Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 230: Getting the Medicine from the Village Auntie

"Comrade Su, those poisonous creatures are very dangerous. If you take them back to use as medicine and they escape and bite you, what then?" the village chief’s wife advised worriedly. She couldn’t outright refuse, so she tried to emphasize the danger.

Su Yijia smiled gently, "Don’t worry, Auntie. I know a bit about medicine, so I’m confident I can handle these things." Her gaze became firm and unwavering, making it clear that refusal was not an option.

Had it not been for the incident yesterday, Su Yijia would have had to work hard to gain Auntie Chen’s favor. But now, in order to secure their village’s future in medicinal herb cultivation and avoid further trouble, they had no choice but to agree. Indeed, sometimes misfortune brings unexpected benefits.

The village chief’s wife opened her mouth to protest but ultimately swallowed her words. She could only grasp Su Yijia’s hands and repeatedly warn her, "Comrade Su, you know these things are dangerous. Be very careful when you take them back. If something happens to you, I won’t be able to live with myself."

"Don’t worry, Auntie. I know they’re dangerous, so I’ll be extremely careful. I wouldn’t risk my own life, right?" Su Yijia reassured her, gently patting her hand to both comfort and urge her on.

"Alright, wait here. I’ll go gather the poisonous creatures for you," Auntie Chen resignedly agreed and left.

Once she was gone, Grandma Lin and Grandpa Lin came in, pushing Qin Kaize in his wheelchair. After a night of not bathing, everyone was drenched in sweat. Gao Huabin heated up water and filled the water tank so the five of them could take turns bathing.

As Su Yijia contemplated going to catch more crayfish after they were done, Gao Huabin quickly and fearfully refused. "Sister-in-law, once we’re back in Hu City, I’ll have someone catch as many crayfish as you want."

Although it seemed the village had been thoroughly checked, they couldn’t be too cautious.

"Crayfish in Hu City don’t taste as good as here," Su Yijia objected. With many factories nearby, the rivers were polluted with chemical and pesticide runoff, making the crayfish there unsafe to eat.

However, seeing how genuinely scared Gao Huabin was, Su Yijia didn’t push further. Fortunately, shortly after they finished bathing, Auntie Chen returned with several other women, each carrying four ceramic jars and looking a bit apprehensive.

"Auntie, you’re back so soon. I have a favor to ask you," Su Yijia said, inviting them into the room before they could speak.

The already nervous aunties felt their hearts leap into their throats at her words. One even considered fleeing but was stopped by a sharp look from Auntie Chen. "Remember, if you sell these medicinal creatures, your grandson can get married before the New Year," she reminded in a low voice.

This reminder made the hesitant aunties reconsider. Although they weren’t sure what price Su Yijia would offer, the few buyers in the province typically didn’t pay much. Comrade Su seemed generous and wouldn’t cheat them, they hoped. The real concern was whether she was still angry about yesterday’s incident and wouldn’t pay them at all.

When they arrived, their families had instructed them that if they weren’t given money, they should at least get the items. As long as Comrade Su took their items, he wouldn’t obstruct their herb farming. Once the herbs were cultivated and bought by the pharmaceutical factory, the villagers would become prosperous in less than two years.

Su Yijia welcomed them into the house and even closed the door, afraid that taking out those items might frighten her grandparents.

"Aunties, how do you plan to sell these things?" Su Yijia could see their hesitation, so she decided to settle the payment first. Once they had the money, the aunties would eagerly sell to her.

"Geckos are thirty cents each. The ones for medicinal use need special care; you can’t just catch any gecko," one auntie quickly explained.

"Alright," Su Yijia agreed readily.

Seeing how agreeable she was, the other aunties hurriedly quoted the prices they had previously discussed: one yuan for a centipede, two yuan for a toad, three yuan for a scorpion, and five yuan for a snake. Each type had ninety pieces, totaling one thousand and seventeen yuan.

Su Yijia took one thousand yuan from a locked wooden box and another seventeen yuan from her satchel, placing the total in front of the village chief’s wife.

"Auntie Chen, please count the money to make sure it’s correct."

Though she was sure the amount was right, the other aunties were watching intently, so she carefully counted it herself to avoid any trouble later.

"It’s correct! Exactly one thousand and seventeen yuan," the village chief’s wife confirmed. As soon as she spoke, Su Yijia could hear the aunties sighing in relief. Their tense expressions relaxed into smiles.

"I have one more request, aunties. I need to place one of each of these five types of creatures together and let them fight. The last one standing is the one I need. It’s a bit much, so I’d like your help. I can pay each of you an extra five yuan for the trouble," Su Yijia said somewhat apologetically.

The aunties were used to such tasks from their medicinal preparations, so they didn’t find the request odd. In fact, the prospect of earning an extra five yuan made their smiles even brighter.

"Sure, when do you need it?" the village chief’s wife asked, seeing no objections from the others.

"Can we do it now?" Su Yijia was eager. With things at this stage, she wanted to finish the Detoxification Pills as soon as possible. The sooner she started, the sooner she could recover.

"Alright, we have nothing else to do," the village chief’s wife agreed promptly. They even went home to fetch several jars.

Su Yijia stood by, watching them catch and place the creatures into the jars. The sight made her scalp tingle, but to ensure nothing went wrong, she stayed vigilant.

After over two hours of fighting among the 450 poisonous creatures, ninety were left standing. They then grouped them in threes, selecting the final thirty winners. They sold these thirty small clay jars to Su Yijia at twenty cents each and thoughtfully placed the surviving creatures into the jars for her.

Once they left, Su Yijia, looking slightly exhausted, finally stepped into the courtyard.