Chapter 615: Medicinal Effect
Early the next morning, Nanny Pang checked everyone’s pulse one by one. She was quite satisfied with the newly improved sterilization drug. In the past, it had merely been colorless and odorless, but its effects were rather slow. Now, that latter obstacle had been overcome. Colorless, odorless, and acting instantly—it seemed her recent hard work hadn’t been in vain.
Ishishita and his men were on tenterhooks. “We feel our bodies are no different from usual. Is something wrong?”
“No, we rewarded you with a bowl of tonic yesterday,” Nanny Pang said, in an excellent mood after successfully improving the drug. “Only with healthy bodies can you make more contributions for us.
“Doesn’t your body feel much better today than before?”
Ishishita and his men hastily nodded. In the past, they would wake up dizzy and light-headed. But today, just like before they became test subjects, they woke up feeling exceptionally relaxed and energetic.
They wondered if the two venomous women had occasionally found their conscience and given them a sweet treat.
Bai Suihe’s lips curled slightly. After being force-fed different drugs every day, they had finally been given a break yesterday. With their bodies rested, they naturally felt different. They were immersed in pain every day, so a sudden improvement would of course feel unprecedentedly good. However, she wouldn’t point that out. She had to give them a taste of sweetness.
But today wouldn’t be as pleasant. These little mice hadn’t been well-behaved yesterday, so she had to increase their dosage today. Otherwise, they would have too much energy and try to play hide-and-seek with the guards again.
Staring at the bowls brought before them and smelling the foul stench they emitted, Ishishita and his men couldn’t hide the resentment in their eyes, no matter how hard they tried.
“Be cooperative and drink these medicines. I’ll have someone bring you some good food later,” Bai Suihe said. She then pointed to three of the bowls and turned to Chui Shi. “These are your share. Drink them first.”
Chui Shi didn’t dare voice his anger. He braced himself and forced the drugs down his throat. He figured the venomous woman didn’t want them dead just yet; at most, he would suffer a bit more today.
Today’s drug took effect fiercely. He had barely set his bowl down before the men were clutching their stomachs and rolling on the ground.
Chui Shi felt agonizing pain in every inch of his body, and a sharp, stinging numbness assaulted his eyes. He repeatedly banged his head against the ground. Infinite regret surged in his heart as he wondered why he had chosen to be the one to stick his neck out.
Bai Suihe didn’t want to stay and watch them wail like ghosts and howl like wolves. She ordered the guards to keep an eye on them and returned to the village with Nanny Pang.
Early this morning, Gu Kaiyuan had already taken a group of people out to sea. Bai Jianbei hadn’t managed to squeeze onto the boat, but he didn’t mind too much because his mind was entirely focused on the saltpeter mine in the mountains behind Tian Village.
He never expected Bai Suihe and her husband to have such good luck—buying a mine right here in their place of exile. Such fortune made him a bit envious. What was even more astonishing was that they actually knew the uses for these minerals. Previously, that stuff hadn’t attracted much attention; at most, pharmacies would buy it. It seemed he would have to pay more attention in the future. What if he struck it lucky like Bai Suihe did?
“I’m tied up here for now, so I’ll have Nanny Pang go with you to Tian Village,” Bai Suihe said. After all, Jianbei was her biological younger brother, and she worried about his safety on the road.
“No need,” Bai Jianbei replied. “You can’t do without Nanny Pang here either. I brought plenty of guards. No one will be blind enough to come looking for trouble.”
“Uncle Jianbei, I want to go too,” Gu Xingyang babbled, throwing herself into his arms.
Unfortunately, Bai Jianbei couldn’t understand her baby talk. He simply thought his affection for the little girl over the past few days hadn’t been wasted, seeing how she now knew to seek his closeness.
Bai Suihe ignored Gu Xingyang. At most, the child could only think about it. If she wanted to leave their side, she would have to wait until she grew up a bit. “You can find someone to take over the operations there. We will definitely need a large quantity moving forward.”
“I’ll go over and take a look while I’m at it. I plan to do a pilot run in a few nearby towns first,” Bai Jianbei said. Naturally, he wanted to run short-distance tests first. If it proved viable, he would slowly expand the scope.
The siblings chatted for a while longer. Bai Jianbei’s men finished packing the luggage. For this trip, he directly took the carriage Bai Suihe had custom-ordered. The carriage was currently deeply loved by their entire family—excluding Bai Jinglan and her cohort, of course.
Bai Suihe walked him to the outskirts of the village, unexpectedly encountering someone surprising.
Liu Yun and Xu Yulan were actually standing at the village entrance. They had come today to try their luck and hadn’t expected to be so fortunate as to run into Bai Suihe. Seeing that the group seemed to be leaving the small fishing village, the two women didn’t dare to just stand around. They walked over and blocked the carriage. “Suihe, we haven’t seen you for days. You’re looking more radiant than ever.”
Xu Yulan stared greedily at the convoy before her, the sturdy and muscular horses, and the guards who clearly weren’t ordinary men. Even the major families in the capital didn’t have such extravagance when traveling. It seemed the Bai family’s wealth was truly unfathomable.
“Please get out of the way. Don’t let the carriage run you over,” Bai Jianbei said. He had no good impression of these two women from the Gu family, who always tried to scheme against his sister.
“This must be the third young master of the Bai family. You truly are a handsome talent,” Xu Yulan hastily praised. “Where are you heading?”
Bai Jianbei ignored her. Instead, he looked at Bai Suihe with some concern. Gu Kaiyuan had gone out to sea. Could his sister handle this family all by herself? They had already completely severed ties, yet these people were still shamelessly clinging to her. He feared they wouldn’t let matters rest so easily.
“Suihe, how about you come with me?” Bai Jianbei wasn’t comfortable leaving his sister here alone. Although their people surrounded her, facing this family would at least cause her some aggravation.
“Don’t worry, they’re just nobodies,” Bai Suihe said, having no desire to endure a bumpy carriage ride back and forth. “Hurry up and get going. See if you can reach the next post station by nightfall.”
Saying this, she cast a cold glance at Xu Yulan and her companion. “They say a good dog doesn’t block the road. Please get out of the way. If we run you over, the most I’ll do is pay a little for your medical expenses.”
Liu Yun grabbed Xu Yulan and retreated to the side of the road. “We were so busy talking that we didn’t notice. Suihe, is your younger brother heading back?
“I wonder where he’s staying in the county town. We are relatives, after all, so we should pay a visit later.”
“There’s nothing to discuss between our two families, nor is there any need for a visit,” Bai Jianbei sneered. “Let me tell you, if you dare to bully my sister, the Bai family isn’t something to trifle with.”
After issuing a few warnings, Bai Jianbei ordered the convoy to depart. He had to go and return quickly.
Liu Yun’s smile froze on her face. She silently cursed, feeling like a tiger being bullied by dogs in the plains. In the past, the Bai family had to flatter the Gu family. They would never have dared to speak to them in such a tone!
The Gu family had just fallen on hard times, and the Bai family immediately turned their backs on them. They were truly profit-driven people.
However, their main purpose in coming here was Bai Suihe. They would take their time dealing with the Bai brat when they had the chance later.