Following that, Wang Xiaoqiang used the "Five Elements Spirit Spring" to irrigate all fifty-plus acres of his fields, and he felt extremely fatigued, as if he had done a heavy task, and he was both thirsty and hungry.
Fatigue wasn't a big deal for him, having been born and raised in the countryside where hard work was part of everyday life and not worth mentioning. However, the hunger and thirst were unbearably intense—something Wang Xiaoqiang had never experienced before. He felt utterly empty inside.
Dragging his weary body, he walked home listlessly, just happening to pass by the local health clinic.
The clinic had two doctors, one of whom was a local: the old traditional Chinese medical practitioner, Elder Lin Qingshan. Elder Lin Qingshan was sixty-eight years old, retired from the county hospital, and started working at the clinic after returning to the village. His age was showing, his eyes were getting blurry, and he lacked the energy to run the clinic alone, so a younger doctor was brought in.
This younger doctor was Little Xu Xiaoya. Once she arrived, Elder Lin Qingshan took a step back from his duties, pushing the patients to her, only stepping in personally for serious illnesses and critical patients.
Recently, Elder Qingshan wasn't feeling well and had been resting at home, leaving the clinic entirely in the hands of Little Xu Xiaoya.
At this time, in the early evening, the clinic wasn't busy with patients, but there were two "hooligans": Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu from the village. These two, feigning illness, harassed Little Xu Xiaoya. Although she was repulsed by this, being in a strange place, she, an outsiders' young woman, had to turn a blind eye. However, Little Xu Xiaoya didn't show any goodwill toward the two and didn't even acknowledge them, seeing Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu's unruly sitting in the examination room made her leave the room to look at the scenery.
Just then, as Wang Xiaoqiang walked past the main road in front of the clinic, Little Xu Xiaoya caught sight of him. Seeing his weakened state and recalling the morning's events, she was convinced that he was truly unwell.
Little Xu Xiaoya was a principled young woman. Although Wang Xiaoqiang's little brother had "violated" her finger this morning, she believed it was accidental and forgave him.
Furthermore, as a doctor, she was very concerned for Wang Xiaoqiang and wanted to call him over to ask what was wrong. So, she waved to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Hey, Wang Xiaoqiang!"
When Wang Xiaoqiang saw Little Xu Xiaoya calling him, he immediately turned his head pretending not to hear. Remembering the embarrassing incident that morning, his face burned with shame, and his heart nervously raced.
Inside the clinic, where Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu were awkwardly sitting in front of Little Xu Xiaoya, they were surprised to hear her calling Wang Xiaoqiang. They were also quite jealous—everyone knew that Doctor Xu was lofty and aloof, typically ignoring others. What merit and capability did Wang Xiaoqiang have to make Doctor Xu take the initiative to greet him?
Driven by jealousy, the two of them immediately stepped outside to see what was going on. Seeing that it was indeed Wang Xiaoqiang, they witnessed him ignoring Little Xu Xiaoya's waving and calling, pretending to be deaf.
"My God, the sun's rising from the west..." Wang Dapeng thought in amazement, "This is the first time I've seen someone ignore Doctor Xu."
"Heavens, what's going on here? Wang Xiaoqiang is too awesome..." Liu Erlu was puzzled and confused. If it had been him, he would have hurried over immediately.
"Hey, Wang Xiaoqiang! Wang Xiaoqiang!!"
Seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang wasn't responding, Little Xu Xiaoya wasn't annoyed, but instead, she raised her voice and called out to him twice. By this time, she realized she had overlooked something—that she should have Wang Xiaoqiang consult with Elder Qingshan. Elder Lin Qingshan, with his many years of medical practice, broad knowledge, and rich experience, might identify Wang Xiaoqiang's ailment.
Little Xu Xiaoya, usually speaking softly and slowly, suddenly abandoned her ladylike image and shouted loudly, astonishing Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu to the point they could hardly believe it was her.
But no matter how loudly Little Xu Xiaoya shouted, Wang Xiaoqiang continued to ignore her, quickening his pace and moving on.
Seeing this, Little Xu Xiaoya stomped her foot in a blend of shame and anger, her delicate nose wrinkled up as she huffed helplessly and irritably.
Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu couldn't stand Wang Xiaoqiang's behavior. Not to mention the beautiful city girl Little Xu Xiaoya, even if it were a village girl shouting herself hoarse for him, Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't just ignore her!
Immediately, Wang Dapeng slapped his thigh in annoyance and said, "This Wang Xiaoqiang, what's he playing at, I really want to go up there and slap him twice..."
Meanwhile, Liu Erlu directly asked Little Xu Xiaoya for permission, "Doctor Xu, do you want me to drag Wang Xiaoqiang back for you..."
Little Xu Xiaoya gave them both an irritated look and said, "This is none of your business, buzz off."
With that said, Little Xu Xiaoya actually chased after Wang Xiaoqiang.
Although Little Xu Xiaoya was rather aloof, she was a girl who stood by her principles and took responsibility. Since Wang Xiaoqiang had been treated by her, it was her responsibility to ensure his wellbeing. Moreover, Wang Xiaoqiang's condition seemed a bit special. If his illness was real, it was likely to be serious. If his treatment was delayed and it resulted in his death, she would not be able to shirk responsibility since her diagnosis that morning was that there was nothing wrong with him.
Seeing Little Xu Xiaoya chase after Wang Xiaoqiang, Wang Dapeng and Liu Erlu nearly dropped their jaws in astonishment. The two exchanged glances, feeling incredulous. This—this was the legendary reverse-chase!
Out of Little Xu Xiaoya's sight, Wang Xiaoqiang heaved a sigh of relief. At that moment, he was unbearably thirsty. He could hold off hunger, but not thirst. Just then, he reached Aunt Big Mouth's supermarket entrance. A freezer full of ice lollies sat in front of the supermarket. Seeing the ice lollies, Wang Xiaoqiang felt an intense thirst surge up, so he couldn't help stopping to buy one. Aunt Big Mouth was sitting outside catching a breeze. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang stop, she knew he wanted to buy an ice lolly and said, "Little Qiang, buying an ice lolly, which one do you want? I'll get it for you."
Aunt Big Mouth was a widow; her husband had been a good-for-nothing who indulged in all sorts of vices. After their divorce, Aunt Big Mouth took care of her son by herself. She ran the supermarket to support her son's education and also worked as a matchmaker to earn some extra money. However, she never charged a cent for matching the young people in the village.
Wang Xiaoqiang was too thirsty to think about anything else and simply responded, "Just grab any."
"Then you'll have the mung bean ice lolly!" Aunt Big Mouth selected one for Wang Xiaoqiang. He took a bite, chewing voraciously, and fumbled a five-yuan note from his pocket to hand over.
It was at this moment when a voice called out, "Wang Xiaoqiang, are you really deaf or just pretending..."
Wang Xiaoqiang, hearing that it was Little Xu Xiaoya's voice, shivered uncontrollably, tossed the five yuan onto the freezer, and dashed off.
"Hey, Little Qiang, your change..." Aunt Big Mouth called out.
Wang Xiaoqiang didn't answer; he just kept running.
"You, Little Qiang, still running!"
Little Xu Xiaoya shouted as she ran towards Aunt Big Mouth's supermarket entrance.
Aunt Big Mouth, seeing the two youngsters, one chasing and the other running away, sensed a romantic ambiguity. As a matchmaker, she felt that the relationship between these two young people was not ordinary, probably a romance in progress. From their behavior, it seemed as though the city girl Little Xu Xiaoya was pursuing Wang Xiaoqiang, while Wang Xiaoqiang, whether out of shyness or fear, was actually running away.
Watching the two figures grow distant, Aunt Big Mouth murmured to herself, "With Little Xu Xiaoya's good prospects, logically, Wang Xiaoqiang shouldn't be ignoring her. Ah, that's right, it must be because Little Qiang is too tender-faced. Well, I should act as a matchmaker for the two, bringing a city girl home for a country boy is no simple task. If I can make this match happen, not only would it show Wang Xiaoqiang's capabilities, but it would also demonstrate my skills as Aunt Big Mouth. Hmm... that's settled then..."