Best Mom in the 60s
六零之穿成极品他妈
The Magical Pills
Translator: InkyDragon
Word count: 2,1k
The old lady was fast asleep while her elder brother was wide awake and energised after consuming two miraculous pills. He spent the night contemplating and eventually, the rising sun called him outside. The commotion woke Qian Shu Lan from her sleep, and although her old appearance had returned, she was still dressed in the same ancient garment as before.
As she got out of bed and headed towards the Qian family’s main gate to go home, she noticed Qian Wei Han rushing out of the house with urgency, causing her to pause.
“Little sister, you’re awake!” called out Qian Wei Han, his voice filled with joy as he saw her retreating figure.
Qian Shu Lan turned and smoothed down her clothes. “Elder brother,” she began, pretending to have a doleful expression, “Look at this strange attire! It’s all white – so inauspicious! And I was sleeping in my own room, yet I somehow ended up here. What happened?”
- (Traditionally, Chinese wear all white only at funerals.)
Qian Wei Han, noticing his sister’s peculiar garments for the first time, slapped his forehead. He discreetly guided Qian Shu Lan back into the house.
Relieved that her brother hadn’t yet realised the peculiarity of her situation, Qian Shu Lan relaxed slightly. “Elder brother,” she asked with feigned curiosity, “What’s happening? Why all the secrecy?”
Qian Wei Han peeked out the window, ensuring they were alone. He leaned in close to Qian Shu Lan’s ear and whispered, “Little sister, I saw Mother last night.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Shu Lan’s face before she casually remarked, “Oh, you dreamt about her? I dream about Mother often too, nothing strange about that.”
Qian Wei Han, realising his sister’s misunderstanding, waved his hands dismissively. “No, no. I saw her, with my own eyes!”
Qian Shu Lan looked at him sceptically, her expression clearly questioning his sanity.
Seeing her disbelief, he quickly retrieved the porcelain bottle hidden beneath his pillow. “Mother gave this. There were originally four pills inside, I took my share. This one’s for you!” He pressed the bottle into her hand.
She reluctantly took the porcelain bottle, clutching it in her palm. With a sceptical eye, she scanned her old brother from head to toe. “I don’t see any change in you!” she declared, shaking the bottle. “What’s this medicine for anyway?”
Seeing his sister treat the divine medicine so carelessly, Qian Wei Han panicked and snatched the bottle from her grasp. It was then he noticed a newfound agility in his wrist. Age didn’t just wrinkle the skin; it weakened the bones, slowing movements as a natural self-protection mechanism. But now, he felt a distinct change within his body.
He carefully placed the porcelain bottle back in his sister’s hand. “Hold onto it tight, don’t drop it,” he instructed, his seriousness making Qian Shu Lan subconsciously nod in agreement.
Wanting to test his newfound strength, Qian Wei Han scanned the room. Finding nothing heavy, he remembered a sack of wheat outside. He hurried out and lifted the sack with one hand, returning to Qian Shu Lan with a triumphant smirk at her surprised expression.
Convinced, Qian Shu Lan bombarded him with questions, urging him to try various feats of strength. Finally, clutching the porcelain bottle, she eagerly pressed him for details about their mother’s appearance.
Qian Wei Han recounted everything, then added with a hint of regret, “Mother is newly appointed as a celestial being, so she can’t come out during the day. She has to possess someone like you, probably due to insufficient cultivation. She also gave you elixirs; otherwise, your lifespan would shorten.”
Qian Shu Lan’s mouth twitched. Was he making this up? She didn’t remember her saying any of this! Nevertheless, she maintained a facade of curiosity, peppering him with further questions.
And so, the siblings delved back into the events of the previous night.
With Qian Wei Han’s encouragement, Qian Shu Lan swallowed the longevity pill. Her reaction was different from his. The original body, though also injured, had only sustained minor wounds, and the pain was manageable. Qian Shu Lan endured it without breaking a sweat, unlike Qian Wei Han’s dramatic response.
After she finished the medicine, Qian Wei Han had her test its effects. Mimicking him, she carried the sack of wheat with ease. She even attempted to lift the four-to-five-hundred catty stone millstone but found it strenuous, unlike Qian Wei Han who had handled it effortlessly. It seemed the medicine’s efficacy varied from person to person. Still, she was now far stronger than the average woman.
Examining the bottle in her hand, Qian Shu Lan cautiously asked, “What should we do with this medicine?”
Qian Wei Han looked at her as if she were a simpleton. “Of course, we should keep it as a family heirloom,” he replied matter-of-factly.
Qian Shu Lan’s lips twitched. “Doesn’t medicine have an expiration date? Wouldn’t this expire?” she countered, having no intention of letting it sit unused until after her death.
Qian Wei Han was stunned. Could this medicine expire? He thought about it. Regular medicines did, but this was a miraculous elixir… right? He wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Do you have any ideas?” he asked, turning to his sister.
Qian Shu Lan sighed. “Big brother, as you know, Little Peach (Xiao-Tao) has a weak constitution. I can’t just watch her slowly die. This medicine is so potent, I want to use it to cure her.”
Her reasoning for placing four pills in the bottle had been deliberate: one Revitalising Pill for Qian Wei Han, and three Longevity Pills – one for each of them, and one for Little Peach.
An old lady suddenly becoming strong and healthy would raise too many eyebrows. It was better to involve one more person, claiming it was a tonic from Qian Wei Han to improve her health. That sounded far more plausible.
As for Little Peach, her parents couldn’t be fooled with mere tonics. Her illness was congenital and wouldn’t vanish with a few doses. This was just a ruse to convince her brother. As long as he believed, half her plan was complete.
Qian Wei Han fell into deep contemplation, remaining silent for a long while. Finally, he asked, “With so many children in your family, what if others find out about you giving Little Peach the medicine?”
Qian Shu Lan had considered this. Why else would she spend so much on medicine for Qian Wei Han, if not to leverage his connections? Feigning ignorance, she replied, “Then we won’t let them know. We’ll keep it a secret for now.”
Qian Wei Han shook his head. “If a sickly child suddenly becomes lively and energetic, do you think we can keep it under wraps?”
Qian Shu Lan fell silent.
Seeing her disappointment, Qian Wei Han struggled internally before suggesting, “How about this? I’ll go to Beijing first to make arrangements. I’ll say I’m visiting an old leader and find a good doctor there. I’ll send a telegram for the fourth brother and his wife to bring the child over for treatment.”
Qian Shu Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Qian Wei Han was a decent person, and things were going as planned. People of this era yearned for big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, especially Beijing, the capital where Chairman Mao resided. Having good doctors there was perfectly normal.
“That’s a good idea,” she agreed with a smile.
Qian Wei Han nodded, then hesitated. “I might have to detour to the army first, so it’ll be about ten days before I reach Beijing. Is that okay with you?” It took two or three days by car to travel from Liu Pass County to Beijing. Trains ran on schedules and weren’t available every day. In places like Liu Pass County, it took four or five days for a train to arrive.
Naturally, Qian Shu Lan had no objections. Although the wheat harvest was just half a month away, treating Little Peach’s illness was also crucial. They couldn’t afford to delay, especially with the upcoming steel production. The sooner they cured Little Peach, the sooner they could fulfil their filial duties.
With their plan set, Qian Shu Lan departed, her steps light with newfound hope. Though she could easily afford several doses of the medicine, she hesitated to administer it to Little Peach without caution.
Firstly, she wasn’t one for anonymous good deeds. Sneaking the medicine to Little Peach and playing the hero didn’t suit her style. Her primary reason for saving the child was to reform the fourth son and his wife. She wanted them to know the hefty sum she had spent to cure Little Peach, hoping their gratitude would translate into increased filial piety.
Secondly, a child frail since birth suddenly recovering would raise suspicions, especially from someone as astute as Qian Wei Han. Now he had witnessed his mother give him the miraculous medicine and vanish before his eyes, making him a complete believer. However, such events should be rare; too many might expose Qian Shu Lan, as the original owner of this body might not have known all the details between Qian Wei Han and his birth mother.
At noon, Qian Wei Han informed his family of his plans to go to Beijing. Qian Ming Hua, though surprised, assumed his father was going to meet his army comrades and didn’t dwell on it. After lunch, he helped his father pack and had his wife prepare provisions for the journey. He then went to town himself to exchange national grain coupons and obtain an introduction letter.
The next morning, he personally drove his father to the train station in the team’s carriage. On the way, Qian Ming Hua drove, while Wang Shou Quan, who had a meeting in the county town, rode along.
A talkative man, he kept chattering away. Somehow, he started recounting the night they got drunk, mentioning how he thought he saw a white-clad fairy at the Qian family’s doorstep.
“I think that fairy looked a bit like Auntie San,” he mused, rubbing his head. “Of course, if Auntie San were thirty years younger, she’d probably look even more alike.”
Qian Wei Han’s grip on the parcel tightened, his body tensing slightly. Feigning curiosity, he asked, “When did you see her?”
Wang Shou Quan racked his brain. “It was in the middle of the night,” he finally said.
Qian Wei Han glanced at him. “In the middle of the night, and you’re not sleeping. What were you doing lurking around our house? Don’t tell me you were itching for another drinking spree?”
Wang Shou Quan felt a pang of guilt, remembering the time he and Ming Hua got so drunk they nearly knocked down the Qian family’s door. Awkwardly scratching his head, he chuckled, “Sir, your memory is still as sharp as ever! Hehe…”
Qian Wei Han gave him a sidelong glance, effectively pushing the matter of the fairy out of Wang Shou Quan’s mind. Satisfied, he smiled.
Qian Ming Hua asked Wang Shou Quan to watch the carriage while he personally escorted his father to the train station, carrying their luggage. Qian Shu Lan had prepared some national grain coupons for Qian Wei Han, claiming they were from their two sons. Qian Wei Han accepted them without hesitation.
After seeing them off, Qian Ming Hua drove the carriage to attend the meeting with Wang Shou Quan.
Back at the old Wang residence, Qian Shu Lan was assigning rooms. The eldest son’s family would be placed under her watchful eye.
“Fourth son, you move to the new house,” she declared, “and your old room will be given to the three little ones from the eldest son’s family. As for the other new house room, let the third son’s three girls move in. If they wake up at night, it’s no big deal. We live so close, we can hear anything that happens.”
The fourth son and his wife were somewhat pleased. Though it was just next door, being out of everyone’s direct sight meant they could spoil Little Peach a bit more. Sun Da Qin, though wanting the new house, couldn’t openly express her dissatisfaction due to her mother-in-law’s authority. She only muttered complaints to her husband in secret.
However, Wang Shou Ren was now solely focused on his studies. He couldn’t bear to see his mother disappointed in him, which was worse than going hungry for days. As for the house, his mother had expressed her desire to stay close to him. As the most filial son, he couldn’t abandon her just to live in a new house.
─── ❖ ── ☆ ── ❖ ───
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(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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