The dawn awakened everything in the forest, and the morning light gradually spread over the rooftops from beneath the dense jungle mountains.
In the courtyard, Xu Ping’an, sporting prominent dark circles under his eyes, sighed repeatedly.
“Oh… if this keeps up, I’m going to die.”
He sat on a stool, looking utterly dejected.
He hadn’t slept a wink last night.
In the four hours from going to bed at midnight until getting up now, he had mentally recited every medical book he had ever studied.
Even that barely kept him from giving in.
If this continued, he’d go crazy, even if he didn’t die.
“No, I absolutely can’t share a bed again tonight; I really can’t take it anymore…”
He shook his head and splashed the fresh water, just drawn from the well, onto his face.
The cool sensation instantly cleared his head a bit.
“Counting the days, it’s about time to visit the village.”
“Husband, where are you going?”
Just as Xu Ping’an was talking to himself, a voice suddenly came from behind him, making him jump.
When he turned around, he immediately felt an itch in his nose.
The young woman, having had a good night’s sleep, had her already thin nightclothes disheveled.
Her delicate shoulder was largely exposed as the nightgown had slipped down.
“You… how could you come out like this? Quickly, put it on!”
The suppressed lust, which he had finally managed to calm, surged up again.
To prevent himself from truly losing control, he rushed forward and pulled her clothes up.
“Go change!”
“Husband, where are you going?”
Still half-asleep, Pei Qingxuan rubbed one eye with one hand while the other clutched tightly onto Xu Ping’an’s sleeve.
“I’m going to the village for rounds later. You’re coming too.”
“Me too?”
“Yes, yes, yes, you’re coming too.”
How could he not let this girl go?
If he left her alone at home, not only might something unexpected happen, but she was also watching him like a hawk, practically wanting to be by his side even when he went to the outhouse.
It wouldn’t be easy for him to sneak out alone.
He quickly soothed Pei Qingxuan, and once he saw her swaying back to her room, Xu Ping’an finally let out a long breath.
He hurried to the kitchen and made a simple breakfast.
There wasn’t much: just steamed buns, rice porridge, a bit of pickles, and a plate of braised meat.
In this era, for most people, eating meat twice a month was considered a rather good family background.
But who was Xu Ping’an?
He was someone who could proudly claim to have a system!
Even if he wasn’t incredibly wealthy, at least eating meat every day was not an issue.
However, in this era, cattle were very precious.
Not to mention common folk, even the powerful had to eat beef secretly.
So, naturally, Xu Ping’an’s braised meat was all braised lamb.
Even this surpassed the daily lives of over ninety percent of the people in Great Qi.
“Husband, the lamb is so delicious~”
“Mm, if it’s delicious, eat more. There’s plenty.”
The young woman’s mouth was greasy from eating, and even though he hadn’t eaten many pieces himself, his heart felt as sweet as if he’d eaten honey.
Was this… the feeling of being in love? He looked at the girl, who was stuffing her mouth with food like a hamster, and nodded.
He was indeed smitten.
After breakfast, Xu Ping’an went to the pharmacy on the west side, picked up his medical kit, and set off on his rounds for the day.
His rounds were typically only three or four times a month, mostly scheduled according to specific dates.
The first, tenth, and twentieth days of each month were his designated clinic days.
There were three villages nearby: Erdaotou Village, the closest to his small fenced-in cottage; Xiaohegou Village, adjacent to Erdaotou Village; and Fangjia Village, located southeast of his cottage.
Each month, he would make a round through these three villages.
Anyone feeling unwell would naturally wait for him on his appointed day.
If they had money, they’d pay a little; if not, that was fine.
In essence, it was just a way to keep busy and build good relationships with his neighbors.
Today was the tenth day of the third month, which meant it was Erdaotou Village’s turn for his rounds.
He set off with the “silly girl” he simply couldn’t shake off.
Erdaotou Village wasn’t a large village.
It had a couple of three-way intersections that led southeast and south.
These paths branched off from this village, hence its name, “Erdaotou” (meaning “two roads leading off”).
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the village entrance after navigating a winding path.
Along the way, they encountered many villagers driving carts delivering goods or heading to the fields to plow.
Everyone courteously nodded and greeted him as ‘Mr. Xu’.
Upon reaching the village entrance, even before he could step inside, an honest-looking old man with a joyful expression eagerly approached him.
“Oh, my dear Mr. Xu, you’re finally here!”
Xu Ping’an recognized him at once.
It was Old Man Zhang from the Zhang family, living at the east end of the village—the old man who still owed him money for a jar of donkey medicine.
“Old Man Zhang, why are you here at the village entrance to meet me today? Are you feeling unwell?” Xu Ping’an didn’t immediately press for money; instead, he stepped forward to greet him.
Old Man Zhang quickly shook his head.
“How could I be? Didn’t you say I’d live for at least another ten years? My body’s in top shape, I eat everything with gusto, I’m doing great! I was just waiting for you!”
“Waiting for me? For what?” Xu Ping’an was momentarily confused.
Before he could react, Old Man Zhang grabbed his forearm.
“Come, come, come, come to my house first. I have a surprise for you.”
“What surprise, Old Man Zhang? No rush, no rush, slow down, don’t fall.”
Unable to resist the old man, Xu Ping’an let himself be pulled along until they reached the first house at the east end of the village.
As soon as they entered the gate, he heard several donkey braying in the courtyard.
Old Man Zhang led Xu Ping’an straight to the donkey pen, then pointed a finger at a small donkey.
“There! That’s it! This is for you!”
“For me?” Xu Ping’an was stunned.
“Haha, didn’t you let my old donkey have one last hurrah as a man a while back? I was just thinking, you’re its great benefactor; you let it enjoy itself before it died. So, since it received your kindness, I’ll let its offspring repay it. This is its cub!”
“It? No, Old Man Zhang, I… what would I do with a donkey?”
“Well, your monthly free clinics don’t have a mount, do they? If you raise a donkey, even if it can’t pull goods, it can at least save you some walking, right?” Old Man Zhang chuckled with a hint of apology on his face.
“Hehe… actually, it’s also because of that jar of donkey medicine. My eldest son’s grandson recently started at the academy, and all that money… I used it for his tuition. I don’t have any extra money to give you.”
Hearing this, Xu Ping’an shook his head with a resigned, bitter smile, raising a hand to point at the apologetic Old Man Zhang.
“I say, Old Man Zhang… Oh, well, alright.”
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