Chapter 37.1

This winter was exceptionally cold. By early December, snow had already begun to fall on Daqing Mountain, and a few light snowfalls had also occurred at the foot of the mountain.

Due to the sudden drop in temperature, there had been an increase in people catching colds, and Qingsong Village had come to Guan Yue to exchange some pills. Luckily, Guan Yue had prepared in advance and had stored quite a few when she had some free time.

It was Monday, and Guan Yue was going to the sanatorium for a consultation. While descending the mountain, Gu Sui had kept holding her hand, and his palm was warm.

Guan Yue had said: “There’s still a bit of snow hanging on the leaves of the trees and grass, but the snow melts quickly once it touches the ground.”

Gu Sui had replied: “The snow in the south is thin, but it’s different in the north. The snow there is thick, like quilts. Sometimes, it snows all night, and you wake up to several layers of quilts.”

Guan Yue had chuckled softly: “With such thick quilts, it shouldn’t be cold.”

Gu Sui had also laughed: “It’s cold when it snows, but it’s even colder when the snow melts. If there’s no heated kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed), winter is almost unbearable. Not only is it cold, but when the snow on the roads gets trampled, the ground turns into wet mud as it melts. If it were you, you’d definitely want to climb a tree and wouldn’t want to step on the ground at all.”

Guan Yue had exhaled a puff of white air: “What should we do? We’re going to Beijing next month, but hearing you say this, I don’t even want to go anymore.”

“Go.” Gu Sui had said: “When you don’t want to walk, I’ll carry you.”

Guan Yue had hummed: “Aren’t you afraid of losing face? You’d be willing to carry me?”

“There’s nothing embarrassing about carrying my own wife.” Gu Sui had replied.

Guan Yue had remarked: “I think your skin is thicker than the quilt now.”

Gu Sui had laughed: “Isn’t that something I learned from you?”

By the time they had reached the entrance of the sanatorium, Guan Yue had pulled her hand away from his: “I’m going now.”

Gu Sui had stood at the door, watching her. Guan Yue had run off quickly, not even glancing back at him.

At that moment, the doctors and nurses who had just finished breakfast in the cafeteria and were coming to work had seen the helpless expression on Gu Sui’s face and had laughed out loud.

Gu Sui had only stood there for a while before turning and heading to his office. It seemed that there would be many patients today.

The New Year was approaching, and it was unclear whether it was due to the holidays or something else, but in the past few weeks, there had been more patients than usual.

Guan Yue had also become busy, with patients coming in one after another for consultations, prescriptions, acupuncture, and then being sent to the hospital rooms.

Guan Yue moved so quickly that Deng Baishu, who was responsible for writing the medical records, struggled to keep up and had to call in two young doctors to help. The nurses were also busy taking care of patients, preparing medicine, and running around.

Guan Yue had said: “Hurry up, send the patient out, and call the next one in.”

“Right away!”

Usually, the hospital was relatively quiet, but on Mondays, to match Guan Yue’s pace and see as many patients as possible, everyone was incredibly busy.

However, there was an advantage to this: by noon, most of the critical patients had been seen, and the remaining ones were expected to be finished by three or four in the afternoon.

By four in the afternoon, after sending all the new patients to the hospital rooms and delivering their medicine, everyone was exhausted.

Guan Yue had massaged her hands and said to Deng Weimin, who was drinking tea: “At the end of next month, I’ll be going to Beijing with Gu Sui. I won’t be here at the sanatorium for the weeks before and after the New Year. Let them know that any urgent patients should be sent over these next few days.”

The Chinese New Year was in mid-February, so they were planning to leave by the end of January or early February at the latest.

With only a few days left before New Year’s Day, time was running out.

Deng Weimin, who had heard from Gu Sui about their plans to go to Beijing for the New Year, was already prepared. “Before I leave, I’ll go speak to Xiao Ma and have them coordinate things.”

Guan Yue nodded. “Alright, once you’re done, get some rest early. I’m leaving now.”

“Alright.”

Before heading back, Guan Yue went to take a look at Gu Sui. He still had several patients waiting.

When Gu Sui noticed her standing outside the door, Guan Yue had pointed toward Daqing Mountain, signaling that she was leaving first.

Gu Sui had nodded.

As she walked out of the sanatorium, the air grew colder the further up the mountain she went. In such cold weather, all she wanted was something hot to eat, so she decided on hotpot.

At home, they had charcoal, hotpot seasoning, and everything they needed, except for meat and vegetables.

The vegetables were easy to get, but the meat required a bit of effort.

Guan Yue had first gone to the stream, using a grass rope to catch a fish and bring it back, placing it in the kitchen bucket. Then, she casually tossed a lotus seed into the bucket, and a few minutes later, a white, plump lotus root had grown.

Next, she gathered potatoes, bean sprouts, cauliflower, yam, bamboo shoots, and others, and soaked some wood ear mushrooms, hotpot noodles, and daylilies. She then turned and went into the mountains, planning to get a wild goat.

When Gu Sui had returned home, he saw the pile of ingredients in the kitchen and immediately understood what Guan Yue was planning to make.

He rolled up his sleeves and began washing the vegetables, slicing them where needed. The fish Guan Yue had brought back was turned into fish meatballs.

Half an hour later, Guan Yue had returned, dragging a goat behind her and smiling: “You’ve got everything ready.”

The large iron pot for the hotpot had already been placed on the table, the charcoal underneath burning brightly. The hotpot base was in the pot, just beginning to heat up, while plates of vegetables filled every available space on the table.

Gu Sui had said: “It’s almost ready. I’ll handle the goat meat. You go get some spring onions and cilantro, and prepare a dipping sauce.”

“Sure, I was just thinking of making a sesame oil dipping sauce.”

As a surgeon, Gu Sui’s knife skills were superb, and the goat meat slices were so thin they were almost translucent. A quick dip in the pot, and they were done. Then, they were dipped in the sesame oil sauce, creating a fragrance so delicious that it was impossible to describe.

With a bite, Guan Yue felt completely satisfied.

Gu Sui had served her some more food, saying: “Eat more, it’s cold these days, and we can use the goat bones to make soup for you to drink.”

Guan Yue nodded while eating: “Put some white radish in the goat meat soup, it will definitely taste great.”

She continued: “When I went to catch the goat earlier, I checked on the piglets too. They’re growing really fat. Since we’re leaving at the end of January, we should turn the pigs into cured meat and sausages as soon as possible.”

“Should we ask Old Chen to come up this weekend?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. We can invite the teacher and the others over to have some pig slaughter soup.”

In this day and age, because of scarcity in food and clothing, most gifts were things people could eat or wear. Knowing they would be going to Beijing this year, she had asked Cai Jin and the others to send some clothes for Gu Sui’s parents. As for the food, she had planned to send Gu Sui’s homemade cured meats and sausages.

Gu Sui had known what she meant: “You don’t need to give anything. My parents won’t mind.”

Guan Yue had rolled her eyes at him. “When my teacher came over, you cooked a meal for them. I can’t cook, so I have to at least give something, right?”

Gu Sui’s parents knew she couldn’t cook. Although the cured meats and sausages were made by Gu Sui, the pigs had been raised by her, so the gesture counted, and that was enough.

While Guan Yue had already prepared the gifts, in Beijing, Gu Sui’s parents were also chatting.

When they had returned from the Northeast, they had stayed in the same family compound as before—three rooms and a living room, which was still considered a good place to live. Two days ago, two soldiers had come to see them and said they had a yard to give them.

This yard wasn’t just a room in a shared compound, but a well-arranged two-entry courtyard.

Gu Jingde and Zhang Limin, the couple, were both confused. Why would they be given a yard out of the blue?

At that time, housing was already tight, and many families lived together in a big compound.

Since returning from the Northeast, they had been acting very cautiously, afraid of causing any trouble. When the two soldiers had come to offer the yard, Gu Jingde had immediately rejected the offer.

The next day, two different men came back to clarify. The yard was actually being given to Guan Yue as a reward for her work this past year.

The new visitors were decisive people, and they quickly took care of all the paperwork. A beautiful two-entry courtyard was now officially in their hands.

To be exact, the yard wasn’t technically in their hands because it was registered under Guan Yue’s name.

At this point, the couple had begun to discuss whether they should spend the New Year at home or in Guan Yue’s new courtyard.

Gu Jingde had said: “We should stay at home. After all, the house is for Guan Yue. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the whole family to move in.”

Zhang Limin had agreed: “I think it’s not quite right either, but if you look at the letter Gu Sui wrote, you can tell that girl doesn’t like being constrained. She also doesn’t seem to enjoy socializing. If she stays at our house, there will definitely be many old friends and colleagues visiting during the New Year, and there won’t be a moment of peace.”

This was indeed a problem.

Gu Jingde had said: “It’s too late to ask now. I’ll call the sanatorium tomorrow to check.”

“That’s right. It’s better to ask them first. And while you’re at it, ask when they’ll arrive in Beijing so I can go pick them up at the station.”

“Got it.”

At this time, Guan Yue was still unaware that the military district had gifted her a house—specifically, a two-entry courtyard in Beijing.

The next day, when Gu Sui arrived at work, Xiao Ma notified him that his father was on the phone. 

“Doctor Gu, your dad’s calling.”

Gu Sui hurried over to take the call, thinking there was an urgent matter. However, it turned out to be a question about where they would be spending the New Year.

Gu Sui glanced at Xiao Ma and said to his dad: “Dad, have Mom go over to Guan Yue’s house to check and tidy up the bedroom. We’ll stay at home for New Year, but after New Year’s Eve, we’ll go stay in the courtyard for a couple of days.”

Gu Jingde had replied: “That’s fine. It’s not ideal to leave the house empty during the New Year. When will you guys be back?”

Gu Sui answered: “Probably by the end of January. My brother’s holiday hasn’t been approved yet. Once he gets here, we’ll all return together.”

“When the time’s set, give me a call.”

“Got it, Dad.”

After hanging up, Gu Sui asked Xiao Ma: “Did you guys give Guan Yue a house in Beijing?”

Xiao Ma scratched his head: “Is that so? If it happened, it definitely wasn’t from our Southwest Military District. It could have been from another district. We’re so far from Beijing; even if we wanted to give a house, we don’t have the connections.”

Gu Sui nodded, suspecting that was the case.

Xiao Ma continued: “Ah, don’t worry about it. Whoever gave it to her, as long as it’s for Doctor Guan, she should take it. Since they gave it, it’s a good thing for her.”

Putting aside the soldiers Guan Yue had saved, just in this past year, through her, how many resources had they gained? For instance, the production lines—there were probably several by now.

Xiao Ma chuckled: “If you ask me, Guan Yue is the one at a loss here. A whole courtyard? That’s nothing.”

Gu Sui replied with a smile: “Be careful, I might report you to Minister Li.”

Xiao Ma laughed: “Doctor Gu, you’re not being fair! I’m on your side, and you still want to report me?”

Gu Sui smiled faintly: “Just kidding. It’s time for work. I’m heading over.”

“See you.”

They were planning to go to Beijing for the New Year, and it would likely take about a month. Apart from the patients at the sanatorium, they also needed to prepare some hemostatic powder in advance.

Gu Sui went to work, while Guan Yue stayed home making the hemostatic powder. By the time noon arrived, she had made two large bags full.

When Gu Sui returned, Guan Yue pouted and said: “I don’t want to make this powder anymore. I’m so tired of it.”

After doing this for the whole year, she felt like a robot making medicine. Although her abilities made it easy for her, it still felt like a very boring task.

Earlier, she had already given them the formula, but the powder they made was too ineffective, which was why they still relied on Guan Yue.

Gu Sui furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. “Unless you can figure out how to fix the problem with the efficacy, they’ll always need you.”

At first, she had considered starting a pharmaceutical factory, but the problem was that she couldn’t teach others her methods. That was why she had installed a machine at the wooden house to increase the production efficiency of the powder.

Guan Yue thought for a moment. “Actually, there is a way. If they can accept the lower efficacy, I can make some high-quality powder myself and mix it with the others’ powder to balance the effectiveness.”

Gu Sui nodded. “Then you can discuss it with Xiao Ma and the others.”

Guan Yue then came up with another idea. “What if I open a pharmaceutical factory and let them produce it? I could oversee the quality control at the end.”

She could take care of the final step, remove impurities from the powder, and infuse it with her abilities, thus improving its quality.

Guan Yue continued: “Also, the people from the medical school are supposed to bring their families over, right? What are they coming for? They might as well work in the pharmaceutical factory.”

She had it all figured out. “I’ll talk to Xiao Ma this afternoon.”

Her own production capacity was limited, so she would focus on the high-quality powder, while leaving the average-quality production to others.

“When the factory is built, it could be near the family compound at the mouth of the valley, so it would be convenient for them to commute.”

With her plan set, Guan Yue took action and went down the mountain to find Xiao Ma that afternoon.

As soon as she brought up her idea, Xiao Ma slapped his thigh and said: “Doctor Guan, we’ve been meaning to talk to you about this!”

In fact, it would be a waste to use Guan Yue’s specially-made hemostatic powder unless it was for extreme cases where bleeding couldn’t be stopped. The powder she made by hand was best suited for those kinds of critical situations.

Since it was like this, it would be better to expand production. Even if the effectiveness of the medicine decreased a little, it would still be fine as long as it suited the majority of people.

Xiao Ma said: “You need to agree. We can start building the factory right away. We can hire workers locally.”

Guan Yue replied: “So, does that mean I won’t need to make the medicine myself anymore?”

Xiao Ma answered: “Some is still needed, but you won’t have to make as much. You can free up time to do other things.”

Guan Yue reduced his workload while also creating many job opportunities. It was a win-win situation.

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Outside the valley, the family compound had already been completed. Zhou Baohe and the others thought it was finished, but they were soon going to build a pharmaceutical factory next door. They became excited and started asking around about the conditions for hiring workers and whether they could apply.

One day, Li Tao, who had just completed her month-long confinement, came over to deliver tofu to Guan Yue and asked her about it.

Li Tao, feeling embarrassed, said: “I came today to ask if we can apply for the jobs when they start hiring. The city requires a junior high school diploma, and some even require a high school diploma. What are the conditions for the pharmaceutical factory?”

Guan Yue had originally thought that the families from the medical school would have jobs, but now she realized she hadn’t fully considered the local community members.

Guan Yue was deep in thought, remaining silent for a while. Li Tao assumed that Guan Yue was upset and quickly said: “If you can’t tell me, then it’s fine.”

Guan Yue replied: “Don’t worry. It’s not that I can’t say, but I don’t know what the hiring conditions are. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll ask them, and once the conditions are set, I will post a notice to let you know.”

Li Tao said: “There aren’t many high school graduates in our commune, but there are plenty of junior high school graduates. When the hiring starts, many people will definitely want to apply.”

Guan Yue said: “Yes, maybe you can apply too. Making medicine powder doesn’t require a high diploma. As long as you’re willing to work hard, it will be fine.”

Li Tao was so excited she nearly jumped up. “I can do it?”

Guan Yue said: “I just shared my opinion. Whether you can do it or not depends on the arrangements made by Xiao Ma and the others. The notice should be posted after the New Year, so you all can wait for it.”

Li Tao said: “Thank you, Guan Yue. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be living such a good life now.”

Guan Yue had helped Qingxi Village build a sanatorium, and now there was a medical school and soon a pharmaceutical factory. They lived close by and had benefited a lot.

Gu Sui smiled and said: “Let me check your pulse.”

Li Tao stretched out her hand and said: “My mother-in-law is really good to me. During my confinement, she gave me an egg every day and even made chicken soup for me to drink. My health can’t be bad.”

Guan Yue let go of her hand and said: “Your health really does seem good.”

Li Tao smiled happily.

Li Tao then asked: “Will you come to our brigade for the pork stew this year?”

“I won’t be coming this year.”

During this time before the New Year, there were many patients. Apart from taking care of them, she was busy with other things and didn’t have the free time.

The two of them chatted a little more about Li Tao’s child, and when it got late, Li Tao went back down the mountain to her home.

When Li Tao returned to the Qingsong Brigade, everyone gathered around her. “So, what did Guan Yue say?”

Li Tao didn’t mention that Guan Yue had said she could go but only said: “The pharmaceutical factory isn’t built yet, and the hiring rules haven’t been decided. Guan Yue said that once it’s ready, they’ll post a notice about the recruitment, and everyone can go then.”

“Earlier this morning, I heard them say that the pharmaceutical factory will prioritize hiring family members from the medical school.”

“Really?”

“Does that mean we won’t have a chance?”

“That can’t be right. The hiring should be fair. If we meet the conditions, why wouldn’t they pick us?”

“Pfft, there are plenty of people who meet the conditions. Why should they pick you?”

“Just because I have a junior high school diploma.”

“Hah, there are so many factories in the city. Go try your junior high school diploma and see which factory will hire you.”

“You…”

Zhou Baohe grabbed them and said: “What are you arguing about? Do you think if you argue, they’ll hire you just because you won?”

The chattering stopped, and everyone looked at Zhou Baohe.

“The medical school is definitely right to prioritize placing family members, but it doesn’t mean they won’t recruit from our commune, does it? If they do recruit from the commune, our brigade is the closest, and we have the best relationship with them. Doesn’t that mean our chances are the highest?”

“That’s true!”

Zhou Baohe said: “Stop talking about useless things. Those who are working at the construction site should go home to eat and sleep. This afternoon, focus on your work and earn your wages first.”

“Alright, disperse. Don’t stand around here.”

“Let’s go, time to cook.”

Once everyone had left, Zhou Baohe called Li Tao over: “Did Guan Yue tell you anything else?”

Li Tao thought for a moment but shook her head.

Zhou Baohe could tell that Li Tao hadn’t shared everything, but since she didn’t say anything, he didn’t press further and let it go for now.