Her Cultivation Diary-Chapter 1893 - 1694: The Perils of the Countryside
The three stooges gathered together, whispering.
One said, "Aren’t there fewer mosquitoes in the apartment? Is it safer too?"
Another said, "I don’t know how to use a stove in the winter! Isn’t turning on the air conditioner the same?"
Only Doctor Wu had a plan in mind: "I vote for the courtyard!"
He was organized in his speech, persuading with logical reasoning.
"If we choose to live upstairs, it’s two households per staircase; I’d have to live with Liu Wenwu—brother, that really tests our personal ethics."
"Let me say this first, I’m a bit of a clean freak, I have to sweep and mop every day."
Male nurse Liu Wenwu: ...
Not like I’m home every day!
He quietly raised his hand, "Then I also vote for the courtyard."
Xiaoxiao, being a girl, hesitated, "Then I, then I..."
Doctor Wu quickly added two more points, "I used to be in Ning City, and Ning City has heating during winter; here there’s none. Experiencing minus six or seven degrees, using a stove and an air conditioner are entirely different things."
He gestured and described, the stove with a big iron pipe, running from a side room to the bathroom, and then all the way to the living room and bedroom, though it might only cover an area of 30 square meters in total, it’s warm!
"This big courtyard, in winter you can sun-dry quilts and bask in the sun, while in summer you can expose your back to the sun, which is great for killing germs and promoting health!"
"Afraid you don’t know how to use a stove? Here each stove is in a separate little side room. Once you get familiar with the neighbors, we can pay them a couple hundred bucks a month, to help us light the stove regularly each day."
Coming home after work, the house would be toasty warm, what’s a few bucks!
Moreover, they give injections and apply medicine, how could they not know how to use a stove?
Doctor Xiaoguo, overhearing the snippets, couldn’t help but smile.
If city kids don’t know how to light a stove, there is a simple method: Lay one stick of wood horizontally, then two vertically, and stuff dry leaves, pine needles, and twigs in the middle. Once lit, it will definitely start burning.
From a physics standpoint, flames need oxygen, need airflow, isn’t it set up this way?
If all else fails, shovel some burning coal from the neighbor’s house, throw it in the stove and you’re good to go.
No difficulty at all.
But the way Doctor Wu described it, it seemed to create a sense of comfort, clothes available at hand and food at mouth. Even Xiaoxiao was shaken—
Whether it’s warm she hasn’t truly felt yet, but she loves sun-drying the quilt.
Liu Wenwu raised another hand:
"Then I cast another vote."
The three of them with six votes, that way it’s fair.
Since the three had to share one courtyard, any conflicts wouldn’t be conducive to harmony, so Doctor Wu sought to dispel everyone’s doubts:
"As for mosquitoes, even on the third floor, do you think mosquitoes can’t reach there?"
"When we arrived, did you see, although there aren’t many people in this town, and not much business, there are quite a few cars parked alongside the road. My plan is to buy a second-hand car for commuting, having a courtyard is convenient for parking..."
He didn’t have money, but the bus ride isn’t particularly comfortable either, so why not spend 10,000 to 20,000 bucks on a second-hand little car...
Not to mention if the two neighbors each chip in for gas money, wouldn’t the fuel cost be covered?
The calculations in his head were as loud as abacus beads clicking, Doctor Xiaoguo turned to look at him, wondering: How did this genius end up studying medicine?
But buying a car was indeed a good idea.
When the three came to a unanimous decision to choose the courtyard, she also mentioned:
"If conditions permit, buy a car as soon as possible, I’ll chip in 150 for the commute."
The bus to town is two bucks, round trip four bucks, one person 120 a month, not much difference.
Doctor Wu hastily asked, "Is the bus condition quite basic?"
Doctor Xiaoguo smiled mysteriously, "I’m afraid after working for a while, in the evening you’d voluntarily stay late for the dinner."
"You know, Master Jiang in the mountain cafeteria used to have a salary worth millions."
Everyone: ?!!!
But no matter what, voluntary unpaid overtime is not right.
The boss showed signs of being a penny pincher, as the three exchanged glances and decided to put aside the car purchase.
Doctor Xiaoguo: ...
Master Jiang’s skills, combined with the quality of ingredients, aren’t the meals expensive to afford, you know!
...
Though she inwardly felt the three newcomers didn’t know good stuff, they would come to their senses eventually, so Doctor Xiaoguo was in a cheerful mood.
Who knew, shortly after returning to the clinic, Song Tan came over on an electric bike: "Get me a box of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui."
Doctor Xiaoguo: ?
"Did someone already get a heatstroke while I was away?"
"No," Song Tan replied helplessly:
"Qiaoqiao mentioned taking them to pick duck eggs this afternoon, to make salted duck eggs, but before that, they need to dig for yellow mud up in the mountain."
But there’s no rush, the duck eggs can be gathered this evening, and digging mud tomorrow morning will still be on time.
Yet, in the afternoon, a few guys who fell asleep during cupping and acupuncture in the morning were now wide awake. They had a mistaken perception of their abilities while in an air-conditioned room.
Lun Chuan, mischievous as always, did stop the older folks, but not his three brothers, which is why they needed Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui ready.
Doctor Xiaoguo was baffled by this lack of self-awareness: "A box of 10 vials, you should lead them to the mountain before anything else."
In the city, going out means driving or riding to an air-conditioned space that runs 24/7, giving the illusion of being capable.
But try standing in the courtyard for five minutes before saying anything?
Song Tan laughed, "Planning to hand each a straw hat, let these three big men hit the mountain path first."
To dig yellow mud, they had to head to an undeveloped barren mountain, where the small roads are unsuitable for riding. And because the few trees provide little shade, the path uphill had no shaded area, digging mud in the blazing sun at one or two o’clock...
If she didn’t prepare Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui, she feared they’d be done after just three hoe digs.
Upon returning to the inn, Lun Chuan, as expected, donned a hat and put on sun-protection clothes, leisurely waiting for the group.
Seeing them, Qiaoqiao didn’t say anything.
He had long realized, adults especially care about face; if they insist on doing something, just let them do it.
Lessons from experiences always stick better.
Understanding this, he picked up the empty bucket and started moving, "Let’s go!"
As he stepped out of the inn, the air seemed to simmer with heat. Walking past the long flower corridor, the moment sunlight poured down, the whole body became hot and sweaty instantly.
Despite the heat, having worn sun-protection clothing, it was somewhat bearable, making sweating seem quite relieving.
Only Lun Chuan silently calculated—well, it’s been quite a while since they did cupping and acupuncture, sweating now had some effect, without much issue.
"Let’s go."
He decided to let these city folks understand the perils of rural life: "The buckets you have are all a bit smaller than Qiaoqiao’s, surely a full bucket of yellow mud won’t be too hard to carry back?"
