The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

"So what?" Yang Shuisheng glanced at her sideways, his tone deliberately sarcastic. "Dislike it? If you don't like it, you can leave by yourself."

"My temple is too small to accommodate a big Buddha like you from the city."

He made a gesture as if to let go, giving off an "go wherever you want" look.

"No! I don't mind at all!" Lin Wan was startled and quickly grabbed his arm, forcing a smile as she explained, "I was just a little surprised, really, I don't mind at all."

She said that, but her beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance again at the dilapidated door and the low roof, a hint of undisguised disgust and unease flashing quickly across her eyes.

This place is nothing short of a pigsty compared to the environment she grew up in.

Yang Shuisheng took in her subtle expression, snorted inwardly, and didn't bother to expose her.

He took out his key, opened the creaking, dilapidated wooden door, and helped Lin Wan inside.

The room was dark as the lights were off.

But as the sliver of daylight shone through the doorway, Lin Wan's gaze swept across the room and she was startled again.

The exterior was dilapidated, but inside there were several brand-new pieces of wooden furniture.

A sturdy-looking eight-immortal table, several matching chairs, a simple but well-made cabinet against the wall, and even a large wooden bed that looks very comfortable in the corner.

Although the room was empty and sparsely furnished, these few pieces of furniture made the dilapidated house seem less shabby and even created a peculiar sense of contrast.

"The outside is a bit tattered, but I didn't expect the inside to look so nice." Lin Wan was genuinely surprised this time and couldn't help but say.

Yang Shuisheng didn't respond to her question. He helped her to a chair and then asked, "Let's make this clear first, how long do you plan to stay here?"

"I...I can only stay for three to five days at most!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wan immediately sat up straighter and her expression became serious: "I'll leave as soon as I feel better and can walk long distances on my own!"

"I absolutely, absolutely won't make things difficult for you, don't worry."

She was terrified that Yang Shuisheng would kick her out right now. Given her current physical condition, leaving here wouldn't necessarily mean certain death, but it would certainly be extremely dangerous.

Putting aside her own troubles, the local thugs and bullies alone were a headache.

"Okay, then three to five days it will be."

Yang Shuisheng glanced at her, knowing she was telling the truth, but he still had to tell her what needed to be said: "However, I have to make it clear to you in advance that you absolutely cannot go out and be seen by anyone while living here."

"Especially when I'm not home, no matter who knocks on the door or shouts outside, you better stay hidden and don't make a sound or show your face, understand?"

"Understood! I promise!" Lin Wan nodded immediately, like a chick pecking at rice. "I'll stay in this room and won't go anywhere."

"Okay." Seeing that she agreed so readily, Yang Shuisheng's expression softened slightly. "You sit down and rest for a while. I'm going out to take care of something and will be right back."

"There's water on the table, pour yourself a drink. If you're hungry, there's food over there, just look around."

He had to deliver medicine to Guo Cuihong. He had promised to be back in the afternoon, but this delay put him off for three days.

"Okay, go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me," Lin Wan quickly said.

Yang Shuisheng said no more, turned around and left, closing the door behind him. He needed to hurry before it got completely dark.

When we arrived at Guo Cuihong's house, it was already getting dark.

Guo Cuihong was busy in the kitchen when she heard the noise and came out. She was stunned when she saw Yang Shuisheng, but then her face lit up with great joy, and she almost dropped the spatula in her hand.

"Brother Shuisheng! You're finally back."

She hurried over, not even bothering to look at the things she was holding, and scrutinized Yang Shuisheng from head to toe, her eyes filled with worry and lingering fear.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Why are you going into the mountains for several days at a time? I was so worried!"

"I asked so many people, and they all said they hadn't seen you come back. I thought... I thought you..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened; she was genuinely worried that Yang Shuisheng might have an accident in the mountains.

She's been feeling very anxious these past few days and hasn't been able to sleep well at night.

"Sister-in-law Cuihong, I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright."

Seeing her genuine concern, Yang Shuisheng felt a warmth in his heart and softened his tone: "I was just looking for herbs in the mountains, which took a few extra days. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"It's alright! It's alright!" Guo Cuihong patted her chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

She then realized that she was standing quite close to Yang Shuisheng, and could almost smell the travel-worn scent and faint smell of sweat on him. Her face flushed slightly and she quickly took a half step back, but she couldn't help but glance at him to make sure he was really alright.

"Oh, right, these are the herbs I found for you." Yang Shuisheng took the cloth bag containing the herbs out of his basket and handed it to Guo Cuihong. "Boil them in water as I told you before, twice a day. Drink it for a few days and you should be fine."

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much, Brother Shuisheng." Guo Cuihong quickly took the gift, hugging it to her arms like a treasure, and then warmly pulled him in, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come in!"

"I just finished cooking, let's eat together." After taking only two steps, she called back into the house, "Xiao Bao, look who's here!"

"Big...Big Brother!"

Xiao Bao ran out from the inner room and saw Yang Shuisheng grinning foolishly.

"Xiao Bao, look what this is!"

Yang Shuisheng smiled and patted his head, then took out a few fruit candies he had brought with him before leaving the house.

"Candy! It's candy!"

Xiao Bao's eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab it, but Yang Shuisheng pulled his hand back and said half-jokingly, "Then say something nice, and I'll give you the candy."

"dad!"

In an instant, both Yang Shuisheng and Guo Cuihong were stunned.

But Xiao Bao's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, and he mumbled an explanation, "When Daddy comes back, he'll give me candy too!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid?"

These words seemed nonsensical, but they made Guo Cuihong's expression change slightly. She glanced at Yang Shuisheng somewhat awkwardly and quickly changed the subject: "Shuisheng, come in and sit down. Let's eat first."

Yang Shuisheng didn't pay attention to Xiaobao's words. He nodded, handed over the candy, and followed Guo Cuihong into the main room.

A simple meal was already laid out on the table: a plate of stir-fried greens, a bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of shredded potatoes, and a small bowl of porridge.

"Is Cuihong home?"

The three of them had just sat down and hadn't even started eating when a man's shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Shuisheng, you keep eating. I'll go out and see who it is."

Guo Cuihong frowned, whispered something to Yang Shuisheng, and then got up and left.

Yang Shuisheng was sitting inside the house and could hear the conversation outside perfectly.

"It's Gangzi, what's up?" Guo Cuihong's voice rang out in the courtyard, neither warm nor cold.

"Hey, Cuihong, it's like this," the man named Gangzi said in a fawning tone, "The village is about to elect village officials, and my cousin Erniu is running for office."

"We're all from the same village, so when the vote comes, could you please help out and vote for Erniu?"

"Don't worry, if you need anything in the future, just ask Erniu, he'll be fine!"

It turns out it was a campaign stunt.

Yang Shuisheng then remembered the matter of running for village cadre, and wondered how Zhao Youcai would handle it for him.

"Oh, that's what happened..."

Guo Cuihong's voice came through, clearly dismissive: "Let's see how it goes. I'm eating right now, Gangzi, why don't you go back first?"

"Alright, alright, you eat first, eat first!"

"Remember, Cuihong, vote for Erniu!"

Gangzi gave one more piece of advice before leaving sheepishly.

"These past few days have been filled with people coming to campaign for me; they've practically worn out my door."

Guo Cuihong walked back into the main room, sat down opposite Yang Shuisheng with a hint of impatience, and muttered, "This one wants me to vote for his nephew, that one wants me to vote for his grandson, it's so annoying."

Yang Shuisheng casually asked, "Who are the candidates?"

"There are several," Guo Cuihong counted on her fingers, "Wang Laoshuan from the east end of the village, Li Youtian from the west end, and the one nominated by Village Chief Zhao... wait?"

She suddenly stopped, her eyes lighting up as if she had remembered something. Looking at Yang Shuisheng with some excitement, she said, "By the way! Brother Shuisheng, I heard that your name is on the list of candidates."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yang Shuisheng was not surprised. Zhao Youcai must have mentioned his name in order to win him over.

"Yes! Although I don't know what happened, I'll definitely support you." Guo Cuihong patted her chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Brother Shuisheng, I won't vote for anyone else, I'll only vote for you!"

Her eyes held undisguised support and favoritism. In her heart, Yang Shuisheng was much better than those scoundrels in the village. It would be great if he could become a village cadre!