Junyang City, Xiuyue Mountain, Huang Liang Village.
Huang Liang Village is located at the foot of Xiuyue Mountain, which is formed by more than a dozen mountains. Although the scenery is beautiful, it is known as a poor area due to its inconvenient transportation.
"I've finally made it home!"
It's fifteen kilometers from the Xiuyue Mountain bus station to Huang Liang Village.
The road had not yet been repaired, and it was so narrow and uneven that not even motorcycles were willing to travel on it, let alone taxis. Liang Jingxian walked all the way back, taking a full two and a half hours.
"Xiao Xian, why did you walk back? Call your dad to come pick you up with his bicycle."
Luo Xiaofen was both delighted and distressed as she took Liang Jingxian's backpack from him and pulled him into the house.
"Where is Dad? Isn't he home?" Liang Jingxian didn't refuse and looked around the house after entering, asking.
The Liang Family had a two-room brick house, with a hall in the middle, a small kitchen in the back, and a vegetable garden.
The facilities at home were all very old, mostly bought when his parents got married.
"Your dad is still weeding the fields, but judging by the time, he should be back soon. Are you hungry? I'll make some food."
As Luo Xiaofen headed to the kitchen to cook, Liang Jingxian went outside to greet the neighbors in the village.
"Jing Xian is back? How have things been for you over the past few years?"
"Isn't military service supposed to be two years? Why did you go for five years?"
"Did you get a girlfriend out there? Why didn't you bring her home?"
...
The villagers were very enthusiastic, chatting with him sporadically.
Huang Liang Village was really too poor; most of those who stayed in the village were middle-aged and elderly people. The young ones had all gone to work in the town or the city.
Liang Jingxian casually explained that after serving in the military for two years, he worked as a security guard outside, basically living paycheck to paycheck without saving any money. Naturally, he didn't have a girlfriend. This time he had come back to resume his former job and continue working as a Village Doctor.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Ever since your master died, it's been so inconvenient to get medical treatment here that we have to go all the way to the town; even a minor illness costs a few dozen yuan." The villagers were overjoyed to learn Liang Jingxian would stay and become the Village Doctor.
Liang Jingxian's medical skills were learned from an old village doctor who moved to the village over forty years ago. He had no children and was an eccentric person. Nobody even knew his name; they just referred to him as Old Man Yan.
However, Old Man Yan was truly skilled in medicine. Not just Huang Liang Village, but people from eight surrounding villages would come to him, seeking his treatment.
Unfortunately, Old Man Yan passed away five years ago, which was also the year that Liang Jingxian enlisted in the military.
After more than half an hour, Luo Xiaofen came to call Liang Jingxian to eat. His father, Liang Bin, also came back, and upon seeing Liang Jingxian, he wasn't as enthusiastic as Luo Xiaofen, just saying indifferently, "You're back? Let's eat."
The family rarely ate meat throughout the year, but with her son returning, Luo Xiaofen specially bought a pound of pork and slaughtered a chicken to prepare a hearty dinner.
"Xiao Xian, Fuli Grand Hotel in town is hiring security guards. I passed by the other day and copied down the recruitment phone number. Do you want to try it?" Liang Bin asked during the meal.
Liang Jingxian shook his head and said, "No need, I don't want to work as a security guard anymore. I'll just be a Village Doctor here in the village."
Luo Xiaofen said, "Being a Village Doctor is fine too. There used to be no end to Old Yan's patients."
Liang Bin hesitated and said, "Old Yan is Old Yan, after all, he was a Chinese medicine practitioner his whole life, but Xiao Xian..."
Luo Xiaofen instantly became dissatisfied and protective of her son, retorting, "My son is also great at medicine, you know? When he was in high school, he often treated people in the village for free and never made a mistake."
Smiling, Liang Jingxian said, "Dad, Master taught me everything he knew, so you don't need to worry about my medical skills."
Liang Bin nodded and didn't say much more, just mentioning that if there was a need to stock up on anything or if any help was needed, to just talk to him.
After dinner, Luo Xiaofen went from house to house to notify everyone that Liang Jingxian was back to work as the Village Doctor and to "drum up business" for her son.
Liang Jingxian, with two bottles of beer in hand, sat in front of his master's grave.
"Master, I haven't visited you in five years. Are you angry with me?"
"Over these five years, I haven't been lax, you know. I've used the medical skills and kung fu you taught me only for good..."
Liang Jingxian drank as he recounted his experiences from the past five years to his master.
"Master, over these five years, I've also served the country. Next, I will help the village escape poverty and become wealthy, fulfilling your last wish."
"Oh no..." Liang Jingxian hadn't finished his story when suddenly, he heard a scream not far away. He got up and sprinted towards the source of the noise, only to find a woman in a white T-shirt and a floral skirt fainting by the stream.
Next to her was a red bucket filled with crayfish.
Approaching, Liang Jingxian gently brushed aside her hair. She had a round, clear face, approximately twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, in the prime of her beauty. But her complexion was deathly pale and she looked haggard.
Her eyelashes were long, and at that moment, they quivered softly, looking pitiful.
"Who is this woman? I've never seen her before. Is she from our village, or a relative of someone here?"
Liang Jingxian didn't delay any longer. He took her hand, preparing to take her pulse and see what was wrong with her, but a glance at her leg caused his heart to skip a beat.
He took a deep breath and quickly averted his gaze. Soon, he found a snakebite mark on her calf that had turned red and swollen.
"She's been bitten by a snake, a venomous one at that. The poison is fierce; if I waste any more time, she will lose her life."
Liang Jingxian didn't need to take her pulse; he lowered his head and started to suck out the poison with his mouth, bit by bit.
"Hmm?"
Yang Xi slowly regained consciousness, and then she saw a man, which scared her so much that she let out a cry and kicked out at Liang Jingxian with her foot.
Lying on the ground, her kick landed squarely on Liang Jingxian's leg.