, but was stopped midway by Xia Chu and wondered what kind of good karma he accumulated for him to meet such a noble and kind person.

“Little Marquis?”

“Just call me young master. Let’s go then.”

“Yes, young master.” Su Qian’an bowed and helped his sister to leave with Xia Chu.