“My brother is young. If he has offended you, I will apologize on his behalf.” People in this village are unpredictable, and Sun Miao’er would rather be cautious than cause unnecessary trouble.
Xiaoman wanted to explain, but before she could even open her mouth, Sun Miao'er gagged her.
"It's alright, you can take it. I just thought the little rascal was cute and wanted to tease him a bit." Fu Yuchi's smile deepened, and his tone was gentle, like a spring rain in March or an autumn breeze in October.
The man's voice sounded very pleasant. Sun Miao'er glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and asked, "Why are you also looking for this kind of grass? Do you know what it's used for?"
Perhaps because she had come to this remote and desolate place, Sun Miao'er had not seen many decent-looking men, and couldn't help but want to strike up a conversation with him.
"I'm a doctor, how could I not know?" Fu Yuchi recognized the girl in front of him. Wasn't she the Sun family girl who had been so frightened by the vicious dog that night that she dared not move? He never expected to run into her again today.
Sun Miao'er was overjoyed. It turned out that he was the village doctor. She became even more certain that he was the one who escorted her home on the night she was grinding wheat.
A breeze blew, carrying the scent of herbs, the same one she had smelled that day. Since the man had kindly offered to take her home, Sun Miao'er thought he was a good person and decided to ask him to take her home to see her grandmother.
"May I ask how I should address you, Doctor?" Since she needed his help, Sun Miao'er's attitude changed drastically, becoming respectful yet deliberately friendly.
"Fu Yuchi, people in the village usually call me Doctor Fu."
Fu Yuchi focused intently on the plantain he had dug up, brushing off the dirt and putting it into the large bamboo basket behind him.
Sun Miao'er craned her neck and peered into his bamboo basket. Inside, besides plantain, there were many other herbs she didn't recognize, all neatly and cleanly arranged.
It's obvious that the man in front of you probably has some obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Come, come, Doctor Fu, let me help you."
Sun Miao'er was first-rate at seizing opportunities. Seeing Fu Yuchi tidying up the herbs, she quickly went up to lend a hand and didn't forget to give Xiaoman a wink.
"Uncle Fu, I was wrong just now. I took your herbs. I'm here to help you."
Although Sun Xiaoman didn't know what her sister was up to, she was sure her sister had her reasons for doing so, and all she had to do was help.
Fu Yuchi misspoke when he called her "uncle." The girl was his older sister, and she called him "uncle." Did he think he was so old that he was a generation younger than her?
Seeing the subtle change in Fu Yuchi's expression, Sun Miao'er quickly pinched Xiaoman's cheek gently. "He doesn't look much older than me, Xiaoman, why don't you call him Doctor Fu like I do?"
"Doctor Fu," Xiaoman greeted him respectfully.
Fu Yuchi thought that this was more like it. In this village, the person who should be calling him uncle should be a newborn, not this little brat.
"Don't mess up my herbs." Fu Yuchi felt a surge of irritation when he saw Sun Miao'er start working on them, but messing up his original order.
Sun Miao'er stood there, stunned. Because of her eagerness to achieve results, she had done something wrong with her good intentions. "Doctor Fu, to be honest, my grandmother is seriously ill, and I would like to ask you to take a look at her."
"Lead the way."
Fu Yuchi finished tidying up the herbs, got up, slung the bamboo basket over his shoulder, and patted the dust off his sleeves.
Sun Miao'er was surprised that he agreed to her request so easily; it seemed he was indeed a good person.
"Doctor Fu, my family has suffered misfortune these past few years, and I'm afraid I can't afford to pay for your consultation. How about I give you these plantains to offset the cost? After all, my brother and I worked hard for half a day to collect them."
Fu Yuchi followed behind Sun Miao'er, towering over her by a full head. "Do you know that I planted all these plantains?"
"Huh?" Sun Miao'er turned around, unable to hide her embarrassment, and teased, "I thought it was weeds."
"Have you ever seen such a large patch of wild grass growing together, and all of it is the same kind?" Fu Yuchi was both amused and exasperated. He had taken over the medicinal herb field at the south end of the village from the village chief to grow medicinal herbs. He had originally planned to come to the field today to collect some herbs, hoping to run into two petty thieves who were stealing herbs.
Interestingly, they actually thought it was a naturally growing weed, and that if they hadn't worked so hard in summer and gotten up so early in winter, these plantains wouldn't have grown so vigorously.
"Doctor Fu, I'm so sorry." Sun Miao'er thought to herself that people must think she was a thief now. There wasn't even a sign or anything. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch, that she could just dig up a whole basketful so easily.
"Sister, did we steal some herbs from Doctor Fu?"
Xiaoman tilted her head, feeling that their conversation was strange, and her sister looked guilty.
Sun Miao'er flicked Xiaoman's forehead, "Why do you have to bring up such a sensitive topic?"
This little dumpling usually seems quite alert, so why is she deliberately undermining me at a time like this? It's a good thing she walked in front, otherwise if Doctor Fu saw me sweating like this, he would laugh at me!
"Ignorance is no excuse. Besides, I don't lack these herbs; healing the sick and saving lives is a doctor's duty."
The man behind her spoke, his voice as gentle as ever.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor Fu. How about this, you go and treat my grandmother, and my brother and I will go to the fields to collect herbs for you for a month. If that's not enough, two months will do."
Sun Miao'er always felt that she had taken advantage of others for nothing, and she felt guilty about it.
"It's not impossible. There are quite a few sows in the village waiting to give birth these days, and dates have already been set."
Fu Yuchi noticed Sun Miao'er's efficient work and kept it in mind. Who would refuse a useful assistant, especially one who comes in pairs?
"What?"
Upon hearing the word "sow," Sun Miao'er looked bewildered. "Isn't this a doctor? What does it have to do with pigs?" she asked. "Doctor Fu, are you treating people or livestock?"
"Anything that is sick can be cured if I can cure it; all living things are sentient beings."
“…Doctor Fu is truly a skilled physician!” Hearing Fu Yuchi’s reply, Sun Miao’er felt much more at ease. “It seems that as long as I get along well with Doctor Fu, I can not only treat my grandmother’s illnesses, but also have some protection if anything happens to the pigs at home.”
Aside from a gentle smile, Fu Yuchi's face seemed devoid of any other expression. His smile was always brief and to the point. Although a smile is meant to express friendliness, on his face it instead appeared somewhat distant. "I can see people for free, but I have to pay to see pigs."
Passing through a grove of willows, the cicadas chirping noisily in the trees, Fu Yuchi followed Sun Miao'er at a respectful distance. The girl was indeed far too thin. It was, in a way, a matter of fate between him and the Sun family. If he had known earlier that Old Madam Sun was ill, he wouldn't have waited for Sun Miao'er to stumble upon him, thus delaying the patient's treatment.
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