Chapter 62: Fulfillment

Even the usually unflappable Zhou Yichen found this a bit too much to handle.

It was not that he feared gossip, but rather that he worried Jiang Xiaoman, an unmarried young woman with a delicate skin, would be unable to keep her composure if teased like this in the present era.

He quickly stood up, cupped his hands toward the crowd, and offered a helpless, bitter smile.

"Uncles, aunts, elder brothers and sisters, I beg you all, please spare us."

"If you keep talking like this, Xiaoman will never dare bring me water to drink again."

His words were half-joking and half-serious.

Hearing this, everyone burst into hearty laughter.

Zhou Yichen was now regarded by them as a "miracle doctor," a figure capable of saving lives. Who would dare not give him face?

If they truly offended this little ancestor, what would happen if they fell ill later and his hand shook while dispensing medicine for them? That would be disastrous!

The crowd immediately exchanged knowing glances. Although the smiles on their faces grew even broader, they stopped teasing aloud.

"Fine, fine, fine! We won't say any more!"

"Doctor Zhou is thin-skinned, we understand!"

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became even warmer and more harmonious.

...

The laughter and chatter in the courtyard finally subsided as the last few villagers took their leave.

The afterglow of the setting sun painted the courtyard floor a warm, amber hue.

Zhou Yichen saw off the last elderly woman who had come for her aching legs and let out a long breath of relief.

After a whole afternoon of bustling activity, the visitors had finally cleared out.

However, looking at the empty herb baskets in the corner, he could not help but shake his head with a helpless smile.

Too many people had come for medical consultations today, far exceeding his expectations.

He had thought the wild herbs he picked from the mountain earlier would last for a while, but they had been almost completely exhausted in a single afternoon—it was not even quite enough.

Still, Zhou Yichen had promised to go up the mountain tomorrow to gather herbs and told them to come back and collect them then.

The villagers were not in a hurry; not just one day, but waiting a few extra days would not matter. Zhou Yichen was their production team's barefoot doctor, and seeing him cost them nothing.

Although the medical care was free, Zhou Yichen was not without compensation.

Though there was no cash, the production team credited him with work points.

And they were full work points at that.

Ten points a day, rain or shine, regardless of whether there were patients or not.

In this era, work points were the very root of survival.

At the end of the year, they could be exchanged for life-saving rations as well as cash, making them immensely useful.

Having a village doctor who brought honor to the team and tangible benefits to everyone made them secretly overjoyed.

Once the final villagers departed, the entire courtyard finally grew quiet.

Jiang Xiaoman emerged from the house and gave Zhou Yichen a sideways glance.

She told him to go inside and rest immediately, declaring that she would cook dinner.

Zhou Yichen initially wanted to say he was not tired and could help.

But seeing Jiang Xiaoman's baby-faced expression, still tinged with a trace of a blush, and her feigned fierce look, he swallowed the words back.

Having been teased by the uncles and aunts just moments before, this young girl clearly had not recovered from the embarrassment and was still feeling shy.

"Alright, then I'll leave the hard work to you."

Zhou Yichen complied gracefully.

After treating patients all afternoon, his body was not particularly tired, but his mind was indeed somewhat exhausted.

Dealing with over twenty patients in one afternoon—even though most were common ailments like headaches and fevers—required his absolute concentration without the slightest room for error.

This was not only a matter of responsibility toward the villagers but also toward the reputation he had worked so hard to build.

He removed his shoes, sat cross-legged on the warm brick kang, leaned against the wall, and opened his talent panel to review the day's gains.

[Medical Skill LV2 (113/2000)]

Looking at this number, a satisfied arc formed at the corner of Zhou Yichen's mouth.

In just one afternoon, his medical proficiency had surged by nearly a hundred points.

Such efficiency was far faster than simply reading books.

Practice was the only criterion for testing truth and also the fastest way to improve skills.

Closing the panel, Zhou Yichen picked up a medical text, using the last sliver of daylight filtering through the window to read with relish.

The rustling sound of turning pages, intertwined with the chopping of vegetables and the clatter of a spatula from the outdoor kitchen, wove together into a peaceful and warm evening melody.

[Medical Skill Proficiency +1]

[Medical Skill Proficiency +1]

...

Before long, Jiang Xiaoman's crisp voice rang out from the doorway.

"Yichen, stop reading! Wash your hands and come eat!"

Zhou Yichen raised his head to see Jiang Xiaoman carrying two bowls of food inside, the previous awkwardness and shyness entirely gone from her face.

Tonight's dinner was simple: a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a plate of sliced potatoes, and two steaming bowls of corn mush.

Under the dim, flickering light of the oil lamp, Jiang Xiaoman's cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes had returned to their usual brightness and composure.

Growing up, the two of them had certainly been teased quite a few times.

It was just that being thousands of miles away from home, in an unfamiliar countryside, and for the first time being surrounded and teased by so many people, the feeling was bound to be a bit different.

However, Jiang Xiaoman was not a overly coy girl; once the shyness passed, she stopped dwelling on it.

"Eat up. You've been busy all afternoon, you must be starving."

She handed the chopsticks efficiently to Zhou Yichen and sat down herself.

Zhou Yichen took the chopsticks and picked up a potato slice to put in his mouth.

The taste was good, carrying a trace of the smoky aroma of the wok, and the saltiness was just right.

"Your cooking is good," Zhou Yichen praised sincerely.

"Of course!"

Jiang Xiaoman proudly tilted her chin up, the blush on her face resembling a ripe apple under the lamplight.

"Don't forget who I am!"

She took a couple of bites of the corn mush, but as if remembering something, her smugness instantly deflated.

Noticing this, Zhou Yichen put down his chopsticks and asked softly, "How was work today? Are you tired?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoman's face immediately scrunched up into a ball.

"Don't even mention it!"

She let out a heavy sigh, absentmindedly poking at the cabbage in her bowl with her chopsticks.

"The team assigned us educated youths to cut firewood in the mountains these past few days to prepare for winter."

"It was fine for the first two days; everyone was holding back their breath and could manage."

"But after several days in a row, that initial novelty is long gone, and what's left is pure exhaustion."

She pouted, her voice laden with deep fatigue and a hint of grievance.

"We female educated youths have it a bit better. We're mainly responsible for bundling up slender branches and helping carry them down the mountain, so the work is relatively lighter."

"Take Zhao Weiguo and the other guys, though—their situation is miserable!"

"Even though the team cuts us educated youths some slack, they are still male laborers, and heavy tasks like felling trees and splitting wood fall entirely on their shoulders."

Jiang Xiaoman lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard.

"I saw Zhao Weiguo's hands the other day—goodness, his blisters had torn open and new ones formed right over them. His palms were unrecognizable."

"Those guys are so exhausted every day that when they finish work and drag themselves back to the youth dormitory, they just crash and fall asleep immediately, too lazy to even utter a word."

"Working like this all day doesn't even earn them many work points."

Zhou Yichen listened quietly, clicking his tongue inwardly.

That exhausting?

Although he had mentally prepared himself for the hardships of rural labor before coming to the countryside, hearing it described firsthand by Jiang Xiaoman still brought a jolt of shock.

Immediately afterward, an indescribable sense of relief welled up from the depths of his heart.

He was once again grateful that he had planned ahead and chosen the path of medicine.

Compared to other educated youths struggling on the poverty line amidst grueling labor, the life he was leading now was practically heaven.

Though this small courtyard was humble and lacked furniture, it was at least his own domain, tranquil and free.

He did not have to squeeze into a freezing communal kang at the youth point with a large crowd, breathing in the smell of body odor.

Nor did he have to torture himself to death just to secure an extra mouthful of food or earn one more work point.

With a skill in hand, the world is mine.

The ancients never deceived me.

Just as Zhou Yichen was silently reflecting, Jiang Xiaoman opposite him suddenly put down her bowls and chopsticks.

She scrunched up her cute baby face, looking at him with a wronged expression and a hint of accusation in her eyes.

"My whole body hurts."

"My shoulders, my back, my waist... it feels like not a single part of me belongs to me anymore."

As she spoke, she reached out with her small hand to beat her shoulder feebly.

A thought stirred in Zhou Yichen's heart, and seeing her appearance, a smile crept to the corners of his mouth.

"So?"

"So!"

Jiang Xiaoman sharply raised her voice, glaring at him with her bright eyes.

"Zhou Yichen! Are you still going to honor what you promised me earlier?"

"Don't even think about backing out of it!"