Cleaned up the pharmacy in the west wing, using a screen to shield the medicine cabinet.
By the window, there’s an arhat bed.
In the past, this pharmacy was where he prepared medicine, saw patients, and practiced calligraphy.
Generally, outsiders weren’t allowed to stay here.
But there was no other way; this small, dilapidated house only had three rooms.
When the master and servant arrived tomorrow, they couldn’t just let them sleep outside, right?
“Hmm… it seems I’ll have to find someone to build a small house. Also, Mumu’s donkey pen needs to be built.”
He usually enjoyed doing these kinds of manual tasks himself if time wasn’t pressing, but that wasn’t an option now.
After some thought, Xu Ping’an turned to look at his silly wife, who was helping by causing trouble.
“Qingxuan, I need to go to the village. Do you want to come?”
Upon hearing this, Pei Qingxuan dropped the medicine box she was carrying, raised both hands, and looked incredibly happy.
“Go!”
Xu Ping’an had expected this.
Before she could let go, he grabbed the medicine box and placed it aside.
“Alright, let’s go. We’re not going to Erdaotou Village today; we’re going to Fangjia Village.”
“Fangjia Village?”
“Yes, because everyone in that village is named Fang, so it’s called Fangjia Village.”
“Oh~”
Pei Qingxuan nodded with a puzzled expression.
After thinking for a moment, she asked another question.
“Then why are they all named Fang?”
“Because they’re all relatives. It’s a clan village, so you mustn’t speak carelessly once we enter the village~”
“Okay, I’ll be good and listen to my husband~”
He casually picked up the medicine box, put the several bottles of medicine previously ordered by Fangjia Village inside, added some emergency backup medicine, and then got up to leave.
There was no need to bring the little donkey, Mumu.
It was still too small; it was better to just let it rest in the courtyard.
And so, Xu Ping’an, with Pei Qingxuan, walked under the April sun, holding an oiled paper umbrella.
Although it was early spring in March, the midday sun could sometimes be quite intense.
Winter here wasn’t as long as in the north.
By March, while mornings and evenings were still cool, the midday sun was very dazzling.
If they didn’t carry an umbrella, they might return looking like two little black children from the sun.
The road to Fangjia Village was very flat, much better than the roads to the other two villages.
As for the reason behind that, there was a lot to it.
The current system of Great Qi was similar to the ancient Chinese system on Earth.
Therefore, in local areas, sometimes national law was less influential than clan law.
This was also why the constable chief, rather than the county magistrate, was truly able to run rampant in the local area.
Erdaotou Village and Xiaohegou Village were a bit better; both villages were formed by people who had fled famine in the past.
Although they had their own clans, they weren’t that powerful.
But Fangjia Village was different.
Fangjia Village was a genuine, local, large clan village.
It had a huge influence, both in these ten-li-radius villages and within Liuye County.
It was second only to the four great families of Liuye County.
And the more such a clan village was, the more they cared about appearances, and this road was built because of that.
He went to Fangjia Village for free consultations once a month.
The patriarch of Fangjia Village built this road for outsiders to see, and also to thank him.
The road wasn’t wide, only about enough for two or three people to walk side-by-side, but it was very flat, and the loess was laid very thick.
Someone maintained it once a month; otherwise, it would have been overgrown with weeds long ago.
In this era, apart from officials and some provincial-level cities, most roads in other cities were paved with loess.
How prosperous must a place be to truly use stone slabs for paving?
Perhaps only a small area within the county town could achieve that?
All along the way, both sides were lined with lush trees, green covering the mountains.
Looking up, occasionally a few birds would fly in the sky, and a snake would crawl out of the woods, meandering leisurely.
Every time she saw these living things, the silly girl would observe them up close with great interest.
Xu Ping’an just watched, knowing that no matter what snake venom it was, it would be ineffective against him, so he naturally let her play.
“Watch carefully, don’t get bitten. It’s not much trouble, but it will hurt.”
“Oh~”
Pei Qingxuan squatted on the ground, casually picking up a dead branch from the roadside and teasing the venomous snake.
If an ordinary person were to tease a venomous snake like this, the snake would have long since taken an aggressive stance.
But no matter how Pei Qingxuan played with it, the venomous snake only wanted to escape, showing no intention of resisting whatsoever.
Seeing this, Xu Ping’an also became interested.
He casually picked up a stick, and just as he was about to touch it, he saw the snake suddenly turn its head to look at him, its entire body coiling up.
Oh, hey!
This little thing bullies the soft and fears the hard!
He knew his wife was extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected that even cold-blooded animals wouldn’t dare to resist her aura.
“Husband, husband, why did it coil up into a ball? It looks like a big pancake~”
“Qingxuan, do you want to eat snake soup?”
Looking at the snake that was directly flicking its tongue at him, a mischievous smile played on Xu Ping’an’s lips.
You little rascal~ daring to challenge me!
“Is it tasty?”
“It’s very tasty~”
“Really!?”
Instantly, Pei Qingxuan’s big eyes suddenly turned to look at the venomous snake.
The snake suddenly stiffened all over, as if it had encountered some immense terror, and turned to flee.
But by then, was it still too late to run?
Pei Qingxuan merely reached out a hand.
Let alone the snake, even Xu Ping’an didn’t have time to react before the snake’s “seven inches” (a vulnerable spot) fell into her palm.
“You know how to catch snakes?”
“What do you mean, how to catch?”
Looking at the innocence written in Pei Qingxuan’s big eyes, and then at her thumb, which was perfectly pinching the “seven inches” spot, Xu Ping’an had a good idea.
It seemed this girl had caught many snakes before, though he didn’t know why she caught snakes back then.
Was it also for eating?
She clearly couldn’t recall now, but her body’s instinct still told her to catch a snake by its “seven inches.”
“Nothing, come, put the snake’s head here.”
He casually took down his medicine basket.
As a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, snake venom, snake gall, and snake meat could all be used as medicinal ingredients.
Therefore, there was always a small snake basket kept in this medicine basket, specifically for holding snakes.
He casually tossed the snake inside and, seeing his expectant little wife, Xu Ping’an smiled slightly, pulling her into his embrace almost unconsciously.
He rested his chin on her head.
“Hmm~ my wife is so cute~”
“Ugh~ Husband’s chin is a bit prickly~”
Uh~ alright, well, he was a man, so a bit of stubble was normal.
Looking at his little wife’s adorable big eyes, Xu Ping’an suddenly felt a strong urge to pet her like a cat.
“Husband~”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
“Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to hold you.”
“Oh~”
Pei Qingxuan’s pretty face flushed slightly.
“Does husband want to kiss me here?”