Chapter 70: The Monk Can Run, But the Temple Can’t

Lan Mo returned to the original host’s body, opening her eyes to stare at the dark ceiling. So she had come back again.

Ah, where had the original host gone? Could she have been reincarnated? Hopefully, she would be reborn into a good family, cherished by parents and loved by siblings, living as a carefree little princess.

This Dream Return Millennium was truly miraculous. She just didn’t know if taking it again would allow her to enter the same person’s dream. She would ask the “Flower Fairy of the Immortal Realm” tomorrow night.

For now, she should hurry up and sleep, not thinking about anything, not worrying too much about anything. Let everything follow its natural course.

The living would surely live well. And since this lonely soul of hers had been reborn, she would just keep a low profile! Since she was here, she might as well accept it. She would live well on behalf of the original host.

The next day, after waking up and washing, Lan Mo went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast. Passing by a large tree not far away, she looked up.

Although her eyes couldn’t see anything now, she believed that the gods were watching from above. As long as one always maintained a reverent heart, did no wrong, and naturally feared no ghosts knocking at the door, those filthy things wouldn’t come looking for trouble.

Li Jing suddenly called out to Lan Mo, “Doctor Lan, what’s wrong with you today? Your complexion looks so off.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Your face looks pale, and your eyes seem somewhat lifeless.”

Ah, was it really like that? Could this be the side effects of Soul Departure? It seemed she shouldn’t take this Dream Return Millennium too often.

Tonight, she should return to her space to cook some Spirit Rice Porridge to nourish her body properly! She should also take two Hundred Flowers Honey Dew Pills. Only with a healthy body and a beautiful appearance would her mood follow suit and become pleasant.

After so many consecutive days of rain, many children had fallen ill—fever, runny nose, coughing, vomiting… all sorts of symptoms kept emerging.

After the rain cleared and the sky brightened, many adults brought their children to the hospital. Some had the doctor prescribe medicine and went home, while others stayed for injections.

Today, two patients came to the Orthopedics Department. One was an old fisherman suffering from rheumatism and bone pain. Lan Mo had no other good solutions for this, so she directly prescribed two boxes of dog-skin plaster for him to apply at home.

The other was a three-year-old boy, standing there timidly, neither crying nor making a fuss. Lan Mo didn’t know what his problem was for the moment.

Lan Mo asked, “Comrade, what seems to be the issue with your child? Could you tell me first?”

“Doctor, my son is three years old and often stumbles when walking. Can you help me see what might be wrong with him?”

Lan Mo took a piece of candy from her pocket and asked the child to walk a circle for her to observe.

The little boy obediently walked a circle. This time, Lan Mo noticed the problem: his gait was abnormal—he was actually walking on tiptoes.

“Comrade, please take off your son’s shoes.”

“Doctor, is there something wrong with his feet?”

“Don’t worry, let me take a look first.”

The patient’s family removed the boy’s shoes and socks, and a foul smell immediately hit them. Had this child not washed his feet last night?

Suppressing her disgust, she examined his feet. It wasn’t flat feet or clubfoot. She then felt the child’s heels and discovered that the tendons in both legs were very tight.

Lan Mo wanted to test whether it was high muscle tension caused by cerebral palsy, so she also felt the muscles on his buttocks but found no issues there.

“I think your child has congenital short Achilles tendons, which causes them to be tight. Fortunately, the child is still young, and with surgical treatment combined with exercise, recovery can be quick.”

“Doctor, does he need surgery? He’s still so young!”

Lan Mo suddenly remembered that Achilles tendon lengthening surgery was rarely performed in this era. She quickly corrected herself, “Comrade, you can choose physical therapy for the child—stretching the Achilles tendons and having him squat frequently when possible. However, this method will take a longer time.”

Moreover, there were no corrective shoes in this era, and physical therapy would be most effective when combined with them for gradual recovery. The child was already three years old, and it was uncertain whether he could endure physical therapy or stick with it.

“Doctor, please be honest with me. My son just walks with an abnormal gait—it won’t affect other aspects, will it? Like his brain…” the family member asked nervously.

“Comrade, your child’s brain is perfectly normal and healthy.”

Even if it were cerebral palsy, it wouldn’t necessarily affect intelligence, let alone this child who had no issues at all.

Upon hearing that her child’s brain was fine, the family member immediately smiled. “Thank you, doctor. Since my son’s brain is fine, let’s forget about treatment. It’s just that his walking looks a bit awkward, but it won’t affect him finding a wife in the future.”

Lan Mo was speechless. How could a parent be like this?

Was this really her son? Even if surgery wasn’t an option, he could still undergo physical therapy. Sigh… What an irresponsible mother!

Lan Mo replied in a calm tone, “Comrade, you can frequently stretch your child’s Achilles tendons at home and help him do deep squats every day. Over time, the tendons will loosen, and he’ll naturally stop walking on his tiptoes. Also, buy him a pair of heavier shoes, like those big boots from the Northeast…”

She had said all she needed to say. Whether they followed through was up to them—after all, this wasn’t her child, so why should she worry?

…

Because Bai Wei had brought back a string of meat for dinner last night, Bai Zhi ate two full bowls of rice. When she woke up in the morning and noticed her bulging belly, she felt utterly distressed.

She slapped herself hard. You glutton, you just can’t control yourself…

They say that to lose weight, you need to control your mouth and move your legs.

Alright, starting today, she would only eat one bowl of rice and run two laps around the compound morning and evening. Maybe she’d slim down after a while.

No time like the present. Bai Zhi quickly got up, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and went out to exercise.

She hadn’t checked the time before heading out, and it wasn’t even six o’clock yet. The sky outside was still dim, not fully bright, and it looked gray as if it might rain. Still, she could make out pedestrians in the distance.

Bai Zhi had been active since childhood, often climbing trees up and down with the boys. Her athletic ability was naturally excellent—otherwise, she wouldn’t have become a physical education teacher at an elementary school.

She was a nimble little chubby girl, running surprisingly fast. But if she could run so well, why wasn’t she losing weight?

There were two reasons:

She was greedy and couldn’t control her mouth!

She was lazy and couldn’t get herself to move!

Today, having mustered the courage to get up for a morning run, she naturally had to give it her all. Bai Zhi didn’t care if anyone was around; she ran forward at a steady pace.

Oh, my dear fat, run along with me! Better yet, run up to my waist so my slim waist won’t be so easily pinched off.

Watching the female comrade running ahead, her belly fat jiggling with each step, Gu Yannan couldn’t help but laugh. This person looked somewhat familiar, didn’t she?

He quickly caught up and grabbed Bai Zhi by the back of her collar. “Good morning, little chubby!”

Bai Zhi turned around—oh no, why was it this nemesis again!

“Good morning, nemesis!”

Gu Yannan wasn’t angry but instead smiled. “Nemesis?”

Wasn’t the ultimate rival a nemesis?

Oh no, she’d let it slip—better make a quick escape!

Bai Zhi laughed awkwardly and said, “The wind is so strong this morning, Comrade Gu Yannan. You must have misheard me just now. I’ll be going first.” With that, Bai Zhi took off running as if her life depended on it.

If she didn’t leave now, would she just wait for him to smack her to death? Among the three Gu brothers, only Gu Yanbei was a bit of a weakling. The other two were not to be trifled with—each of them was a powerhouse in combat.

Gu Yannan suddenly stopped in his tracks. Hah… this little chubby was quite interesting. Run! Run all you want—you can run, but you can’t hide.

Not long after…

“You, you, you… how are you waiting right here at the entrance?”

“Of course, I’m here to catch you, little chubby! Look at you, sweating like rain. Looks like you’re on track to lose three pounds today, huh?”

Bai Zhi took it seriously and asked excitedly, “Are you telling the truth? It seems running is actually a bit useful, then. If I keep up my morning runs every day for half a month, I’ll definitely become as slim as my older sister, right?”

Bai Zhi’s eyes sparkled with an unusual light, fixed unwaveringly on Gu Yannan, hoping he would give her a definite answer—she would definitely lose weight, right?

Gu Yannan looked into those clear, lively eyes and thought to himself, this little chubby might be a bit plump, but her eyes were quite pretty.

“Yes, as long as you keep it up, you’ll definitely lose weight, little chubby. Keep it up! See you tomorrow!”

With that, Gu Yannan turned and walked away without looking back. Bai Zhi happily pinched her belly. How wonderful—she’d only run two laps today and already lost three pounds. It shouldn’t make much difference if she ate two extra meat buns later, right?