Chapter 6: Urging Marriage

The well water was icy cold, but Li Yaqin seemed oblivious, mechanically scrubbing the dishes until her fingers were red and her joints stiff.

"Fifth Sister, let's go, it's time to go to the fields," her mother's voice came from behind, tinged with urgency.

The two walked one after the other along the path between the fields towards the village entrance.

Before they even got close, a commotion surged up like a tide. A crowd of people, three or four deep, seemed to be watching something exciting.

Li's mother, with her sharp eyesight and agile movements, quickly squeezed to the front of the crowd. Li Yaqin followed closely behind, squeezing in as well.

"Hey, Yaqin!" a surprised whisper came from behind. Li Yaqin turned around and saw Li Zhi's wife, looking at her excitedly.

"Have you heard?" Li Zhi's wife whispered mysteriously in Li Yaqin's ear, as if sharing some earth-shattering secret.

“The mail carrier yesterday got acupuncture from Dr. Li!”

Li Yaqin was taken aback, her eyes widening slightly, her face full of confusion: “Huh? Why?”

“I heard that the mail carrier suddenly had a stomachache, and Dr. Li gave him a few acupuncture needles, saying it would relieve the pain.”

Li Yaqin chuckled. What kind of nonsense was this?

She shook her head, hardly believing her ears: “What kind of nonsense is this? It’s too far-fetched!”

But in her heart, she was calculating whether Dr. Li’s reputation was of any use to her.

“That’s right!” Seeing Li Yaqin’s disbelief, Li Zhi’s wife became even more enthusiastic, continuing her vivid description.

“Some people also said that Dr. Li was actually treating the young man! They said he had a sudden illness… Oh, thank goodness for Dr. Li.”

"You know what, this village doctor Li is really skilled!" Li Zhi's wife exclaimed, her face beaming.

She became increasingly excited, her spittle almost landing on Li Yaqin's face, causing her to involuntarily step back.

"Let me tell you, his acupuncture technique is amazing! One needle, and it's guaranteed to cure everything!"

Li Yaqin frowned, wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

She couldn't hold back any longer and interrupted Li Zhi's wife.

"Sister-in-law, who told you all this? It sounds so unreliable!"

"Oh, do you need to hear it from anyone? It's all over the village!"

Li Zhi's wife stared wide-eyed at Li Yaqin, giving her a look of utter disbelief and exasperation.

“You’re cooped up at home all day, of course you don’t know what’s going on outside. Let me tell you, this Village Doctor Li is no ordinary doctor, his medical skills…”

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted from the crowd, like a pot boiling over. “He’s here! He’s here! Village Doctor Li is here!”

Li Yaqin instinctively looked in the direction of the crowd and saw Village Doctor Li carrying a medicine box, striding towards them.

Today he was wearing a faded blue cloth robe, a black belt around his waist, and mud-caked cloth shoes.

Although his clothes were simple, he looked energetic, his gait steady, and he possessed an air of quiet authority.

“Village Doctor Li, you’ve finally arrived!”

“Village Doctor Li, please take a look, my back is hurting terribly!”

"Dr. Li, I've been coughing a lot these past few days, could you prescribe some medicine?"

A crowd surged forward, shouting and jostling to get to Dr. Li, afraid of being left behind.

Dr. Li, however, remained calm. He placed his medicine box on the ground and gestured for quiet.

"Folks, don't rush, don't rush, one at a time." His voice was loud and clear, like a great bell, instantly silencing the noisy crowd.

"Dr. Li, please take a look at me first, my leg hurts so much I can't walk!"

An old man, leaning on a cane, shakily pushed his way to the front, his face contorted in pain.

"Alright, sit down first." Dr. Li pointed to a stone nearby, gesturing for the old man to sit, then knelt down himself and carefully examined the old man's leg.

Li Yaqin stood on the periphery of the crowd, quietly observing everything.

She didn't know much about Dr. Li's medical skills, but in those times of scarcity, a good doctor was a savior to the villagers.

"Dr. Li, do you think my illness can still be cured?" The old man's voice was full of expectation, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious," Dr. Li said, taking several gleaming silver needles from his medicine box.

"I'll give you a few acupuncture points and prescribe some medicine. You'll be better in a few days."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

The old man was so excited he almost jumped up, but the movement aggravated his leg injury, causing him to wince and gasp in pain.

"Don't move!" Dr. Li hissed, then picked up the silver needles, flicked his wrist, and several needles were firmly inserted into the old man's leg.

"Ouch!" the old man cried out, but quickly, the pain on his face turned to surprise; the pain seemed to have indeed lessened considerably.

"Alright, rest these next few days and don't do any heavy work." Village Doctor Li put away his acupuncture needles and took a small paper packet from his medicine box, handing it to the old man.

"This is medicine. Take it home and decoct it, three times a day, after meals."

"Thank you, Village Doctor Li! Thank you, Village Doctor Li!" The old man took the packet as if it were a precious treasure, thanking him profusely as he left.

Next, Village Doctor Li examined several more villagers and prescribed medicine.

His movements were skillful, his attitude kind, every action exuding professionalism and confidence, winning the villagers' heartfelt respect.

Watching Village Doctor Li's busy figure, Li Yaqin couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.

She envied Village Doctor Li's medical skills, and even more so, his respected status.

She thought, how wonderful it would be if I could have a skill like Village Doctor Li!

She couldn't help but consider that since she had a spatial ability, perhaps she could use Village Doctor Li's reputation to gain some benefits for herself.

Unfortunately, in her previous life, she was an orphan. Aside from nine years of compulsory education, she could only apply for botany, a field with government subsidies.

Before graduating, she hadn't learned anything. Later, she saved money and enrolled in a socialite training course.

She only learned how to speak sweet words and some simple manipulative tactics.

She hoped to use these to marry a rich man and avoid such hardship.

Before even graduating, she was transported into a book by Chuang Fei simply for being distracted by gossip during her internship break.

It's so frustrating! In the 21st century, even if I'm not rich, at least I have enough to eat and drink, and there's still hope of finding a wealthy man.

Even if I don't find one, life is fine on my own!

"Yaqin, what are you thinking about?" Her mother appeared beside her unnoticed, gently patting her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

"Nothing, Mother." Li Yaqin snapped out of her reverie, forcing a smile, her eyes darting away.

"We should get to work."

"Yes, let's go." Her mother took Li Yaqin's hand and walked heavily towards their field.

Reaching the edge of the field, Li's mother picked up a hoe, bent down, and began weeding, wiping and weeding, as if trying to vent all her frustrations.

Li Yaqin followed behind, tossing the weeds onto the edge of the field, her movements somewhat absentminded.

“Yaqin,” Li’s mother said, her voice slightly hoarse, as she worked.

Li Yaqin knew what her mother was going to say. Every time she saw other families bustling with activity,

her mother felt envious. She felt that when no one was around, her mother would sigh and groan, and it was definitely about to be about her marriage again.

“You’re not young anymore. You should start thinking about your future.”

Li Yaqin paused. She knew her mother was about to bring up that troubling topic again. She lowered her head, avoiding her mother’s eyes.

Li Yaqin followed behind her, throwing the weeds she had pulled onto the edge of the field.

Her movements were somewhat absentminded; she was thinking about how to utilize the space to her advantage.

“Mother, I’m still young. There’s no rush,” Li Yaqin said, her voice barely audible, tinged with resistance.

"Still too young? Look at all the girls your age in the village, aren't they all running around with children already? You can't delay any longer."

Mother Li straightened up, sighed heavily, her voice filled with helplessness and worry.

"You silly girl, you're too picky, always thinking about finding someone good, but there aren't that many good ones for you to choose from!"

"Mother, I didn't mean that..." Li Yaqin explained anxiously, her voice trembling slightly.

"Alright, don't explain anymore, Mother understands." Mother Li waved her hand, interrupting her, disappointment showing in her eyes.

"Yaqin, listen to your mother's advice, don't be so stubborn." Mother Li said earnestly, every word striking Li Yaqin's heart.

"Find an honest man to marry, and you'll have a good life."

"Mother, I don't want to!" Li Yaqin suddenly raised her head and said loudly, her eyes flashing with stubbornness, "I want a good life!"

"You child, why won't you listen to reason?" Li's mother stomped her feet angrily, pointing at Li Yaqin's nose, and said with exasperation, "What are you still dreaming about?"

"I don't want a hard life!" Li Yaqin covered her ears, shaking her head desperately, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You...you're really going to drive me crazy!" Li's mother's face turned pale with anger, her chest heaving violently, and she raised her hand to hit her.