Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

The auditorium was packed with people, including seventy or eighty students from three classes. The leaders gave speeches, recounting Chairman Mao's instructions, the glorious mission of barefoot doctors, and urging everyone to study hard and serve the people when they returned home.

Liu Xiangyang sat in the back row, listening half-heartedly.

More than forty minutes later, the leaders finally finished speaking and the meeting adjourned.

The students walked out of the auditorium in twos and threes. Liu Xiangyang and Wang Dazhu were about to return to the classroom when Teacher Zhang called them back.

"Liu Xiangyang, your Class 3 classroom is on the second floor at the east end."

Liu Xiangyang nodded: "Thank you, Teacher Zhang."

Teacher Zhang added, "Your class's first lesson was taught by Teacher Sun Famiao."

"That's a senior figure in the traditional Chinese medicine community in our Harbin. He used to practice medicine at Beijing Tongrentang in his early years and later served as the director of the People's Hospital for decades."

She paused, then lowered her voice:

"His medical skills are superb; he has treated many high-ranking officials. You should study hard; you can learn real skills from him."

Teacher Zhang smiled and didn't elaborate further.

"Go on, don't be late."

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang. We'll head to the classroom now."

Liu Xiangyang and Wang Dazhu went upstairs together. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Wang Dazhu suddenly clutched his stomach: "Ouch, I can't take it anymore! The porridge I had this morning might be a little off. I need to go to the restroom. Go save me a seat!"

Liu Xiangyang glanced at him: "Go quickly and come back quickly."

"Save me a spot!" Wang Dazhu shouted as he ran.

Liu Xiangyang waved his hand and pushed open the door to enter the classroom.

There were already more than a dozen people inside; some were looking down at their documents, while others huddled together talking quietly. He glanced around and walked towards a seat by the window.

I had barely sat down when someone suddenly leaned over and asked, "Is this place empty?"

Liu Xiangyang turned his head and saw Zhao Xiaoman. She was wearing a light blue jacket today, with a small red hair clip in her hair, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled.

Liu Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "No one's here, have a seat."

Zhao Xiaoman sat down in the empty seat next to him and put her notebook on the table: "I said yesterday that we were destined to be together. Look, we're sitting together again."

Liu Xiangyang smiled and said, "That's quite a coincidence. Where are you from?"

"I'm a local from Harbin, and I'm currently working in Shuanghe Village as part of the rural resettlement program." Zhao Xiaoman tilted her head to look at him. "And you? You don't look like a farmer at all."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Look at your clothes, look at your shoes, look at your face. How is it similar?" Zhao Xiaoman looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his face for a second longer.

Liu Xiangyang glanced down at himself and chuckled, "What does that look like?"

"Like..." Zhao Xiaoman thought for a moment, "Like a cadre."

"I'm not some kind of cadre." Liu Xiangyang opened his lecture notes. "I'm from Beijing, and I'm also an educated youth sent to the countryside. I'm currently working in Dongsheng Village."

Zhao Xiaoman's eyes lit up immediately: "A person from Beijing? Then you must have met Chairman Mao!"

Liu Xiangyang smiled and said, "I've met you before."

"Really! Tell me about it, where did you meet?"

"Tiananmen Gate Tower, I see it every time I pass by."

"Oh dear, how can you be like this? People are asking you honestly, and you're lying to them," Zhao Xiaoman pushed him and complained.

Liu Xiangyang was jolted by her push, but he wasn't annoyed. He smiled and said, "Where did I lie to you? I really have seen it."

"Then tell me, what did Chairman Mao look like?"

Liu Xiangyang recalled the images he saw in his later life and said, "He was quite tall, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, standing on the city wall waving to everyone."

Zhao Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, then looked at him suspiciously: "You...you really saw it?"

Why would I lie to you?

Zhao Xiaoman stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Your family is from Beijing, so why did you come to the Northeast to work in the countryside?"

Liu Xiangyang glanced at her: "Just responding to the call."

"Come on," Zhao Xiaoman pouted, "There are plenty of people who respond to the call, but not many like you."

"What's wrong with me?"

Zhao Xiaoman didn't say anything, but just looked at his face again and smiled.

Liu Xiangyang was a little confused by her gaze: "What are you looking at?"

"Because you're pretty," Zhao Xiaoman said frankly. "Can't I even look at you?"

Liu Xiangyang was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"You're quite direct, aren't you?"

"Of course," Zhao Xiaoman pushed the notebook toward him, "Working in circles is exhausting."

Liu Xiangyang glanced down at her notebook, where a few words were scrawled in crooked handwriting.

"Can you even read this yourself?"

Zhao Xiaoman blushed and reached out to snatch the notebook back: "Hey, don't look!"

Liu Xiangyang reacted quickly, stepping back, and she missed her target.

"My handwriting is never good," Zhao Xiaoman glared at him. "You're so capable, since you write so well, can I borrow yours to copy later?"

Looking at her puffed-up face, Liu Xiangyang suddenly found it rather amusing.

"Okay."

Zhao Xiaoman blinked, her expression changing quickly before she immediately smiled and said, "Then it's settled."

"It's a deal."

The door was pushed open, and Wang Dazhu peeked in, looking around. He saw a woman sitting next to Liu Xiangyang and froze.

Liu Xiangyang waved to him: "What are you standing there for? Come over here."

Wang Dazhu squeezed through the crowd and found that the seat next to Liu Xiangyang was taken, so he could only sit in the row behind Liu Xiangyang. He plopped down, leaned close to Liu Xiangyang's ear, and whispered through gritted teeth:

"Didn't you say you'd save a seat for me? Why did you let her sit there?"

Liu Xiangyang didn't even turn his head: "You're the one who's late."

"I'm late? I just went to the outhouse!" Wang Dazhu said indignantly. "You're a traitor who's blinded by lust!"

Before Wang Dazhu could say anything more, Zhao Xiaoman turned around, smiled at him, and said, "Comrade, I'm sorry, I took your spot."

Wang Dazhu was speechless at her laughter and waved his hand, "It's okay, it's okay, it's the same wherever I sit."

Zhao Xiaoman turned back to look at Liu Xiangyang's profile, a slight smile playing on her lips.

A few more people came in through the door, and the one at the very back was Lin Xue.

She was wearing a white shirt with a floral print, her hair was neatly tied up, and she held lecture notes in her hand, her eyes scanning the classroom.

Upon seeing Liu Xiangyang, she paused for a moment, then walked to an empty seat diagonally opposite and sat down.

A murmur of discussion arose in the classroom.

Just then, an old man walked in carrying a large enamel mug in one hand and an old-fashioned leather bag in the other, and swayed as he stood on the podium.

The classroom fell silent immediately.

The old man placed his briefcase on the table, put the enamel mug next to it, then looked up and slowly glanced around.

His gaze lingered on Liu Xiangyang, and he glanced at him again.

Then he spoke, his voice low and slightly hoarse:

Why are you all staring at me? Do I have words on my face?

No one dared to laugh.

The old man didn't mind, picked up the enamel mug, took a sip, smacked his lips, and then put it down.

"My surname is Sun, Sun Famiiao. For the next three months, I will teach you the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture."

He paused.

"You all know why you're here. If you learn well, go back and treat your fellow villagers; if you don't, you'll still go back knowing nothing. I don't care what you did before, or what you want to do in the future. To me, there's only one rule—"

He pointed his index finger at the podium.

"Learn the skills. If you don't, don't blame me for being impolite."

There was complete silence below.

Wang Dazhu muttered to himself, "This old man's pretty arrogant..."

Liu Xiangyang remained silent.

Sun Famiao picked up the enamel mug again and took a sip. This time he drank slowly and smacked his lips after finishing.

"Alright, let's start class."