Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âGreat!â Wu Tongxing and his brother were thrilled.
Wu Tongxing and Wu Tongrong didnât go to work that morning. They waited at home for Wang Yao.
Wang Yao got up early. Gu Yuanyuan had cooked him breakfast.
âThank you,â Wang Yao said.
âYou are welcome,â Gu Yuanyuan said.
She didnât know who this young man was. However, her superior asked her to take care of his daily life and satisfy all his needs. Fortunately, this young man never crossed the line.
âIs there something on your mind?â Wang Yao asked.
He could tell Gu Yuanyuan was often preoccupied. She was like Chen Ying, who looked quite preoccupied at the beginning.
âIâm fine,â Gu Yuanyuan said. In fact, she had something on her mind, but she couldnât tell him.
âLet me know if there is anything I can help with,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Yao was grateful that Gu Yuanyuan had been looking after him. He felt he owed her a favor. He didnât like owing people favors.
Gu Yuanyuan hesitated. Should I tell him? Maybe he could help me, but it could bring her big trouble.
âOK, thanks,â she said.
Wang Yao didnât say much since Gu Yuanyuan didnât seem to be keen to receive help from him. He didnât insist.
He left the cottage at 8 a.m. When he arrived at Wu Tongxingâs house, all the family members had been waiting for him.
Wu Tongxing had one brother and two sisters.
âGood morning, Dr. Wang.â Wu Tongxing and his siblings were all convinced of Wang Yaoâs extraordinary medical skills. They gave Wang Yao a warm welcome.
âIs Mr. Wu awake?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, he looks good,â Wu Tongxing said.
Wang Yao went into the room to see the old man, who looked better. His eyes were also brighter.
âHow are you feeling?â Wang Yao asked.
âI feel very well,â the old man said. He noticed a change in his body since yesterday. He had a good sleep the previous night and didnât suffer from the pain that had tortured him for a long time.
âLet me take a look at you,â Wang Yao said.
âOK,â the old man said.
One night had passed. The effect of the two decoction was still there. The old man felt much better.
Su Xianghua came back home in the morning.
âLi Tongxiu came here yesterday,â Song Ruiping said to her husband.
âEm, for what?â Su Xianghua asked.
âA marriage proposal,â Song Ruiping said.
âMarriage proposal?â Su Xianghua stopped what he was doing and frowned. âXiaoxue?â
âYes,â Song Ruiping said.
Su Xianghua kept silent for a moment. âHave you told Xiaoxue about it?â
âNot yet,â Song Ruiping said.
âGuo Zhenghe is a clever young man, but heâs too cunning. He looks nice and gentle, but he is actually quite scheming. I donât think he suits Xiaoxue,â Su Xianghua said.
He had already discussed this with his wife. He knew Guo Zhenghe was interested in his daughter, so he had observed Guo Zhenghe, who was the third generation of his family, for a while. He found that Guo Zhenghe was capable, clever, and scheming. These characters could lead to a successful career, especially since Guo Zhenghe was still young. Su Xianghua didnât think he could have reached Guo Zhengheâs level when he was in his 20s. However, he didnât think those characters would lead to a caring husband. He only wanted his daughter to have a stable life, especially since she had suffered from a horrible disease. He didnât want his daughter to be hurt.
When standing above the crowd, being stable was the most important thing.
âI agree with you. So, I didnât accept her proposal,â Song Ruiping said.
âXiaoxueâs feeling about him is the key. Does Guo Zhenghe still come here often?â Su Xianghua asked.
âYes. But, our baby girl seems to be in love with someone,â Song Ruiping said.
âReally? Who is she in love with?â Su Xianghua asked.
âYou are busy working every day. What do you know? But, you know him,â Song Ruiping said.
âReally?â Su Xianghua asked.
âYes, Dr. Wang,â Song Ruiping said.
âWho?â Su Xianghua asked with surprise.
âWang Yao,â Song Ruiping said.
Su Xianghua kept silent for a while. âHe is not a bad person. But...â
âHeâs not an equal match, right?â Song Ruiping said.
Properly matched marriage was important to many parents, especially from prestigious families.
âYes,â Su Xianghua said.
âTell you what, Iâm afraid he is not interested in your daughter at all,â Song Ruiping said.
âWhat?â Su Xianghua asked.
âNever mind. Letâs not talk about this. Dr. Wang is currently in Beijing. He came here yesterday. You have no idea how happy your daughter was to see him,â Song Ruiping said.
âHeâs staying in our cottage?â Su Xianghua asked.
âNo, he came to see Mr. Wu,â Song Ruiping said.
Meanwhile, Wang Yao was treating Mr. Wu. He gave the old man the decoctions to take first. He then gave him an acupuncture treatment. Wang Yao put needles in the acupuncture points between the old manâs chest and abdominal area following the meridians. Finally, he gave the old man a massage.
After the treatment was finished, steam came out of the old manâs head.
âTodayâs session is over. Iâll leave the decoction to you. You know how to give him the decoction to take,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Yao left the Regather soup and other decoction to Wu Tongxing.
âOK.â Wu Tongxing put the decoctions away with caution. The decoctions would save his fatherâs life.
âIâll leave in the afternoon,â Wang Yao said.
âIâve arranged the trip for you,â Wu Tongxing said.
âOK, see you in the afternoon,â Wang Yao said.
âDr. Wang, are you available to have lunch together? Weâve booked a restaurant,â Wu Tongxing said.
âNo, thanks. I donât feel comfortable eating with too many people,â Wang Yao said with a smile.
âWell...â Wu Tongxing awkwardly said.
âSee you later,â Wang Yao said as he left the house.
âHeâs so arrogant,â a woman in her 40s complained.
âYou shut up,â the old man lying on the bed shouted.
âDad,â the middle-aged woman said.
âWhy does he have to have lunch with you guys? Who do you think you are? What have I told you? Donât think you are superior to other people just because you are my child. Havenât you seen how those prestigious families fell?â The old man reprimanded his daughter.
âIâm sorry, Dad. Donât be upset.â The woman immediately apologized. She didnât want to upset her recovering father.
âYou can leave now. Tongrong and Tongxing stay here. I need to talk to you two,â the old man said.
After Wang Yao had left Wu Tongxingâs fatherâs house, he went to see Chen Ying. They went to the mental institution where Chen Zhou stayed.
âItâs fine to take Chen Zhou home for Chinese New Year. Iâll help you complete all the paperwork required,â the manager of the institution said. She was very cooperative. After all, Chen Ying was a big resource of their income. âThe only thing is...â
âDonât worry, Dr. Zhen. Iâll take full responsibility of my brother during the time he is away from here,â Chen Ying said.
âThatâs good,â Dr. Zhen said.
Chen Ying and Wang Yao then drove Chen Zhou back to the cottage.
On the way back, Chen Zhou looked through the car window at the busy city. The skyscrapers were everywhere. The streets were very busy. He felt he hadnât seen the city for a million years.
After they had returned to the cottage, Wang Yao took out the decoction he brewed for Chen Zhou last night.
âTake this,â Wang Yao said.
âOK,â Chen Zhou said. The decoction tasted mildly bitter.
Thirty minutes after Chen Zhou had taken the decoction, Wang Yao gave him an acupuncture treatment to simulate the points in his head. It was after 1 p.m. by the time the treatment session had finished.
âAvoid external stimulation and force to the head. Try not to have mood swings,â Wang Yao said.
âI see. Thank you, Dr. Wang,â Chen Zhou said.
âYou are welcome. I have to go now,â Wang Yao said.
âWould you like to join us for lunch?â Chen Ying asked.
âNo, thank you. I have to go back to Lianshan in the afternoon,â Wang Yao said.
He returned to Wu Tongxingâs cottage after saying goodbye to Chen Ying and her brother. Gu Yuanyuan had cooked him lunch. He packed his suitcase after lunch and was ready to leave.
âMr. Wang.â Gu Yuanyuan came to speak to Wang Yao hesitantly.
âYes?â Wang Yao asked.
âCan you help me?â Gu Yuanyuan asked.
âWhat do you want me to help with?â Wang Yao asked.
Gu Yuanyuan told Wang Yao what happened. A young man from Wu Tongxingâs family was interested in her. He wanted her to be his lover. She was not keen and tried to brush him off for some time because she knew what kind of person he was. The young man was not a nice person. His interest in her, a girl with no background, wouldnât last for long. He would definitely abandon her after a while or trade her for something else. She didnât want to be his lover. Plus, she was in love with someone else.
âIâll see what I can do,â Wang Yao said.
He was ready to leave after lunch.
âBy the way, you can talk to Chen Ying about this. You should know her,â Wang Yao said.
âYes, I know her,â Gu Yuanyuan. âThank you.â