Volume 3, Chapter 172 – Become My Person

Lu Zhuxin tugged at Chi Xiyan’s sleeve, tilting her head up slightly.

Her small face was filled with earnest pleading.

Like a helpless canine creature seeking help from a wise primate when injured.

Tearful eyes, pitiful and vulnerable.

After practicing on Song Shiyuan and Qu Qingtang, Lu Zhuxin felt her acting skills had reached perfection.

Of course, what her acting was like didn’t actually matter right now.

Lu Zhuxin was certain that even if this old woman couldn’t be saved, Chi Xiyan would still agree.

Chi Xiyan was a merchant. For her, favors and relationships were also tradable commodities.

As long as the Chi family head confirmed Yu Lizhi’s identity and verified that Yu Lizhi was indeed Chi family blood, then Yu Lizhi would have utility value to Chi Xiyan.

Chi Xiyan would agree.

This was the result of rational consideration.

“Zhizhi…” Chi Xiyan sighed, her face showing a hint of difficulty. “You don’t need to do this. Let go of me first and listen to what I have to say.”

“Sister Chi, even you can’t save my mother?” The black-haired impoverished girl’s eyes brimmed with tears, but her hands showed no sign of letting go.

“…” Chi Xiyan felt so irritated that her nails itched.

She truly hated people getting this close to her, and hated people grabbing her clothes like this.

During her past traveling charitable medical practices, she’d often encountered similar situations.

Many country villagers mostly didn’t understand propriety or etiquette. Their way of expressing emotions was very direct and unsophisticated.

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Especially those ignorant village women who couldn’t read.

Just like the girl before her.

Chi Xiyan didn’t like this.

Yet the girl before her had no perceptiveness at all.

“Hah…”

Chi Xiyan took a gentle breath. In the end, she didn’t push Yu Lizhi away.

She sighed and said helplessly to the girl before her, “Zhizhi, don’t panic first. Listen to what I have to say.”

Lu Zhuxin raised her head, blinking her large, watery eyes.

Chi Xiyan’s face carried solemnity as she continued, “Your mother’s condition is even more serious than I imagined.”

“I don’t want to hide it from you. Even with full treatment, I’m afraid it would be difficult to reverse.”

Honestly, Yu Lizhi’s mother’s condition completely exceeded Chi Xiyan’s expectations.

Empty internal organs, depleted qi and blood. Afflicted with serious illness, her soul scattered and spirit fading.

She practically had one foot in the coffin, surviving until now purely on a single breath.

Even from medical texts, Chi Xiyan had rarely seen such a severe case.

Moreover, during Chi Xiyan’s examination, she’d discovered various hidden injuries on the woman’s body, as if she’d been beaten.

What had Yu Lizhi’s mother experienced to become like this?

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Chi Xiyan simply couldn’t imagine.

At this moment, the black-haired girl seemed to freeze. She opened her mouth slightly. “Is there really no hope at all?”

Chi Xiyan lowered her eyes, her peripheral vision sweeping across the woman’s face.

“It’s not that there’s absolutely no hope, but her body is too depleted. Saving her won’t be simple. The precious medicinal materials needed might exceed your imagination.”

“This is no longer something a few low-grade spirit stones can solve, but thousands of them…”

Chi Xiyan’s gaze returned to the pale little face of the girl before her as she continued, “Now you should understand, right, Zhizhi? This isn’t something the current you can afford.”

“Mm…” The girl’s face immediately lost all color. She released Chi Xiyan’s sleeve and staggered back a step.

Over a thousand spirit stones?

How could a little girl like her who had nothing and knew nothing produce such a thing?

A mere twenty taels of silver had nearly destroyed her entirely.

This was already beyond what she could imagine.

“Sister Chi is right. Perhaps I really can’t save my mother…” The girl raised her hand to wipe her tears. “Even selling myself wouldn’t be enough money…”

Chi Xiyan watched silently. She hadn’t lied to Yu Lizhi.

The only thing she hadn’t said directly was that these thousand spirit stones meant nothing at all to a Chi family’s young lady

“I’m sorry, Sister Chi… Zhizhi has troubled you.” The girl’s voice trembled. “Making Sister Chi come here for nothing. I’m truly sorry.”

Chi Xiyan frowned. She asked, “What do you plan to do next?”

“Me?” The girl lowered her head, sobbing softly. “I don’t know either… If Mother is gone, I’ll have no relatives left in this world… I don’t know what to do anymore…”

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“Perhaps after burying Mother… I’ll find a better place and follow Mother into the next life…”

“ Tch , must you think like that…” Chi Xiyan raised her hand to cover her forehead.

She felt her fist hardening.

From anger.

Though she thought this girl was probably her cousin and she needed to treat her better, every time this girl pulled something like this, she wanted to hit someone.

This girl was exactly the type Chi Xiyan hated most.

Cowardly, foolish, impulsive and ignorant, weak and incompetent!

When encountering problems, she only knew how to cry and shed tears, completely useless.

If the Chi family had such an heir, the Chi family’s vast enterprise would be squandered sooner or later.

If Chi Xiyan were the Chi family head, she’d really want to throw away such Chi family blood as far away as possible.

Taking her back would only disgrace the Chi family.

Unfortunately, Chi Xiyan was still very far from becoming the Chi family head.

“Yu Lizhi, you’d better stop this nonsense right now.” Chi Xiyan bit her silver teeth lightly, her tone becoming heavier. “Why must you degrade yourself like this every time?”

If the girl before her wasn’t very likely the Chi family’s legitimate daughter, Chi Xiyan really wanted to fling her sleeves and leave.

Just abandon her here without a care!

“Sister Chi…” The girl stared blankly at Chi Xiyan, not expecting Chi Xiyan to suddenly say such things.

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“Can you not always cry and wail and blame heaven and earth the moment you face a problem?” Chi Xiyan said with disappointment. “Can’t you think of another way? Am I not still here? Why don’t you ask my opinion?”

“You just know how to cry, cry, cry, then give up on yourself.”

“Ugh, so annoying.”

Chi Xiyan’s eyes carried irritation as she looked at the girl before her, her face filled with “angry at her for not improving.”

She took a deep breath, calming her emotions somewhat before continuing.

“Listen well, Yu Lizhi.”

“I’m telling you this not to make you despair.”

“But to make you understand the price we need to pay to save your mother.”

“The current you truly can’t bear this burden. But that’s just you, not me.”

The black-haired girl suddenly raised her head, joy appearing in her eyes.

“Sister Chi, do you mean you’re willing to help me?”

“But…” As the girl spoke, the joy in her eyes slowly became covered with a layer of hesitation. “I don’t… have anything to repay Sister Chi’s kindness.”

“I don’t need you to repay me right now.” Chi Xiyan said, “I can help you save your mother and advance you this money, but there’s a condition. And this condition cannot be known by anyone.”

“Sister Chi, please speak.” The girl wiped away her tears and straightened up seriously.

“I need you to make a vow with me.” Chi Xiyan’s face was completely solemn.

“Become my person.”