Chapter 608: Pulling the Cart

On Sunday, Bai Zhi and Lu Ye rode their motorcycles to the county town, planning to pry up the floor tiles in the shop and then start renovations.

Yesterday, she told Ye Qingbai and Shen Qian that if they went, they should go to the county town and meet up with them.

It's okay if they come later; we'll reimburse their travel expenses.

Bai Zhi and Lu Ye ate breakfast and then set off. Lu Ye brought a hammer and a crowbar from the army, so they had all the necessary tools.

Once we got to the store, we got right to work.

Bai Zhi also took off her coat, intending to work with him, but Lu Ye stopped her, saying, "Wife, stay here and don't move, I'll do it."

Bai Zhi said, "You pry it out and I'll pick it up. What am I supposed to do sitting here? I came here to work today."

She was anxious to stand aside and supervise the work.

The red bricks paving the ground have changed color and become pitted and scarred after years of wear and tear.

Every time Lu Ye pried off a brick, Bai Zhi would pick it up and throw it in the corner.

The couple were fully equipped today, wearing relatively old, work-appropriate clothes and gloves.

Lu Ye was also adept with the tools at hand, so his efficiency was quite high.

By around 10 o'clock, half of it had been pried open.

Bai Zhi went out and bought water, then told Lu Ye to rest for a while before continuing his work.

She looked outside, puzzled. "Why aren't my cousin and Shen Qian here yet? If they're any later, we'll have finished by then."

Lu Ye tilted his head back and took a swig of water, his tone wistful, "Relying on them for help will only delay things."

"Something might have happened at Shenqian Hospital."

Bai Zhi tried to make amends for Ye Qingbai, saying, "My cousin is still working on reconstruction, so he can't be of much help here."

"Alright, let's not rely on them, I'll do it."

After finishing his water, Lu Ye started prying bricks again. This was no big deal for him, and he became more and more adept at it. Bai Zhi couldn't even keep up with picking up the bricks later on.

Lu Ye stopped her directly, telling her to sit beside him and watch him work instead.

He has energy as long as she's around.

"I'll pick them up one by one."

Lu Ye looked at her gently and said, "No need, you can just sit and watch me work."

It's still early; we can clean up after he's finished.

Just as Bai Zhi sat down, she heard voices coming from the doorway.

She got up to check.

Ye Qingbai and Shen Qian walked in in a flurry.

Ye Qingbai looked around and exclaimed, "Oh my, you two have done so much already! Are we late?"

Lu Ye glanced at him and said calmly, "If you had come any later, we would have finished our work, closed up shop, and gone home."

Ye Qingbai was a little embarrassed to be so late. He explained, "I went to the hospital early, but I was detained for rehabilitation again. Dr. Shen was also late because he was waiting for me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qian awkwardly corrected him, "Make it clear, you're the one who told me to wait for you."

"The result is the same anyway."

Ye Qingbai sighed and complained, "We don't have any motorcycles to ride yet, and waiting for the bus made us even more late."

Lu Ye, impatient with his incessant rambling, interrupted him, "Stop talking nonsense and move all these bricks to the corner and stack them up."

Ye Qingbai looked them over and asked, "Where are we going to throw these bricks? We'll need to find a vehicle, won't we?"

His reminder made Bai Zhi realize that these bricks needed to be moved out and dumped quickly, otherwise they would be blocking the way.

She said, "I went to borrow Mr. Xia's car. I saw a cart in their yard yesterday."

"How about we wait until we're done prying it open and then I'll go borrow it?" Lu Ye felt sorry for his wife and didn't want her to pull the cart.

"No need, I'll borrow it. It's so close, I'll bring it over in no time."

She tugged at Shen Qian's sleeve, "Shen Qian, let's go together."

Bai Zhi took Shen Qian to Boss Xia's house and knocked on the door.

Just then, Boss Xia's wife was picking vegetables in the yard. When she saw Bai Zhi, she looked delighted, put down the vegetables she was picking, and got up to greet her.

Very enthusiastic.

"Dr. Bai, what brings you here?"

Bai Zhi smiled and asked, "Sister-in-law, how are you feeling today? Are you feeling alright?"

Old Xia's wife said cheerfully, "Dr. Xiao Bai, I'm completely cured! It's amazing! I've been trying to treat you for months without any results, but you just did a few movements for me and my dizziness is gone."

My husband, Xia, wouldn't let me do any chores and insisted I lie down. I said I'm all better now, why should I lie down? It's almost dinnertime, isn't it? Before he gets back, I'll start preparing the vegetables."

Shen Qian, “???”

Bai Zhi cured another patient in the time it takes to rent a shop?

Was it cured without medication or acupuncture?

As Old Xia's wife spoke, she looked at Shen Qian, who was standing next to Bai Zhi with a blank expression, and asked, "Is this your friend? Come on, let's go inside."

Bai Zhi smiled and explained her purpose, "Sister-in-law, we won't go in. We're tidying up the shop today. I remember seeing a cart in your yard yesterday, and we'd like to borrow it."

"No problem, the cart is right there in the corner."

Following Old Xia's wife's gaze, they indeed saw a cart at the base of the south wall.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. We'll take it now."

Bai Zhi was about to go pull the cart when Old Xia's wife said, "Then come over for lunch, I'll cook extra."

"Sister-in-law, please don't do that. We'll go to a restaurant to eat after we finish our work. Please don't cook for us, there are too many of us."

Bai Zhi politely declined, but Lao Xia's wife insisted enthusiastically, "What's wrong with having more people? I'll do more."

"Sister-in-law, really, no need. Let's do it next time. I'll come over for a meal next time. I might have to come here often in the future."

"Okay, you must come when you have time."

As Bai Zhi was about to leave with the cart, she remembered something and said to Old Xia's wife, "By the way, sister-in-law, when you get off work, could you ask him if he's found the tile setter he hired for me?"

"Okay, I'll ask him when he gets back," said Old Xia's wife, seeing them off at the gate.

After leaving Lao Xia's house, Bai Zhi skillfully pulled the cart, gesturing for Shen Qian to push it from behind.

Old Xia's cart had a rope tied to the front, so she slung the rope over her shoulder to make it easier to pull.

"You treated someone?" After they left, Chen Qian asked curiously, "What illness did she have? How did you cure her?"

Bai Zhi replied casually, "For benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), manual repositioning is sufficient."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qian nodded thoughtfully.

I see.

This was the first time Shen Qian had ever encountered a handcart in real life.

Holding onto the cart, she asked Bai Zhi, who was pulling it with ease, "How do you manage to maintain your balance?"

Bai Zhi said, "I'm familiar with this cart. Back in my hometown, the cart was an important means of transportation for the family. We used it to haul wheat and corn from the fields. My grandfather used to pull the cart, and I would push it from behind."