The Female Supporting Character Forced to Become a High Official - Chapter 3 - What is a lucky charm? His family has a god…

Le Ran patted his little belly, a silly smile of contentment on his face, “If only I could eat rice every day.”

Children’s dreams are so simple.

Wu Xiaoqing watched, silently sighing. Her grandfather was a wealthy landlord, and she had lived a life of luxury as a young lady.

Unfortunately, her father was not reliable and was lured into drug addiction by someone with ulterior motives, squandering their entire fortune. She went from being a carefree young lady to a penniless person.

Who would have thought that she would inadvertently escape a disaster and avoid being exposed and criticized? One can only say that the world is unpredictable.

When she realized something was wrong, she made a bold decision to marry into the Le family, who had been poor for generations, and found refuge with them, living a simple peasant life avoiding danger.

Over the years, life was neither good nor bad. Her mother-in-law despised her, her in-laws looked down on her, and the villagers ostracized her. But Le Guorong treated her well, sharing half of his food with her. She survived safely, so what more could she ask for?

It was just that seeing her two children so thin and frail made her heart ache.

Le Guorong, being somewhat oblivious, didn’t notice his wife’s emotions. He gently rubbed their son in his arms and said, “I’m working hard to give you a good life.”

“Dad is so good, Dad is so awesome.” The little one spoke as if his mouth was smeared with honey, his words were so sweet.

The small room was filled with warmth and affection. Le Yi leaned on Wu Xiaoqing’s shoulder, her eyes full of smiles. Although they were poor, she really liked having such a family.

Wu Xiaoqing gently stroked her daughter’s soft hair and said softly, “Guorong, Le Yi is ten years old now. If she doesn’t go to school soon, it will be delayed.”

No matter how poor they were, they couldn’t skimp on education. Both boys and girls needed to read a bit.

In the Le family, only boys were allowed to go to school, and the family’s meagre money was all spent on the boys. 

Of course, Le Chunmei is always an exception. She is the oldest and is in the third year of junior high school in the commune. As long as she is willing to continue her studies, her family will sell everything they have to support her education.

As for the eldest grandson of the Le family, they say they will try to get him a worker-peasant-soldier college student quota. This requires strong ideology, a clean family background, good performance, and a good reputation, so the Le family pays special attention to this aspect.

The three children of the eldest son and the eldest son of the second son, supporting these four children’s education has drained this already impoverished family.

Le Guorong sighed softly. He had mentioned it more than once, but each time his mother refused, saying that no matter how much a girl studies, it’s just a benefit to outsiders. It’s better for her to do more work at home. 

As for Le Chunmei, it’s different. She’s the lucky star. Studying more is useful; she will definitely marry well in the future, and her family will benefit from it.

She spoke so confidently, as if she had already secured her future in-laws. What kind of nonsense is this?

“I will find a way, even if I have to borrow money, to support Xiaoyi’s education.”

Such unfair treatment, and they expect her and her husband to work themselves to death for this family, to sacrifice themselves. Why should they?

Wu Xiaoqing frowned tightly. Who would lend them money? Everyone knows they have no money and can’t pay it back.

“If only they could split the family.”

Le Guorong also wanted to split the family; having the money in his own hands, he could spend it however he wanted. But… it was too difficult.

Le Yi listened quietly, fully understanding the situation of their third household. Her uncle was the team leader, which was both a blessing and a curse.

The benefit was that no one dared to bully them. The downside was that all the decision-making power was in the hands of the first household and Grandma Le.

Alright, Le Yi set her primary task: first, earn some small money and save up some capital.

Secondary task: attend school smoothly.

Early in the morning, it was quiet all around. Everyone was catching up on sleep, and the kitchen was empty, with nothing at all. Rice, flour, and oil were all locked in Grandma Le’s room.

No one knows a mother better than her son. Le Guorong rolled his eyes, knowing his mom was doing it on purpose!

He touched his empty stomach, looked at his wife and daughter who had dejected expressions, and turned to walk outside. “I’m going to borrow some sweet potatoes from Dr. Li to fill my stomach first.”

Bowing his head and admitting his mistakes to his mom was absolutely impossible. Once he did that, life for the whole family would become even harder.

Le Yi’s heart stirred, and she quickly chased after him. “Dad, wait for me, I’ll go with you.”

Le Guorong went to the infirmary, where the barefoot doctor was already there, engrossed in a book. 

“Ahem.” 

The barefoot doctor, whose surname is Li, twitched the corner of his mouth when he saw the father and daughter. “Why are you here again? You can’t take any more brown sugar.”

“Just lend me four sweet potatoes for now, and I’ll return them tonight.”

Dr. Li looked at him with sympathy and pointed to the dustpan in the corner, telling him to take what he needed.

Le Guorong didn’t stand on ceremony. In these times, borrowing money was difficult, but borrowing a few sweet potatoes wasn’t.

Le Yi smiled and approached Dr. Li, her curious eyes fixed on the book in his hand, a book on traditional Chinese medicine.

“Uncle Li, can I take a look?” 

Doctor Li looked at her eager expression and sighed softly to himself. This child must want to read, what a pity.

He silently handed over the book. Le Yi opened it to find it was an introduction to Chinese medicinal herbs, with vivid illustrations and text.

Le Yi feigned ignorance and pointed to a herb, “Uncle Li, what is this?”

“Plantago, it has the effect of clearing heat and brightening the eyes.”

“And this one?”

“Artemisia annua, it has the effect of clearing heat, relieving summer heat, and stopping itching.”

“And this one?”

“Chrysanthemum, it has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and can be used as a fever reducer.”

As he spoke, Doctor Li was astonished to discover that Le Yi had a photographic memory. As long as something was said once, she would never forget it. Looking at similar herbs, most people couldn’t tell them apart, but she could name them perfectly without hesitation.

This was too amazing.

He couldn’t help but get excited, “Guorong, your little Yi is really smart. Such talent is rare. You must make her study!”

Le Guorong was also stunned. His daughter was this impressive? No way!

“Just like her mother!”

The Le family doesn’t have the genes for academic success; several of their nephews and nieces have average grades. But the Wu family is different; they have produced scholars.

Studying is a must!

But the problem is, where to get the money? A penny can drive a hero to despair. Don’t even think about asking his mother for money.

Le Yi bit her lip and nervously asked, “Uncle Li, are there any medicinal herbs in the nearby mountains? Can they be sold for money?”

“Yes, of course,” Doctor Li replied. He had studied traditional Chinese medicine for a few years and could treat minor ailments, but anything more advanced was beyond him. “But most people can’t tell the difference between wild grass and medicinal herbs, so no one goes up the mountain to dig them.”

Le Guorong’s eyes lit up as an idea flashed through his mind. He instinctively looked at his daughter.

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, confirmed their thoughts, and decided to go ahead with the plan.

Before leaving, Le Guorong forcefully borrowed the book, and after the family had a meal of boiled sweet potatoes, they set off up the mountain with a bamboo basket.

Le Ran was too young, so Wu Xiaoqing stayed with him; she couldn’t climb the mountain either.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, but for Le Guorong, it was nothing.

During those years of natural disasters, when the whole village had no food to eat and was searching everywhere for something to eat, he, along with his friends, would go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, collect bird eggs, and find wild fruits, doing everything they could to survive.

The trees were lush, the green bamboo was dense and verdant, the path was winding and twisting, the mountain slopes were covered with thick wild grass, and clusters of unknown wildflowers were mixed in, creating an extremely beautiful scene.

The air was very fresh, with a natural pine scent, and Le Yi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Le Guorong held his daughter with one hand and propped himself up with a wooden stick with the other, watching all around and listening carefully, being very cautious as there were various dangers on the mountain.

His gaze fell on a spot, “Look, what’s that?”

“ Chestnuts!” Le Yi’s eyes lit up. Chestnuts are highly nutritious, they can be roasted, boiled, cooked and used to make snacks, there are many ways to eat them.

Le Guorong quickly climbed up the tree and, using a stick, started hitting the spiky balls. They fell like raindrops, hitting the ground one after another.

Le Yi stood far away, feeling extremely happy inside; she could have a hearty meal.

“Dad, that’s enough. We can’t carry any more. Let’s come back tomorrow.”

Le Guorong jumped down from the tree. The spines were too prickly so he didn’t ask his daughter for help. Sitting on a rock, he peeled open the spiky balls, took out the chestnuts inside, and tossed them into a sack. He had prepared more than usual when he left home, and now it was coming in handy.

He smiled proudly. They don’t give them food, huh? Fine, he’ll keep the chestnuts for himself and not share!

Le Yi couldn’t stay still either and was wandering around. Suddenly, her gaze froze. Hmm, this looks familiar.

She pulled up a plant and ran to Le Guorong, “Dad, look, is this a Paris polyphylla?”

“Paris polyphylla? What is that?” Le Guorong was immersed in the joy of harvest and hadn’t reacted yet.

“Also called Ye Yizhihua, Zaoxiu, its taste is bitter, its nature is slightly cold, it clears heat and detoxifies…” Le Yi rattled off a bunch of effects, Le Guorong was stunned, she had memorized all of them? 

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Le Yi became a bit anxious, “Doctor Li said it can be used as a fever reducer, Dad, hurry and take out the medical book to compare it.”

Le Guorong dazedly took out the medical book, trembling as he flipped through the pages. The more anxious he got, the harder it was to find the right page. Which page was it?

“Page 29.” Le Yi’s clear voice rang in his ear.

Le Guorong quickly flipped through the pages, and sure enough, he saw the picture of the herb on page 29, exactly the same as the one Le Yi was holding.

His pupils dilated, and he was deeply shocked. “Xiao Yi, how did you know it was on page 29?”

Le Yi looked puzzled. “Didn’t we look at it yesterday?”

Her nonchalant demeanor made Le Guorong question his life. How could the difference between people be so vast?

He had looked at it yesterday too, but he didn’t remember anything, let alone the content of each page.

Yet, his ten-year-old daughter remembered everything after just one glance!

But me, what kind of daughter did I give birth to? Clearly, she’s a little prodigy!

Being a lucky charm is nothing he concluded, my daughter is a prodigy!