Chapter 80 Chapter 80

Wen Yanxi looked at her smug look and suddenly leaned closer.

Chen Zhaoyue paused for breath, blinked rapidly, and her long eyelashes were like two small fans.

When did my uncle become so bold?

In broad daylight, he wouldn't be...

Shen Zhaoyue's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of his clothes.

Wen Yanxi stared at her for a long time, so close that she could smell the scent of earth and grass mixed on him.

But in the end, Wen Yanxi just sighed softly, reached out and gently wiped away the corn kernels stuck on her lips.

The rough fingertips brushed across the tender lips, causing a slight electric current.

Watching him retreat, Shen Zhaoyue breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a sense of inexplicable loss welled up in his heart.

If this happened at home, she would definitely grab his collar and kiss him, and tease him thoroughly.

Unfortunately, at this moment...

She glanced at the tightly closed courtyard door and could faintly hear the villagers talking outside.

"What are you thinking about? Your face is so red." There was a hint of joy in Wen Yanxi's low voice.

The jealousy I felt when I saw those young people this morning has finally dissipated a lot.

Wen Yanxi put the lunch box he brought on the table in a good mood: "Eat these first, I'll bring you new ones in the evening."

Chen Zhaoyue touched her hot cheeks and thought that this man was getting better and better at teasing.

"How about I give you two injections first?" She blinked, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yanxi raised his thick eyebrows slightly, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Didn't you just have an acupuncture treatment not long ago?"

"No cure for hidden illness." Chen Zhaoyue puffed up her cheeks like an angry little pufferfish: "First, cure your jealousy!"

She deliberately dragged out the ending of the word and lightly tapped the back of his hand which was lying on the edge of the table with her fingertips.

The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the pear tree leaves, casting mottled shadows on her puffy little face.

Wen Yanxi looked at her like this, and a smile appeared in his eyes.

Chen Zhaoyue felt a little embarrassed by his fixed gaze, so she casually grabbed a piece of corn and stuffed it into his hand: "This is a gift from a patient who saw me this morning. Try it too, it's so sweet!"

Wen Yanxi took the corn and sat down across from her before asking the real question: "Have you found anything about the enemy spies?"

Chen Zhaoyue shook his head: "Not yet. The people who come to see the doctor are all ordinary villagers."

Moreover, not many young people came, which made Shen Zhaoyue wonder whether her words in the morning had a counterproductive effect.

She took a bite of the food Wen Yanxi brought, and the familiar taste made her squint her eyes in satisfaction.

I've been used to eating the food he cooks for a while now, and this one is the most to my taste.

"How about you guys?" After swallowing the food, Shen Zhaoyue turned around and asked.

"Not so fast." Wen Yanxi said in a low voice: "Since the enemy spies were able to sneak into the village, they must be very cautious."

Chen Zhaoyue nodded: "I will continue to pay attention."

"Be careful!" Wen Yanxi reminded as usual.

He cooked lunch at noon and brought it directly over. He had lunch at Shen Zhaoyue's place before leaving.

In the afternoon, Chen Zhaoyue took out some herbs from the space again. Although this time he was looking for enemy spies under the guise of free medical treatment, Chen Zhaoyue was serious about the medical treatment.

These villagers were kind to her, and Shen Zhaoyue really wanted to give something back.

As the sun sets, the sunset glows half the sky red.

After finishing their farm work, the villagers gathered in groups of three or four under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village to enjoy the cool air. The topic naturally turned to the most exciting event in the village in the past two days.

"Oh, you guys missed out by not going to the free clinic!" A white-haired old man slapped his thigh and said in a loud voice: "I have had cold legs for many years, and I feel better immediately after the acupuncture!"

"That's right!" The aunt next to him quickly agreed: "I thought the silver needles were scary at first, but after the injection, my waist pain is gone. I have to get up early tomorrow and get a few more injections!"

The people who hadn't gone under the tree were stunned by what they heard. One person couldn't help but interrupt, "Is it really as miraculous as you say? I don't think that young man can be such a good doctor."

"What do you know?" The old man glared at him. "That's what we call a true master who doesn't reveal his true identity! In all my life, I've never seen such an effective acupuncture technique!"

"That's right. It's a free clinic and they don't charge any money. You can try it yourself to find out whether it's true or not," the aunt agreed again.

The evening breeze blew gently, and the branches and leaves of the old locust tree rustled.

After hearing the descriptions of those miraculous effects, many people who were originally on the sidelines became interested.

It’s free anyway, so it’s worth checking out!

The news spread faster than the wind in the isolated mountain village, from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

The next day, just as the sky was turning pale, Chen Zhaoyue was awakened by Johnny's urgent voice.

"Miss! Wake up!" Johnny's tone was very excited, and he shook Shen Zhaoyue with a fatal move.

"It's not even six o'clock yet!" Chen Zhaoyue was shaken awake and wailed after seeing the time. This was earlier than the crowing rooster.

"Outside... outside there are villagers everywhere!" Johnny waved his arms exaggeratedly: "We... we are surrounded!"

"So exaggerated?" Chen Zhaoyue woke up completely with a start and hurriedly put on his clothes.

Everyone is already here, and she can't sleep any more, so she might as well start the consultation early!

"Come for another acupuncture tomorrow, and your old problem will be gone." Chen Zhaoyue put away the needles and advised the aunt in front of him: "Pay attention to rest in the future."

"Okay, okay!" The aunt nodded repeatedly, and the wrinkles on her face were all smiling: "Young doctor, your skills are more effective than those in the county hospital!"

"No, no!" Chen Zhaoyue waved his hand modestly.

As the morning light gradually brightened, Chen Zhaoyue was treating patients while chatting with the villagers, and the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

A few strong young men had sneaked into the queue at some point and squatted in front of her, as obedient as large dogs waiting to be fed.

"Where do you feel uncomfortable?" Chen Zhaoyue asked without raising his head while sorting out the silver needles.

"My waist...my waist hurts!" A dark-skinned man stuttered in answer, but his eyes kept glancing at her face, and a suspicious blush appeared on his dark face.

Chen Zhaoyue felt amused, but still took his pulse seriously.

The pulse under my fingertips is strong and powerful, so what illness could there be?

She withdrew her hand and said seriously: "Qi and blood are vigorous, there is no problem."

As he put away the pulse pillow, he said, "Just live a normal life. Don't waste medical resources."

Not far away, Jia Zheng, who was passing by carrying a hoe, happened to see this scene and almost laughed out loud.

Fortunately, the team leader was not there, otherwise, seeing so many young men surrounding Dr. Shen, he would definitely be jealous!

He quickened his pace to leave the scene, fearing that Wen Yanxi would find out and give him more training!

The sunlight gradually poured into the courtyard, and Chen Zhaoyue glanced at the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

I wonder if the enemy spy can't help but feel curious and mingle with the crowd of onlookers?

…

While treating patients, Chen Zhaoyue carefully looked at every young person who came to see him.

"Turn around and let me see." When she saw someone with a similar body shape, she would ask the person to turn around and look at their back.

"Okay!" The young man in front of him immediately smiled, thinking that this was a special diagnosis and treatment method.

He immediately turned around on the spot, not forgetting to show off his strong arms: "Doctor, I have a good physique, right?"

Chen Zhaoyue nodded seriously: “Well, not bad!”

The young man was so delighted by the praise that his dark face glowed red.

He wanted to show off a few more moves, but someone in the queue behind him pushed him aside and said, "It's my turn, it's my turn!"

Another strong young man came forward impatiently: "Doctor, can I turn around for you too?"

"No need." Chen Zhaoyue shook his head and pointed to the chair opposite the table: "Just sit there and don't move."

She lowered her eyes and used the action of taking her pulse to hide the disappointment in her eyes.

There were a lot of young people coming today. Although there were a few with similar figures, after careful comparison, none of them matched the suspicious figure seen on the mountain that day.

The sun gradually became hotter, and beads of sweat appeared on Chen Zhaoyue's forehead.

She rubbed her sore shoulders. It seemed like she had come back empty-handed again today!

Because most of the patients who came in the morning were strong and healthy young people, Shen Zhaoyue's consultation speed was much faster than yesterday.

Before eleven o'clock, all twenty numbers had been checked.

"Twenty numbers have been checked!" Chen Zhaoyue cleaned up the table, stood up and said to the young man who was joining in the fun at the back: "Please come early tomorrow."

These young men all have rosy complexions and are full of energy. How could they be sick?

It was obvious that they were all here to join in the fun, and there were no enemy spies among them like those we saw on the mountain that day.

"So soon?" The young people who didn't get to see the pretty young women up close were immediately discouraged. One of them grumbled unwillingly, "I've been waiting in line for almost an hour..."

Chen Zhaoyue pretended not to hear and turned into the house.

After closing the door, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Although today's free clinic was much easier than yesterday, she still felt a little disappointed that there was no gain.

"Strange..." Chen Zhaoyue muttered to himself, "Could it be that the free clinic can't attract these enemy spies?"

Outside the courtyard, a few young men who were unwilling to give up lingered for a long time. Seeing that Chen Zhaoyue had no intention of coming out again, they dispersed in twos and threes, looking back a few times before leaving.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Zhaoyue quietly pushed the door open and walked out.

She straightened her clothes and decided to take a walk around the village.

Since the enemy spies are so cautious, they will probably not easily show up in a lively occasion like a free clinic. After all, sitting back and waiting is not a solution.

Kangzhuang Village was much larger than she had expected, with winding dirt roads and low adobe houses scattered on both sides.

When she turned the third dirt road, an extremely dilapidated house suddenly came into view.

The broken courtyard wall is crumbling, and the mottled earth wall is covered with dead vines, forming a sharp contrast with the neat farmhouses around it.

“Here…” Chen Zhaoyue couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

Under the eaves of this ramshackle old house, a few washed-out coarse clothes were hung to dry, and firewood was neatly piled in the corner...

These traces of life all indicate that there are clearly people living here.

But who would live in such a shabby house?

Just as I was thinking about it, the mottled wooden door suddenly creaked and slowly opened a gap just enough for me to pass through sideways.

An old man with a hunched back leaned out tremblingly, his skinny fingers tightly gripping the door frame.

As this person is old, it is inevitable that he has various minor health problems, so almost all the elderly people in the village went to her free clinic this time.

But I didn’t see this old man during the free medical consultation these two days.

Chen Zhaoyue took a few more glances and saw that the old man came out of the yard to collect the clothes that were drying in the sun.

"Collecting clothes in the middle of the day?" Chen Zhaoyue muttered softly, feeling a little strange.

While he was thinking, a sudden mountain breeze blew by, and two coarse cloth shirts fell from the clothesline.

Chen Zhaoyue stepped forward quickly, bent down and picked up the clothes: "Uncle, let me help you..."

Before he finished speaking, the old man turned around abruptly, his cloudy eyes widened and bloodshot: "No need!"

The hoarse voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing against each other, which startled Shen Zhaoyue.

When the old man saw that she was holding the clothes in her hand, he came over to snatch them away fiercely.

"Uncle, I just want to help you." Shen Zhaoyue explained.

Fearing that the old man would fall, she dodged his grabbing hands.

"I don't need your help!" The old man didn't snatch it back and glared at him.

A fierce light flashed in his cloudy eyes, and his hunched body pounced over with unusual agility. His fingers like dead branches bent into claws and grabbed Chen Zhaoyue's wrist.

The wind even lifted the corner of Chen Zhaoyue's clothes.

How can this be the strength an elderly person should have?

Chen Zhaoyue was shocked. She was just helping to pick up some clothes, why was the old man so angry?

While she was distracted, the old man grabbed her wrist with astonishing force.

Chen Zhaoyue only felt a sharp pain in his wrist bone, and the clothes in his hand had been taken back by the other party.

While struggling, Chen Zhaoyue touched the old man's arm.

Her heart trembled, and in a flash, Chen Zhaoyue instinctively grabbed the old man's wrist as he was about to retract it.

"What are you doing?" The old man seemed startled and his voice suddenly rose.

He pulled his arm back suddenly, with such force that Shen Zhaoyue staggered and almost fell.

“Uncle, I came to the village for free medical treatment…” Shen Zhaoyue steadied himself and hurriedly explained.

"Get out!" the old man interrupted her rudely.

He reached out and pushed without saying a word, with astonishing strength, his skinny fingers gripping Shen Zhaoyue's shoulders like iron pliers.

Chen Zhaoyue was pushed back repeatedly, and the soles of his shoes left two tracks on the dirt road.

She was about to speak again when the old man slammed the gate shut. The wooden door trembled and raised a cloud of dust.

"This old man..." Chen Zhaoyue stood outside the mottled courtyard gate, his cheeks puffed up with anger, and flames of anger danced in his almond-shaped eyes.

You simply don't know what's good for you!

She kindly helped pick up the clothes, but was chased out like a thief.

Chen Zhaoyue patted the place on his shoulder where the old man had grabbed him. There were still several obvious fingerprints on the fabric.

The wrist was also red and felt a burning pain.

"Hey, little comrade, are you hurt?" The auntie who came over from the yard next to her after hearing the noise grabbed Shen Zhaoyue, her face full of concern.

She lived in a house not far next door. When she heard the noise, she hurried out and happened to see the old man pushing and shoving.

"It's okay." Shen Zhaoyue shook his head.

The aunt pulled her aside and said in a low voice, "This old man has a strange temper. Everyone in the village knows it. No one wants to bother with him. Don't go looking for him again!"

…

As the aunt spoke, she glanced at the closed gate with lingering fear.

Fortunately, this young comrade was not really hurt, otherwise it would be a real sin.

"Auntie, why is this old man like this?" Shen Zhaoyue's eyes rolled, and he took the aunt's arm, showing a curious look.

"Hey, it's because his wife and son are dead, and he's the only one left. His temperament has changed drastically since then." The aunt sighed and patted the back of Shen Zhaoyue's hand with her rough palm.

Chen Zhaoyue immediately put on a gossipy look and moved closer: "Auntie, do you know why the son and wife of this uncle passed away?"

"That's a strange thing!" This question finally opened up the conversation.

The aunt glanced at the sky, then enthusiastically pulled Shen Zhaoyue towards her home: "You haven't had lunch yet, right? Come on, let's go to my house and eat. I'll fry some bacon for you!"

She had just taken her old father to see a doctor yesterday. Shen Zhaoyue not only gave him acupuncture but also prescribed medicine. After taking the medicine for just one day, her father felt much better.

But Chen Zhaoyue really didn't take a penny, and his aunt was worried that she wouldn't have the chance to thank him.

Chen Zhaoyue was half-pushed and half-pulled by the aunt into the side yard, and turned back to look at the strange house again.

The gate was still closed even in broad daylight, unlike other families along the way, whose gates were wide open even when no one was at home.

When we arrived at the aunt's house, she skillfully lit a fire and started cooking. Soon the aroma of bacon filled the house.

It wasn't until the two of them sat down at the dinner table that Chen Zhaoyue finally found the opportunity to continue the previous topic: "Auntie, that old man just now..."

"Hey, why do you still remember this?" Auntie sighed as she served herself some rice. "Come to think of it, Old Zhang's family is also guilty of sin. Misfortunes keep happening to them."

"How long has it been?" Chen Zhaoyue took the bowl and asked casually.

"A few years ago." The aunt sat down, put a piece of bacon in her bowl, and recalled: "It's strange to say, his wife looked quite healthy during that time, and I don't know how, she suddenly passed away!"

Chen Zhaoyue paused slightly while picking up the food: "Do you know why you left?"

"Who knows?" Auntie shook her head and lowered her voice: "Old Zhang didn't say anything. He held the funeral that night and even made the coffin himself."

She leaned closer, looking mysterious. "Some say he had a medical emergency, but I saw his wife washing clothes by the river that morning."

It was hard to tell whether these rumors were true or not. After Chen Zhaoyue wrote them down, he continued to ask, "What happened to his family later?"

"Two years after his wife passed away, something good happened," the aunt said as she recalled: "His son married a daughter-in-law. She was a girl from the village over the mountain, and she was very beautiful!"

Chen Zhaoyue nodded: "That is indeed a good thing."

But I didn’t see anyone in the yard just now, so I guess something happened.

"But this good news didn't last long." The aunt suddenly put down her chopsticks and lowered her voice: "A few months ago, his son and daughter-in-law went hunting in the mountains and had an accident!"

She added mysteriously, "I heard that not even the body was returned, only a few pieces of clothing were buried."

There was a lot of talk about this matter in the village at the time, and everyone felt sorry for Old Zhang.

Chen Zhaoyue's heart tightened: "Has his temperament changed since then?"

"That's right!" The aunt slapped her thigh and said excitedly, "His son and daughter-in-law hadn't even made it to the seventh day of their death, and he fell down. We all guessed at the time that old Zhangtou wouldn't live long either."

She pointed to her right leg and said, "Right here. It's severely lame. We all guessed that Old Zhang wouldn't live long."

Lame leg?

Chen Zhaoyue thought about the old man he had just seen, but he didn't notice that he had this problem.

A sudden gust of wind blew outside, making the windows rattle.

The aunt shrank her neck unconsciously, but continued: "But I didn't expect that after his temperament changed drastically, he would live well even though the gates were locked every day."

Chen Zhaoyue chewed the bacon thoughtfully, and these clues gradually pieced together in her mind.

Entering the mountains, accidents, and a sudden change in temperament...

There may be some unknown secret behind this.

I don’t know if it has any connection with the enemy spy she saw before.

"Hey, let's not talk about this anymore." Seeing her lost in thought, her aunt enthusiastically put another piece of bacon into her bowl with her chopsticks. "Little comrade, I want to ask, how long will it take for my father to recover from his illness?"

Chen Zhaoyue retracted his thoughts and put on a professional smile: "Three more days of eating will be enough. But the old man is old, so he should pay attention to keeping warm."

"That's good, that's good!" The aunt nodded repeatedly and poured her another bowl of hot vegetable soup: "Eat more, this bacon is pickled at home, you can't eat such authentic ones in the city!"

Chen Zhaoyue thanked her, quickly finished her meal, and said goodbye to her aunt.

Before going back, she took another look at the old man's house. It was still the same as before she entered her aunt's house, and the door was still tightly closed.

If there were no signs of life, you wouldn't be able to tell that anyone lives there.

As soon as Chen Zhaoyue returned to the courtyard, he saw Wen Yanxi standing at the door with a food box.

The sunlight shone on his tall figure, casting a long shadow on the ground.

"Why did you go out?" Seeing her come back, Wen Yanxi frowned slightly, with concern in his voice.

Chen Zhaoyue first glanced around vigilantly. The sun was high in the sky and there were no villagers walking around.

She was not in the house, and the young men were not waiting here. After all, they were all farmers and had work to do.

After confirming that it was safe, Shen Zhaoyue lowered his voice and said, "Come in and talk."

Wen Yanxi saw her serious expression and immediately understood, his eyes instantly becoming sharp.

As soon as they entered the yard, Chen Zhaoyue immediately locked the gate, took Wen Yanxi and quickly walked into the inner room, and then carefully locked the door.

"I have found something." Chen Zhaoyue didn't bother to exchange pleasantries and immediately told him everything about his encounter with the strange old man.

From the other party's abnormal temper to the bizarre family affairs told by the villagers, everything was included in detail.

"It's indeed strange." Wen Yanxi nodded seriously, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. "But if it's true, as the villagers say, that his family suffered a misfortune, it makes sense that his temperament would change drastically."

Just looking at these doubts, we cannot be sure that there is something wrong with the other party.

But it is worth focusing on.

"It's more than that." Chen Zhaoyue leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Although the old man looks old, the texture of his skin is not right."

She stretched out her hand and pulled at her skin in front of Wen Yanxi. "My skin is elastic because I'm young. But as we age, collagen is lost and the skin becomes loose. Most elderly people only have a thin layer of skin left."