Chapter 4 - The Divine Doctor Wife
Li Nan Ke stared blankly at the boiling medicine pot in front of him.
The surreal feeling of being pulled from the dream back to reality in an instant caused his brain to freeze for a few seconds, as if countless cotton balls were expanding in his mind.
After a while, his consciousness slowly returned to his body.
"Can't it be gentler?”
Li Nan Ke rubbed his temples, complaining inwardly.
Every time he exited the 'Red Rain dream' in this way, he felt the urge to find a lizard and give it maternity leave.
The room was quiet.
The sky outside the window was somewhat dim.
As the last rays of the setting sun were erased, the entire sky seemed to be covered with a layer of frosted glass, gray and gloomy, waiting for the night to unfold a new chapter.
The strong medicinal fragrance wafting in the room proved that he was indeed in the real world.
But to be safe, Li Nan Ke picked up the flintlock pistol and shot himself in the head. When no blood and flesh splattered, he breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, this flintlock pistol couldn't fire in reality, so it was a good way to distinguish between dreams and reality.
"It's good to be alive."
Stepping out of the room, a cool breeze mixed with the scent of mountain grass greeted him.
Li Nan Ke took a deep breath. As the stale air in his chest was expelled, he felt refreshed, as if he had been reborn.
An old turtle was lying in front of the door, lazily enjoying the evening breeze.
This old turtle was quite large, about a meter long, somewhat similar to an Aldabra giant tortoise. However, its shell was grayish-white, covered with many snowflake-like patterns, and sometimes it would even reflect silver light under the sun.
This turtle had been with Li Nan Ke ever since he came to this world.
Its nickname was—Grandpa Turtle.
According to his wife, this turtle was the old Taoist priest's pet and a divine beast. Whether in water or on land, it could run faster than a horse.
But Li Nan Ke remained skeptical.
The last time he secretly threw firecrackers into the turtle's shell, it didn't seem to run very fast.
On the other hand, their other pet—a large white goose—ran extremely fast.
A few days ago, when he also threw firecrackers at its backside, the goose chased him for three days and nights.
Sometimes, even when they were tens of meters apart, it would rush over in the blink of an eye and peck him hard, its vengeful spirit admirable.
In the end, Li Nan Ke had no choice but to add some laxatives to the goose's food, which finally calmed it down.
Carrying a towel and a wooden basin to the well, Li Nan Ke washed his face with cold water.
Not far away, by the pond, the white goose, larger than ordinary geese, was gracefully stretching its snow-white wings, displaying its beauty.
Li Nan Ke wiped his face and greeted it, "Sister Goose, are you feeling better?"
Sister Goose was a proud pet.
Unlike Grandpa Turtle's laziness, Sister Goose was quite diligent, often cleaning herself in the small pond, always maintaining a pure white appearance.
She usually ignored everyone.
Including Grandpa Turtle.
Although his wife said that these two were a couple matched by the old Taoist priest, judging from Grandpa Turtle's humble attempts to get close and Sister Goose's aloofness, Li Nan Ke knew that even until the end of the world, these two would probably never get together.
Seeing the man, Sister Goose raised her long neck high and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
She clearly regarded him as a villain.
Reflected in the water, Sister Goose's graceful figure was like a captivating painting frozen in time, indescribably charming.
Grandpa Turtle, lying by the door, looked longingly at her, took two steps forward, then silently lay back down.
Just then, Sister Goose glanced at him coldly.
Grandpa Turtle, timid by nature, subconsciously retracted his head into his shell, not daring to meet the goddess's gaze.
Li Nan Ke found it amusing and recalled his wife saying that Sister Goose was also a divine beast raised by the old Taoist priest and could fly in the sky. He wondered if he should find time to stew Sister Goose in a pot?
Around the second quarter of the Xu hour (7:30-7:45 PM), the divine doctor wife finally returned from gathering herbs.
At this time, Li Nan Ke was bored, holding Sister Goose and sitting on Grandpa Turtle's back, enjoying the evening breeze.
The scene of a man, a turtle, and a goose was harmonious and heartwarming.
Sister Goose was initially resistant to the man's embrace, but seeing him take out a brick from who knows where and gesture with it towards her backside, she immediately went from a grumpy state to a docile one, obediently snuggling in his arms.
The man reminded her of the old yellow dog that used to be with the old Taoist priest. They were all the same, a bunch of scoundrels.
"She's still quite beautiful from afar."
Looking at his returning wife, Li Nan Ke murmured to himself while stroking Sister Goose's tail feathers.
In the hazy twilight hues, the woman's slender figure was faintly outlined, like a fairy walking out of a painting, graceful and elegant.
"It's just a pity..."
The man sighed softly, casually tossing Sister Goose onto the turtle's back, and went forward to meet his wife.
Before Grandpa Turtle could fully appreciate Sister Goose's light and delicate body, she flapped her wings and went to bathe in the pond.
"You're back. You're quite late today."
Li Nan Ke skillfully took the bamboo basket from his wife's back. The basket was full of medicinal herbs and quite heavy.
The woman was tall, half a head shorter than the man. Her simple white dress appeared plain but exuded an indescribable ethereal aura.
Especially her eyes, as black as lacquer, were as clear and bright as autumn water, indescribably beautiful.
Looking into her eyes gave one a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.
However, her facial features were quite ordinary. Not ugly, but far from 'beautiful.' If one ignored her figure and temperament, she wouldn't stand out in a crowd.
"I went to the apricot forest on the north side of the mountain today. It was a good harvest."
The woman's voice was gentle and pleasant, her eyes unable to conceal her joy.
"Not only did I pick fire lotus with three leaves, but I also dug up a few stalks of high-quality summer-withered lingzhi under a thousand-year-old tree. Unfortunately, some of them were ruined by wild beasts in the mountains..."
"Although the herbs are precious, you should also pay attention to safety. There are many wild beasts in the mountains."
Li Nan Ke frowned with concern.
Seeing a few beads of sweat on the woman's forehead, he took out his handkerchief to wipe them away, but she took it and wiped her forehead herself, smiling.
"It's alright. I've been gathering herbs with my master since I was young. After all these years, I'm experienced and know which dangerous places to avoid."
Li Nan Ke wanted to say more, but his stomach growled first.
The man felt a bit embarrassed.
It wasn't that he couldn't find food, but his divine doctor wife's cooking had spoiled his appetite, making it difficult for him to settle for other food.
The woman smiled gently and then said apologetically, "It's my fault for being late. I'll go make dinner for you now, husband."
The woman's name was Luo Qian Qiu. She had a gentle personality and could be considered a virtuous wife.
Although Li Nan Ke could sense her resistance to this marriage, at least on the surface, she fulfilled the expected attitude and behavior of a wife.
She never lost her temper or threw tantrums.
Her ordinary face always wore a gentle expression, whether facing her husband or the patients who came to seek treatment.
It was as if gentleness was her nature.
But this, in turn, created an invisible wall that distanced them from each other.
After carefully sorting the medicinal herbs and placing them on the stone platform, Luo Qian Qiu went back to the house to wash up and then entered the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Let me help you."
Li Nan Ke rolled up his sleeves and volunteered.
"What are we making today?"
Luo Qian Qiu didn't say much and handed him the river crabs that she had bought yesterday and soaked in the small vat.
"Let's make stir-fried river crabs with scallions first."
Seeing her husband holding the kitchen knife at a loss, Luo Qian Qiu said with a smile in her eyes,
"First remove the shell, innards, and crab gills, then chop it into four pieces. You can leave the rest to me."
She added, "This dish has the effect of dredging the meridians, nourishing the muscles, and promoting blood circulation. It's good for you, husband."
"Oh."
Li Nan Ke wasn't stupid. With his wife's guidance, he quickly finished processing the river crabs.
Luo Qian Qiu skillfully placed the wok on the fire, poured oil until it was six parts hot, and while adding scallions and ginger slices, she said to Li Nan Ke,
"Let's stir-fry two more vegetable dishes. Husband, please wash the mushrooms and cauliflower in the basket."
Li Nan Ke responded and started washing the vegetables.
The couple cooperated well, and the small kitchen was filled with a warm family atmosphere.
"Are you getting used to working at the yamen, husband?"
[N: In imperial China, a yamen refers to the office or residence of a public official or mandarin.]
Luo Qian Qiu took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Being a coroner must be tiring, having to deal with those..."
Perhaps realizing that it was inappropriate to mention the word 'corpses' in the kitchen, she skipped it and continued,
"If you don't like it, husband, just quit. I'll find you another job, or you can help manage the private school."
Although she didn't say it out loud, the woman was unhappy with her husband's job as a 'coroner.'
Although after the second year of Tianwu, coroners were no longer considered a lowly profession, and the benefits had improved a lot, it still involved dealing with corpses.
This also meant that few people would associate with them, fearing bad luck.
Li Nan Ke smiled.
"It's alright. It's not as busy as I imagined. The work is quite leisurely, after all, there can't be murder cases every day. And after becoming a coroner, it's actually become quieter. Those girls aren't after me anymore. Otherwise, it would really be a headache."
The man's playful words revealed a hint of helplessness.
It wasn't just beautiful women who were harassed; handsome men sometimes had a hard time finding peace as well.
Hearing this, Luo Qian Qiu's lips curved into a small smile.
"Husband is a strange man. Shouldn't most men be happy to be surrounded and admired by countless beauties? Why would you avoid them?"
"There's no helping it. If you want to live a long life, you have to have healthy kidneys."
Li Nan Ke stretched his back.
Faced with his seemingly casual words, which could easily lead to an ambiguous atmosphere, the woman chose to change the subject.
"I heard there have been murder cases in Dongqi County these past two days."
Li Nan Ke nodded.
"It's still related to the rumors about demonic creatures."
The woman paused, picking up the kitchen knife and sighing.
"These are troubled times."
Then she reminded her husband, "Demonic creatures are all transformed from people who consume drugs containing 'Red Rain' components. Husband, you must be careful when dealing with corpses and avoid any contact with Red Rain."
"Don't worry, I'm always careful."
Li Nan Ke smiled.
"Besides, with the Night Patrol's capabilities, this matter will be settled in a few days."
"The Night Patrol..."
The woman turned her back, her slender, jade-like fingers gently caressing the sharp blade, a hint of mockery fleeting across her lips.
"I hope so."