Chapter 28: The First Day on the Job

Wen Mubai was a man of action. That very night, after dinner, he slept until past midnight, said a word to Tang Banxia, and headed out. It was nearly four in the morning, the sky just beginning to lighten, when he finally returned.

Tang Banxia, hearing movement in the courtyard, got up. She shone her flashlight and saw that it was Wen Mubai—her heart finally settled.

“How did it go? Was it smooth?” she asked as she went to scoop some water for him.

Wen Mubai gulped down a large mug of water before sighing with satisfaction. Like a child presenting a treasure, he pointed to the basket at his feet. “Wife, come see.”

Tang Banxia opened it and was taken aback: ten catties of rice and two catties of eggs.

“All the money I earned tonight, I exchanged for these,” Wen Mubai explained. “I figured, as long as we have cash but no ration coupons, there’s nowhere to spend it. Better to change it into goods and spare us the trouble.”

“You did right,” Tang Banxia praised him. “We’re not short on money for now. In the future, let’s exchange it all for things like this.”

This way, if they were ever caught, they could claim to be buyers, which would be less severe than being sellers.

“Mm, mm, mm,” Wen Mubai nodded, knowing his wife would approve. “Wife, is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll make you some dumpling soup.”

To reward his hard work, Tang Banxia even took out a piece of preserved pork, quickly made a few flatbreads, and let him eat the meat in the bread. Then she cooked a big pot of dumpling soup.

Wen Mubai quickly ate his fill and, after drinking, went straight to bed and fell asleep instantly.

With all this, dawn had arrived. Tang Banxia finished the leftover soup and sorted through the medicinal herbs she’d brought back the day before.

She classified them one by one, then began processing each type. Working with the herbs calmed her mind, and soon she was fully absorbed in the task. Only when Wen Mubai woke up did she snap back to reality. “Awake?”

Wen Mubai stretched lazily. “Mm. Wife, aren’t you going to the clinic today?”

“I’ll go in a bit,” Tang Banxia said, finishing up the last of the herbs. “How about you? Are you going to work today?”

“I’ll go up the mountain and take a look,” Wen Mubai replied. “Maybe there’s something caught in the traps again.”

If he didn’t go, someone else might take the spoils.

Tang Banxia didn’t restrain him—between husband and wife, there had to be both firmness and flexibility. Principles couldn’t be compromised, but everything else was just a matter of how they got along.

What kind of husband you want depends on how you shape him.

“Be careful on the mountain. Don’t take risks for a bit of game. If something happens to you, I won’t be keeping vigil for you,” she said pointedly.

Wen Mubai grinned cheekily. “Wife, don’t worry. I won’t give you the chance to remarry.”

With that, he planted a fierce kiss on her cheek, laughed recklessly, and ran off into the distance.

Tang Banxia was left there, unable to help herself from smiling. She realized this fellow was growing more and more genuine in front of her—no longer pretending.

This was excellent!

No couple could go through life always wearing masks.

Though she had been single in her past life, she wasn’t ignorant about marriage, having seen plenty of examples.

Her marriage to Wen Mubai hadn’t started off well, but after they wed, they turned out to be unexpectedly compatible.

They supported each other and propped each other up; there was still a long road ahead, and the more genuine they were, the longer it would last.

After letting her mind wander for a while, Tang Banxia locked the door and headed to the clinic.

Today was, in fact, her first official day on the job.

“Comrade Tang, off to work?”

“Aunt Huang, just in time. Let me check your pulse,” Tang Banxia greeted her.

Huang Xiaocui decided to show her support. “Alright, I’ll have my pulse checked.”

She followed Tang Banxia into the clinic. As soon as Tang Banxia sat down, her whole demeanor changed—what was the word? Sacred—untouchable.

Tang Banxia herself didn’t think much of it; she was simply passing the time.

Unexpectedly, she did find something wrong.

“Aunt Huang, your health is generally good, but you should stop washing clothes with cold water, even in summer. Also, do you often feel discomfort down there? That’s an infection. I’ll give you some medicine—boil it in water and wash with it, then you’ll be fine.”

“And try not to get angry. Too much anger hurts the body, damages the liver—hurts everything, really. You mustn’t get angry.”

Huang Xiaocui had only come to show support, but hadn’t expected the young doctor to be so skilled—able to discern such private matters just by feeling the pulse?

“Comrade Tang, what exactly is wrong with me?” Although she was the Women’s Director, she still found it embarrassing and didn’t want to see a doctor, thinking it would pass in a few days. Now that the young doctor had mentioned it, she was willing to ask more.

“It’s nothing serious—just a bacterial infection. Wash your underwear separately and change them often. That’s all.”

At that time, life was rough and hygiene wasn’t a priority, so it was easy to get such infections.

Huang Xiaocui listened carefully as Tang Banxia wrote her a prescription. She said sincerely, “Comrade Tang, it’s a good thing you’re our barefoot doctor. If not, we women would really suffer.”

Tang Banxia smiled. “If you have any problems, just come to me.”

Indeed, female doctors were rare in the countryside, so Aunt Huang’s feelings were justified.

Huang Xiaocui paid her consultation and medicine fees and left happily with her prescription. She was eager to try it, and if it worked, she would encourage all her sisters to come too.

She knew plenty of women troubled by such issues.

Once again, she felt that having Comrade Tang as the village doctor was truly wonderful!

Huang Xiaocui’s influence in the village was not to be underestimated. That very afternoon, Tang Banxia received several more aunts, one after another.

Without exception, they all had various embarrassing little ailments—some with infections, some with persistent periods, others hoping to have them return after menopause. There were all sorts of problems.

Tang Banxia was effective—she provided solutions, gave out prescriptions, and even administered a few injections when needed.

By evening, as dusk approached and the clinic was empty, she locked up.

After all, she lived in the village; if anyone needed her, they could come to her house.

Tang Banxia left a bit early, but with a clear conscience.

Halfway home, she suddenly remembered there was no firewood left at home.

So she changed direction toward the foot of the mountain to drag back a dead tree for cooking.

Firewood was something she needed to stock up on—otherwise, if it rained, there’d be nothing to burn and nowhere to complain.

The two vegetable plots at home were also growing well; she wanted to dry some vegetables to eat through the winter.

For that, the cellar at home needed some repairs.

It seemed there was no end to household chores.

Each little thing might seem minor, but forget one, and life would become inconvenient.

Especially in this era of planned economy—everything had to be calculated. One mistake, and life would be hard to manage.

Lost in thought, she climbed the mountain. She reached her usual spot for gathering firewood, circled around, found a dead tree she could drag, and started pulling it down the mountain.

On her way back, she happened to pass by the cattle shed.

Guyue Village also had people who had been sent down, but Hu Dashan was a decent man—he didn’t make things too hard for them. He just had them work separately from the villagers, which prevented conflicts.

So Tang Banxia rarely saw those people in the village.

But now, she suddenly stopped, her gaze falling on a figure standing outside the dilapidated cattle shed, looking completely out of place.

Why was he here?