After all, he had seen her give something to the village chief yesterday.
The herbal medicine she distributed to everyone last night had actually worked quite well. When morning came, many people felt noticeably better.
Because of that, confidence began to spread among the group. Some even believed they could get through this ordeal without relying on Zhao Chunhua's medicine.
Seeing their attitude, Zhao Chunhua simply chuckled softly and said nothing.
After what had happened the day before, most people now made a point of keeping their distance from her family.
Whenever they walked, Zhao Chunhua's family was deliberately pushed to the back of the group.
From time to time, people from the first and third branches would approach them just to throw out a few sarcastic remarks.
It made Zhang Tianbao and his siblings furious.
However, Zhao Chunhua did not care in the slightest. She simply let these insignificant people behave however they wished, knowing that sooner or later they would come back and beg her.
It had rained for the past two days, but today the sky suddenly cleared and the sun blazed down fiercely. Under the scorching heat, cracks began to appear across the dry ground.
This sight brought smiles to many faces.
"Finally the weather has cleared up. We won't have to suffer from the cold anymore."
Hearing this, Zhao Chunhua let out a contemptuous snort.
"I'm afraid it's too early to celebrate. With such a sudden change in temperature, many people won't be able to endure it for long."
Sure enough, her words soon proved true.
After only a few days, more than half of the group fell seriously ill.
Their condition was far worse than before. Fever clung to them almost constantly, and coughing had become the least of their worries.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of the families who drank the herbal medicine prepared by the village chief were greatly relieved.
As for those who had refused the medicine, they were now lying helplessly on the ground.
"I told you to take the medicine, but none of you listened," Zhao Chunhua said coldly. "Now look at the state you're in. You really won't admit your mistake until you're at death's door."
Zhang Ruoan felt a headache the moment he saw the villagers approaching him.
"Village Chief, please find a way to save us. We don't want to die."
"Save you?" Zhang Ruoan snapped angrily. "How am I supposed to save you? The person who wanted to help you was already driven away by all of you. Now you should bear the consequences yourselves!"
Hearing their desperate pleas only made Zhang Ruoan angrier.
"Aunt Zhao…"
Zhang Youcai noticed Zhao Chunhua packing up her things and called out to her somewhat awkwardly.
The moment Zhao Chunhua saw him, she already guessed his purpose.
"What is it?" she asked calmly.
"My father asked me to invite you over."
Zhang Youcai spoke with a hint of embarrassment.
Zhao Chunhua hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. Wait a moment—let me finish packing first."
Zhang Youcai nodded quickly.
"There's no hurry. Take your time."
"Mom, they want you to save those ungrateful people. Don't go!"
Zhang Baozhu shot Zhang Youcai an annoyed glance as she spoke.
Zhang Youcai, looking uneasy, leaned closer and whispered something into Zhao Chunhua's ear.
Zhao Chunhua nodded slightly.
When she turned around, she saw her daughter pouting with an unhappy expression.
Nearby, Zhang Tianbao and the others were also shaking their heads in disapproval.
"Mom, they treated us like that. Why do you still care about them?"
But Zhao Chunhua could not simply ignore the matter.
"I have to deal with this," she said calmly.
Now Zhang Tianbao and the others looked even more confused.
"Why?"
"Do you remember what I told you a few days ago?" Zhao Chunhua said. "When the old immortal passed his skills to me, he told me to do more good deeds. Otherwise, he would take everything back."
The children were instantly frightened by her words.
Seeing their expressions, Zhao Chunhua's lips curved slightly.
Then she clasped her hands behind her back and followed Zhang Youcai away.
She wasn't lying.
If she wanted to upgrade the space she possessed, she truly needed the help of these villagers.
The merits she gains from saving these people would probably be enough to unlock a few vegetable plots.
Just thinking about those still-locked vegetable fields made Zhao Chunhua feel restless.
Since arriving here, she hadn't eaten a single proper vegetable.
Every day it was the same—thin porridge and soup made from wild greens.
Although the wild boar she hunted some time ago had improved their meals slightly, she could clearly feel that her body was suffering from vitamin deficiency. Her lips were badly chapped, her complexion had turned sallow, and even her hair felt dry and coarse.
After saving these villagers and unlocking the vegetable garden, she planned to reward herself properly.
The moment Zhao Chunhua walked over, Zhang Ruoan and several village elders stood up to greet her warmly.
Their wrinkled faces were full of smiles.
Zhao Chunhua glanced at them calmly but said nothing.
She had no intention of helping for free.
Zhang Ruoan and the village elders looked at Zhao Chunhua and seemed to guess what she was thinking.
They took the initiative to speak.
"Zhao, you've been wronged these past few days. On behalf of everyone, we apologize. We are truly sorry."
Zhao Chunhua remained silent.
The elders exchanged glances before one of them forced himself to continue.
"Those people who spread nonsense over the past few days have already been taught a lesson. After all, we all come from the same village. Could you help them once more and save them?"
"You're the one who understands herbs best among our group."
"We can deal with the rest later after they recover. They may not have been kind, but surely they shouldn't lose their lives because of it, right?"
Zhao Chunhua listened quietly while they spoke.
Under their anxious gazes, she finally said slowly, "I only know a little about herbs. I'm not a proper doctor. I can try to find medicine, but I can't guarantee it will cure them."
She paused before adding calmly,
"But I won't help for free."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
After a brief pause, several elders forced out smiles.
"That's only fair. You worked hard to find the medicine. Of course we won't let your efforts go unrewarded."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruoan nodded quickly.
"But I'll have to talk to them first."
Even as the village chief, Zhang Ruoan could not make decisions for everyone.
Hearing this, Zhao Chunhua said nothing and simply nodded slightly.
"Come find me after you've discussed it."
With that, she turned and walked back to her children.
Zhang Tianbao and the others had already packed their belongings. When they saw her return, he quickly loaded the luggage onto the wheelbarrow and prepared to leave.
"We should walk at the front today."
Zhao Chunhua quickly stopped her children who were in a hurry.
"Don't rush. Wait a little longer."
In this family, her word carried the most weight.
Although they didn't understand the reason, they had no choice but to listen.
Xie Lanqin tugged lightly at Zhang Tianbao's sleeve and whispered, "What does Mother mean? Does she really want to help those people?"
"I guess so."
Zhang Tianbao secretly glanced at Zhao Chunhua before answering quietly.
Xie Lanqin pouted, clearly unhappy.
"We're all from the same village. Why does she want payment before helping save people?"
"We were wrong before, but isn't she taking advantage of the situation now? I don't have anything to give her."
"Can we just owe her for now?"
Zhang Ruoan's face darkened immediately upon hearing these words. Normally good-natured, he couldn't help but glare at the villagers and scold them.
"I think your skin is almost as thick as the city wall! How dare you say such things? A few days ago, she worked hard to collect herbs. What did you do? And now you want her to help for free? Does she owe you anything?"
His words left everyone silent.
When he saw that they had stopped talking, Zhang Ruoan snorted coldly.
"I don't care about you. If you still want to live, take your things and go to the Zhao family to exchange for some herbs."
With that, he left without looking back.