CHAPTER 665: CHAPTER 365: PERHAPS LOVE STARTED FROM THAT DAY

When Grayson Forrest said this, Jane Quinlan was quite surprised, wasn’t she?

She had only heard people talk about it before.

In fact, Grayson Forrest had always been a mysterious figure in Anchester.

His mystery probably stemmed from how little others knew about him.

Hearing this, she became even more curious about Grayson Forrest’s story.

"Isn’t that so?"

Grayson nodded slightly: "No, actually, there’s a reason why I only had Kay Forrest at this age.

I was born in the 1950s. You must have heard of the policy of sent-down youth, right?"

Jane nodded: "I know. My granduncle’s elder brother was sent to the countryside back in the day.

When I was little, he used to sit with us and tell us stories about being sent-down youth."

Grayson smiled and nodded: "Yes, actually, people of our generation who experienced rural life as sent-down youth were often full of resentment regarding the policy at the time.

But after returning, most of them would start to miss their past life to some extent.

After all, not every young person of that era got to have such memories.

For us back then, life in the countryside was bittersweet—painful yet joyful."

Jane sat across from Grayson and listened to him recount the past.

That year, Grayson was 18. His father was a mid-level cadre.

When the sent-down youth policy was implemented, his father was among the first batch to send him to the countryside.

When he left, he was utterly unwilling.

At that time, he had dreams of going to college, but once in the countryside, his college aspirations had to be put on hold.

The first day they arrived, their group was divided among several villages.

He was sent to a place called Little Bull Village along with a male classmate from middle school and several unfamiliar boys.

That village was considered to have the best conditions in the area.

It was said that his father, though resolute in sending him to the countryside, couldn’t bear it in his heart, so he gave some gifts to the group leader.

Upon arriving at Little Bull Village, their group was assigned to live in the big team house on the eastern edge of the village.

It consisted of three rooms: two bedrooms and a kitchen.

Their group had four boys and two girls, and everyone ate and worked together with the villagers.

To the locals, this group of sent-down youth seemed like pampered young masters and mistresses unskilled in manual labor.

At first, none of them knew how to do anything.

Rather than helping, they often caused extra trouble.

Within four days, one of the girls in their group fell ill from exhaustion.

Back then, whenever someone got sick, people thought of sending them to the hospital.

But given the circumstances, they were living in the countryside, and there were no hospitals nearby.

The entire township’s residents relied on the clinics scattered across villages for medical care.

Luckily, Little Bull Village had a clinic of its own.

There was a barefoot doctor who worked at the village clinic.

In a rush, they brought the sick girl to the clinic.

After giving her an injection, the doctor told the sent-down youth to take her back and rest.

The doctor explained that the girl was homesick and physically drained from overwork and fatigue over the past few days.

He advised them to let her rest for a few days and take good care of her.

But the situation at the time presented challenges—there were six of them in total.

The four boys didn’t know how to care for others, and the only other girl, shy and weepy, was too young and helpless to take on the role.

Seeing how pitiful the young people looked, the barefoot doctor called his daughter over and asked her to care for the ailing girl for a few days.

The barefoot doctor’s daughter was named Matilda, Matilda Sullivan.

Matilda was 17 when Grayson first met her, a sophomore in high school.

Despite being born and raised in the countryside, Matilda lacked the rustic demeanor typically associated with rural girls.

The first time Grayson saw her at the clinic, she was wearing a white floral shirt and army-green trousers, topped with a white lab coat similar to her father’s.

Since it was a Saturday and there were no classes, she was helping her father at the clinic.

After her father asked her to help, she supported the sick sent-down youth and accompanied them back to their team quarters.

Matilda spoke with an easy boldness, her personality cheerful and outgoing, and she quickly bonded with the sent-down youth group due to their similar age.

Later, whenever she had spare time, Matilda would frequently visit the team quarters to spend time with them.

One day, as Grayson returned from the fields, he happened to meet Matilda riding a bicycle past the team house entrance.

She got off her bike and asked him, "Grayson, it’s only ten o’clock. Why are you back already?"

Grayson frowned tightly and answered, "My stomach doesn’t feel too good."

She leaned her bike against the wall and said, "Then go inside and lie down for a bit. I’ll boil some hot water for you."

Grayson nodded: "Okay, thank you."

He lay down inside, covered himself with a blanket, and fell asleep. Over half an hour later, Matilda came in with a bowl of hot water and, noticing the sweat on his forehead, worriedly checked his pulse.

Having grown up hearing about traditional medicine, Matilda started learning about it at an early age.

Though she couldn’t be called proficient, she would occasionally help check pulses for the villagers when her father wasn’t around.

After checking Grayson’s pulse, she asked with concern, "Have you been eating too many cold things lately, upsetting your spleen and stomach?"

Grayson frowned: "Maybe. It’s been a while since I had hot water. Lately, everyone’s too tired to boil water after work, so we just drink cold water.

But no one else seems to feel unwell. I, as a man, shouldn’t be bothered by this."

"People’s constitutions differ, don’t they?

Come on, let me help you drink this bowl of hot water."

Matilda propped him up, spooning and blowing on the water to feed it to him gradually.

After drinking the hot water, Matilda said, "Rest for a bit while I head home to grab some herbs to brew medicine for you."

Grayson looked at her gratefully: "Matilda, thank you."

Matilda smiled and said, "If you’re really thankful, do me a favor."

"What’s that?"

"I heard from everyone that you’re the best student among your group.

And you’re in your second year of high school. Could you spare some time to tutor me? I struggle with math."

Grayson was visibly surprised: "It’s rare for rural girls to be as passionate about studying as you are.

Most kids your age in Little Bull Village are busy earning work points."

Matilda giggled: "Well... it’s probably because of my dreams.

I don’t want to spend my life toiling away for measly work points."

Grayson looked at her in astonishment: "Dreams?"

"Yes, even rural girls can have dreams."

"What’s your dream?"

Matilda answered without hesitation: "I want to become a practitioner of Traditional Medicine.

I believe Traditional Medicine is the heritage our country should pass down through generations."

"Traditional Medicine?" Grayson forced a smile and said, "Alright, I get it.

If there’s anything you don’t understand in the future, feel free to come ask me.

As it happens, I’m pretty good at math."

"Wow," Matilda clapped her hands happily. "Thank you so much.

Now that you agreed, you can’t take it back.

I’ll go grab the herbs right away."

She laughed and turned to run excitedly out the door.

Maybe it was because he was alone there with no one to care for him.

Or perhaps he was really at the age where hearts begin to awaken.

That day, her smile became a permanent mark etched into his heart.

Even now, he still cannot forget it.

Sometimes he wonders—does love, unknowingly born, sneak up just like that?

Anyway, that day, his heart skipped a wild beat.

So much so that when his companions returned and he could have gone back to work in the fields that afternoon,

he found himself unwilling to leave.

He claimed he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t get up.

As a result, he not only avoided fieldwork but also had Matilda come to care for him.

Though Matilda’s family ran the clinic,

in the countryside, people typically endured minor ailments rather than seeking treatment.

So on ordinary days, Matilda’s family would go out to earn work points.

Back then, work points were as good as money.

That day, Matilda stayed instead of going home for lunch, busy in the courtyard brewing medicine for him.

When he drank the medicine and started to feel better, she asked him math questions, and he explained concepts to her in return.

On that bustling afternoon, with the gentle breeze, the chirping cicadas, and the croaking frogs by the pond, perhaps love had quietly begun.