Chapter 169: Integration

Wen Mubai's expression changed instantly.

Noticing this, Su Nan looked at him strangely. Without offering any explanation, Wen Mubai strode forward.

Could this old man be harboring ulterior motives just because his daughter-in-law's parents had managed to move in?

Absolutely not!

A flicker of dejection flashed across Old Man Su's eyes, and he said in a strained voice, "I'm looking for Educated Youth Tang."

"Looking for me?" Tang Banxia stood up. "Is something the matter?"

Su Nan and Tang Minxun stood up as well, looking at Old Man Su.

Seeing this family of four, Old Man Su felt even more distressed, but urgent matters took precedence: "Sirui has a fever. Could Educated Youth Tang come and take a look?"

Sirui?

Who was that?

That didn't matter. "I'll go over right now."

Tang Banxia went back into the room to fetch her medical kit. "Dad, Mom, let Xiaobai accompany you to eat first. I'll go check on things."

By now, she had also figured out that Sirui must be that little boy living in the cowshed.

"We'll go with you." Su Nan picked up Tang Minxun's coat. "We've spent time with them, after all," she explained.

Tang Minxun had no objections; he would follow whatever Nan Ge decided.

He obediently put on his coat, and handed Su Nan a hat and a pair of gloves—all of which had been brought back from Beijing by their cub, handmade by her birth mother.

Old Madam Tang had made them herself, every single stitch done by her own hands.

Wen Mubai's face darkened for a split second, and he quickly said, "I'm going too."

What if Old Man Su started saying things he shouldn't?

Tang Banxia was speechless. It was just a house call; did they really need to bring an entire entourage?

Seeing that all three of them were insistant, she didn't say much else. "Fine, let's go."

"Bai Zhi, go ahead and eat by yourself first. We'll be right back," Tang Minxun instructed.

"Okay," Bai Zhi nodded obediently.

A fever in a young child was still quite dangerous, so the four of them hurried along with Old Man Su toward the cowshed.

Outside the cowshed were the mud bricks that Su Nan and the others had knocked over yesterday. The anxious voices of the elderly Jiang couple drifted out from within:

"Do you think Educated Youth Tang will help us?"

"Let's hope so. Hurry and put that quilt over Sirui."

"Why isn't old Su back yet?"

Without a second thought, Tang Banxia walked straight into the cowshed. "Make way, let me take a look."

When the elderly Jiang couple saw Tang Banxia appear, pleasant surprise flashed across their faces, and they hurriedly stepped aside.

Tang Banxia squatted down to check the child's temperature, felt his pulse, and then pulled back the quilt to touch his feet.

"We need to bring the fever down first." She took a fever-reducing tablet from her medical kit, but before feeding it to him, she asked, "How old is the child?"

Fever-reducing pills like this couldn't be given to children under seven; they would cause side effects.

"Ten—no, eleven years old!"

The child certainly didn't look eleven, but at eleven years old, it was safe. She administered the pill to the child along with some warm water.

Then she took out her gold needles and pierced several acupuncture points to help circulate the medicinal properties more quickly through his body.

After finishing all this, she took out half a pill. "Wait two hours. If the fever hasn't broken by then, come find me again."

She wrapped up the pill. "And take this. If he doesn't have a fever tonight, you don't need to give it to him; save it for tomorrow. But if the fever comes back up, feed it to him."

Just as she was about to continue, someone arrived outside:

"What are you doing here?" It was Wen Mubai's voice.

Tang Banxia turned her head to look. It was Song Qing, holding a paper package of medicine. "I heard Sirui was running a fever, so I went to town to pick up some medicine for him."

"Grandpa Jiang! Grandma Jiang!" she called out loudly once inside.

Grandma Jiang stepped out and her expression softened upon seeing Song Qing. "Oh, it's Qing girl. Thank you so much."

Song Qing broke into a sweet smile. "Grandma Jiang, how is Sirui? Has his fever broken? How did he even catch a fever?"

Chatting as she walked inward, she spotted Tang Banxia and wore a look of utter surprise. "Educated Youth Tang? Why are you here?"

Tang Banxia gave a cold, unenthusiastic hum. It looked rather fake.

Seeing Wen Mubai outside, Song Qing could hardly claim she didn't know Tang Banxia was inside; her act was far too exaggerated.

Ignoring Song Qing entirely, Tang Banxia spoke on her own terms: "This child has a weak constitution, so be more careful from now on. Don't let him catch a draft after doing chores. Once the child's fever breaks tomorrow, bring him to me for a follow-up."

With that, she packed up her medical kit, nodded to the two of them, and walked out of the cowshed.

She said to the three waiting for her, "Let's go."

Wen Mubai was more than happy to oblige. "Alright."

The four of them turned and left. Before they had even walked far, they could still hear the harmonious and cheerful laughter of Song Qing and the elderly Jiang couple.

Tang Banxia curved the corners of her lips upward. It seemed this family of three were indeed the future heavyweights.

When they returned home, young Bai Zhi was sweeping the courtyard. The little girl, just over ten years old, was struggling to wield a broom taller than herself as she laboriously swept the ground.

"Little Uncle, Little Aunt, Sister, Brother-in-law, you're back? How is he?"

Tang Banxia glanced at Wen Mubai, who hurriedly stepped forward to take the broom and continued sweeping the courtyard himself.

Little Bai Zhi snuggled up close to Tang Banxia. "Sister, can you take me out to play after we finish eating?"

"Sure."

The thoughtful little girl had kept the leftover breakfast warm inside the cooking stove. When they returned, the meal was still warm.

After finishing their belated breakfast, Tang Banxia told Wen Mubai, "Go into the village and see whose family has extra mud bricks. Let's build a kang in the pharmacy first."

Winters in Guyue Village were long and dragged on until March or April. Surviving without a heated brick bed was truly agonizing, so building a makeshift one in the pharmacy would have to do for now.

"Okay," Wen Mubai agreed readily.

"Also, take Anyancheng and Wangwei with you so they can get familiar with the village. Introduce them as my younger brothers and let the villagers get to know them." Tang Banxia continued.

Bodyguards in this era weren't like the ones in martial arts novels—they didn't go days without eating or drinking, lurking invisibly in the shadows while remaining available at a moment's notice.

They were human beings who needed to eat, drink, and sleep.

Since the two men were going to provide close protection, they would inevitably have to live in the village long-term, which meant their presence needed to be made official.

Wen Mubai nodded. "I'll do whatever you say."

"Additionally, we're running low on seasonings at home. Go to the commune and buy some, along with some pickled vegetables and Chinese cabbage."

Having been away from home for over three months, practically everything was lacking.

No matter what Tang Banxia said, Wen Mubai agreed to everything with a nod. This dynamic made Su Nan breathe a sigh of relief inwardly; it seemed what her cub had said was true.

Tang Minxun felt a slight twinge of sourness in his heart, but he didn't want to spoil the mood.

After giving her instructions to Wen Mubai, Tang Banxia took her parents and Bai Zhi to the Song family's home.

As they stepped through the door, they ran right into Song Qing, who immediately put on her usual bashful demeanor. "Educated Youth Tang."

Tang Banxia gave a brief acknowledgment and walked into the house. Though she had always maintained this cold and distant attitude toward Song Qing, and though Song Qing was supposedly used to it, a flash of suppressed resentment still crossed the other girl's eyes.

Old Madam Song's family gave a very warm welcome to Tang Banxia's arrival.

Tang Banxia's visit was intended to help her parents integrate into the village, and since Song Weimin was currently the team leader, his household was the logical starting point.

Song Weimin understood this implicitly and engaged in a lively, enthusiastic conversation with Tang Minxun, while Su Nan was warmly hosted by Liang Sujuan and Old Madam Song. Even little Bai Zhi was coaxed away by Song Yu to meet new playmates.

Throughout the afternoon, Su Nan and Tang Minxun integrated harmoniously with the Song family.

The warm attitude of the Song family put both of their minds significantly at ease.

The next day.

Tang Banxia took them to visit Hu Dashan's family—Hu being the former team leader and current deputy director of the grain station—where they were once again warmly received.

They stayed at Hu Dashan's home until noon before finally returning.

In the afternoon, the elderly Jiang couple brought the child over to see her.

Tang Banxia led them into the clinic, took his pulse, filled several packages of medicine, and handed them to Old Man Jiang.

"Brew one package a day, simmering three bowls of water down to one. This is a three-day supply; come back for more when it's finished."

Seeing the Jiang couple standing there looking constrained, she added, "The medicine isn't expensive—I gathered it all from the mountains. You can just pay me back by foraging and bringing them to me when spring comes."

"The consultation fee can also be paid in medicinal herbs."

With these words, the Jiang couple breathed a massive sigh of relief. Pulling their grandson along, they bowed repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you."

Tang Banxia waved a dismissive hand.

She spent the entire afternoon at the clinic, treating two children with colds, and headed home only as dusk fell.

Since Liu Hongfen had not yet returned from visiting her family, Tang Banxia had to hold down the fort at the clinic entirely by herself.