Chapter 40.1

Facing the two high-ranking leaders, Guan Yue did not show any sign of timidity. She gave a faint smile and said: “I’m about to get married, so I’m no longer a girl.”

“Marriage is good. I heard your partner is also a doctor?”

Guan Yue smiled and replied: “Yes, he’s also a doctor. I’m a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and he’s a Western medicine doctor.”

Guan Yue then added: “I heard both of you have tight schedules, so we won’t waste your time. Shall I check your pulses now?”

“Hahaha, you have a straightforward personality.”

“I’m not in a hurry. Let me check the pulse of this elder first.”

Guan Yue looked at the other person, who appeared to be older.

“I’ll go first, I’ll go first.”

Both of them were not young anymore, yet they still engaged in this little banter.

Guan Yue worked quickly and soon finished checking their pulses. Both of them had digestive issues, and given their age, they also had some sleeping problems. Fortunately, they were usually taken care of by health doctors, and there were no major issues.

After her diagnosis, the service staff standing behind them remained silent. Guan Yue knew that among them, there must be health doctors.

The leader who appeared slightly younger nodded and said: “There’s not a single mistake. You’re really skilled at checking pulses.”

Guan Yue smiled faintly and replied: “You flatter me. Let’s start with the acupuncture.”

Fang Lin walked over, holding the silver needles for Guan Yue.

In traditional Chinese medicine, people’s abilities were often judged by their age, but this bias didn’t apply to Guan Yue. No matter how many health doctors were watching, the speed at which she inserted the needles didn’t slow down even a little.

After the needles were in place, neither of the leaders fell asleep immediately. Instead, they were very interested and began chatting with Guan Yue.

“I heard from them that your teacher only taught you how to diagnose and prescribe, and you learned acupuncture on your own?”

Guan Yue nodded. “What the leader heard is correct.”

Guan Yue was very clear that, considering how she had come to be here today, her background had undoubtedly been thoroughly investigated and scrutinized countless times by them.

“That’s right. I heard that you even paid to build a medical school. What are your views on traditional Chinese medicine?”

“This question is too broad. Are you asking about my opinion on the current situation of traditional Chinese medicine, or my views on its future development?”

The leader chuckled: “Either one works. Don’t worry, just speak your mind.”

Guan Yue curled the corners of her lips. “If you ask me about the current situation of Chinese medicine, I can only say that the situation of most traditional Chinese doctors is very grim. But this isn’t just the case with Chinese medicine; isn’t Western medicine also struggling? Are those teachers doing any better? This is a problem with our entire social environment. There’s very little I can do about it. But if I can change even a little, then that’s something.”

“As for the future of Chinese medicine… Chinese medicine emphasizes inheritance. If we continue like this for a few more years, with the older generation dying off and being injured, there will be no one left to carry it on. In ten or twenty years, when the environment improves, even if young people are willing to learn, who will teach them? If the roots are severed, does Chinese medicine still have a future?”

The more Guan Yue spoke, the colder her tone became. Her words became more and more blunt, but no one in the room rebutted her.

Because she was speaking the truth.

Guan Yue didn’t believe that the leaders, who were exceptionally intelligent, couldn’t see the problems she had observed.

It was just a matter of what they decided to do about it.

After a sigh, the room fell silent, and both leaders fell asleep.

Guan Yue quietly sat there, waiting for the right time. Once the acupuncture was finished, she removed the needles without waking the two leaders. She nodded at the service staff behind her and left.

The car drove out from inside. Fang Lin, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at Guan Yue through the rearview mirror.

Fang Lin said: “Doctor Guan, don’t take it too personally. Since the leaders asked you such questions, it means… things will definitely improve slowly in the future.”

Guan Yue’s current position was very special. She was someone that several major military districts considered a person to protect. She treated the wounded soldiers from the military, provided them with medicine, and also treated wealthy businessmen from abroad to bring resources to the country.

Her words carried much more weight than those of other doctors, and the leaders would surely take them into consideration.

“I’m not angry.” What good would it do for her to be angry?

She actually thought that they probably wouldn’t have asked her those questions for no reason. She had said what she wanted to say, and that was enough.

Fang Lin dropped Guan Yue off at the entrance of the courtyard before leaving.

She had left at ten in the morning, and now that she was home, it was only just past twelve.

Gu Sui was preparing to cook when he saw her return. He smiled and asked: “How did it go? You look like you’re not in a good mood.”

Guan Yue stretched out her arms. Gu Sui casually wiped his hands on a towel and hugged her.

Guan Yue hummed: “It’s so nice to have you here.”

Gu Sui didn’t ask much about her morning. “You tend the fire, I’ll stir-fry the dishes.”

Guan Yue released him. “What are we having?”

Gu Sui replied: “Braised cabbage with vinegar, stir-fried celery with pork, and a noodle soup.”

Guan Yue sat down by the stove and added a piece of firewood. The fire in the stove blazed brightly, and she stretched her hands out to warm them.

Guan Yue asked: “Are you really leaving tomorrow?”

Gu Sui nodded. “My brother bought the tickets this morning. We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon.”

Guan Yue asked: “What about the food you promised Wang Ze? Should we have them come pick it up this afternoon or tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow morning would be better, just to be safe.”

“Mm.”

Given the lack of people outside, if anyone were to suspect the origin of her food and start investigating, it would be hard to explain.

It was better for them to come tomorrow morning. If anyone asked, they could just say it was delivered the night before.

Guan Yue wasn’t in a good mood today. After lunch, she went to her room to take a nap. Gu Sui got dressed and left to visit his family.

When Gu Sui arrived home, his parents and older brother were all there.

Gu Ci was curled up on the sofa, with a stove in front of her. Fresh sweet potatoes were roasting on the stove, the ones they had brought over the day before.

Gu Ci asked: “You came alone? Where’s Guan Yue?”

“Guan Yue went out this morning. She’s tired, so she’s resting at home this afternoon.”

Gu Ci responded: “I heard Fang Lin went to pick her up?”

Gu Ci raised an eyebrow: “How do you know that?”

“Don’t ask me how I know. I also know where Fang Lin took her this morning.”

Gu Jingde furrowed his brow: “Gu Ci, you need to know your limits when you do things. Be more mindful of the rules, and don’t pry into things you shouldn’t.”

Gu Ci casually said: “Oh, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Zhang Limin wasn’t interested in these vague matters. She turned to Gu Sui and asked: “So, you two are just going to register the marriage when you go back? Have you two talked about when to have the wedding?”

Gu Sui smiled: “We’ve talked about it. We’ll have the wedding on New Year’s Day next year, in Qingxi Village. You all can come to Qingxi Village then.”

“You’re not having it in Beijing?”

“No, not in Beijing. If Uncle Bai and the others can’t make it, we can just invite them to a meal when we return.”

“As long as you’ve discussed it, that’s fine. Your dad and I don’t have any objections.”

To be honest, Zhang Limin really did want to visit Qingxi Village. Her son had been talking it up so much, but she still wasn’t at ease and felt she needed to see it for herself.

If the development there wasn’t going well, they would have to figure something out to bring her son and daughter-in-law back to Beijing so that at least the family could take care of them.

The family spent the afternoon talking, and by the time it was almost dark, Gu Sui got up to leave. “Brother, tell Wang Ze to go to the courtyard tomorrow morning to pick up the vegetables. Besides the ones for Wang Ze, the rest can be left for Mom and Dad.”

“Got it.”

When Gu Sui returned to the courtyard, Guan Yue had already woken up. The corner of the room was piled with vegetables like sweet potatoes, yam, and taro—foods that could be stored for a long time.

When Gu Sui entered, Xiao Hei was tangled up with Guan Yue’s plant pots again and had started rolling around.

The two leaves at the top of Xiao Hei’s vine had turned so black that the green could no longer be seen.

Gu Sui smiled and said: “Xiao Hei looked better when it was still green.”

Xiao Hei was angry and whipped its tendrils, striking Gu Sui with a lash. The back of Gu Sui’s hand turned red.

Guan Yue glared and said: “Xiao Hei, don’t bully him.”

Xiao Hei wasn’t happy. How could it not strike him when he was calling it green? Saying its leaves were green was an insult, implying it was weak!

Xiao Hei couldn’t really fight against Guan Yue, so it lay flat on the flowerpot, motionless, using the act of playing dead to express its anger.

Gu Sui said: “Xiao Hei is really smart.”

Hmph, Xiao Hei didn’t accept the compliment. It turned its head, and the two leaves fell off the pot and rolled to the back, out of sight.

Gu Sui said: “Let’s not plant anything for now. We’ll plant the vegetables tomorrow morning. Let’s cook dinner first.”

Guan Yue replied: “Do I have to help you with the fire again?”

“Are you going to burn it or not?”

“I’ll burn it.”

Gu Sui curled his lips in a smile, feeling very good.

Tonight, they weren’t going to stir-fry anything, just cook rice noodles. The mustard greens Gu Sui had pickled a few days ago were ready to eat, and when mixed with the rice noodles, they tasted amazing.

After dinner, they couldn’t go to sleep right away. They rested in the room, and since Guan Yue had nothing to do, she threw an apple seed into the ground, and it grew into an apple tree.

She had controlled the growth of the tree, so it could only grow to knee-height. Despite its small size, the tree had already produced a dozen large fruits. After picking some, more quickly grew in its place.

Gu Sui told her: “Don’t keep growing them. Let Mom and Dad eat enough.”

Guan Yue replied: “I’ll let one more batch grow. Apples store well.”

It had been a long time since Guan Yue planted fruit trees, and once she started, she couldn’t stop. She ended up filling two large baskets.

Gu Sui rubbed his forehead. “How should we deal with this tree?”

Guan Yue replied: “Just leave it in the yard. Let Uncle and Aunt come over when they have time. It will definitely bear fruit by next autumn.”

Gu Sui pinched her cheek. “I think we’re better suited to live in the mountains. This tiny yard can’t hide anything.”

Guan Yue chuckled. “Then let’s live in the mountains.”