Simple words felt like a bolt from the blue, jolting Xu Wendong awake as he withdrew his intense gaze, wishing he could vanish into thin air.
"Dragon Phoenix Creation Technique" misled me!
Made me seem like a lecher in front of women...
"All bark and no bite."
Zhao Ranran thought to herself, believing Xu Wendong to be someone bold and decisive, only to find him timid as a mouse, which was rather disappointing.
A moment later, Xu Wendong finished the massage, awkwardly smiling: "Sister Ranran, that should do it. Try walking a few steps!"
Zhao Ranran immediately stood up and walked a bit, her eyes widening in amazement: "Doctor Xu, I didn’t expect your medical skills to be so magical. The people in our village are truly blessed!"
Xu Wendong showed a bashful smile. Seeing that it was getting late, he suggested they head back to the village quickly. Zhao Ranran agreed happily, then rode her e-bike, bringing Xu Wendong towards the village.
The mountain road was rugged and bumpy, but Zhao Ranran was used to this route, handling the vehicle with great skill.
Meanwhile, Xu Wendong got a bit familiar with Qingshan Village.
Qingshan Village was located deep in the mountains, fifteen kilometers from the town. Due to its remote location and inconvenient roads, it was the poorest village in the township.
Many men went to work elsewhere because farming brought in too little income, leaving mostly women to till the land. Frankly speaking, the current Qingshan Village had less than one-tenth of its adult male population.
"Doctor Xu, you’re so handsome and your medical skills are so miraculous, you have to protect yourself in our village. Don’t get devoured by a young widow." Zhao Ranran joked with a smile while riding the e-bike.
Xu Wendong replied awkwardly, "I don’t believe something like that would happen!"
An hour later, Xu Wendong arrived at Qingshan Village. Most houses here were made of stone, looking quite primitive. However, it gave off an original, rustic feel; with proper development, it could be a good tourist spot.
"Village Chief, the appointed village doctor has arrived!" Zhao Ranran transported Xu Wendong to the door of Village Chief Zheng Yun’s house. Soon, a middle-aged man smoking a pipe came out; he was the village chief of Qingshan Village.
Upon seeing Xu Wendong, Zheng Yun showed a look of disdain, not believing someone so young knew much about medicine. However, given the higher authorities assigned him, he couldn’t say much.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Zheng Yun said: "Doctor Xu, our village’s conditions are limited. We cannot compare with the city, and you’ll have to endure it here. I’ve already arranged your work and living quarters at the village committee." Then, he looked at Zhao Ranran: "You’re just on the way, so take Doctor Xu over there!"
Then Zhao Ranran transported Xu Wendong to the entrance of the village committee, a large courtyard with three main rooms. Two of them were already locked, leaving one with the door open, containing a bed, a straw mat, a desk, and a chair that creaked when sat upon.
"This is way too basic!"
Xu Wendong was speechless, knowing Qingshan Village was impoverished but not expecting it to be this extreme.
He put down his suitcase and headed straight for the restroom.
Nature’s call had been pressing since he came to the village, held back due to Zhao Ranran’s presence. Now having the chance, he had to relieve himself.
Just as he reached the restroom, he was startled by the scene in front of him—a stunning woman in her mid-twenties was adjusting her clothes.
Because she wore a romper, she had to remove her top to use the restroom, allowing Xu Wendong a clear view of her captivating curves, seemingly quivering and very eye-catching.
At that moment, he already had his family heirloom device out.
The instant their eyes met, the woman let out a piercing scream, quickly pulled up her pants, and dashed out of the washroom.
Xu Wendong, unsure why there was a woman in the restroom, couldn’t bother much and immediately relieved himself, then energetically walked out of the restroom.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Under the parasol tree in the yard, the woman stared at Xu Wendong with a cold expression.
It wasn’t until then that Xu Wendong carefully observed her: tall stature, a standard oval face, willow-leaf arched eyebrows, and a delicate nose above an enticing cherry mouth.
Though her face was frosty, she exuded an air of cold elegance. Yet, the bronze hue of her skin added a bit of a chic, feisty feel—both cold and vibrant.
Xu Wendong quickly introduced himself, along with an apology: "I didn’t see anything before, really didn’t see anything."
Su Liya lowered her head. Her proud asset was in view; she couldn’t even see her feet. With such a sizable scale, yet Xu Wendong said he saw nothing?
For her, it was unbearable, utterly humiliating.
Still, she took a deep breath and said icily, "I’m Su Li, the village party secretary of Qingshan Village. We’ll be living in this courtyard from now on. One thing I need to clarify in advance, you’d better behave yourself and not do anything to make me look down on you."
Xu Wendong had heard from Zhao Ranran about a new village party secretary in Qingshan Village who was supposedly a university graduate; it seemed to be this woman now.
Though he respected college graduates serving as village officials, he was somewhat displeased with Su Li’s overbearing attitude: "Secretary Su, could you clarify what you mean by ’don’t do anything to make you look down on’?"
"Yes, I admit our first encounter wasn’t pleasant."
"But was I the only one who suffered a loss? Didn’t I also take a good look at you?"
"We’re both adults; it’s just a misunderstanding. We should clear it up and move on. There’s no need to be so aggressive, right?"
"We both came here to serve the villagers and help them lead better lives. Even if you’re the village party secretary, there’s no need to act so superior, is there?"
"If you have any more opinions or different viewpoints, then whatever you say is right." He expressed, turning around to enter his room and start cleaning up.
Su Li’s face turned pale with anger, yet she couldn’t find words to retort.
After tidying up the dim room, Xu Wendong took out the straw mat to sun it out. Although the conditions here were harsh, he could endure it.
After all, he was originally from a rural area. Completing the chores by evening, he headed to the village’s small store to buy some firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, and some ingredients.
Then he returned to the village committee, where there were ready-to-use cooking utensils.
Since it was his first meal at Qingshan Village, he made four dishes: stir-fried pork with green pepper, egg with mung bean noodles, cold pig head meat, and fried peanuts.
Once finished, he brought them under the parasol tree, placed them on the stone table, and opened two bottles of beer to enjoy the dinner alone under the sunset.
Meanwhile, Su Li returned to the village committee with a plastic bag, and saw Xu Wendong feasting on sumptuous dishes alone.
Looking at her own instant noodles, she suddenly felt a loss of appetite...