Chapter 63: When the Mountain Appears, There Will Be a Way Through

"You promised you would give me a massage!" Jiang Xiaoman said, speaking up to remind him.

The smile on Zhou Yichen's deepens.

What a girl.

Of course he remembered.

However, looking at Jiang Xiaoman's puffed-up, indignant face, he decided to tease her on purpose.

"When did I promise that? How come I don't remember?"

"You!"

Jiang Xiaoman grew anxious in an instant, her cheeks flushing a bright red as she almost sprang up from her stool.

"It was... it was last time! The day Xiaoyue and I came over to your place to wash up!"

She spoke in a rush to explain, but then realized how those words sounded, causing her voice to drop involuntarily.

"That day... that day Xiaoyue was there, so I was too shy to say it."

"And then these past two days have been so tiring and busy, I ended up forgetting about it myself."

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, until it was barely audible at the end, though she still muttered stubbornly in protest.

"Today, seeing how comfortable you made Grandpa Zhang and the others feel with your massage, I remembered it all over again!"

"If you dare to back out of your promise, I... I..."

Jiang Xiaoman fumbled over her threat for a long time, unable to come up with anything substantial.

As for beating him up, she definitely couldn't win.

Scolding him didn't seem to carry much deterrent force either.

Watching her adorable expression, a mix of anxiety and embarrassment, Zhou Yichen finally couldn't hold it in any longer and chuckled softly.

He nodded and said with a smile, "Fine, I won't go back on my word. I'll give you your massage in a moment."

Upon receiving this affirmative reply, Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up instantly, resembling a pair of freshly polished obsidian stones.

She lowered her head with a sense of utter satisfaction, shoveling the corn porridge into her mouth in large mouthfuls, as if a fraction of her exhaustion had already melted away.

She might not fully understand just how brilliant Zhou Yichen's medical skills were.

However, she had seen with her own eyes how Grandpa Zhang regained his vigor after just a few needles from him, and she had heard the villagers speak of his abilities with awe-inspiring reverence.

Even the head of the commune hospital recognized his skill, appointing him as an official health worker.

For someone so remarkably talented to give her a massage—wasn't that a walk in the park?

Jiang Xiaoman thought to herself with a sweet contentment, brimming with infinite anticipation for the impending massage.

Yet, what she remained unaware of was that Zhou Yichen, sitting across from her, was at that moment far more pleased than she was.

Naturally, the source of his happiness was entirely different from Jiang Xiaoman's.

A hard-to-detect smile lingered at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Jiang Xiaoman, his gaze akin to looking at the perfect utility tool.

To him, whether it was acupuncture, writing prescriptions, or physical manipulation and massage, each served as an exceptional avenue to accumulate proficiency in medical arts.

Particularly physical therapy and massage, practices requiring precise techniques and applied force, saw proficiency rise at a much faster rate compared to merely reading books.

Knowledge and action as one.

Practice was precisely what allowed his heaven-rewarding diligence talent to reach its absolute pinnacle.

With Jiang Xiaoman delivering herself right to his doorstep as a willing tool for practice, it was precisely what he wished for.

Night deepened.

After the two finished their meal, Jiang Xiaoman efficiently cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

She quickly fetched a bucket of water and headed to the washroom to take a bath, emerging with a faint, clean scent of soap and her damp hair draped loosely over her shoulders.

"I'm done!"

Pushing aside the curtain, enveloped in a mist of steam, she unceremoniously climbed onto Zhou Yichen's neatly made brick bed and skillfully dropped face down.

Burying her cute baby face into the pillow, her muffled voice drifted over.

"Zhou Yichen, hurry up! Stop dawdling!"

With a helpless chuckle, Zhou Yichen put down the medical book in his hands.

He walked over to the edge of the bed, and by the dim, flickering light of the oil lamp, looked at Jiang Xiaoman, who was lying flat like a little turtle.

She had already shed her heavy cotton-padded jacket, wearing only a thin, close-fitting shirt that traced the slender yet somewhat youthful curves of her back.

"What's the rush?"

Teasing her with a remark, he sat cross-legged on the bed and reached out his hands.

His fingers were long and strong, bearing the light calluses born from years of practicing calligraphy and turning pages, and they came to rest gently on Jiang Xiaoman's shoulders.

"Mmh..."

Jiang Xiaoman let out a comfortable hum.

Zhou Yichen's hands were very warm, exuding an assuring strength as they kneaded her stiff shoulders and neck with moderate pressure.

The soreness accumulated from days of chopping firewood and carrying shoulder poles seemed to dissolve away bit by bit under this gentle force.

It felt so good.

Yet this comfort did not last for long.

Zhou Yichen quickly located a taut knot of muscle near her shoulder blade.

His gaze narrowed slightly, and applying sudden, decisive force, his fingers pressed down precisely upon it!

"Ah—!"

A short, sharp cry of pain instantly burst from Jiang Xiaoman's lips.

It was an exceedingly complex sensation that rippled through every bone and fiber of her body.

Aching, swollen, painful, and carrying a hint of an indescribable tingling numbness all at once!

Jiang Xiaoman stiffened completely, like a fish tossed ashore.

"Zhou Yichen!"

"Are you... are you trying to murder me?!"

Turning her head, her face twisted into a mask of bitter agony as tears pricked the corners of her eyes from the pain.

" lighter! Make it lighter!"

Unmoved, Zhou Yichen maintained a solemn and proper expression on his face.

"Don't move."

"Where there is stagnation, there is pain; where there is smooth flow, there is no pain. Your vital energy and blood are far too stagnant here, and it requires firm pressure to clear them up."

Every single word he spoke was dripping with professionalism.

And he wasn't lying.

The girl Jiang Xiaoman might look carefree, but whenever she worked, she threw herself into it with a fierce, reckless energy, completely devoid of self-preservation.

After a few days of this, her muscles had frozen up from fatigue; without a bit of real force, there was simply no loosening them.

The notification sounds ringing continuously in his mind served as the absolute best proof.

[Medical proficiency +1]

[Medical proficiency +1]

See? The results were remarkable.

However...

His gaze fell back upon his pressing fingers.

Through the thin layer of fabric, he could distinctly feel the warmth and delicate texture of the young girl's skin.

The softness of this girl's body was unbelievable.

Massaging it... really did feel quite nice.

...

Zhou Yichen's fingertips finally lifted away from that warm, tense patch of skin.

The astonishing elasticity and delicate touch left his heart rippling faintly, before returning instantly to a state as calm as an ancient, undisturbed well.

Drawing back his hand, he looked down at Jiang Xiaoman, who lay motionless on the bed, and called out softly.

"Xiaoman, we're done."

No response.

He called out once more.

Silence still reigned.

Leaning in closer, Zhou Yichen tilted his head to listen.

Reaching his ears was the steady, lingering sound of the young girl's breathing, accompanied by a faint nasal murmur.

The girl had actually passed out cold from sleep.

By the end of the massage session, her entire being had turned completely into a puddle of soft mud.

Zhou Yichen felt a twinge of numbness.

Looking at Jiang Xiaoman, who had occupied a good half of his brick bed, and then turning his gaze to the pitch-black, ink-like night outside the window, he found himself momentarily caught in a dilemma.

He had miscalculated.

It was already late, and the village had long since extinguished its lights and fallen asleep into profound stillness.

Should he wake her up and send her back?

He glanced at Jiang Xiaoman's sleeping face, stripped of all defense, with her brows relaxed and a hint of satisfied curvature lingering at the corners of her mouth.

Just moments ago she had been crying out in pain, and now she was sleeping so sweetly.

Zhou Yichen simply lacked the heart to drag her out of her dreams.

So, should he let her sleep right here?

Zhou Yichen's temples began to throb.

If word of this ever got out, for a grown man like him to keep an unmarried young maiden over night in his room...

Even if he grew mouths all over his body, he would never be able to clear his name.

Rubbing his brow in helpless resignation, Zhou Yichen simply decided to stop thinking about it.

When the boat reaches the bridge-pier, it will straighten with the current.

Moving lightly and stealthily, he stood up, grabbed an outer garment, and turned to walk out of the room.