Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âLet me take a look at you,â Wang Yao said.
âOK,â the old man said.
Wang Yao took a close look at the old man to make sure he was alright.
âIâll give you an acupuncture therapy when your wife is back,â Wang Yao said.
The old manâs wife soon came back from outside. She had a bottle of soy sauce in her hand. Apparently, she had gone grocery shopping.
âHello, Dr. Wang,â the old woman said.
âHello, Maâam. Are you feeling better?â Wang Yao asked.
âMuch better. There is no pain in my legs anymore,â the old woman happily replied.
âGood. I was about to take a look at your husband. It is a bit cold here,â Wang Yao said. He didnât feel cold, but the old man would feel cold after taking his clothes off for massage and acupuncture therapy.
âIâll start a fire,â she said. Soon, the heatable brick bed was nice and warm. The room was warmer, too.
âSir, can you take your clothes off?â Wang Yao asked.
The old man took his clothes off. His body was skinny.
Wang Yao started an acupuncture session. He put the needles in the old manâs body and manipulated the needles. Then, he covered the old manâs body with a light sheet. Following the acupuncture session, Wang Yao gave the old man a massage.
After the treatment session was finished, the old man felt very warm and comfortable. He would have gone to sleep right away if there had not been a guest in his house.
âAll done,â Wang Yao said.
âHave lunch here,â the old woman said.
âNo, thank you. My parents have cooked lunch for me,â Wang Yao replied.
âYou donât need to bring us anything. We are really grateful that you come all the way here to see us,â the old woman said.
The elderly couple felt Wang Yao was too nice to them. They didnât let Wang Yao leave until giving him some free-range eggs and homemade salted duck eggs.
âWhat a nice young man,â the old man said.
Wang Yao had seen eight patients. He just needed to see two more patients to complete his mission, which was curing people with tricky conditions. The mission needed to be completed in three days.
Will I fail to complete the mission? Wang Yao was a bit worried. But, worrying didnât do any good.
When he drove into the village, he saw Sun Yunsheng walking from the clinic.
âHello, Yunsheng.â Wang Yao stopped the car and got out to say hello to Sun Yunsheng.
âI have the results from the sample you gave me. Here you are,â Sun Yunsheng said. âLet me know if you need me to do any further tests. I can contact a laboratory overseas.â
âOK. Let me take a look first,â Wang Yao said. âWhen will you go home?â
âIn the afternoon,â Sun Yunsheng asked.
âDo you want to have lunch together? My treat,â Wang Yao said.
âSure, but my treat.â Sun Yunsheng felt flattered.
âNo, no, my treat,â Wang Yao insisted.
They didnât eat at home. They went to the restaurant in the neighborhood. The owner of the restaurant was about to close the restaurant.
âHello, Dr. Wang,â the owner said.
âHello. Two people, four dishes, one soup, as usual,â Wang Yao said.
âGot it,â the owner said.
Wang Yao brought a bottle of wine from home.
The two of them chatted during lunch. Sun Yunsheng had lived in Wangâs village for two months. Wang Yao found him to be quite a nice person. He wasnât spoiled like a lot of other rich kids. He was a kind person. Or, he had just changed after recovering from that horrible disease. Regardless, Wang Yao concluded that Sun Yunsheng was a fine young man who was worth making friends with.
Although Sun Zhengrongâs old enemy had caused big trouble for the village, Sun Zhengrong and his son had made compensation. In addition, Pan Jun had brought Wang Yao an important news the other day that he was selected to be one of the prominent doctors in the province. The senior officers had made the decision. The rest was just a ritual. Since Wang Yao had mentioned the election to Sun Yunsheng, he knew Sun Yunsheng and his father must have helped him get elected. It was a big favor. Wang Yao wanted to thank Sun Yunsheng for it.
âWhen will you come back here?â Wang Yao asked.
âIâm not sure,â Sun Yunsheng said.
His father had told him to prepare to take over the family business after the Chinese New Year. He had a lot of preparations to do. He didnât think he would have a lot of spare time in the near future.
âDr. Wang, thank you for curing me and your assistance to my family. Cheers!â Sun Yunsheng lifted his wine glass.
âYou are welcome,â Wang Yao said. He had a few drinks during lunch.
Sun Yunsheng left with his men in the afternoon. His house was empty. He left a set of keys to Wang Yao and told him that he could stay in the house any time. Wang Yao didnât accept the keys. He wouldnât need them.
âYou donât want to visit Tong Weiâs parents?â Zhang Xiuying asked in a low voice during dinner that evening.
âI know what to do,â Wang Yao said.
...
In Beijing, an old man was badly coughing.
âWhatâs going on? Dad just got better. How come heâs caught a cold?â Wu Tongxingâs brother asked.
âDonât blame Xiaoguan. It was me. I wanted to go out for a walk,â the weak old man said.
âThatâs fine,â Wu Tongxingâs brother said.
âWhere are the pills Tongxing took home? Give one to Dad,â Xiaoguan said.
âRight, I almost forgot,â Wu Tongxingâs brother said.
The old man took one Nine Herbs pill. He quickly stopped coughing.
âDad, how do you feel?â Wu Tongxingâs brother asked.
âHmm, the pill worked. I feel much better,â the old man said. This is wonderful!
âWhere is Tongxing?â Wu Tongxingâs brother asked.
âHe took the plane to Lianshan to invite Dr. Wang to come here before Chinese New Year,â Xiaoguan said.
...
âNine people?â Wang Yao was surprised when he opened the control panel of the system. He accidentally found that he had made progress with his mission. He only need to cure one more patient.
Who have I just cured? He thought for a while, but couldnât figure out who he had cured. He stopped thinking about it since it was good news.
After worshiping the Kitchen King, it was almost time for the celebration of Chinese New Year.
Wang Yao had several clients in the morning, including Li Maoshuang, Secretary Yangâs assistant, and Sun Changfeng. Everyone came with presents.
âWill we have any more visitors today?â Zhang Xiuying asked at lunch time. âThe villagers might think you held an important position in the government.â
âI donât think weâll have any more visitors today,â Wang Yao said.
As soon as he said it, another visitor came.
âHello, Mr. Wu,â Wang Yao said with surprise. It was the fifth time Wu Tongxing had visited him in the same month.
âHello, Dr. Wang, Iâm sorry to bother you this time of the year,â Wu Tongxing said.
He brought a lot of gifts with him. Zhang Xiuying looked at her son with confusion.
âPlease come in,â Wang Yao said.
Since Wu Tongxing was there, Wang Yao couldnât drive him out of the house.
âDr. Wang, have you been busy lately?â Wu Tongxing asked.
âNot really. Itâs almost Chinese New Year. I havenât had many patients,â Wang Yao said.
âCan you please visit my father in Beijing?â Wu Tongxing asked.
âHis condition has gotten worse?â Wang Yao asked.
âHe was better after taking the pills you gave me. However, his condition was not stable. He caught a cold lately,â Wu Tongxing said.
Wang Yao didnât immediately say anything. He looked through the window.
Wu Tongxing was waiting for Wang Yaoâs response. He looked at Wang Yao and hoped that the doctor would go see his father. However, it was nearly Chinese New Year. It was not appropriate to ask a doctor to do a home visit at this time of the year. Wu Tongxing had to be desperate.
âWe leave tomorrow,â Wang Yao said after keeping silent for a while. âIâll have to come back in three days. You arrange the trip for me.â
âOK,â Wu Tongxing happily said. âThank you. Thank you very much!â
âDonât thank me yet. I canât guarantee I can cure your father,â Wang Yao said.
Wu Tongxing left feeling happy.
âYou are going away?â Zhang Xiuying asked. It was almost the end of Lunar year. She really didnât want her son to go away.
âI need to go to Beijing, but I will come back in three days. Iâll visit Auntie in Beijing,â Wang Yao said.
âYou are leaving tomorrow?â Zhang Xiuying asked.
âYes,â Wang Yao replied.
âOK, Iâll prepare something for you to bring to your auntie. Also, talk to your youngest auntie before you leave,â Zhang Xiuying said.
âSure thing,â Wang Yao said.
Wu Tongxing waited outside early in the morning the next day. Wang Yao took some local food with him.
âDr. Wang, you have relatives in Beijing?â Wu Tongxing asked.
âYes, my momâs second sister,â Wang Yao replied.
âI see,â Wu Tongxing said. He remembered this valuable information.
The took the bus to Dao and then called a taxi to the airport. They flew to Beijing directly from Dao. There was no one on the plane. Wang Yao was surprised to realize that the plane was specifically for him, which indicated Wu Tongxingâs extraordinary background.
It was afternoon when the plane landed in Beijing.
âDr. Wang, would you like to eat something?â Wu Tongxing asked.
âNo, thanks. Let me see your father first,â Wang Yao said.
âOK,â Wu Tongxing said.
A car took them to the a place with maximum security.
Wang Yao saw the patient there. He was a skinny old man. He didnât see how powerful the old man used to be. He could only see an old and weak man. He was no different than the old people in his village. The only difference was this old man lived in a special place.
âDad, this is Dr. Wang. Iâve mentioned him to you before,â Wu Tongxing said.
âHello, Dr. Wang,â the old man said.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHello, sir,â Wang Yao said.
The old man was in critical condition.