Chapter 72 The Earth-Walking Dragon!
"None of you come any closer! I won't kill her, I just want to take her to get medical treatment for my child!"
The middle-aged man, wearing faded work clothes, held a fruit knife tightly against the female doctor's neck. He wasn't foolish enough to use the tip of the knife; he used the back of it.
The female doctor looked quite old, but she remained calm and continued trying to persuade the man.
"Shut up!"
The middle-aged man gripped the knife handle tightly, and the back of the blade slashed viciously at the female doctor's neck. The female doctor instantly suffocated, her face turning red.
In the blink of an eye, a figure flashed behind the middle-aged man and, before he could react, easily disarmed him with a grappling move and an elbow strike, rescuing the female doctor in the process!
Cao Hualan cried out in surprise, dropping the magazine in her hand to the ground, "Yueyue!"
The person who saved the life was none other than Jiang Mingyue.
Jiang Mingyue gestured to Cao Hualan to calm down. At the same time, the security guard on the first floor rushed up. Jiang Mingyue handed the person over to the hospital staff, clapped her hands, and went back.
"Where did this little girl come from? What amazing skills!"
“There are medical disputes every year. I’ve only ever seen them on the news before, but I never thought I’d actually witness one today. Oh my, it was terrifying.”
"Dr. Wu, are you alright? Are you alright?"
Cao Hualan grabbed Jiang Mingyue's hand and pulled her into the aisle. Her face was full of lingering fear as she said, "Yueyue! You scared me just now. That man had a knife. What if he had hurt you? How am I supposed to explain this to your uncle?"
Jiang Mingyue grasped Cao Hualan's hand and gently comforted her, "Aunt, I learned self-defense techniques in Lingcheng. I won't act recklessly unless I'm absolutely sure of myself."
Cao Hualan had eyes; she had seen that Jiang Mingyue had acted quickly and accurately, snatching the knife from the man's hand in the blink of an eye, just like a chivalrous hero in a TV drama.
"That's true, but your aunt hopes you'll act within your means next time."
Jiang Mingyue could understand Cao Hualan's concerns. Like most elders, they hoped their children would live peaceful and successful lives and not try to stand out in anything.
As netizens have pointed out, Jiang Mingyue's act of bravery is basic etiquette; she didn't take the rescue to heart and continued to wait with Cao Hualan while she waited for her turn.
However, after the female doctor regained her composure, she came over specifically to ask Jiang Mingyue to leave her contact information so that she could invite her to dinner to express her gratitude.
The female doctor is a gynecologist, a local of Huai County, named Wu Lizhen. She is known in the hospital as a master healer, specializing in treating infertility.
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Jiang Mingyue had no choice but to add Wu Lizhen's contact information.
"Dr. Wu, there's no need for you to spend money. It's just a small matter."
Wu Lizhen is good at judging people; she took a liking to Jiang Mingyue at first sight. This girl is tactful and doesn't fawn over Jiang Mingyue just because she's a doctor.
"Okay, come to my house for dinner tomorrow night. I'll cook two dishes for you myself. My husband isn't home; he's abroad accompanying his child to study. It'll just be my mom and me at home."
Having said all that, Jiang Mingyue really couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
Before leaving, Wu Lizhen went into the consultation room to offer her some words of advice.
Even without Wu Lizhen's help, the acupuncturist would still do his job diligently, especially since the patient's family member was a kind-hearted young woman who promptly stopped the medical disturbance.
"Come on, little girl, would you like acupuncture or would you like your mother to do it?"
“My aunt gets back pain every time it rains. She had an X-ray taken last year, and I brought it with me.”
The doctor was an elderly expert who carefully understood the cause and effect, and then used the four diagnostic methods of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation to examine Cao Hualan, and even took her pulse.
"I overworked myself when I was young, and didn't get enough rest every day, which led to lumbar muscle strain. If I didn't take it seriously, it would develop into a herniated disc..."
The old Chinese medicine doctor mumbled a bunch of things, first prescribing acupuncture once a week, and then some medicated plasters.
Each acupuncture session takes half an hour. Jiang Mingyue sat in the outer room waiting. During the wait, the hospital director came after hearing the news. He not only personally expressed his gratitude to her, but also offered her a year of free physical examinations.
"Thank you, Ms. Jiang, for your courageous act today. On behalf of the hospital, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to you!"
Behind the dean were many people. Someone with sharp eyes recognized Jiang Mingyue and excitedly shouted, "Sister Jiang!"
Jiang Mingyue looked up at the crowd behind the dean. There was a young girl wearing glasses and a white coat. She looked young and naive, like a resident trainee.
Well, I've run into some fans.
The dean and others didn't follow the entertainment industry and didn't know that Jiang Mingyue was a celebrity. When they saw the new, beautiful resident trainee staring at them with longing eyes, they were all curious.
"What, Xiao Liu, do you know Miss Jiang?"
The little girl named Xiao Liu couldn't withstand Jiang Mingyue's ambiguous gaze, so she forced herself to lie, "Ah, I know her, she's my classmate's sister's older sister."
The dean and others laughed heartily, "Huai County is a small place; you can run into acquaintances anywhere."
Xiao Liu smiled awkwardly, but stayed put and refused to leave. He was overjoyed, and the thought that Sister Jiang's hometown was in Huai County made him extremely happy!
Ahhhh! I really want to share this with my friends!
After the dean and the others left, Xiao Liu stood there, when Sister Jiang waved to her. Xiao Liu's eyes lit up, and she ran over excitedly.
"Sister Jiang!"
Jiang Mingyue raised her hand and patted Xiao Liu's shoulder three times, "Don't tell anyone."
The little girl looked ashen-faced, clearly having been teased by some mischievous kids for a long time.
Ahhh, I'm getting a close hug with Sister Jiang! Sister Jiang smells so good!
Xiao Liu nodded vigorously, almost fainting with joy. "Sister Jiang, don't worry, I promise I'll keep it a secret! Can we take a picture together...?"
Jiang Mingyue smiled at the little girl and said, "Okay."
Five minutes later, Xiao Liu walked away happily with his phone.
While on night shift, a colleague saw Xiao Liu go to the restroom at the end of the corridor alone, humming a tune and in high spirits.
"Xiao Liu, did you strike it rich? You're so happy today, you didn't even call me to go to the bathroom with you."
Xiao Liu was about to say with a smile that she had met her idol when she suddenly paused.
Hey, why isn't she afraid to go to the bathroom today?! And her right shoulder doesn't seem to hurt anymore!
Wait a minute, Sister Jiang seemed to pat her on the shoulder three times this morning. Could it be that Sister Jiang noticed something and secretly helped her?
Aaaaaah!
The toilet at the end of the corridor on the third floor of the hospital has been there for many years. The doctors and nurses on duty are used to it. People with bad tempers are not afraid of these things and sometimes they will scold them to behave. But she, who is as timid as a mouse, has always been terrified of them!
Waaaaah, netizens are right, Sister Jiang has given all her love to her fans.
Unable to keep it a secret, Xiao Liu immediately went online to post it.
[Newbie on Night Shift]: My idol is the best in the world!
A familiar fan of Jiang approached and tentatively commented, "Did you run into Sister Jiang?"
[Newbie on Night Shift]: Hmm!
This caused quite a stir. Jiang's fans bombarded Xiao Liu with questions, and some even said that without pictures, there's no proof.
Xiao Liu wasn't fooled and only replied, "Hehe, Sister Jiang told me not to say, but let me tell you, Sister Jiang has amazing skin, speaks very gently, and she really is always doing good deeds!"
Clever netizens went through all of Xiao Liu's Weibo posts and deduced that Xiao Liu was a rookie doctor who often worked shifts. Therefore, they indirectly deduced that Xiao Liu met Sister Jiang at the hospital, and that Xiao Liu witnessed Sister Jiang doing a good deed.
Jiang's fans are envious and jealous. They made a pact not to dig up information about Jiang's hometown and to preserve her privacy, but they are really envious and hope that they can also run into Jiang.
The slight ripples online did not affect Jiang Mingyue for the time being. At 3:30 pm the next day, she carried her things and went to Wu Lizhen's house.
Wu Lizhen's home is a detached house in the suburbs of the old town of Huai County, behind the flower and bird market.
The yard is spacious, filled with flowers and greenery, and even has koi fish; it's all kept very well.
There was an old lady with a full head of white hair, who was in good spirits. When Jiang Mingyue arrived, the old lady was sitting in the yard embroidering, wearing reading glasses.
Jiang Mingyue stood aside and watched quietly for a while. It turned out to be a double-sided embroidery, with flowers on one side and a cat on the other.
Jiang Mingyue suddenly remembered that Huai County was an ancient county with a history of thousands of years, and it was indeed famous at home and abroad for its double-sided embroidery.
What a coincidence! It turns out that Dr. Wu's mother was actually a renowned figure.
"Does the little girl want to learn?"
The old lady had already spotted Jiang Mingyue standing under the flower stand, deliberately ignoring her until she finished collecting the last thread before she looked up at her.
Jiang Mingyue was mistaken by the old lady for someone who had come to learn martial arts from her.
She stepped forward with a smile and, following the old lady's words, said, "Grandma, I want to learn. Would you be willing to teach me?"
Such an intimate way of addressing someone right off the bat would have made the old lady feel disgusted by anyone else.
But the little girl walking slowly towards us had a pair of clean, cool eyes. She was wearing a white autumn sweatshirt and wasn't afraid of the cold, so she didn't put on a cotton-padded coat.
She looks just like my granddaughter, and doesn't like to wear many clothes.
The old lady smiled and said as if they had known each other for a long time, "I'm happy to teach you, it just depends on whether you have the patience to learn."
Jiang Mingyue learned double-sided embroidery when she transmigrated into the book, but her skills were just so-so and not as superb as the old lady's. It would be best if she could learn from the old lady.
That gives them a legitimate reason to act.
Jiang Mingyue casually presented the fruit and gift box she had brought, then knelt on one knee, saying, "Master, please accept my bow."
When Wu Lizhen returned from grocery shopping, she witnessed her mother taking on an apprentice. The apprentice was none other than her savior, whom she had invited.
Wu Lizhen stepped forward, completely bewildered. "Mom, Miss Jiang, what kind of show are you putting on?"
Jiang Mingyue took the initiative to explain, "Dr. Wu, the old lady wants to take me as her apprentice, and I happen to want to learn too, so I'm using this as a gift to show my appreciation to her."
The old lady, Ms. Shao, held Jiang Mingyue's hand and looked at her with increasing delight. "Lizhen, I finally have a disciple to inherit my mantle!"
Wu Lizhen had never had the patience to learn embroidery since she was a child, so it was rare that Jiang Mingyue got along well with her mother, so there was no reason for her not to approve.
"Then I congratulate you both. Let's have a proper celebration tonight."
Wu Lizhen prepared a sumptuous meal and wouldn't let Jiang Mingyue help out. The Wu family had a nanny who would come over to cook three meals a day.
With the help of the nanny, Jiang Mingyue was happy to be a hands-off manager and accompanied Ms. Shao to the study for a chat.
Ms. Shao was not joking when she said she wanted to take Jiang Mingyue as her apprentice; she was genuinely serious about it.
Over the years, countless young people have come here attracted by its reputation, but in the end, they cannot endure the hardships of studying and give up halfway.
Jiang Mingyue was different; the young girl had a resolute gaze and an extraordinary air about her.
In addition, after her daughter told her about what happened at the hospital yesterday, Ms. Shao grew to like Jiang Mingyue even more.
His character and conduct are impeccable; he is truly a one-in-a-million candidate for apprentice.
Jiang Mingyue also learned Ms. Shao's full name, Shao Quan, which was easy to pronounce and remember.
Ms. Shao asked Jiang Mingyue what she did for a living before, and Jiang Mingyue answered truthfully, "Master, I used to be a celebrity, but I've retired from the entertainment industry now. I saved some money to support my aunt..."
Jiang Mingyue briefly recounted her background, and Ms. Shao listened with extreme heartache, thinking she was such a good girl and child, filial and kind.
"It's not easy for you to stay true to yourself in the entertainment industry. You've returned to simplicity and authenticity. I have to learn from you."
Jiang Mingyue humbly replied, "Money can never be earned enough; family is the most important thing."
Ms. Shao smiled and nodded, "My apprentice is right. Come on, let's discuss the study time, on the premise that it won't interfere with you taking care of your family."
Ms. Shao goes to bed early and gets up early. She usually goes to the theater or the park in the morning. After discussing it with her, Jiang Mingyue arranged for her to study from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm every day to give her an adjustment period. The study time will be gradually increased after the Lunar New Year.
After having dinner at the Wu family's house, Wu Lizhen personally drove Jiang Mingyue back to Dahuai Village. She also suggested that Jiang Mingyue buy a car for commuting, a car worth seventy or eighty thousand yuan to practice driving first, and then change to a better one once she was familiar with it.
Jiang Mingyue also had the same idea and planned to take some time to buy a car.
The next day, it rained early in the morning, accompanied by rumbling thunder.
Jiang Mingyue got up early, at five o'clock. She first went to the west room to see Cao Hualan, and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
There was pork tenderloin that Sun Aijun had bought yesterday in the refrigerator. After looking around, she decided to make vegetable wontons on the spot, to be served with the chicken soup she had stewed yesterday. It would be fresh and delicious.
After preparing breakfast, Jiang Mingyue went to wake Sun Aimei up.
Sun Aimei couldn't get up. She stayed up too late last night doing dictation exercises and then did two more tests before finally going to bed at midnight.
"Cousin, let me sleep a little longer..."
"It's raining today, so let your cousin take you there early, otherwise there will be traffic."
Upon hearing that it was raining, Sun Aimei sat up abruptly and glanced out the window. Raindrops were pattering against the eaves and windowsill.
The drowsiness vanished instantly.
"Winter rain is such a hassle, it's so cold and damp."
Sun Aimei looked around but didn't see Cao Hualan. "Where's Mom?"
Jiang Mingyue reached out and tapped her forehead. "You're still half asleep. You slept with me last night. Your aunt is sleeping in the west room. There's nothing to do on a rainy day, so I let her sleep a little longer."
Jiang Mingyue went to the west room early in the morning, just as Cao Hualan woke up and was about to get up to make breakfast.
Jiang Mingyue stopped her from getting up and massaged Cao Hualan for a while. Cao Hualan fell asleep again and wouldn't wake up for another hour or so.
Sun Aimei immediately grabbed Jiang Mingyue's arm with heartache, "Cousin, I'll go to the school gate for breakfast tomorrow morning. There are lots of breakfast stalls there, selling fried dough sticks, pancakes, and all sorts of things. It'll save you from getting up early to work. You used to be a big star, always having everything done for you. If your fans found out that you were getting up early to serve me to go to school, I'd be cursed to death!"
Jiang Mingyue smiled slightly and rubbed Sun Aimei's head. "I'm just an ordinary person now. It's only natural for me to make breakfast for my cousin. You little underage brat, stop worrying and get up to brush your teeth."
Sun Aimei studies hard and diligently. She has a lot of coursework in her first year of high school, and the teaching conditions at the town's middle school are not good enough. Jiang Mingyue plans to transfer the girl to the county's No. 1 High School next semester.
I won't tell Sun Aimei for now; she'll be on winter break in less than two weeks, so I'll let her focus on preparing for her final exams.
At 7:10 a.m., Sun Aijun rode his motorcycle, carrying Sun Aimei, to the town's middle school.
Sun Aimin is away from home for the next two days. He will finish his work in the county town and then come back to repair the old house.
Cao Hualan was still asleep. Jiang Mingyue couldn't stay idle at home, but she was also afraid of disturbing Cao Hualan, so she sent her a message to let her know. Then she took a plastic bucket and went fishing at the Dahuai River.
She wanted to eat fish and planned to ask Cao Hualan to make sauerkraut fish for lunch.
Cao Hualan's pickled fish is delicious; her skills are no worse than those of big restaurants.
It had just rained, and the gravel road leading to the Dahuai River was muddy and slippery.
Wearing old-fashioned rain boots, carrying a plastic bucket in one hand and a small stool in the other, Jiang Mingyue easily crossed the pile of weeds, descended the stone steps, and arrived at a slightly flat riverbank.
The Dahuai River flows from west to east, with a wide river surface and tall poplar trees on both sides of the riverbanks resembling a neatly arranged forest ranger.
After the rain, the river water was murky and smelled fishy. Jiang Mingyue put on a mask, sat on a small stool, put the plastic bucket aside, cast her fishing rod, and waited for the fish to bite with a small piece of pork tenderloin as bait.
With the weather bad, the old men and women in the village wouldn't come to the Big Locust River, so Jiang Mingyue could meditate in peace.
You can meditate and fish at the same time.
In an instant, the air suddenly became quiet, the fishy smell through the mask grew stronger and stronger, and even the wind seemed to stand still.
The next instant, a colossal creature slowly slithered and writhed from behind Jiang Mingyue, its rustling sounds sending chills down her spine.
Jiang Mingyue suddenly opened her eyes, raised her hand and unleashed a powerful burst of energy that shot straight at the large poplar tree above the headlamp.
Caught off guard by the sneak attack, the enormous creature fell from the big poplar tree with a thud and crashed into the Big Locust River.
Jiang Mingyue was too lazy to get up. Her cold gaze was fixed on the river surface, where the water churned and the smell of fish was strong.
A massive creature, roughly two meters long, was rolling around in the river.
"It's one thing to be ugly, but it's wrong of you to come out and scare people. You even disturbed my fishing, ruining my mood."
"Here's what we'll do: I'll punish you by making you get me a bucket of blackfish, six or eight wouldn't be too many."
The ground dragon, struck by the powerful energy, was speechless.
It has roamed the Dahuai River for a hundred years, and who wouldn't bow down to it upon seeing it? This is the first time it has encountered humans who are not afraid of it!
What right does she have to threaten it into fishing?! It's a Jiao (a type of dragon-like creature)! It's destined to transform into a dragon once it gets rained on!
Foolish humans!
Jiang Mingyue knew this thing could understand, so she slammed another burst of energy at it, saying, "Don't play dead, or I'll summon heavenly lightning to blast you."
Earth-walking dragon: "!"
Ten minutes later, the Earth Dragon, holding its breath, scooped up ten large black fish for Jiang Mingyue. It dared not show its head and huddled on the opposite bank of the river.
Ten snakehead fish filled the plastic bucket; each fish was fat, large, and wild.
Jiang Mingyue nodded in satisfaction, "You're a quick learner. I'll come find you again next time."
Earth-walking dragon: "!"
After she finished speaking, she was about to leave with the bucket when the Earth Dragon saw this and quickly swam over, trying to follow her.
Jiang Mingyue glanced at him, and the Earth Dragon was so frightened that it dared not move. The pressure released by this human was comparable to heavenly thunder. How terrifying!
"Stay here quietly and behave well, and I'll give you a hand."
Jiang Mingyue promised to help the Earth Dragon transform into a Dragon, and the Earth Dragon immediately stopped following her, splashing and churning in the Dahuai River.
Jiang Mingyue brought back a bucket of blackfish. The guard dog dared not approach her, presumably because it had smelled a scent that frightened it.
The courtyard gate was open, and Cao Hualan was hanging clothes to dry. When she saw Jiang Mingyue carrying back a bucket of blackfish, she quickly put down the clothes she was holding and went over.
"Yueyue, where did you get so many fish?"
"Auntie, I just caught it while fishing in the Big Locust River behind here."
"Auntie, don't worry, I can swim." Jiang Mingyue quickly changed the subject. "How about we have pickled fish for lunch? Let's kill a couple!"
Cao Hualan never refused Jiang Mingyue's requests; she always granted them.
"Two aren't enough. There are many people in the family, so I'll kill three and you can eat to your heart's content."
Jiang Mingyue nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll help you."
You don't need too many side dishes for sauerkraut fish. Just a small amount of bean sprouts, dried tofu, and enoki mushrooms. Use plenty of sauerkraut, but remove the stems and cut the leaves into strips or slices.
First boil the fish bones, then boil the fish fillets, and drizzle with hot oil for an irresistible aroma.
Jiang Mingyue ate two bowls of rice for lunch. The pickled fish was so delicious that she ate too much and ended up stuffed.
After lunch, she leaned against the wall for a while, then went back to her room for a half-hour nap.
Cao Hualan couldn't rest and was called by her neighbors to steam New Year's goods.
When Jiang Mingyue woke up from her afternoon nap, her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she smelled a fishy odor coming from the courtyard.
How did that silly giant dragon manage to sneak over here?!
Author's Note: [Cat head emoji][Cat head emoji] I've arrived at my hometown!
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