Chapter 26

July, 1953.

After three years of war and eventual victory, many field hospitals were converted into permanent medical institutions.

Because of her exceptional medical skills and repeated military merit, Director Yu Qiong was ultimately transferred to the General Hospital of the SY Military Region as Deputy Director.

Now separated by more than four hundred kilometers, Xu Wanchun could no longer do what she had done three years ago—whenever there was a major surgery, she’d simply ask Brother Jiang for a ride.

In other words, they hadn’t seen each other since, and had only kept in touch through letters.

Xu Wanchun was well aware that the woman had taken great pains to teach her largely because she had willingly offered up the suturing technique.

But undeniably, thanks to Grandma Yu, Xu Wanchun had gained a much deeper understanding of current Western medical techniques and standards.

As someone who had benefited from this, there was no good reason for her to decline the invitation to meet again after three years—no matter how she looked at it.

Even if the “major surgery” mentioned was something she had likely performed many times before in the modern era alongside her professors and department heads.

“Me? Go with you to the city hospital to observe surgery?” Cao Xiu was in the middle of grinding oyster shells into powder with a mortar and pestle when her little disciple blurted out the random request, leaving her dumbfounded.

Xu Wanchun hung up her heavy coat, hat, and gloves before pulling the telegram from her pocket and handing it to her master. “Grandma Yu invited me. If you’re free, we could go together?”

Cao Xiu opened the envelope. It was just a single line—he read it in seconds. “Director Yu’s calling for you. Why would I tag along?”

Xu Wanchun rolled up her sleeves, took over her master’s work, and began grinding the pestle while answering casually, “Mainly because my mom and Mistress Su—those two haven’t gone out in ages. This is the perfect excuse…”

The little girl was cunning as ever. Cao Xiu smoothed out his sleeves with a snort and lightly scolded her with a smile, “Cut the nonsense. Speak the truth.”

Fine. Xu Wanchun hadn’t planned to hide it for long anyway. She was just going to trick them into the city and explain afterward. So she cleared her throat. “It’s actually because of Grandmaster’s advice.”

That opening made Cao Xiu visibly serious, which was exactly what she expected. She continued, “I’m just worried about how things might turn out for traditional medicine. If it really becomes difficult later, it’s better to prepare early. You could start learning some Western medicine basics, maybe even get a doctor’s license.”

Cao Xiu had dedicated his whole life to studying traditional Chinese medicine. Even in his forties, he never stopped learning.

But that didn’t mean he was stubborn. If he were truly hard-headed, he wouldn’t have allowed his disciple to learn Western medicine at all.

So, after hearing Peach Blossom’s suggestion, though he felt a bit melancholic, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he asked, “Doctor’s license?”

“Right. I heard that in the future, practicing medicine will require a license. Something like an exam plus credential review and a political screening. You have to pass all of them to get the certificate. For us… we could treat it as a bit of extra insurance,” Xu Wanchun explained. Having studied medicine herself in her past life, she was pretty clear on this part of history.

Honestly, if it weren’t for her Grandmaster’s high rank and visibility, her master would’ve been fine staying in a small mountain village—no one would have cared.

But you never know what might happen, and Xu Wanchun couldn’t afford to bet on the worst-case scenario.

Cao Xiu was silent for a long while. He didn’t give an answer right away but simply raised his hand. “Go home for now. I need to think about it.”

Seeing him like this made Xu Wanchun’s nose sting with emotion. She wanted to say something comforting, but after opening and closing her mouth several times, she couldn’t get any words out.

In the end, she forced a smile and let go of the pestle. “Then… I’ll head back now.”

“Mm.”

—

It was snowing.

She had just stepped out of her master’s house when a snowflake landed on her face and gave her a sharp jolt of cold.

She looked up. What had been a clear sky just moments ago was now thick with clouds, like layers of heavy cotton blankets hanging overhead—an omen of the great snowfall to come.

Xu Wanchun took a deep breath. The cold air stabbed into her lungs, but she exhaled hard, brushing it aside, and then started walking home.

She hadn’t gone far when she ran into her adoptive mother, who looked to be in quite a hurry.

“You’re back? Perfect,” said Xu Hehua. “Go move my things into your room. I’m going to pick up your grandparents.”

Xu Wanchun blinked. “Right now? Why so urgent?”

Xu Hehua explained while hurrying along, “It’s snowing, and it looks like it’ll last for days. If the snow piles up, the roads will be too hard to travel…”

“How long do you think it’ll snow?”

“Hard to say. But it looks like it’ll be a while. Anyway, I’m off. Don’t forget to help your grandparents make their beds.”

“Got it.”

If the grandparents were coming to stay for a few days, they’d definitely need something good to eat.

After quickly finishing the tasks her mother gave her, Xu Wanchun didn’t stop to rest. She turned and headed straight to the courtyard.

From the snow-packed natural freezer she had built, she dug out nearly a kilogram of mutton.

This was something her adoptive mother had pulled strings to get.

Nothing beats lamb soup for nourishment in this freezing weather.

So when her second and third uncles arrived, braving the snow and pulling their grandparents on a sled, the pot of mutton was already bubbling with mouthwatering aroma.

The stove had been fed with sturdy firewood and burned steadily without needing much attention.

By the time the elders were warming themselves in the main hall, Xu Wanchun had already prepared some sweetened water for them.

Her second and third uncles were honest, simple farm folk. Seeing that their niece had prepared such a precious treat for them, they rubbed their hands together, looking embarrassed.

Xu Hehua laughed and scolded, “What are you standing there all dumb for? It’s going cold—drink it quick!”

The snow was thick, and the roads were hard.

The two uncles gulped down the sweet water and quickly hurried off with the now-empty sled.

Once she was sure both her sons had left, Grandma Xu Wang, who had also finished her sweet water, gleefully pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.

Under the curious eyes of Xu Hehua and Xu Wanchun, the old woman slowly unwrapped layer after layer of cloth.

“Peach Blossom, look what I brought you! I hid it just for you.”

Xu Wanchun leaned in—and saw a piece of malt sugar, three red dates, and a few pieces of rock sugar.

In this era, that really was a treasure. Smiling until her eyes curved into crescents, she snuggled up to her grandmother. “Thank you, Grandma. You’re the best!”

Seeing her granddaughter so happy made Xu Wang even more delighted. She eagerly shoved the treats into the girl’s hands.

But there was no way Xu Wanchun would eat them all by herself. She picked up the red dates, washed them, and popped one each into her grandparents’ mouths. Then, under their protesting yet pleased gazes, she split the last one in half.

Just as she was about to share the other half with her mom, Xu Hehua—uncomfortable with her daughter’s clinginess—waved her off. “You eat it yourself,” she said with a scowl, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Even though she was being brushed off, Xu Wanchun didn’t get upset. She stuffed all the red dates into her mouth and beamed at the old lady. “So sweet! I bet my mom’s just jealous that Grandma only spoils me.”

As soon as she said that, the two elders, who were already smiling happily thanks to the red dates their granddaughter had fed them, burst into laughter again, unable to hide their joy.

It was no wonder they were so fond of Peach Blossom. The truth was, all the other grandchildren in the family were clumsy with words—not one of them could match the sweet and thoughtful nature of this granddaughter.

—

The lamb and radish stew, milky white and rich with flavor, was indeed nourishing.

After the four of them had their fill, they still felt a cozy warmth spreading from the inside out even as they crawled into bed.

Xu Hehua sat by the desk, carefully applying a layer of snow cream to her face. Just as she bent down to lift the quilt and climb into bed, she straightened up again. “I’m going to check if your grandparents are warm enough.”

Xu Wanchun was already nestled under her blanket, half-asleep from the heat radiating from the kang bed. By the time she processed what her mother said, the woman had already left the room. She didn’t think much of it and simply rolled over, quickly falling into deep sleep.

Meanwhile—

After confirming that her parents’ bedding was warm and toasty, Xu Hehua was about to head back.

But before she could leave, her mother grabbed her arm.

She turned around. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

Madam Xu hesitated for a moment…

Her parents were getting on in years. Her father’s eyesight was already failing. So even though she had an inkling of what they wanted to say, Xu Hehua patiently played dumb and sat down on the edge of the kang with a smile. “What is it, Mom?”

Ever since her daughter became the village accountant, Madam Xu had been overjoyed—but also a bit nervous. Nervous that her daughter’s growing confidence and capability might make it harder to talk to her about certain things.

Now, seeing her daughter’s relaxed smile, Madam Xu finally relaxed too. “It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask… Peach Blossom’s getting older now. Don’t you think it’s time you found yourself a man?”

As expected.

Xu Hehua sighed internally but smiled on the outside. “Mom, I’m already 37. What man am I going to find?”

Her father, who had been silent, chimed in, “So what if you’re 37? Didn’t Er Zhuzi’s wife give birth to a chubby boy at 43 last year? You can’t just never marry again because Li Shanhai wronged you!”

Why bring up Li Shanhai for no reason? How many years has it been? What bad luck. Xu Hehua was full of silent resentment but didn’t dare snap at her parents.

She knew that avoiding the topic wouldn’t help, so she asked directly, “So who’s trying to match me up this time? What does the man do?”

Thinking she was genuinely interested, the two elders immediately lit up, taking turns enthusiastically relaying everything the matchmaker had said.

From their overly glowing descriptions, Xu Hehua distilled the key points:

— He’s tall and decently good-looking.
— Works at the township cooperative.
— His ex-wife passed away only six months ago.
— Has one son, seventeen years old, who just so happens to be in the same grade as Peach Blossom—third year of middle school.

That last point alone was enough to kill any interest she might’ve had.

She couldn’t help but worry that the man might be eyeing Peach Blossom.

After all, her little girl was just too smart—and now that she could treat patients on her own, people from miles around knew her name and admired her.

Maybe she was being overly suspicious, but Xu Hehua had already made future plans. No matter how good the offer, she didn’t want to consider it.

That said, people change with age. The older you get, the softer your heart becomes. And your way of handling things tends to grow more diplomatic, too.

So, even though she had already made up her mind, she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she coaxed them, “You can’t just take the matchmaker’s word for it. How about this—I’ll ask someone to look into the man’s background. If his character checks out, we can talk more.”

Her parents, completely unaware that their daughter was using a stalling tactic, thought she was genuinely interested and were thrilled, nodding enthusiastically about how important it was to check the guy out.

After calming her parents down, Xu Hehua returned to her daughter’s room.

Once under the covers, she gazed for a long time at her daughter’s rosy sleeping face before finally lying down with a smile.

She still remembered how, a few years ago, when Peach Blossom was just a tiny thing, she had solemnly promised, “When I go to university in the future, I’m taking you with me.”

To be honest, at first Xu Hehua hadn’t believed it—college was so hard to get into.

But now, after seeing her daughter consistently deliver excellent grades as a solid foundation, she no longer had any doubts. Her heart was filled with nothing but hope for the future.

So at this point, asking Xu Hehua to remarry was the same as cutting off her chance to chase the outside world. How could she possibly be willing?

Staying by her daughter’s side—that was the most important thing in her life!

Thinking this, the little frustration she’d felt earlier because of her parents was quickly replaced by joy.

Ah… she really had picked up a precious gem.

Tomorrow morning, when she went with the village officials to visit the elderly living alone, she would find someone to trade for an old hen to nourish her stinky little girl.

But she hadn’t expected disaster to strike so soon.

At three in the morning, both the Xu and Cao households were jolted awake by the sound of gongs.

Before they could even finish dressing, shouting came from the villagers:

“Doctor Cao! Help! Several mud-and-thatch houses collapsed under the snow—people are injured!”

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