Chapter 27.1

Li Dingbang greeted Guan Yue with a warm smile, his demeanor particularly amiable. “Ah, Guan Yue,” he said kindly, “about your request to bring in electricity, the electricians are working overtime. At the latest, the wiring should be installed by the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” Guan Yue replied.

“And regarding the grinder you asked for, we’re in touch with the machinery factory to ensure you get the best one. As for the medicinal herbs, we’ve already coordinated with the medicinal supply company in Qing County. They’ll be delivered early tomorrow morning.”

After covering these updates, Li Dingbang shifted the topic to Gu Ci, mentioning how Guan Yue had helped improve Gu Ci’s health. Now, his constitution was so robust that other disabled veterans were quite envious.

Guan Yue glanced at Li Dingbang. What kind of scheme was he brewing now?

Li Dingbang sighed for a long while, testing Guan Yue’s patience. Just as she was about to lose interest, he finally revealed his idea: “We’re planning to build a sanatorium in Qingxi Village for the disabled veterans to live in. At the same time, we’d like to specially appoint you as a consultant to help treat their illnesses. What do you think?”

Fearing a rejection, Li Dingbang quickly added, “Don’t worry, you’ll be given the best conditions. We won’t rely entirely on you; there’ll certainly be other doctors to assist.”

Guan Yue, unwilling, brushed it off directly. “Let’s talk about it later.”

Li Dingbang felt a chill run down his spine. What did “later” even mean?

He probed further, “Is there nothing you want? Fame? Fortune? Immortality in the annals of history?”

Guan Yue shook her head. These external things meant nothing to her.

Li Dingbang glanced at Gu Sui. “You don’t care for fame or fortune. What about people? Don’t you care about Gu Sui? If you agree to join the sanatorium, we’ll make your partner, Gu Sui, the director. Think about it—Gu Sui was once a surgeon. Are you really content watching him drift aimlessly like this?”

Guan Yue turned to look at Gu Sui. He chuckled softly, saying, “Minister Li, don’t try to threaten Guan Yue with me. I don’t agree.”

Li Dingbang, however, wasn’t someone who would back down so easily, not after securing his role as the Logistics Minister. “The sanatorium will be built in Qingxi Village. This way, you won’t have to travel back and forth between Qingsong Brigade and Qingxi Village every day. Wouldn’t you two have more time together? Isn’t that appealing?”

Guan Yue and Gu Sui exchanged a glance. It did seem like a tempting idea.

Sensing an opportunity, Li Dingbang pressed on. “Gu Sui, you’re a doctor yourself. You should know better than anyone that without treating patients and consistently refreshing your skills, progress will stagnate. Both Deng Weimin and Deng Weijia have said that Guan Yue has the potential to become a leading figure in traditional Chinese medicine. Are you both willing to let that talent go to waste?”

Li Dingbang, it must be said, was highly persuasive.

Guan Yue found herself a little swayed. Becoming a renowned doctor wasn’t important to her, but what mattered was that Gu Sui wouldn’t have to endure the daily commute between Qingsong Brigade and the cabin, allowing them more time together.

Gu Sui smiled faintly. “Minister Li, you must be tired. Let’s discuss this another time. I’ll pour you a glass of water.”

Li Dingbang snapped, “You brat, I’m not tired! I just want to know right now whether Guan Yue agrees to join the sanatorium!” 

However, the conversation that Li Dingbang forcibly initiated was abruptly ended by Gu Sui’s firm intervention. 

Understanding the situation, Li Dingbang decided to leave, sensing that the couple needed to discuss the matter privately. He tactfully excused himself. 

Gu Sui didn’t want Guan Yue to be pressured into doing something against her will. But to his surprise, Guan Yue didn’t seem to mind and appeared open to the idea. 

Guan Yue spoke nonchalantly, “Ever since I started interacting with them, I had a feeling this day might come.” 

“Don’t you feel forced or used?” Gu Sui asked with concern. 

Guan Yue chuckled. “You worry about me too much. As long as we’re part of society, unless we completely isolate ourselves, being used and using others is inevitable.” 

Then she teased him, “At the start, weren’t you the one trying to coax me down the mountain? Encouraging me to interact with people? Now that I’m willing, why are you against it?” 

Gu Sui’s heart ached for her. “I’ve thought it through. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to interact with others; you have me now. If there’s something you don’t want to do, I can handle it for you. The reason I don’t agree now is that I don’t want you to compromise for any other reason.” 

Especially if her compromise was because of him—that was something he couldn’t accept. 

“I don’t feel forced,” Guan Yue reassured him. “As long as it doesn’t cross my boundaries, doing these things is easy for me.” 

“What are your boundaries?” he asked. 

Her eyes curved into a smile. “I don’t want anyone disturbing my life.” 

Realizing her intent, Gu Sui asked, “You want Daqing Mountain?” 

Guan Yue blinked innocently. “Is that possible?” 

“It might be difficult,” he admitted. 

The mountain and land were state-owned and couldn’t be privately owned, but perhaps there were alternative solutions, such as leasing. 

Guan Yue proposed with a sly smile, “Then I’ll tell them that I agree to be their consultant doctor, but my salary will be Daqing Mountain. As long as I remain their consultant, they’ll lease the mountain to me. This way, even if they live at the foot of the mountain, they won’t come up and disturb us.” 

Daqing Mountain was dangerous for ordinary villagers, but for those seasoned veterans used to jungle life, navigating it would be a breeze. 

In the depths of the mountain was her treehouse, and perhaps more unusual creations would appear in the future. None of these could be discovered by outsiders. 

Moreover, building a sanatorium in Qingxi Village had an additional benefit. The valley entrance would likely have guards stationed, which meant villagers from surrounding brigades wouldn’t wander in. To Guan Yue, it was akin to having someone guard her front door. 

She calculated the advantages of having the sanatorium at the mountain’s base and found the arrangement increasingly worthwhile. 

Guan Yue asked softly, “What do you think?” 

Gu Sui, holding her hand and toying with it affectionately, immediately abandoned his previous insistence. “As long as you’ve thought it through and you like it, then agree. I have no objections.” 

“Alright, then let’s tell Li Dingbang. If he agrees to my terms, let them build the sanatorium,” Guan Yue replied decisively. 

She added, “They’ll have to bring in a lot of bricks, cement, and other construction materials to build the sanatorium, right?” 

“Hm?” Gu Sui raised an eyebrow. 

“I want to build a house on the slope next to my treehouse,” she explained. 

“You’ll let them handle the construction?” 

“No, they don’t need to build it. Just give me the materials, and I’ll do it myself.” 

She wanted to recreate her family home—the one she remembered, where she had lived with her parents. 

Guan Yue smiled at Gu Sui. Since being with him, she had found more courage, even daring to confront the scars in her heart. 

As long as one is willing to face their wounds, healing becomes possible. 

After Guan Yue made her decision, Li Dingbang was overjoyed. He was eager to start construction immediately and move the injured veterans in as soon as possible. 

However, Gu Sui reminded him, “You still haven’t finalized the matter of Daqing Mountain’s ownership. This isn’t something you can settle with a few words. Guan Yue needs to see valid, official documents.” 

Li Dingbang hesitated. “Your request is a bit tricky. Daqing Mountain is vast, and it’s beyond our jurisdiction. I’ll have to submit a report and wait for approval from higher authorities.” 

“We understand this isn’t easy,” Gu Sui reassured him. “We’re not asking for a total ban on others entering Daqing Mountain. We’re just requesting that people from our commune refrain from going up the mountain.” 

Daqing Mountain was enormous. Even if outsiders ventured into the area, they wouldn’t likely stumble upon Guan Yue’s secluded treehouse. 

Li Dingbang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “If that’s all you’re asking, then this becomes much easier! Don’t worry, I’ll get it done. If I can’t, then we won’t build the sanatorium.” 

Leaving his assistant, Xiao Ma, behind to coordinate the electricians’ work, Li Dingbang set out to resolve the Daqing Mountain issue. 

Finally, the electrical wiring reached the cabin, and the interior lit up with electric lights. 

After several days of hard work, the job was completed. 

Guan Yue smiled warmly and said to the workers, “Thank you for your hard work. Take a few days to rest. In a few days, when construction begins on the sanatorium at the foot of the mountain, I’m sure we’ll need your help again.” 

“It’s no trouble at all. Just part of the job,” they replied cheerfully. 

As they left, Guan Yue thought to herself that if the sanatorium at the foot of the mountain got electricity, then her villa up the mountain should be connected as well. 

Of course, even without the grid, she could use solar power. Her jade pendant’s spatial storage held several solar power systems. 

Watching the electricians leave, Guan Yue noticed that the cabin felt small. Once the grinder was brought in, there likely wouldn’t be enough space inside. 

Gu Sui asked, “Building another cabin?” 

“That works too,” Guan Yue replied. 

After lunch, Guan Yue took a nap. Upon waking up, she cleared a patch of land to the left of her current treehouse and began constructing a new cabin right on the spot. 

When Gu Sui came up the mountain in the evening and saw the brand-new wooden cabin, he was stunned. “You’re really something else! Li Dingbang will probably come by in the next couple of days. What do you think he’ll say if he sees this cabin? You’re too fast!” 

Guan Yue stomped her foot in realization. “Oh no, I forgot about that!” 

With a sigh, Gu Sui reassured her, “It’s fine. Li Dingbang is busy dealing with the Daqing Mountain situation and probably won’t come up anytime soon. Even if he does, don’t let him come up the mountain. If he has anything to discuss, do it down there.” 

Frustrated, he ruffled her hair until it looked like a bird’s nest. “Can you be a little more careful next time?” 

Guan Yue pouted and whined, “Alright, I promise I won’t do it again.” 

Gu Sui gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Yeah, right. You always say that.” 

She clung to him, playfully rubbing her head against him, making her already messy hair even more disheveled. 

Unable to resist, Gu Sui laughed, patting her fluffy head. “Stop it, and don’t pull stunts like this again.” 

“I promise,” she said earnestly. 

Preventing others from accessing Daqing Mountain wasn’t an easy task. The mountain belonged to the state, and villagers often went there to gather firewood or medicinal herbs. 

However, it wasn’t entirely impossible. Daqing Mountain was known for its abundance of snakes, insects, rodents, and wolves, deterring most people from venturing too far into the wilderness.