A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"You're talking nonsense! All the medicinal herbs at Huichuntang are sourced from legitimate channels, how could there be a problem!" The pharmacy clerk was being grabbed by the collar by the burly man, but he remained defiant, his neck stiff as a victorious rooster.

"Bullshit! How could my dad's leg swell up like a pig's trotter if there's no problem? If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll smash up this shady business!" the burly man roared, raising his fist the size of a clay pot.

Seeing that a full-blown fight was about to break out, the onlookers quickly retreated, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

Just then, a clear and childlike voice instantly silenced the entire scene.

"You used the wrong Smilax glabra in this prescription."

All eyes followed the source of the sound and instantly focused on the outermost edge of the crowd—the ragged, emaciated little girl.

Su Nianci, holding Xiao Shitou's hand, squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, looking up at the medicine dispenser with her little face.

"What?!" The pharmacy clerk exclaimed as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. He broke free from the burly man's grasp, pointed at Su Nianci, and burst into exaggerated laughter. "Where did this little beggar come from, daring to criticize our Huichuntang's prescriptions? Are you even grown up yet? Do you even know what Smilax glabra is?"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.

"This kid must be starving, trying to pick a fight to get some food."

"Exactly, Huichuntang is the biggest pharmacy in our county. How could they make such a mistake?"

Facing everyone's ridicule and skepticism, Su Nianci stretched out her small hand, pointing to the scattered medicinal herbs on the ground, and continued, "Smilax glabra is neutral in nature, while Dioscorea hypoglauca is drying. When the two are used together, patients with damp-heat constitution will experience a worsening of symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Did this uncle's father experience even more joint swelling after taking the medicine, along with symptoms like dry mouth, dry tongue, and yellow urine?"

She said the last sentence while looking at the burly man.

The burly man initially thought Su Nianci was there to cause trouble, but when he heard her last few questions, he was completely stunned!

"How...how did you know?!" he exclaimed. "My dad took the medicine, but his legs are even more swollen, and he keeps saying he's thirsty. His urine in the outhouse...it's yellow!"

The symptoms he described were exactly the same as those described by Su Nianci!

At this moment, everyone's laughter caught in their throats. The look in their eyes as they looked at Su Nianci changed from mockery to shock, astonishment, and a trace of... awe!

A five-year-old girl can not only accurately distinguish between two medicinal herbs that look extremely similar, but also accurately describe the symptoms after accidental ingestion!

This...this is no beggar, this is clearly a god.

The pharmacy clerk's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He stammered, pointing at Su Nianci, "You...you're lying! You...you must be guessing!"

"Whether it's a lie or not, you know best in your heart. The price of this Dioscorea hypoglauca is only one-third of that of Smilax glabra. Your Huichuntang claims to be a century-old brand, yet you're engaging in this kind of shady business of selling inferior goods and deceiving customers. If this uncle reports this to the county health department, do you think your brand... will still be able to survive?"

These words were like the last straw, completely breaking down the pharmacy clerk's mental defenses.

He was afraid.

These days, reputation is everything. Especially for businesses like theirs, once they're labeled as "selling fake medicine," it's all over! If the county really comes to investigate, fines and business suspensions are the least of their worries; he might even lose his job!

"Little...little miracle doctor! Little miss!" The waiter's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn, his face beaming with a fawning smile. He quickly walked up to Su Nianci, bowing and scraping, and said, "You're right, you're right! It's my...it's my fault for not being skilled enough and giving the wrong medicine! I'll give this gentleman a refund right away! No, double! I'll pay him double the money!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled out a handful of small bills from his pocket, counted them, stuffed them into the burly man's hand, and repeatedly bowed and apologized.

The burly man was stunned by this reversal. He looked at the money in his hand, then at the now completely different shop assistant, and finally cast a complicated gaze at Su Nianci. He cupped his hands in thanks and said sincerely, "Thank you... thank you so much for your guidance, young master! Otherwise, my father's leg would have been truly ruined!"

"It was just a small favor."

Having dealt with the burly man, the pharmacy clerk approached Su Nianci again, rubbing his hands together with a fawning expression: "Little miracle doctor, about today's matter... do you think it's possible to..."

"Hush money?" Su Nianci asked incisively.

"Hehe, what are you saying?" The shopkeeper chuckled awkwardly, then carefully pulled out a few crisp banknotes from a deeper pocket and quickly stuffed them into Su Nianci's hand, lowering his voice as he said, "Here's five yuan. Take it and buy some candy for your little brother. I hope you'll be lenient today and just pretend you didn't see anything."

Five yuan!

Keep in mind that in those days, an average worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan. Su Weiqiang was willing to sell her for fifty yuan. Five yuan was an absolute fortune at the time!

She calmly clenched the money in her hand and nodded: "I didn't see anything."

"Oh! Thank you so much, little miracle doctor! Thank you so much, little miracle doctor!" The shop assistant was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. Then he quickly cleaned up the mess on the ground and fled back into the pharmacy as if he were escaping, even closing the door behind him.

The storm has thus subsided.

The crowd, still reeling from the shock, began to murmur amongst themselves.

"My God, is this girl a child prodigy?"

"A five-year-old who can recognize medicine and diagnose illnesses, what will he be like in the future?"

"Maybe he's the last disciple of some old traditional Chinese medicine doctor!"

Su Nianci ignored the gossip and quickly left the place of trouble with Xiao Shitou in tow.

"Sister, we have money now?" Little Stone looked up and asked softly. His eyes were bright and full of admiration for Su Nianci.

"Yeah, I have money now." Su Nianci squeezed the few banknotes in her palm, a sense of unprecedented security welling up inside her. "Let's go somewhere."

"Where to?"

"TRAIN STATION!"

With the money in hand, buying tickets became the top priority. Su Nianci knew that things could get complicated if she delayed, and she had to leave this county town as soon as possible. Although she had shaken off Su Weiqiang, there was no guarantee he wouldn't chase after her here.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the county's train station.

Train stations in the 1970s were far more chaotic than those in later years. The huge waiting rooms were teeming with people, a cacophony of accents from all over the country, the cries of children, and the whistles of arriving trains, creating a deafening cacophony. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, cheap tobacco, and the distinctive aroma of instant noodles.

Su Nianci held Xiao Shitou's hand tightly, afraid of losing him in the crowded throng. Her calm eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for the ticket window.

As she walked through a crowd of people waiting for the bus, she suddenly felt a hand gently touch the pocket where she kept her money.

It's very light and delicate, like a feather brushing against you.

If she hadn't been a surgeon in her previous life and hadn't been extremely sensitive to touch, she would never have noticed it.

Su Nianci paused, and the warmth in her eyes vanished instantly.

Thief!

She didn't make a sound, but glanced back out of the corner of her eye. A boy who looked only seven or eight years old, thin as a monkey, was following behind them nonchalantly, his shifty eyes fixed on her pocket.

He's a petty pickpocket.

It seems that the thief noticed her action of taking the money.

She deliberately slowed her pace, pretending to be looking for something.

Seeing this, the pickpocket thought his chance had come and silently moved closer again. This time, he was bolder; his fingers were already gripping the edge of her pocket, ready to pull it out!

It's now!

Su Nianci whirled around, not grabbing his hand, but instead using all her strength to point at his nose and let out a piercing scream:

"Thief! He stole my money—!!"

That scream instantly drowned out all the noise in the waiting room!

All eyes were immediately drawn to this place!

The pickpocket was terrified by the sudden shout; his hand trembled, and he froze. He never dreamed that this girl, who looked even younger and easier to bully than him, would react so fiercely!

"You little brat! You dare steal!"

"Kill him!"

The surrounding passengers were instantly enraged, and several burly men immediately surrounded them. These days, people deeply resented petty theft, and if caught, they were sure to get a good beating.

The pickpocket turned pale with fright and, no longer caring about stealing money, pushed through the crowd and tried to run away as fast as he could.

Su Nianci had achieved her goal; she only wanted to scare him away and didn't really want to make a big fuss.

However, she wanted to avoid trouble, but problems found her on their own.

"Don't move! What's going on?!" A stern reprimand rang out, and two station patrolmen wearing red armbands and uniforms pushed through the crowd and walked over.

Their sharp gazes swept over the still-shaken pickpocket, and finally settled on Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou, who had started the commotion.

One of the older patrolmen, with a square face, frowned deeply, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes as he looked at the two men, who were dressed in rags and covered in dirt.

"Where did you two come from? Where are your parents?" he asked in a stern voice. "Come to my office and explain yourself!"