Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Liu Xiangyang returned to his private inspector's office from the clinic and closed the door behind him.

The room was simply furnished with a table, a chair, and a filing cabinet. He sat down at the old wooden table, on which lay the kraft paper notebook he had just received from Dr. Han. The afternoon sun slanted in through the window, illuminating the yellowed, fuzzy pages, making the neat handwriting and finely drawn herbal illustrations clear and distinct.

He turned to the pages containing the incomplete formula for "Kanli Jiji San" and traced the names of the medicinal herbs line by line:

Schisandra chinensis... Astragalus membranaceus... Acanthopanax senticosus... Lycium barbarum...

With each name read, his finger tapped lightly on the paper. The image of Dr. Han speaking that afternoon was still vivid in my mind—the old man leaning against the headboard, short of breath, but his eyes still bright, his hand trembling slightly as he pushed the notebook towards me.

The phrase, "This is all I can give you," was spoken calmly, yet carried a heavy weight.

Liu Xiangyang leaned back, and the chair made a slight creaking sound.

He sat up straight again and started turning the pages one by one, beginning with the first page. He wasn't just looking at the prescriptions; he was also meticulously memorizing every single word about the illustrations, descriptions of the habits, and key points for collecting medicinal herbs from the mountains of Northeast China.

How do Schisandra chinensis vines twine around trees? What is the shape of Astragalus membranaceus leaves? Where do the thorns of Acanthopanax senticosus grow? How do you distinguish the rhizomes of ginseng from different years? The drawings are detailed, with small annotations next to them, some in Dr. Han's handwriting, which is a bit messy, noting the date, location, and occasionally a sentence or two of his thoughts.

"In the autumn of the year Wuyin, on the north slope of Heixiazi Gully, I saw a five-petaled leaf with a snake skin as thick as a bowl underneath it. I dared not move it lightly."

"Astragalus takes three years to mature and five years to be fully grown, but those grown in barren soil have a purer quality."

Liu Xiangyang read slowly and carefully, and an afternoon quietly passed by in the sound of turning pages and occasional moments of deep thought.

The light and shadow outside the window gradually lengthened, turning a dim yellow.

The office door was gently pushed open a crack, revealing half of He Xiaoqin's face. She blinked, saw Liu Xiangyang sitting at the desk, then pushed the door open wider and leaned in.

"Brother, what are you looking at so intently?" Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying the relaxation of someone who had just finished work.

Liu Xiangyang closed his notebook and looked up: "I was reading a book Master Han gave me. Are you done working?"

"Okay." He Xiaoqin nodded, walked in, and closed the door behind her. "Qiqi and the others have already prepared the food and asked me to come and call you back for dinner."

"Okay." Liu Xiangyang stood up, put the notebook in the drawer and locked it. "Go back and eat."

The two walked out of the office one after the other and returned to their own courtyard.

Upon entering the house, a table had already been set out. Leqi was carrying out a bowl of soup, while Leyao was setting out chopsticks. The dishes on the table were simple but substantial: a bowl of stewed potatoes and green beans with glistening slices of meat, a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of cucumber salad, and a basket of freshly cooked, steaming hot mixed flour flatbreads.

"You're back? Go wash your hands and eat." Leqi greeted them.

Liu Xiangyang washed his hands and sat down. Xue Bingbing and Luo Lan also came over from the neighboring yard. Zuo Qingqing and Jiang Xiaowen came in last, carrying a few freshly picked scallions.

The family sat down around the table and served themselves rice and vegetables.

"Xiangyang, were you still reading the book Dr. Han gave you this afternoon?" Xue Bingbing put a piece of egg in his bowl and asked casually.

"Hmm." Liu Xiangyang took a bite of the cornbread. "I memorized some things."

"Is it difficult?" Le Yao asked, her eyes sparkling.

"It's not difficult once you memorize it," Liu Xiangyang said. "It mainly involves the appearance of plants and trees in the mountains, where they grow, and how to harvest them."

"Gathering herbs?" Zuo Qingqing asked, shoveling rice into her mouth. "Brother, are you going into the mountains again?"

There was a moment of silence at the table after he asked the question. Several pairs of eyes turned to Liu Xiangyang.

Liu Xiangyang swallowed the food in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, and glanced at the people around the table.

"You all know a little about Master Han's health. He's on his last legs, kept alive by medicine. I saw what he gave me today, and it mentioned old ginseng... which might be of some use."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I plan to go into the mountains tomorrow and venture deeper into the mountains. First, I want to see if I can get lucky and find some decent ginseng to give to Master Han to try. Second, I also want to pick up some things along the way and see if I can find any of the other herbs mentioned in the prescription."

He said "let's give it a try," without making any promises, but everyone at the table understood what he meant—Dr. Han was probably really not going to make it, so this was a chance to try one's luck and do everything in one's power.

Xue Bingbing was the first to nod: "Of course, Dr. Han has been kind to both you and us, so it's only right that we go."

"Brother, be careful then," Leqi said, her tone concerned but without hesitation.

"How many days?" Roland asked practically.

"It's hard to say, it could be two or three days at the shortest, four or five days at the longest, it depends on luck." Liu Xiangyang picked up his chopsticks again. "Take good care of things at home."

"Don't worry," Xue Bingbing agreed, then said to the others, "Let's all be on our guard these next few days, do what we're supposed to do, and not let anyone talk."

After the meal, the girls cleaned up the dishes. Liu Xiangyang didn't go back to his office; instead, he sat in the main room, mentally reviewing the things he needed to bring for the trip into the mountains.

Xue Bingbing didn't participate in tidying up. She went into the inner room, opened the kang cabinet, and began rummaging through things. She took out thick old cotton-padded coats, leggings, and durable trousers one by one and placed them on the kang to compare.

Leqi and Leyao came in after washing the dishes and saw her tidying up, so they came over to help.

"Brother, has the shotgun been checked?" Leqi asked.

"I finished watching it this afternoon," Liu Xiangyang said.

"Where's the spear? Where's the rope?" Le Yao squatted down by the kang (a heated brick bed) to help fold clothes.

"All are here."

He Xiaoqin and Jiang Xiaowen came over after cleaning up the kitchen. Zuo Qingqing ran to get a sewing kit, and Luo Lan brought a small bag of dried mushrooms and wood ear fungus from her room.

"Take this with you, it'll make a delicious soup." Roland placed the items on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).

Xue Bingbing packed the selected clothes into a bundle, then went to the kitchen, wrapped a sufficient amount of salt and a small packet of sugar in oil paper, and placed them together with the dry rations.

"The pancakes will be freshly made tomorrow morning, so they'll be warm when you bring them," she said. "And some fried noodles too, just in case."

Liu Xiangyang watched them busy themselves without saying a word.

After everyone was ready and had washed up, they all returned to their respective courtyards, except for the sisters Leqi and Leyao who stayed behind.

After everyone finished preparing and washed up, they returned to the neighboring courtyard, leaving only Liu Xiangyang and the Leqi and Leyao sisters in the main room.

The glow of the electric light shimmered on the table.

Le Yao stretched, her curves clearly visible beneath her thin pajamas. She turned to look at Liu Xiangyang, her eyes crinkling, "Brother, you must be tired after a long day. Go take a shower and relax."

Leqi had already gotten up, walked to the wall, picked up a tin thermos, and tested its capacity: "There's enough water. I'll go add some hot water." As she spoke, she picked up the thermos and tiptoed to the kitchen.