Perhaps because the dream she had last night was so beautiful, Lin Baiyu slept especially soundly. By the time she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Grandma Lin had always doted on her granddaughter. Seeing how peacefully she was sleeping, she was in no hurry to wake her up for breakfast.
When Lin Baiyu finally opened her eyes, daylight was already flooding the room. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was already nine o’clock.
Remembering that Grandpa Lin would be returning home around noon, she quickly got up to wash and freshen herself up.
Because of her frail health, the original Lin Baiyu’s hair had been somewhat dry and yellowish.
However, with the effects of the system’s medicine, although Lin Baiyu still appeared delicate and weak on the surface, her body had actually recovered considerably.
As a result, while tidying her hair that morning, she noticed that it had begun to regain its natural shine.
After tying her shoulder length hair into a single braid with a ribbon, she looked into the small mirror treasured by the original owner.
The young woman reflected in the mirror smiled brightly. The dark circles caused by years of late nights were gone, and so was the sickly appearance she had when she first arrived. Lin Baiyu was extremely satisfied with her current condition.
After breakfast, she spent some time taking care of the little treasures at home, namely the chicks.
Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was already past eleven o’clock. Lin Baiyu decided to take a walk before Grandpa Lin returned home.
Coincidentally, Grandma Lin had mentioned something the previous day.
She had said that it was fortunate that Doctor Lin had discovered the unconscious Lin Baiyu lying by the river after she had struck her head. She felt they should properly thank him when they had the opportunity.
Lin Baiyu immediately volunteered.
“Since I was planning to go out tomorrow anyway, there’s no better time than now. I’ll go thank Doctor Lin tomorrow.”
Since her elder brother had recently sent supplies home, Grandma Lin instructed her to bring one jin of milk candies and also prepared a ten yuan red envelope for her to take along.
She additionally reminded Lin Baiyu to ask Doctor Lin to check her pulse again and make sure no lasting health problems remained.
After storing her watch in the system inventory, putting on the straw hat Grandpa Lin had specially woven for his granddaughter, and picking up the gifts intended for Doctor Lin, Lin Baiyu set off.
Like Lin Baiyu’s family, Doctor Lin also lived in a relatively remote part of the village. However, as a village doctor, he often had to venture into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs and treat villagers.
Following her memories, Lin Baiyu found Doctor Lin’s courtyard after about ten minutes of walking.
The courtyard was covered with all kinds of medicinal herbs drying in the sun, many of which she had never seen before.
The scene looked exactly like something from an old television drama.
As she curiously examined the herbs and was about to call out, Doctor Lin emerged from the house.
“So it’s Baiyu. Why are you standing outside? Come in.”
Doctor Lin looked like an ordinary middle aged man, but his warm smile made him seem exceptionally approachable.
“Yes, it’s me. I was just about to ask whether you were home.”
Lin Baiyu followed him into the main room.
After placing Grandma Lin’s gifts on the table, she thanked him sincerely.
“No need to be so polite. You’re fortunate. The blood clot in your head dispersed quickly, and you’ve recovered well afterward. Looking at your complexion now, you seem healthier than before. It looks like you’ve almost fully recovered. Let me check your pulse again.”
As he spoke, Doctor Lin motioned for her to extend her hand.
After examining her pulse, he informed her that her body had recovered very well and that she simply needed to continue resting properly.
Doctor Lin had watched Lin Baiyu grow up, so he naturally understood that although she only appeared slightly weaker than others on the surface, her health had somehow deteriorated steadily as she grew older.
However, he simply assumed that the Lin family might have encountered some fortunate opportunity and found a way to nourish her body. Since he had a good friendship with Grandpa Lin, he had no intention of prying into their secrets and was even willing to help cover for them when necessary.
After the examination, Doctor Lin accepted the red envelope but refused to take the milk candies, insisting that Lin Baiyu needed them more to help restore her health.
“My brother just sent some things home, and we still have plenty left. Please don’t worry. Just consider these a treat for Xiao Huzi.”
Had she used any other excuse, Doctor Lin likely would have refused.
But when she mentioned his only son, Lin Wenhu, he hesitated.
Ever since his wife passed away, Doctor Lin and his son had depended on each other. Lin Wenhu had always been sensible, and while milk candies were not especially valuable, they were still difficult to come by in the village.
Seeing his hesitation, Lin Baiyu quickly stuffed the candies into his hands before he could react and hurriedly took her leave.
By the time Doctor Lin recovered from his surprise, she was already far away.
With no other choice, he accepted the gift and silently resolved to look after Lin Guangfu’s granddaughter whenever possible.
As fate would have it, while Lin Baiyu leisurely wandered along the village road, she happened to run into Xiao Huzi and several of his friends.
The group was heading toward the village entrance.
“Hello, Sister Baiyu.”
Lin Wenhu was fairly familiar with Lin Baiyu and greeted her first.
Lin Baiyu was quite fond of the well behaved young boy from her memories, so she smiled and replied, “Long time no see, Xiao Huzi. What are all of you doing?”
Lin Wenhu answered, “We heard that new educated youths are arriving in the village today, so we’re going to take a look.”
The moment he finished speaking, Lin Baiyu suddenly heard the system notification.
“The system has detected energy available for collection. The host is requested to proceed to the village entrance.”
Hearing this, Lin Baiyu told Lin Wenhu that she happened to have nothing else to do and would like to accompany them.
As she spoke, she pulled five pieces of candy from her pocket.
She gave two to Lin Wenhu and one each to the other children, instantly winning their affection.
Children around that age were energetic and mischievous by nature. Although Lin Wenhu and his friends were more sensible than most children, they were still lively and playful.
Between Lin Baiyu’s gentle personality and the milk candies, she quickly became one of their own.
On the way to the village entrance, the four children chatted endlessly.
Without drawing attention to herself, Lin Baiyu gathered a great deal of fresh village gossip from them while simultaneously feeding the information to the system in exchange for Melon-Eating Points.
Because she deliberately slowed her pace, the group took roughly forty to fifty minutes to reach the village entrance.
By then, Lin Baiyu had successfully exchanged enough information to earn eleven Melon-Eating Points.
When she saw that her point balance now displayed five points, she felt immensely satisfied at finally moving into positive territory.
Before they reached the village entrance, she distributed the remaining candies in her pocket among the children and told them that she had secretly brought them out, asking them to keep it a secret.
At that age, children valued loyalty greatly.
The clever youngsters quickly discussed the matter, ate all the candies, and discarded the wrappers in a patch of weeds where nobody would easily notice them.
By the time they arrived, a number of villagers had already gathered to watch.
Standing near the outer edge of the crowd, Lin Baiyu noticed four unfamiliar faces among the people gathered there.
She guessed that these must be the newly arrived educated youths.