The next morning, after finishing breakfast, He Meijun packed up properly and took Qiao Shu onto the donkey cart heading to the county town.
Because the weather was hot, He Meijun feared that the blazing sun would tan her precious daughter’s milky white skin black, so before going out, she had fully armed Qiao Shu.
There was a wide-brimmed straw hat, long clothes and long sleeves, and even while riding the donkey cart, she covered the lower half of her face with a sweat towel.
Fortunately, thanks to the spiritual spring water, although Qiao Shu’s skin was fair and delicate, it was like ice and jade, unafraid of heat.
It was just like the finest mutton-fat jade, ‘warm in winter and cool in summer’—her skin was warm in winter and cool in summer. This was one of the few advantages of the body that had been transformed by the spiritual spring in her previous life.
Of course, for Qiao Shu, who had always stayed at home and never went out, this advantage really meant nothing~!
“Ouch! Qiao San’s wife, you’ve covered your girl so tightly, are you trying to heat her to death!”
“Yeah, your girl’s skin is so white, a little sun won’t tan her black! From our village to the county town, the donkey cart takes over an hour—don’t suffocate the child!”
“You can’t let Shushu get heatstroke just to avoid tanning!”
……
He Meijun, who had originally worried that her daughter might be too hot like this, hesitated a bit after hearing the words from the others on the donkey cart.
“Shushu, it’s hot, right? It’s all Mom’s fault. How about we take it off?”
Seeing her mother distressed for her sake, Qiao Shu felt warmth in her heart. She gently shook her head and said softly.
“Mom, I’m not hot. Ever since I got sick, I seem not to fear heat anymore~! If you don’t believe me, feel my hand.”
With that, Qiao Shu extended her palm in front of He Meijun.
When everyone saw Qiao Shu’s fair and tender fingers, with nails even glowing faintly pink, the villagers on the donkey cart were all stunned.
They had always known that Qiao San’s family’s ‘Lazy Girl’ was beautiful, especially after Qiao Shu delivered water to the Qiao family last time, everyone had seen that this ‘Lazy Girl’ was as beautiful as a fairy from heaven.
But they hadn’t expected that even this ‘Lazy Girl’s’ fingers could be so beautiful.
“My goodness! Qiao San’s wife, your daughter has grown too well! Even her hands are so pretty!”
“No wonder you don’t let Shushu do work. With hands like these, I wouldn’t bear to let her work either! If they got hurt, it’d break your heart!”
“These hands are meant to marry into the city and enjoy fortune. This girl is born to enjoy blessings……”
……
Qiao Shu was stared at so intently by the villagers on the donkey cart that she almost shyly withdrew her hand.
To be honest, hearing so many people praise her so sincerely and straightforwardly, she really felt a bit embarrassed.
However, she couldn’t withdraw her hand into her sleeve; instead, He Meijun grabbed it tightly.
Compared to Qiao Shu feeling a bit embarrassed by others’ praise, He Meijun as the mother felt not the slightest embarrassment—her heart was immensely pleased!
However, this pleasure quickly faded after she held Qiao Shu’s palm and felt the faint coolness transmitted from those soft, boneless little hands. The smile on her face vanished instantly.
“Shushu, is your body uncomfortable somewhere? Why are your hands so cool?”
He Meijun frowned tightly, her tone full of concern.
“Mom, my body is fine, nothing uncomfortable. Maybe my body just doesn’t fear heat now.”
Qiao Shu gently shook her head and said very obediently.
She knew her body was definitely healthy. This ‘warm in winter and cool in summer’ constitution was simply the result of her previous life’s transformation by the spiritual spring water.
In this life, ever since she learned that the mutated spiritual spring water was not only harmless but also strengthened the body, she had been drinking it. Although it couldn’t change her delicate and sensitive skin, her internal body was indeed very healthy.
She was now just a ‘Sister Lin’ shell on the outside, but to describe her current state, Qiao Shu felt a popular internet meme from the future fit perfectly.
That was—Sister Lin pulling up a willow tree by the roots.
Though a bit exaggerated—she didn’t have that kind of divine strength—her body was indeed sturdy like a little calf, not like Sister Lin at all~.
“How could that be! Your little hands are so cool; there must be something wrong with your body.”
Hearing Qiao Shu’s explanation, He Meijun’s furrowed brows did not relax. She gripped Qiao Shu’s little hand tightly, her eyes full of worry as she spoke.
“We’re going to the county today anyway. We’ll go to the hospital later and have you checked thoroughly.”
Although Qiao Shu knew her mother’s worry was completely unnecessary and her body was definitely healthy, she also knew that no matter how she explained now, her mother wouldn’t listen.
So she could only nod obediently and submissively.
Soon, amid the villagers’ chatter, the donkey cart arrived at the county town.
And Qiao Shu’s buttocks finally left that hard wooden board.
After jumping off the donkey cart, Qiao Shu rubbed her sore buttocks and muttered inwardly, ‘Next time I ride a donkey cart, I must bring a cushion!’
“Shushu, let’s go to the hospital first and check your body.”
He Meijun was still more concerned about her daughter’s health, so she, who had originally planned to head straight to the department store to buy clothes for her daughter, decided to go to the hospital first.
“Huh?”
Qiao Shu hadn’t expected He Meijun to act so quickly, but thinking that going to the hospital first would reassure her mother, she felt it was fine.
“Mm, I’ll listen to Mom!”
So after the mother and daughter got off the donkey cart, they changed their route and went to the county hospital.
This left Qiao Hui, who had arrived early in the county town and was ‘waiting like a cat at a mouse hole’ at the donkey cart stop for Qiao Shu, dumbfounded.
Especially after seeing Qiao Shu and He Meijun really enter the county hospital, her entire face was full of question marks.
“No way, why is Qiao Shu going to the hospital???”
Could it be that her memory was wrong somewhere? Qiao Shu met that man at the county hospital???
Although Qiao Hui thought it unlikely, she still furtively followed them in.
After entering the hospital, He Meijun asked a nurse for directions, then pulled Qiao Shu’s hand to see the most famous old traditional Chinese doctor in their county hospital.
“Daughter, we’re really lucky today. Elder Huo is actually at the hospital. He’ll check you out, and no matter what illness you have, he’ll cure it!”
Seeing He Meijun so excited, Qiao Shu was a bit puzzled. Could an old doctor from a small county town be that skilled?
But soon, she recalled from her memories just how impressive this Elder Huo was.
Normally, their small county town indeed didn’t have such a godlike doctor.
However, years earlier, due to that erroneous national movement, Elder Huo, who had overseas connections, had been sent down to their rural area for reform.
But the villagers here were mostly simple and kind, especially the village leaders who were conscientious people, so Elder Huo, sent to their area, didn’t suffer too much.
Thus, when that decade-long movement ended, due to his disappointment with relatives and students, he brought his only grandson and stayed here.
To avoid those who had hurt his heart, and to properly repay the kind locals who had helped him.
While Qiao Shu was thinking of the respected and highly skilled Elder Huo, He Meijun had already pulled her hand into Elder Huo’s office.
“Elder Huo, please check my daughter. She seems to be sick. On such a hot day, I dressed her so heavily. Normally, she should be hot, but my girl’s hands are cool……”
In her haste, as soon as the previous patient left Elder Huo’s office, He Meijun pulled Qiao Shu in without delay. Without waiting for the doctor to ask, she rattled off all the issues.
Elder Huo didn’t mind. He nodded. “Sit down, take off the hat and the sweat towel on your face.”
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasized observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, so Elder Huo first had Qiao Shu remove the coverings on her face.
Following Elder Huo’s words, Qiao Shu obediently took off the hat and sweat towel, and even efficiently rolled up her sleeves to make it easier for the doctor to take her pulse later.
After Qiao Shu removed the sweat towel and straw hat from her face, Elder Huo, who had shown no expression before, was momentarily stunned, a flash of amazement in his eyes.
Elder Huo was originally from the capital and had been the director of the capital hospital. He had seen plenty of good-looking people.
Yet he hadn’t expected to see such a beautiful ‘pearl’ in this remote small county town.
Even with his broad experience and having seen many beauties, he had to admit that the girl before him was a rare beauty.
Especially since this girl was still young and her looks hadn’t fully matured. Once she did, who knew what stunning beauty she would become.
However, though Elder Huo inwardly marveled at Qiao Shu’s beauty, he didn’t show it on his face. After a second of amazement, he calmly began examining the young girl.
But just as his hand touched Qiao Shu’s slender wrist to take her pulse.
There came a knock at the door.
“Knock knock knock—!”
Accompanied by the knocking, a low, magnetic voice sounded.
“Uncle, my mom wants to come to the mainland to pick you up personally. I think you should call her now to avoid…”
The man’s words hadn’t finished when, upon seeing the girl who turned to look at him, his voice abruptly stopped, and his gaze could no longer shift away from her…