Chapter 8

With a mix of both soft and hard tactics, Guan Yue had transformed the troublemaking street thug into an active member of the community working to maintain public order. The people of Medicine Street were full of praise, all saying that Cai Guofu had a good niece.

Neighbors sent over many dishes and bags of rice to show their gratitude. Aunt Caizi couldn’t refuse them, and soon the things were piled up in their yard, with even the messy yard tidied up by the neighbors.

Aunt Caizi thanked everyone one by one, but they waved her off, saying it was them who should be thanking Guan Yue.

Cai Guofu took Guan Yue to the backyard and poured her a glass of water. “You,” he said, “have the same temperament as your teacher. It’s only because you both are capable that you haven’t suffered more setbacks.”

Guan Yue asked, “So, you think letting others take advantage of you isn’t suffering?”

“Hmph, you don’t understand. A street punk like Lei Fuguai has no power behind him. If I wanted to deal with him, I have plenty of ways to do so, just a bit slower.”

Guan Yue responded with a meaningful “Oh.”

Cai Guofu’s face reddened with embarrassment. “Fine, you’ve solved the problem with Lei Fuguai, which was a big headache for me. I’ll give you a gift in return.”

“What kind of gift?”

Cai Guofu called out to the outside, “Old lady, bring me those two boxes of needles.”

“Alright.”

Aunt Cai brought in two wooden boxes, covered with a thin layer of dust, which she wiped off.

“I haven’t used them in years. I wonder if they’ve rusted.”

Cai Guofu protested loudly, “How could they rust? They’re not made of iron.”

Aunt Caizi dropped the wooden boxes onto the table with a thud. “Hmph, no matter what they’re made of, you won’t be able to use them.”

Cai Guofu winced, “My treasures… be careful!”

Aunt Caizi smiled at Guan Yue. “Don’t leave tonight. Stay with us for the night.”

Guan Yue shook her head. “I need to go back.”

She was fine with associating with them, but she still didn’t like staying at other people’s homes.

Aunt Caizi, knowing her temperament well, didn’t press the matter. “I’ll cook. We’ll eat early, and then you can leave after dinner.”

“Thank you, Aunt Caizi.”

Cai Guofu handed the two wooden boxes to Guan Yue. “Take them, they’re for you.”

“What is this?” Guan Yue opened the wooden boxes and found a set of silver needles in one, and a set of gold needles in the other.

Guan Yue looked at Cai Guofu, wondering why he was giving her these. Both sets were clearly old, passed down from previous generations.

Cai Guofu felt a twinge of regret, but his family had no use for these items, and they would be wasted otherwise.

“They were collected decades ago. At first, I thought such valuable things should be kept for future generations, but your big brother and a few cousins don’t have the talent, so they’re yours now.”

Cai Guofu grinned. “Your teacher asked me for them several times, but I never agreed. You’re his only disciple, and now they’re in your hands, fulfilling his wish.”

Guan Yue took out one needle and held it up to the sunlight. The sharpness of the tip showed that, despite being decades old, it had not deteriorated.

Cai Guofu said seriously, “I saw how you massaged me earlier, and how you dealt with Lei Fuguai. You already understand acupoints well. Don’t waste your talent. Study hard. Once you’ve mastered it, come back and give me a few needles. Oh, my leg… it aches terribly when the weather changes, like being bitten by ants.”

Guan Yue carefully put the needles away. “Thank you, Uncle Cai. I’ll study them carefully when I get back.”

Cai Guofu nodded. “That’s the way. Don’t be polite with me.”

He continued, “Your teacher has left, and who knows when he’ll return. You’re a girl living up on the mountain, and it’s not ideal. Have you thought about coming to live in the county? With your background in traditional medicine, and as an herbalist, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a temporary job at the medicine company.”

“I still prefer the mountains.”

“Why are you so stubborn? You’re a young woman, and you’ll need to get married and have children someday. What good man can you meet up there in the mountains?”

Guan Yue smiled but didn’t respond.

She didn’t know why she had come here, nor did she know what the future held. She hadn’t thought about the future at all. She only wanted to fulfill the promise she made to her mother and live well.

She had never considered truly fitting into this place. All she wanted was to live well. With her abilities, it wouldn’t matter where she was. Compared to the crowded county, she naturally preferred the mountains and forests.

After dinner at the Cai family’s home, Guan Yue left. It was still early, so she bought some things and took the last bus back to the town, then rushed back to Qingxi Village that same night.

However, instead of entering the mountain from Qingxi Village, Guan Yue took the path outside the valley. She leapt through the air, weaving through the forest like a returning bird.

The tall trees, having been bathed in sunlight all day, swayed their branches and leaves in the cool evening breeze, as though they had absorbed all the sunlight.

When Guan Yue landed in her yard, Gou Sheng’er ran over, whining and nudging her legs.

Guan Yue noticed that there was still unfinished food in Gou Sheng’er’s bowl, and the pot in the kitchen still had steamed buns in it. There were also pickled vegetables and multigrain porridge on the stove, the sour and crispy pickles giving off an inviting aroma.

After having a late-night snack, Guan Yue picked up Gou Sheng’er and headed deeper into the mountain.

First, she checked on the pigs, which had grown a lot, then went to a secluded valley she often visited to take a bath.

The cool spring water washed over her body, and Guan Yue leaned back comfortably against a large stone, her thoughts wandering.

With her special abilities, the troubles and disputes of this world couldn’t harm her in the slightest. If this place wasn’t suitable for living, she could always move deeper into the mountains. It was a pity, though. If she moved deeper into the mountains, she would no longer have great chefs like Gu Sui and Li Tao to cook for her.

To continue enjoying good food, she decided to stay here for now.

The next morning, Gu Sui went up the mountain and, not seeing Guan Yue, waited until he had finished cooking before she appeared.

As the tantalizing aroma of the food filled the air, Guan Yue became even more certain that living here was more comfortable.

“What’s for breakfast today?”

“Sour and spicy noodles.”

Gu Sui placed the small bowl of noodles, garnished with chopped scallions, in front of Guan Yue. She eagerly slurped a mouthful.

“Ah, it’s so hot, but it’s so good.”

Gu Sui watched her cheeks puffing up as she ate. “Eat slowly.”

Gu Sui, being from the north, was skilled at making noodles. However, with Li Tao’s appearance, he felt a sense of competition. In order to win over Guan Yue’s heart, the little foodie, he had started learning how to make various Sichuan snacks from the people of Qingxi Village.

Times were tough, and being able to fill her stomach was already a good thing. On her days off, Gu Sui would often listen to the others gathering together, bragging about dishes, discussing what ingredients were needed, and how to make things taste delicious. While others simply said these things to amuse themselves or to tempt others with their cravings—since none of them could actually afford to eat those dishes—Gu Sui was different. He would listen carefully, memorizing everything, and even try to make the dishes himself. The recipe for the sour and spicy noodles was something he had heard someone mention a couple of days ago, and today, he tried making them for the first time. They turned out quite well.

Eating good food made Guan Yue feel relaxed and content, and life couldn’t have been better.

After breakfast, Gu Sui took out a notebook and asked Guan Yue for some knowledge about Chinese herbs. Guan Yue then remembered the silver and gold needles she had.

She hadn’t taken a close look at them yesterday, but today, she noticed that inside the compartment of the silver needle box, there was a yellowed chart of acupoints.

Gu Sui leaned over to take a look. “This human figure is quite realistic.”

He had studied Western medicine, so he was very familiar with the structure of the human body.

Guan Yue studied the silver needle’s tip for a while, confirming that she had memorized the acupoints. Her hands itched to try using the needles.

Gu Sui noticed her staring at him and raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to do?”

“Is there anywhere that hurts? I could give you a needle.”

“Go ahead, but start with something simple. Don’t stab me in a deadly spot right away.”

“You’re not scared?”

Gu Sui shook his head. “As a medical student, how could I have never been pricked by someone?”

When he was studying, they used to practice by needling each other.

Gu Sui happened to have a bit of a cold and was feeling stuffy in his nose, so he decided to give it a try.

Guan Yue remembered the acupoints, and as soon as she was ready, she moved in to needle him. Gu Sui instinctively leaned his head back, and Guan Yue missed her target. If she hadn’t reacted quickly enough and braced her arm against the back of the chair, she would have almost fallen into Gu Sui’s lap.

“Aren’t you supposed to not be scared? Why are you dodging?”

“At least disinfect it first!”

“Oh, I need to disinfect.” Guan Yue realized she had forgotten.

After disinfecting, Guan Yue’s gaze fell on Gu Sui’s face, then on his ears. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Gu Sui patiently sat there, letting her take her time to study.

Once she was ready, Guan Yue touched his face to confirm the position. She remembered to disinfect his face before inserting the needle.

When she was fully focused, as the silver needle pierced his skin, she felt as if she could use her abilities to control the needle’s stimulation of the acupoint. She wasn’t sure, so she tried again.

She asked Gu Sui, “Did you feel anything?”

Gu Sui nodded. “I’m not sure if it’s just in my head, but it felt a bit different where you just needled.”

Guan Yue replied excitedly, “I felt something different too.”

Gu Sui had never done acupuncture before, so he didn’t know whether this kind of response was normal.

After a while, needles were placed on both his face and ears. Gu Sui felt his blocked nose seemed to have cleared a little.

When some time passed, Guan Yue removed the needles and asked how he was feeling.

Gu Sui sniffed and said, “I feel pretty good.”

Guan Yue took his pulse. “I don’t know if it worked, but take a cold medicine pill later, and let’s see how you feel this afternoon.”

Gu Sui nodded, willing to be her little guinea pig.

Guan Yue then said, “You’re the only one I can practice on.”

Gu Sui immediately understood her meaning. “I’ll go tell Li Tao to come up.”

Guan Yue nodded in satisfaction. “Tell her my technique is really good.”

Only having needled Gu Sui a few times, how did Guan Yue come to the conclusion that her skills were good?

In the afternoon, before Gu Sui went down the mountain, he felt that his nose was much better. He wasn’t sure if it was the medicine or if it was due to Guan Yue’s acupuncture skills.

Before he left, Guan Yue reminded him to make sure to tell Li Tao to come up tomorrow.

“Got it. You should focus on practicing your acupuncture skills,” he said with a smile.

But with no one else around, she couldn’t possibly practice by needling trees, could she?

Guan Yue’s gaze shifted to Gou Sheng’er. “Come here, little one. Let me try needling you.”

Gou Sheng’er barked and wagged his little tail, preparing to run.

“Where are you running off to? Come back here.”

Xiao Hei moved, its fine tendrils suddenly sprouting, growing like noodles, longer and longer, binding Gou Sheng’er tightly and dragging him back to Guan Yue.

Guan Yue smiled and petted Gou Sheng’er’s little ears. “Good boy, let me take a look.”

Gou Sheng’er tucked his neck in, his face showing clear reluctance. His neck had a ring of chubby folds, but he couldn’t escape Guan Yue’s grip and was soon being rubbed and squeezed.

“You little thing, why would I needle you? Look at how scared you are.”

Guan Yue just wanted to needle someone!

Li Tao both feared and admired Guan Yue. When Guan Yue asked her to go, she ignored whatever Gu Sui had said and eagerly promised with a slap to her chest.

“I’ll go up tomorrow morning!”

“You don’t even ask…”

Li Tao interrupted him. “No need to ask. My family is poor and has nothing for her to gain. The worst that can happen is I’ll have to do some work.”

At that moment, Zhang Cuihua called Li Tao for dinner. Li Tao turned to Gu Sui and said, “I’m heading out. I’ll go up the mountain early tomorrow.”

When Gu Sui returned to the Educated Youth point, Wang Lu greeted him enthusiastically, inviting him to dinner. Gu Sui politely declined, saying, “I’ve already eaten.”

Liu Kai, sitting with his legs crossed, remarked, “Good thing you ate already. If not, I wouldn’t have cooked for you. You’d be hungry, and we wouldn’t have enough to share.”

“Liu Kai!” Wang Lu scolded.

Liu Kai grumbled, turned around, and walked away.

Wang Lu apologized to Gu Sui. “Don’t mind him. Liu Kai might have been exhausted from working today, so he’s a bit short-tempered.”

Lin Haiyin chimed in, “He’s not just tired from working. He manages to find time to sneak off and do bad things.”

Gu Sui, who had spent the entire day in the mountains, was clueless about what had been going on. “What bad things has he done?”

Lin Haiyin grinned, clearly enjoying the moment. “Guess!”

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