On Ruan Liuzheng’s side, she had no idea that Shen Rongrong would soon be coming here.
Right now, she was being tossed around so violently that she felt like she was about to die.
She hadn’t expected the ox cart to be this bumpy—at this moment she was like a small boat on the ocean, slammed by waves from all sides.
Her stomach was churning violently.
“Uncle, I’m sorry… could we stop for a moment?”
Ruan Liuzheng really couldn’t take it anymore and tapped the back of Yang Laosi, who was driving the ox cart.
Yang Laosi turned around and saw her face pale white—so pale it looked like she’d been dead for three days. He was so startled he quickly stopped the cart.
“Oh my goodness, girl? Are you alright?” Yang Laosi also had a daughter, and since Ruan Liuzheng was so pretty, he didn’t even dare speak too loudly, afraid he might scare her into tears.
With red eyes, Ruan Liuzheng said, “Uncle, I’ll walk for a bit. I’m fine.”
Yang Laosi didn’t want to delay his afternoon work in the fields, so he slowed the cart down while she followed behind at a light jog.
The other people on the cart were too miserable to stir up trouble—they were already suffering too much themselves.
At that moment, Xie Jinghuai was driving and just happened to see Ruan Liuzheng up ahead.
She was struggling to keep up, weak and exhausted, running behind the ox cart.
Her thin, frail body looked like it would collapse at any second.
“Old Xie, isn’t that Doctor Ruan?”
“Why is she running instead of riding the ox cart?”
Sister Chen also leaned over to take a look. “Oh my, what a sin. Such a pretty girl walking mountain roads like this—her feet are definitely going to be blistered by the time she gets back!”
Xie Jinghuai’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
His mind flashed back to how she had turned red-eyed just from him briefly supporting her waist.
But what came out of his mouth was, “She’s a educated youth. She’ll suffer more than this in the future. If we help her once, are we going to help her every time?”
With that, he stepped on the accelerator, and the vehicle sped past her.
Ruan Liuzheng was left choking on a cloud of dust.
Damn it! She cursed inwardly—may the driver get hemorrhoids!
Hmph!
After walking for a while, Ruan Liuzheng finally requested to ride the ox cart again. There was no helping it—compared to the bumps, the soles of her feet were in stabbing pain.
After a long and exhausting journey, they finally arrived at Zhengyang Brigade, and after a series of procedures, it was already night.
Everyone was too tired and went straight to sleep after being assigned rooms. Some didn’t even bother washing up.
Ruan Liuzheng couldn’t stand it. She took a basin and went to the well in front of the educated youth courtyard to fetch water.
Outside, the moon hung in the sky like a huge round plate.
She dropped the bucket into the well and fiddled for a long time, only to pull up a pitiful amount of water. She sighed.
Life skills urgently need leveling up!
“Give me the bucket.”
A man’s voice suddenly came from the darkness.
Ruan Liuzheng jumped in shock and instinctively stepped back into a defensive posture.
Only then did she realize—what the hell, who could tell her why Xie Jinghuai was here?
Immediately, her acting instincts kicked in. She softened her voice, still carrying a trace of the fright from earlier.
“N-no need, I can do it myself.”
Xie Jinghuai raised an eyebrow, surprised that she was quite stubborn.
He didn’t force her.
She tried again, tossing the bucket back into the well, smiling with a hint of pride. “See? I told you I could do it.”
Just as she was about to pull it up with force, her body suddenly lost control and lurched forward. The downward pull of the bucket nearly dragged her into the well.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Jinghuai shot forward and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace.
Her entire body was stiff, trembling uncontrollably.
The sound of the bucket splashing into the well echoed below.
Ruan Liuzheng shuddered—and instinctively clung to him even tighter.
Xie Jinghuai felt his breathing deepen. He could clearly feel two soft, cotton-like curves against his chest.
No.
Something felt wrong.
There was moisture on his chest—was she crying?
He paused the hand that was about to push her away and instead patted her back, his voice steady.
“It’s alright now.”
“Comrade Xie… are you comforting a child?”
A soft, muffled voice sounded.
For some reason, Xie Jinghuai felt something was off. He reached out and pushed her away.
Ruan Liuzheng froze for a moment.
Panic flashed across her face. Her fair pink cheeks, ears, and neck all flushed red. “S-sorry.”
Xie Jinghuai’s eyes were dark. He looked at her deeply, expressionless, saying nothing.
Then he turned and left.
Ruan Liuzheng stood there, confused. What was he doing?
Did I… overact just now?
While she was still puzzled, he came back again, holding a bamboo pole with a hook.
Her eyes were red, and she nervously rubbed her hands together.
When she saw him lift the water bucket up, her bright eyes lit up like stars.
“Comrade Xie, you’re amazing.”
His face was still as cold as ice, but his voice softened slightly. “Next time you don’t know how to draw water, take less at a time. When carrying it, use your waist strength.”
Through her shirt, Ruan Liuzheng could almost feel the tension of his powerful waist muscles.
So this was the legendary “dog waist”?
She lowered her head slightly, her voice soft and sweet. “I understand. Thank you, Comrade Xie.”
Seeing her admiring gaze, his eyes darkened slightly. “Alright, I’m going back.”
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered he had been sent by Comrade Chen’s wife to deliver ointment.
After thinking for a moment, he turned back again.
Only to see her struggling to lift the water bucket with both hands, swaying like a clumsy little rabbit that had somehow gained intelligence.
Her face was flushed red from exertion.
“W-why are you back again?”
Ruan Liuzheng’s chest rose and fell as she panted.
Xie Jinghuai quickly averted his gaze and handed over the ointment.
“Comrade Chen’s wife was worried you’d be walking too long today. She asked me to bring this to you.”
In other words, it wasn’t his intention—he wasn’t here for her.
Earlier, she had already guessed he might be coming to find her; otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a coincidence, so she deliberately acted like she was struggling to carry the water.
Now, after confirming he had left, Ruan Liuzheng effortlessly lifted the bucket with one hand and strode forward briskly.
Her mind turned cold, like a fish butcher in the market.
Oh? So you’re the one who made me eat dust today, huh?
Fine. From now on, I’ll make you swallow dirt by the bucket.
You bastard—go get hemorrhoids!
The next morning, before Ruan Liuzheng was fully awake, she heard a loud gong and drum sound.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she guessed it was the work-starting signal.
In May, Heilongjiang was still chilly with lingering spring cold.
She quickly got up and took out a light blue shirt from her bag, paired with straight-leg dark navy trousers, and a simple light-blue knitted cardigan.
After putting them on, she checked the mirror and chose cloth shoes instead of leather ones.
She braided her hair into twin plaits, looking full of youthful energy.
Beauty is always a weapon in any era—and if you dare show it, you must have the ability to protect it.
Not to mention, she had plenty of anesthetics in her space.
And wasn’t it said? Never offend a female doctor—she can stab you eighteen times without killing you.
And conversely, she also knows exactly where to make it fatal.
Just after she finished dressing, Chen Wenjuan and Zhai Xueying walked in after washing their faces, smiling.
The two of them froze for a few seconds when they saw Ruan Liuzheng.
“Comrade Ruan, you’re so beautiful,” Zhai Xueying said sincerely, admiration in her eyes.
Ruan Liuzheng smiled. “Thank you. Your skin is also very nice.”
Zhai Xueying was especially proud of her clear, blemish-free skin. Hearing the compliment, she became even happier and was about to chat more with her.
At that moment, Chen Wenjuan dropped the basin with a loud “clang.”