She had long made up her mind—this lifetime would be spent eating, drinking, having fun, and living a laid-back life.
If she could also find a handsome, wealthy husband, that would be even more perfect.
When Tian Cuilan heard that the other party’s family were all medical professionals, she thought this girl’s medical skills must be quite impressive. But after glancing around at the people in the room, she held back what she was about to say. After all, the girl was now part of their village, so there was no rush.
“Didn’t they say you can’t take the college entrance exam anymore?”
The village chief’s wife exclaimed in surprise, wondering if she had misremembered, her eyes growing somewhat confused.
“Medical universities are still an option. After all, the whole country needs plenty of doctors, and medical universities are the specialized schools that train them. So, taking the exam for medical university is allowed.”
Su Mi explained as simply as she could, though the other party was merely curious and didn’t pay too much attention, just nodding to show she understood.
“Well, your idea works too. Tomorrow, I’ll have Dali and Manshan help you clean up the house. But let’s agree on the rent—one yuan per month, paid for at least a year in advance. We’ll also need to sign a contract so I can explain things to the villagers.”
Village Chief Niu took a slow puff from his pipe, exhaled the smoke, and then spoke unhurriedly.
“Fine, I’ll pay for ten years upfront to avoid future trouble. But, Village Chief, let’s also agree that once I move in, don’t assign anyone else to live there. I’ll be gathering medicinal herbs later, and if someone who doesn’t know better eats the wrong thing and gets sick, don’t blame me. After all, I still plan to take the medical university exam when the chance comes!”
“Besides, since I’ve been sent down to the countryside, I’m now a member of Niu Family Village. So, if any fellow villagers have headaches, fevers, or other minor ailments, they can come to me if they trust me. Of course, I’m not a doctor yet and don’t have a medical license, so I can’t do too much.”
Su Mi naturally laid out the harsh truths upfront, which were also the facts. Finally, she emphasized that she was now part of the village.
“Hmm, your concerns are reasonable. Having someone with medical knowledge in the village is a good thing. It just so happens we don’t have a doctor here, so your arrival is quite timely. I won’t have to run to the town every day begging for help.”
Village Chief Niu spoke honestly. Their village had no barefoot doctor. When someone fell ill, minor ailments were endured, hoping they’d get better on their own.
For serious illnesses, those with money were sent to the hospital; those without money simply waited to die.
But their village was poor, and the hardships they endured were known only to themselves.
Still, just hearing a young person boast about their skills?
Village Chief Niu wasn’t entirely convinced. After exhaling a few more smoke rings, he pondered and said:
“Well, I understand what you’re saying. How about you go and get a barefoot doctor’s certificate first? Once you have it, I’ll apply to set up a village clinic.
Then, you’ll earn full work points every day. Your job will be gathering medicinal herbs and treating everyone for minor ailments like headaches, fevers, or sprains. For now, I don’t expect you to handle serious cases. First, get that certificate for me, and then we can talk about the rest.”
Village Chief Niu tapped his emptied pipe, speaking with determination.
“Then thank you, Uncle Village Chief. Do you know when the exam is? I’ll need to prepare. I happen to have two days off, so I plan to go up the mountain to gather some medicinal herbs. Some herbs need to be dried, so I’ll have to get everything ready.”
“Alright then, tomorrow I’ll have my eldest son’s wife come find you and take you up the mountain to look for that medicinal herb.”
Village Chief Niu nodded, thinking this young educated youth was quite good at making arrangements.
“Then it’s settled. Oh, right, here’s 120 yuan—ten years’ rent. Since we’re free now, let’s go ahead and sign the contract.”
Of course, Su Mi’s ultimate goal wasn’t just one thing; she still had to settle the housing matter.
Who knew if the female lead might show up as soon as tomorrow morning?
Even if she arrived at noon, what if Su Mi was up on the mountain then? Better to get it settled early to avoid unnecessary complications.
“Quite the impatient one, aren’t you? Alright, I’ll take the money first. Old woman, go fetch my notebook and pen.”
Village Chief Niu chuckled and turned to instruct his wife.
Tian Cuilan twisted around and pulled a notebook and a fountain pen from the drawer behind her.
The fountain pen must have been used for a long time, as rust stains were visible on its surface.
Niu Youfu, Village Chief Niu’s five-year-old grandson, immediately ran over and brought a bottle of ink, handing it to his grandfather—though he actually wanted to place it on the kang table but couldn’t reach.
“Oh, my clever grandson is so observant.”
Tian Cuilan smiled, her eyes crinkling as she praised him.
Seeing the little one had lice on his head, Su Mi felt a creeping discomfort.
“Oh, right, since I figured there’d be lots of bugs in the countryside, I prepared some anti-lice and flea powder at home before coming. When washing hair, sprinkle this on wet hair, cover it with a towel, and leave it for half an hour.
The rest can be sprinkled around the house, on beds, quilts, and clothes. After three consecutive days, there won’t be any fleas or lice left in the house.
But that powder requires a larger amount. This small packet can be used for the child first.”
Su Mi couldn’t stand it any longer. Pretending to take it from her pocket, she actually retrieved a small oil-paper packet of medicine from her Dimensional Space and placed it on the kang table.
“Oh, thank you so much! I’ve been so annoyed by these things lately—they just won’t go away. I’ve had to wash his hair more often, and now they’ve even gotten onto my head.”
Tian Cuilan was delighted. She immediately stood up, took the medicine packet, and, unable to wait, pulled her grandson toward the kitchen.
She was probably going to heat water to wash his hair.
Village Chief Niu focused intently on writing out the contract, carefully noting the year, month, and day.
Su Mi looked it over and found no issues, then signed her name and stamped it.
There were two copies in total—one for the village and one for Su Mi to keep.
With the matter settled, Su Mi naturally stood up to take her leave.
Since it was already late, Village Chief Niu’s family didn’t think to keep her, but they did ask the eldest son and his wife to see her off.
After all, as the village chief, Liu Dakui knew all too well whether there were rats in their village.
Su Mi didn’t decline their kindness and had the couple accompany her to the entrance of the educated youth compound before letting them leave.
Along the way, Sun Xiaocao kept asking Su Mi how old she was, whether she had siblings, what they did, and what her parents did—almost like a census taker.
Su Mi answered what she could and changed the subject for things she couldn’t or didn’t want to share.
She was struggling to keep up and, truth be told, felt somewhat annoyed by someone who didn’t know boundaries when asking about others’ family situations.
What Su Mi didn’t know was that this was almost a habit for everyone in the countryside.
Partly out of curiosity, partly out of vigilance against spies—but which reason dominated varied from person to person.
On the way, they encountered patrolling militiamen, but with the eldest son of the village chief and his wife present, Su Mi didn’t attract any unnecessary trouble.