Song Tan's Notes

The saying goes, "When friends come from afar, they not only sharpen their knives to slaughter pigs and sheep, but also to slaughter chickens, ducks, fish, shrimp, and crabs."

The bountiful catch from the 12-meter fish trap resulted in a hearty lunch of fish dishes: milky white crucian carp and tofu soup, braised fish chunks with green tomatoes and peppers, stir-fried small white fish with pickled cabbage, fish head with chopped chili peppers, braised fish, steamed fish...

With a variety of seasonal vegetables and meat dishes, everyone ate until their bellies were round, and they were burping as they stood up to clear the table.

Two elderly women helping out in the kitchen kept urging, "Let me do it, let me do it, don't get your hands dirty..."

They're paid, so it's ridiculous to expect the guests to do the work themselves!

However, the guests let out a burp, feeling like their throats were full, and while shifting unsteadily, they waved their hands and said, "Let's move around a bit, let's move around a bit..."

It's not like it's your first day here, so why are you still eating so poorly? You must have exercised too much this morning.

Everyone made excuses for themselves, and then, like snails, they wandered around the living room and backyard one by one, sweating profusely from the heat, before someone finally realized:
"Oh dear, we had moxibustion and cupping done this morning, and now we can't take a shower!"

Well, it stinks!
The children had to go up the mountain to dig yellow mud in the afternoon and pick water chestnuts in the evening. Now they were taken to the room to sleep, leaving behind a few big, sweaty men who were forbidden from going to bed.

After thinking it over, everyone had no choice but to find a place to sit in the lobby, each of them sticking out their big bellies and pretending to be limp.

Just then, other guests in the guesthouse stepped in. Upon seeing this, they hesitated for a moment, but for some reason, they also walked over and found a single sofa to sit down.

"It's not the weekend... Are you here to see Dr. Guo too?"

His gaze swept over the large bellies of the crowd, then, seeing their blank and not-so-relaxed expressions, he couldn't help but feel pity and sympathy.
"Is it stubborn constipation, bloating, or something else, a feeling of weakness?"

Huh?
After a moment of confusion, everyone looked at each other, their gossipy nature suddenly aroused—they were so full that they needed to listen to someone's chatter to help them digest!

Qin's father started by making connections: "Brother, I think you're about ten years younger than me. Why do you need to take care of your health at such a young age?"

He then praised, "Dr. Guo's skills are truly remarkable! He even cured my insomnia by using that bath bag."

what? !

The other person was shocked: "A bath bag can work? Did you take a bath in a hotel? My room doesn't have a bathtub."

He sighed, not doubting the actual effect at all, and quickly rushed to the front desk: "Boss, could you please change me to a room with a bathtub?"

Lu Jing had also eaten and drunk her fill and was sitting there slowly sipping her tea. Although she had eaten a bit too much at noon, fish and meat are not fattening, so it didn't matter if she ate a little more.

As for the fact that I mixed a bowl of noodles with the soup from the pickled pepper fish head and ate half a bowl of rice with the braised small white fish with pickled cabbage, I'll just skip over that.

Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "Sure!"

"But we don't have many rooms with bathtubs. Let me see—there's one more, bigger than your current room, with a single bathtub, but it's a bit more expensive."

Those who are willing to stay at her guesthouse naturally don't care about the small price difference.

The other party replied, "Okay, I'll make up the difference."

The price difference is 220 – rooms with bathtubs are usually expensive.

Lu Jing was in a good mood: "You've booked for several days, and with this price difference, the total price is now 3000—we can give you a complimentary premium set meal every day, and afternoon tea every day."

She pulled out her notebook: "Are there any dietary restrictions? Did the doctor advise against eating sugar? Our afternoon tea is milk tea, is that okay?"

The other person was momentarily stunned.

He came seeking medical treatment and knew nothing about the special circumstances of the Song family.

The reason I chose this guesthouse is simply because I have plenty of money.

After all, most people who are willing to travel a long distance to recuperate are relatively well-off financially.

Hearing his boss being so serious, even suggesting taking notes, he waved his hand dismissively:
"I'm a grown man, why would I drink milk tea! I'm not drinking it!"

"The set meal is fine, but how does it compare to the canteen on the mountain? Your canteen is quite good, the food is excellent, not only does it taste good, but it's also made with high-quality ingredients and is very reasonably priced."

Although we ate with the local farmers and workers, we all came from humble backgrounds, so there was no one looking down on anyone else.

He just admired the boss's generosity, while he, a small capitalist, was still somewhat lacking in terms of food.

Lu Jing blinked: "Give it a try, it's even better than the cafeteria on the mountain—the milk tea is amazing too, highly recommended!"

Moreover, this is a dish carefully prepared by a master chef, and the induction cooker that Song Tan bought for her has not been used at all.

But it must be said that when a master chef makes something, the richness and sweetness are quite different from what she makes.

The other person wasn't really interested in milk tea, but since the boss was strongly recommending it, they didn't refuse. They just nodded and went over to Qin Yun and his group of men.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun and the others sighed and started chatting as well:
"If we had known there was a Dr. Guo in Yunqiao Village, we should have come much sooner!"

The morning consisted of setting up the earthen traps, watching the children play tug-of-war, and taking a long walk... Around 8 o'clock, Lu Chuan urged everyone to go back and have a quick bite to eat and take a shower. He specifically instructed Master Chai to keep breakfast simple today.

Qin Yun is not a particular person at all. He has only been out for two hours. It wouldn't be a problem if he took a shower before his afternoon nap.
Lu Chuan, however, had prior experience: "It's generally not advisable to do cupping, moxibustion, or acupuncture on an empty stomach; you definitely need to eat first."

"Also, you generally can't shower for several hours after doing these things. If you don't clean yourselves up first, you'll feel uncomfortable all sweaty later. Don't blame me for not warning you."

Everyone then realized what was happening, so they quickly and obediently went back to take showers, tidy up, and have a meal. By the time they strolled over to the clinic, it was already 9 o'clock.

Since Dr. Guo works alone, her working hours are from nine to five—although most villagers don't follow this schedule, it's the time she sets for herself.

The weekend attracts many customers from out of town, which is why we start at 8 a.m.

Now that she sees people coming, she puts down her phone: "I have three interview appointments today. They said they've already arrived in Qingxi Town and will be here in less than half an hour."

"Come on, while we're at it, let me show the child first."

"Let's be clear first, I'm not very good at pediatrics, I'll just do a general check-up—"

"It's alright," Qin Yun's wife said with a smile. "The child has been eating and playing like a madman these past few days. I'm just worried about indigestion, but nothing else."

Dr. Guo said he wanted to see the child, which is what he meant by seeing this doctor.

Children's digestive systems are not as strong as adults'.

Adults can consume gutter oil every day, but children might feel unwell after just one bite of fried food. So, first, we'll check their physical condition, then take their pulse, and then ask about their basic health status…

Of the three children, all but He Tuoluo managed to hold on.

She laughed: "Isn't the food at Song Tan's house delicious? It's normal, you can't get used to it if you don't stay here for 10 days or half a month."

Sure enough, she took out the familiar hawthorn pills again. These pills were huge, so she cut one in half for each of them: "Here, have a taste. They're made with honey. They taste sweet and sour and are very delicious."

Qin Beibei and Yun Danqing obediently took the food and popped it into their mouths. Sure enough, it tasted great!
"Doctor, is this medicine?"

If all medicine tasted this good, she could eat five a day!
Dr. Guo smiled and said, "Yes, it is medicine, but if this doesn't work, then you'll have to take bitter medicine next."

Qin Beibei immediately fell silent, and even Yun Danqing obediently took a step back. Seeing that the adults didn't object, she turned around and huddled on the sofa with her two sisters, chattering away as they started playing.

Only He Tuoluo felt the pervasive discrimination:

"Didn't I?"

Dr. Guo was stunned—she saw Xiao Shi obediently following He Tuoluo around without leaving his side, and thought that this child had a special affinity for animals!

He shook his head and said, "You've been exercising a bit too much lately. Your eating and digestion are normal, so there's no need for you to eat. It would be better to take a nap at noon to soothe your mind."

But children have strong recovery ability and energy, so this is not a big deal. There is no need to give them hawthorn pills, right?

He Tuoluo had no idea; he was just feeling incredibly sad. At that moment, he was hugging Xiao Shi's head without saying a word, quietly pretending to be a mushroom by standing to the side.

Lu Chuan thought for a moment: "Hawthorn pills are mainly for aiding digestion, so giving him half a pill shouldn't be a problem."

We can't just let him get nothing; otherwise, wouldn't the child have come to be for nothing?
Dr. Guo didn't refuse, but if she ate the hawthorn pills before she was full, she would feel hungry before it was even mealtime...

This feeling isn't pleasant either.

He Tuoluo took the hawthorn pill wrapped in a wax ball and silently went to play in the yard.

snort!
He won't eat it now. When his mother was on a diet, she always said that sweets are high in calories. Since this is sweet, he'll wait until he runs away from home tonight to eat it!
Now, he needs to quietly plan this big event.

No one can understand a child's mind. While everyone was talking, Lu Chuan heard the sound of an engine.

Upon going outside, I saw a van parked outside the clinic's low wall. The familiar village driver called out:
"Mr. Lu, these three said they're here for an interview with Dr. Guo..."

Lu Chuan smiled and waved his hand: "How much did you get? Dr. Guo will reimburse your travel expenses for the interview."

They were brought together from the station, and they also brought two extra passengers, going around to town before turning back...

The other party chuckled: "You should have said so earlier, I would have taken 20 by myself... they gave 75."

The price is acceptable. Normally, it costs 25 yuan per person to pick up people from the city. Private vehicles in the village only charge according to the number of people. They pick you up and drop you off wherever you stay in the village or town, and they don't charge extra.

Lu Chuan waved his hand: "Okay, got it."

Looking at the three young people under the blazing sun, pulling luggage and carrying bags, he smiled:

"It's hot outside, let's go inside." (End of Chapter)