Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âIâll take you back,â Wang Yao said.
âNo, thanks. I can go back myself.â The old man walked slowly with a stick.
Wang Yao was worried about him, so he followed the old man until he had arrived at his house The old manâs back looked skinny and weak. He was hunched and shaking. Wang Yao felt sorry for him. The old manâs back was big and strong in his eyes because he was a good father.
âWhere have you been?â Wang Yao heard Wang Zecheng shouting at his father. It was as if he was scolding a naughty child.
Wang Yao stopped. He wanted to jump over the wall and slap Wang Zechengâs face. He wanted to question Wang Zecheng about who gave him life and brought him up.
However, he didnât do it. He didnât want to make the old manâs life harder. Wang Yao turned around to walk back. He crossed the stone bridge, walked through the lane, and arrived at home.
âHow come you are back so late?â Zhang Xiuying asked.
âI just bumped into Uncle Yilong. I took him home,â Wang Yao said.
âIs he better? I saw him on the street few days ago. He looked really sick. He couldnât even keep his feet steady,â Zhang Xiuying said.
âNo, his condition is worse,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat?â Zhang Xiuying sighed with surprise. Wang Fenghua silently lit a cigarette.
âI suppose his son hasnât changed,â Zhang Xiuying said.
âWhen I took Uncle Yilong home, I heard him shouting at him like he was a child who made a terrible mistake,â Wang Yao said.
Meanwhile, Wang Zecheng didnât feel well.
âDamn! Whatâs wrong with my stomach!â Wang Zecheng was on the toilet having a diarrhea. His stomach hurt really bad. It was as if something was stirring inside his stomach.
Whatâs wrong with me? Iâve been to the toilet so many times this morning. How come it doesnât stop by the afternoon.
Wang Zecheng wiped his bottom and walked out of the bathroom. However, his stomach started to rumble again.
âStop it!â He went back to the toilet again.
He had been to the toilet for more than 10 times in a day. He couldnât even keep his feet steady. He had to hold onto the wall when walking.
I have to go to the hospital.
He spoke briefly to his wife. He then rode his motorbike to the hospital. He was in a hurry. He didnât want to have a diarrhea on his way to the hospital and soil his pants.
He didnât go to Wang Yaoâs clinic. He went to the local medical clinic in the village instead. Since Wang Yao had opened a clinic and gained a good reputation, less and less people went to the local medical clinic.
âHello, doctor,â Wang Zecheng said.
âZecheng, what happened to you? You look so pale,â the local general practitioner said.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI have diarrhea. Iâve been to the toilet more than 10 times today,â Wang Zecheng said. Although he was rude to his father, he was quite polite to the other people.
âItâs that bad? Have you eaten anything you are not supposed to?â the general practitioner asked.
âNo. I just had some noodles in the morning, and some vegetables and a bun for lunch,â Wang Zecheng said.
âI see. Iâll prescribe you some medication,â the general practitioner said.
He prescribed some medication to stop the diarrhea and antibiotics. He told Wang Zecheng how to take the medications.
âAm I going to be OK?â Wang Zecheng asked.
âYour diarrhea is very serious. I can see you are a bit dehydrated. Take the medication as soon as possible. Youâll be fine as long as you stop having loose bowels. If it doesnât stop, you have to have an infusion,â the general practitioner said.
âOK, I see. Thank you,â Wang Zecheng said.
Wang Zecheng rushed back home. Before he arrived home, he couldnât control his bowel and soiled his pants.
âHow could you soil your pants as an adult?â His wife complained while washing his pants.
âDo you think I did this deliberately?â Wang Zecheng grumpily asked.
His father came out of the room when he heard his sonâs voice.
âAre you still having loose bowels?â the old man asked with a weak voice.
âIâm fine. Go back to your room,â Wang Zecheng impatiently said.
âDonât eat anything you are not supposed to. Have you seen a doctor?â his father asked.
âYes. Can you leave me alone?â Wang Zecheng grumpily replied.
His father sighed and went back to his room.
âNo! I have to go to the toilet!â He put on a pair of clean pants and rushed to the toilet.
A car arrived in the village at about 3 p.m. It stopped at the west end of the village. A fit and good looking young woman got out of the car and entered Wang Yaoâs clinic after knocking on the door.
âHello, Dr. Wang, I hope Iâm not bothering you,â Chen Ying said with a smile.
âOf course not. You are welcome here. I donât have a patient now,â Wang Yao said with a smile. âYou donât need to bring anything when you visit.â
âItâs just some local food.â Chen Ying put a big bag on the table.
âYour brother is still at your place?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, heâs gone back to the institute,â Chen Ying said.
âHas he had an episode?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, but Iâve been really busy. I donât want to leave him alone in the cottage. Plus, itâs not appropriate to hire someone to keep an eye on him. So, I took him back to the institute,â Chen Ying said.
âI see. Iâll go see him in a few days. Iâll have a good look at him,â Wang Yao said.
âReally?â Chen Ying actually came to see Wang Yao for her brother, but she didnât want to make it to obvious. She just wanted to mention it through casual chat. She didnât expect Wang Yao to bring it up himself. So, she didnât need to use any of the speech she had prepared.
âOf course, I also need to see Wu Tongxingâs father,â Wang Yao said.
Since he had seen those people and started treatment, he would try his best to cure them.
âAre you in a hurry to return to Beijing?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo. Why do you ask?â Chen Ying asked.
âI want to brew a decoction for your brother,â Wang Yao said. âCan you can stay in Lianshan for one more night?â
âOK,â Chen Ying said. That was exactly what she wanted.
They chatted for a while. Wang Yao asked about Su Xiaoxueâs condition. He was happy for her after knowing she had recovered well.
Wang Yao had a visitor while he was chatting with Chen Ying.
The visitor was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and looked strong. However, he was extremely pale and unsteady.
âHello, Wang Yao,â the visitor said with a smile. âSorry to bother you.â
It was Wang Zecheng. He had bought two medications from the local medical center and took them right away. However, the medications were not effective. Instead, his diarrhea got worse. He initially was going to go back to the local medical center to have an infusion. Eventually, followed his wifeâs advice to see Wang Yao.
âPlease take a seat,â Wang Yao said.
âNo, thanks. Iâm fine,â Wang Zecheng said.
âYou are not feeling well?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, you are right. Iâve been having bad diarrhea,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhat happened to your forehead?â Wang Yao asked.
âI fell and bumped into the door frame,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhat about your face?â Wang Yao pointed at his swollen face.
âI was hit by the wood when splitting the firewood,â Wang Zecheng said.
Chen Ying was surprised to hear it. What an unlucky guy!
âSorry, I canât help you. The only person who can help you is yourself,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat?â Wang Zecheng was surprised. âMyself? How?â
âYou might not like what Iâm about to say. This is your karma,â Wang Yao said.
âWhat?â
Not only was Wang Zecheng surprised by his words but also Chen Ying. She knew Wang Yao was angry at Wang Zecheng. She took a glance at the young man in his 30s and wondered what exactly he did to upset a good-tempered Wang Yao.
âCan you please make it clear?â Wang Zecheng asked.
âYou donât know what you have done?â Wang Yao asked.
âWhat have I done?â Wang Zecheng was confused.
âI stole a sheep and two chickens, broke a tire and window...â Wang Zecheng mumbled in a very low voice. However, Wang Yao heard his words clearly since his hearing was much better than most people.
Gosh, what a load of bad things he has done! I didnât expect that!
Chen Ying also heard a bit. He must be one of the loafers in the village.
âOh, I didnât expect youâve done so many bad things,â Wang Yao said with a smile.
âWhat?â Wang Zecheng asked with surprise.
âThink hard. Have you done anything else? You may pass blood later on,â Wang Yao said.
âWait, I have to go to the toilet,â Wang Zecheng said.
âTurn right after you walk out of the door,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Zecheng ran toward the toilet and squatted down. He look down and was shocked. He was passing blood. He was still in shock after he got out of the toilet. He looked stupid when he walked into the clinical room.
âWang Yao, what is wrong with me?â Wang Zecheng asked.
âItâs karma, since youâve done so many bad things,â Wang Yao calmly said. âWhat you said was not important. Think hard about what else youâve done.â
âI really canât think of what else Iâve done,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWell, in that case, I canât do anything to help you,â Wang Yao said.