Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Liu Jiaojiao screamed "Ah!" and shrank back several steps.

Liu Sanniu and Liu Tianbao's faces were as white as paper. The two jumped back almost simultaneously, as if something man-eating would fly out of the woodshed at any moment.

Old Master Liu's expression changed, but he remained composed and asked in a deep voice, "Can it be cured?"

Tao'er shook her head, her expression as heavy and helpless as possible: "It's difficult."

This plague came on fiercely; if there were century-old ginseng to keep the body afloat, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

However, century-old ginseng is not an ordinary thing, and even if you can find it, the price will not be small.

The amounts ranged from seven or eight hundred to over a thousand taels of silver.

"What would happen if there were no century-old ginseng?"

"I can't help but ask," Old Master Liu continued.

"It's hard to say..."

The situation is definitely not optimistic!

I'm afraid it won't even take a month...

If things go smoothly, it could take half a month for the person to…

She didn't say the word "death" aloud, but everyone understood.

"Moreover," she glanced at the Liu family members who were terrified, "this disease is highly contagious, so it's best to isolate people, even their food and lodging."

The caregiver must also be careful to avoid skin contact, and used dishes, utensils, and clothing must be disinfected separately with boiling water.

"Get them out!"

Get them out of there right now!

Liu Tianbao was the first to jump up, raising his voice again.

"What are you waiting for, another month?"

What if I infect my family members?

Father! You can't be soft-hearted!

"This calamity was destined to befall my second brother; we can't let it drag the whole family down with him!"

Liu Sanniu chimed in, "Yes, yes, Dad!"

Let my second sister-in-law and second brother move out!

Isn't there a dilapidated thatched hut in the village?

Let them stay there for now!

After hearing Tao'er's words, Xu felt as if her bones had been removed, and she knelt down again, limp and weak.

But this time she didn't kowtow. Instead, she looked up at Old Master Liu, tears streaming silently down her face: "Father...did you hear me?"

Peach Girl says there's still hope!

Centuries-old ginseng!

Think of a way... Don't you still have a few acres of paddy fields?

Can I take the job first?

Erniu... he can't die...

"If he dies, our second wife's family is finished!"

"She's insane!"

Liu Tianbao exclaimed, "A hundred-year-old ginseng?"

That's a matter of several hundred taels of silver!

Even if we sold everything we owned, we still couldn't scrape together that much money!

Sister-in-law, are you deliberately trying to empty this family's coffers?

Even if you sell this house, you still won't have enough money to buy ginseng!

Liu Sanniu stamped his foot, "That's right, spending several hundred taels of silver to buy someone who might not even survive."

"Dad, you can't be so foolish!"

Xu turned her head abruptly, her eyes blazing with fury: "Liu Tianbao!"

Is what you're saying even a word?

That's your own brother!

"Your life is life, but his life isn't?"

The argument in the courtyard escalated again, with Xu Shi facing off against the Liu family members alone, her voice hoarse from crying, yet she refused to back down.

Tao'er stepped aside and watched coldly. She noticed that an uneasy expression gradually appeared on Liu Tianbao's face.

It wasn't just anxiety and fear, but also a kind of calculation.

This fourth brother is always the most cunning. He's not saying anything right now, but his eyes are darting around. He's probably up to some wicked scheme again.

Sure enough, when Xu's crying and cursing subsided a little, Liu Tianbao suddenly cleared his throat and changed his expression.

He turned to Madam Xu and said, "Second Sister-in-law, I have a way to save Second Brother, and it won't cost a single penny!"

Xu thought to herself, "Would the fourth son, who never gets up early without a profit, be so kind?"

Let's see what he has to say!

Madam Xu looked up, her face beaming with joy. "Fourth brother, tell me quickly, what's your plan to save your second brother without spending any money?"

Liu Tianbao pointed at Tao'er, "Didn't Tao'er say that a hundred-year-old ginseng could save Second Brother?"

Didn't she and her two brothers dig up a hundred-year-old ginseng in the mountains before?

The entire village of Xinghua knows about this.

Why don't you just ask her to give it to save your second brother?

Why ask Father to raise the money?

After saying that, he looked at Tao'er with a smug expression.

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Tao'er's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. This fourth brother, as expected, was up to no good.

Tao'er could see right through Liu Tianbao's scheme.

He was trying to force her.

If she has ginseng but refuses to give it up, that would be tantamount to letting someone die.

She looked up and stared coldly at Liu Tianbao, who became even more smug.

Liu Tiao'er, my dear niece, I'd like to see how you're going to handle this.

If she doesn't use the ginseng to save people, those two treacherous girls, Xiuxiu and Shiliu, will definitely hate their older sister to the core.

Not only that, the villagers would also gossip about her behind her back, saying that this girl from the Liu family was as hard-hearted as iron, and didn't even care about the life of her own second uncle.

Her reputation is ruined; how will she ever marry into a good family again?

Even if she doesn't get married, she won't be able to hold her head up in the village.

His move was extremely insidious, killing without shedding blood.

Madam Xu understood Liu Tianbao's meaning. She wiped her face, turned to look at Tao'er, and her gaze was complicated.

Her husband didn't actually have the plague, so he didn't need a hundred-year-old ginseng at all.

But Liu Tianbao's words put Tao'er in the eye of the storm.

She couldn't appear too protective of Tao'er, otherwise the scene would be exposed.

So he could only go along with Liu Tianbao's words, putting on a pleading expression, his lips trembling: "Tao'er...you, if you really have..."

Could you give me the ginseng...?

Tao'er's expression remained unchanged, and she even sighed softly, speaking frankly: "Second Aunt, to be honest, I did have a hundred-year-old ginseng before, but I sold it to the second young master of the Li family a few days ago."

Those were medicinal herbs that someone urgently needed. I took the money, and then the herbs were no longer in my possession.

To tell you the truth, I heard from Young Master Li that the ginseng has already been bought up.

and……"

She paused, her voice softening slightly, "Even if there really is ginseng, it cannot guarantee a 100% cure for the plague."

With a century-old ginseng used in medicine, whether he can pull through depends on his own fate.

What she said was reasonable and watertight, and several neighbors who had been listening attentively nodded in agreement.

The second son of the Li family was from a prominent family in the county town, so it was not unusual for him to buy ginseng.

Tao'er is just a little girl, she can't ask for it back. Besides, ginseng is a valuable thing, and rich people are all scrambling to get it.

Liu Tianbao's expression suddenly turned very ugly.

He gritted his teeth and stared at Tao'er, his lips twitching, the smile on his face freezing and unable to stay.

His plan failed, and he was seething with anger, but he couldn't vent his frustration in front of so many people. All he could do was curse in his heart: Liu Tao'er, you just wait!

Then he could only let out a heavy snort, turned around and yelled at Old Master Liu, "Dad, did you hear that!"

The ginseng is gone too!

What else is there to say?

Hurry up and send my second brother and his wife out!

Otherwise, this family will be ruined!

Old Master Liu closed his eyes.

A century-old ginseng and several hundred taels of silver—these are not things that an old man from the countryside could conjure up.

Besides, even if you have money, you might not be able to buy it.

He knew how terrible the plague was, and he couldn't gamble his family's lives on a possibility with almost no hope.

Oh well, that's the second son's fate!