I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 81: Volcano

When the moment of treatment arrived, even with Teacher Tian’s naturally bold and forthright personality, she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Standing beside her, Zheng Fa noticed out of the corner of his eye that Old Bai was clenching his fists tightly.

"Teacher Tian, don’t be nervous," Zheng Fa reassured her. "I’ve already tested it—using the Taiyi Talisman for treatment is completely painless."

Hearing this, Old Bai seemed to realize his own tension. He loosened his fists and gently held Teacher Tian’s arm, lowering his voice.

"Don’t be afraid."

Teacher Tian gave a small nod, a faint flush creeping onto her face as she murmured, "You two must think I’m making a fool of myself."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

People were always like this—when faced with absolute despair, they could often remain eerily calm.

Zheng Fa extended his hand, and the Taiyi Talisman within his Yuan Talisman Foundation trembled slightly.

A golden talisman light flowed from his fingertips, carrying Old Bai’s deep expectations and Teacher Tian’s lingering unease.

The golden light transformed into a fine spiritual rain, gently falling over Teacher Tian.

The Taiyi Talisman’s rain had a calming effect.

Before she knew it, Teacher Tian had drifted into a deep sleep.

Just before she lost consciousness, a trace of pain flickered across her face.

But as she slept, nourished by the talisman’s energy, a rare sense of peace gradually softened her features.

…

While Teacher Tian was receiving treatment, her mother, Grandma Wu, was carrying two bags of groceries, walking back from the market.

Beside her was a neighborly auntie, whom she had run into at the market.

As they walked together, they chatted and laughed, enjoying the stroll.

At some point, the neighbor hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something but didn’t quite know how to start.

"What is it?" Grandma Wu asked with a smile.

"How… how is your daughter, Teacher Tian, doing?"

Her illness wasn’t exactly a secret among the neighbors.

Just a few days ago, people had seen her being wheeled back home.

Rumors had already started spreading—that her time was running out.

"Same as before. She can’t be cured, and she doesn’t want treatment," Grandma Wu said it as casually as if she were discussing household chores, her tone unnervingly calm.

"Do you… have any plans for the future?" The neighbor’s voice held a hint of sympathy.

Losing a child at this age—anyone would feel a pang of sorrow just thinking about it.

But surprisingly, Grandma Wu smiled. Her tone remained lighthearted.

"Plans? What plans?"

"I mean… after she’s gone, you’ll be all alone…"

The neighbor fumbled with her words, clearly unsure how to phrase it properly.

"Oh, don’t worry about me." Grandma Wu grinned widely. "My daughter’s already made arrangements for me."

"A couple of years ago, she signed me up for a nursing home—already paid for everything. If I ever need care, I’ll just move in. They have staff, young people to keep me company, and I won’t even have to cook or do laundry. I’ll be living better than I do now."

"The nursing home sounds nice, but… I’ve heard that elderly folks without children sometimes get mistreated there," the neighbor said hesitantly. "Some people take advantage of the weak."

"I’ve heard those stories too," Grandma Wu admitted. "But I’m not without someone to look out for me… You probably don’t know yet, but my daughter found me a son-in-law a few days ago."

"Ah? That’s wonderful news!" The neighbor was taken aback—this was quite the unexpected development. "But with her health…"

"That’s what I thought too! But sometimes, luck just finds you. She met someone kind, someone who doesn’t mind." Grandma Wu’s face was full of satisfaction. "My new son-in-law said he’s staying in the capital, so he’ll definitely visit me at the nursing home."

"That really is a stroke of luck!" The neighbor slapped her thigh in admiration, looking a little envious. "I was worried about you."

"Don’t be!" Grandma Wu’s voice was strong, her laughter even stronger. "I’ll be just fine!"

"You know, you’re the one person on this street I admire the most. If it were me, I don’t think I could be as strong as you." The neighbor’s voice carried genuine respect. "You’re really something else!"

Grandma Wu waved her hand dismissively.

She said nothing, just smiled.

The two parted ways at the street corner.

But the closer Grandma Wu got to her own house, the slower her steps became.

Yet the smile on her face only grew wider.

As if she were forcing it.

She pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate and called out cheerfully, "I got lucky at the market today! The green beans were fresh and cheap!"

No one responded from inside the house.

She peeked into the main room, and a shiver ran down her spine.

A terrible premonition gripped her heart.

Her legs felt weak, and she instinctively reached out to steady herself.

And that’s when she noticed—

The large stone table in the courtyard was gone.

Grandma Wu staggered for a moment.

But oddly enough, that was what snapped her back to her senses.

Ignoring the missing stone table, Grandma Wu dropped her grocery bags and rushed into the house.

"Mom?"

Just then, Teacher Tian stepped out.

Her complexion was radiant, her movements fluid, and her steps light—like she had never been sick at all.

Grandma Wu stared at her daughter in stunned silence, as if she no longer recognized her, or perhaps, didn’t dare to recognize her.

"Mom?"

"You…"

"Old Bai’s method worked," Teacher Tian said softly.

Grandma Wu looked at her daughter, standing before her, healthy.

The smile on her face gradually faded, her lips pressing into a thin line.

A choked sob slipped from her throat.

And then, it erupted into full-blown wailing.

It was as if years of suppressed emotions had finally exploded—a seemingly calm volcano, now roaring to life.

…

After crying herself hoarse, Grandma Wu, exhausted, had to be helped to bed.

Everyone left the room to let her rest, except for Teacher Tian, who stayed behind.

A long time passed before she finally emerged, eyes red from crying.

The moment she saw Zheng Fa, her knees buckled as if she were about to kneel.

"Hey!" Zheng Fa quickly caught her. "Teacher Tian?"

"What’s going on?"

"My mom… was secretly stockpiling sleeping pills."

"Stockpiling?" Old Bai’s face changed. "Where was she getting them?"

"Mine. When I was undergoing treatment, the pain kept me from sleeping… The doctor prescribed them, but I didn’t use them all."

"…"

No one spoke.

For a nearly ninety-year-old woman, hoarding sleeping pills… it was impossible not to understand what she had been thinking.

"Didn’t see that coming," Old Bai sighed.

Zheng Fa thought back to his previous visits.

Grandma Wu had shown no obvious signs of distress.

She had even been learning how to use a smartphone.

"Zheng Fa…" Teacher Tian looked at him, still shaken. She seemed at a loss for words, almost stammering, "I don’t even know how to thank you properly, I—"

Zheng Fa, feeling awkward, was about to brush it off when Old Bai interjected, "Thank him? From now on, you’re working for him!"

"Right…" Teacher Tian finally collected herself, frowning as she refocused. "Old Bai didn’t explain things clearly before. You need me to study how to integrate spiritual energy into agriculture, right?"

Now that she was back in her element, her voice steadied.

"Yes," Zheng Fa answered directly. "I don’t know much about agriculture, so I’ll need your expertise."

"Don’t say ‘need’—I’m in," Teacher Tian waved dismissively. "But this isn’t a one-person job."

"…"

Zheng Fa hesitated.

The nursing home’s atmosphere was still stable, but bringing in new people was a serious matter.

"I don’t mean hiring people—I mean money!" Teacher Tian rolled her eyes. "You guys think agricultural research is just farming? A few plots of land and some greenhouses?"

Zheng Fa and the others froze.

Because, honestly… yeah, that was what they had been thinking.

"Hold on, I’ll write up a simple list."

Teacher Tian turned and went inside.

A short while later, she returned with a sheet of paper.

"Take a look."

Zheng Fa scanned the list, which was packed with equipment names.

Some were standard lab tools—microscopes, centrifuges, balances, incubators.

Some he vaguely recognized—DNA extraction kits, PCR machines.

And others? Chromatography analyzers, mass spectrometers… He had no clue.

Each item had an estimated price next to it—most ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions.

"I never paid much attention to lab procurement before, so these are just estimates," Teacher Tian explained. "Modern agricultural research depends on laboratories. These days, we also use molecular markers, gene sequencing, and AI analysis systems."

"In other words, even if we ignore land costs, construction, and renovations, setting up a basic lab will cost at least a few million to ten million."

Off to the side, Old Bai muttered under his breath, "…Math is still the cheapest field. Ten thousand bucks worth of scratch paper lasts an entire department twenty years."

Zheng Fa finally understood—the era had changed!

Scientific research burns money.

And this was just the startup cost.

"Little Zheng," Old Bai sighed dramatically, "you see now… No matter what kind of woman, her talent will always be spending money."

"Wait, hold on," Old Bai suddenly turned, looking at Tang Lingwu. "But this one’s talent is making money!"

Tang Lingwu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the equipment list.

Her expression carried a subtle arrogance, as if she were looking down from above.

Her face said just two words—"That’s it?"

…

Martial Uncle Pang suddenly sought out Zheng Fa.

"A report from the market," he said. "Some Demonic Sect disciples were captured. They claim to know Junior Sister Zhang’s whereabouts."

"They came to the market?"

Zheng Fa was surprised.

Thunder Pool Market was a chaotic place, but for Demonic Sect disciples, it was still extremely dangerous.

"They were selling blood," Martial Uncle Pang’s expression was unreadable, somewhere between amused and baffled. "Apparently, they had been selling it multiple times. Some rogue cultivators got curious and decided to follow them—wanted to see where they were getting all this blood from."

"…And then they got caught?"

"Exactly. They had drawn so much blood that they were practically walking corpses. They were caught instantly."

Zheng Fa pressed his lips together, not sure what to say.

So they had been cutting out the middleman and selling directly?!

At that moment, Martial Uncle Pang sighed deeply.

"This damn Demonic Sect… Look at what they’ve reduced their disciples to."

…?

For the first time, Zheng Fa actually felt bad for the Demonic Sect.