When the sun set, the two of them came back carrying a small bag of wild fruits.
Luo Ya tied the horse to the stable, then leaned into Zhou Qiao's ear and whispered: "I will teach you how to ride a horse tomorrow. When you get good at riding, we can..."
The legendary incident between Tang Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan immediately appeared in Zhou Qiao's mind, and his heart beat faster!
But I'm a little worried. He's not good at equestrian skills. Can he really do that? If it falls...
He secretly vowed to study hard tomorrow, life safety is the most important thing!
Grandma Luo Ya couldn't help but smile when she saw them picking such a small amount of wild fruits all afternoon, and naturally she wouldn't dislike them.
She is someone who has been there, how could she not know what Luo Ya and Zhou Qiao were doing? ! It must have gone to the tumbleweed!
The old man was happy in his heart, and he could not help but recall vividly the scene when he and his husband were rolling corn in the field when they were young.
Unfortunately, my husband has passed away many years ago!
Now, my eldest granddaughter has finally grown up and has a boyfriend!
Luo Ya has had the same temperament as a man since she was a child. Grandma Luo Ya was worried that no one would want her!
"Grandma, are uncle and the others coming back for dinner tonight?" Luo Ya looked at the sumptuous dinner and said in her heart, her uncle, aunt and little cousin must be coming back, otherwise, the three of them alone would not be able to eat. Is it done?
Grandma Luo Ya's expression darkened and she was a little apologetic, and said to Luo Ya: "I called your uncle to inform you, but Aunt Qi said that the clinic was busy and she didn't have time to come back. As for your little cousin, he went to Houston with his girlfriend , it’s estimated that it will take a few days to come back.”
Luo Ya smiled and thought to herself that such a small clinic and only a few people in the town could be so busy. I just don’t want to come back!
"It's okay. When Joe and I go to the town to play another day, we can stop by to visit my uncle!" Luo Ya didn't take it to heart and shrugged.
Zhou Qiao: "..."
Why does she feel that something is wrong with her aunt? Are there conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the United States?
Or does aunt simply not like Luo Ya?
(Actually, there are no uncle or aunt in English, only uncle and aunt. It is just translated here to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the characters.)
…
It was getting late, and Grandma Loya turned off the light and lit a thick tallow candle.
The candlelight dinner begins!
The knife and fork are made of silver, and the pattern engraved on it is very exquisite, like a work of art. It was Grandma Luo Ya's dowry when she was young. No, my precious granddaughter came over with her boyfriend, so she took it out!
Although there were only three people, the dishes were quite rich and filled a large table, all served on large plates.
There's grilled ham, grilled smoked pork, bacon, steak, shrimp, pasta, goose eggs, cheese and beef sandwiches, homemade coleslaw, baked potatoes, Texas toast, chicken fried steak.
In fact, chicken schnitzel originated in Texas, home to a large population of German and Austrian immigrants, who invented the chicken schnitzel based on the principles of Wiener Schnitzel.
In addition, there is a unique Texas delicacy - Corso, which is a cheese product and a very delicious appetizer.
In addition, drinks include milk tea (milk and black tea produced by our own cows), freshly squeezed ruby grapefruit juice picked from the trees, and farm-brewed grape wine sent by Garnett.
Fortunately, both Zhou Qiao and Luo Ya have amazing appetites!
Luo Ya originally ate more and didn't take in much energy. She didn't have such strong physical strength!
As for Zhou Qiao, he has consumed too much these days and needs to take more supplements.
It is worth mentioning that the wine Garnett brews is quite good, similar to the quality of wines on the market that sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle.
Loya originally called and asked Garnett to come with her, but Garnett said that he had returned to town and was dealing with Kissi's affairs.
"Sorry to trouble you, we'll meet up another day. If you have any difficulties, remember to come to me!" Luo Ya said.
"Yeah, don't worry, I can still handle this little thing!" After this incident, Garnett seemed to have figured out something, and he became determined and brave!
There was nothing to entertain in the countryside, so Grandma Luo Ya only prepared one room.
Zhou Qiao: "..."
Luo Ya laughed: "What's wrong? Are you still shy? My grandma is so old, what doesn't she know?!"
Zhou Qiao stopped being pretentious and said, "I will help you check the recovery of the wound!"
Luo Ya said: "You learn very quickly, you have to find an excuse for everything!"
"I really want to check you out!"
"No, I won't let you!"
This was the first time Zhou Qiao heard Luo Ya say "no", and he couldn't help but become more energetic!
The next day, they went horseback riding. Under Luo Ya's careful guidance, Zhou Qiao quickly mastered the trick and was able to control the horse and run on the open plains!
But the speed cannot be too fast, otherwise it is easy to lose control.
In addition, it was also because the mare was relatively docile.
The mare's back is wide, and Luo Ya performs some stunts, yoga or dance on it, which makes Zhou Qiao amazed!
The two naturally auditioned for the roles of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan. I have to say that galloping on horseback is a unique experience. Even the medical mystical points seem to have a bonus, and I got two more points than usual!
After that, we went boating on the lake!
There are lakes all over Texas. The natural lake that Loya brought him to is quite famous even in Texas. There are patches of cypress forests on one side of the lakeshore and some abandoned cabins. , it may have been left behind by some hunters in the past, or used by others for camping.
The sparkling waves, lakes and mountains are so beautiful.
Luo Ya took off all her clothes, jumped off the boat, and deliberately caused waves to splash all over Zhou Qiao!
She laughed like a mermaid in the lake and waved: "Qiao, come down and play together!"
However, Zhou Qiao was a little scared looking at the vast lake.
He shouted loudly: "Luoya~, have you seen Python? Or monster movies like Crocodile? They are all produced by Hollywood!"
Luo Ya almost burst out laughing. She was tumbling in the lake, like white stripes in the waves. She swam to the side of the boat, stuck her head out, and said angrily: "Don't worry, I have come to this lake often since I was a child. There are no monsters." Yes, come down quickly!"
Zhou Qiao thought to herself, you can’t let women look down on you! So, overcoming my fear of American lakes, I quickly took off my clothes and jumped into the lake!
Luo Ya sank to the bottom of the water, and then Zhou Qiao felt that a monster was attacking him!
…
The medical point is +8 again!
In just a few days, the account balance exceeded 200 again!
After playing for a few days, Luo Ya had more calls. Sometimes when I answer the phone, I feel mysterious and avoid Zhou Qiao.
Zhou Qiao accompanied her to say goodbye to her grandmother and drove to town. She planned to pay a visit to her uncle before driving to Houston.
Loya plans to buy a house in a Houston suburb to use as a safe house. This car can be parked in the garage of the safe house and will be used when visiting grandma later.
Although the small town of Ellot is small, it has all the necessary facilities, such as a church, a post office, a clinic, a school, a hotel, a tavern, a gas station, a police station, private houses... and even a museum and a small prison.
Garnett is responsible for both the police station and the jail. However, according to him, that prison almost never held prisoners.
This kind of town is vast and sparsely populated, with more than a thousand people. Basically everyone knows each other. The only bully Kissi has died again. It is estimated that the public security will be good for a long time from now on!
There is only one main road in the town, which runs from north to south. To the north it can connect to the highway to Houston, and to the south it can go directly to the Gulf of Mexico.
At the crossroads in the center of the town, there is the only traffic light in the town.
Compared to cars and pickup trucks, there are also many horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts!
When Zhou Qiao and the others came, there happened to be a "cowboy show" in the square in the center of the town.
In the late 19th century, Texas was famous for raising cattle and was the state with the most cattle in the United States.
At that time, Texans drove large numbers of cattle north to the railroad in Kansas, and then resold them throughout the United States. There are also special "cattle trails" and "cattle towns". The "cattle trails" are the roads that the cattle take, and the "cattle towns" are the resting stations for the cowboys along the way.
This "Cowboy Show" is a "performance troupe" in the town, performing a song and dance show to commemorate the cowboy event more than a hundred years ago!
In addition to the cowboys, there are also the famous Texas Longhorns and tall horses.
A longhorn cow pooped a giant poop in the street, causing everyone to laugh, cover their noses and retreat! Soon, a cleaner came and cleared away the feces.
According to onlookers, this cowboy show was originally scheduled to be performed in the evening during the bonfire party. Unfortunately, the weather forecast suggested that a hurricane was coming soon, so they had to perform in advance!
The small town of Ellot is located in southern Texas, only 70 to 80 kilometers away from the coastline. It has a subtropical climate. The annual average temperature is 20.7 degrees Celsius, the average annual rainfall is 1224 mm, and the annual sunshine period is 188 days. There are many hurricanes from July to November!
Loya originally wanted to get ahead of the hurricane and drive to Houston after visiting her aunt and uncle. However, suddenly a gust of wind blew and the oilcloth on top of a house not far away flew off and fell into the distance!
"shit!"
The townspeople scattered and rushed to their homes: "The wind is coming, the wind is coming, a hurricane is coming!"
"Quick, quick, go back and close the window!"
"The damn weather forecast is not accurate at all! Didn't we agree to come in the evening?"
"Oh my God, my roof hasn't been reinforced yet!" one town citizen exclaimed.
Beside him, his wife was running, jumping up and scolding him, her fingers almost poking the back of his head: "I've asked you to reinforce the roof a long time ago, but you delay it every time, delay it every time, okay now, I have to." You won’t regret it until the hurricane comes!”
"I'll go reinforce it right away!"
"Are you crazy? It's so windy, and if you suddenly climb up, aren't you going to be swept away by the wind? Do you think you are Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, or her puppy Toto?"
"I'm Toto, I'm Toto, okay? Woof woof~, woof woof~"
Seeing this situation, Luo Ya had no choice but to go to her uncle's house with Zhou Qiao to hide.
Originally, I just came to visit them and thought about buying something in the town store before going there. However, a strong wind suddenly hit, which made people panic, so I stopped buying anything!
The store is probably closed too.
The town was not big, so Luo Ya quickly found the clinic called Lilac according to her memory.
The Lilac Clinic is much smaller than the Iris Clinic, only a two-story building. The first floor is the clinic, including the consulting room, treatment room, operating room, and infusion room. The second floor is the residence of Luo Ya's uncle and aunt's family.
Loya's uncle has been running this clinic for nearly eighteen years. He is also a relatively senior general practitioner and the only doctor in the town.
Within a hundred miles, he is the only place with medical services. A little further away is a referral to a hospital in Victoria, or to a major hospital in Houston.
In comparison, more people are more willing to choose the latter if they encounter a serious illness. After all, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and the largest economic center on the Gulf Coast. The distance is not far, just over a hundred kilometers, and it’s directly accessible by highway!
Rural areas in the United States are in decline, small towns are deserted, and young people are flocking to big cities. This is the same in China.
Since there was no anesthesiologist, it was very inconvenient, so Luo Ya’s uncle studied hard and later obtained an anesthesiologist certificate.
Zhou Qiao found out these things when the two of them were playing together.
Of course, Luo Ya has not come back for many years, so the information is probably lagging behind.
However, time in this small town is very slow. The streets have not changed in decades. Many of the houses are even buildings from a hundred years ago. The population is small, only more than a thousand people. Loya's uncle is older, in his fifties and sixties. People, I guess that’s what it’s been like these past few years.
Zhou Qiao's Iris Clinic is located in San Francisco, ranked sixth among cities in the United States. It has various facilities and can easily make appointments with anesthesiologists from community hospitals. Therefore, Zhou Qiao has no particularly strong need to obtain an anesthesiologist qualification certificate.
The medical care, education, and various supporting facilities in big cities are really not comparable to those in small places.
In San Francisco, there is a private clinic just a few kilometers away. The competition is fierce, and the Red-billed Gull Clinic even does not hesitate to use dirty tricks!
However, in the small town of Ellot, Lilac Clinic has a monopoly within a hundred kilometers! Unfortunately, without a population base, this kind of "monopoly" is meaningless, which is to barely survive.
"Uncle~, I'm Luo Ya, open the door quickly!" Luo Ya took Zhou Qiao to the door of the clinic, parked the car, and knocked on the door.
Because, the hurricane is coming and the clinic is closed!
Luo Ya's uncle had long known that she was back. When he heard the shout, he couldn't help being very surprised and ran to open the door.
"Uncle~" Luo Ya called affectionately.
Zhou Qiao hesitated for a moment and then called "uncle". (Actually, it is very convenient for foreigners. They are all Uncle, so it is not so embarrassing. Even in China, it is okay to call your girlfriend uncle after you.)
Uncle Luo Ya was a short, fat, old doctor with a long and straight nose, a bald head, and a white coat. When he saw Zhou Qiao, he just nodded and welcomed them into the room.
"You guys came at a really bad time. A hurricane is probably coming, so just stay at the clinic for the night!" Uncle Loya said, and then each of them got a bottle of Coke.
Zhou Qiao said: "Thank you."
Luo Ya smiled and said: "Originally, we wanted to go back to Houston after visiting you, but we didn't expect that the weather forecast was inaccurate and the hurricane was advanced!"
"Then hide away for a few days before leaving. I still have a guest room in the clinic for you to live in. It's no problem." The uncle sat down and chatted with them.
After a while, a fat woman came out of the back room. Luo Ya stood up quickly and said hello with a smile: "Good afternoon, aunt!"
The fat woman curled her lips, ignored it, and went directly upstairs.
Halfway up the stairs, Zhou Qiao vaguely heard some muttering, as if the money-losing guy had arrived again, and he was still empty-handed, not even a gift.
Zhou Qiao: "..."
He was afraid that Luo Ya would become angry, take out his gun and shoot the woman!
But it was obvious that Luo Ya was not a brainless person. She didn't care at all. She still talked and laughed with her uncle, and explained to her uncle that the hurricane came suddenly, so she didn't have time to prepare gifts.
Uncle Loya said that wasn't a problem.
After a moment of silence, Uncle Luo Ya sneered again and said: "Your aunt is just like this, don't take it too seriously."
Luo Ya thought for a while and said to her uncle: "Actually, my aunt is quite a good person."
"Ah?" Uncle Luo Ya was shocked and couldn't help but touch his bald head, wondering if he heard wrongly? Although, he really wanted to hear Luo Ya say such things.
I'm afraid it's because I want to hear it deep down in my heart, so I'm hallucinating it!
Luo Ya repeated it again and said with a smile: "Auntie is really a very considerate person. If nothing else, uncle, you used to fund my education, and auntie didn't object at all!"
If Aunt Luo Ya cries, makes trouble, and hangs herself, she is really unwilling to pay. Luo Ya might not even be able to attend high school, let alone the police academy.
Although public high schools are tuition-free, there are many other expenses, such as student supplies, library fees, living expenses, buying clothes and shoes, etc. You don’t need to spend money on any of them.
Luo Ya was living under someone else's roof, and her aunt didn't drive her away. Luo Ya felt that it was quite good.
The uncle was stunned, took a deep look at Luo Ya, and said, "I'm quite surprised and relieved that you can think of this."
He was most afraid of Luo Ya holding a grudge, so he untied his knot and said, "You guys sit here for now. There is a TV over there, so you can watch the news. I don't know if there will be a water or power outage due to this damn weather. I'll go and stock up." Get some water and adjust the generator."
Luo Ya said: "Uncle, go and do your work, don't worry about us."
After his uncle left, Zhou Qiao couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Are you really not angry with your aunt?"
Luo Ya whispered: "My aunt is a bit hard-spoken and soft-hearted. In addition, I can vent my anger now, scold her, give her a slap and so on, but what happens after I leave? Will she take her anger out on my grandma? On your body?"
"Why should I make my grandma's life more difficult in the future just for my own temporary pleasure?"
Zhou Qiao couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "There is a pattern!"
Recalling the life experience Luo Ya told him when the two of them were shaking and the boat was shaking, Zhou Qiao couldn't help but think of Jane Eyre.
Jane Eyre also lost her parents when she was young, and was fostered in her aunt's house, where she was severely abused. Later, her aunt sent her to Lowood School, where the environment was harsh. The treasurer and director were cold and harsh hypocrites, and the only friends she had good friends with were her. Helen also died of illness!
Loya lived in a better era than Jane Eyre, and her aunt was also better!
(End of chapter)
