“It really has to do with genetics and heredity. To put it simply, the man’s seed may be naturally weak, which makes it difficult for it to take root.”
Lin Xiaxia paused before continuing, “How about this? When your son comes home tonight, have him come see me as well. I’ll check his pulse. It’s better to examine both husband and wife before deciding on the right treatment. What do you think?”
Auntie Zhou was still somewhat doubtful, but seeing how seriously Lin Xiaxia spoke, she had no better option and could only nod.
“All right! I’ll have him come over tonight! Doctor Lin, we’ll be counting on you!”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll need to examine him first before I can say anything for certain.”
Lin Xiaxia waved her hand.
After seeing Auntie Zhou and her daughter-in-law off, Huzi’s mother leaned closer and asked quietly, “Do you really think the problem is with the man?”
“It’s hard to say. I won’t know until I examine him,” Lin Xiaxia replied. “But having a child involves both husband and wife. There’s no harm in checking both sides.”
Privately, she was already thinking ahead.
If she could resolve this matter, not only would she be helping Fengxia and her family, but her reputation and standing in the village would become even more secure.
Lin Xiaxia had just finished carrying the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen when footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
Village Chief Gao Lide arrived with Old Li, the carpenter, who was carrying several pieces of dried lumber.
“Educated Youth Lin, Old Li is here. Go over the measurements for the medicine shelves with him again. I still have some matters to deal with at the brigade office, so I’ll head over there first.”
After giving a few instructions, the village chief hurried down the mountain.
The new educated youths had arrived in the village, and their work assignments needed to be arranged today. They couldn’t afford to delay the irrigation canal project.
Down at the canal construction site, the educated youths were busy digging.
Li Hongmei wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Zhao Jianjun beside her.
“How come only you two male educated youths came to work? Where’s Lin Xiaxia, the girl who arrived with us yesterday?”
Zhao Jianjun rubbed his palms, which had already been chafed red, and sucked in a breath from the pain.
“How would I know? She isn’t staying at the educated youth compound.”
Nearby, Li Weihong straightened up and struck the head of her hoe against the ground. Her expression darkened.
“Don’t tell me she’s putting on the airs of a capitalist, refusing to work in the fields because she thinks it’s too dirty and exhausting?”
Her tone became increasingly indignant.
“That won’t do! We’re all successors of the new era who came here to undergo tempering and learn through labor. How can we tolerate someone who tries to avoid hard work and take shortcuts?”
With that, she tossed down her hoe and marched straight toward Gao Xiulan, who was recording work points at the edge of the field.
Gao Xiulan was none other than Village Chief Gao Lide’s daughter.
“Gao Xiulan, all of us educated youths are working here. Why doesn’t that newcomer Lin Xiaxia have to come?” Li Weihong demanded.
Gao Xiulan had been looking down while recording work points. Hearing the question, she raised her head and gave Li Weihong a brief glance.
“Educated Youth Lin is different from the rest of you. Naturally, she doesn’t need to do this kind of work.”
“How is she different?”
Li Weihong immediately raised her voice.
“We’re all educated youths sent to the countryside! Why does she get special treatment? I bet she gave your family money and used connections to get out of working!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Gao Xiulan shot to her feet, her cheeks flushing red with anger.
“Educated Youth Lin is the doctor our village invited! She’s going to run a clinic and treat the villagers. My father personally approved her exemption from fieldwork, and she’ll receive full work points every day!”
She glared at Li Weihong.
“Stop making baseless accusations and slandering people!”
“A clinic? A little girl like her knows how to treat illnesses?”
Li Weihong clearly didn’t believe it. She curled her lips disdainfully.
“I think your village is just making up an excuse to protect her!”
“Who’s protecting her?”
Gao Xiulan trembled with anger.
“Yesterday, Huzi had a piece of egg stuck in his throat. His face had already turned purple, and it was Educated Youth Lin who saved him! The entire village knows about it. If you don’t believe me, go ask them yourself!”
The villagers working nearby had also stopped what they were doing.
One of them immediately spoke up.
“That’s right. Educated Youth Lin really does know what she’s doing. Yesterday, everyone else panicked when they saw what happened to Huzi, but she stayed calm and saved the child in just a few moves!”
Another villager chimed in, “She can treat illnesses for everyone in the village, so what’s wrong with her not working in the fields? That’s still more useful than shouting slogans all day!”
As one villager after another spoke up to confirm the story, Li Weihong’s face alternated between red and pale.
Seeing Gao Xiulan’s confidence and hearing the villagers support Lin Xiaxia only made her even more furious.
“She’s just a young girl! You’re all working together to put on an act. I refuse to believe she actually knows how to treat patients!”
Gao Xiulan glared fiercely at Li Weihong and replied bluntly, “Whether you believe it or not has nothing to do with me. Are you going to keep working or not? If you keep wasting time, I’m deducting your work points!”
“What gives you the right to deduct my work points?”
Li Weihong stubbornly raised her chin.
“I’ve been working honestly this whole time! What right do you have to deduct my points? Lin Xiaxia is obviously the one slacking off and avoiding work, so why does she get to sit around comfortably? I refuse to believe there’s nowhere I can go to seek justice!”
Gao Xiulan snapped the work-point ledger shut and stood up.
“So what exactly do you want to do now? You don’t want to work, is that it? Fine. Then I’ll deduct your work points.”
She pointed toward the hoe.
“Either pick up your hoe right now and get back to work, or leave. If you walk away, don’t expect to receive a single work point for today!”
The moment she heard that her work points would actually be deducted, Li Weihong’s arrogance immediately faded.
The end of the year was approaching, and that was when grain would be distributed.
Work points determined how much food each person received. Losing even a single point could mean having one less mouthful to eat.
These days, people could barely fill their stomachs as it was. If her grain ration became even smaller, life would be unbearable.
Grinding her teeth, Li Weihong stomped her foot angrily.
In the end, she still bent down and picked up her hoe.
However, every movement she made was filled with resentment.
In her heart, she cursed Lin Xiaxia countless times, hating her so much that her teeth nearly ached from clenching them.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaxia, who was discussing the medicine shelves with Old Li in her courtyard, suddenly sneezed several times in a row.
She sneezed so hard that the tip of her nose turned red.
“Oh, Educated Youth Lin, mornings and evenings are chilly here in the mountains. You need to be careful and keep yourself warm. Don’t catch a cold.”
Old Li stopped what he was doing and spoke with concern.
Lin Xiaxia rubbed her nose and smiled.
“I don’t think I’m catching a cold. Maybe someone is talking about me behind my back.”
She picked up the pen and notebook on the table.
“Oh, right, Master Li. Could I trouble you to make a few more wooden racks like this? I want to use them for drying medicinal herbs.”
As she spoke, she quickly drew a rough sketch on the paper.
It showed a multi-tiered wooden rack with slatted shelves and raised legs underneath to allow air to circulate freely.
Old Li took the sketch and studied it for a moment before immediately understanding what she wanted.
“This is easy. It’s just a drying rack, right? No problem. I can make these while I’m at it.”
“Thank you so much, Master Li.”
Lin Xiaxia smiled gratefully.
“They don’t need to look fancy. As long as they’re sturdy enough to stand in the courtyard and hold medicinal herbs while they dry, that’s good enough.”
“Don’t worry. I guarantee they’ll be sturdy.”
Old Li patted his chest confidently before picking up his plane and continuing to smooth the lumber in his hands.
“I can finish assembling the medicine shelves for you this afternoon. The drying racks will take another couple of days. I’ll have to go back and find some suitable boards.”
Lin Xiaxia nodded.
Looking at the medicine shelves gradually taking shape in the courtyard, she began planning her next step.
Once the shelves were finished, it would be time to head into the mountains and gather some medicinal herbs.
The sunlight was warm and pleasant.
The fresh scent of wood filled the courtyard, accompanied by the occasional chirping of birds.
Everything felt peaceful and relaxing.
Lin Xiaxia stretched lazily, paying no attention to her earlier sneezing fit.
What she didn’t know was that down at the foot of the mountain, Li Weihong was still seething with anger because of her.
With every swing of her hoe, she furiously hacked at the soil, making the ground thud again and again.