"My dear in-laws, you've come at the perfect time. This Dr. Ma is a renowned physician invited from Huichuntang in the county. He's been treating Musheng's injuries with acupuncture these past few days, and his condition has improved considerably. One more treatment today, and Musheng will wake up." Old Master Lin suppressed his displeasure and tried to appease his impatient and outspoken mother-in-law.

Madam Xu was a stubborn woman who believed that only a sorceress could save her son-in-law in this situation; doctors could only treat injuries and illnesses, and could not possibly bring back a soul that had left the body.

So she started to have a bad idea: "What? He'll wake up today? I just got him here, and this doctor has already cured someone who was barely alive. Are you kidding me?"

"Yes, your son's soul has left his body. Only by calling his soul back today can he come back to life. Otherwise, no one can help. Doctors can cure illnesses but not fates. This matter requires the help of the immortals."

He Xiangu, not wanting her business to fall through and her trip to be in vain, also fanned the flames from the sidelines.

Old Master Lin still remembered that Doctor Ma's acupuncture was not finished, and unwilling to argue with the two women, he directly gave He Xiangu the order to leave: "Thank you for coming, Xiangu, but I am busy at home today. I will entertain you properly another day. Please go back for now."

Yesterday, Lin Momo, who had gone out to gather firewood, returned home in the afternoon with a bamboo basket of firewood on her back. As soon as she entered the village, she ran into Lin Pan'er, the original owner of Lin Erya's best friend.

This girl is the same age and has the same surname as Lin Erya, but their fates are different. Although her family is not much better off than the second branch of the Lin family, her mother dotes on her daughter and never lets her go hungry. She looks a year or two older than Lin Erya and is more lively.

The girls in the village often went out to dig for wild vegetables in groups. Over time, those who got along well formed small groups. They would not only dig for wild vegetables together in wastelands and ponds, but also wash clothes together by the river. They would also visit each other's homes when they had free time.

Lin Erya and Lin Pan'er's little group also had a younger member named Zhang Cao'er, who was a year younger than them. Unfortunately, this little girl was married off by her mother to a family in a neighboring village this March, and they would hardly see each other again.

Lin Pan'er said, "Er Ya, why are you only coming back now? This morning, your grandma brought a sorceress to summon your father's soul, but your grandpa wouldn't allow it, and a commotion broke out. Half the village went to your house to watch the show."

There was a hint of excitement in the girl's voice.

Lin Momo gave a perfunctory reply and quickened her pace to go home.

She was afraid that the old woman would cause a scene and anger Dr. Ma so much that he would pick up his medicine box and leave.

To her surprise, when she returned home, the yard was calm and peaceful, showing no signs of any disturbance.

Lin put down her basket and ran towards the old house, wanting to see if Doctor Ma was still there.

Since it wasn't convenient for the second wife to stay there, after Dr. Ma finished giving her acupuncture and changing her dressing, and explained the precautions to the two sisters, Old Master Lin led her to stay at the old house.

Lin Momo, who had rushed over in a hurry, finally felt relieved when she saw that Grandpa Lin was sitting and chatting with Doctor Ma in the main room.

It's good that they didn't leave.

It's unclear how Old Master Lin managed to resolve the situation and how he managed to appease Doctor Ma to continue treating Lin Musheng.

Back home, Lin Momo didn't see the fairy maiden. Xu's mother, Xu Wangshi, hadn't left, and it seemed she planned to stay and witness whether the miracle would really happen with the Lin family the next day.

Thinking of the little incident that happened yesterday, Lin Momo wanted to go to the river to catch some fish and shrimp to please him. Doctor Ma didn't show it on his face, but he was probably a little unhappy inside.

These past few days, Dr. Ma has been performing acupuncture on Lin Musheng and personally changing his dressings, yet the family still doubts his medical skills. Anyone would feel uncomfortable about that.

*

Having figured this out, Lin Momo made a quick decision, filled a basket with pine cones, and ran towards the river.

We found a section of the river that was far from the village and had a gentle current.

Lin Momo threw her basket on the rocky bank, took off her worn-out shoes that exposed her big toe, rolled up her trousers, and stepped into the river on the stones.

The water is crystal clear, and you can see what's in the river at a glance, but catching fish by hand is quite difficult.

Lin searched for the methods of fishing with bare hands that she had seen before, and surprisingly, she remembered one that she had seen while browsing short videos.

Simply put, in shallow water, a dam is built with stones, and a small opening is made in the dam. The opening is then blocked by hand or a bamboo basket. When fish pass by the opening, they will fall into the net.

That basket filled with pine cones just happens to come in handy.

Believe it or not, this method really works. In less than 15 minutes, Lin Momo had caught quite a few fish in her basket, but unfortunately only three or four weighed a little over a pound each, while the rest were only the size of a palm.

However, Lin Momo didn't mind.

Things are different now; people are happy just to have meat to eat.

In an era of abundant resources and affluent living, where almost every family had at least 500,000 yuan in savings, Lin Momo was an absolute pauper, dragging down the national average income level and tarnishing the reputation of "experts."

Even though she was poor, she could still have a treat when she wanted to eat meat.

Having transmigrated to an era of low productivity and extreme scarcity of resources, even eating a bite of meat is a luxury.

Ah, if only I could let her go back and store some supplies!

This vain thought flashed through my mind once again.

Lin Momo's eyes darkened, and an overwhelming sense of desolation rose in her heart.

That day, the car was already exceeding the speed limit, and there was absolutely no chance of her surviving the collision.

The Lin Momo of that time and space is probably already gone, and even if her soul could return, there would be no body to carry it.

Grandma has also passed away; she has no attachment to that world anymore.

It's better to stay in this time and space.

Despite the various shortcomings here, the water, air, sky, and food are all pristine, unpolluted, and free from the effects of technology and grueling labor. They are clean, made with high-quality ingredients, and you don't have to worry about contracting any strange diseases.

She's incredibly lucky to be alive in this era, since she doesn't get to enjoy special privileges.

In the 21st century, such a place would be one of the most livable places in the world.

Not far away, the majestic green mountains stretch endlessly, like a giant dragon coiled there, half-hidden in the thin, cicada-wing-like clouds, giving people a sense of mystery and tranquility.

The clear stream flows gently beneath my feet, its sound like heavenly music, soothing my soul.

Thinking that she could be accompanied by such beautiful mountains and rivers in this life, Lin Momo's grievances were instantly soothed.

She picked up the heavy little basket, gazed at the landscape, and murmured to herself with a smile, "The past is like yesterday's death, the present is like today's birth. In this life, I, Lin Momo, will die peacefully in my sleep and live to be a hundred years old!"

Lin Momo calmed herself down, unaware that she had not passed away in another timeline.