Doctor and His Glamorous Sister-in-Law

It wasn't long before Xu Yulan woke up. The first thing she did was look to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty. Where was Liu Ergou? Instantly, her eyes filled with tears. So everything that happened last night was just a dream, she thought. I miss Er Gou so much.

Just as she was thinking this, Liu Ergou happened to return to the room.

"Sister-in-law, you're awake?" he asked. "Breakfast is ready. Come eat while it's hot!"

However, Xu Yulan didn't move. She just stared blankly for a moment before suddenly throwing herself into his arms and beginning to sob quietly.

"Sob... Er Gou," she choked out, "I saw you weren't here and thought last night was just a dream! I was so scared…"

Seeing Xu Yulan sobbing in his arms, Liu Ergou froze for a moment. It took him several seconds to understand what was wrong.

"What are you thinking about, Sister-in-law?" he asked softly. "How could it be a dream? I'm standing right here in front of you. Alright, alright, let's get you up. Breakfast is waiting."

With that, he gently patted her back before turning to the kitchen to bring in the food.

The two of them began to eat breakfast together. A few moments later, Xu Yulan suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Oh, Er Gou, my memory is terrible!" she exclaimed anxiously. "I almost forgot something really important!"

Liu Ergou looked up from his meal. "What is it, Sister-in-law? Why are you so anxious? Did someone come looking for trouble?"

Xu Yulan quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that! I was trying to tell you there's a problem at the medicinal plots. I wanted to tell you last night, but it completely slipped my mind!"

At this, Liu Ergou also remembered. Last night, his sister-in-law had tried to tell him something, but he had been too preoccupied and had cut her off. He immediately grew serious.

"Sister-in-law, what kind of problem at the medicinal plots?"

Xu Yulan replied at once, "What I said wasn't quite accurate. It's not our plots that have a problem, it's Hu Jing's section!"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou grew anxious. Even though it wasn't his own medicinal herbs, his relationship with Hu Jing was one where their fortunes were intertwined. If her cornfield had a problem, his medicinal plots wouldn't be safe for long.

"What exactly is the problem? Tell me, quickly!" he urged.

But Xu Yulan just shook her head. "I'm not sure about the details. I just know she came looking for you in a panic yesterday, said something about the wasteland having a problem, and then left without explaining."

Learning this, Liu Ergou didn't say another word. He quickly polished off his breakfast, put on his clothes, and headed out toward the medicinal plots.

「Before long, he arrived at the plots.」

Liu Ergou had intended to go straight to the cornfield to check on the situation, but before he got there, he saw a figure lying by the side of the path.

His heart skipped a beat. What's going on? Why is someone lying in the field? Don't tell me there's been a murder on my wasteland? If that's the case, this land is completely ruined.

Thinking this, he quickened his pace and rushed over to the figure. As he got closer, he saw that the person lying on the ground was Hu Jing.

Seeing her lying there, he didn't immediately feel relieved. Instead, he frowned, checking her carefully. Only after confirming she was still alive did he finally let out a breath of relief. He knelt and shook her gently.

"Hu Jing, Hu Jing, wake up! Why are you lying here?"

At the sound of his voice, Hu Jing groggily opened her eyes. When she saw Liu Ergou standing before her, she couldn't hold back and threw herself into his arms, bursting into loud sobs.

"Er Gou, you're finally back!" she cried. "I came looking for you yesterday but you weren't home! Something terrible has happened to the cornfield while you were gone! You have to help me, quick! If you don't, I'll lose everything!"

Seeing how distraught she was, Liu Ergou gently patted her back and spoke in a soothing voice. "Alright, alright, stop crying. Crying won't solve anything. First, you need to calm down and tell me exactly what happened from the beginning. Otherwise, not even a miracle worker could figure out how to help."

Under Liu Ergou's comforting words, Hu Jing's emotions finally stabilized. She then began to quietly explain what had happened.

The story wasn't complicated. A few days after Liu Ergou left, the newly planted corn seedlings in her field began to turn yellow, wither, and rot, one after another.

Naturally, Hu Jing was frantic. She called her senior apprentices from university, asking them for advice. But since this batch of seedlings was genetically modified, none of them were familiar with it. Some tried to diagnose the problem over a video call, while others came to inspect the site in person. Their conclusion was unanimous: they were helpless and could only advise her to find a more capable expert.

This news was devastating for Hu Jing. She had poured an immense amount of effort and money into these seedlings. Now, they were dying one by one, and no one could even find the cause. She was nearly out of her mind with worry.

But things only got worse. In a single day, a vast swath of the corn seedlings died off completely, leaving only a small patch still alive. And even those few survivors were in poor condition, looking half-dead.

As a last resort, Hu Jing begged her old teacher to come out of retirement. But he was also at a loss. After examining the field, he could only suspect there was a fundamental problem with the corn's genetics.

Later, while inspecting the miserable state of her cornfield again, Hu Jing was so overwhelmed by a rush of anxiety that she fainted on the spot.

After hearing the whole story, Liu Ergou nodded grimly. Having recounted all her troubles, Hu Jing, who had only just calmed down, started to cry all over again—even harder than before.