At the beginning, the villagers of Wenshui Village, upon seeing the intricate fabric on the young man and his fashionable attire, thought they had rescued a wealthy city dweller. After sending him to the clinic, they didn’t pay much attention and went back to their work.
Since the barefoot doctor1refers to a grassroots-level medical professional in China, particularly during the mid-20th century. from the village was there, they couldn’t do much anyway, so they dispersed. The barefoot doctor at the clinic was the old man wearing reading glasses. When he saw Yin Minglu, he smiled and said, “Why is it you again, little rascal? Last time, you fell into the water, and now it’s your turn to be a hero. Knowing how to give someone artificial respiration, that’s really something.”
“Your knee is bleeding. Don’t move; I’ll clean it for you. After that, I’ll apply some medicinal solution. ” Yin Yue, in a place that not even her brother noticed, caught the attention of the elderly doctor with poor eyesight. He quickly took out a bottle of medicine from the cabinet. After treating the wounds on the young man’s face, he replaced it with a new piece of cotton and applied some medicine to Yin Minglu’s knee.
The old doctor praised as he applied the medicine, giving a thumbs-up.
The young lad blushed at the compliment, shyly giving a little smile. In this day and age, people love to promote being a good person and doing good deeds. Being praised as kindhearted or a little hero is akin to the highest praise for one’s character.
The youth also smiled, realizing that it was because this child before him had recently fallen into the water and been saved by the villagers. So, in critical moments, he could lend a helping hand. This explained why the praise was warranted. It also hinted that his lifesaver was the child before him, who had shared a similar experience, rather than the girl who falsely claimed to know first aid.
What he didn’t know was that Yin Yue indeed knew first aid because she had the experience of two or three decades from the future. Moreover, in the future, television dramas extensively depicted artificial respiration scenes involving the male and female leads, so she had learned the skill, making her more proficient than rural folks who only knew how to give breaths. However, in this era, it was a time when men and women kept a certain distance from each other. It raised a question as to how a naive rural girl, who hadn’t seen much of the world, could perform first aid and even give artificial respiration to a stranger.
After delivering the person to the clinic, the next steps were the doctor’s responsibility, and they could step back. But Yin Yue didn’t want to leave. Though she said, “Well, when you’ve escorted the Buddha to the West, you should see it through to the end,” her bottom remained firmly planted in the clinic chair, unwilling to leave.
She didn’t want to leave, but Yin Minglu wanted to go. Shen Qiuyi shouted to him across the field, waving from a distance, “Xiao Bao, it’s time to go home for dinner!”
“Okay!” Yin Minglu cupped his hands like a small trumpet and shouted back. After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered the young man. Turning back, he said, “Take care of yourself, big brother! I’m off!”
With that, he put on his small straw hat, tied a knot under his chin, and walked back into the sunlight.
For some reason, the handsome figure of this young child as he left, reminiscent of an unknown and selfless hero from martial arts movies, left with no unnecessary words after rescuing a helpless woman on the roadside. He lightly tapped his bamboo pole and departed gracefully.
A vague sense of inexplicable loss crossed the young man’s mind as the fatigue in his body surged.
Especially that adorable child, upon seeing familiar family members, instinctively stuffed his warm little hand into theirs, happily holding hands while bouncing and skipping towards home. The little hero now carried the warmth of a family.
Gradually fading away, it seemed like he might never return.
Yin Yue was quite happy that her meddlesome younger cousin had left to go home for dinner. This was the perfect opportunity for her to chat with the young man and establish a good rapport. However, before she could say much, Yin Minglu returned, holding a basket covered with a white cloth.
Seemingly surprised by the child’s return, the young man sat up from the bed, unable to pay attention to the girl’s words anymore. Throughout, he maintained a slightly astonished expression as he watched the child unsteadily place the basket on the table. The white cloth was lifted, revealing a wave of heat and a familiar aroma of cooked food.
Before he could react, the child swiftly unfolded the cloth, revealing three or four bowls of white rice, several pairs of chopsticks, and finally, a few dishes of home-cooked meals. Surprisingly, there was even a jar of sauce.
It was clear that the child had prepared this. Truly kind and considerate.
The young man’s heart, which had just settled, stirred again with a few ripples. His gentle eyes were filled with gratitude as he sincerely said, “Thank you, Xiao Bao.”
The name “Xiao Bao” sounded really pleasant, like a small, rare gem, and the child before him truly lived up to it. The young man didn’t know that if you called out “Xiao Bao” in the village, at least five or six out of ten children walking by the fields would turn around. The ones who didn’t turn around were likely named Hu2Tiger, Gou Dan3Dog Egg, Gou Sheng4Dog Leftover, and so on.
Yin Minglu was unaware of how much the young man appreciated his gesture. He handed a bowl filled to the brim with rice and a pair of chopsticks to the young man, saying enthusiastically, “Go ahead, brother. You must be hungry since the incident in the water. If it’s not enough, there’s more in the basket.”
“Are you going to eat with me?” Holding the porcelain bowl, the young man’s eyes flickered with a subtle gleam, as if hoping for it.
“Yeah! After you finish eating, I still have to take the bowl back to wash it,” he said. The sun was blazing that day, and he didn’t want to come back for another round of chores later; it was too much trouble.
So, he stayed, holding a slightly smaller porcelain bowl. Without asking Yin Yue to get her own portion, he sat directly on the stool and started eating. The little chopsticks moved extremely cheerfully. Clearly a small child, yet he could eat a whole bowlful.
Seeing that the child had once again diverted the young man’s attention, Yin Yue felt a bit frustrated. She picked up her chopsticks but had no intention of eating, only wanting the young man’s gaze to return to her. She took the opportunity to frown and scold, “Little treasure, what’s going on with you? Didn’t you see that Mr. Fu needs to replenish his nutrition? Why did you bring only leftovers? It’s too shabby.”
Among the dishes was a fish that had been frequently prepared and eaten recently. The Yin family often didn’t want to waste the leftover food and would keep it in a cool cupboard to be reheated and eaten the next day, avoiding spoilage. After all, in these times, having food was especially cherished as people were just emerging from difficult days. The original owner’s mother, Shen Qiuyi, sometimes even hesitated to throw away the fish bones after finishing her portion. After licking them a few more times, she would toss them outside for the wild cats to eat.
Unlike Yin Yue, who had grown tired of indulging in rich foods, he had started looking at things more frugally with the eyes of someone who had arrived later. Nowadays, for some villagers, just having something to eat was considered good enough.
Moreover, their family wasn’t particularly wealthy to begin with. What did Yin Yue expect her family to offer, extravagant feasts? According to her, presenting these dishes from the Yin family to entertain guests was impolite and disrespectful. Yin Yue was once again making a fuss, as eager as ever to assert her family’s status.
Yin Minglu rolled his eyes subtly, muttering, “It’s not spoiled; you can eat it.” With that said, he picked up a pair of chopsticks and made a show of taking a few bites, indicating that he was eating too. But then he thought better of it. This older brother was from the city and probably wouldn’t appreciate the fare from a rural household, so he decided to put the food away.
Seeing the disdain from his sister, the child’s mood soured instantly. His small face puffed up, and his mouth pouted slightly. The young man, fearing that the child might dislike him for it, quickly picked up a piece of fish and said, “I don’t mind.”
Even though he came from a privileged background, having been pampered since childhood, he understood how rare and heartwarming it was for villagers to save a stranger they had never met before, generously sending him food and offering the best dishes they had. He was grateful beyond words, so how could he possibly be displeased?
“Okay, if you don’t like it, there’s sauce here. You can mix it with rice; it’s very delicious,” Yin Minglu said. Leading by example, he scooped a spoonful of the red meat sauce from the glass bottle, drizzled it over the white rice, and stirred it evenly. The aroma was particularly enticing and very appetizing.
“Thank you.” Seeing the warmth returning to the child’s face, the clouds lifting, the young man smiled. Politely, he joined in the tasting and then genuinely praised the food, his demeanor very approachable. He didn’t resemble the aloof and privileged young master from a wealthy family that the villagers might have imagined.
Seeing the gratitude in the other’s eyes, Yin Minglu felt pleased. While eating, he thought that this person he saved wasn’t in vain. He had been worried that the attractive young man he saved on a whim might turn out to be like Yin Yue, someone who despised the poor and favored the rich. He didn’t expect this young man named Fu Peian to be much better than he had anticipated. He seemed knowledgeable, grateful, and came from a well-off family. It appeared that he might even be someone of importance; otherwise, Yin Yue wouldn’t have been consistently showing that eager-to-please expression.
Yin Yue did indeed want to ingratiate herself with him. Currently, she was the only one in Wenshui Village who knew the true identity of the young man—an heir to a prestigious family in the capital. Naturally, she wanted to establish a good relationship with him and build a positive connection early on.
Unfortunately, her attempts were repeatedly thwarted by Yin Minglu, the little rabbit who couldn’t understand signals. She was so frustrated that smoke was practically coming out of her seven orifices. Especially when she saw Fu Peian and the child chatting happily, she almost wanted to jump in, shout at the child to “get lost” and take over the conversation.
In the end, it was she who had to “get lost” because, in this day and age, even in rural areas where people weren’t as concerned about male-female relationships as in the cities, having an unmarried man and woman stay together for too long would still invite gossip. To avoid suspicion, the young man himself would take the initiative to steer clear of such situations.
As a result, Yin Yue had very few opportunities to speak with the young man alone, which infuriated her. Especially when the village chief, accompanied by the village party secretary, arrived soon after, completely ruining her advantage as the first person to know about the young man’s identity.
The city youth who had fallen into the water wanted to make a call to his family to let them know he was safe. The village chief’s home was the only one in the entire village equipped with a black-and-white television and a landline phone. Consequently, the village chief quickly learned about the young man’s identity. Upon discovering this, his heart raced, thinking about the recent tumultuous reports from the provincial and municipal public security bureaus. His breathing became a bit rapid.
Upon entering the room, he saw Yin Minglu clearing the table and chatting with the young man lying under the blanket on the bed. Observing the child giggling and speaking without reservation, the village chief hesitated in his speech. However, he also understood that as long as the young master from the Fu family liked this “Little Treasure” who had saved his life, with the Fu family as a backing, Xiao Bao’s future was boundless. What a fortunate child, encountering such an influential figure!
He pretended not to know the young man’s identity and only mentioned that as soon as the young man’s family learned he was in Wenshui Village, they were rushing over by car overnight. The village chief requested the young man to stay overnight at his house.
However, Fu Peian didn’t want to be separated from Xiao Bao, the child he had bonded with. Seeing the situation, Grandma Luo casually suggested, “Comrade, why don’t you sleep together with our Xiao Bao?” Nowadays, when people hear about traveling by car, they assume it’s a long-distance journey by train. No one would naturally think of a small car. Grandma Luo was thinking that the young man’s family would probably take at least three days and two nights to reach Wenshui Village, so it would be quite restrictive to stay at the village chief’s house for these days.
The chance to share a roof with Fu Peian thrilled Yin Yue’s mind. For the first time, she felt that Grandma Luo had made the right decision. She happily agreed to the suggestion.
Little did she know, her joy sounded an alarm for Grandma Luo. In her heart, Grandma Luo wondered, “Isn’t my daughter fond of Qin Mao? Why is she now infatuated with a young and handsome guy?”
However, the words had already been spoken, and the young man had expressed his gratitude. Grandma Luo couldn’t retract her agreement. She could only raise her eyebrows and keep a close eye on her unruly granddaughter throughout the night, fearing that something indecent might happen.
That night, indeed, the young man shared a room with Yin Minglu. They covered themselves with the same small floral-patterned quilt. The bed was quite small, initially spacious enough for one child to lie comfortably. With the addition of the young man, Yin Minglu could only be squeezed into the corner of the bed.
Nevertheless, they managed to sleep somehow, despite feeling a bit warm.
Yin Minglu, feeling overheated, kicked off the blanket. However, not long after, his fair and tender little arms were targeted by the rampant mosquitoes in the mountain air.
He could only huddle his body inside the blanket, looking a bit aggrieved.
Observing the child’s delicate and charming face, like a jade-like figure from a New Year’s painting, with a vitality that seemed to grow amidst the green wilderness of the mountains, even his expression of wrinkling his brows and sulking was extremely cute. The young man couldn’t help but admire, never expecting to find such a handsome child in a rural household. Feeling it would be a pity for such a child to be hidden away in the mountains, he subconsciously voiced his thoughts, “Xiao Bao, do you want to go to the city in the future? Do you want to become a big star, you know, the kind that sings, dances, and acts on television?”
He was willing to be the child’s patron and manager, leading him away from this small village to the broadest stage amidst the torrential waves of the times.
Just like Meng Xingjun, the little singer who performed on the Spring Festival Gala last year, after one night, audiences nationwide knew her name. He believed that the child before him also had this talent. Perhaps one day, this child named Xiao Bao could become well-known and famous all over the country.
Unfortunately, his question received no answer. The child who had just scolded mosquitoes had already closed his eyes and started snoring.
The speed was too fast, and the young man was momentarily stunned, then chuckled in silence. Well, he would discuss it formally with Xiao Bao’s family the next day.
Just as he was about to go to sleep as well, a sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He cautiously opened his eyes. It was a charming and young female voice, carrying the cool breeze of the night, “Mr. Fu, are you asleep? I’ve stewed a midnight snack for you. Would you like to try it?”
Him: “…”
The author has something to say: Yes, forgot to mention in the last chapter, this is the “attacker” (top) 233
Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solutions~
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