She slowly loosened the soil around its roots with her thumb and forefinger, pulling the entire plant out whole, bit by bit.
She shook off the loose dirt clinging to the roots, then gently wiped them clean with the corner of her shirt.
Once she was sure it was clean, she tucked it into her cloth pouch.
By the time the sun began to set, painting half the sky red with evening clouds, her little cloth pouch was already bulging at her waist.
Long Zai was thrilled.
'I can secretly brew a bowl of medicinal soup tonight.'
'Drinking it will make me stronger, and maybe I'll even get to dream of my great-grandmother.'
When she got back to Auntie Pang's, the setting sun was casting its light on the courtyard fence, and the sweet aroma of boiled sweet potatoes wafted from the yard.
Auntie Pang was at the gate feeding the chickens. When she looked up and saw Shanshan covered in mud, her small hands crisscrossed with several red scrapes, she was so startled she dropped her winnowing basket and rushed over to pull the girl inside.
"Oh my! How did you get so messy? How many times did you fall?"
Shanshan ducked her head, her shoulders hunched slightly, and the two little pigtails on top of her head drooped limply.
"Um... I was walking too fast and fell by accident."
'I can't tell her that those little bullies were picking on me.'
'If I do, Auntie Pang will be sad.'
Hearing this, Auntie Pang's heart ached for her, and her eyes reddened.
"But how did you fall? The path isn't steep, and the grass isn't slippery. My sweet girl is usually so nimble, how could you just fall for no reason and get so scraped up?"
As she spoke, she quickly leaned in, squatting down to gently blow on the scrapes on Shanshan's elbows and knees.
Then, she carefully wet a towel with warm water and gently wiped the grime from the little girl's face, bit by bit.
As Auntie Pang gazed at her, she couldn't resist planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, you're the apple of my eye. You can't go falling again."
The more Auntie Pang looked at her, the fonder she grew, her eyes filled with affection.
She couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch Shanshan's soft, pale cheek.
A warm feeling spread through Shanshan's heart. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes grew moist.
This feeling of being cherished was just like the days when her mother was still with her.
Back then, whenever it rained, her mother would always tilt the umbrella to her side.
When winter grew cold, she would always tuck Shanshan's little hands into her own coat pocket to keep them warm.
To repay Auntie Pang's kindness, she resolved to do something for her.
For three days straight, she ran off to gather medicinal herbs, all so that Yang Dapeng could get well sooner.
And for three days, Yang Dapeng drank the herbal soup she prepared.
At first, he drank it just to give it a try.
But to his surprise, starting from the second day, his body quietly began to change.
The results were surprisingly good.
Not only did he have more energy than before, but his coughing fits were also reduced by more than half.
The grogginess that always clouded his mind had now cleared significantly.
He could sleep soundly through the night, no longer tossing and turning in pain.
In just a few days, Yang Dapeng's complexion grew rosier with each passing day.
He looked at himself in the mirror and almost didn't recognize his own reflection.
His once-feeble arms could now carry a bucket of water for several trips, and his legs no longer felt weak or trembled as they used to.
One morning, he was leaning against the headboard, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in his calf!
His eyes widened. His heart pounded. He could hardly believe what he was feeling.
That night, Yang Dapeng gripped his wife's hand, his palm slick with sweat, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Yun Hua... I... I think... I'm really getting better every day!"
Sensing the change in her husband, Auntie Pang burst into tears.
"The heavens are watching over us! It's truly a blessing!"
She choked back sobs, clasping her hands together and bowing her head repeatedly toward the dark night sky outside the window.
"Shanshan is our family's little lucky star! She's the one who brought us this miracle!"
They held each other close, gazing at the fading light outside the window, their hearts filled with a hope they hadn't felt in a long time.
After a moment, Auntie Pang composed herself, took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and said seriously, "This change in you is just too dramatic. A few days ago, you couldn't even walk, and now you can stand up by holding onto the wall. Why don't we go to the hospital for a proper check-up? Let's see what the doctor has to say. What if it's all in our heads? We can't make decisions based on feelings alone."
Yang Dapeng thought for a moment. His brow furrowed slightly, then slowly smoothed out.
"Alright! I happen to have the day off tomorrow, so let's go! We'll get X-rays, blood tests, whatever it takes. We have to get to the bottom of this!"
The thought that this was all thanks to Shanshan made Auntie Pang's heart melt.
'That child... She's had such a hard life, but her heart is so kind...'
"Let's stop by the co-op, too," Auntie Pang said. "We'll buy Shanshan some candy and snacks to make her happy. And we'll pick up some fabric to make her a new outfit. We can't let her keep wearing those ragged old clothes."
Hearing this, Yang Dapeng felt a lump form in his throat, leaving him almost speechless.
His eyes red, he nodded emphatically.
"We'll buy it! We have to! We can't short-change her, no matter what!"
"No matter how tight money is, no matter how much we have to scrimp and save, we can't let that child suffer! She's our lucky star!"
To make sure they caught the early morning ride into the city,
the family of three was up before the crack of dawn.
The sky was a hazy blue, and a cold wind howled outside.
Shanshan was still half-asleep, her small body nestled in Auntie Pang's arms, her eyelids so heavy she could barely open them.
The ride finally arrived.
An old, army-green jeep pulled up with a RUMBLE RUMBLE.
Auntie Pang carefully lifted Shanshan into the back seat and fastened her seatbelt.
As soon as the jeep started, it began to bounce along the bumpy dirt road.
But strangely enough, the bumpy ride didn't keep Shanshan asleep. Instead, it jolted her fully awake.
This was her first time, since coming to the mortal world, riding in one of these "RUMBLE RUMBLE" iron shells.
'This must be what they call a 'car',' she mused.
'This mortal 'mount' is a bit loud, and it's making my ears ring.'
'But it's really fast!'
'It's almost as fast as a Spiritual Crane from the Immortal World!'
The jeep entered the city, weaving through streets before finally stopping at the hospital entrance.
Auntie Pang got out of the jeep with Shanshan in her arms. She squatted down, placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder, and instructed her with a serious look.
"You sit here on this bench and wait for us, okay? Don't run off, do you hear me? Your uncle is sick, so I'm taking him to see the doctor. We'll be back for you very soon."
Shanshan blinked her big eyes and nodded obediently. She slid out of Auntie Pang's arms and sat down on a long wooden bench in the hallway.
Her short little legs couldn't reach the floor, so they just dangled in the air, swinging back and forth.
Sunlight streamed in through a window at the end of the hall.
Once she was sure Shanshan was settled, Auntie Pang helped Yang Dapeng up and they slowly made their way toward the doctor's office.
Shanshan sat by herself, quiet at first.
But as time went on, she started to get bored.
She looked left and right. The hallway was empty.
Only a few people in white coats hurried past.
Suddenly, she noticed a man sitting in a wheelchair around a corner not far away. He had his head down, flipping through a newspaper.
'That man… He has so much shimmering golden light on him!'
She was born with Spiritual Eyes, allowing her to see things ordinary people couldn't.
Right now, the golden light of fortune surrounding him was astonishingly dense.
'But the strange thing is… all that golden light seems to be trapped, completely motionless, as if it's wrapped in a layer of gray fog.'