Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 32 Teaching Sister-in-law Boxing

"Xiao Jian..."

"What’s wrong, Sister-in-law?"

Wang Jian held his bowl, having just stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth. The food was so delicious he looked rather silly, with a few grains of rice stuck to the corner of his lips.

Xu Qian chuckled, reaching out to wipe them away. "Tell me what you’d like to eat tomorrow," she said softly. "I’ll bring it over at noon."

"Ah, let’s just have the shredded pork with green peppers again. It’s really great over rice."

"Can’t we switch it up?" Xu Qian rolled her eyes at him. "You eat the same two dishes every day. Aren’t you worried about an unbalanced diet?"

"It’s not that serious."

Wang Jian chuckled. Noticing there wasn’t much of the shredded pork with green peppers left, he quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, you’re not eating any more of this, are you?"

Xu Qian shook her head. "No, I’m done. Go ahead and take it."

"Then I won’t be polite."

Wang Jian picked up the whole plate, pouring all the shredded pork, sauce and all, into his bowl. He then added another half-bowl of rice and mixed everything together. The white rice turned brown, smelling fragrant from the savory sauce. One mouthful was all it took; he didn’t even need to grab food from the other dishes.

So satisfying!

Eating like this—and doing the same with tomato and scrambled eggs—was simply divine. His sister-in-law’s cooking was incredible. Wang Jian felt truly blessed.

The meal was especially savory this way, and within a few mouthfuls, Wang Jian had polished off the entire bowl, not leaving a single grain behind.

Only three clean plates were left on the table, along with Wang Jian’s empty bowl.

Xu Qian’s bowl, however, still had half a bowl of rice. This made Wang Jian blush. He had been so focused on eating that he hadn’t noticed his sister-in-law had barely touched her food. "Sister-in-law," he said awkwardly, "are you still hungry? I..."

He glanced around. There was truly nothing left.

"How about I go make you another dish?"

Wang Jian actually knew how to cook. Having lived on his own for so many years, he had picked up a few skills, though he was no match for his sister-in-law. So when he offered to cook, he blushed, embarrassed that he had devoured all the good food himself.

But Xu Qian shook her head. "No, it’s alright. You should rest. I wasn’t really hungry anyway."

"Sister-in-law, are you looking down on my cooking?"

"Hahaha, no, not at all. I’m really full," Xu Qian explained. "Besides, as the one who cooked this meal, seeing you eat with so much enjoyment makes me incredibly happy."

"Then it looks like you’re going to be this happy every day from now on," Wang Jian laughed. "I love your cooking, Sister-in-law. If I could eat like this every day, I’d die of happiness! Hahaha, I could definitely eat this heartily every single day."

"Really?" Xu Qian’s cheeks flushed. She continued, "As long as you like it, Xiao Jian, I’ll make it specially for you. I can cook it every day, every single day."

Wang Jian froze. Her words caught him off guard. He stole a glance at Xu Qian, and seeing her blush, his heart suddenly began to hammer in his chest.

"Uh, I’m going to the living room... time to practice my forms. It’s good for digestion, too."

Wang Jian chickened out and fled.

Xu Qian clicked her tongue and muttered "fool" under her breath, then slowly began to clear the table.

By the time they finished eating, night had already fallen over the mountains, and the air was filled with the incessant chirping of insects and croaking of frogs. Most of the people in Paigou Village had already returned to their homes. Only a few elders were still sitting at the village entrance enjoying the cool air, but they wouldn’t stay out long. Once the nightly news started, the village would be practically empty outside. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

With a television to watch and no mosquitoes inside, who would want to go out and become a mosquito feeder?

Wang Jian practiced his forms once in the morning and once in the evening to circulate his energy and strengthen his body.

He stood in the living room with his eyes closed, assuming a Tai Chi Stance, his hands held out before him as if embracing a tree. Circulating his energy this way could help him quickly recover the vitality he had spent during the day. This wasn’t a Martial Art, just a traditional method for strengthening the body. However, the version his master had taught him included more techniques for circulating and nurturing energy than the common Tai Chi, making it exceptionally beneficial for his health.

He held this stance for more than ten minutes.

When Xu Qian returned from the kitchen, she saw Wang Jian still standing there, looking like an old sage embracing a tree. To her, he appeared utterly serene, his breathing even, his body motionless, as if he had become one with his surroundings.

This was the first time Xu Qian had truly seen Wang Jian’s Tai Chi Stance up close. The other villagers who practiced Tai Chi never gave off this kind of feeling.

Of course, she had no idea that the moment she entered the room, Wang Jian’s concentration had shattered. His heart was racing, making it impossible to remain calm. How the hell am I supposed to hold the stance now?

"Xiao Jian, is this Tai Chi?"

"Sort of... but it’s a little different."

Wang Jian pretended to complete his routine and explained, "Although it might not look much different from what the old men in the village practice, the internal aspects are very different."

Xu Qian looked puzzled. "You wake up so early to practice your forms and do it again at night. After working all day, aren’t you tired? Where do you get so much energy?"

"Hahahaha." Wang Jian let out a laugh. He raised his hands and flowed through the opening sequence of a Tai Chi form. Still as a pine yet moving like the wind, his spirit and vitality converged with each breath, completely transforming his presence.

The posture was genuinely beautiful to watch, and the fact that Wang Jian didn’t look tired at all piqued Xu Qian’s interest.

"My back is a little sore after tidying up all day. Would this help?"

Xu Qian had been sleeping restlessly lately, so after a busy day, the problem had surfaced. Wang Jian wasn’t tired, but she felt a dull ache in her lower back. She certainly couldn’t tell him the real reason for her back pain, but learning this set of forms seemed like a good idea.

Wang Jian’s eyes darted to her slender waist. He nodded immediately. "Of course, it helps. Do you want to learn, Sister-in-law? I can teach you."

Then, as if afraid she’d find it too difficult, he added, "It’s very simple. I’ll guide you by the hand, and I guarantee you’ll have it down by tonight."

"If not, we can go over it again tomorrow night. You’ll definitely get it."

"Really?" Xu Qian felt that Wang Jian had some other motive. Looking into his eyes with a mixture of belief and suspicion, she said, "Alright then, let’s give it a try?"

"Hey, wait a second." Wang Jian turned and walked toward the stairs. "I’ll go get the silver needle."

"The silver needle?" Xu Qian froze, calling after his retreating back, "Aren’t we learning forms? Why do you need a silver needle?"

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before Wang Jian was already racing up the stairs, paying her no mind. Seeing how eager he was, she had no idea what he was so excited about.

In just a couple of minutes, Wang Jian came running back down, taking several steps at a time as if he had flown down from the second floor.

He stopped right in front of Xu Qian, his face only slightly flushed and his breathing even. Suppressing the tremor in his heart, Wang Jian spoke.

"Okay, Sister-in-law. Let’s start. Take off your clothes!"

"Ah?"

Xu Qian thought she had misheard. She stared at him, wide-eyed, as if asking if he had just said something crazy. Why would I need to take off my clothes to practice forms?

But Wang Jian was resolute today. Ignoring her look, he said directly, "Sister-in-law, don’t overthink it. If you want to practice properly, just learning the stance is useless. I need to use the silver needle to guide your qi. That way, you’ll understand how to direct it yourself and can truly achieve the effects that I do."

He stated righteously, "I’m not trying to take advantage of you. My master helped me the same way when I was starting out."

Xu Qian’s face turned pink. How could I and his master be the same?

This boy isn’t being honest. No wonder he was so excited earlier; he was clearly waiting for this moment. Xu Qian cursed him a few times in her head as her heart accelerated and her lips grew dry.

The thought of undressing in front of her brother-in-law—even if it was just for Acupuncture—was mortifying.

And yet, Xu Qian knew that what she felt most was a thrill of joy. Joy that Wang Jian seemed to have finally caught on, although she wasn’t sure if he understood her feelings for him yet.

But right now, whether he knew or not didn’t matter.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Qian reached behind her back with a trembling hand, fumbling for the zipper on her dress. She finally managed to grasp the pull tab, but when she tried to pull it down, it wouldn’t budge. She didn’t know if her hand was too weak or if her nervousness had caused it to jam.

She bit her lip, and as if making a momentous decision, she whispered, "Xiao Jian, the zipper seems to be stuck. You... you help me take it off..."

The last few words were so quiet Wang Jian could barely hear them.

He swallowed hard. His hands were already itching to move, but he still had to ask, "Sister-in-law, did you just ask me to do it?"

This idiot is so infuriating!

Xu Qian desperately wanted to grab his hand and force him to move, but all her frustration melted into a tiny nod.

Wang Jian, you must hold on! Don’t embarrass Master! This is just teaching, just teaching! Don’t overthink this... don’t overthink this...

Wang Jian’s hands were trembling now, and his legs felt like they were no longer under his control. He watched as she turned around, sweeping her loose hair over one shoulder to reveal the nape of her neck and the zipper of her dress.

Wang Jian finally reached out and took hold of the zipper’s tab, sliding it down gently...

ZZIP... ZZIP...

The intermittent zipping sound underscored their shared agitation.

More and more pale skin was revealed as both of their breaths grew heavier.