It was perfectly normal to feel digestive discomfort during menstruation, but at a time like this, it brought Cheng Baozhu quite a bit of inconvenience.
Since transmigrating, if there was one thing she still hadn’t gotten used to, it was the rural pit latrine.
To control how often she had to go, Cheng Baozhu had deliberately spent several days adjusting her body’s internal clock. Just like when she used to go to school, she would go once at home in the morning, then again at noon, carefully managing both frequency and timing so she wouldn’t have to face the latrine too often.
Xu Chuan couldn’t understand why she would rather endure it than go to the toilet, but after she vividly described what a proper bathroom should look like, he finally began to look forward to building one.
After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “How about we skip buying the bicycle for now and pool our money to build the house first?”
He had originally planned to buy the bicycle today, but with the heavy snow, even walking to the county would be difficult.
Cradling her cup of brown sugar ginger tea, Cheng Baozhu took small sips and said, “You should still buy the bicycle first. Doesn’t the saying go, if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools? Only with a bicycle can you earn more money.”
Borrowing things from others was never ideal. If they weren’t paying Xu Jialiang a few mao every day, that auntie would have already come knocking at their door.
Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on. It all came down to money. If he had enough, he would build a proper cement house without hesitation.
The young couple looked at each other and sighed in unison.
“How did the strange-flavor chicken sell today?” Cheng Baozhu asked.
At the mention of this, Xu Chuan smiled slightly. “Pretty well. Ten chickens made twenty portions, all reserved by regular customers. Before I even got back, everything had already sold out.”
Still, he couldn’t sell too much. Otherwise, the source of the chickens would be hard to explain. He had only introduced it because he urgently needed money. After this batch, he would probably wait until near the New Year before selling it again.
Since he didn’t require meat coupons, his price was a bit high. At that moment, he had thirty-eight yuan in his pocket, all earned today.
If he saved a bit more, he could start building the house at the beginning of next year.
As he planned this out, Cheng Baozhu was also thinking.
She suddenly realized she had been a bit foolish.
She had money, quite a lot of it. But despite that, she was still living in this shabby little house. The money hadn’t really improved her situation.
After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Xu Chuan.”
“Hmm?”
“Can we secretly buy a house in the county?”
Xu Chuan jolted. “You want to live separately from me again?”
She quickly retorted, “I never said that, don’t accuse me.” Then she scooted closer, grabbed his arm, and smiled sweetly, making his back prickle.
Her voice turned soft and coaxing. “I just thought that if we could buy one, we could get a small courtyard and live there for a few months each year. In weather like this, you wouldn’t have to get up so early every day, right?”
Xu Chuan thought to himself that if they really did that, it wouldn’t just be a few months. It would probably turn into living in the county nearly all year round.
“What about the clinic? Are you just going to ignore it?” he asked.
Her expression fell immediately.
That was indeed a problem. Even with her limited understanding, she knew that buying a house in the county required a local household registration.
The clinic belonged to Jiangmen Commune. They wouldn’t allow someone without local registration to work or study there.
You couldn’t have both a fish and a bear’s paw.
Xu Chuan was about to comfort her when she suddenly said—
“Then you buy me a bicycle!” she declared confidently. “You provide the ticket, I’ll pay for it. But the bicycle belongs to me, you only have the right to use it.”
Yes, hers.
The more she spoke, the brighter her eyes became, convinced this was the perfect solution. She would have a bicycle to commute to the commune, and Xu Chuan wouldn’t need to borrow one anymore. They could even save money for building the house.
“Go on, hurry up, return the bicycle and go buy one now,” she urged.
Xu Chuan was speechless. “Do we really have to rush?”
Snow was still falling heavily outside. How was he supposed to get to the county?
“Then go prepare for building the house. I don’t care, I can’t stand that toilet anymore. Build it as soon as you can.”
After going in circles, they were back to the same issue.
Houses!
No matter the era, once basic needs were met, the next thing people thought about was always housing.
What a headache.
That night, the doors and windows were tightly shut, yet the winter wind still slipped through the cracks, bringing a biting chill into the room.
The system said the snowfall would be heavy but would stop in two days.
Crack!
A piece of rotten wood in the yard snapped under the weight of the snow. Judging by the direction, it was probably part of the chicken coop. Since they didn’t keep chickens, it didn’t matter.
For once, Cheng Baozhu was sitting up in bed with a coat draped over her shoulders, sketching in a notebook. Since they were planning to build a house, they naturally needed a design.
Or rather, she wanted to design it. After all, she would be living there for at least a year or two. How could she not make it comfortable?
Xu Chuan couldn’t stand it anymore. “All the houses around here are built the same way. One courtyard with two or three rooms. It’s just the two of us, there’s no need to draw so much.”
Ignoring him, she pointed at her sketch. “How is it unnecessary? Look, this is the living room. To the left is the bedroom, and to the right is the kitchen.”
“Exactly, which means we only need one house. Those three areas can all fit inside, just separated by wooden partitions.”
As for the rest, they could build a toilet in the corner of the yard. Four or five hundred yuan should be enough.
Cheng Baozhu frowned, saying that had no sense of aesthetics.
Xu Chuan stared at her in disbelief, speechless for a long moment.
Finally, he put down the newspaper, firmly took off her coat, and tucked her into the warm quilt.
In a deliberately soft voice, he said, “My lady, please just sleep. I’ll handle everything for you, I’ve even warmed the bed.”
Cheng Baozhu was speechless.
Why did he have to be so annoying at night?
She closed her eyes, pulling the blanket up over her forehead as if preparing to sleep.
But even after Xu Chuan finished reading the newspaper, turned off the light, and lay down, she still couldn’t fall asleep.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“Mm. I napped for half an hour this afternoon.”
“Still thinking about the house?”
“I just want to live in a nice house.”
Outside, the moonlight shone brightly, made even colder by the snowy night. A few strands of moonlight slipped into the room with the wind, faintly illuminating the space.
Xu Chuan pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her hair. “Don’t worry. We can’t build the house you want right now, but we definitely will in the future.”
She smiled slightly, though she murmured, “You’re just feeding me empty promises.”
“I’m not. I’ll definitely build it for you. Whatever kind you want, I’ll make it happen.”
His tone was firm.
In his mind, he was already imagining building a two- or three-story cement house one day, letting Baozhu choose a floor to live on, and leaving the rest for their future children.
His horizons were still narrow, but his determination was real.
The next day, Xu Chuan got busy. Besides delivering goods to the county, he also went to the brick factory to place an order.
He didn’t tell anyone about his plan to build a house. At the earliest, it wouldn’t be completed until next year. Saying it now would only invite gossip.
But he did want to get some bricks first and build the toilet as soon as possible, so Cheng Baozhu wouldn’t have to hold it in every night.
Cheng Baozhu wasn’t idle either. Although her stomach still felt a bit sore, it didn’t stop her enthusiasm for learning.
Today, she managed to snag a great item from the ten-minute flash sale: Dr. Zhang’s Medical Records.
From this “book,” or rather this notebook, she realized she had underestimated the system.
Her copied notes, once placed in the system store, weren’t just for her to buy. Others like her could buy them too.
Just like this notebook, it was probably uploaded by this so-called “Dr. Zhang.”
Holding the notebook, she said excitedly, “System, you really didn’t lie. The flash sale really does have good stuff.”
For the moment, she had completely forgotten about calling the system a profiteer yesterday.
The system felt as though its data was becoming disordered. Usually, she would snap at it, but now that she was being nice, it felt strangely pleased.
Cheng Baozhu didn’t notice any of this. She eagerly flipped through the notebook.
It was thick, identical to the brick-like notebook she had bought before.
Inside were decades of medical records, detailing patients’ symptoms, visible signs, prescriptions, and even follow-up visits. The value was immeasurable.
No wonder it was marked with a prominent “Excellent.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if her own notes would only be rated “Pass.”
The system silently scoffed. Pass? In her dreams.
Page by page, she read with growing excitement, even swearing that one day she would compile her own Dr. Cheng’s Medical Records.
Outside, the cold wind howled as the snow gradually stopped.
With a cup of brown sugar ginger tea by her side, Cheng Baozhu focused on the first case.
Patient Liu. Initial diagnosis: heat above and cold below…
At the same time, Xu Chuan arrived at the brick factory.
He knew someone there, and the man was stunned to see him. When Xu Chuan said he wanted to order bricks, the man was even more shocked.
“I heard you turned over a new leaf. I didn’t believe it before, but now I do,” said Xiao Wang.
Xu Chuan laughed. “I’ve always been decent. Now that I have a wife, I can’t keep living like before.”
Leaning closer, he added quietly, “If your factory has enough supply, help me set aside a batch first. I need to build a toilet at home. The rest isn’t urgent.”
Xiao Wang immediately agreed. “You came at just the right time. A farm in the neighboring village ordered a large batch. If you came a day later, there wouldn’t be any left.”
Xu Chuan clapped him on the shoulder. “Good brother, write me the order. I’ll come collect it once the snow stops.”
After paying the deposit, Xu Chuan returned to Laokeng Village, heading straight to the old house.
Inside, the family had gathered.
Jiang Yulan brought up the matter of bringing her daughter’s children back to the countryside, and they were discussing it.
Li Cuifen wasn’t entirely pleased. If the children came, Jiang Yulan would take care of them, but they would likely stay with her sons, Hutou and Xiao Gu.
Still, she also saw it as an opportunity to grow closer to her sister-in-law’s family.
After weighing it, she decided to stay silent.
Xu Baoguo, missing his daughter and grandson, said, “It’s too cold now. Even if they come, it’ll be next spring. Write and ask first. Those two adopted boys are brothers, we should ask if they’re willing.”
Jiang Yulan nodded, already thinking about how to have Xu Chuan write the letter.
Just then, Xu Chuan entered.
After hearing everything, he had no objections. “I’m fine with it. Just be prepared, you and Dad will have a lot on your hands.”
After chatting a while, he gathered the roasted chestnuts and said, “Dad, Brother, once the snow stops, help me build a toilet.”
Everyone froze.
“A what?” Li Cuifen asked.
“A toilet. A proper one.”
He pulled out Cheng Baozhu’s drawing and briefly explained the squatting toilet and washing area.
They were all stunned.
Before they could question him further, Xu Chuan slipped away with the chestnuts.
Two days later, the snow stopped.
Cheng Baozhu returned to the clinic. Old Zhang checked her condition and said, puzzled, “It’s not that serious.”
“But it hurts,” she replied matter-of-factly.
Pain tolerance varied from person to person.
Old Zhang had never seen anyone take two days off just because of menstruation. Most women worked through it as usual.
Cheng Baozhu spread her hands. “Then you should promote better awareness. Have you noticed how common gynecological problems are here?”
She had seen too many cases.
One woman had resumed fieldwork just days after childbirth, suffered severe bleeding, and even tried to stop it with ash.
Cheng Baozhu believed prevention was more important than treatment. When the clinic was quiet, they should educate people more.
Old Zhang sighed. “I’ve tried. But people still do things the same way.”
They had no choice. Everyone needed to earn work points.
Cheng Baozhu pressed her lips together, feeling a little discouraged.