After my father-in-law's mouth started twisting to one side, my mother-in-law came back with a whole sack of venomous snakes and scorpions.

According to her, it was some kind of folk remedy. Soak the creatures in alcohol, let him sit in it, then give him acupuncture. In three days, he’d be as good as new.

When she explained it, the whole family froze. Some looked stunned, others outright terrified.

I was the only one who clapped my hands like I approved.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great remedy. You can tell it works just by hearing it. We should listen to Lucy. This way, we can treat Edward and save money. Isn't that perfect?"

My mother-in-law shot me a disdainful look and let out a cold snort.

"Look at you, finally behaving. Aren't you usually the one who loves to argue with me?"

I just smiled and said nothing.

In my previous life, the moment I saw my father-in-law's crooked mouth and unfocused eyes, I knew it wasn't simple facial paralysis. It was a stroke.

However, my mother-in-law refused to believe me. She even accused me of wishing him dead.

I tried to rush him to the hospital, but he shoved me hard. I tumbled down the stairs.

Even as I lay there, bones broken and bleeding, they refused to take me to the hospital. They said I was faking it.

That was how I died at their hands.

Now that I've been given a second chance, I looked at my father-in-law with a bright smile.

"Edward, this is just facial paralysis. Use Lucy's remedy, and you'll be fine in a couple of days."

When my mother-in-law, Lucy Miller, came back, she was panting as she dragged a sack filled with venomous snakes and scorpions.

She looked proud as she addressed everyone.

"Give it a couple of days, and the old man will be just fine. I found a special remedy for crooked mouth and eyes. I begged the man for a long time before he agreed to sell it to me. It's a family secret, not something he shares lightly."

"What kind of remedy?" Charlotte Smith, my aunt-in-law, asked curiously. "What's in there? Why is it moving?"

Lucy explained that the sack was filled with venomous snakes and scorpions. They'd be soaked in a herbal alcohol mixture, and then my father-in-law, Edward Smith, would sit in it for three days. With acupuncture on top of that, he would supposedly make a full recovery.

Everyone looked uneasy except my brother-in-law and his wife, Kenneth Smith and Susan Taylor.

Charlotte hesitated. "Shouldn't we go to the hospital?"

"Hospital? What for?" Lucy shot her a sharp look, clearly annoyed.

Kenneth jumped in with a grin. "Aunt Charlotte, the remedies my mom finds always work. Remember how Susan couldn't have a son before? Mom found her a remedy which she drank for two years, and then she had a baby boy.

"And back in February, when my brother got sick, it was Mom's remedy again. He used it for less than half a month and got better. No more spasms. It worked great, and it didn't cost much either."

The more Kenneth talked, the prouder Lucy looked, her chin lifting higher and higher.

I sneered inwardly. Of course it "worked." Susan had four daughters before she finally had a son on the fifth try.

Meanwhile, my husband Dylan Smith had suddenly developed full-body spasms, which could have been treated at the hospital. But after Lucy used her remedy, the spasms did stop.

He just ended up completely paralyzed, barely holding on to his life.

Charlotte nodded, uncertain. She wasn't really part of the immediate family here, so she didn't feel it was her place to say more.

As she was about to leave, she turned to look at me.

"Emily, you went to college. Do you really think this will work?"

For a moment, it felt like I'd gone back to my previous life.

Back then, Charlotte had asked me the same question. I had firmly refused to go along with it and tried to call 911 for my father-in-law, but they snatched my phone and smashed it.

Charlotte tried to help me convince them, but Lucy cursed her out until her eyes turned bloodshot. In the end, Charlotte had no choice but to leave.

I insisted on taking Edward to the hospital. But he shoved me hard, and I fell down the stairs.

I died from that fall.

I came back to myself and tugged my sleeve down, then clapped lightly like I approved.

"It's fine, Charlotte. Lucy's remedies always work."

Charlotte froze when she saw the scars on my arm. In the end, she just sighed and turned to leave.

Lucy looked surprised by my reaction, and then she mockingly said, "Well, look at you, finally behaving. Aren't you the one who always loves to argue with me?"

"Lucy, you run this family. Of course its your call. We all depend on you and Edward to get by."

I didn't bother with her after that. I walked straight over to Edward and checked his condition again.

His face was drooping, one arm hung weakly at his side, and his speech was slurred.

It was a stroke. No doubt about it.

I smiled at him.

"Edward, you’re fine. Just listen to Lucy and use her remedy. You'll be fine in no time."

Edward looked at me and mumbled something. I couldn't make it out, but it sounded like he was cursing at me.

The herbal bath was ready soon enough. Lucy dumped the entire sack of snakes and scorpions into the tub.

Maybe the alcohol was too strong, because the creatures immediately started scrambling out. Snakes and scorpions crawled all over the floor, filling the room.

Susan screamed in panic.

"What are you scared of?" Lucy snapped.

Holding a wooden stick, she pushed each escaping creature back into the tub one by one. "These are medicinal ingredients. The more poisonous they are, the better the effect!"

Then, she turned to Edward. "Hurry up. Take off your clothes and get in!"

Edward's mouth was still twisted, and his words slurred. "A-are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it will. I paid three thousand for this remedy!" she shot back, glaring at him. "Hurry up. Soak for three days, fifteen hours a day. I guarantee you'll be fine."

Kenneth chimed in from the side, "Dad, when has Mom ever been wrong? Remember when I had a fever of 104? Mom burned mugwort and smoked my feet, and the next day my fever was gone."

I stood in the corner, watching coldly, saying nothing.

Using a folk remedy for a fever might not be a big deal, but this was a stroke. Without proper treatment, even the aftereffects would be the least of their problems.

The whole family depended on Edward's pension. If something happened to him, they wouldn't even have time to cry.

"Edward, just give it a try. Lucy's just trying to help you. She went all over the place looking for a cure for you," I said gently.

He hesitated and glanced at me. In the end, he took off his clothes and carefully lowered himself into the tub.

"Ah!"

The moment he sat down, he cried out. "It... it hurts..."

Several snakes wrapped around his legs, and scorpions crawled onto his arms.

"Just bear with it. That means the medicine is working!" Lucy pressed down on his shoulders and coaxed him patiently. "Don't move. I'll start the acupuncture now."

She pulled out a bundle of long silver needles from her clothes. The tips were rusted, and who knew if they'd ever been sterilized. She didn't hesitate and started sticking them into his head.

"Lucy, do you even know how to do acupuncture?" Susan asked timidly.

Lucy shot her an impatient glare. "Why wouldn't I? I've watched old doctors do acupuncture plenty of times. Didn't I treat your leg pain last time?"

Susan awkwardly stepped back and went quiet.

A few years ago, she had leg pain. My mother-in-law had done the same thing then, grabbing silver needles and just stabbing them into her leg until she said the pain was gone.

But after that day, she started to walk with a limp.

Lucy insisted it was because Susan had been born with a disability.

Now, Lucy looked completely confident as she jabbed several needles into Edward's head.

He winced in pain. His mouth was still crooked, making his face look even worse.

I sneered inwardly. A stroke patient should never be moved around like this, especially not during an acute episode. But here he was, sitting in alcohol, being bitten by venomous creatures, and getting random acupuncture on top of it. Even if he didn't die, he'd be left in terrible shape.

But I said nothing. I just quietly stepped aside and took a few photos of them.

"Emily, why are you taking pictures?" Kenneth asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"For memories," I said.

I gave Lucy a thumbs-up. "When Edward gets better, he can look at these photos and see how good you were to him. Doing everything yourself like this, you really are the model of a head of the family."

Kenneth frowned, but didn't say anything else.

After the first day of soaking, Edward was already pale and trembling all over.

On the other hand, Lucy looked pleased.

"See? It's working! He's detoxing!"

Edward started vomiting nonstop that night, and his speech became even more slurred.

Lucy was certain it was a detox reaction. She told him to drink more water so he could "flush out the toxins."

By the next morning, the whole house was filled with a strange, foul smell.

Edward was stripped down to just his underwear, and Kenneth and Lucy held him up as they tried to lower him back into the tub.

His crooked mouth dripped with saliva as he let out muffled, unclear groans. His weak arm pushed at Lucy, like he was trying to get away.

"What are you afraid of? Just get in! Once the medicine kicks in, you'll be fine!" she snapped, shoving his back.

He fell into the tub with a loud splash, and the herbal alcohol mixture splattered everywhere.

The snakes and scorpions had been soaking for a full day. They were even more agitated now, attacking him nonstop.

He struggled, trying to climb out.

"Hang in there! Today is the most important day!" Lucy said.

She and Kenneth pressed him down together so he couldn't move.

I stood there watching him struggle in pain. I thought back to how viciously he had shoved me down the stairs in my last life and felt nothing.

After Dylan became paralyzed, Edward turned his attention to me.

He would even walk into the bathroom while I was showering to use the toilet. When I told Lucy, she accused me of making it up and trying to seduce him. She beat me with a stick until my body was covered in wounds.

And even while confined to the bed, Dylan would curse me out as well.

I felt sorry for myself. In my last life, I had been so stupid. I tried to save a man who ended up killing me.

This time, that wouldn't happen again.

That afternoon, Charlotte came over with some fruit. As soon as she walked in, she was hit by a strong smell of alcohol mixed with something foul. Then she saw Edward sitting in the bath, his face turning bluish, and she was shocked.

"Edward, what happened to you? Why do you look so bad?"

"He's detoxing," Lucy said proudly. "One more day of soaking and acupuncture tomorrow, and he'll be completely fine."

Charlotte walked closer to the tub and looked at him carefully.

"Edward, how do you feel?"

Edward forced his eyes open. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. The right side of his body wouldn't move at all.

"This isn't right!" Charlotte grew anxious. "This doesn't look like facial paralysis. It looks like a stroke. He needs to go to the hospital right now."

"Nonsense!" Lucy shoved her aside. "What do you know? This is a family remedy passed down for generations. After yesterday's soak, his face already looks better."

I chimed in from the side. "Yeah, Charlotte. Lucy knows what she's doing. She's treated everyone in this family before. Just trust her. Besides, Edward's a lucky man. He'll be fine."

Charlotte looked at me in disbelief.

"Emily, how can you believe this too? You went to college. This could kill him."

"Kill him?" Lucy snapped before I could answer, glaring at Charlotte.

"I think you're the one trying to kill Edward. You don't want him to get better, so you keep coming here to stir trouble."

Charlotte couldn't believe what she was hearing, and tears filled her eyes.

"He's my brother!"

Lucy sneered. "So what? I know your whole family is eyeing his pension. I'm telling you, his money is mine. You won't get a single cent. You can drop that idea right now."

Charlotte looked at her, speechless. After a long pause, she left with red-rimmed eyes.

Kenneth walked over, rubbing his hands together.

"Mom, how much money is in Dad's account now?"

Lucy lifted her chin, looking pleased.

"At least 40,000 dollars."