Chapter 65: The Wealthy Heiress Kitty in Distress

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Wealthy Heiress Kitty in Distress

Zhou Dashan and his wife, Li Cuilan, returned home. They carefully took off their shoes, wiped them clean, and placed them at the foot of the bed. They also set their gloves on the edge of the bed, terrified of losing or dirtying them if they put them anywhere else.

Zhou Dashan unscrewed the lid of his frostbite ointment and took a sniff. There was no unpleasant medicinal smell—only a uniquely refreshing fragrance. A single breath of it left him feeling completely revitalized. "The Goddess said this divine medicine is specifically for treating frostbite," he said to his wife. "Quick, scoop out a bit and apply it to your face, hands, and feet. Once you put it on, your frostbite won’t hurt anymore."

Both Zhou Dashan and Li Cuilan suffered from varying degrees of frostbite. Zhou Dashan was somewhat better off; being tall, sturdy, and naturally warm-blooded, his injuries were mild. Li Cuilan, however, was not so fortunate. Her face had turned a bruised blue and purple from the cold, and her hands were red, swollen, and seeping blood. Her feet were so horrifyingly swollen that they looked like puffy steamed buns, making her hobble even slower than an elderly woman.

Frostbite was absolute torture. The sheer pain woke Li Cuilan up every single night. Fortunately, the Goddess had bestowed this divine medicine upon them.

Li Cuilan scooped out a dab of the ointment and applied it to her face, hands, and feet. "Dashan, you should put some on too. The divine medicine bestowed by the Goddess is bound to be incredibly effective."

Zhou Dashan couldn’t wait and scooped out a tiny amount. His frostbite wasn’t severe, and he wanted to save most of the medicine for his wife. "It feels so warm on my face."

Cradling her cheeks, Li Cuilan looked at her husband with sparkling eyes. "My face used to be so dry, itchy, and peeling. After applying the ointment, it feels a bit warm and slightly prickly, but it’s not uncomfortable at all. I feel like my face isn’t dry anymore—it’s moisturized. My cheeks don’t feel stiff when I talk now. It feels like something is seeping right into my flesh, making it just a little bit itchy."

Zhou Dashan rubbed a little on his hands, and the effect was astonishing. "Wow! It truly is a divine medicine. Why does it feel like the frostbite on my hands has stopped hurting already?"

After a short while, Li Cuilan took a deep breath and told her husband, "Dashan, you’re not imagining things. Wherever I applied the medicine, there’s a soothing warmth. The dryness, itchiness, and swelling have all eased up significantly."

The couple exchanged a glance before their eyes fell back onto the small white container. They were both shocked and overjoyed. It really was a divine medicine. Where else in the world could you find a cure that took effect the instant it was applied? Only a gift from the gods could do that.

Pressing her palms together, Li Cuilan’s eyes filled with absolute devotion. "Thank you for your blessing, Goddess."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhou Dashan also bowed deeply in the direction of the Yun Family.

The couple embraced as they went to sleep. Thanks to the frostbite ointment, Li Cuilan wasn’t woken up by the painful swelling of her chilblains, and the husband and wife finally enjoyed a good night’s rest.

The same scene played out at Tian Ergou’s home.

Tian Ergou’s wife, Zhang Guihua, beamed as she showed off to her husband. "After applying the divine medicine from the Goddess, my face feels so warm! The cracked frostbite wounds don’t hurt or itch anymore."

"Er Gou, hurry up and apply some," she urged. "When you went up the mountain to strip tree bark before, you got a long gash right between your thumb and index finger. It’s been freezing winter, and it still hasn’t healed. You can’t even hold your chopsticks steady! The Goddess’s medicine is incredibly effective. If you put on a generous amount, it might not even leave a scar."

Tian Ergou’s family of three had received three containers of frostbite ointment. He unscrewed his own and gave it to his wife and son to use, carefully storing the other two away for safekeeping.

Turning to his wife, he said, "You and our son use it first. I’ll rub whatever is left on my hands."

Zhang Guihua knew her husband was being frugal, saving the precious medicine for her and their child. "Don’t be fooled by the small container," she told him. "There’s a thick layer of ointment inside. The three of us couldn’t finish it in a month even if we tried."

Seeing that his wife and son had already applied the medicine, Tian Ergou finally took the container and dabbed a little onto the grisly wound on his hand. He had accidentally cut himself while stripping tree bark on the mountain during the first few days after their food ran out. Under normal circumstances, it would have healed long ago. Unfortunately, in this freezing weather, not only had the wound failed to close, but the cold had caused it to become red, swollen, and fester with pus. It looked absolutely terrifying.

As soon as the ointment touched his skin, a soothing, warm current flowed through the wound. The pain seemed to be instantly numbed. The aching and itching vanished, leaving behind only a mild, comforting heat. "It really is a divine medicine!" he exclaimed. "The Goddess is a true savior!"

The Village Chief had a large family. With four sons, four daughters-in-law, one daughter, five grandchildren, and the elderly couple themselves, there were exactly sixteen people in the household. Thus, they had received sixteen containers of frostbite ointment.

The Village Chief addressed his sons and daughters-in-law. "We haven’t split the household yet, but each of your individual families will manage your own divine medicine. Your mother, your youngest sister, and I will pool our three containers together. We’ll open one for the three of us to share, and only open a new one when the first is empty.

"Each of your families should also just open one container for now. Don’t open them all at once, so we don’t waste any."

The children all obeyed their father.

"Don’t worry, Dad," his eldest son said. "We know how precious this divine medicine is. We won’t waste it!" His eldest daughter-in-law nodded in agreement.

The second, third, and fourth sons also chimed in, "Rest assured, Dad, we won’t waste a drop!" Their respective wives nodded along.

"We’ll all listen to you, Dad," added his youngest daughter.

The elderly couple felt deeply gratified. After all, family harmony was the most important thing.

The Village Chief’s wife, however, wore a bitter expression. "I’m a little worried about He’er and our youngest son. One is in the county town, and the other is an apprentice at the clinic in the township. I don’t even know if they have food to eat, water to drink, or warm clothes to wear."

Her eldest daughter had married into a family in the county town, while her youngest son was an apprentice at the township clinic.

With heavy snow sealing off the mountains, the villagers couldn’t leave, and outsiders couldn’t get in. She was terribly worried about the safety of her two children.

The Village Chief shared her concern. "Things should be a bit better in the county town and the township. The government authorities will surely provide disaster relief."

At the mention of their eldest sister and youngest brother, a dark cloud of worry instantly cast a shadow over the room, dampening the excitement everyone had felt after receiving the cotton shoes, gloves, and divine medicine.

Their youngest daughter, Miao’er, tried to comfort her parents. "Worrying won’t help. We can’t go out, and Eldest Sister and Fifth Brother can’t get into the village either. Once the Goddess has some free time, we can ask her if there’s any way for us to see them. Even if we can’t see them, we can at least ask the Goddess if they’re eating well and staying warm."

The family could only pin their hopes on the Goddess.

The next day, Yun Zhen woke up early as usual, ate breakfast, and then headed out to attend Mr. Gao’s class.

"MEOW—"

As she was walking on her way to class, a sound suddenly caught her attention. A small cat with fluffy, disheveled fur darted out from the bushes lining the road and scurried past in a panicked frenzy. Yun Zhen felt like a gust of wind had just whipped past her eyes. Despite the kitten’s blistering speed, she managed to catch a clear glimpse of it: a chubby, top-tier calico cat. Its coat pattern was more beautiful than any cat she had ever seen, making it look like a wealthy, aristocratic young lady who had fallen on hard times.

"MEOW—"

Shortly after the little cat ran past, a clowder of robust, large cats strutted out, swaggering like a gang of thugs as they pursued it relentlessly.

Yun Zhen muttered to herself, "One look and you can tell that cat is a pampered pet from a wealthy family."

Although it was covered in dirt, its pedigree was clearly top-notch. Its fur was thick and vibrant, completely unlike ordinary mousers. Having been in this world for several days now, she had seen plenty of cats and dogs roaming the streets. The little kitten from just now possessed the unmistakable aura of a deeply spoiled and pampered pet.

It seemed like a gang of larger cats was chasing after it. She silently prayed for the little cat. It absolutely couldn’t afford to get caught by those big cats, or it would definitely be bitten and covered in injuries.

"MEOW~"

The meow came from somewhere nearby. Yun Zhen turned her head and spotted the very same kitten that had just sprinted past. It was now crouching outside a first-floor window just up ahead, pitifully licking its paws as it tried to groom its messy fur.

Its clear, bright eyes shimmered with a deep, mystical blue light.

She breathed a sigh of relief for the little cat. She thought it was incredibly clever to have managed to evade the pursuit of those ferocious big cats.