The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

After a brief moment of shock, Yu Jian and Zhang Qiuju simultaneously snapped out of their absurdity.

"You're talking nonsense!" Zhang Qiuju was the first to scream, her voice piercing, her finger almost poking Yang Shuisheng's nose. "Yang Shuisheng, you're like a toad trying to eat swan meat, you're crazy!"

"Marry my Qianwei? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror."

"My Qianwei is a college graduate. She's going to marry someone from the provincial capital, someone who'll get a government job and a guaranteed income. What makes you think you can compete?"

"A penniless peasant, whose parents died young, and who used to be a fool? You think you're worthy?"

"Keep dreaming! Don't even think about it, there's no way you'll get away with it."

She cursed quickly and urgently, spitting everywhere, pouring out all the contempt and disgust she felt for Yang Shuisheng.

Yu Jian was so angry that his face turned ashen and his chest heaved violently.

He suppressed the urge to attack and pointed at Yang Shuisheng: "Yang Shuisheng, I made myself very clear at your house that day."

"My daughter is not like you! Don't be delusional. Didn't you say the same things back then? Saying you wanted to find someone better?"

"What? You've already changed your mind after only a few days?"

"Or do you think that just because you're a lowly village official now, you're so great that you're good enough for my Qianwei?"

"Let me tell you, don't even think about making a move on my Qianwei, not even if you become a village official or a town mayor. You'd better give up on that idea now."

Not to mention that her Yu Qianwei was born beautiful, a rare beauty in the surrounding area, not to mention that she was highly educated and got into a university in the provincial capital. With these qualities, what kind of good family couldn't she find?

However, faced with the couple's volcanic outburst of anger and humiliation, Yang Shuisheng's expression did not change much, not even the slight, ambiguous smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Director Yu, Auntie, please don't get agitated."

After the two had finished arguing, he slowly spoke, his calm tone infuriating.

"I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Just asking? How can you ask something like that so casually?" Zhang Qiuju was so angry she jumped up and down.

Yang Shuisheng shrugged, looking completely innocent: "I just wanted to keep an eye on things. After all, Qianwei is the first college student in our village, and she's beautiful. She'll definitely marry into a good family in the future."

"When I get married in the future, I'll need to have some standards, right?"

"So using her as a reference, asking how much dowry someone like her would need to prepare, isn't that reasonable?"

"That way I'll know how far I am from being able to save money, and I'll work harder to save up."

What he said... sounded somewhat reasonable, but something just didn't feel right, like he was deliberately mocking them.

Yu Jian and Zhang Qiuju were taken aback by his explanation. Their anger subsided slightly, but their wariness and disgust remained undiminished.

Yu Jian stared at Yang Shuisheng suspiciously, trying to discern any other intentions from his face, but Yang Shuisheng's expression was natural and his eyes were clear, as if he was genuinely just asking out of curiosity.

"snort."

Zhang Qiuju snorted disdainfully, curling her lip and deliberately raising the price in a condescending tone, trying to completely extinguish Yang Shuisheng's hopes: "Bride price? With my Qianwei's conditions, looks, and education, she's top-notch in the city."

"Don't even think about it if you don't have at least ten thousand!"

"And it has to be a three-turn house and a radio, a house, and a job—you can't lack any of them."

"You? You'll never get them all together in your next life."

Ten thousand or eight thousand?

This is an astronomical figure in the countryside, enough to scare away 99% of potential suitors.

Even in the town, few people could meet the requirements.

"Shuisheng, listen to your uncle's advice, don't be too ambitious."

Yu Jian, going along with his wife's words, put on a hypocritical act of "I'm doing this for your own good," his tone slightly softening but still laced with a strong sense of superiority and sarcasm: "You're using my Qianwei as a standard? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

"Given your qualifications, you should honestly find a down-to-earth girl in our village or a nearby village. As long as she's hardworking and doesn't mind that you're poor, that's fine."

"As for the bride price, two or three thousand is the most you should prepare; that's the most realistic amount."

Two or three thousand is a considerable sum in the countryside, but compared to ten thousand or eight thousand, it seems much more affordable.

Yu Jian's words not only drew a clear line again, but also subtly criticized Yang Shuisheng, implying that he was only fit to date ordinary village girls who were hardworking and didn't mind being poor.

After listening, Yang Shuisheng had a clearer understanding of Yu Qianwei's value and status in the eyes of these parents.

At the same time, he estimated that the time should be about right, and Yu Qianwei should have already finished things.

"Alright, Director Yu, Auntie, I understand."

He nodded with an "I see" expression on his face: "Then it's nothing, I'll head back now."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Hey? Wait a minute!" Yu Jian called out to him, his face full of surprise and annoyance. "You made us come out here and go through all this trouble, all mysterious, just to ask this?"

"Yang Shuisheng! Are you out of your mind?"

Zhang Qiuju was furious, feeling she had been tricked, and she yelled, "Are you just bored and making fun of us?"

"You wasted so much of our time on this trivial matter! If I'd known it was about this, I wouldn't have come out with you. What bad luck!"

The couple grew angrier the more they thought about it, feeling that Yang Shuisheng had made a fool of them. They started cursing and swearing, spewing out all sorts of nasty things.

Yang Shuisheng acted as if he hadn't heard, and walked towards his home without turning his head, a barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

He has successfully achieved his goal.

This gave Yu Qianwei time to go home and change her clothes.

As for the couple's anger and insults?

He doesn't care at all.

In his eyes, this snobbish couple, who fawned over the powerful and belittled the weak, were no different from clowns.

But as soon as he got home, before he could even sit down properly, he suddenly heard a faint, hesitant footstep behind him.

He turned around warily and saw Liu Yulan standing awkwardly at the doorway.

"Sister-in-law Yulan? What brings you here?" Yang Shuisheng asked, somewhat surprised, as he walked over.

Liu Yulan saw his eyes light up for a moment, but then he lowered his eyes again and whispered, "Shuisheng, I heard that Zhao Hu seems to have disappeared."

"The people who came to my house to pick up food today all said they hadn't seen Zhao Hu all day, and his house was locked."

"That's why I came over to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuisheng's heart stirred slightly, and a hint of joy flashed quickly in his eyes.

Zhao Hu hasn't been seen all day?

It seems that last night in the mountains, he was either caught and even killed by those three city people, or he ran away and didn't dare to come back.

Regardless of the outcome, it's good news for him and Lin Wan, who is hiding, as it eliminates a potential threat and troublemaker.

"Oh, it's gone?"

He was happy inside, but he didn't show it on his face. He just nodded and said, "Maybe he went to town, or maybe something else happened. How could such a big person get lost?"

I think so too.

Liu Yulan nodded in response, seemingly not caring much about the answer.

"Shuisheng, actually, I didn't come here entirely to talk about Zhao Hu."

She raised her head, glanced quickly at Yang Shuisheng, then quickly lowered her head again, her cheeks slightly flushed, her voice even softer, carrying a shy and longing tone.

As she spoke, she took a small step closer to Yang Shuisheng.

The two were not far apart to begin with, and as she got closer, she could almost smell each other's scent.

"Is there anything else?"

Looking at her shy and hesitant appearance, Yang Shuisheng vaguely guessed what was going on, and the blood and qi in his body, which had become more vigorous due to cultivation, seemed to stir slightly.

Liu Yulan's face turned even redder, like a ripe peach.

She raised her head, her watery eyes glancing at Yang Shuisheng, her gaze filled with shyness and longing.

She bit her lower lip before uttering a few words in a voice barely audible: "Shuisheng, I...I kind of want it..."