Afterwards, Yi Roujing didn't cut the fish mint directly; instead, she used the sickle as a spade to start digging, gathering some for medicinal use, just in case.
Seeing that there was enough, Yi Roujing stood up and stretched her arms. Her body had just somewhat recovered from an illness, and after a bit of activity, she felt a bit tired. However, among the three, she was in the middle range in terms of endurance. Xia Xingchen had only been cutting for five or six minutes, and he was already sitting on a rock catching his breath.
"Why are you so weak?" Yi Roujing asked, carrying her basket over to him.
"I was born prematurely, brought it from the womb, nothing to be done," Xia Xingchen explained with a smile.
Yi Roujing sat down and took Xia Xingchen's right hand, feeling his pulse roughly. It was indeed weak, but breathing heavily with just a little movement seemed excessive. Although she was only a graduate student at Huada Medical University, studying general surgery, she had also studied traditional Chinese medicine.
Although she hadn't mastered the essence of observation, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse, she still had some skills. After all, she came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and could handle most minor ailments.
"My hands just don't warm up easily," Xia Xingchen thought Yi Roujing was checking his temperature, explaining with a laugh.
"Taking traditional Chinese medicine should improve it somewhat. You can't go on like this," Yi Roujing said.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ding Anmin stood up and glared at Yi Roujing. "Don't end up harming Xingchen."
Yi Roujing was a bit confused. How was she harming anyone? She was trying to help. "Her body..."
Yi Roujing stopped mid-sentence. She remembered now; it was 1975, well, almost. "Her body can hold on for a while longer. Maybe in a year or two, she can get checked again. For now, just pay attention to your diet, avoid cold foods. It's still chilly, don't expose your ankles, and..."
Yi Roujing rambled on about many things, to which Xia Xingchen nodded, replying kindly, "Got it, I'll keep it in mind."
"You sound as if you know everything. Stop pretending," Ding Anmin scoffed. "You only have a middle school education, what could you possibly know."
Middle school education Yi Roujing...
"Alright, there's no pigweed here anymore. Let's go elsewhere," Ding Anmin said angrily, leading the way. After a few steps, she returned and helped Xia Xingchen up. She also hummed towards Yi Roujing, "Follow along, if you fall into the pond, I won't save you."
"I could fall into..."
"Woo—"
Yi Roujing, just a little disgruntled, lightly swung the sickle backward, and then the blade flew into the pond in her disbelief-filled gaze.
"Splash—" into the water it went.
"What are you doing!" Ding Anmin hurried forward towards the pond. The ripples from the fallen object slowly calmed, and she was anxiously hopping, "Why would you throw the sickle, that belongs to the team."
"Where are your eyes?" Yi Roujing raised her right hand, revealing the wooden handle of the sickle still in her grip.
Ding Anmin's mouth opened wide in surprise, "This, this... how did the blade come off."
"It wasn't secure," Yi Roujing said resignedly, putting down the basket and rolling up her trousers.
Ding Anmin fell silent for a moment. Just as Yi Roujing was about to head into the pond, Ding Anmin was already taking off her shoes, ready to go in.
"Hey, I can retrieve it myself."
"Your body just got better. If you go back in and get sick again, you won't earn any work points, and you can't even swim. Don't add to the chaos." With that, Ding Anmin had already set foot inside.
"Be careful, the blade is rusty and very sharp. If you step on it..."
"I don't need you to remind me," Ding Anmin muttered as she bent down, cautiously searching in the pond with her hands. "Luckily it didn't fall far, otherwise... ah..."
Ding Anmin suddenly straightened up and backed away, her body trembling, "I-I think I touched a snake."
"Anmin, get up here quickly. If you get bitten, it's no joke," Xia Xingchen said worriedly.
Yi Roujing had already pulled the frozen Ding Anmin ashore. "Wipe your legs dry."
She then walked a few steps away, found two dry sticks, and reached the area where Ding Anmin had been searching. When the stick felt something flick at it, she withdrew a little but approached again and was flicked in the same spot. Yi Roujing was puzzled. Was something trapped there?
Attempting to lift the snake with the two sticks was too slippery, so Yi Roujing focused on the object trapping it and probed around, encountering something hard. She clamped it up with force and was stunned when she brought it up.
Ding Anmin and Xia Xingchen were also astounded.
A curved sickle blade had pierced an eel, and the bottom of the sickle was embedded in a clam. What kind of incredible coincidence was this?
With both hands, Yi Roujing flung the three items to an unoccupied area.
"Who would've thought it was an eel. Scared me; I thought it was a snake," Ding Anmin felt much calmer knowing it wasn't a snake.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing, how did you do that," Xia Xingchen stared at the eel writhing in the shallow grass, the black mussel, and the upright sickle blade, finding it unbelievable.
"An enormous coincidence," Yi Roujing herself found it incredible. She went up and pinched the blade, pulling it out. The eel's movements slowed, looking like it was about to die. As for the clam, it had slightly opened, and Yi Roujing used the sickle to pry it apart. This was meat, after all. "We can have a little feast tonight."
"Xia Xingchen, take this eel and make some soup. It will help your blood and energy," Yi Roujing said.
"I don't know how to cook," Xia Xingchen replied sheepishly.
"Come to my house for dinner; I'll cook for you," Ding Anmin said. "Even if you take it home, you won't get more than a few bites."
"As for this clam meat, we..." Yi Roujing paused, because inside the clam, she saw a pearl. How could one be so lucky?
Yi Roujing squeezed the round hard object from the nacre, revealing a silver-white pearl as large as a thumbnail.
"This is a pearl," Xia Xingchen whispered, covering his mouth, looking around and speaking quietly, "So smooth, and quite big. Sister-in-law, the way your sickle blade fell was truly fortunate."
"Quick, hide it. If people find out, you might not get a share," Ding Anmin crouched down nervously.
Yi Roujing placed the pearl in her pocket, putting the clam and eel in the basket. After Ding Anmin's tinkering, the sickle blade was temporarily secured. To her, it seemed no different from when she first got it, albeit thoroughly wet.
"You better give the sickle to me," Ding Anmin said, somewhat uneasy as she watched Yi Roujing walking ahead. "Let's switch, you use mine. That one isn't secure and might fall. If it falls where you can't find it, you'll be in trouble."