Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

When he left Hu Dashan's house, it was already late. As he walked through the village, villagers greeted him from time to time, their tone full of warmth.

Lin Shengli returned to Grandma Hu Liu's courtyard, where the old lady had already prepared the meal.

Today I specially steamed buns made with a mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal, and also fried a plate of eggs.

"Grandma, what's wrong today...?" Lin Shengli looked at the food on the table.

"You've helped so many people in the village, and Grandma is so proud of you. We don't have anything fancy at home, so I'll just make you something you like," Grandma Hu said with a smile. "Eat up."

Shuanzi and Yadan also obediently served food to Lin Shengli.

At that moment, a warm feeling welled up in Lin Shengli's heart.

He knew that he was truly integrating into Heisonggou Village and becoming a part of it.

Using one's meager abilities to help others yields the most genuine gratitude and acceptance.

In the stillness of the night, Lin Shengli sat cross-legged in meditation. He noticed that since he began helping the villagers, treating Hu Dashan's injuries, and alleviating the pain of the elderly, his mental clarity seemed to have improved.

When circulating the "Primordial Creation Scripture", the absorption and refining of spiritual energy became smoother.

Although there is still a distance to go before breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, the bottleneck is indeed loosening.

"The trials of the mortal world truly are a test of character," Lin Shengli realized.

Cultivating immortality is not just about avoiding the world and practicing asceticism. Experiencing the world, doing good deeds, and understanding the various aspects of human life are also ways to temper and nourish one's Dao heart.

He looked out the window at the dark night sky, where stars twinkled.

Life in Heisonggou Village is ordinary yet vibrant, hardship yet warm. And he, Lin Shengli, a cultivator from a later era, is quietly taking root and growing on this black soil in his own way.

The Hu Dashan incident and the subsequent "free medical clinic" subtly changed Lin Shengli's status in Heisonggou Village. He was no longer just an "educated youth" who needed to be taken care of and arranged for, but a capable and trustworthy "one of our own".

A few days later, the brigade leader Hu Guangming found Lin Shengli.

"Shengli, there's something I'd like to discuss with you." Hu Guangming offered Lin Shengli a rolled-up cigarette, but Lin Shengli waved it off.

"Captain, please speak."

"Look, our village is far from the township, and the lack of medical care and medicine is a major problem. There used to be an old doctor, but he passed away the year before last. Only his grandson knows a little bit, and he usually just treats livestock, not people. I think your skills are no worse than some of the doctors in the township clinic." Hu Guangming took a puff of his cigarette. "I discussed it with a few cadres in the team, and we'd like to ask you to temporarily serve as our village's health worker. What do you think? You don't need to be on call 24/7. You can work as usual, and if anyone in the village has a headache, fever, or a minor injury, you can take a look and treat it. The team will give you some work points, although it's not much, it'll be a supplement."

After a moment's thought, Lin Shengli nodded in agreement: "Okay, Captain, I'll do my best. But I have to make it clear first, I have a mixed background in various fields and I'm not a formally trained professional. I can only handle common minor ailments and emergency injuries. For serious illnesses, you'll have to send the patient to the clinic."

"Of course!" Hu Guangming smiled when he saw Lin Shengli agree. "It's good that you agreed! I'll tell everyone later that if anyone has a minor illness or pain, they can come to you. If they need any commonly used herbs, gauze, or anything like that, just make a list and the team will try to get some."

Thus, Lin Shengli gained another identity—an unofficial sanitation worker for Heisonggou Village.

The team tidied up the old doctor's abandoned mud-brick house in the center of the village and used it as a temporary "health clinic".

The room was empty, with only a broken table, an old medicine cabinet (which didn't have much inside), and a "clinic bed" made of a door panel.

The team pooled together some funds and purchased a batch of basic supplies from the township health center and supply and marketing cooperative: alcohol, iodine, cotton swabs, gauze, bandages, adhesive tape, several commonly used Western medicine tablets, some silver needles, moxa sticks, and more than a dozen common herbs.

He then used the excuse of going to the mountains to collect herbs, and moved a lot of high-quality common herbs from the cave space to replenish the medicine cabinet.

With the help of Grandma Hu Liu, he also learned to process some medicinal herbs using traditional methods.

Although the clinic was simple, it at least looked like a proper clinic.

Lin Shengli arranged the place to be clean and tidy, and even hand-wrote some leaflets about the prevention and simple treatment of common diseases, which he then posted on the wall.

On the first day of its "opening", a lot of people came.

Some came to watch the spectacle, while others came genuinely for medical treatment, mostly for minor ailments such as colds, coughs, diarrhea, joint pain, and eczema.

Lin Shengli patiently examined patients and, depending on the situation, would prescribe some medicine, give them a packet of herbal medicine, or perform acupuncture, moxibustion, or massage.

He has several distinctive characteristics when treating patients: First, he is patient and meticulous, asking questions clearly; second, he has a good attitude and never finds it troublesome; third, the prescriptions or treatments he prescribes are often simple, effective, and inexpensive; and fourth, for some illnesses that he is unsure about or that require expensive medication, he will directly suggest going to the township or county hospital, ensuring that no time is wasted.

Soon, Lin Shengli's reputation as "Little Lin the Medical Worker" spread, and people from nearby villages came to see him for treatment.

Of course, people only come to see the clinic for minor ailments. For serious illnesses, people still trust the township health center more.

Lin Shengli was happy to do so. He could take this opportunity to practice and consolidate his medical knowledge, while also being able to genuinely help his fellow villagers.

Each time he successfully alleviated his pain and saw the grateful smiles of the patients and their families, he felt his mind became clearer and his cultivation was exceptionally smooth.

Li Kuiyong, Jiang Yuanchao, and Wei Min would sometimes come to the clinic to help with cleaning, preparing medicine, and learning some simple bandaging techniques. Lin Shengli was also very generous with his knowledge, teaching them basic hygiene and first aid whenever he had free time.

The days passed by in this busy and fulfilling way.

During the day, Lin Shengli spent most of his time working with the production team. During his rest time and after work, he would handle matters at the health clinic. At night, he would enter the cave space to cultivate, study medical books and ancient texts.

His cultivation level steadily improved, getting closer and closer to the fourth level of Qi Refining. He also developed a deeper and deeper affection for this black soil and the people in the village.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Shengli has been in Heisonggou for over a month.

Summer comes late in Northeast China, but by the end of June and the beginning of July, the weather has warmed up considerably, the mountains and fields are lush and green, and wildflowers are in full bloom.

That evening, after work, Hu Guangming asked everyone to gather at the brigade headquarters because he had something to say.

Once everyone had arrived, Hu Guangming coughed twice, and the villagers below gradually stopped talking.

"Comrades, we can start harvesting wheat in our village tomorrow. Everyone go back today and make all the necessary preparations. We'll start harvesting early tomorrow morning. During the wheat harvest, the brigade will provide lunch. We need to get the wheat into the granary before the rains start."

After Hu Guangming explained some more arrangements, everyone started walking home in twos and threes.