Wang Ying no longer cared about the dispute at the educated youth station. She treated it as just a minor episode in life.
Lately, all she could think about was the wild ginseng. Three hundred yuan seemed to float in front of her eyes, and Wang Ying just wanted to firmly grasp that money in her hands.
The Chinese toon chili flatbread made by Old Lady Xu was especially delicious. Chinese toon was only available for a short time each year, but once made into a spicy paste, its flavor could last throughout the season. The chili oil and sesame oil were fragrant, and the Chinese toon had a strong aroma. Sandwiched in the hot coarse grain flatbread, it gave off a mouthwatering scent.
Old Lady Xu had also stir-fried some mushrooms, which was a benefit of their location—thanks to the frequent spring rains, she could easily go up the mountain and find some.
The mushrooms Wang Ying brought back were rather ordinary. She simply tore them into strips and stir-fried them lightly, letting the fresh flavor shine.
Old Lady Xu commented, “If we could catch a wild pheasant, that would be great. Pheasant stewed with mushrooms tastes far better than the hens we raise at home.”
Wang Ying was eager: “Then I’ll keep an eye out in the coming days, and I’ll tell Cheng Yu to be on the lookout too.”
Now that spring had come, Wang Ying wasn’t eating meat as often. For one, it was less convenient than during winter when pork was distributed. Pork now had to be arranged by Xu Shuang, and the butcher shop in town required meat coupons. If you wanted to eat meat, you had to get up early to line up—if you were late, there’d be none left.
Moreover, with spring here, people weren’t cooped up indoors anymore. If anyone cooked meat, the smell could waft across the entire brigade.
Wang Ying didn’t want people to think her family was living a life of daily feasts, so their meals now were similar to everyone else’s. At most, they didn’t have to limit oil and sugar.
After lunch with Old Lady Xu, the old woman went off to twist hemp rope to earn work points, while Wang Ying returned home to continue processing medicinal herbs.
Technically, she should be working in the fields too, but both Xu Shuang and Old Lady Xu advised her not to go, and Wang Ying herself had no desire to.
Working in the fields all day was exhausting, and the work points she’d earn didn’t compare to the money she made from treating patients and preparing herbal medicine. Even if she did go, she wouldn’t get any peace.
Now that Wang Ying was the barefoot doctor of the brigade, it was unavoidable that people would come to her for help.
After the recent peak in orthopedic cases from people slipping and falling, now it was a wave of children coughing.
Wang Ying understood—seasonal changes. This was the time when colds were most common. Plus, wildflowers had begun blooming on the mountains, so it wasn’t unusual for children to be stung by bees or to have allergic reactions like constant sneezing.
Wang Ying treated all these minor ailments effectively, and as a result, she gained the full approval of the villagers. Everyone praised her skill and capability. They would say, “She was just a little girl when her mother passed away, and yet she still managed to learn so much. Truly capable people will always find a way to live well.”
Back at home, Wang Ying checked through the herbs she’d recently stored, then began preparing some mixtures.
After noticing significant improvement in her physical condition a few days ago, she began focusing on skincare. The clam oil and Friendship Snow Cream that Xu Shuang had bought her for their wedding had lasted through the winter but were now nearly used up.
Xu Shuang had even said she’d buy Wang Ying some Pearl Cream, having heard from the store clerks that they used it themselves. It was expensive, but effective.
Wang Ying didn’t think it was necessary. Clam oil could still help balance her skin’s oil and moisture. She didn’t need anything overly pricey. Besides, she was planning to prepare some facial masks for herself.
In her past life, when she was in university, she often made herbal face masks with her classmates, so she was very familiar with the process.
Just as Wang Ying was blending herbs, Wu Guihua came over.
Wu Guihua now walked with energy, her whole demeanor glowing with vitality.
“Wang Ying, I knew you’d be home—I have something to talk to you about.”
After the situation with Qian Juhua, Tian Youfu finally gave up. Right after the New Year, he handed over the role of women’s affairs director to Wu Guihua.
Initially, Tian Erzhu’s wife was reluctant and wanted the role herself, but Tian Youfu shut that down. Having someone unsuitable in that position would just bring endless trouble.
Tian Youfu had actually considered Wang Ying for the role, but she immediately made her stance clear. She helped Qian Juhua purely out of medical ethics, not because she wanted to be the women’s affairs director.
Just thinking about the responsibility of resolving disputes every day made Wang Ying’s head spin.
However, Wang Ying did recommend Wu Guihua to Tian Youfu. She believed Wu Guihua had good character, was literate, and more than capable of handling the role.
Tian Youfu gave it some thought and agreed. To him, there were too many gossipy women in the brigade, and surprisingly, Wu Guihua seemed to be one of the few with a clear head among them.
After becoming the women’s affairs director, Wu Guihua didn’t disappoint. She had a naturally meddlesome personality, and now that she had official authority to oversee the brigade’s women, she performed the role with real flair.
As a new official, she was fired up and ready to prove herself.
Wang Ying invited her inside and went to pour some tea.
Wu Guihua waved it off energetically: “No need, I’m just here to talk.”
“Aren’t you going to the health clinic for training tomorrow? While you’re there, can you find out the current requirements for becoming a midwife? The Party Secretary and I both think our brigade needs to have at least one midwife of our own this year. Otherwise, come autumn, when a bunch of women are due around the same time, we’ll still have to call someone from the neighboring brigade. If we end up with someone like Qian Juhua again, and it’s winter, it could be a real problem.”
Wu Guihua saw this as the most urgent task in her new role. The women’s affairs director didn’t just oversee women; she was responsible for women and children alike. She believed the top priority was to select a midwife and begin managing pregnant women and newborns.
Wang Ying thought this was a good idea.
Though she was the barefoot doctor, she wasn’t a certified midwife. Last time with Qian Juhua, it had been pure luck. Next time, they might not be so fortunate.
“That’s a good thing. I’ll ask about it tomorrow.”
Wu Guihua said, “Also, help me figure out who in our brigade should be sent to train as the midwife.”
Although Wu Guihua was a bit aggressive, she was sensible and, most importantly, trusted Wang Ying’s judgment completely.
“Don’t feel any pressure. The brigade leader said, since autumn is still far away, we can just find someone to start the training. If they can’t manage, we’ll find someone else. We just need someone ready by winter.”
In other words, if the person chosen by Wang Ying didn’t make it through the training, it wouldn’t be her fault.
Wang Ying thought for a moment. “I really can’t say yet. Let me ask tomorrow what the requirements are. We have plenty of people in the brigade. I’m sure we can find someone suitable.”
Wu Guihua readily agreed. “I just worry they’ll require someone literate. Then it might be hard for us to find someone.”
Wang Ying replied, “If that’s the requirement, there’s nothing we can do. It would be understandable.”
Wu Guihua sighed, “Exactly. There are just too few girls who’ve been to school.”
She then chatted a bit more with Wang Ying about various children in the brigade.
“It’s so frustrating—no matter how we persuade them, they just won’t send their daughters to school. They say girls who study too much get too many ideas, like the educated youths sent down from the city. If they can’t handle farm work, what’s the point of schooling? But you, Wang Ying, you finished high school. You know the value of an education. How can anyone say studying isn’t useful?”
While it sounded like Wu Guihua was complaining, she really just needed someone to talk to. As for actual solutions, no one had any.
After all, their brigade was far from the commune headquarters.
As the conversation ended, Wu Guihua glanced at the neighboring house before leaving.
She asked Wang Ying in a hushed tone, “Any news from your uncle’s family lately?”
Wang Ying replied, “Not really. They’ve just been going to work in the fields. Hardly anyone’s home during the day.”
It was indeed odd. Ever since Wang Yaozong got into trouble, Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan had been quietly working, and the whole family had been unusually subdued. They hadn’t caused Wang Ying any trouble. Wang Yaozong, in particular, was rarely seen at home.
Wu Guihua dismissed it, “Of course your uncle doesn’t dare mess with you anymore. You’re the brigade’s golden egg now. So many people rely on you for medical care. If he dared to say anything, no one would tolerate it. A whole family of thieves—who’s going to give them a good face?”
Wang Yongshun and his wife were now universally reviled. Compared to the ‘Five Black Categories’ households in the brigade, they were even more despised—because being a thief directly affected the rest of the commune, while class status didn’t.
Li Chunjuan no longer strutted around proudly. She kept her head down and worked. Even Wang Yongshun had quieted down and become nearly invisible in public.
Wu Guihua summed it up, “Just wait and see. If your uncle and aunt can get Wang Yaozong back on the right path, good. If not, sooner or later that troublemaker son of theirs will drag them down again.”
Wang Ying agreed. If a child wasn’t raised properly, it would eventually become the parents’ punishment.
Wang Yongshun and his wife had already gotten a taste of retribution through Wang Lingling, and Wang Yaozong’s turn was still to come.
The next morning, Wang Ying went with Xu Shuang to the town post office to send a package to Xu Ming. Laying out 20 jin (10 kg) of items looked impressive, especially since it was going all the way to the northwest. Just the postage alone cost nearly 20 yuan.
It made Wang Ying feel heartache.
After a brief silence, Xu Shuang said, “In a few days, I’ll ask my master if I can take the test for the level two certificate early.”
His current salary was still too low.
Wang Ying, hiding her distress, said, “It’s fine. We can take it slow.”
Wang Ying calculated again and asked, “Can you take a day off these next couple of days? Let’s pick a day to head into the mountains.”
They couldn’t wait any longer! If she missed out on that 300-yuan ginseng, she’d regret it forever.
Wang Ying knew Yao Shunjun wouldn’t wait just for her to find the ginseng. That woman had probably spread the word through several channels—whoever found it first would get the money.
Wang Ying desperately needed the money. Her medicinal herb field would take time to mature, and the family still needed big-ticket items. They also needed to send quarterly care packages to Xu Ming. With all that spending, if they didn’t have extra income, their combined salaries wouldn’t be enough.
Xu Shuang replied, “I can take a day off. Let’s go the day after tomorrow. We’ll hike into the mountains.”
Xu Shuang wasn’t solely focused on finding ginseng—he just felt they’d both been too busy lately and hardly had time together. A trip into the mountains could serve as a little spring outing to relax.
After mailing the package to Xu Ming, the two of them parted ways—one heading to the restaurant to work, the other riding a bicycle to attend training.
Victory Commune was much smaller than Red Flag Commune. It didn’t have the transportation advantages of a town like Red Flag, and naturally lacked a thermos factory.
Its health clinic was just a single-story building, but it covered a large area.
Wang Ying found the place. A young girl pointed toward a large central room. “That one—go in and say you’re here for the training. Someone will take you.”
Wang Ying thanked her and entered the room.
Inside, four people were already waiting, all of them looking a bit excited and nervous.
Wang Ying quietly found a seat. The young woman next to her was muttering something under her breath. Listening closely, Wang Ying realized she was reciting from the Barefoot Doctor’s Manual.
Wang Ying sat calmly. The girl beside her turned and asked, “Aren’t you nervous?”
