Village Doctor's Path to Prosperity

Chapter 4 Xu Fang's Exquisite Culinary Skills

I know more than just him. I investigated and found out who betrayed my former friend, and almost killed him with a knife.

However, Xu Fang later realized that it wasn't worth killing someone unworthy of him, and ultimately returned to his hometown heartbroken.

"You're overthinking it. I've only heard about him; I have absolutely no connection to him," Xu Fang replied firmly.

Seeing Xu Fang's unwavering certainty, Zheng Xiulan felt relieved, but some doubt remained in her eyes: "How exactly do you know about him? Don't tell me it's just hearsay."

Xu Fang was actually very kind to Zheng Xiulan, especially this morning when he asked her how much money she had left. Zheng Xiulan's answer was "We have thirty left," not just the simple "I."

Perhaps it was just a casual remark, but it undeniably stung Xu Fang.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Fang looked brightly at Zheng Xiulan, a smirk playing on his lips. "I did hear it, but don't worry, I'll help you win your bet with your father."

This sudden display of confidence momentarily stunned Zheng Xiulan. She quickly recovered and retorted, "You're just bragging. Let's fill our stomachs first."

Xu Fang smiled without explaining, slung a bamboo basket over his shoulder, and said, "I'm going for a walk."

He walked along the village path, heading east. The sound of the waves drifted from afar. After walking about two miles, he finally reached the shore.

The waters near Yuehai Village had remained unpolluted for thousands of years, and even its resources hadn't been exploited. The sea was azure, blending seamlessly with the sky, a sight that soothed the soul.

"Those who live by the mountains eat from the mountains, those who live by the sea eat from the sea. That fool, Yuehai Village has countless resources. As long as we take the right path, making the village poor is easy, isn't it?"

He spoke casually, but Xu Fang understood perfectly well what he meant. The ocean and deep mountains are rich in resources, but due to their isolation, these resources are often difficult to transport to the outside world.

However, Xu Fang understands that even abundant resources cannot withstand endless exploitation.

He doesn't want to see his resources depleted, and the betrayal of a former friend for money has ignited a fire within him.

He's brewing a grand plan, but he wants to implement it step by step.

Not far from Yuehai Village is a golden beach with fine sand, a place Xu Fang often played on as a child. This time, however, he's heading in a different direction, towards the area with more reefs.

The resources along the coast are countless, but when Xu Fang sees the oysters clinging to these reefs—their size and sheer quantity—he can't help but gasp.

"My goodness! If we sold all this, wouldn't we make a fortune?"

Getting these oysters down would require some work, but Xu Fang wasn't in a hurry. He tossed his flip-flops ashore, not caring about getting his sandals wet, and waded into the sea, his hands rummaging through the sand.

Being on a shallow beach, the seabed was clearly visible. He simply tossed away the pebbles and shellfish, and two scallops landed in his hands.

Scallops are a popular seafood these days, reasonably priced and delicious.

Looking at their decent size, he tossed them into the bamboo basket on his back, took a step forward, and scooped three more scallops into his hands.

"Indeed, this place must have been exploited for thousands of years; the resources are so abundant. These wild scallops would easily fetch ten yuan a pound at the market."

Xu Fang was delighted, and without stopping, he continued scooping up the scallops from the sea.

Of course, the resources along the coast are abundant, not just scallops, but also white sand clams, mango clams, sea snails, and even a few prawns. After a busy afternoon, Xu Fang finally stopped. His back ached terribly from bending over for so long.

After a few transfers, the pain eased.

Reaching the shore, he looked at the contents of his bamboo basket. Mostly scallops, and they were all quite large; the basket must have weighed at least forty pounds.

Thanks to Xu Fang's quick hands and feet, and the fact that his hands had been soaking in the water for so long, they were blistered and even chafed in some places from the sea sand.

"Ptooey!" He spat on his palms, deciding he'd need to buy nylon gloves next time.

Intending to head back, he thought better of it and used a stone to smash a few oysters off the rocks.

By the time Xu Fang returned, it was already past six in the afternoon. Normally it would be quite bright at this time of summer, but because of the nine mountains blocking the light, Yuehai Village was already dark.

The arrival of a living person had initially brought a touch of joy to Zheng Xiulan, who had been nearly driven mad by loneliness for the past two months. However, her absence all afternoon left her feeling somewhat empty.

Seeing Xu Fang return, Zheng Xiulan's heart leaped with joy. She asked with a smile, "Where have you been all afternoon? Have you eaten?"

"Not yet," Xu Fang answered honestly.

"Hey, you ran off without even having lunch! Oh dear, wait a minute, I'll cook right away," Zheng Xiulan said with a laugh.

"Wait!" Thinking of the noodles for breakfast, Xu Fang shuddered and quickly stopped her.

"What's this?" As Xu Fang put down the bamboo basket, Zheng Xiulan curiously leaned closer. When she saw what was inside, her eyes lit up with surprise: "Wow, seafood! Where did you get this?"

"Caught it from the sea," Xu Fang replied truthfully.

"Great! Wash it clean, I'll cook it for you."

"Do you know how to cook?" Xu Fang asked, looking up.

“Even at its worst, it’s still better than yours, right? Have you ever used an induction cooker?” Zheng Xiulan was a little annoyed that Xu Fang was questioning her.

“Hehe.” Xu Fang chuckled, offering no explanation.

In Zheng Xiulan’s memory, preparing these shellfish wasn’t easy, but in Xu Fang’s hands, it seemed like a piece of cake.

Soaking, rinsing the shells, rinsing the clams, cleaning the entrails… the whole process left Zheng Xiulan sweating profusely.

Xu Fang didn’t let Zheng Xiulan help. Instead, he cleaned the stove and started a fire with firewood. While an induction cooker was convenient, in the sweltering summer, the electricity was unstable, and the food didn’t smell as good as cooked over a fire.

After placing minced garlic and other seasonings on the scallops, he added water to the pot and placed the scallops on a heat spreader.

After putting the lid on, Xu Fang began preparing the prawns and other seafood, which were more plentiful.

Seafood was the most troublesome to prepare, so the cooking was quick. Before long, Xu Fang had the dishes on the table. Three dishes and a soup, their aroma wafting through the air, tempting everyone's appetite.

Zheng Xiulan's eyes were filled with craving. She eagerly grabbed a scallop and popped it into her mouth. The aroma was irresistible, and the garlic and seasonings almost made her bite her tongue off.

After that one scallop, Zheng Xiulan couldn't stop eating. Both the prawns and the scallop soup were incredibly delicious.

"Delicious! Xu Fang, you're really good at cooking!" Zheng Xiulan mumbled, her mouth full of clams.

"This time, because we had limited ingredients, if we could add some Chinese herbs, it would not only enhance the flavor but also strengthen the body, prolong life, and even nourish the body," Xu Fang replied with a smile.

Zheng Xiulan ignored the previous comment, staring wide-eyed at Xu Fang, asking in surprise, "Even better? And nourishing?"

Xu Fang: "..."

Twenty minutes later, they were almost finished eating. Zheng Xiulan patted her full belly, feeling incredibly satisfied. Thinking about what she'd eaten for the past two months, compared to this meal, it was barely better than pig slop.

Looking at Xu Fang again, with his handsome features and resolute bearing, and his captivating eyes, Zheng Xiulan sighed. He wasn't bad-looking, looked strong, and his cooking skills were superb. Why was such a good-for-nothing in the village? Such a good person, how could he… be impotent?

Thinking about it, Zheng Xiulan felt a little embarrassed and said, "I'll get ready."

Watching Zheng Xiulan sway away, the summer heat made her thin clothes even more alluring, her figure making her feel like she was being scratched by a cat.

After a quick shower, Xu Fang returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began cultivating the *Medical Manual*. As time passed, his desire gradually subsided.

However, soon, Xu Fang heard the sound of running water outside the window, and his previously calm heart stirred again.

In the countryside, there were no bathrooms; people just used water that had been left to stand in the sun during the day to wash themselves in a corner. Through the crack in the window, a fair figure occasionally appeared in Xu Fang's line of sight.

Moving closer, the ** was clearly visible to Xu Fang. Two magnificent mounds, the size of balls, rose and fell with the washing.

"Oh my god, this is driving me crazy!" Watching his rapidly rising **, Xu Fang sat back on the bed, trying to calm himself down.

Zheng Xiulan had already decided that Xu Fang was impotent, so she felt much more at ease taking a bath, which naturally took longer, much to Xu Fang's dismay.

Finally, everything calmed down after the bath.

The next day, having learned about Xu Fang's cooking skills, Zheng Xiulan no longer wanted to cook. This morning, Zheng Xiulan wore a beige shirt and shorts, her appearance was quite good, radiating vitality and a confident aura.

"You made so much for breakfast?" Zheng Xiulan was somewhat surprised, looking at the table full of dishes.

“I’m going out later, I won’t be back for lunch. You can heat it up and eat it then,” Xu Fang replied.

“Where are you going?” Zheng Xiulan’s heart skipped a beat. In just two days, she had already developed a certain dependence on this man.

“We’re out of money at home, aren’t we? These scallops should be able to sell for some money, enough to buy some daily necessities,” Xu Fang said with a smile.

“You’re going to the city?” Zheng Xiulan asked in surprise.

“Yes, or should I sell them to you?” Xu Fang asked, somewhat annoyed.

“This…this is so far.” Zheng Xiulan knew the difficulty of crossing nine mountains, and even after leaving the mountains, they couldn’t go directly to the city; they would have to take a taxi.

“It’s far, but we have to go. What else can we do? It’s alright, just a few mountains. Things were much harder before,” Xu Fang said nonchalantly.

Seeing Xu Fang's insistence, Zheng Xiulan didn't say anything, taking out the last thirty yuan from her pocket: "We'll take a taxi once we get out of the mountains."

Taking the money, Xu Fang chuckled, "Aren't you afraid I'll run off with this huge sum?"

"Pah, you smooth-talking jerk! If you dare cheat this village chief out of his money, I'll sell your house!" Zheng Xiulan rolled her eyes at Xu Fang, then giggled.

"You're ruthless," Xu Fang couldn't help but sigh. This woman was truly heartless; she was willing to sell his house for just thirty yuan.

After eating, Xu Fang shouldered his bamboo basket and headed out of the mountains.

For Xu Fang, even with a bamboo basket on his back, the mountain path was no problem. Three hours later, Xu Fang jogged out of the mountains.

Out of the mountains, it was still thirty li (about 15 kilometers) to Qingyun City.

There were buses along the way, stopping wherever you hailed, and one would come every now and then. The fare was seven yuan. The bus was crowded, and the fishy smell of scallops from Xu Fang's bamboo basket made some people frown.

A child by the window, quite close to Xu Fang, covered his nose unhappily and pointed at him, saying, "Why are you carrying something like that on the bus? Doesn't it bother everyone?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xu Fang apologetically moved aside, saying, "Excuse me, everyone, please bear with me. I'll get off when we arrive."

Seeing Xu Fang's politeness, no one said anything. The child muttered something, covered his nose, and remained silent.

Xu Fang sized up the child. He was made up so his age was hard to guess, dressed in a cute style, and had a large, well-endowed figure—quite impressive, though his temper was a bit bad.

The thirty-mile journey took only half an hour by bus. Upon arriving at his stop, Xu Fang immediately got off and wandered around with his bamboo basket.

To sell at a higher price, he needed to find a larger restaurant.

Xu Fang was very confident in his scallops; they were naturally wild, quite large, and highly competitive in the market at the same price.

However, selling them required distribution channels. Some high-end hotels already had established sources of supply, and he might not be able to sell them if he tried to do so haphazardly.