Chapter 9 Bitten by a Snake

The midday sun hung scorching overhead, causing the corn husks to curl up.

Ye Ke gripped the hoe, her palms burning from the rubbing.

Sweat trickled down her forehead and into her eyes, stinging her and making her want to cry.

She gritted her teeth and fiercely dug at the weeds at her feet, each stroke seeming to vent the frustration in her heart.

On what grounds?

She was a high school graduate from the provincial capital; she was educated and knowledgeable in science.

They actually have to work like these farmers, toiling in the fields to earn a few meager work points.

And Gu Baobao, that formerly dark-skinned, chubby, and seemingly silly country girl, got incredibly lucky because of her...

He bumped his head and got a sudden enlightenment. He recognized a few broken grasses and was able to sit in the shady health station, tinker with those herbs, and remember his easy work points.

"Pooh!"

Ye Ke spat out a piece of grass that she had somehow managed to bite into.

Sweat soaked through her faded polyester shirt, which clung stickily to her back, adding to her irritability.

Several women working nearby were chatting quietly.

"Have you heard? Old Li's son, Hongbing, was weeding in the bean field on the east slope at noon when a pheasant bit his neck!"

"What? A pheasant neck? That's a very venomous snake! Where did it bite you?"

"They said it was my calf, but it swelled up on the spot, turning a dark purple color, it was scary!"

"Oh dear, what should we do? Where is Grandpa Chen? We must quickly ask him to take a look!"

"Don't even mention it! Old Master Chen was asked to leave by the Wang family village next door before noon."

He said that his mother-in-law's old problem of chest pain had flared up again, and she urgently needed him to get some acupuncture!

They're probably still on their way!

"What...what can we do? Hongbing's wife is crying and wailing, she's almost passed out!"

"What else can we do? We should hurry and send it to the commune clinic! But it takes an hour or two to get there, and we don't know if it will make it in time..."

Ye Ke listened intently, and unconsciously slowed down the hoe in her hand.

Was Li Hongbing bitten by a poisonous snake?

Is Old Man Chen not here again?

The slight irritation in her heart was suddenly replaced by a strange emotion that mixed schadenfreude and restless desire.

Right now, isn't Gu Baobao the only one left at the sanitation station, tending to the herbs?

What could a country girl who had only studied for a few days and couldn't even recognize all the medicinal herbs do when bitten by such a deadly venomous snake?

What else can you do besides be clueless and cry?

Ye Ke's eyes darted around, and an idea popped into her head.

If Gu Baobao were to be helpless in front of everyone regarding such a serious injury,

Even if she handles it poorly... then what face does she have to occupy the position of barefoot doctor apprentice?

The captain and Old Man Chen will have to consider whether they should replace him with a more reliable person.

Thinking of this, Ye Ke felt that her palms didn't hurt so much anymore, and the sun didn't seem so scorching.

She deliberately raised her voice, speaking with obvious worry and provocation to her sister-in-law beside her:

"Oh dear, this is really one misfortune after another! Grandpa Chen isn't here, so is the baby all alone at the cleaning station?"

She's only been learning for a few days, what good can that do? We shouldn't delay Uncle Hongbing's recovery!

Her words made the already anxious women even more flustered.

"Yeah! Is that baby girl any good?"

"Should we go check on it? We can't just sit here and wait to send it to the commune; what if something happens on the way..."

"Let's go take a look! At least the baby has been learning from Grandpa Chen for a few days, which is better than what we've done!"

Ye Ke put down the hoe:

“I’ll go with you to take a look. I’ve read a few hygiene manuals, so maybe I can be of some help.”

She unconsciously positioned herself as someone who was more knowledgeable than Gu Baobao.

The group hurried towards the bean field on the east slope.

Meanwhile, the barefoot doctor's clinic was actually a slightly cleaner mud-brick house next to Old Chen's house.

Gu Baobao is carefully drying and sorting the newly picked dandelions, plantains, and other herbs.

The room was filled with a faint, pleasant herbal scent.

She moved swiftly and with focused eyes.

Although this place was so rudimentary compared to the laboratory in her previous life,

But touching these herbs and tidying up these tools gave her a strange sense of peace.

More importantly, after properly processing each herb, or remembering each folk remedy taught by Old Man Chen,

She could feel that she had gained a real sense of control over the world.

[Ding! Host has diligently studied and consolidated basic medical knowledge of this plane, resulting in a slight increase in mental strength.]

Defu suddenly appeared, speaking in a very serious tone.

Gu Baobao's hands didn't stop; she thought to herself:

Defu, your recent style of announcing good news is starting to sound more and more like the health supplement vendor downstairs in our neighborhood.

Mental strength enhancement? Could it conjure up two ounces of pork? Oil and fat are scarce these days.

System Defu:

[…Host, you must see beyond the surface! Mental strength is related to your learning efficiency.]

Memory, even the finesse of controlling one's spiritual spring! These are inner treasures more precious than pork! (Serious.jpg)

Gu Baobao:

Okay, inner wealth. Could you lower the price of the cheapest item in the shop, the 'Strengthening and Health-Boosting Pill (Weak),' from 50 merit points?

My entire fortune is only... let me see, oh, 13 points. Looking at that $50 price tag, I feel my 'inner wealth' is crying.

Defu: [Host, the Merit Mall has clearly marked prices; bargaining is not allowed. We suggest you work hard to earn merit and achieve freedom in obtaining elixirs as soon as possible! (Clenched fist in encouragement.gif)]

Gu Baobao: [...I think you've been secretly connecting to some weird network lately, you're using a whole set of emojis.]

Just as she was arguing with Defu in her mind, a flurry of footsteps and cries came from afar.