Apothecary of the 60s

Guan Yue, a sixteen-year-old high school student from a wealthy family, survived the apocalypse only to witness her parents murdered by rebels who feared their viral research would end the chaos. Clutching a family heirloom jade pendant containing her parents' ashes, she used her wood-based abilities to exact revenge before dying, only to awaken transmigrated into the body of a herbalist's disciple named Guan Yue in 1970s China. She now lives in isolation on Daqing Mountain with a mutated vine companion and a puppy, guarding her secret powers while navigating a world far removed from the post-apocalyptic wasteland she left behind.

Gu Sui, a certified doctor from Beijing, is assigned as the Barefoot Doctor for the remote Qingxi Village after being transferred there by his family's political connections. Upon arrival, he learns that the village's supply of antidote pills is critically low after a villager is bitten by a venomous snake. Desperate to save the boy, Gu Sui climbs Daqing Mountain to seek more medicine from Doctor Xu, only to encounter his disciple, Guan Yue. After a tense initial confrontation where Gu Sui is mistaken for an enemy, he impresses her with his cooking skills. They strike a bargain: Gu Sui will cook for her in exchange for the antidote and medicinal herbs, establishing a unique partnership that bridges the gap between the mountain hermit and the valley village.

The village faces immediate internal strife when a local girl, Wu Min, who harbors romantic ambitions for a village accountant, orchestrates a conflict between the Li and Wu families. Her actions nearly cost Li Da his life, but Gu Sui's timely intervention and Guan Yue's provision of medicine prevent tragedy. Tensions rise among the group of Educated Youth sent to the village, revealing class divides and personal ambitions. Wang Lu, from a powerful political family, shows interest in Gu Sui, while others like Fang Jie scheme to escape their rural assignments. Meanwhile, Gu Sui continues his daily routine of treating villagers and cooking for Guan Yue, gradually uncovering the depth of her knowledge and the strange, almost supernatural efficiency with which she manages her mountain garden.

The stability of Qingxi Village is shattered when radical students, incited by an anonymous informant, arrive to destroy the local Mountain God Temple and arrest Guan Yue as a "feudal remnant." The villagers, fiercely protective of the herbalist who has kept them alive, confront the intruders. In a dramatic turn, Guan Yue unleashes a swarm of venomous snakes from the mountain, terrifying the attackers and the villagers alike. The incident is quickly suppressed by local officials who fear the unrest, but it reveals the growing political turmoil spreading from the cities into the countryside. Guan Yue realizes the danger of her hidden identity and the volatile environment, prompting her to travel to the county seat to investigate the source of the betrayal and assess the changing landscape, leaving Gu Sui to manage the village's growing medical needs alone.