Chapter 734 Everyone Knows
Suddenly, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps and horse neighing outside the yard.
The mallet in He Yushui's hand fell into the wooden basin with a clang, and the splashing water wet her trouser legs.
She and Yang Xiaohua raised their heads and looked in the direction where the sound came from.
Outside the courtyard gate, Wang Jianguo's figure appeared in sight. His cotton jacket was covered with snow and his hair was blown messy by the wind.
"Brother Jianguo!"
He Yushui shouted excitedly, not even bothering to wipe the water stains off his hands, and ran over on the slippery stone road.
The ends of her braids swayed happily as she ran, and the red rope was particularly eye-catching against the white background.
She ran to Wang Jianguo, looking up with joy and confusion in her eyes:
"Brother Jianguo, you're back. Why have you been gone for so many days? We were so worried!"
As she spoke, she reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Wang Jianguo's clothes.
Wang Jianguo looked at He Yushui's anxious expression and a doting smile appeared on his face.
He reached out and rubbed He Yushui's head. There were still some grass debris in his hair. He must have gone to help with farm work again.
"Silly girl, something delayed me."
He said gently, with a hint of fatigue in his voice but eyes full of love.
After saying that, Wang Jianguo turned around and waved behind him, signaling the two people following behind him to come forward.
A thin man with a slightly pale face walked over slowly. Although his clothes were simple, they were washed cleanly and revealed an elegant temperament.
"Yushui, let me introduce you, this is Yang Huaixi,"
Wang Jianguo's tone became serious.
"He...he is a highly skilled doctor, and his ability to feel the pulse and diagnose patients is amazing. From now on, if any of the villagers in the team have a headache or a fever, there will be a professional to treat them."
Wang Jianguo hesitated and still concealed the origins of the Yang Huaixi brothers.
He Yushui's eyes lit up, and he quickly greeted politely:
"Hello, Doctor Yang!"
Yang Huaixi smiled and nodded, responding gently: "Hello, comrade."
At this time, a timid figure poked out from behind Yang Huaixi.
He was a young boy, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing a cotton-padded jacket with patches on top of patches. His ears were red from the cold, but his eyes showed cleverness.
"This is his younger brother, Douzi."
Wang Jianguo put his arm around the boy's shoulders, his face full of pride.
"Don't underestimate him just because he's young. Douzi is a genius in making medicine. Whether it's common herbs or rare medicinal materials, they can all play the greatest role in his hands. What's more amazing is that he can even make Western medicine!"
He Yushui's eyes widened, his face full of surprise and admiration:
"Wow! Comrade Douzi, you are so awesome!"
Douzi felt a little embarrassed by the praise, his face suddenly turned red, he lowered his head and whispered:
"No, not that great..."
Wang Jianguo seemed to remember something and turned to look at Yang Xiaohua beside him.
Yang Xiaohua was looking at the two strangers curiously, her fingers unconsciously twisting her apron.
"Oh, by the way, Comrade Xiaohua,"
Wang Jianguo said with a smile.
"The medicine I found for your father last time was made by Comrade Douzi."
Yang Xiaohua's coarse cloth apron rustled in the wind. She dug her nails deep into her palms, staring at the uneasy boy in front of her, her throat choking as if by the frozen soil of the Great Northern Wilderness.
After a while, she suddenly took two steps forward, stood on the frosted stone ground, straightened her back, and bowed deeply to Douzi.
"Comrade Douzi, thank you for the medicine."
Her voice had the unique cheerfulness of a northern girl, but there was an imperceptible tremor at the end of the voice.
“Although my father…my father didn’t make it, thank you for giving us hope.”
Yang Xiaohua looked at the thin young man in front of her, and her memory suddenly went back to that snowy night.
That late night when the snowstorm blocked the door, my father was coughing so hard that he couldn't breathe.
She held the paper bag that Wang Jianguo had sent her, and crushed the brown pills bit by bit in the dim light of the kerosene lamp.
The smell of medicine mixed with my father's turbid breathing filled the small hospital ward for seven full days.
Douzi's cotton shoes made a small sound on the snow. He had never seen such a solemn thank you.
In the days when medicinal herbs were being resold on the black market, people would tear his clothes to pieces to grab the herbs and would fight him for half a loaf of moldy bread.
At this moment, the red eyes of the girl in front of him made the back of his neck feel burning.
His fingers unconsciously tugged at the hem of his cotton jacket, the threads on the patch edge were pulled loose, and he stammered:
"No need to thank me, this is what I should do..." I, I just prescribed it according to the medical book..."
After Douzi finished speaking, he looked at Yang Huaixi for help. He didn't know how to deal with this situation.
Yang Huaixi's gray cotton jacket was stained with mud, but there was a gentle smile on his pale face.
He gently pressed down Douzi who wanted to hide behind him, took a half step forward, and nodded slightly to Yang Xiaohua:
"Comrade, I don't have any special skills. I can only make medicine. It's a pity that I can't help you."
As he finished speaking, the north wind blew up a few strands of messy hair at his temples, revealing the new chilblains behind his ears.
At this moment, she looked at Douzi, who was feeling uneasy behind Yang Huaixi, and tears welled up in her eyes:
"You are too modest. Those medicines... saved my father a lot of suffering."
"Stop it, stop it!"
Wang Jianguo strode forward, and his heavy cotton boots crushed the thin ice on the ground, making a crisp sound.
"Can a living person be held back by the past?"
He put his arm around Yang Huaixi's shoulders, and rubbed Douzi's head with his other hand. His hearty laughter shook the snow off the brim of his hat.
"Look at us, we're almost frozen into ice sculptures! Rainwater, hurry up and get us something warm! The hard dry food we've been eating for the past three days has made my intestines feel like they're tangled into ropes!"
As he spoke, he deliberately covered his stomach in an exaggerated manner and bent his waist to pretend to be in pain.
He Yushui laughed out loud and quickly shook off the ice water on her hands. The red hairband on the end of her braid swayed happily with her movements:
"It's ready! The fire in the stove has been burning since dawn!"
When she turned and ran to the kitchen, half a frozen corn tortilla appeared from the pocket of her blue apron - it was specially reserved for Wang Jianguo.
Yang Xiaohua looked at the two people's receding backs, her fingers unconsciously stroking the patches on her apron.
The cold wind blew through the coarse cloth clothes hanging out to dry, making a rustling sound.
She took a deep breath, nodded solemnly to the Yang brothers again, and then quickly followed He Yushui's footsteps:
"Wait for me, I'll help you light the fire!"
In the main room, Wang Jianguo carefully helped Yang Huaixi cross the threshold.
The hot air wrapped in the aroma of charcoal fire hit me in the face, and the portrait of Chairman Mao on the wall was glowing warmly under the kerosene lamp.
"Come, sit by the fire wall."