Chapter 371: Wanting Something Good-Looking

The Guangzipian area is composed of five streets—Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, and Xin—arranged in a divergent pattern. The five streets converge at a center and extend in four directions, covering a significant area.

At the intersection of these five streets is a small square, home to a department store, post office, bank, police station, and more. It serves as the commercial center of Guangzipian, and the health clinic is located here as well.

The health clinic is quite large. Upon opening the door and entering, one can smell disinfectant and the smoky scent of coal burning in the stove. The space is divided into four areas: one with seven or eight white single beds for patients to rest while receiving IV drips; one with cabinets displaying various common Western medicines, plus a wall-sized cabinet for traditional Chinese medicine. Wang Yan is quite familiar with these things; TCM involves lineage, and lineage involves time—one look at those TCM cabinets and it's clear they have been around for many years.

There is another area with two tables used for consultations when seeing patients. As for the final area, it is a small room piled with sundries, medicines, and boxes of glucose and other supplies needed for IV drips.

In the middle of the room is the heating stove, with a connected tin pipe hanging from the ceiling beams, extending all the way to an opening in the window to vent the stove's smoke outside. The fire in the stove is burning fiercely, with a large kettle sitting on top, emitting steam. This coal is public property, so in the winter, it is burned without restraint.

When he was a child attending school in the village, he used to keep warm the same way. Students would bring pine cones and pine branches for kindling, while the school purchased the coal. It was a large room with no radiators, just a small stove, so the heating effect was predictable. As the saying goes, "Hardship refines the will and strains the muscles, enabling one to achieve great things." He didn't skip classes when he was little, and his hands and feet were covered in frostbite sores, yet he didn't learn anything worth a damn...

"Here so early, Sister Zhang."

Wang Yan smiled and looked at a middle-aged woman sitting by the stove, wearing a white lab coat, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her black hair coiled up, looking somewhat chubby. Her name is Zhang Li; she has two daughters and a son. Her husband, like Zhou Zhigang, is away supporting the Third Front construction, and her children are looked after by her parents-in-law. Life isn't all that easy for her.

"Your brother-in-law didn't come back for the New Year, but my two brothers-in-law brought their wives and children back. You know how it is—there's only so much space at home, and it's annoying to stay there. So I came early to find some peace and quiet."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "You have a lively house and don't appreciate it; I'm a younger brother who wants some liveliness, but I can't find any."

"Aren't you living with the old Zhou family? Did no one come back at their place?"

"No, just the three of us—my aunt and us two—it's very quiet."

"Hey, Xiao Yan, what about the second son of the old Zhou family—the one who ran off to Guizhou to find that poet—how is he doing?"

This matter is no secret; it's been several years, and everyone in Guangzipian knows that the greatest beauty of Guangzipian ran off to Guizhou for a poet. However, although he just arrived, in the identity gap filled by the system, Li Suhua's eyes, which were ruined by crying over her daughter, were treated by him, and her vision is quite good now.

"Not sure, but my uncle spent the New Year over there, so it should be pretty good."

This woman is a huge gossip, mainly because she has nothing else to do all day but talk about household trifles—if not her own, then someone else's. Wang Yan smiled and responded half-heartedly, basically listening to her recount everything that happened in the entire Guangzipian area over the New Year.

There are four people in the entire health clinic; Wang Yan and another man in his thirties see patients, and two older sisters give injections. Just the four of them are responsible for the health of everyone in Guangzipian, and they are quite busy day after day. Of course, the patients have their own internal scale: what illness to bring to the health clinic, what to take to the hospital, what can be endured, and what is beyond treatment.

There is no such thing as a medical qualification certificate yet; the grassroots medical care in China today is supported precisely by numerous amateur "barefoot doctors." In general situations, the two older sisters acting as nurses also give injections and prescribe medicine.

Amidst Zhang Li's chatter, the day's work began. With so many people in Guangzipian and it being the New Year, statistically speaking, it's impossible to have a free moment. Because of the population movement during the New Year, it is a peak period for the flu, and children have weaker resistance, so many parents brought their children in for consultations. There were also children who were reckless with firecrackers during the New Year and inevitably got hurt. As for others, there were elderly patients with chronic conditions who had medicine prescribed at large hospitals and relied on them to administer the injections here.

Dealing with wounds is usually fine—just disinfect and wrap with gauze—but the main thing is that many people need IV drips. It's so cold now that even though the clinic's stove is burning fiercely, the space is large and the heat is insufficient, so getting injections here is a suffering, and many choose to go home. Those who live nearby have family members help them back to lie on the heated kang while getting the drip. Those who live far away can't do that because of the weather and the greatly increased chance of the needle slipping. So he and Zhang Li have to ride their bicycles to their homes to administer them.

Actually, he encourages drinking TCM, as boiling it at home for two days usually cures the illness, and he even helps clear away other ailments and provides simple adjustments. But most people don't drink it; for one, boiling medicine is a hassle, and for another, during the New Year, before the first lunar month is over, having the house filled with the smell of medicine is bad. So that's that; he just offers a warning when he detects signs of a serious illness, advising them to go to the municipal hospital for a check-up, and he has fulfilled his duty.

After all, he is currently a "little expert" at treating headaches and fevers, but he has no impressive track record for serious or difficult illnesses. He needs to have a "breakthrough" and significantly advance his medical skills before he can shine the name "Old TCM Doctor Wang" and make people believe in his level.

People today are not much healthier than people in the future. It's just that people in the future have health issues caused by material abundance, while people today have them caused by material scarcity. Truth be told, from ancient times to the present, most people have never truly been healthy without illness or disaster.

Lunch was the corn cakes Li Suhua brought early in the morning and leftovers from Zhou Bingkun's gathering yesterday. He also managed to steal a few bites of the New Year food from Zhang Li, and he got by.

Their official working hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but since no one is watching, Zhang Li packed up and left for home as soon as it hit 4:00 PM after returning from giving injections. With that whole family of hers, she is the head of the household, after all, and has to go back to take care of things.

Wang Yan is dedicated to his job... so not long after Zhang Li left, he also slipped away. Their profession is special, and since everyone in Guangzipian knows them, families without urgent illnesses aren't in a rush, and those with urgent illnesses will come looking for them in the middle of the night. So leaving early or late doesn't really matter.

"You're back, Xiao Yan. Bingkun, stop whining, wash your hands and eat." Hearing the sound of the door opening, Li Suhua came to the outer room, inviting Wang Yan to enter and get on the kang, then carried the food—which had been kept warm in the large pot—to the kang table in the room.

Tonight's dinner was large oil pancakes, pickled vegetable strips, pan-fried hairtail, and a large basin of pork, sauerkraut, and vermicelli stew with frozen tofu, with plenty of meat. There was also the indispensable green onion with soybean paste on a Northeast dinner table. Li Suhua finally felt willing to make it; the food has been very good lately. Before, she was preparing New Year goods, waiting for relatives from afar to come back and eat well, so she basically saved everything. Now that the New Year has passed and no one came back, she naturally wants to eat everything she hoarded.

According to the three of them, eating stewed fish and meat every meal, it shouldn't be a problem to finish it by the 15th.

"Mom, why didn't you save it? Save it for next New Year, for Dad, Brother, and Sister to come back and eat? There will be more people then, and it won't be enough." Zhou Bingkun exhaled hot air, his mouth stuffed full, but he couldn't help but be snarky.

"Can't eating shut your mouth? Just trying to piss me off all day." Li Suhua slapped him, then turned and smiled as she picked up a piece of fatty and lean meat for Wang Yan: "Eat, Xiao Yan, there's still meat, Auntie will make braised pork for you two tomorrow."

"Okay." Wang Yan responded with a smile, eating heartily: "By the way, Auntie, Bingkun, how are things with Qiao Chunyan and Cao Debao?"

Li Suhua said with a smile: "Just like you said, Chunyan herself said she took a liking to Cao Debao and even said she wouldn't marry anyone else."

"That kid Cao Debao took advantage and still isn't happy, saying he dreams of finding a girl from a fallen high-ranking official's family so he can wait for their rehabilitation and live off her." Zhou Bingkun snorted: "That brat got the benefit and is still complaining. I spent a long time lecturing him with Guoqing, Ganchao, and Lv Chuan before he finally accepted it. He said he'd discuss it with Chunyan, the two families will meet in a couple of days, and they'll get married next month."

"Don't say that, Cao Debao's dream is actually quite good." Wang Yan sighed and said: "Isn't Hao Dongmei a girl from a high-ranking official's family? Big Brother has hope. Auntie, I'm not saying Big Brother is living off a woman."

"Oh, I know, we're all family, what's wrong with saying he's living off a woman? If he can live off her, that's Bingyi's ability, isn't it?" Li Suhua shook her head dismissively, then changed the subject: "However, I still think it's better the way it is now. Have you forgotten? Before that high-ranking official Hao was overthrown, he came to Guangzipian for an inspection, and I even spoke two words to him. That air he had—he looked amiable, but I know clearly that there is a distance of a hundred thousand miles between us.

You say, if one day that high-ranking official Hao is rehabilitated, how should we treat these in-laws? If we keep in touch, it'll look like we're sucking up to them, wanting them to do things for us. If we don't keep in touch, it'll be hard for Bingyi and Dongmei. Anyway, no matter what, it's not right."

Zhou Bingkun muttered: "What's wrong with that? Just treat them like normal in-laws. Besides, it's not certain if he can be rehabilitated, why think about that?"

"This child, he's a high official, a regional governor, can he be the same as us common folk? And if Dongmei's parents are really rehabilitated, what if others ask us to do things for them? What should we do then? It's pretty good as it is now, without all those messy things."

Although the slogan "Women hold up half the sky" is shouted loudly at this time, and gender equality has long been written into the constitution, it is not something that happens overnight. In the vast majority of families today, the men are still the heads of the household. So, many times, Li Suhua has words on the tip of her tongue that she doesn't say, but she knows everything and sees things clearly.

Wang Yan laughed: "You're just overthinking it, Auntie. Bingkun is right, we know ourselves, if we don't need to ask them for anything, then that's it. And Auntie, you also know that my grandfather used to know a thing or two about physiognomy and fortune-telling, and he taught it all to me. Let me tell you, Auntie, I've looked at Bingkun, he will definitely make a fortune in the future, you just wait to enjoy the blessings."

"That's right, Mom, you just wait to enjoy the blessings, your youngest son will have a bright future."

Li Suhua wanted to laugh, but because of the food in her mouth, she choked and hurriedly drank some boiled water to clear it, looking at her youngest son who was patting her back: "Fine, Mom will wait for you to have a bright future and enjoy the blessings, work hard."

After speaking, she laughed out loud, then her voice turned a bit low: "Actually, Mom doesn't ask for you to have a great future, just being safe and sound is enough."

Wang Yan spoke up, breaking the sentimental atmosphere: "Right, safety is the bottom line, but we are striving toward a 'bright future,' that's definitely not wrong. Keep it up, Bingkun, I believe in you."

"Mom believes in you too."

"Then just wait and see." Zhou Bingkun grinned foolishly: "Hey, Brother Yan, since you've calculated that I'll have a bright future, why don't you calculate when I'll make a fortune while you're at it."

"That will have to wait a few years, thirty is about right."

"Oh my, that's too far away, I'd better just honestly shovel my slag at the soy sauce factory."

"Then you two should look at the present, hurry up and find a wife to start a family, stop making me worry." Li Suhua said: "Hi, look at me, talking about this again, at this age, repeating the same old words all day. Since we're on the subject, Xiao Yan, Bingkun, you two tell me, what are you thinking? Especially you, Xiao Yan, Bingkun is still lacking. You're twenty-two this year, and it's not like no one has introduced you to anyone, why haven't you taken a liking to any of them?"

This is indeed the case. Li Suhua is a kind person, and plus the two families have always been close, after Wang Yan's parents passed away this time, she has treated him like her own son. Therefore, last year, Li Suhua organized for him to find a partner, and he went on several dates.

He shook his head and said: "Auntie, I don't have many requirements for the woman, just one: she has to be vibrant and good-looking. I want to find someone fair-skinned and tall, but I haven't run into anyone like that yet."

You need to look in the mirror... Li Suhua couldn't help but curl her lips, but she still nodded: "Fine, then Auntie will organize some more for you, you look around too, twenty-two isn't young, get married early and get it over with. What about Bingkun? Should Mom organize some for you too?"

"No, no, I, uh, I can find one myself." Zhou Bingkun was stunned and refused repeatedly.

Wang Yan knew at a glance that this kid was thinking about those long white legs.

How could a mother not know what her own child is like? Li Suhua also noticed Zhou Bingkun's oddity, but she didn't say much. Anyway, if he really had a target, he would eventually have to bring her to see her. Instead, this made her feel relieved. After all, at what age, do what things; at this age, he should be thinking about women.

They ate while laughing and joking, and Wang Yan was not at all polite, eating with great relish. Influenced by him, Zhou Bingkun also ate fiercely. Seeing the child eating happily, Li Suhua was happy and ate a bit more.

After the meal, Wang Yan and Zhou Bingkun were not idle, helping to clear the table. After Li Suhua finished washing the dishes, Zhou Bingkun poured out the dirty water and trash, and Wang Yan went out with a bucket in each hand to fetch water, preparing for tomorrow.

Guangzipian has no running water, and no family has a well in their own yard, so everyone's water consumption relies on taking iron buckets to several fixed water-fetching locations. Many people carry shoulder poles, with one bucket in front and one in back. Carrying two buckets at once saves effort.

After finishing all this, they finally settled down, spreading out the bedding early to warm up the bed.

Wang Yan is very skilled at massage and bone-setting; on a whim, he pressed and massaged Li Suhua to relax her muscles and stimulate blood circulation. Zhou Bingkun knew about this skill of his, which was quite comfortable, so he also begged him to give him a massage.

After that, there was casual chatting. Li Suhua was knitting a sweater at the end of the kang, Wang Yan was at the head of the kang flipping through a medical book—many of his bookshelves were filled with ancient books, which would be worth some money later. Zhou Bingkun, lying in the middle, also picked up a book, brewing sleepiness...

At nine o'clock, Li Suhua turned off the lights on time, and they went to sleep; the day passed just like that.

After a night of sound sleep, Wang Yan lay until six o'clock, and only after Li Suhua got up to dress and light the fire did he follow suit.

Li Suhua is not surprised by Wang Yan's early rising; she has known Wang Yan was like this since he was a child.

Going outside, he jogged around for a bit, found a small grove outside Guangzipian, practiced two sets of boxing to loosen his muscles and bones, and then strolled back. After washing up, he helped Li Suhua with breakfast while chatting.

"Xiao Yan, yesterday I asked Bingkun about finding a partner, I think he seems to have a target, maybe he's too shy to tell me. You grew up with him, and he trusts you, why don't you ask around and tell Auntie later."

The pancakes left over from yesterday weren't enough for breakfast, so Li Suhua mixed some cornmeal and skillfully stuck it to the side of the pot, speaking softly to Wang Yan who was cutting vegetables on the side.

"Bingkun has never been able to lie since he was little. I saw that look on him yesterday too; I was planning to find an opportunity to ask him."

"Right?" Li Suhua busied herself with a smile: "The little brat has grown up and started hiding things from his mom."

Wang Yan didn't respond, and after helping for a while, he was shooed away. Since he wasn't needed, he just silently smoked and blew in the north wind outside.

The health clinic's official working hours start on the sixth day of the New Year; today is the fifth, so he won't officially start his new year's work until tomorrow, and he can still rest for one more day today. Zhou Bingkun's work starts on the seventh, and there is no requirement for duty, so he has been very lazy lately. Of course, he has always had trouble getting up; after all, who can refuse a warm bed in winter?

So Zhou Bingkun slept until eight o'clock before being pulled out of bed by Li Suhua, saying something like "What decent person doesn't get up in the morning," which was very reasonable.

After breakfast, staying until around ten o'clock, Li Suhua left the house in a hurry. She was going out to visit neighbors to organize a partner for Wang Yan. It just so happens that during the New Year, families are gathered together, so there are many channels. Moreover, Wang Yan's conditions are not bad—a doctor in a public unit, although currently only at the Guangzipian health clinic, he might be able to transfer to a better place in the future, so he is long-term promising. Furthermore, his reputation in Guangzipian is quite good, and his roots are solid, so he is very marketable.

It's just that the "vibrant" requirement makes Li Suhua quite troubled. After all, in this day and age, to be vibrant and good-looking, one has to be from the city. Although there are many good-looking girls in the countryside, given the current material conditions, unless they are truly naturally beautiful, there is basically no chance for them to shine. Moreover, Wang Yan is famously cultured, always ranking first when he was in school, and his New Year couplets are very popular; you can't just find a girl who doesn't know a single character. She needs to be sensible and reasonable, which is quite difficult to handle. For city girls looking for a partner, they definitely want to find someone better. Wang Yan's conditions seem very average, a bit lacking.

Most importantly, the rumor that "good women don't marry into Guangzipian" has already started to spread; it is a disadvantaged area in the Jichun marriage market, which is hard to deal with... Li Suhua takes it very seriously. After all, Wang Yan has lived with them for four years and she has watched him grow up since he was a child, so the two families are close. Now that Wang Yan is the only seedling left in the old Wang family, if she doesn't handle this child's affairs properly, her conscience will be uneasy. On the other hand, there are rumors outside; if Wang Yan really ends up a bachelor, their old Zhou family will be pointed at and scolded...

Li Suhua left, and in the old Zhou house, only Wang Yan and Zhou Bingkun remained. Neither had any activities, so they prepared to laze around at home for the day.

Wang Yan, who was leaning on the windowsill reading, flipped the book over on the kang and lit a cigarette, waking Zhou Bingkun, who was lying at the head of the kang, blinking his eyes and staring blankly at the dust on the ceiling beams.

He glanced at Wang Yan, who was blowing smoke rings, and then turned his head back as if nothing had happened, continuing to stare at the ceiling. He doesn't smoke; he had learned before, but it didn't taste good, it was meaningless, and it cost money.

"Bingkun, get up and talk."

"Talk about what."

"Talk about a wife."

Zhou Bingkun glanced at him sideways: "What's there to talk about with a wife, do you have one?"

"No, is your skin itching?"

"Look at you, always bullying me, I don't have one either, really..." Zhou Bingkun muttered as he sat up. This good brother of his is strong and can fight well; when he was bullied as a child, his own brother was one thing, but the main force helping him was this good brother.

They were all together; why didn't Xiao Guoqing, Sun Ganchao, and Cao Debao hang out with Wang Yan? On one hand, it was because he was good at studying, and on the other, it was fear. Actually, they had the intention to get close, but Wang Yan wasn't enthusiastic. Among his peers in Guangzipian, he was the same with everyone; it wasn't that he was unsociable, he just couldn't play together. Because the other children were poking cats and teasing dogs all day, while he was holding a book and reading all day. He was also the "other people's child" in the mouths of parents.

Zhou Bingkun was also close to Wang Yan because the two families were neighbors and relatives, and they had been close since childhood. He knew that Wang Yan simply thought they were childish and didn't bother with them. But he had always liked to get close to Wang Yan because it gave him a sense of security.

Wang Yan blew a smoke ring: "When Auntie asked you about finding a partner yesterday, I noticed you were acting strange, and she asked me to ask you. And I've noticed lately that you've been distracted, tell me what's going on?"

"No, nothing, it's just..." Looking at Wang Yan's deep eyes, Zhou Bingkun couldn't find a perfect excuse for a moment, so he just gave up, leaning against the wall between the kang and the back room, his head tilted: "Just nothing!"

He was a bit shy, and it wasn't easy to explain the matter of Zheng Juan; he just didn't want to say.

He hasn't gone through so many things yet to make him grow into that man full of heartache; he still has a bit of a reckless spirit... ===== CHAPTER 372 =====