Chapter 10

No matter how the flood raged outside, everything in Qingxi Village remained calm and peaceful.

After things got noisy outside, the young people in Qingxi Village, as well as those from the Qingsong Brigade, started demanding to go into the city and take the train to Beijing to meet with the leaders. They were met with a severe beating from their parents and grandparents, forcing them to stay at home and work for points.

Now, Guan Yue was treating people on Daqing Mountain. Some of the younger ones would mumble about the feudal backwardness, but then they quickly fell silent, afraid of being beaten.

In everyone’s heart, no matter what was happening outside, farming steadily and living a simple life was the best. If someone fell ill, a doctor would treat them—that was the most important thing.

Yang Guozhu managed Qingxi Village. When people from outside the village came to Qingxi to see Guan Yue for medical treatment, they first had to sign up with him and wait in line.

Guan Yue was someone who didn’t show favoritism. If she had agreed to see ten people in a day, that was all—no more. If one more person showed up, she wouldn’t treat them. At this time, those whose families had distant or indirect relatives in Qingxi Village had an advantage.

In a society built on personal connections, moving a relative up the list wasn’t considered a big deal. Women’s illnesses were seldom emergencies, so whether treated a day earlier or later, it wouldn’t cause much delay.

Guan Yue focused on treating the women. She skillfully used her supernatural abilities to control the silver needles. She was very good at it. She had tried it before—if she wanted to, she could heal mild illnesses in just one or two sessions, without needing the patient to return in ten or fifteen days.

If this were to be said outside, it would sound almost like a myth. However, Guan Yue still tried to control the illness and heal it slowly. Though she was the only one on Daqing Mountain, and she called the shots on how to treat it, she still preferred not to take risks.

Recently, the women of the commune had become keen on seeing doctors, and it seemed the men of the commune were influenced by them. Yang Guozhu had set up a shed near the mountain god temple for Gu Sui. Men who came with their wives and mothers to get treated also took the opportunity to have a look.

Of course, Gu Sui was the barefoot doctor of Qingxi Village, not one from their brigade, so they couldn’t expect free treatment. The mountain god temple had been destroyed and was still under repair, so those who came for treatment had to help with the repairs.

Half a month later, Gu Sui summarized that very few people actually came to him for treatment. Most came to ask for Guan Yue’s medicine pills. People understood the rules and usually brought some grain or vegetables in exchange. Over the past two weeks, the harvest had been quite plentiful.

At Guan Yue’s place, it was the same. Women who came for treatment gave a few coins if they had money, or exchanged grain, vegetables, or fruit if they didn’t. Some even brought fish or chickens for her.

Gu Sui treated people at the foot of the mountain, while Li Tao volunteered every morning to help Guan Yue on the mountain. These items were mainly her responsibility to handle.

Things that couldn’t be kept were eaten early, while those that could be stored were kept. When there was too much produce to eat, they were made into pickled cabbage or dried vegetables.

After finishing his work that day, Gu Sui had lunch and then went up the mountain. He hadn’t been up in several days. When he arrived, he saw ropes tied around the trees near the wooden house, with water-boiled cowpeas and other vegetables drying on them. Even the long wooden table was completely covered with them.

Inside the kitchen, there was a row of pickled cabbage jars in the corner, and shelves were stacked with dried vegetables.

Guan Yue wasn’t there. She was probably in the deep mountains.

Gu Sui still didn’t know where Guan Yue kept the piglets; he only knew they were raised in the deep mountains. A few days later, he had heard from her that the piglets had grown fat again.

The sound of birds chirping filled the air, and the mountain breeze blew gently. Gu Sui found a chair, sat down, and started reading a book.

Around four in the afternoon, Guan Yue finally came out, yawning. Summer was about to end, and Gou Sheng’er, who was following her, was already as tall as her calf.

Now, when Gou Sheng’er bared its teeth, it looked somewhat like a wild animal, a bit intimidating. Li Tao didn’t dare to get too close to it.

Gu Sui wasn’t afraid. He had watched it grow up, so he just touched it when he wanted to. Gou Sheng’er showed its teeth at him, but Gu Sui ignored it.

“I heard them say you’re going to take a few days off and won’t see patients?” he asked.

“Mm.”

Soon, they would begin preparing for the autumn harvest, and fewer people would come for treatment. She figured she might as well take a break. Besides, she hadn’t been to the city in a while, and she needed to visit Uncle Cai.

Gu Sui mentioned the mountain god temple down the hill. It had already been repaired. The person who had reported them was still at large. The authorities had shown them the report, but the handwriting didn’t match any from Qingxi Village, so the matter was dropped.

Guan Yue drank a glass of water, listening quietly without responding. She had never cared who made the report. No matter who tried to cause trouble, she wasn’t afraid.

Around five in the evening, Gu Sui asked her what she wanted to eat. Guan Yue smiled and made a request: “I want to eat pork stew with vermicelli. Someone sent some meat today.”

“Okay, and also a vegetable soup.”

Guan Yue nodded eagerly, as happy as a child.

Last month, Gu Sui had contacted his parents and learned their exact address. They had sent him some specialties from the northeast, including vermicelli. When he saw those things, he knew his parents were doing okay, which made him feel a bit relieved.

As for the person who had altered his application and separated him from his parents, sending him here, Gu Sui had already figured it out.

Guan Yue ate the food that Gu Sui’s parents had sent. She didn’t just eat it for free—she gave them a good number of medicine pills in return. Gu Sui didn’t refuse, accepting everything and then mailing it to his parents.

After enjoying a delicious meal of pork stew with vermicelli, Guan Yue chattered away, showering him with compliments.

“Gu Sui, you could have been a chef instead of a doctor! Your cooking is amazing!”

“The food in the city’s restaurants isn’t as good as what you make.”

“You need to keep it up from now on!”

Gu Sui looked at Guan Yue, amused. This girl was easy to please—if she got something delicious, she immediately became happy.

Gou Sheng’er let out a howl, then backed up and tried to jump onto the table. Guan Yue slapped it back down. “You think you’re something now, daring to jump on the table? Do you want a beating?”

Gu Sui pushed the food he had prepared for Gou Sheng’er toward it. The wolf sniffed at it disdainfully but reluctantly started eating.

“Gou Sheng’er doesn’t like eating regular food anymore, only meat,” Gu Sui remarked, knowing it was a wolf.

Guan Yue said, “Don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t want to eat, let it go hungry.”

Gu Sui reminded her, “Although you raised Gou Sheng’er since it was little, it’s still a wild animal. Once it grows a bit more, it’ll be able to survive on its own. You might as well let it go into the mountains.”

“I know,” she replied.

After finishing the meal, Gu Sui cleaned up and headed down the mountain. Wang Lu was waiting for him.

Wang Lu said, “Gu Sui, my parents are urging me to go back.”

Gu Sui gave a cold nod. “Safe travels.”

The two brushed past each other, and Wang Lu, irritated, couldn’t control her tone. “Gu Sui, what do you mean by that? What did I come all the way out here to the countryside for, to suffer for months? Do you want me to be even more direct?”

Gu Sui stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around. He said in a deep voice, “I’ve said it many times before. Do you really not understand, or are you just pretending not to understand?”

Wang Lu’s tears fell as she choked out, “Am I really that beneath you? If you don’t like me, have you really fallen for that wild girl up in the mountains? Do your parents know about this?”

Gu Sui’s tone was cold. “Watch your words and show some respect. And don’t speak about Guan Yue as if you’re somehow above her. In my eyes, Guan Yue is far nobler than many people who use underhanded means to achieve their goals without any sense of integrity.”

Wang Lu stared at him in disbelief. “You think Guan Yue is better than me? Are you calling me manipulative?”

Gu Sui replied, “I think you know why I came here. Just because I haven’t said anything doesn’t mean I’m oblivious.”

With that, Gu Sui turned to leave. Wang Lu blocked his way, shouting hysterically, “Yes! I’m manipulative! I calculated everything because I like you and want to be with you! So what?”

Gu Sui brushed her hand away. “Go back.”

“Stop right there! If you dare walk away, I’ll make sure your parents get sent to the farm, or even to Xinjiang.”

Hearing this, Gu Sui finally turned back and looked directly at her for the first time. His usually gentle gaze was sharp and piercing. “Wang Lu, don’t push your luck. There are plenty of people who know how your family stepped on others to climb to where you are today. Why don’t you go home and ask your father?”

Wang Lu was taken aback by his icy tone. She stood there stunned as Gu Sui walked away. After a moment of standing in a daze, she wiped away her tears.

Gu Sui had threatened her for Guan Yue. She would never forgive Guan Yue for this!

Unaware of the trouble brewing, Guan Yue continued her usual routine. Early the next morning, she strapped a bundle of dried medicinal herbs to her back and headed into town.

She happened to arrive at a good time. As soon as she stepped onto the street dedicated to medicinal herbs, she ran into Lei Fugui strolling down the road with a group of thugs.

It seemed they had just finished breakfast. They walked leisurely, picking their teeth and behaving in a carefree, unruly manner. It was clear at a glance that they weren’t upright people.

Lei Fugui’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted Guan Yue. He was so startled that he jumped on the spot. “Grandma! What brings you here?”

Patting his chest, Lei Fugui said, “I’ve been taking good care of Uncle Cai lately. Anyone who dared to cause trouble at his place was sent packing by me!”

Guan Yue nodded lightly. “Not bad. Keep it up.”

“Got it, Grandma. Take care,” Lei Fugui said as he bowed and scraped, seeing her off. Once she was out of sight, he patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing he was on the right path now.

One of his lackeys piped up, “Boss, who was that girl? She’s quite pretty.”

Lei Fugui immediately jumped up and smacked the guy on the head. “Who are you calling a ‘girl’? Do you have any idea who she is? She’s not someone you can disrespect! If you see her in the future, make sure to steer clear. And if you can’t, kneel and call her Grandma!”

“Yes, yes, Big Brother. We’ll never dare disrespect her again!” the lackeys chorused, nodding frantically.

When Guan Yue arrived at the Cai household, Cai Guofu had already gone to work, leaving only Aunt Cai at home.

“Oh, Guan Yue! It’s been a while since you last came by. Your Uncle Cai was just talking about you a few days ago,” Aunt Cai greeted warmly.

Guan Yue smiled faintly. “I’ve been busy treating people lately and haven’t had time to visit.”

“You’ve brought so many medicinal herbs again. You must be tired. Come sit down and rest for a while. When your Uncle Cai comes back at noon, he’ll take the herbs to the medicine company before heading back to work.”

“Alright,” Guan Yue replied.

Aunt Cai’s face was full of smiles, radiating happiness and contentment. It was clear that things had been going well for her lately.

“Lei Fugui has really turned over a new leaf,” Aunt Cai said. “Ever since you taught him a lesson, he’s been behaving himself. Just last month, he even helped out the old Wang family when they ran into some trouble at the alley entrance.”

After that, Aunt Cai asked Guan Yue how her work treating people was going. Guan Yue replied that it was going well. Most of her patients were women, which gave her the chance to practice her acupuncture skills.

Aunt Cai let out a sigh. “Throughout history, it’s always been harder for women to seek medical treatment. There are always some illnesses they feel too embarrassed to talk about, so they just endure them. By helping them, you’re not only aiding them but also accumulating good karma for yourself.”

At noon, Cai Guofu returned home for lunch, accompanied by an elderly man with kind eyes and a thin frame who exuded a serene demeanor.

When Cai Guofu saw Guan Yue, his face lit up. “Little girl, how’s your acupuncture practice coming along?”

Guan Yue smiled and asked, “Would you like to give it a try?”

“Why not? My legs have been feeling a bit uncomfortable lately,” Cai Guofu replied.

Without hesitation, Guan Yue took his pulse, then waited for him to lie down. She pulled out her silver needles and began the acupuncture procedure with swift and precise movements. Her skillful technique caught the attention of the elderly guest, who watched in admiration.

The old man exclaimed, “Young people these days are truly impressive!”

As the direct recipient of Guan Yue’s treatment, Cai Guofu couldn’t hide his amazement. He looked at her as though she were a precious treasure.

“Truly gifted by heaven!” he muttered, marveling at her talent.

Turning to the elderly man beside him, Cai Guofu added, “Old Deng, if you’re looking for an acupuncture master, I think Guan Yue fits the bill perfectly!”

Guan Yue raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Acupuncture master? What’s that about?” she asked.