Shen Wangchun was stunned. His parents had both died in the war, leaving him completely orphaned. Today, if Auntie Wang hadn’t carried him out of the deep forest, his life would probably have ended.
“Auntie Wang, are you really willing to adopt me as your godson?”
Wang Guifen smiled and brushed the leaves off his shoulders.
She said earnestly, “Is there any doubt, child? Your parents sacrificed themselves to protect our country. I also have a son who’s in the army. If you don’t mind, consider my home as yours, and I’ll raise you strong and healthy.”
Shen Wangchun’s eyes grew slightly red.
Orphaned from a young age, his uncle’s family had taken his parents’ pension.
Auntie Wang had never liked him; but since he was still eligible for the pension as a child, she had to tolerate him.
Once he grew too old to qualify, his uncle and aunt sent him to the countryside, claiming their duty was done.
This was the first time anyone had said they wanted to adopt him as a godson and raise him well.
“Auntie, I want to! I really do!” Shen Wangchun said, clutching the sweet potato and eggs in his hands.
Wang Guifen’s face was full of smiles. “Good, good. Tomorrow I’ll invite the commune staff and the brigade leader over for a meal to witness this. From now on, you’ll eat at my table, and it’ll reduce gossip. I also have a good daughter-in-law—you’ll meet her then.”
“Auntie, you forgot—we’ve already met,” Shen Wangchun reminded her.
Wang Guifen suddenly remembered. “Oh, right! We rode the tricycle together. We’ve already met.”
She looked down at the herbal root in her hand. “Ah, yes.” She handed Shen Wangchun the wrinkled Tianma root. “Child, what are you doing with this Tianma?”
Shen Wangchun accepted it. “You know Tianma too? I’m trying to create a remedy. In our village, people often suffer from wind‑cold or joint pain in winter. Tianma can treat dizziness and unblock channels. I want to combine it with what I’ve read in books to make a herbal formula suitable for farmers. Later, if anyone in the brigade has minor ailments, they might not need to run to the commune clinic as often.”
Wang Guifen stepped forward, shocked. “You know medicine?”
Shen Wangchun nodded slowly.
“Then you’re even more deserving of being my godson,” Wang Guifen laughed. “My late husband was a barefoot doctor. He left no valuables, only books and herbal guides. My son didn’t want to learn medicine, so these are all for you.”
Now it made sense why the spy wanted to harm this newly arrived educated youth.
This boy was a life-saving medical talent.
He was just starting out, yet the spy had already targeted him.
No doubt, he would become someone important in the future.
“Really? Auntie, can I really look at them?” Shen Wangchun asked, both shocked and happy.
Because of his lack of practical experience, he had been cautious in prescribing formulas, and many drug combinations were uncertain. With the uncle’s books and practical notes, all these problems would be resolved.
He had almost never had good luck before, but now such a fortunate event had fallen upon him. He no longer resented the misfortune he had endured; from now on, he would be the luckiest person alive—Auntie Wang was his benefactor.
“Yes, for now, you’re my godson,” Wang Guifen said, placing the small basket on his back. “Eat the eggs and sweet potatoes, and go.”
“Okay, thank you, godmother,” Shen Wangchun said, turning to leave with his items.
“Wangchun, wait,” Wang Guifen whispered. “Tell the brigade leader that I’m not dividing the wolf meat at home. If he asks why, say it’s because my daughter-in-law is pregnant—he’ll understand.”
She added, “Since you’re my godson, I won’t hide anything from you. Su Yi is carrying twins. Wolves are fierce animals—pregnant women shouldn’t be exposed to such meat. The elders say eating meat with a violent nature can disturb the fetus, making the children irritable. Better to eat a little less meat and ensure the twins are safe. Even if the brigade divides it, there won’t be much. Su Yi is from the city; if she knew it was wolf meat, she wouldn’t want to eat it, and she trusts these old sayings. So a little less meat doesn’t matter.”
Shen Wangchun repeated in a low voice, “Twins?”
Wang Guifen smiled and nodded, holding up two fingers. “Yes, two little ones.”
Shen Wangchun exclaimed, “That’s rare! I really must study medicine well—maybe I can help out in the future… Hehe, I’m going to be an uncle!”
After laughing foolishly, he became serious. “Godmother is right. Wild wolves can carry germs. If not handled properly, it can cause stomach issues. My sister-in-law is carrying twins; her stomach is delicate. If she ate it and felt unwell, it wouldn’t be like a normal person. Better to be careful. The wolf meat can be properly processed by the brigade and shared with the strong workers—they can handle it.”
Wang Guifen nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Okay,” Shen Wangchun said, slinging the small bamboo basket on his back as he went down the slope.
Wang Guifen returned inside to continue her meal, smiling.
Su Yi quietly approached, smiling. “Mom, you’re so happy. What happened?”
Wang Guifen served her some fish. “Su Yi, the educated youth I saved—I want to adopt him as my godson.”
“That’s good!” Su Yi said, curious. “But what about his parents?”
Wang Guifen sighed. “His parents were soldiers and died when he was very young. He was sent to his uncle’s house, always treated as an outsider. Without his parents’ pension, the family probably wouldn’t have taken him in. After he grew up and could no longer receive the pension, that family had no incentive to care for him, so he was sent here to the countryside.”
“That family is really cruel,” Su Yi said, slapping the kang (heated brick bed) in frustration.
Wang Guifen continued, “Wangchun is a good child and knows medicine. I suspect the spy that day targeted him for this reason.”
Su Yi looked at her in confusion.
“He went into the deep forest to collect Tianma, actually to experiment with a formula. In winter, villagers often suffer from wind-cold or joint pain. Tianma treats dizziness and unblocks channels. He wants to combine it with book knowledge to create a formula suitable for farmers. If it works, villagers might make fewer trips to the commune clinic. Most importantly, his father Zhijun was also a barefoot doctor and left many books and notes. That’s how I knew about wild ginseng from flipping through Zhijun’s herbal guides. It’s fate in a way.”