Chapter 35: Jealousy

After carefully packing away the wild ginseng, Zhou Yichen finally let out a long sigh of relief. He patted the burlap sack, feeling its substantial weight, and a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. This trip into the mountains had yielded a harvest far beyond his expectations.

He shouldered the sack again, oriented himself, and set off down the mountain. The descent was naturally much easier than the climb. Before long, the ridge where the commune members were gathering to cut firewood came into view. The sound of their chatter grew clear once more. Zhou Yichen spotted Jiang Xiaoman’s vibrant red scarf immediately, as she remained busy among the crowd. He quickened his pace.

Just as he reached the edge of the firewood-cutting team, a booming voice echoed across the hillside through a tin megaphone.

"Comrade commune members! Comrade commune members!"

"The time is up; we shall conclude our firewood-cutting tasks for this morning!"

"Each team, gather your tools, count your members, and prepare to head down the mountain!"

It was Gao Jianjun. He stood atop a large rock, holding a crude tin megaphone, shouting with full vigor. As his voice faded, the commune members, who had been working with intense fervor, stopped their tasks and let out a cheer.

Jiang Xiaoman straightened her back, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and spotted Zhou Yichen walking down from the mountain.

"Yichen!" Her eyes lit up, and she bounced over like a cheerful little bird. "You’re finally down! Did you find anything good?" She looked curiously at his bulging sack.

Zhou Yichen smiled and patted the sack. "Not bad, quite a haul. How about you? Are you tired?"

Jiang Xiaoman lifted her chin with a touch of pride. "I’m not tired at all! Look, I cut all these branches!" She pointed to a neatly stacked pile of firewood beside her.

"Impressive!" Zhou Yichen praised her sincerely. "Let’s go, time to head down." He gestured toward the foot of the mountain.

"Mm!" Jiang Xiaoman nodded vigorously, and the two walked side by side down the mountain, chatting and laughing in a relaxed atmosphere.

On the mountain path, commune members moved in groups of two or three, carrying tools and firewood, forming a stream of people descending. Zhou Yichen and Jiang Xiaoman were inconspicuous among them, but Zhou Yichen’s relatively fresh appearance and the sack on his shoulder—filled with herbs rather than firewood—still drew the attention of some watchful eyes. This was especially true for the other educated youth who had arrived in the countryside around the same time as him.

Most of them were exhausted, covered in dust, and drenched in sweat. Looking at Zhou Yichen, who, despite some sweat on his brow, appeared significantly more relaxed than those doing manual labor, Liu Jianmin—a member of the same intake of educated youth now assigned to the Second Production Team—could not help but curl his lip and mutter, loud enough to be heard:

"Hmph, some people just have all the luck. Relying on a bit of amateur medical knowledge, they get to slack off and avoid work."

Although he didn’t mention any names, the surrounding educated youth subconsciously glanced at Zhou Yichen. Zhou Yichen did not stop walking, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing, and continued talking in a low voice to Jiang Xiaoman. He truly didn't take such petty provocations to heart.

Jiang Xiaoman, however, knitted her delicate brows and was about to snap back when Zhao Weiguo, who was assigned to the same Fifth Team as Zhou Yichen, spoke up first.

Zhao Weiguo pushed up his glasses and looked at Liu Jianmin. "Liu Jianmin, that’s not right of you to say."

"Comrade Zhou Yichen serves as a health worker based on genuine skill. Treating the commune members and gathering herbs is proper work; how can you call it slacking off?"

Liu Jianmin was immediately displeased and retorted with a stiff neck, "What genuine skill? Isn't it just from reading a few medical books?"

"We are all here to undergo re-education by the poor and lower-middle peasants, and we should be honestly participating in collective labor!"

"What kind of behavior is it for him not to be cutting firewood with the rest of us?"

"Exactly!" A few other exhausted educated youth nearby chimed in, their gazes filled with jealousy and resentment. "Why should he get special treatment?"

Zhao Weiguo’s face flushed with frustration, and just as he was about to argue further, some veteran members of the Xiangyang Brigade who were passing by with firewood could no longer hold their tongues.

"Hey! You kids, you need to have a conscience when you speak!"

A fifty-year-old farmer with dark skin and yellowing teeth slammed his bundle of firewood onto the ground and glared at Liu Jianmin. "How is Comrade Health Worker Zhou not working? Isn't him going up the mountain to pick herbs labor?"

"Is he picking that medicine for himself?"

"It’s for the sake of treating us all!"

Another burly man chimed in with a gruff voice, "That's right! What do you youngsters know?"

"Health Worker Zhou is a technical expert! Can you compare him to those of you just putting in brute force?"

"You cut wood, he picks herbs; it’s a different division of labor, do you understand?"

"Besides, a few days ago, when Old Man Zhang had chest pains, if it weren't for Health Worker Zhou’s acupuncture, it’s hard to say if he would have pulled through!" A middle-aged woman with a booming voice joined the fray.

"And the widow in the Liu family, she twisted her back and couldn't get out of bed; it was Health Worker Zhou who cured her!"

Once these words were spoken, many commune members nearby nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! Health Worker Zhou is young and talented. It is our good fortune that our Xiangyang Brigade was assigned such a good doctor!"

"You educated youth, you have no skills yourselves, yet you’re green with envy over someone who does. What kind of behavior is that!"

A torrent of chatter and accusations poured over Liu Jianmin and the troublemaking educated youth. Liu Jianmin was intimidated by the spectacle; his face turned bright red, and he opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

He hadn't expected these seemingly simple-minded peasants to be so unyielding in their defense of Zhou Yichen. The other educated youth who had chimed in also lowered their heads, not daring to say another word.

Zhou Yichen and Jiang Xiaoman exchanged a smile, casting a look of gratitude toward the simple, earnest commune members. In truth, the logic was simple. Although Zhou Yichen had only been in the Xiangyang Brigade for a few days, his status in the hearts of the commune members had already been quietly established.

The folks here were no fools. In an era lacking medical care, a doctor who could heal was like a life-saving bodhisattva. Who could guarantee they would never fall ill? Which family didn't have elderly or children to look after? When a real fever, cold, or even a critical illness struck, wouldn't they have to rely on the doctor to save them? If you offended the doctor, and one day you had to beg for his help, even if he didn't make things difficult for you, he could simply say, "My skills are limited, I cannot treat this," and what could you do? Could you force him to treat you with a knife?

Therefore, in these times, you could offend anyone, but you must never offend the doctor—especially one who was right there in your own backyard. Not only must you not offend them, but you also had to find ways to curry favor and maintain a good relationship. This was a matter of life and death for oneself and one's family; it was not to be taken lightly.

Liu Jianmin and his group clearly hadn't grasped this, or perhaps they were just young, hot-headed, and blinded by jealousy. After this incident, they would likely have to think twice.

Zhou Yichen watched Liu Jianmin’s dejected appearance without much stirring in his heart. Having lived two lifetimes, there was no one he hadn't encountered; this level of envy and petty maneuvering was truly beneath him. What he cared more about were the commune members who had spontaneously defended him; their simple, genuine emotions warmed his heart.

"Let’s go, Xiaoman, let's head home and cook," Zhou Yichen said, gently tapping Jiang Xiaoman’s arm.

"Mm!" Jiang Xiaoman nodded vigorously, a radiant smile on her face. "Since you picked so many herbs today, I’ll make you something delicious tonight!"

The two quickened their pace, leaving the chatter and the various gazes behind them.

"I found something special today; I'll give you a surprise when we get back," Zhou Yichen said with a chuckle on the way back.

"What kind of surprise?" Jiang Xiaoman asked curiously.