The brigade leader was a senior who genuinely cared for Mingxi, and she remembered all the help he had given her.
A few days earlier, she had mailed back some items, including food and daily necessities. Postal services were slow at that time, but by her calculations, the package should have arrived in the last couple of days.
When the brigade leader received the package, he wondered who had sent it.
Mingxi had also enclosed a letter in the parcel, expressing her gratitude for the brigade leader’s assistance.
As the brigade leader read the letter, his eyes crinkled into a smile.
“What a good child, what a good child! Before, she seemed so timid—probably bullied by Liu Cuihua and her daughter. Look how clever she is now.”
“Who knows how much money she spent on these things? This child really should save more. We have everything we need in the countryside. It would’ve been better if she had kept the money for herself.”
Although he said this, the smile never left his face.
His wife and children were also beaming. Although their family was relatively well-off in the village, they had never seen such fine goods before.
The pastries were so exquisite, and there were dried meats, fabric, and even comic books for the children—she had thoughtfully considered every member of the family.
That evening, the brigade leader’s family enjoyed a lavish meal, and he even brought out a bottle of fine liquor he had been saving for a long time.
Watching his grandchildren eating quietly, the brigade leader spoke to them earnestly: “You must all study hard. Although times are unstable now, this chaotic era will eventually pass. Look at Mingxi—most people would have crumbled under such bullying, but she managed to turn her life around and even became a doctor. That’s because she was educated and knowledgeable.”
The brigade leader had sent all his grandchildren to school, unlike others in the village who favored sons over daughters.
Granddaughters were family too, and their achievements brought honor to the entire household.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Mingxi was selected along with several other doctors for a rural medical outreach program.
This was Mingxi’s first time participating in such rounds, so she was unfamiliar with everything.
Doctor Liao and Doctor Xu gave her some precautions, especially warning her not to go to sparsely populated areas.
“It’s not that we’re being overly cautious, but there really are some unsavory characters in the countryside. Uneducated and unable to find wives, some men resort to ruining a young woman’s reputation to force marriage.”
“Although regulations are strict now, most families in a village or brigade are related by blood or marriage. A powerful outsider is no match for local influence, and no one wants trouble in their own village, so incidents are often covered up.”
Doctor Liao sighed as he spoke. While rural medical rounds were a noble endeavor, they were also risky.
Even for men, the dangers were considerable, let alone for a pretty young woman like Mingxi.
Their warnings made Mingxi somewhat nervous. The saying “harsh lands breed unruly people” might sound unpleasant, but it held some truth.
In places with scarce resources, people often revealed their inhuman side in the struggle for survival.
Being illiterate and uneducated, they couldn’t grasp reasoned arguments, adhering instead to their own ways and prioritizing their interests.
This was why modern society emphasized quality education and implemented nine-year compulsory schooling—the more people read, the more they understood principles, and the more likely they were to comprehend reasoned discourse.
Doctor Xu: “Anyway, you must remember to stick with the group. Don’t go to deserted places, and be wary of anyone who approaches you—whether elderly, women, or children.”
Doctor Liao: “Exactly. They could be decoys. During our previous medical outreach, there was a young female doctor who had just joined the hospital. She was inexperienced and prone to misplaced kindness.”
“Despite our repeated warnings, she nearly got into trouble later.”
Recalling this, Doctor Liao still felt a chill. Fortunately, they arrived in time and found her just after she’d been drugged—otherwise, her life would have been ruined.
Mingxi rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps rising. This was genuinely dangerous.
She needed to prepare something for self-protection to carry with her.
Initially quite excited, she now felt both anticipation and fear.
There were six doctors in the group: four men and two women. Surprisingly, Lin Jianguo was among them.
Lin Jianguo had volunteered for this assignment. Recently, he’d been working to rebuild his image, and joining the medical outreach was part of that effort.
The other woman was Chen Ying, who had a cheerful personality and was thrilled to see Mingxi.
“Doctor Ming, over here!” she called out warmly, as if meeting her idol.
Mingxi stood beside her and greeted her with a smile: “Doctor Chen, we’ll be sharing accommodations this week. Please take care of me.”
Chen Ying grinned and shook Mingxi’s hand, subtly rubbing her fingers against Mingxi’s skin.
So smooth! How could Lin Jianguo fail to cherish such a beautiful wife? He really didn’t know how lucky he was.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely look after you well. That yao gao of yours is incredibly effective—see, the scar on my hand is almost invisible now.”
Chen Ying rolled up her sleeve to show Mingxi the scar. Mingxi leaned back in surprise, nearly losing her composure.
But the scar was indeed very faint. “It’s really almost gone.”
Chen Ying chuckled: “I got this helping with chores as a child. Thankfully, your yao gao worked wonders.”
Seeing her keen interest in the medicinal cream, Mingxi explained its ingredients. The two women discussed it earnestly.
The three male doctors listened attentively too, while Lin Jianguo sat aloof on the outskirts.
He hadn’t expected Mingxi to be on this trip. Had he known, he would have waited for the next batch instead.
The village they were visiting was quite remote. Though close to their base, it was nestled deep in a valley, making access difficult.
They had to park their vehicle roadside and cross the mountain on foot.
Mingxi took out insect-repellent ointment and asked everyone to apply it to their necks and hands.
“The mountain has many mosquitoes and insects. If bitten, the itching will be troublesome. This will help repel them.”
Everyone rushed to apply the ointment—even Lin Jianguo didn’t refuse.
Mingxi even glanced at him extra times, having assumed he wouldn’t use her medicine.
Truly, a real man knows when to yield and when to stand firm.
Lin Jianguo pretended not to notice her gaze and carefully applied the repellent.
Though he wanted to avoid further entanglement with Mingxi, he wouldn’t make things harder for himself out of pride.
Only a fool would refuse mosquito repellent and suffer needlessly.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but fortunately the male doctors were quite strong and could occasionally pull them along. Mingxi nearly stumbled even while using both her hands and feet.