Chapter 20: Do You Like Educated Youth Xiao?

Lu Yunxiao quickly covered the phone receiver, hoping that his grandmother’s words wouldn’t be overheard by others.

But he knew the military phones were definitely monitored, so as long as nothing sensitive was said openly, it was fine.

“Grandma, Third Brother hasn’t married yet. How do you know he’s not good enough? Maybe he’s better than me,” Lu Yunxiao said.

“He’s not getting married, I know that for sure. He definitely isn’t as good as you.”

What Lu Yunxiao dreaded most was facing this topic. “Grandma, let’s wait until Third Brother gets married first.”

“Yunxiao, listen to Grandma. People your age already have kids running around. You should really think it over.”

Lu Yunxiao felt a headache coming on. “Well, Grandma, please stop for now. I want Jingjing. I want Jingjing.”

“Jingjing? Who’s Jingjing? You always say Jingjing but never say who that is.”

“I just want some peace and quiet, Grandma. Let’s talk later, okay?” He hung up the phone.

Lu Grandma walked out of the post office, muttering to herself, “Every time I mention marriage, he just talks about Jingjing. Who is this Jingjing anyway?”

She thought of Yu Jingjing, but obviously Yu Jingjing didn’t know Lu Yunxiao, so the Jingjing he mentioned couldn’t be Yu Jingjing.

Thinking about it made her a little scared.

Could it be that this Jingjing was a man? Her grandson was afraid of what others would say, afraid they wouldn’t accept them, so he wouldn’t say it out loud.

It must be because of this male Jingjing that he never wanted to marry.

Lu Grandma simply didn’t dare imagine it. The grandson she cared about so much, actually liking a man?

To stop herself from crying out loud, she bit her fist.

---

On the other side,

Yu Jingjing and Zhao Yuan arrived at a residential alley. Yu Jingjing told Zhao Yuan to wait for her at one spot.

“Jingjing, maybe I should come with you, or we can go together.” She suspected Jingjing was heading to the black market.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back safely. You must wait here for me.”

Yu Jingjing was gone less than half an hour and returned with a pot and a vegetable-washing basin, all taken from Uncle Yu’s house. They didn’t actually pay but just took them out from the space.

At the same time, she really did check out the black market and planned to do business there whenever she had time.

“Jingjing, you’re really brave. How much did the pot and basin cost?” Zhao Yuan tried to pay most of the money, as Jingjing had taken a risk.

Yu Jingjing thought if she didn’t take the money, Zhao Yuan would feel like an outsider, so she gave a number: “They were used by someone else, twenty yuan total.”

Zhao Yuan gave her ten yuan, and Yu Jingjing returned two yuan: “We’re splitting the bill. I can’t take too much from you.”

They went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings, plus rice, noodles, and vegetables for lunch — all expenses shared.

After buying, they found Lu Grandma to put the things on the ox cart, then Yu Jingjing went to the post office to pick up a package. By the time she returned to the brigade, it was almost noon.

Lu Grandma asked Yu Jingjing, “Little Educated Youth, when will you have time to come to my house to treat my daughter-in-law? How about now?”

It was nearly lunchtime; Yu Jingjing didn’t want to go to someone’s house then. “I’ll eat, rest a bit, maybe around two o’clock.”

Lu Grandma went home, her face looking even worse than her daughter-in-law’s.

“Mom, you’re back. What did Yunxiao say? Is he willing to come back for a meeting?”

Lu Grandma pointed to her face: “Look at my expression, you know I didn’t bring good news.”

“Then Yunxiao must be unwilling to come back. If he was like that before, you wouldn’t look this upset.”

Lu Grandma almost cried, grabbing Lu Mother’s hand, “Su, Suping, I have terrible news. Your son likes men.”

“What?” Lu Mother’s eyes immediately widened. “Mom, did he say that to you himself?”

“He’s too shy to say it. I guessed. You see, every time we call him about marriage, he says he wants Jingjing. When asked, he dodges and won’t say who Jingjing is. I guess Jingjing must be a man. Because of this male companion, he doesn’t want to marry.”

“Mom, what should we do?”

“What can we do?” Lu Grandma sighed heavily. “I’ve come to accept it. Whether it’s a man or a woman, as long as Yunxiao likes them, it’s fine. At least he has someone to rely on. Next time I call him, I’ll be honest and tell him to bring that person home. We’ll just say they’re comrades or brothers. As long as we family understand, that’s enough.”

“Mom, you’re so open-minded. I’m okay with it too. I thought he wouldn’t like anyone, so at least this way he has a companion.”

While Yu Jingjing and Zhao Yuan were cooking lunch, Chen Mingxu glanced their way but didn’t come over.

After lunch, Yu Jingjing and Zhao Yuan went out to gather some firewood, preparing to go to Lu’s house to see Lu Mother.

Mingrui Gong blocked her in the courtyard: “Little Educated Youth, although Lu Aunt has already agreed to let you treat her, I still want to warn you — treating people isn’t a small matter. A small mistake might cause consequences beyond what we imagine. I hope you think carefully. If you can’t cure her well, it will be hard for you to stay here.”

“You should know how advanced medicine is now. If you insist on treating Lu Aunt, be careful of accidents.”

“Still going to insist on doing it?”

Unfortunately, Little Educated Youth Xiao had no medical instruments in hand, or else she could show off more.

“Little Educated Youth, you’re young. Can I know where you learned medical skills?”

“It’s passed down from the ancestors, got it?”

Yu Jingjing finished speaking and left. Gong Fanrui clenched her teeth in hatred. Yu Jingjing was so eager to show off simply because she wanted to get closer to the family of the team leader. She herself couldn’t just sit idly by.

She also had to find a way to build a good relationship with the team leader’s family so that when the barefoot doctor exam came, she could have an advantage over Yu Jingjing.

That old lady might be ignorant, but the team leader should be able to judge the situation.

Lu Family

Lu Yunyang came out of the house and had just stepped into the courtyard when he saw Yu Jingjing coming in from outside. Yu Jingjing also saw him.

Their eyes met…

In just one second, Lu Yunyang felt his face rapidly heat up, his heart beating wildly as if it would jump out, and breathing suddenly became difficult.

“Y-you, you…” He tried to say something to greet Yu Jingjing, but only managed one word before feeling like he was about to collapse, so he hurried into the kitchen.

“Hey.” Yu Jingjing wanted to ask where Lu’s mother was but found that no one was there anymore.

Lu Old Lady came out of the room. “Educated Youth Xiao is here, quickly come inside.”

Yu Jingjing took Lu’s pulse. Since Lu’s mother’s spleen and lungs were already deficient, she needed to be nurtured in a specific order. According to the sequence, the liver needed to be treated first—nourishing the liver blood to improve liver function so the whole body’s qi and blood could circulate smoothly. At the same time, acupuncture was needed to unblock the meridians and facilitate qi and blood flow.

(Note: The author made this up based on a little medical knowledge, so please don’t take it seriously. For other medical knowledge mentioned in the book, just read it as entertainment and don’t treat illness using these methods; if sick, see a doctor.)

Lu Yunyang was hiding in the kitchen, his hands and feet still trembling uncontrollably.

No, how could he face her like this?

“It must be that I just got flustered and haven’t gotten used to it yet. It will get better in time.”

Yu Jingjing took out her silver needles from the space and started acupuncture on Lu’s mother.

These silver needles were passed down from her master in her previous life. Unlike ordinary acupuncture needles, the longest needle was nearly an inch long and could be wound around the wrist, taken out and used anytime. Thanks to her spatial ability, she could easily store and retrieve them.

Lu’s mother and Lu Old Lady were both surprised by the long needles.

Yu Jingjing comforted Lu’s mother, “Auntie, don’t be afraid. The needles are a bit long, but it doesn’t hurt.”

While treating, Grandma Lu casually asked Yu Jingjing about the origin of her medical skills, “Little Educated Youth Xiao, you’re still so young and already so skilled. Your master must be an extraordinary person, right?”

Yu Jingjing’s master was in the modern world, not here.

“Grandma, my parents were both doctors who specialized in pharmaceutical research. I was influenced by them and loved reading medical books since I was young. I also learned some techniques from them.”

“Oh, I see. Your parents must have been remarkable.”

Yu Jingjing sighed, “Unfortunately, they passed away not long ago in a laboratory explosion at the pharmaceutical factory.”

Lu Old Lady immediately regretted bringing up Yu Jingjing’s parents. She felt sorry for the girl and couldn’t help but hug her.

“Little Educated Youth Xiao, I’m sorry. Grandma didn’t mean to ask. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It’s okay, Grandma. That’s all in the past now. I’m much better.” To avoid their curiosity about other family matters, she answered frankly.

Lu Old Lady, Lu’s mother, and Lu Yunduo all felt sympathetic toward her and loathed Yu Old Lady and the eldest uncle even more.

Lu Old Lady bit her teeth in anger, “Your grandma and your eldest uncle are truly despicable. They deserved their fate. Child, from now on, you can come to our house often. Don’t feel like a stranger. Treat it like your own home.”

Lu Yunduo held Yu Jingjing’s hand, “Sister Yu, you should come visit me often. I’ll come find you too.”

“Okay.” Yu Jingjing patted her head.

After finishing acupuncture on Lu’s mother, Yu Jingjing gave a prescription to nourish and protect the liver as well as some dietary supplements.

The Lu family invited her to stay for a meal, but she politely declined. Lu Old Lady picked some tomatoes and cucumbers from their vegetable garden, packed them in a basket, and had her take them.

The team leader recalled that after the autumn harvest, the commune would organize village doctor training. Their team currently didn’t have a village doctor. Yu Jingjing’s medical skills were excellent. With just a few days of study there, she could take the village doctor qualification exam. Given her abilities, becoming a village doctor should be easy.

Then, their team wouldn’t have to bring doctors from outside anymore.

So he said to Yu Jingjing, “Educated Youth Xiao, our commune will organize village doctor training after autumn. Usually, it takes three to four months during the winter to learn. I think you basically don’t need much study. You can just go and learn a bit, get your certificate, and then work as the village doctor in our team. How about that?”

Yu Jingjing’s goal was to become a doctor and treat more people.

She immediately agreed, “Okay, Uncle Team Leader, I will go.”

“Alright.”

After Yu Jingjing left, Lu Yunyang finally dared to come out of the kitchen.

Sure enough, once she was gone, his heart calmed down, his face stopped burning, his hands and feet stopped trembling, and breathing returned to normal.

He hurried inside to check on his mother. “Mom, how is she?”

“Good, very good. I can already feel that Educated Youth Xiao’s treatment is working. I feel comfortable.”

“That’s great. I like her. A girl I like is always amazing.”

“What?”

Lu’s mother, Lu Old Lady, and Lu Yunduo all asked in shock, their surprise no less than seeing a sow climbing a tree ready to give birth.

“You… you say you like Educated Youth Xiao?”