Chapter 733 Return smoothly
Wang Jianguo's eyes softened as he recalled the past.
"There was a famine a few years ago, and the harvest was poor. Everyone was so worried that they couldn't sleep. He led the villagers to dig canals and improve the soil, and he turned the wasteland into fertile farmland."
"When the brick factory was first established, there were problems with the equipment and conflicts among the workers. He was the one who spent day and night in the factory solving the problems bit by bit."
He paused, rubbed his frozen hands, and continued:
"When I first came to the Great Northern Wilderness, I was unfamiliar with the area and had no place to stay. It was Zhao Shuzhuo who took me home without hesitation and let me live in his wing room."
"The conditions were tough back then, but he never looked down on me as an outsider. He always gave me hot meals and took care of me when I was sick."
At this point, the carriage happened to pass through a birch forest. The cold wind whistled through the forest, blowing up the snow on the branches.
Wang Jianguo wrapped his cotton coat tightly around him, and his tone was a little more tender:
"Her boyfriend used to be a nurse in a big hospital in the city, and he led a stable and respectable life. But after Zhao Shuzhuo came to Beidahuang, they were separated, and she always missed this place in her heart."
"Later, she resolutely quit her job, carrying a box of medical equipment, and ran to this icy and snowy place."
"After she arrived, she saw that the villagers had no place to go for medical treatment when they were sick, so they could only bear it."
Wang Jianguo’s eyes were firm.
"We decided to build a clinic. We searched for a site, collected materials, and learned medical skills. After half a year of hard work, we finally managed to build the clinic."
He patted Dou'er's shoulder with a gratified smile on his face:
"From now on, you will be partners fighting side by side. Although Zhao Shuzhuo looks serious on weekdays, he is warmer in his heart than anyone else."
"Her partner is an excellent doctor and a very patient person. It's a good idea to follow them. Let's work together to run the clinic well so that all villagers can get medical treatment."
The carriage continued to move forward, and the village in the distance gradually became clear. The curling smoke from the cooking stoves rose up, adding a bit of warmth to this cold winter day.
Dou'er looked ahead, his hands gripping the reins unconsciously tightened a little, and he was silently looking forward to the new life that was about to begin.
Wang Jianguo moved closer to the shaft of the cart, pulled off his half-worn scarf and wrapped it around the boy's trembling shoulders. Looking at the village in the distance where smoke was rising, his thoughts drifted back to the time when he first arrived here.
"Brother Shuzhuo,"
His voice, mixed with the sound of horse hooves, seemed particularly distant in the morning mist.
"It is said that eight years ago, when there was a famine in the village, he led people to dig wild vegetables and repair canals. That winter, a heavy snowstorm blocked the mountains, and he insisted on carrying Tiger Boy, who had a high fever, and walked 30 miles along the mountain road..."
Wang Jianguo paused, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the folding knife he had carried with him at his waist for many years.
"Later, the commune wanted to transfer him to the county town, but he refused no matter what and insisted on staying in our poor village."
Another suppressed cough was heard in the carriage, startling the crows from the treetops.
Dou'er listened attentively, with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes. Wang Jianguo reached out and lifted a corner of the curtain to confirm that the injured person was still sleeping soundly. He turned around and saw the boy staring at the scratches on his face in a daze, so he forced a smile:
"Don't worry, with Brother Shuzhuo here, we feel like we have found our backbone."
He pointed to the tallest adobe house in the distance, with smoke swirling up from the chimney.
"See? That's where we're going. There's plenty of hot water and hot meals."
The carriage rolled over the last rut, and the branches of the old locust tree at the entrance of the village intertwined overhead.
Dou'er looked at the gradually clear outline of the village, and suddenly felt that the reins in his hands were not so cold anymore. The smell of firewood wafting from afar seemed to be mixed with the sweet scent of cornmeal cakes.
The carriage left deep ruts on the rugged road. The chestnut horse's mane was covered with ice, and every time it shook its head, it shook off tiny pieces of frost.
Wang Jianguo held the shiny jujube wood shaft, his fingertips almost numb from the cold, but he kept talking to Douzi beside him and Yang Huaixi in the carriage:
"Do you see that dark forest ahead? That's the territory of the old hunter Uncle Li. Last year he gave us two roe deer skins - Brother Shuzhuo put the skins in the medicine cabinet of the clinic, saying that they can prevent moisture."
Before he could finish his words, a gust of wind blew snow particles towards him on the head. He hurriedly pulled the car curtain tightly, and the edge of the cotton cloth swept across Yang Huaixi's bandaged forehead.
It was the morning of the third day of their journey, and the wheels made a dull creaking sound as they rolled over the frozen ground. When they bought the carriage in the county town three days ago, the brass ornaments on the shaft were still shiny, but now they were covered with a thick layer of gray snow.
Wang Jianguo deliberately avoided the Eagle's Beak Cliff where bandits often appeared, and took a more circuitous mountain path. Although it took some more time, it allowed Yang Huaixi to recover from his injuries.
At this moment, when the curtain was lifted, one could see icicles on the boy Douzi's eyelashes, but he was still listening attentively. When he nodded occasionally, the red rope at the end of his braid would rub against his red cheeks.
"Do you see that crooked willow tree at the entrance of the village?"
When the familiar treetops appeared in the wind and snow, Wang Jianguo's voice was tinged with warmth.
"When Brother Shuzhuo first arrived in the Great Northern Wilderness, he led everyone to bury a cast iron pot under a tree and cooked wild vegetable porridge for three whole days, saving three frozen educated youths."
He raised his hand and patted the shaft of the cart. The chestnut horse seemed to understand and pedaled faster, splashing snow that hit the side of the cart with a crackling sound.
When the carriage stopped under the willow tree, the icicles on the branch happened to break and hit the carriage canopy with a clang.
Wang Jianguo jumped out of the car. Just as the reins were wrapped around the rough tree trunk, he heard Yang Huaixi coughing softly in the car:
"Brother Jianguo, please lend me a hand. I'll try to walk around."
Douzi hurriedly dropped the reins and ran over, only to see Yang Huaixi standing up by supporting himself with the shaft of the cart, with faint traces of blood on the edge of the bandage under his gray cotton-padded jacket.
Although the wound has scabbed over, the blow to the hip made the 20-year-old young man grit his teeth with every step.
"Slow down, I'll help you."
Wang Jianguo walked around to the other side, held Yang Huaixi's waist, and felt the coolness of his bandage.
As the three of them walked towards the courtyard gate on the snow, Douzi suddenly caught a glimpse of a copper bell nailed to the door frame. The red rope was swaying in the wind, making a tiny sound.
This was a common talisman for warding off evil spirits in people's homes in the Great Northern Wilderness, but it reminded him of the amulet he had stuffed into his bag when he left home. It was now hidden in his pocket, pressing against his heart and making him feel hot.
In the early morning of the Great Northern Wilderness, the cold wind scraped across my cheeks like a knife.
Although it was spring, there was still a thin layer of ice on the laundry pool in the yard. He Yushui and Yang Xiaohua were squatting by the pool, beating the clothes hard with a mallet.
Their hands had already turned red from the cold, the breath they exhaled condensed into frost flowers in front of their eyes, and their coarse cloth aprons were also stained with water stains.