Chapter Six: Retrieving Medicine from the Warehouse

Zhong Xiao’s words were harsh, and Zhou Yongxin felt both angry and vexed in his heart. In the past, he had always thought Zhong Xiao was just a simple-minded girl—quick-tempered, perhaps, but easy enough to fool. He never expected her tongue to be so sharp, her insults so merciless. Didn’t she fear that her own words might come back to haunt her?

Even Du Huacheng was finding it hard to listen. After all, this was the daughter he had doted on for years. Torn, he finally turned to the barefoot doctor and said, “We have medicine at home. Do what you can—just do your utmost to save the mother. That’s what’s most important!”

The Zhong family lacked neither money nor medicine; their warehouse was well-stocked. With enough payment from Du Huacheng, the barefoot doctor, even if hesitant, would have to grit his teeth and proceed. He listed a few items for Du Huacheng to fetch urgently.

“First, lidocaine and ***; oxytocin and penicillin; aspirin—if you have these, bring as much as you can. Any other antibiotics too, bring them just in case. Also, needles, injectables, all kinds of disposable gloves.”

Du Huacheng nodded. “Yes, yes, we have all of that.”

Zhong Xiao was startled by this. These medicines were difficult to procure, even in the hospitals of Yue City. With the strict regulation of pharmaceuticals, these Western drugs, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory medicines were precious resources, inaccessible to ordinary people. Even Zhong Xiao herself had no idea the Zhong family possessed such supplies.

Du Huacheng immediately set off for the warehouse, and Zhong Xiao followed. “Dad, let me come with you,” she said.

At her words, Yang Yuehe’s heart leapt with alarm. She hurriedly pleaded, “Xiao Xiao, don’t go making trouble at a time like this, please. Your sister’s life is hanging by a thread, and we need the medicine urgently. No matter how angry you are right now, wait until she’s given birth—then we can settle things, all right?”

Zhong Xiao waved her hand impatiently. “I’m just going to help. Does my dad even recognize the words? Does he know what penicillin is, or lidocaine?”

Yang Yuehe and Du Huacheng were dumbstruck.

Of course—they couldn’t read.

At this moment, it was indeed up to Zhong Xiao, the only one present who was literate.

Still, Yang Yuehe couldn’t quite trust her.

But Zhong Xiao remained unruffled; after all, she was not the one who ought to be anxious now. Arms crossed, she said, “If you don’t trust me, go find it yourselves. By the time you do, I expect Ying’er will already be dead.”

The barefoot doctor added, “We need to hurry.”

Du Huacheng simply pulled Zhong Xiao along. “Enough, come with Dad. I know you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. You wouldn’t really harm your sister.”

With a glance at Yang Yuehe, he made his decision. There was no other choice but to trust Zhong Xiao now.

Zhong Xiao followed Du Huacheng to the warehouse at a leisurely pace. All the while, Du Huacheng tried to reason with her. “Xiao Xiao, you have to understand Dad. You know how domineering your grandfather is. Ever since I married your mother, he’s looked down on me. As a man, I have my pride. That’s when I met Aunt Yang; she was so understanding and gave me comfort. That’s why I made a mistake…”

He added, “You can understand Dad, can’t you?”

Understand your second wife, your third uncle, and your fourth aunt—what nonsense! Zhong Xiao sneered inwardly.

Her wretched father coveted the Zhong family’s assets while resenting his position as a live-in son-in-law. He wanted everything, and more—never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Worst of all, in her past life, he actually managed to turn things around and lived out his days in comfort.

That was why fate intervened; this time, she was here to settle accounts with him.

But Zhong Xiao was in no hurry. If she wished, she could simply expose Du Ying’er’s pregnancy—everyone would be arrested at once, charged with “moral depravity,” “poor upbringing,” or “hooliganism,” and tortured to death. But as the eldest daughter of the Zhong family, she herself would not escape unscathed.

So she had no intention of exposing it. Still, Du Ying’er would not escape the consequences.

When they reached the warehouse, Zhong Xiao, despite her mental preparation, was still shocked—her fists clenched in disbelief.

The Zhong family’s warehouse stood on the west side of the compound, a small, separate building. Zhong Xiao had always fetched things from the first and second floors. The third floor was always locked. Du Huacheng and Yang Yuehe had told her it was because a servant had once died there, and a fortune-teller declared it unlucky and best sealed off.

Zhong Xiao had been foolish enough to believe it.

Now she saw the truth.

The entire third floor was stacked with urgently needed medical supplies—precious Western drugs and rare traditional medicines—hoarded in crates.

The first thing she saw was amoxicillin, boxes of it. Next to it sat a crate of procaine, a local anesthetic like lidocaine, used for cervical procedures.

Above those, two more crates: one containing ***, used for heart conditions, and another containing insulin, hailed as “gold in peacetime.”

Going deeper in, Zhong Xiao spotted a box of pethidine, also known as ***.

Her eyes turned cold.

She walked calmly to the crates of procaine, lidocaine, and aspirin, placed her hands on them, and closed her eyes.

In her mind’s eye, the space she controlled took shape.

With a thought, the three large crates vanished into her spatial domain.

When she opened her eyes, the top three crates were gone.

Just as Du Huacheng turned around, Zhong Xiao withdrew her gaze. He asked anxiously, “Xiao Xiao, did you find the medicines the doctor mentioned?”

There were so many crates in the warehouse, and with those three having been stacked on top, he noticed nothing missing.

“Yes,” Zhong Xiao said, opening a crate and pulling out a box of amoxicillin. “Here’s amoxicillin. Take it.”

Du Huacheng took it gingerly, following Zhong Xiao closely, accepting whatever she handed him. Before long, his arms were full of oxytocin, penicillin, aureomycin, tetracycline, amoxicillin—box after box. There were also some injectables, syringes, and needles.

“That’s all there is. No lidocaine,” Zhong Xiao said.

“What’s lidocaine?” Du Huacheng asked.

Zhong Xiao thought to herself, if he doesn’t even know what lidocaine is, then these supplies clearly weren’t prepared by him—they must have been Yang Yuehe’s doing.

She replied, “Compared to the other drugs, lidocaine isn’t as crucial—it’s mainly for pain relief. Right now, the priority is to stop the bleeding and induce labor. As for the pain… well, pain alone won’t kill you.”

Du Huacheng understood. Gritting his teeth, he accepted it. “Saving her life comes first; the rest is up to fate. If Ying’er has to suffer some pain, so be it—serves as a lesson for the trouble she’s caused.”