Chapter 11: The Peach Blossom Fairy, Part 2

Li Tian'er spoke with such eloquence that Fan Lihua, her daughter-in-law Li Taohua's mother-in-law, nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Lihua glanced back at her eldest son, a simpleton who was picking rice grains off the table, frowned, and then turned back to look at Li Tian'er with a face full of ingratiating smiles. She was hoping that Li Tian'er could cure Chen Jiangchao’s intellectual disability.

"If only your silly brother-in-law could grow up to be a decent man, I could die without regrets. Oh, he’s nearly thirty; what will become of him once I kick the bucket?"

Fan Lihua clapped her hands together and pleaded, leaving Li Tian'er feeling utterly bewildered. She was confident enough in treating minor injuries for the villagers, but asking her to cure a congenital disability was an impossible request. Even if the Queen Mother of the West herself descended to the mortal realm, she probably couldn't heal a condition that had been present since birth.

"I truly cannot treat that."

Fearing that Fan Lihua would continue to pester her, Li Tian'er hurriedly retreated into her room.

It wasn't as if Fan Lihua hadn't taken her eldest son to seek medical help before; everyone had said Chen Jiangchao’s condition was incurable. She had only asked her daughter-in-law on a whim, clutching at straws like a drowning person grasping at a reed. Yet, being flatly refused without even a polite word of comfort left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Brooding, she was alone at the stove washing dishes when a knock came at the door. She wiped her hands on her apron and went to answer it. Seeing it was Old Man Ma, who had come to check on her daughter-in-law’s sprained ankle, her eyes darted, and she smilingly told him to head back.

"Taohua’s foot is already better, it’s no trouble at all. I feel terrible for making you run all this way for nothing. Why don't you come in and sit for a while? I just roasted some melon seeds last night."

Though her words were warm and polite, Fan Lihua blocked the doorway, offering no intention of letting him in.

"As long as she's fine, that’s all that matters."

Old Man Ma chuckled and turned to leave.

Fan Lihua closed the door and returned to the stove to continue washing. Her hands had barely touched the dishwater when someone knocked again. Assuming Old Man Ma had returned, she couldn't help but find his enthusiasm excessive.

With the New Year approaching, it was clear that Old Man Ma was likely hoping to trade his services for some good wine to enjoy over the holiday. He was often troubled by his two bachelor sons and usually sought to drown his sorrows in drink.

"Haichao, go open the door and send them away."

Fan Lihua called out toward the small room’s window, hearing only a vague mumble in response. Chen Haichao couldn't go out to play and had fallen asleep on his small kang after eating.

Unable to boss her youngest son around, and certainly not expecting anything from her second son—who had suddenly developed a newfound protectiveness for his wife—Fan Lihua shook the water off her hands and went to the door.

"Auntie Chen..."

The person at the door was not Old Man Ma, but three villagers from the east end of the village whom she rarely saw.

The woman who had called her "Auntie Chen" was leading a girl in her twenties. The girl stood sideways, her face covered by a white cotton mask, making it impossible to see her features. However, Lihua had a vague impression of her; someone had once tried to arrange a match between this girl and her youngest son. Lihua had taken one look at her from afar and rejected the proposal outright.

While it was admittedly difficult to find a wife in the village, no matter how hard it was, her son would not settle for a girl with a black birthmark covering half her face.

The person who had addressed her as "Sister-in-law Chen" was Old Ding, a well-known local widower and a government aid recipient who had been a close friend of her late husband.

Seeing this unlikely group of people at her doorstep left Fan Lihua stunned.

"We are looking for the Immortal Maiden Taohua."

The group spoke almost in unison.

Fan Lihua’s legs gave a start, her jaw nearly dropping.

"What Immortal Maiden? There’s no such thing here. Stop this nonsense, or else my eldest son might come out and start swinging his axe around."

Chen Jiangchao was known to lose all reason when he had a temper tantrum, and he had indeed brandished the wood-chopping axe around the village in the past.

However, having made up their minds to seek the "Immortal Maiden" for medical help, the visitors were not about to be intimidated by Fan Lihua. Without waiting for an invitation, all three pushed their way inside, forcing Fan Lihua back against the doorframe, a chill running down her spine.

Outside the house, the commotion stirred Chen Yunchao, who opened his door to peer out, but before he could see who it was, the visitors had already burst into the room.

"Please, Immortal Maiden, take a look at my daughter."

"Please, Immortal Maiden, take a look at my chronic cold legs; whenever it rains, I can barely walk."

Though the three were not related, they acted as if they had rehearsed it, kneeling in perfect unison before Li Tian'er.

When the scoundrels of her past had knelt before her, it was to beg for mercy, but having complete strangers kneel before her was more than Li Tian'er could handle. She hurriedly put down her book, put on her shoes, and stepped off the kang to urge them to stand up.

After listening to their pleas, the girl with the half-black face removed her mask. Li Tian'er took a look and figured it wouldn't be too difficult to treat. She told the others to wait outside, insisting on treating them one by one. The girl’s mother couldn't stay, and neither could Chen Yunchao.

Bolting the door, Li Tian'er had the girl sit on the edge of the kang. After asking a few questions, she learned the birthmark was congenital; because of it, the girl had been bullied and shunned by her peers since childhood.

Now that she was in her twenties, her parents were anxious about her marriage prospects. Even if her family wasn't picky about the man's circumstances, the suitors were put off by her appearance. While some old widowers didn't mind, she was a pure, young woman in the prime of her life and couldn't bring herself to settle for an old, ugly, and impoverished man.

As the girl spoke, she began to wipe away tears, and Li Tian'er felt a wave of depression wash over her. Regardless of the era, a woman's beauty was the golden key to winning a man's favor. A woman could be poor, but she could not be ugly.

"Immortal Maiden, can my face be cured?"

The girl asked hesitantly, unable to hold back.

"Why do you call me the Immortal Maiden?"

She suspected it was Grandmother Qi, who had brought her grandson for treatment earlier, who had spread the word. But to think the news had traveled faster than digital media in the internet age! It only went to show how small and interconnected Xiaowu Village truly was.

"Grandmother Qi said you are an immortal descended from the heavens and can cure any illness. You look as beautiful as a fairy, so you must be different from us ordinary villagers."

The girl spoke with conviction, staring at Li Tian'er’s face with a look of pure adoration. Everyone yearned for beauty; it wasn't just men who liked beauties—even women were captivated by them.

Li Tian'er was amused by the girl’s words, though she quickly put on a serious expression. She wasn't sure if the medicinal herbs from her wealth base could remove the birthmark, but she decided to give it a try, telling the girl she would need to return several times to test different herbs.

She applied a paste to the girl's dark skin and gave her a few whitening pills, instructing her to take them orally at home. If there was no improvement, she was to come back in three days.

The girl put her mask back on and left, then returned with her mother to bow in gratitude before they both departed, filled with newfound hope.