Chapter 1499 - 1500: Doctor Rong, have a sip of water
Chapter 1499: Chapter 1500: Doctor Rong, have a sip of water
The villagers of Big Sea Village are simple and hospitable.
Rong Yan, with sweat pouring down her forehead, stepped out of Ye Qi’s room, already so exhausted she was on the verge of collapse. A middle-aged woman who bore a striking resemblance to Ye Qi in her features followed closely behind her.
"Doctor Rong, are you tired? Thirsty? Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit? I’ll get you a glass of water."
Her thin face, weathered from years of hard labor and exposure to the elements, was etched with fine wrinkles, even though she was barely past forty. She looked as aged as a city-dwelling woman in her sixties. Let alone compared to someone like Jiang Meiqi—a wealthy lady who had lived a life of privilege and frequented beauty salons for upkeep.
But her face had a gentle softness, her gaze was clear and untainted, pure through and through. The coarse linen garments she wore were clean to perfection, the edges washing thin and curling slightly, emitting a faint fragrance of soapwort. It was simple yet comforting.
She hurriedly brought over a glass of water and handed it to Rong Yan with concern. "Doctor Rong, I saw you sweating so much; drink some water to replenish yourself. Oh, do you want to take a bath? If you’d like, I can heat up some water for you to bathe."
She rubbed her hands together a little awkwardly and explained, "I’m sorry. We don’t have a water heater here like you do in the city, where you can just turn on a tap and get hot water. We were poor in the past. Her father passed away young, and it was just me and her grandmother, two women who never received an education. All we knew was how to farm a bit of land, but we couldn’t earn much money. We couldn’t even afford to send her to school. Qi was an understanding child from a young age. The year her grandmother took a fall by the fields and her health declined, Qi offered to stop studying and go to the city to work and earn money. Though I wanted her to study more, the family’s situation didn’t allow it, so I had to agree. She was so good; after she found a job, she scrimped every month and sent her savings back home. Her grandmother and I thought we’d save it all up over a few years and put it towards her dowry. That way, her future in-laws wouldn’t look down on her. Who could’ve known something like this would happen... The money went out like water, spent to the last drop. The hot water heater Qi had mentioned buying earlier was shelved because of it..."
"Having Doctor Rong come all the way specially for my Qi, yet not being able to even let you enjoy a nice bath—I feel so embarrassed about it!" Her face filled with remorse as she lowered her head, a mixture of shame and guilt.
Rong Yan hadn’t planned on taking a bath, but she pursed her lips and changed her mind. "It’s alright; I was planning to soak in a herbal bath anyway. A water heater wouldn’t do for brewing medicinal herbs, so this works perfectly."
Mrs. Qi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately lifted her head to say, "Then I’ll go heat the water for Doctor Rong right now!"
"Thank you, Auntie."
The middle-aged woman, whose face was both worn from fatigue and from worrying over her daughter’s illness, was full of gratitude. She managed a smile, her eyes shimmering with tears—tears of joy. "What are you saying, Doctor Rong? You’re too polite. You don’t understand—since you saved Qi, I... I would willingly be your servant or sacrifice my life for you! Don’t say ’thank you,’ otherwise I won’t know where to hide my face! Us country folk don’t know how to speak those fancy words, but from today onward, you’re an honored benefactor of the Ye Family. Whatever you need, just let Auntie know. I... I’ll go heat up the water for you now."
It seemed like she wasn’t very adept at expressing her emotions. Just as she reached the doorway to the main room, she stopped and turned back to say, "By the way, Doctor Rong, it’s so late already. Why don’t you stay for dinner tonight? After we eat, I’ll ask the naughty child to take you back. I’ve already discussed it with him."