He believed that all ghosts and demons were rubbish and did not believe in the existence of ghosts in the world.

After determining the direction, he headed south, remembering that Malutun was in that direction.

Gu Zuozuo stood quietly on the treetop, the vines beneath her feet seemed to come alive, constantly wandering and climbing around her, firmly fixing her slender body in mid-air.

The yellow paper package in my hand has become just a piece of paper, with only a few stubborn bits of medicine powder that refuse to fly away revealing what was once inside.

With a faint, unsatisfying smile on her lips, Gu Zuozuo turned and left.

She didn't need to witness the man's miserable state firsthand. She needed to get back as soon as possible, lest she discover that something had happened to him and people began to suspect her, since everyone knew about their conflict.

When Gu Zuozuo returned with a full basket of herbs on her back, several middle-aged women were already standing in front of the health station.

"Gu Zhiqing is back?"

“Gu Zhiqing, I want to know if there’s any more of that candy? My grandson, like the boy from Dasheng’s family, keeps complaining of stomach aches and can never seem to get enough to eat. His belly is also a bit big.”

The woman from Dasheng's family must be the sister-in-law who came with her son, right?

Gu Zuozuo nodded, took out her key, and opened the door.

"There aren't many pagoda-shaped sugars left, but I've gathered some medicinal herbs that are effective for treating the symptoms. Drinking the decoction will have the same effect and will expel the parasites."

"Gu Zhiqing, does the baby really have worms in his belly?"

"Yes, parasites, because children don't pay attention to hygiene. They don't wash their hands after using the toilet, and they play outside all day. They pick wild fruits and eat them without washing their hands after playing in the mud. Over time, they get worms in their stomachs."

The aunties, who were hearing this for the first time, felt horrified and got goosebumps when they thought about the baby having worms in his stomach.

Gu Zuozuo took out the last bag, asked how many children there were in the family, and then distributed it to them according to the number of children.

"Try not to eat too much, eating too much is not a good thing."

Seeing through their thoughts, Gu Zuozuo could only exaggerate, fearing that they would think it was something special and only give it to the boys in the family, not sharing it with the girls.

Sure enough, upon hearing her say that, two aunties sheepishly shrank back, hiding themselves behind her, looking like they were trying to cover something up, which Gu Zuozuo found quite amusing.

"By the way, Gu Zhiqing, the brigade leader is organizing the commune members to make a 'bitter-sweet meal' at the threshing ground. Don't forget to go. Also, take these herbs with you and ask the women cooks in the village to help you brew the herbal soup. You don't need to do it yourself."

"Remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present" meal? What is that?

Gu Zuozuo was very curious, having never heard of this dish before. She nodded, and after seeing off the aunties, she took out two 50-year-old ginseng roots hidden under her basket. She planned to make some ginseng wine.

She has dozens of bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in her space, of various strengths. She doesn't drink it, but she can use it to make all sorts of medicinal wines.

After finishing my work, I carried the medicinal herbs to the wheat field and happened to run into the other educated youth who were also going to the wheat field.

"Zuo Zuo! Are you going to eat the 'bitter memories and sweet presents' meal too?"

The most lively and active Qi Meng leaped three feet high like a monkey, bounding over and grabbing Gu Zuozuo's slender waist, rubbing against her like a lovesick fool, sniffing her here and there.

"Zuozuo, you have no idea, I can't sleep well at night without you by my side. You smell so good, you smell like medicine and fruit..."

Gu Zuozuo got goosebumps from her and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her away from herself with a tone of utter disgust.

"Can't you act like a normal girl for once?"

Qi Meng blinked her big, innocent eyes and smiled like a silly roe deer that had successfully stolen some fish, so silly that it was unbearable to look at her.

Meng Tian watched the two bickering with a smile, occasionally exchanging a few words with Gu Zuozuo about the lively atmosphere at the educated youth settlement these past two days. It was impossible to tell that she had been distant just a couple of days ago.

Gu Zuozuo looked at her in surprise, not understanding why her attitude had changed again.