Chapter 316

Chapter 316: Xu Huahua

About thirty kilometers outside Medical Valley, in Nuo Commandery, there was a very barren little village.

The village consisted of only thirteen households. Because there were so few people, whenever something important happened in the village, everyone would gather together to discuss it.

At this moment, all the villagers were gathered in the village chief’s small courtyard—young and old alike. Even the toddlers, just one or two years old, were carried over by their elders.

The village chief’s courtyard was not large; it couldn’t be said to be completely destitute, but in reality it was hardly better than bare walls and empty rooms.

The whole village was very poor.

The village chief was over sixty years old, his hair turning white, his face full of wrinkles. He sat on a stool by the doorstep, leaning on his cane, his cloudy eyes looking at the villagers as he listened to their various comments.

The villagers were all poorly dressed, dark and skinny, with deeply weathered faces full of the marks of hard years. Clearly, they were people who had never known a good life, but at this moment, their eyes all seemed to be shining brightly.

They were talking to the village chief about the Medical Academy.

“Village chief, I went to Mo’s village yesterday to check. The people who went to Medical Valley have come back, and everyone says that the Medical Academy is real!”

“This is great! They provide food and lodging, and clothes too—no need to spend a single copper coin! Village chief, we can’t go ourselves, but if we send the kids, there’s still hope for their lives!”

One man spoke and pushed his little clueless son, who was leaning against his leg, forward.

Once one person stepped forward, others who had brought their kids followed by pushing the children who qualified forward as well.

Most of those pushed forward were boys, with only two girls among them.

The village chief looked at everyone and lowered his eyelids, silent for a moment.

Faced with the village chief’s silence, the villagers didn’t understand but once they thought about the Medical Academy’s opportunity, they felt anxious and restless.

They didn’t know when the Medical Academy would stop accepting students; they feared arriving too late and missing this chance to enroll, worried that their children would continue to stay at home, living a hard life farming the fields…

“Village chief, can’t you at least say something! That place is Medical Valley. We all know who Doctor Shi was! Doctor Shi was a great doctor, and now she is a teacher at the Medical Academy. There’s no way she would deceive us!”

A woman became anxious. She held a young child in her arms, with two other children grabbing the corners of her clothes beside her.

This woman had many children at home; as a poor family, it was very difficult to support them all. Now that there was a chance to send the kids away to be well fed and clothed and learn to read and practice medicine, she knew this was not something she could ever give up on!

Facing their eagerness, the village chief did not lose his temper. After careful thought, he sighed and said, “You only think about the kids getting fed and learning to read, but haven’t you heard that the academy is run by the government?”

Many times, no matter how kind and generous the Imperial Court might be, the common people always feared and shied away from local government officials.

They feared being accused, feared the government servants’ exploitation, and feared various taxes being collected at their doorstep…

The village chief did not want to speculate wildly about the government’s intentions. After all, the Imperial Court had just finished a disaster relief nearby in Qian Commandery. Even though they lived deep in the mountains, if they went to town, they would hear about the governor’s actions in those few months. But the fear of government power was ingrained in them deeply.

Despite the village chief’s hesitation and difficulty, the villagers disregarded caution.

A man looked at his skinny son beside him. The kindness in his eyes became blazing fire as he resolutely said to the village chief, “Village chief, even if it’s the government running it, so what! As long as they don’t take money and the kids don’t have to starve to survive, even if they want me to serve in the military, I’m willing!”

The village was poor; adults often went hungry, let alone the children. So after these words came out, many people agreed.

“That’s right! As long as I can send my little tiger and puppy boys in, even if I have to go serve, I’m willing!”

“Village chief, just let us send the kids!”

“Yes, village chief…”

Looking into those passionate, determined eyes, the village chief silently shook his head. He knew very well that with such great temptation in front of them, the villagers had no resistance at all!

So this matter had no extra choice.

Even if he disagreed, the villagers might secretly send their kids over anyway.

The village chief remained silent, sighed deeply, and ultimately chose to agree.

“Go ahead, send the children.”

Hearing the village chief’s agreement, the villagers immediately rejoiced. Before they could say anything, the village chief added,

“…send the girls first.”

Some were stunned, then immediately understood the village chief’s meaning.

“That’s right! Village chief is right; we should send the girls first.”

The village chief was worried about the government; he feared they might have tricks. Sending the girls first could be a trial run. Boys were their lifeblood.

After getting the village chief’s approval, the villagers dispersed, each one excitedly going home to discuss sending their children to the academy.

A father and daughter wearing animal skins silently followed behind the crowd.

The father was big and strong; the daughter was thin and looked no more than six or seven years old. The little girl clung quietly to her father’s clothes as they walked.

Neither in the village courtyard earlier, nor after returning home, did the father and daughter say a single word.

Their home was cold and quiet; the small yard was filled mostly with hunting tools. The walls inside the house hung many animal skins. Any outsider entering would immediately know that this was the home of a hunter.

The father and daughter entered and silently sat around the table.

The rugged-looking strong man glanced at his daughter; his eyes were conflicted. After hesitating for a long time, he still couldn’t say a word.

The usually quiet girl understood her father’s nature very well. When he remained silent for a long time, she kindly spoke first.

“Do you want to send me to study medicine?”

The man’s eyes brightened, and he quickly nodded. “Ah, yes!”

The girl quietly looked at her father and sighed very maturely.

“But if I go, what will you do alone? They say it takes seven years to study. If I can’t come back, Dad, you won’t see me for seven years. Are you really okay with that?”

The man opened his mouth, but his eyes became hesitant. Looking at his daughter, he was clearly a rough and tough man, but his eyes looked surprisingly pitiful.

Faced with his father’s anxiety, the girl remained calm and said, “You’re not unable to support me. If you want your daughter to be literate, we can move to town. There’s no need to follow the villagers to Medical Valley.”

“No!”

Hearing what the girl meant, the man immediately became anxious. He pointed outside, his eyes firm.

“We have to go! We will go! Study medicine!”

His broken words came out as single or two words at a time, not forming a complete sentence, but the girl understood perfectly what her father meant.

They had argued about this for a long time. Xu Huahua understood very well her father’s kind but hesitant nature. For the things he believed in, he was determined to do them no matter what.

Xu Huahua knew her father’s thoughts. After her final attempt to persuade him failed, she stopped arguing.

The mature girl sighed and finally accepted her father’s decision.

“All right, Dad, I’ll go.”