Chapter 30 – 27: Simple Folk Customs and Bedtime Stories

Chapter 30: Chapter 27: Simple Folk Customs and Bedtime Stories
When Lu Qing brought Little Yan back to the village and saw the residents gathered under the large tree chatting,

he was greeted with smiling faces.

“Ah Qing and Little Yan are back?” one of the villagers said cheerfully.

“Yes, we just came back from Grandpa Chen’s place,” Lu Qing nodded, slightly puzzled, “What are you all doing here, did something happen?”

“Not at all,” the villagers shook their heads repeatedly.

“Ah Qing, you are learning from Elder Doctor Chen, you must study hard and diligently!” an elderly person then said.

“Yes, if you have any difficulties, just talk to us, we’re all from the same village, no need to be so formal.”

“It’s rare that Elder Doctor Chen is willing to teach you medical skills, you must grasp the opportunity well!”

Other villagers also chimed in.

Looking at the concerned expressions on the villagers’ faces, Lu Qing felt somewhat dazed.

He remembered what the elder doctor had told him before he had descended the mountain.

“Lu Qing, do you know why I chose to settle in your village among the nearby villages?”

“Lu Qing does not know.”

“It’s because I really like the local customs of your village.”

“I’ve wandered around for decades, traveling north and south, having seen and lived in countless villages, if not a thousand, then eight hundred.”

“Among these villages, some are wealthy, some are poor, some are righteous, some are xenophobic, all kinds.”

“But the local customs of your village are rarely so simple.”

“Uniting and helping each other, neighbors living harmoniously, supporting one another.”

“Although villagers here occasionally quarrel, they don’t hold grudges, and when someone is in need, help is still provided.”

“Such a harmonious village is rare, even in the extensive travels of my life.”

“When I first came to your village, it was this simplicity that attracted me, and ultimately, I decided to settle here.”

After listening to the elder doctor’s words, Lu Qing had thought deeply at that moment.

Indeed, even he could feel that the villagers were very simple.

Otherwise, in a village with a slightly worse atmosphere, he and Little Yan would probably have been treated coldly and even bullied.

Where else would they still be able to live peacefully in their own home?

“Grandpa Chen, you just mentioned that the villages outside seem different from ours?” Lu Qing had asked then.

“Very different, other villages, even if harmonious, do not support each other or have the spirit of righteousness like your village.”

“Why is our village different from others?”

“Well, I’m not very clear on that, perhaps you can ask some of the older villagers later.”

Reflecting on the conversation with the elder doctor, and looking at the villagers with eager concern,

Lu Qing suddenly smiled and nodded seriously, “Don’t worry everyone, I will definitely study medical skills diligently with Grandpa Chen.”

After saying goodbye to the villagers, Lu Qing held Little Yan’s hand and walked home, feeling very cheerful.

He felt somewhat fortunate.

Luckily, he had been reborn in today’s village.

If he had been reborn in those villages with poor customs that the elder doctor spoke of, he would have faced a bunch of troubles.

Now, although life was a bit tough, there weren’t so many frustrations.

Moreover, as he became more familiar with this world, he believed that, even if life was tough, it would continue to get better for him.

After returning home, Lu Qing let Little Yan go play, and he took out the “Hundred Herbs Scripture” and continued to read.

Knowing the value of the Red Moon Carp, he was no longer in such a hurry to find ways to make money.

Once Elder Doctor Chen helped sell the Red Moon Carp, he would have a sum of silver incoming, enough for him and Little Yan to live on for a while.

Now, what he valued most was the test from the elder doctor.

As long as he passed the test, he would officially follow the elder doctor to learn medicine, and he must seize this opportunity.

Therefore, even with the help of his superpower, he had already memorized the entire “Hundred Herbs Scripture.”

Lu Qing still did not relax, continuing to study the content diligently.

Time slowly elapsed while Lu Qing read.

In the meantime, some villagers came over, wanting to ask about fishing.

After all, the two big fish he had caught yesterday were quite shocking to everyone.

Some people wanted to come over and learn from his experience.

However, seeing Lu Qing reading in the courtyard, they didn’t dare to disturb him and quietly left.

For dinner, Lu Qing still made fish, adding a bunch of wild vegetables picked from the yard.

After dinner, as the sky darkened, Lu Qing read for a while longer until it was completely dark.

The household couldn’t afford to light an oil lamp now, so as soon as it darkened, he put away the book.

Yet, after an afternoon of revision, his familiarity with the “Hundred Herbs Scripture” had further improved.

Except for some words he still didn’t fully understand, there were almost no doubts left.

After all, the “Hundred Herbs Scripture” was only a book introducing herbal medicine, belonging to a kind of popular science medical book and did not delve into medical theory, so it was not difficult to understand.

Not to mention, Lu Qing had the help of his superpower.

He believed that even if Elder Chen wanted to test him right now, he would be able to pass completely.

After putting the book away, Lu Qing prepared to coax Little Yan to sleep.

This Otherworld was not like the brightly lit world of his former life, where night life began in the early morning.

Here, staying up until ten o’clock at night was already considered staying up late.

Usually, everyone went to bed around eight or nine o’clock after dark.

“Brother, Little Yan is not sleepy yet.”

The little one was lying in bed, covered with a small quilt.

Moonlight shone through the window onto the bed, illuminating the child’s round eyes perfectly.

“Little Yan, be good and sleep early. Tomorrow we need to go to Grandpa Chen’s place,” Lu Qing coaxed.

“But Little Yan can’t sleep,” the little one acted stubbornly.

“What should we do then?” Lu Qing was somewhat at a loss.

“Brother, tell me a story, I want to hear about that little monkey from last time!” the little one revealed her true intention.

“Alright,” Lu Qing sighed, “Where did we leave off last time?”

He was somewhat regretful.

The last two nights, after Little Yan woke up crying in the middle of the night, no matter how he tried to soothe her, she wouldn’t stop.

In the end, he could only tell her a story, and unexpectedly the little one instantly got hooked.

“Last time, we left off where the little monkey wanted to become the king!” Little Yan remembered quite clearly.

“Okay, so that day, as the monkeys were frolicking in the mountain stream, they stumbled upon a Shuilian Cave…”

Indeed, the story Lu Qing was telling was that of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

However, he hadn’t read the original work in his previous life, and his memory of the specific details of the story was quite vague.

He could only rely on his impressions to improvise and organize the language.

Luckily, the story of the Monkey King was endlessly fascinating for children.

Even though he skimmed over a lot of details, Little Yan still listened with great interest.

But ultimately, she was just a child, who fell asleep quickly, influenced by the calming and soul-stabilizing effects of the Green Armor Fish Stone.

Little Yan couldn’t stay awake to hear the little monkey officially become king, as her eyelids battled, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Qing gently covered her with the quilt, preparing to return to his own bed.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from outside.