I have my own plans
"Elder Shen! You've come at just the right time!" Qian Jin disregarded respect for the elderly and half-dragged, half-carried the old immortal to the accident scene. Elder Shen was clearly still drunk, muttering incoherently and staggering along the way.
Upon arriving at the scene and seeing the condition of the wounded, Elder Shen's drowsy, drunken eyes finally cleared a bit. He let out a burp and muttered, "Tsk, a bunch of mortals, their bodies are so fragile..." Despite his words, his hands moved with remarkable speed.
Several bright green blades of grass flew out from his sleeve, exuding vibrant life, and precisely adhered to Old Li's bleeding wound and Grandpa Chen's twisted arm.
When the grass touched the wound, it wriggled slightly as if it were alive, gently closing up the rolled-up flesh and stopping the bleeding instantly.
At the same time, he took out a small vermilion gourd, uncorked it, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air. He poured out a few round, plump, and fragrant pills, gesturing for others to help him give them to the injured person.
A green aura flowed over the wounds, and the bleeding stopped, the wounds visibly closed, and even began to scab over. In just a short while, although the injured were still weak, they were out of danger, and their faces regained their color.
The crowd stared in disbelief, then burst into heartfelt gratitude and amazement, crowding around to thank Elder Shen.
Old Man Shen simply waved his hand and yawned, as if he had done something insignificant: "Alright, alright, take him back and let him rest for a few days. Don't get him wet, and avoid foods that might aggravate the condition." With that, he directed the still-shaken but now invigorated young villagers to carefully clear away the rubble and debris from the collapsed mine entrance. They then temporarily reinforced the area with sturdy wooden stakes found on-site to prevent further accidents. Although his instructions seemed casual, the chosen support points and reinforcement methods were subtly in line with mechanics, making the mine exceptionally stable.
Looking at the busy crowd and the injured who, though not in mortal danger, still needed to rest, Qian Jin frowned and asked, "Old Li, did the mine in the back mountain often collapse in the past?"
With the help of others, Old Li sat down and sighed with lingering fear, "Ah, Miss Qian, to be honest, this old mine has been around for a long time, and it's in a state of disrepair. Collapses are common. We've just been lucky in the past, and no one has been hurt. Dr. Sun is the only doctor in town who knows medicine, and now that he's gone to visit his daughter in the neighboring town, we're even more worried... We really owe a lot to you all this time!"
This matter weighed heavily on Qian Jinxin's mind.
On the way back, she remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the uneven dirt roads in the town, which were bound to be muddy and difficult to traverse on rainy days, and then looking towards the distant, faintly visible, foundation-built earth temple.
Ao Ming silently followed beside her, looking at her furrowed brows, and asked softly, "Are you thinking about what happened today?"
Before Qian Jin could answer, the old ginseng, whose drunkenness was rising again, yawned and interjected, "That's right! If I hadn't happened to come back today and had the right medicine on hand, those two villagers... tsk tsk, they would have been in serious trouble! This lack of medical care and medicine is really deadly."
Elder Shen's words were like the last straw, breaking the hesitation in Qian Jin's heart.
She stopped, took a deep breath, and as if making up her mind, said, "I think we should postpone the temple repair for now."
Upon hearing this, Elder Shen sobered up somewhat and exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? A temporary halt? Girl, the foundation is already laid, and plenty of materials have been prepared. The villagers are working with great enthusiasm... How can you just stop like this?"
“I support you.” Ao Ming’s calm yet firm voice rang out, interrupting Elder Shen’s words.
Qian Jin looked at him with some surprise, her eyes questioning, "Do you know what I want to do, yet you support me?"
Ao Ming looked at her gently, his eyes clear, as if he had already seen through her thoughts: "You must feel that there are more important things to do right now than a temple. For example, to repair these difficult roads in the town so that everyone can travel conveniently and safely; and to solve the problem of lack of medical care and medicine in the town, so that the dangerous situation we are in today can not happen again. Right? The local temple is a spiritual sustenance, but roads and medicine are what truly matter to life and livelihood."
Qian Jin felt as if something had gently bumped into her heart, and a warm current flowed through her.
She hadn't expected Ao Ming to see through her thoughts so clearly. She looked at Ao Ming gratefully and nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
After saying that, the two of them turned to look at Elder Shen, who was scratching his head and not quite understanding the situation, with great tacit understanding.
As Shen Lao was stared at by four pairs of eyes, especially Qian Jin's eyes which were filled with obvious "calculation" and expectation, he immediately understood.
He blew on his beard and waved his hand helplessly: "Alright, alright! I know! I've figured it out, once you get involved with this girl, you can forget about having any peace and quiet! Fine, I'll take care of things in town, especially the medical care! Later, I'll select two talented and good-natured young men from town to be my apprentices, teach them how to identify herbs and treat common injuries, and keep them in town so we can look after each other. That way, if something happens later, I won't have to go drinking with that old fellow Qihuangsou again!" Although his tone was complaining, there was little impatience in his eyes; on the contrary, there was a kind of eagerness to "get some exercise."
Upon hearing this, Qian Jin's face immediately broke into a bright smile, and she said sweetly, "Old Shen, you're the best!"
The next day, under the old locust tree in the town center, next to the brand-new notice about building a local temple, another new notice was posted.
The gist of the matter is: Due to recent considerations of people's livelihood needs, the construction of the local temple has been temporarily suspended. Instead, efforts are being made to recruit workers to repair the main roads in the town and to build a clinic next to an old house in the east of town. An elderly, reclusive healer will be stationed there for a period of time. The wages for those involved in road repairs and clinic construction are expected to be higher than those for the temple construction.
As soon as the news broke, the villagers quickly gathered around, discussing it animatedly. However, to Qian Jin's surprise, almost no one paid attention to the increased wages.
Old Li, whose leg injury had not yet healed, was helped by his son to stand up first. His voice was loud and clear, filled with gratitude: "Miss Qian, Young Master Ao! You are doing a great service to our Luming Town! Building bridges and roads, and raising funds to build a clinic, are all great deeds that accumulate virtue and do good! How can we ask for more money? Once the road is repaired, we will use it ourselves, and once the clinic is built, we will use it ourselves!"
“That’s right! Count me in! I don’t want wages, just meals!” shouted a dark-skinned, burly man.
"Yes! We'll do our part too!"
The villagers were enthusiastic; they might not understand grand principles, but they knew who truly cared for them. This simple yet fervent response brought tears to Qian Jin's eyes.
The road construction project quickly commenced in full swing. However, what seemed like a simple task of paving the road turned out to be far more complex than anticipated.
The first challenge was finding suitable materials. The area around Luming Town is mostly soil, and solid stone suitable for paving roads needs to be quarried from the back mountain. However, after the previous landslide, everyone was still wary of entering the old mine shafts.
Qian Jin and Ao Ming went to investigate themselves and eventually found several open rock formations on the other side of the mountain wall, far from the old mine. The rock was hard and difficult to mine, requiring them to chip away at it little by little with a hammer and chisel, but it was safer.
Ao Ming secretly used the power of the dragon clan to cleverly break the large rocks, making them easier for ordinary people to handle with tools. The villagers then used crowbars, logs, and other methods to carry them down the mountain, which greatly improved efficiency.
Secondly, there is the issue of roadbed treatment. Some sections of the road within the town are in low-lying areas, which become muddy and difficult to drain after rain.
Qian Jin adopted the old stonemason's suggestion, first filling the low-lying area with large stones as a foundation, then laying layers of gravel and sand, and repeatedly compacting it with a huge stone roller.
This process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a large workforce to compact the foundation hammer by hammer and trowel by trowel. Qian Jin was moved as he watched everyone working under the scorching sun, drenched in sweat but without complaint. He then discussed with Ao Ming the idea of making the daily meals more abundant, preparing more meat, and specially brewing herbal tea provided by Elder Shen to relieve fatigue, dispel dampness, and strengthen muscles and bones, which was offered to everyone in unlimited quantities.
Despite the hard work, seeing the bumpy dirt roads gradually replaced by smooth and solid gravel roads, and the town's appearance improving day by day, everyone's faces were filled with satisfaction and hope.
During this time, the elder also posted the news that he had prepared to recruit two local young men to learn medicine, stating that he did not seek any extraordinary talent, but only those who were kind-hearted, hardworking, and compassionate.
This gesture drew another wave of gratitude, with several families bringing their school-aged children to inquire.
The old man stroked his beard, looked them over one by one, asked some simple questions, observed their reactions, and said he wanted to "test their character," which made him seem like a hermit.
That evening, Qian Jin and Ao Ming, who had been busy all day, returned to the courtyard.
Exhausted, Qian Jin slumped onto the stone bench, rubbing her aching arms and shoulders. Ao Ming silently went to the kitchen to boil water, brewed a pot of tea, and brought it to her.
"Drink some water and rest." His voice remained calm, but his actions revealed a subtle tenderness.
Qian Jin took the teacup, the warmth spreading through her palm. She looked up and smiled at Ao Ming, her smile appearing somewhat tired in the setting sun, yet exceptionally genuine: "Thank you."
Ao Ming sat down opposite her and looked at her: "Well, don't overwork yourself."
Just then, Elder Shen strolled into the courtyard, carrying a small wine pot. He had obviously just finished "testing" his new apprentice and had a few drinks. He immediately noticed the harmonious scene in the courtyard, especially Ao Ming's concerned gaze, which he hadn't yet withdrawn.
The old man narrowed his eyes, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. He leaned closer to Ao Ming, nudged him with his elbow, and whispered with a hint of gossip, "Hey kid, you've been inseparable for so long, sharing everything... no, we've been through thick and thin together, paving roads, building bridges, treating the sick and saving lives. It all seems like... um? What, you still haven't won her over?"
Ao Ming's face flushed red instantly, all the way to his ears. He glanced at Qian Jin in a flustered manner, and seeing that she was focused on drinking tea and didn't seem to be paying attention to them, he breathed a sigh of relief and said in an embarrassed low voice, "Elder! Why... why do you always care about such things about juniors! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Hey!" Old Ginseng perked up, deliberately raising his voice a little before quickly lowering it again. "How can I not care? Tell me, how long has it been since the three of us met? So many days have passed, we've been through thick and thin, shared both good and bad times, and now we're building roads and bridges together in this small town, benefiting the community—what a great opportunity! How come you haven't made any progress at all? Sigh, it seems you're not so good at this!"
After being repeatedly berated by Elder Shen, Ao Ming felt both ashamed and somewhat indignant, and retorted with a stiff neck, "Who...who is not good enough! I...I just...I'm lacking some favorable timing and circumstances! Yes, I'm lacking the right opportunity!"
"Timing?" Old Ginseng scoffed, giving off an expression that said, "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice." "Timing isn't something you wait for; it's something you create! You blockhead! What's the use of just being nice to people silently? You have to let them know your feelings! You have to have some... what's that word again? Right, 'action'! For example... um..." He winked and started coming up with some bad ideas.
Ao Ming was somewhat tempted by his words, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, so he stubbornly replied, "I...I have my own plans."
"Plans? Plans to wait until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse?" Old Ginseng leaned closer, his voice low and seductive, "How about... this old man teaches you?"
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