Chapter 11: Entering the City

Twilight gathered as Qin Xian squatted by the well, killing a fish.

Li Yingtang sat nearby, cracking melon seeds and occasionally popping a peeled one into his mouth.

"Hey! Eat it yourself." Can’t you see he’s busy?

Li Yingtang scratched her head, pulled out the small mirror she carried with her, and checked her reflection from left to right. She asked him as if seeking confirmation, "Am I ugly? Am I ugly?"

Qin Xian: "……………………………”

"If you’re ugly, then there isn't a single pretty person in this village. What’s this about?"

Li Yingtang put away her mirror and offered a polite smile. "Auntie Liu, hello. Is something wrong?"

Auntie Liu weighed the basket in her hand. "I brought you some shepherd's purse. You caught all these? I never would have guessed a little girl like you could be so capable."

Li Yingtang’s favorability rating for Auntie Liu had dropped to zero, and she began to scrutinize her behavior.

Bringing vegetables out of the blue? She must want to trade them for her fish!

No way! "Thank you for your trouble, but I don't like shepherd's purse."

"You don't even like shepherd's purse? You city girls are really picky."

"Put it down." Qin Xian looked at Li Yingtang. In front of outsiders, he always used her full name; would that make them think he didn't care about her and thus treat her poorly? He paused slightly and said, "Tangtang isn't picky. She caught plenty of fish; you take this one."

Li Yingtang’s pupils dilated.

He called her Tangtang?

It sounded so good.

"That’s so embarrassing." Auntie Liu’s face lit up with joy. While she spoke polite words, her hands were busy; she dumped out the shepherd's purse and picked up the fish Qin Xian had designated, placing it into her bamboo basket. "It’s getting late, I’ll be going now."

Li Yingtang watched Auntie Liu walk away and complained in a low voice, "Wild bass are so hard to catch. I was lucky to get them, and I wanted to steam them. A bit of wild greens isn't worth a dime, and trading it for a bass—I lost out big time. If you like shepherd's purse, I’ll get you a cartload tomorrow. Cold-tossed, stir-fried, in dumplings—you can eat as much as you want. Why did you have to take hers?"

Qin Xian couldn't help but laugh. "Can’t I just treat it as a gift to her?"

Li Yingtang didn't understand, but she respected his choice and stopped dwelling on it. "Fine."

………

For dinner, they stewed the fish and, as usual, stuck a ring of thin pancakes around the edge of the pot. Sweet potatoes were roasting at the bottom of the pot; after finishing the fish, Li Yingtang dug them out, peeled the skins, and blew on them to cool them down before eating.

So sweet.

If she couldn't go home, maintaining this current life didn't seem so bad.

No need to shoulder the rise and fall of a family, no need for schemes and deceit.

Simple and easy.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A series of knocks on the door.

"Dr. Qin, Dr. Qin, help!"

Qin Xian took two steps in one and opened the kitchen door. "What’s going on?"

A woman ran out from the infirmary. "My son’s wife broke his head open. The blood won't stop flowing. Look, look at this, such a big gash. That poisonous woman, she’s so vicious. My family had the worst luck marrying her."

Qin Xian stepped forward to examine the wound and asked the man a few questions.

The man answered fluently, his thoughts clear.

Qin Xian said, "It’s not a big problem. Once the wound is stitched up, he can go home and rest for a few days, and he’ll be fine."

The woman thanked him while cursing her daughter-in-law with the most shameless and vulgar language.

Li Yingtang couldn't listen anymore; the daughter-in-law was too kind, she should have beaten the evil mother-in-law too. "A-Xian, I’m going to sleep. I want to go into town tomorrow, wake me up early."

Comfortable days were nice and free, but they could also make a person lose their drive.

Eating and living off someone else—even if they didn't say anything, she couldn't pretend not to know.

Besides, she wanted to date him and taste the sweetness of love. How could it be sweet without money?

She had to earn lots of money to dress herself up.

If she looked disheveled all day, how could he ever look at her with favor?

Qin Xian’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Going home?"

Li Yingtang gave a vague "Mhm."

Before dawn the next day.

Li Yingtang was woken up by Qin Xian.

She got dressed and went outside, shivering in the cold. She noticed a semi-new bicycle parked in the courtyard and gasped, "Where did this bike come from? Is it for me to ride?"

"To help you catch a ride."

Li Yingtang’s eyes curved into crescents. "I want to sit in the front so I can hug you while you ride."

Qin Xian froze, his eyes tinged with shyness. "Talking nonsense again!" He turned and walked into the kitchen.

Li Yingtang wrinkled her nose at his back. Who was talking nonsense?

If he didn't like hearing it, she just wouldn't say it.

Was there any need to get angry?

Small-minded person!

Once ready, Li Yingtang hopped onto the back seat of Qin Xian’s bicycle.

She hugged his waist from behind and chatted with him as if it were casual. "When you were in school, were you a top student?"

"A top student? I never bullied my classmates."

*Pfft!*

Li Yingtang laughed so hard she choked. "A 'top student' means someone who is excellent at their studies."

"Not excellent, just average."

Li Yingtang thought he was being modest. She had friends from medical families who were top of their class in every subject and were already in their first year of graduate school at 23. He was 23 and had already been working for two years; not only could he perform acupuncture, but he could also set bones.

Stitching people up was also second nature to him.

His talent and comprehension were far higher than her friends'.

His direct elders must have been very skilled doctors, too.

Did he have family guiding him?

No, that wasn't right.

If he had a highly skilled elder, how could he have ended up as a village doctor?

Understanding his family situation was urgent.

Thinking of this, she said, "Do you want me to send your regards to your dad? I can pass on a message. How do you get to your house again? I’m a bit directionally challenged."

With her social skills, it wasn't impossible to gain his father's approval as his girlfriend.

Qin Xian looked back at her. "Directionally challenged?" Is that a disease?

Li Yingtang: ".Yeah, I can't remember directions, is that a problem?"

"No need to send regards."

Li Yingtang was disappointed. ".Oh."

As dawn approached, Qin Xian’s bike stopped at the township bus station. He took off his coat and handed it to her, his tone meaningful. "Wear this when you sleep. Be smarter this time; don't let people steal your shoes and socks."

Li Yingtang giggled. "I know."

When the bus arrived.

Li Yingtang gave him a quick hug and turned to board the bus. She looked at him from afar through the glass window. The conductor tapped her shoulder. "Where to?"

"City center."

"Sixty cents." The conductor held out her hand for the money. Seeing Li Yingtang’s face still turned outward, she tugged at her shoulder. "Sixty cents, pay up."

Li Yingtang swatted her hand away. "I’m right here, aren't I? Don't stop me from looking at a beauty."

The conductor: "." Wow! First time she’d met a passenger who dared to be rude to her.

She grabbed Li Yingtang’s scarf and was about to pull it.

Li Yingtang turned her head, snatched the scarf back from the conductor’s hand, pulled out the money, and slapped it hard into the conductor’s palm. "Didn't I just pay you?!"

The conductor was stunned by her intensity. After coming to her senses, she counted the money and sat in the seat behind the door.

Li Yingtang glared at her fiercely and closed her eyes to catch up on sleep.

When she woke up, the bus was packed, even the aisle.

She asked the woman sitting next to her, "Auntie, may I ask where we are?"

"We're in the city."

Li Yingtang looked around. Compared to the sparse population of the countryside, the city was very lively.

There were high-rise buildings, though very few.

Most were three or four-story buildings with storefronts.

The streets were bustling with people, almost all dressed in uniform. Navy blue cotton-padded jackets, matching trousers, handmade black cotton shoes, and the Lei Feng hats that only appeared in elementary school textbooks and on TV.

People didn't play with phones while walking; everyone held their heads high, full of spirit.

They looked full of energy.

If she opened a factory here, the efficiency would surely be high.