Chapter 41: Pig and Cow Raising Whiz

Chapter 41: Pig and Cow Raising Whiz

As soon as they heard the sound, all three of them looked surprised, and Wu Yongbing was the first to go in, torch in hand.

Soon, the captain emerged, face flushed with excitement, holding a black piglet bound with a rope.

"Look what I found! A wild piglet, and there are two more inside! They’re all tied up with ropes. Hey, this yellow weasel is truly magical, leading us here!" Wu Yongbing was excited.

Every year, the supply station assigned the village a set number of pigs to raise, and once they were ready for slaughter, the procurement station would collect them.

Additionally, the production team kept a sow that produced a litter of piglets each year. These piglets could be raised and slaughtered, with the meat distributed to the villagers.

But the number of piglets the sow produced was limited, and having six or seven was considered pretty good. However, that didn’t guarantee all six or seven piglets would survive. Every year, several of them would die prematurely.

Thus, discovering these three wild piglets had Captain Wu excited. These wild piglets, raised in the mountains, were much stronger than common farm pigs. Once brought back and penned up, they’d quickly gain weight and be ready for slaughter by next autumn, just in time for the harvest!

They went back and brought out the remaining two piglets. Each of the three carried a piglet in their arms and prepared to head down the mountain.

Ye Qing glanced back and saw the weasel still standing at the cave entrance. She quickly reached into her pocket—she’d deliberately put a few sweet potatoes in there before heading up the mountain—and tossed them all to the weasel as a reward.

Back in the village, Wu Yongbing prepared to bring the wild piglets to the production team's pigsty.

Ye Qing casually plucked a few leaves from the field and discreetly added some special ingredients to the piglets’ feed.

It was obvious that Yin Shuang had stashed those piglets in the cave—what with the ropes still tied around them.

It was likely that Yin Shuang had planned to move the piglets to the cellar of the thatched hut at the end of the village to raise them in secret. But she’d only gotten one piglet down the mountain before Li Juan blew her cover in front of the whole village.

After her plan was exposed, Yin Shuang had to abandon it. So the three piglets were left unattended, and if Ye Qing and the others hadn’t discovered them early, those piglets might have starved to death in the cave.

Noticing the three wild piglets were looking weak, their cries faint, Ye Qing worried they might get sick and not pull through. She quickly used a bit of her special ability to boost their energy. Only when their health improved could they quickly gain weight. Considering how tasty wild pork was, Ye Qing didn’t mind using some wood-element energy.

After settling the piglets, Ye Qing went home and, as usual, performed acupuncture on Murong Ah Po.

While needling, Ye Qing couldn’t help but chatter in a soft Wu dialect:

"Today I have to criticize you a bit. You’re a seventy-something-year-old lady. You had Wu Cong hitch a bullock cart to take you to town and even brought up your status as a martyr's widow. What were you trying to do? Use your status to pressure the police?"

"Let me tell you, that’s playing with fire. The honor that Grandpa and your two sons earned with their lives cannot be tarnished by me. No matter what, we can’t use their medals as bargaining chips. So this is the first and last time, got it?"

"I know you were worried about me, but the status of a martyr’s widow isn’t to be used like that. If everyone did that, who would respect the families of martyrs in the future? We’ve got to set an example and hold ourselves to a higher standard to earn respect. You get what I’m saying?"

"If anyone asks you to do something like that again, don’t give in. At your age, just eat well, sleep well, and be the matriarch of our village. Don’t worry about other things, alright?"

The old lady didn’t argue and smiled as she agreed. If it were someone else, she wouldn’t bother.

But she and Ye Qing had hit it off, becoming closer than real grandparent and grandchild in just a few days. So when she heard that Ye Qing was in trouble, how could she not be anxious?

After coaxing the old lady to sleep, Ye Qing took out the cotton seeds that Professor Qiao had given her.

Under the cover of night, she secretly planted several rows of cotton in her private plot and quickly harvested about twenty jin of cotton.

With this cotton, she could make a complete set of mattresses and quilts, and still have some left over to make a big cotton jacket.

But for now, she couldn’t reveal the cotton. She stuffed it all in a sack and hid it in the cellar, planning to find Aunt Gu to help her when she had time.

After pulling out the stalks from her private plot and bundling them up to throw into the kitchen, Ye Qing was also too dirty to look at. She quickly went to boil water to prepare for a bath.

The bathtub and desk she had custom-made at the old carpenter's were delivered by the old carpenter himself that evening. The bathtub was oval, over a meter long, allowing Ye Qing to stretch her legs fully while sitting inside—truly a bathing miracle.

She'd been in Kaoshan Village for a week and could finally have a proper, long soak. The bathtub was so big it needed an extra pot of water, but Ye Qing didn’t mind the extra effort for a comfortable bath.

The only issue was that the harvest season wasn’t over, and Uncle Gu hadn’t had time to build her a bathhouse, so she had to make do with the side room for bathing. This meant she had to be careful not to splash water everywhere.

By 11 o’clock, she’d finished her bath. After washing, she felt refreshed and at ease, like she'd scrubbed off a layer of dirt, both physically and mentally.

Clean and fresh, she lay down on the kang and quickly drifted into a deep sleep—her fastest since arriving in this time—and slept soundly until early dawn.

The next morning, she woke up feeling full of energy. She washed the clothes she’d changed out of in the leftover bathwater, fetched water to fill the tank, and even split a pile of firewood before rushing to the threshing floor.

So much had been happening in the village lately that the rice harvest had fallen seriously behind. This morning, the team leader held a mobilization meeting, urging everyone to go all out and finish the remaining work on time, even if it meant working late into the night.

Ye Qing wasn’t sure how much impact the meeting would have, but after hearing the team leader’s speech, she felt so motivated that she was ready to give it her all and dive into the harvest. However, just as she was about to collect her work tools, Wu Yongbing assigned her a different task.

"You want me to raise pigs?" Ye Qing asked, eyes wide in surprise.

Wu Yongbing nodded, then shook his head. "There are also a few cows. The pigsty and cattle pen are together, and I’m temporarily putting you in charge. Do you think you can handle it?"

Of course she could handle it—in fact, it was even better. Ye Qing had once thought that if she couldn’t practice medicine in the countryside, she’d get into pig farming and aim to become a recognized expert in the production team. Now, instead of joining the harvest, she was assigned to raise pigs, which was exactly what she wanted.

However, she was a bit puzzled. "Why did you suddenly assign me to raise pigs? What happened to Aunt Zhao, who was raising pigs before?"

It was only when they brought the wild piglets to the pigsty last night that Wu Yongbing explained that the production team’s pigsty and cattle pen were managed by Zhao Laozhu’s wife.

The job wasn’t very skill-intensive, and as long as you fed the livestock every day, you could earn five work points. Although it was a bit low in earnings, it was much easier compared to joining the harvest. Lots of women in the village were fighting over the job. Zhao Laozhu’s wife must have really valued it, so why would she give it up?

When this topic came up, Wu Yongbing’s expression soured.

"It’s all because of the three wild piglets we brought back last night. When Zhao Laozhu’s wife saw the extra piglets this morning, she accused me of increasing her workload and demanded more work points, or else she would quit!"

"She really thinks this job is indispensable? I didn’t put up with her and told her to leave! Since you’ll soon be setting up the health station, you won’t be working in the fields for now. You’ll take over the pigsty and cattle pen, and use your free time to think about how to set up the health station and what preparations need to be made."

Ye Qing: ……

She didn’t mind taking care of the pigs and cows, but she felt that the team leader was pushing her into a conflict. When Zhao Laozhu’s wife realized her job had been taken over, wouldn’t she hate Ye Qing?

But then Ye Qing thought, what was there to fear? She and Zhao Ma Zi had already clashed when they first met. Even if she didn’t take this job, Zhao Laozhu’s family probably wouldn’t be friendly to her. With so many problems already, what was one more? Hatred wouldn’t make her lose any sleep.

If Zhao Laozhu’s wife dared to cause trouble, Ye Qing was ready. Ever since she killed those five wild pigs, she had gained quite a reputation. If Zhao Laozhu’s wife dared to make a scene, Ye Qing would show her acupuncture needles and flying knives. If she wanted a fight, Ye Qing was more than willing to oblige, but the older woman would have to think twice about the consequences.

The Kaoshan Village production team had a target of twenty pigs this year, plus five piglets born to the old sow, and the four wild piglets caught from the mountain in the past few days, making a total of thirty pigs.

As for the cows, there were four strong adult bulls and one pregnant cow. The bulls were helping the team pull grain in the fields during the day, so only the pregnant cow was in the cattle pen.

The pigsty and cattle pen were built by the Duck River at the village entrance, far from the back mountain, mainly to prevent wild animals from attacking the livestock. The area by the river was open, with no large animals around, and there was a water source and large grassy fields nearby, making it convenient to let the cows graze.

It might seem like an easy job, but earning those five work points wasn’t as simple as it looked. With thirty pigs to feed, it took two to three hundred jin of pig fodder every day. The cows working in the fields with the team members also needed sufficient feed to replenish their energy, or they would have been exhausted long ago.

Fortunately, while this might be a challenge for others, it was completely within Ye Qing’s expertise.

She darted into the grass by the river, where there was more than enough fodder. What kind of grass tasted the best, was the most nutritious, and helped the animals gain weight the fastest? She would specifically pick those types to focus on, and in no time, she could prepare the feed for the precious pigs and cows.

But she was never one to do things perfunctorily. After taking on the job, she truly began to conduct diligent research.

White clover, chicory, comfrey, purple sea alfalfa, Sudan grass, and vervain—Ye Qing tested each one individually. Based on the feeding speed and behavioral response of the pigs after eating, she formulated a ratio of feed that satisfied both domestic and wild pigs.

She also kept detailed records of the pigsty's cleanliness, feeding differences between domestic and wild pigs, sow health, cow behavior in the shed, and their pregnancies, carefully logging everything.

Just as Ye Qing was fully engrossed in her animal farming endeavor and even thinking creatively about how to expand livestock farming in Kaoshan Village, suddenly a car pulled into the yard, and a few children ran over in a hurry to find her, saying that county officials had arrived and the production team leader urgently summoned her to the threshing floor.

Hearing this, Ye Qing couldn't help but frown, thinking it was the public security bureau again, coming to investigate the Yin Shuang murder case. She felt a wave of impatience.

But since they had come, she couldn't play hard to get and refuse to see them. She set aside the log she was holding, cleaned up the dirt on her clothes, and headed to the threshing floor.

As soon as she arrived, Ye Qing spotted a few familiar folks.

Two young men, who had been her assistant doctors when she performed surgery before, were standing there. Next to them was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing glasses, looking at her with a shocked and critical expression. Besides them, there was the head of the educated youth office she had met in Fogsong City when she got off the train a week ago, as well as Commune Secretary Lai Guochang, whom she had seen just the day before.

Ye Qing was puzzled. Why were all these people gathered here?

She quickly looked at Wu Yongbing. Wu Yongbing wore a fake smile, clearly not welcoming these people, but he still forced a smile and explained to Ye Qing:

"This is Dr. He Hai, the director from the People's Hospital in Jiaotan County. He knows that you performed the spleen surgery on Li Yunbo and wants to recruit you as his assistant in the county hospital's surgical department. But since you are an educated youth in Kaoshan Village, transferring your file requires going through the educated youth office process, and I need to provide a letter of introduction."

This Director He was quite formidable. Afraid that Wu Yongbing might hold her back, he even brought the head of the county educated youth office along. With the county educated youth office involved, normally, no production team leader would dare to object.

Wu Yongbing was fuming. Just when his health station was about to be established, someone came to claim the credit. How could he accept this?

He had already suspected that the hospital's president had ulterior motives when Ye Qing was there, and now it seemed his suspicions were correct. These people were scheming to take her away and even resorted to using their authority. How shameless!

Ye Qing raised an eyebrow and directly refused, "I'm sorry, but I have no intention of leaving Kaoshan Village for now, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Director He's kindness."

Ye Qing thought she had been polite, but she didn't know which sore point she had hit with the bespectacled middle-aged man. He immediately pulled a long face, frowned, and glared at her.

"Young lady, aren't you being a bit ungrateful? If you want to act coy, there's a limit. Do you think our Jiaotan County Hospital lets just anyone in? If it weren't for our president insisting on opening a backdoor for you, with your age and education, you wouldn't even be qualified to work as a janitor in our hospital, let alone as my assistant!"

Ye Qing didn't like what she heard. Did I ask to join your hospital? You came to me, yet you don't allow me the right to refuse?

Moreover, I have the ability to lead in surgery. I can thrive anywhere. Why would I rush to be your assistant and let you boss me around? Am I crazy?

Before Ye Qing's time travel, she had been a seasoned veteran rotating through various hospital departments. She understood the ins and outs of the system very well. Capable doctors being suppressed by incompetent ones who played power games was not uncommon. So when Director He suggested taking her as an assistant, Ye Qing immediately sensed something off.

She curved the corner of her mouth, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Director He, everyone has their own aspirations. I want to respond to the country's and the leader's call, to root in the countryside and accept the re-education of the poor and lower-middle peasants. This doesn't seem to be against the law, does it? How come in your words, I'm being ungrateful?"

"Moreover, I always stick to principles in my work. Since it's through the county's president opening a backdoor that I could become your assistant, I can't agree even more. How can I allow the president to engage in privileged class practices for my sake? That would be a violation of regulations. If someone were to report this, wouldn't both the president and I be in trouble? It's not a big deal for me as a small figure, but it wouldn't be good for the president to be implicated. So, let's forget about this matter."

He Hai's face turned pale and flushed, and he angrily pointed at Ye Qing but couldn't utter a single word.

Probably not expecting that Ye Qing would be so rude to Director He, the two resident doctors who had assisted Ye Qing before had long turned into her die-hard fans. They looked at each other in confusion.

They didn’t expect Director He to suddenly change his stance. Before they came down, the dean’s orders were to agree to whatever conditions Comrade Ye might propose, even if it meant opening a separate department just for her. The aim was to get Comrade Ye Qing into the hospital, no matter what.

Director He had nodded along in front of the dean, so how did he end up changing his mind? And now he even wanted Comrade Ye Qing to be his assistant. Wasn’t this just him deliberately trying to embarrass her?

The two resident doctors wanted to speak up but held back because of Director He’s authority in the hospital.

Seeing things getting awkward, the person in charge of the Educated Youth Office quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

“Comrade Ye Qing, you're just a young girl. No need to be so sharp. Director He didn’t mean any harm. Besides, the county hospital really is a top-notch place. So many people are desperately trying to get in. As an outsider with no degree or connections, if you want to get out of the rural educated youth circle, you’d have to start as an assistant, right?”

“Director He sees your real potential in medicine and doesn’t want to see such a promising talent wasted in the village. That’s why he’s willing to give you an opportunity to realize your ideals and ambitions. Don’t be so hasty in refusing. Think about it carefully, or maybe you should contact your parents to discuss it further?”

Ye Qing shrugged. “No need. My parents have gone to the frontier to help build the country. We’re like bricks for the revolution, ready to go wherever we’re needed. Life in the village is just fine. You can give this great opportunity to someone else.”

As she spoke, Ye Qing looked over at Lai Guochang. “Are you here to persuade me too?”

Lai Guochang quickly waved his hands and shook his head. “Hey, Comrade Ye, don’t even say that. I’d love for you to stay in our commune. With you personally overseeing things, no matter where the health station is built, the current medical difficulties in our Red Flag Commune will definitely change drastically. Why would I push such a good thing away?”

Ever since the group from the county arrived, Wu Yongbing’s expression had been stiff. Although Ye Qing had repeatedly assured him that she wouldn’t leave Kaoshan Village, Wu Yongbing couldn’t completely relax.

Especially when the county hospital people came down to offer Ye Qing an olive branch, Wu Yongbing’s heart was in his throat, fearing that Ye Qing might be tricked by their sweet talk and leave with them, forgetting her promise to him.

Fortunately, Ye Qing’s attitude was very firm, and her rejection was straightforward, giving no face to the county hospital people. This immediately put a big smile on Wu Yongbing’s face, his wrinkles almost piling up.

He quickly explained to Ye Qing, “Comrade Lai and Director He arrived just one after the other.”

In other words, Lai Guochang wasn’t with the group from the county, and they weren’t here for the same reason.

Ye Qing looked at Lai Guochang in confusion. “You’re here to see me too?”

Lai Guochang glanced at He Hai and the others, cleared his throat twice, and then took out a newspaper from his briefcase, smiling as he handed it to Ye Qing.

“Yesterday afternoon, Reporter Hang called me and told me to look out for today’s edition of the Jicheng Daily. Our commune subscribes to this newspaper, but usually, the mailman only delivers it the next day. So, I specially asked someone to bring a copy from the provincial city early this morning. Take a look.”

Ye Qing’s heart pounded wildly, and she quickly took the newspaper.

Wu Yongbing also realized what it was and immediately crowded over.

As the newspaper opened, a striking headline on page B caught their eyes—

“Iron Rose in the Northern Wilderness: Heroine Ye Qing’s Bravery and Elegance”

Below it was a close-up photo of Ye Qing wearing a straw hat, laughing unrestrained in the field.

Hang Tingfang had actually taken this photo and published her close-up in the newspaper.

Although it was a black-and-white photo, her toothy grin was particularly eye-catching. Before even reading the content, Ye Qing was already embarrassed enough that her toes could have dug out a two-bedroom apartment.

The key was that news from this era had a strong ideological tone, especially when it came to glorious deeds. The article used extremely flattering words to describe Ye Qing’s heroic act of subduing human traffickers on the train and capturing a female thief, making the whole incident sound far more dramatic and thrilling than it actually was.

If it weren’t for the photo of her in the article, Ye Qing might have doubted whether the report was even about her.

Then, Hang Tingfang concluded the news article with a summary and quoted the words of the Leader:

"——The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the end, it is yours. You young people are full of vigor and vitality, at the peak of your vitality, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hopes are placed on you.

Seeing Ye Qing is like seeing the rising sun in the morning. She is so radiant and full of life, full of energy, yet she is confident yet humble, bold in spirit but careful in action.

It’s clear to anyone who meets her that she possesses noble qualities and grand aspirations. Even after spending only a few hours with her, you would easily find yourself fond of her.

When she spoke with tears in her eyes about finding a sense of belonging in Kaoshan Village, a small mountain village, I was deeply shaken and moved.

This girl is special because she deeply loves this land; yet she is also ordinary, for she is just one of many educated youths.

In places we can see or cannot see, there are more outstanding young women like her, working hard in the fields and shining brightly in the countryside.

Ye Qing is just a microcosm of this group.

These children are the hope of this time. The more educated youths like Ye Qing there are, the more society will flourish, and the country will continue to prosper.

In newspapers of this era, the front A section was reserved for leaders, and only the B section published other news. Hang Tingfang's article occupied almost half of the B section, giving Ye Qing a lot of face.

Previously, Ye Qing had secretly asked Hang Tingfang about the printing points of the *Jicheng Daily*. She learned that it had printing points all over the country, using a method of transporting the printing plates by plane and printing locally for nearby distribution. Basically, areas around the local printing points could receive the newspaper on the day of publication or the next day, and the national daily circulation of the *Jicheng Daily* was nearly 50,000 copies.

Don’t underestimate these 50,000 copies. This isn’t later times; a planned economy was in place, and even paper production was limited. With manual printing presses in use, 50,000 copies of an oil-printed newspaper was a significant number.

At this time, basic education had not yet been widely implemented nationwide, and many people could barely read, let alone develop the habit of reading newspapers. Therefore, most subscriptions to the *Jicheng Daily* came from propaganda departments of units or factories. With 50,000 copies, the newspaper had a wide reach across the country.

It’s possible that Ye Qing would soon become a model figure for educated youth sent to the countryside, being promoted in various county and city units, factories, and communes. Her name might soon resound across the nation.

Ye Qing hadn’t expected Hang Tingfang to write such an article. Wasn’t this a bit too exaggerated?

However, Wu Yongbing and Lai Guochang were very excited. In front of the county officials, the two of them loudly read the news article.

As they read to the end, the head of the county educated youth office was astonished, while He Hai, who had previously acted superior and scolded Ye Qing for trying to rely on connections to get into the county hospital, now felt as if he had been slapped in the face. His face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

In the early 1970s, there weren’t many print media outlets. Being featured in a small section of a provincial newspaper was considered a great honor, let alone being published in a nationally renowned newspaper like the *Jicheng Daily*, and taking up such a large section. That was an extraordinary honor.

With this article as part of her resume, Ye Qing was officially stamped with the true official seal, representing the high praise and recognition from the *Jicheng Daily*.

Having a major newspaper backing her gave her confidence, which was only natural.

If it were any of them featured in the *Jicheng Daily*, even if it was just a small section or a mention in a news article, it would be enough to make them strut around the entire Jiaotan County.

He Hai now realized that he might have botched the task assigned by the old hospital director.

But who could have expected that a teenage girl with only a junior high school education could be featured in the *Jicheng Daily*? In his forty-some years, this was the first time he had heard of such a thing. It was too absurd!

He Hai tried to speak but couldn’t find the words, instinctively turning his head to look for help from the two resident doctors beside him.

But what could those two resident doctors do?

Earlier, they had been arrogant towards her, trying to force her into a subordinate role in their department, wanting to push her around like a soft target.

Now that they found out she was not only technically skilled but also well-connected, they wanted to use the benefits previously mentioned by the old hospital director to win her over. But why would she listen to them now? What had they been doing earlier?

The two resident doctors were also speechless.

They had actually been with Director He for several years. The old hospital director had high hopes for them, wanting them to learn technical skills from He Hai so they could become independent as soon as possible.

At first, they had approached the surgery department with a humble attitude, trying to please He Hai, but he only kept them busy with errands and gave them no real experience or skills."

Every time the old chief asked, he would only pretend to let them observe a few surgeries, saying they had low aptitude. He would disparage their abilities in various ways, so they made no progress in their surgical practice for many years.

Gradually, the two of them began to understand. They realized that He Hai was intentionally withholding instruction. Tired of his perfunctory attitude and exploitation, they became old hands at dodging work and even started secretly looking for opportunities to transfer out of the surgery department to try other departments.

This time, when the old chief mentioned that they were going to recruit the girl whose sister had undergone surgery last time, and were even willing to open a new department for her, they were extremely excited, thinking they had finally caught a career break.

The two of them had secretly agreed that they would go back and submit an application to the old chief. No matter which department or position Ye Qing was assigned to in the hospital, they would transfer out of the surgery department, even if it meant being her apprentice.

However, they never expected that He Hai would be so bold as to flout the task that the old chief had repeatedly instructed him to carry out. The problem was, if he really had a grip on the situation, it would be one thing, but he ended up messing it up. By the time he thought of making amends, it was already too late.

The two resident doctors were at a loss for words. From the beginning, He Hai hadn’t given them a chance to speak. At this point, how could they dare step in?

Having been burned by him before, they weren’t about to make the same mistake again. They decided to stay out of it, making it clear they couldn’t help.

He Hai was ready to burst from anger. Seeing that the person in charge of the county educated youth office, who had earlier helped him cover his tracks, was now staring at the newspaper over and over with a look of shock and excitement, He Hai took a deep breath, steeling himself for a last-ditch effort.

But before he could even open his mouth, Lai Guochang pulled out another piece of paper and handed it to Ye Qing, smiling.

“Oh, by the way, we’ve already sent your application to the county. The county health bureau is very interested in your situation and is preparing to let you participate in the basic urban medical assessment in ten days. As long as you pass the exam, the county is willing to let Kaoshan Village proceed with setting up the health station.”

“This is your admission ticket. Don’t misplace it.”

Ye Qing was surprised as she took the handwritten admission ticket, not expecting the commune secretary to work so efficiently.

How could he not be efficient? Shortly after Hang Tingfang had called him the previous afternoon, he began receiving calls inquiring about the educated youth who had been sent to the countryside. Less than an hour later, he was notified by the county to go to the health bureau with the materials submitted by Kaoshan Village for a meeting. In less than half an hour, he returned with the admission ticket.

Usually, when he went to handle matters in the county, the officials there would always be dragging their feet and always had a sour face. But this time, they were all smiling and approachable. Even the director of the health bureau took the initiative to ask if there were any difficulties in setting up the health station in Kaoshan Village. One by one, they humbled themselves. Was there any doubt in Lai Guochang’s mind? Someone from above must have put in a good word.

No matter who had put in the good word, Lai Guochang finally realized one thing: the Red Flag Commune seemed to have really found a treasure. For someone to be so valued by the higher-ups, this Ye Qing was definitely not to be underestimated. As long as they served her well, both Kaoshan Village and the Red Flag Commune would likely soar under her leadership.

So now, if someone wanted to poach her from him, it wasn’t just Wu Yongbing who was unhappy. Lai Guochang had to be the first to jump out and oppose it.

Lai Guochang wasn’t as easygoing as Ye Qing. With a still smiling expression, he spoke in a sarcastic tone to He Hai:

“Director He, as you can see, Comrade Ye Qing is dedicated to rural medical development, and the county has given maximum support and recognition to her idea.”

“If you want to transfer Comrade Ye Qing away, it might not be enough to just go to the county educated youth office. You’ll also need to go to the county government office, the health bureau, the planning bureau, and the agricultural economic committee.”

“After all, the application materials from Kaoshan Village have been approved by the leaders of these units. You can’t just take away the backbone of this health station without a word. Don’t you agree?”

As soon as these words were spoken, He Hai’s face turned green.

If he had the ability to get the leaders of those units to agree, would he be here begging? Wouldn’t he just command someone to come down and take her away?

Realizing there was no room for maneuver and that staying here was only humiliating himself, He Hai shot a hateful glance at Ye Qing before storming off to his car, cursing at the two resident doctors who were just standing there.

“Why are you still standing there like idiots? Do you want to lose face? Get out of here. Can’t you see that person is so impressive for being in the newspaper that they don’t even care about our county hospital?”

Without waiting for the two young doctors to react, He Hai had already angrily returned to his car.

The others merely shrugged in response to his attitude, but it left the person in charge of the county educated youth office feeling awkward. After all, he had previously spoken up for He Hai, advising Ye Qing to comply with the arrangement and become his assistant at the county hospital.

“Comrade Xiao Ye, you didn’t come down with the main group last time, and I didn’t have a chance to talk to you much, so I apologize for overlooking your situation.”

“But you’ve come all the way from Shen City to improve the rural medical situation in our Kaoshan Village, and our county educated youth office is fully supportive of your efforts.”

“In short, our county educated youth office is your home base. We should keep in touch. If you encounter any difficulties or troubles in the future, just let us know, and we will definitely support you!”

Ye Qing wasn't surprised at all by the response from the county educated youth office.

Her rural placement was managed by the county educated youth office, so she was essentially tagged with the Jiaotan County label. Nobody could deny it.

Now that she was in the newspaper and about to become famous, the county educated youth office was definitely going to milk the situation. Whether it was to ride the hype or boost their political standing, this was such a good chance, they'd be fools to miss it. It wasn't just the county educated youth office—Ye Qing figured the whole of Jiaotan County might make big moves soon. After all, this was like a godsend opportunity, and she was practically hand-feeding the county government office. If they couldn't handle this, Jiaotan County was finished.

So, when she saw the county educated youth office leader do a complete turnaround, Ye Qing took it all in her stride. But her attitude stayed the same—neither distant nor too close, calm as ever. She didn't buy the leader's "we're family" nonsense.

After some polite small talk and seeing the leader off, Ye Qing prepared to return to the riverbank to continue her new job. She had a ton of ideas for raising pigs and cows and was ready to take bold actions during this time.

Lai Guochang had been wanting to talk to her about the news. This was a huge deal, and it was certain the commune, maybe even the county, would hold a commendation conference. She'd probably be asked to speak at the conference. He thought she should be ready, or she'd freeze up on stage, which would be awkward.

Seeing how calm Ye Qing was, he knew he'd been wrong again. He couldn't see this kid as just ordinary. After all, she'd taken down a criminal with a few sewing needles and killed a rampaging wild boar with precise knife strikes. What big scenes hadn't this educated youth comrade seen? His worries were indeed unnecessary.

Just as Lai Guochang was about to say something to save face, several children came running over in a hurry and shouted upon seeing Wu Yongbing and Ye Qing:

"Uncle Wu, Educated Youth Sister, something's happened! The four wild boar piglets broke out of the pen and attacked the grazing cow by the river!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Qing's expression changed instantly.

The cow was pregnant with a calf. Although the wild boar piglets were small in size, they had great strength. If they had charged directly into the cow, there was no way the cow or her unborn calf could have survived.