Chapter 17.3

Guan Yue had arrived in the county. She took out the six bottles of medicine and a letter.

Cai Guofu felt a pang of envy, thinking how lucky the teacher must be to have such a devoted disciple.

Aunt Cai went into the room and brought out a dusty wooden box. She placed the bottles and letter inside, locked it, and handed it to her son.

“Go deliver it quickly, don’t delay,” Aunt Cai urged as she handed the box to her son.

“Alright, Mom, I’ll go right now.” Cai Zhiming turned around and left.

Guan Yue said to Cai Guofu, “Uncle Cai, you’re not busy this morning, right? If you’re free, we can do the acupuncture now.”

Cai Guofu chuckled, “I was just waiting for you to say that.”

Knowing that Guan Yue was coming this morning, he had specifically cleared his schedule. He didn’t want a repeat of last time, when there was only a short time around noon, and the needles had to be left in for longer.

The sun was nice today, and Guan Yue didn’t make him do acupuncture in the yard. The winter wind was strong, and if he caught a chill, it would not be worth the trouble.

The abilities flowed through the silver needles into the extraordinary meridians, and Cai Guofu felt a warm sensation throughout his body, gradually falling asleep. This time, not only did it treat his legs, but it also provided overall care for his entire body.

It was also the inspiration from Deng Weimin last time. Acupuncture could treat illness, but it could also be used for maintenance even without illness. Not everyone could do it, but because of her abilities, Guan Yue not only could, but she did it especially well.

Cai Guofu slept soundly, and Guan Yue had nothing to do. Aunt Cai Zi found two old, torn books under a brick in the kitchen and brought them to her.

Aunt Cai Zi said, “Your Uncle Cai hid these. Take a look; it might be helpful to you.”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie.”

Guan Yue sat in the yard reading. She read quickly, almost flipping through the pages casually. By the time Cai Zhiming returned, Guan Yue had already finished and handed the books to Aunt Cai Zi to put away.

Aunt Cai Zi asked, “You finished already?”

“Yes, I finished,” Guan Yue replied. Not only had she finished, but she had also memorized everything.

Aunt Cai Zi looked puzzled as she put the books away.

At this point, the time was about right, and Guan Yue went to remove the needles. Inside the house, Cai Guofu’s complexion was rosy, his breathing steady, and he was sleeping soundly.

Cai Zhiming smiled and said, “No wonder Uncle Xu used to praise you for having a gift. You learn anything right away. How long have you been learning acupuncture, and you’re already this good?”

Guan Yue replied seriously, “Who said that? I’ve been learning to cook for so long, and I can only make soup and noodles.”

Cai Zhiming chuckled, “It’s alright, just find someone who can cook in the future.”

Cai Guofu was woken up by Cai Zhiming. He glanced at his arm and said, “Oh, the needles are already removed. I’ve slept for so long?”

Aunt Cai Zi shouted from outside, “Since you’re awake, come out and have lunch.”

“Coming.”

This was Guan Yue’s last visit to the city before the New Year. The Cai family had prepared New Year’s gifts for her: a large piece of meat, a package of candy, and a hot water kettle.

In addition, Aunt Cai Zi had made a light blue spring outfit for Guan Yue.

After lunch, Guan Yue was about to leave, and Aunt Cai Zi packed everything into a basket for her to take.

Aunt Cai Zi said, “I originally wanted to make you a winter outfit, but I couldn’t get any new cotton. But since you don’t lack for winter clothes, I made you a spring outfit instead. Consider it my New Year gift to you, and thank you for treating your Uncle Cai. He’s been feeling so much better this year.”

Guan Yue smiled and said, “Aunt Cai Zi, please don’t be so polite.”

“I insist! When something good happens, you should remember it. There should always be give and take. It’s like a married couple; both people contribute to the family savings, and the family will grow wealthier. But if one person saves while the other doesn’t, or even spends recklessly, the family will eventually fall apart. Relationships work the same way.”

Guan Yue nodded, understanding that Aunt Cai Zi was teaching her this intentionally, knowing that she didn’t have any elders around.

Cai Zhiming offered to send her to the station, but Guan Yue declined, saying she still needed to buy a few things.

She wandered around for a while, not really sure what to buy, and ended up picking two colorful towels—one for herself and one for Gu Sui.

It was a way to show her gratitude for Gu Sui’s care, even though he hadn’t lost out himself; after all, he had received quite a lot of medicine from her over the past half year.

Guan Yue threw the towels disdainfully into the basket, clearly unimpressed with the towel’s quality.

By the time she made her way back to Qingxi Village, it was already late afternoon. The pig slaughter banquet and the wedding of Li Da and Lin Haiyin had long since ended.

The air still carried a faint but distinct aroma of wine and meat combined.

The smell of both wine and meat—the scent of a prosperous life.

At this moment, Gu Sui was not on the mountain. Guan Yue set down her things and headed into the deep mountains. She stood atop the high pigpen and looked down; the fat pigs she had raised were likely ready to be slaughtered.

That evening, Gu Sui received the bright red and purple towels Guan Yue had sent. Were they meant for him?

Guan Yue crossed her arms and shot him a sideways glance. “These are the best ones I picked out from the Department Store.”

Gu Sui stifled a laugh. “Alright, thanks.”

Guan Yue snorted. “Can you slaughter pigs? I’m going to slaughter the New Year’s pig and make slaughtered pig dishes.”

Gu Sui had almost forgotten about the pigs Guan Yue had raised. So much time had passed, and he hadn’t seen a single pig nor heard her mention anything about raising them. He thought the piglets had died.

Guan Yue, feeling proud, said, “They didn’t die. I feed them sweet potatoes every day, and now they’re big and fat.”

“Can you take me to see them?”

Guan Yue nodded. “Of course, let’s go.”

Fearing there might be a smell, the pigpen was some distance from her treehouse. She led Gu Sui there, and he didn’t even get a glimpse of her main base.

Gu Sui followed her for over two hours, still not having reached the place. He was curious—why were the pigs kept so deep in the mountains? The road was so long, didn’t she get tired feeding them every day? And there were other animals in the mountains, wasn’t she worried the piglets would be harmed?

When Gu Sui saw the several-meter-high pigpen, he understood.

Guan Yue said, “The pigs are inside.”

Last night, she had removed some of the fencing on top. If Gu Sui had seen the previous fencing, he would have been even more shocked.

Gu Sui knew that Guan Yue had some unusual abilities, but still… Wasn’t she being a bit too casual around him?

Was she really able to build such a high fence all by herself? Was she not worried he might overthink it?

In that moment, Guan Yue understood the meaning in his eyes. She shrugged. Since he already knew, what was there to hide?

Gu Sui was exasperated by Guan Yue’s carefree nature.

He cautiously tried to advise her, “You… you need to remember to protect yourself.”

Guan Yue smiled. “Protecting myself is what I’m best at.”

Gu Sui said, “Don’t trust others too much.”

“Are you saying that you’re ‘others’?” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Gu Sui’s heart skipped a beat. “Anyway, you need to protect your secrets.”

Guan Yue laughed heartily. “But you already know all my secrets, don’t you?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know! From now on, remember—if something isn’t meant for me to know, don’t let me see it.”

“For example?” she teased.

“For example, the pigpen you built.”

Guan Yue’s eyes sparkled. “Would you harm me?”

“I wouldn’t, but—”

Guan Yue interrupted him, “If you wouldn’t harm me, then that’s enough.”

“If you really wanted to harm me, I’m no soft target!”

She went over to the pigpen and made a small door, just enough for Gu Sui to peek inside.

Gu Sui leaned in, and there, in the pen, he saw the large, fat pig. It was robust, well-fed!

This morning, the village had slaughtered two New Year pigs, raised for a whole year. Their bones looked big, but in comparison, the meat on Guan Yue’s pig was far fatter.

Gu Sui said, “I don’t think I can do it alone.”

And moving the pig from such a distant place was going to be a hassle.

“It’s alright, you’ve got me, right?”

Gu Sui pretended not to hear. “How about this? Tomorrow, I’ll herd the pig outside and invite the Li family to help. There’s still curing the meat, making sausages, cleaning the pig’s intestines, and more. We can’t handle it all by ourselves.”

“Alright, will we be able to eat the slaughtered pig dishes tomorrow?”

Gu Sui smiled. “Yes!”

Guan Yue had been looking forward to eating the slaughtered pig dishes twice before, but it had fallen through. This time, she was sure she wouldn’t be disappointed again.

After Gu Sui descended the mountain, Guan Yue, following his instructions, prepared a lot of spices. She had even harvested half a sack of chili peppers herself.

As for getting the pig out of the deep mountains, something Gu Sui found troublesome, Guan Yue simply tied the pig with vines and carried it down directly from the air.

The day before, she had walked for more than two hours with Gu Sui through the forest to reach the mountain. This time, carrying the pig, she walked straight down through the air, and it only took her about twenty minutes.

The Li family arrived the next day, and when they saw the tightly bound fat pig, it was like seeing a beautiful woman.

Zhang Cuihua ran over in two steps. “Oh my, Guan Yue, how did you feed this pig? It’s so fat!”

Guan Yue replied, “With sweet potatoes.”

Zhang Cuihua slapped her thigh. “With food like that, no wonder it’s so fat!”

Gu Sui sighed. “Why didn’t you wait for me to come and do it?”

Guan Yue replied, “I can handle it.”

With the Li family there, Guan Yue didn’t need to lift a finger. Li Da and his father, along with Gu Sui and Zhang Cuihua, four of them, took care of the pig.

Guan Yue wanted to watch the slaughtering, but Gu Sui wouldn’t let her, worried she might get scared.

Guan Yue paused for a moment before laughing. Would she be scared of slaughtering a pig?

Gu Sui said, “You go with Li Tao and Lin Haiyin to prepare the spices for the curing. The dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, all need to be ground into powder.”

Li Tao eagerly volunteered, “I can do that! Just fry the chili peppers in the pan until they’re fragrant and crispy, then grind them into powder with a mortar.”

Guan Yue said, “Then I’ll do it.”

To make the medicine balls, there were plenty of grinding tools at home.

The three of them divided the work—Lin Haiyin tended to the fire, Li Tao was in charge of frying, and Guan Yue handled grinding the spices into powder.

When Li Tao finished frying the last batch of Sichuan peppercorns, she went over to help Guan Yue, but by then, Guan Yue had already finished.

Guan Yue took the peppercorns from her hands. “Is that all?”

“Yes,” Li Tao replied.

Li Tao sighed, “You’re so quick with your hands when doing this.”

Lin Haiyin added, “She’s used to grinding medicinal herbs and making powders. She’s definitely more skilled than us.”

Guan Yue didn’t respond, but Li Tao assumed it was an acknowledgment.

The pork had already been divided, and several people gathered around the table, cutting the meat while chatting. With Zhang Cuihua and Lin Haiyin around, there was never a dull moment.

Somehow, the lively atmosphere felt just like the New Year.

Guan Yue couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. A long, long time ago, her family had celebrated the New Year like this.

There had only been three people in the house, but when they gathered together, it felt complete.

Now, she was all alone.

But even though she was alone, she would still eat well and live well. She had promised her mother she would.

Guan Yue’s downcast mood only lasted for a moment. She lowered her head, not even noticing the sudden redness in her eyes, something Gu Sui, who was most concerned about her, failed to catch.

At noon that day, Zhang Cuihua was the head chef, with Li Tao and Gu Sui assisting nearby. Guan Yue and Lin Haiyin stood by, watching, and she finally got to taste the authentic slaughtered pig dishes.

It wasn’t the most refined, but seeing the large pot of food, it smelled absolutely delicious.

Li Da dug in hungrily. “This is way better than the slaughtered pig dishes we had yesterday!”

“Yesterday, with so many people in the village eating, the meat was mixed with so many vegetables that you could hardly see any fat. But today, the meat is so rich and solid! How could it not taste good?”

Guan Yue couldn’t stop eating. “Don’t be polite, if you like it, just eat more.”

Two large pots of food were served, and even the leftover broth was poured over rice. The meal was so satisfying.

Guan Yue wiped her mouth contentedly, already planning to raise pigs again next year.

Just yesterday, Aunt Cai had talked to her about the importance of reciprocating kindness, and now, with the Li family having shared this meal, it felt like a meaningful exchange.

“Here, take this,” Guan Yue offered them a piece of meat.

Zhang Cuihua declined. “I’ve helped a bit, how can I accept both food and gifts?”

Gu Sui persuaded her, and only then did Zhang Cuihua accept the meat. She also added that if they needed help in the future, they could always come to their house and ask.

The freshly made sausages were hung to dry, and after a few days of curing, the bacon was also hung up.

The sausages and bacon slowly air-dried. The lean meat turned a bright red, while the fat became translucent and pearly white. The festive atmosphere grew stronger by the day.

Guan Yue, the foodie, had already made plans with Gu Sui for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

On the 28th day of the New Year, guests arrived at the house, interrupting Guan Yue’s plans.

Without any prior notice, Deng Weimin showed up, bringing his patient with him.

The military vehicle drove up to the valley outside Qingxi Village, and Yan Zhengwen was carried up the mountain by the soldiers.

Deng Weimin smiled at Guan Yue. “Apologies, my young friend, for the interruption during the holidays.”

Guan Yue silently agreed in her mind—yes, they had indeed interrupted her plans.