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The Village Doctor: Book 1
墨書 Inktalez
Xiayan was the only doctor in the village. On this particular day, she had just sent off her last patient. The sky had darkened completely, and the house was quiet, save for the creaking of the old ceiling fan. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly nine o'clock. She stood up and tossed the IV bag into a cardboard box behind the door, holding onto the glass bottle as she stared blankly outside. The cicadas in the yard were incessantly calling out, "It's hot, it's hot," which only added to her anxiety—no, it was more than that; it was a sense of panic.
Rong Ping had come by in the afternoon to arrange a meeting at their usual spot at nine that evening. Now that the time had come, she hesitated. Ever since Rong Ping had left that afternoon, her right eyelid had been twitching uncontrollably. The later it got, the more uneasy she felt. Yet, if she didn’t go, she feared Rong Ping would come knocking on her door.
After a moment's thought, she set down the bottle, washed her hands with well water, and took her keys before stepping outside. Turning left and walking down the alley to the end led her out of the village. Beyond a small dirt slope lay the wheat fields of the neighboring village. Next to those fields was a narrow dirt road, and Xiayan dared not turn on her flashlight as she walked forward under the moonlight.
Sometimes she wondered what was wrong with her. She had a seemingly good life: her daughter was already in high school—well-behaved and excelling academically; her son worked in the south and caused no trouble; her husband, though somewhat dull and rarely home, listened to her every word and handed over all his earnings without question. Having practiced medicine with her father since childhood, she opened a small clinic at home shortly after getting married. Now, villagers from nearby came to her for any ailments they had, and her income was decent.
Many envied her; by all accounts, she should have been content. Yet for years now, she felt something was missing in her life. It wasn't until Rong Ping placed his hand on her thigh during that one encounter that she truly understood what completeness felt like.
Rong Ping was the village chief from the neighboring village—of average height but handsome, exuding leadership qualities in every gesture. At over forty years old, he was vigorous and full of life.
In just a few minutes, Xiayan reached the edge of the wheat field beside an orchard. It was called an orchard, but it consisted merely of a small patch of abandoned apple trees; the soil here couldn't sustain fruit trees. Taking another step forward, she suddenly felt someone embrace her from behind. Xiayan gasped softly as Rong Ping turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her waist and asking, "Why did you take so long to come?"
Xiayan replied quietly, "Rong Ping, maybe we should just end this."
"Why? Did your husband find out?"
"No... it's just that my heart feels so unsettled."
"Ah, we can talk about it later."
As he spoke, Rong Ping leaned in closer.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed around them accompanied by several flashlights shining directly on them. Xiayan screamed and covered her face as she tried to dart into the orchard while Rong Ping hurried away into the darkness.
"Chen Rongping! Where do you think you're going?" Several men rushed over and pinned him to the ground without hesitation, giving him a beating. Xiayan was also pulled over; she stood there dazed and trembling.
"Big brother, look! It's Sister-in-law," came a woman's voice—it was his sister-in-law.
"Zhao Xiayan..." A deep and furious voice belonged to Li Jun as he stepped in front of Xiayan. He raised his hand threateningly; tears streamed down Xiayan's face as she looked at him with pleading eyes but couldn't utter a word. Li Jun's eyes were red with rage; his twisted expression appeared somewhat monstrous under the light. Yet he slowly lowered his hand and grabbed Xiayan's arm tightly, saying through gritted teeth, "Still not ashamed? Come home with me."
Once home, Li Jun threw Xiayan onto the ground while he sat at the door smoking silently. Xiayan sat up and said to him, "I'm sorry; I'll agree to whatever you want." Li Jun remained silent for a long time before finally responding slowly, "When my sister-in-law first told me about this, I didn't believe it at all." Xiayan could hear his voice strained with suppressed emotion as he struggled not to break down.
Before long, others began entering Xiayan's house one after another. She realized there were seven or eight people in total—all family members. Aside from her sister-in-law who shot her a disdainful glance, everyone else ignored her as she quietly stepped inside. A group of people chattered away in the yard for quite some time before dispersing late into the night. Li Jun also spent that night outside without entering the house.
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