When Lu Qing brought Xiao Yan back to the village, he saw the villagers gathered and chatting under the big tree.
He was greeted by smiles.
"Aqing and Xiaoyan are back?" a villager said with a smile.
"Yes, I just got back from Grandpa Chen's." Lu Qing nodded, somewhat puzzled. "What are you all doing gathered here? Did something happen?"
"No, no," the villagers shook their heads repeatedly.
"Ah Qing, you must study hard and diligently when you learn from Doctor Chen!" said an old man.
"Yes, if you have any difficulties, just tell everyone. We're all from the same village, no need to be so polite."
"It's rare that Dr. Chen is willing to teach you medicine, so you must seize this opportunity!"
Other villagers chimed in.
Looking at the concerned expressions on the villagers' faces, Lu Qing felt somewhat dazed.
He recalled what the old doctor had said to him before he came down the mountain.
"Lu Qing, do you know any of the villages nearby? Why did I choose to stay in your village?"
"Lu Qing doesn't know."
"That's because I really like the folk customs of your village."
"I've traveled all over the country for decades and have seen and lived in at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, villages."
“These villages are diverse, including the rich, the poor, the benevolent, and the xenophobic.”
"But the folk customs of your village are exceptionally simple and honest."
"Unity and mutual assistance, harmonious neighborly relations, and mutual support."
"Although the villagers occasionally quarrel, they do not become enemies. If anyone is in trouble, they will still help each other."
"Such a harmonious village is rare, even in all my travels throughout my life."
"When I first arrived in your village, I was attracted by your simple and honest atmosphere, and I eventually decided to stay in the village."
After listening to the old doctor's words, Lu Qing seemed to be deep in thought.
Indeed, even he could sense that the villagers were very simple and honest.
Otherwise, if they were in a village with a worse social atmosphere, he and Xiaoyan would probably have been treated coldly or even bullied long ago.
Where else can we find a place where we can live peacefully in our own homes?
"Grandpa Chen, from what you just said, the villages outside seem different from our village?" Lu Qing asked at the time.
“It’s completely different. Even if other villages are harmonious, they don’t support each other like your village does, which is quite benevolent.”
"Then why is our village different from others?"
"Well, I'm not entirely sure either. Perhaps you can ask the elders in the village later."
Recalling his conversation with the old doctor, and looking at the villagers who were showing him such concern.
Lu Qing suddenly smiled and nodded seriously: "Don't worry, everyone, I will definitely learn medical skills from Grandpa Chen diligently."
After saying goodbye to the villagers, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan's hand and walked home, feeling very happy.
He felt somewhat fortunate.
Fortunately, he was reborn in the village he is living in now.
If one were to be reborn into one of the villages with bad social customs that the old doctor mentioned, they would likely face a host of troubles.
Although life is tough now, there aren't as many worries.
Moreover, as he becomes more familiar with this world, he believes that even his life will eventually get better and better.
After returning home, Lu Qing told Xiao Yan to go play by herself, and then he took out the "Compendium of Materia Medica" and continued reading.
After learning about the value of the Red Moon Carp, he became less eager to find ways to make money.
Once Doctor Chen helps sell the Red Moon Carp, he will have a sum of money in his account, enough for him and Xiao Yan to live on for a while.
What he values most now is the old doctor's test.
Once he passes the test, he can officially learn medicine from the senior doctor, and he must seize this opportunity.
Therefore, even with the help of supernatural abilities, he had already memorized the entire "Compendium of Materia Medica".
Lu Qing didn't relax and continued to study the contents diligently.
Time passed slowly as Lu Qing read.
During this time, some villagers also came over, wanting to ask them some questions about fishing.
After all, the two big fish he caught yesterday were quite impressive to everyone.
Some people wanted to come and learn from our experience.
But when she saw Lu Qing reading in the courtyard, she didn't dare to disturb him and quietly slipped away.
For dinner, Lu Qing cooked fish as usual, and also blanched some wild vegetables picked from the yard.
After dinner, it was already dark. Lu Qing read for a while longer, and then it was completely dark.
The family can no longer afford oil lamps, so he puts the books away as soon as it gets dark.
However, after an afternoon of review, his familiarity with the "Compendium of Materia Medica" has improved even further.
Apart from a few words whose meanings are still not fully understood, there are almost no more points of confusion.
Ultimately, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" is just a book introducing herbs, belonging to the category of popular science medical books. It does not involve any medical theories, so it is not difficult to understand.
Not to mention that Lu Qing also has supernatural abilities to help him.
He believed that even if Dr. Chen were to test him immediately, he would be perfectly capable of passing.
After putting the books away, Lu Qing prepared to coax Xiao Yan to sleep.
This other world is nothing like the dazzling, decadent world of his previous life, where nightlife only begins at midnight.
Here, 10 p.m. is already considered late.
Most people go to sleep around 8 or 9 pm after dark.
"Brother, Xiaoyan isn't sleepy yet."
The little one was lying in bed, covered with a small blanket.
The moonlight shone through the window onto the bed, just enough to see the little guy's round eyes.
"Xiaoyan, be good and go to sleep early. We're going to see Grandpa Chen tomorrow," Lu Qing coaxed.
"But Xiaoyan can't sleep," the little one said, whining.
"What should we do then?" Lu Qing was dumbfounded.
"Brother, tell me a story. Xiaoyan wants to hear the story of the little monkey from last time!" the little girl said, revealing her purpose.
"Alright." Lu Qing sighed, "Where did we leave off last time?"
He regretted it a little.
Two nights ago, Xiaoyan woke up in the middle of the night and kept crying, no matter how he tried to comfort her.
In the end, I could only tell her stories, and to my surprise, the little one immediately became engrossed in listening.
"Last time we talked about how the little monkey wanted to be king!" Xiaoyan remembered it very clearly.
"Well, one day, the monkeys were playing in the mountain stream when they accidentally discovered a waterfall cave..."
Indeed, Lu Qing was telling the story of the Monkey King.
However, he had not read the original work carefully in his previous life, so he didn't remember the specific plot details very clearly.
They can only rely on their mental impressions to organize their thoughts and ideas.
Fortunately, the story of the Monkey King has an endless appeal to children.
Even though he cut off the beginning and end and ignored many details, Xiaoyan still listened with great interest.
However, being a child, they fall asleep quickly, and the calming and soul-stabilizing effects of the blue-armored fish stone also help.
Xiaoyan didn't get to hear the little monkey officially declare himself king before her eyelids drooped and she fell into a deep sleep.
Lu Qing gently covered her with the blanket and was about to return to his own bed.
Suddenly, a sound came from outside.
