Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Wang Yao took out the notebook he used to document all his cases from the clinic.
Another cancer case. He had come across a few cancer patients.
He had treated a cancer patient a while ago. His treatment was effective in that it had prolonged the patientâs life expectancy. If it was not for an unexpected incident, he could have lived longer. Another cancer patient was Wu Tongxingâs father, whose condition was better. Now, he was going to treat a third cancer patient.
After initial consultation, Wang Yao had documented the old manâs symptoms and had come up with a treatment plan. He needed to adjust the plan before implementing it.
Treatment for all cancer patients had the same principal. He needed to consolidate the patientâs fundamental health and enhance the immune system to fight the cancer. He also needed to remove the tumors and reduce pain. It was important to eliminate the cause of the illness.
The decoction contained ginseng, ganoderma, and licorice to enhance oneâs immune system, and half leaf of Bajiaotong to reduce pain. One decoction had two functions.
As for the price of the decoction, Wang Yao hadnât decided since the old man was a fellow villager. The old manâs son had changed and been treating his father well.
Wang Yao decided to brew the decoction the next day. He put a sign on the door indicating he was away from the clinic.
After he returned to Nanshan Hill that night, he prepared all the herbs for the decoction he was going to brew the next day. He planned to brew two decoctions. One was regather soup. The other was Connection ointment, which could fix any damage in the body.
The sun rose as usual the next morning. A unique smell of herbs wafted out of the cottage.
It was relatively easy to brew the Regather soup since he had brewed it many times before.
...
In Beijing, Song Ruiping had a guest.
âRuiping, you see, Zhenghe has reached the age to get married. Xiaoxue is 25. I think they would make a lovely couple,â Li Tongxiu said.
âTongxiu, I think we have to ask if Zhenghe and Xiaoxue want to marry each other. You know Xiaoxue has just recovered from a horrible disease. We need to respect her wishes.â Song Ruiping didnât completely turn Li Tongxiu down.
âOK, letâs ask Xiaoxue,â Li Tongxiu said.
Although marriage arranged by parents was out of date, in some families, parents still had a strong say in their childâs marriage.
âWe should respect the kids,â Li Tongxiu added with a smile.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She left Song Ruipingâs house smiling. Even after she had gotten into the car, her smile hadnât waned.
Sheâs definitely not happy. Watching Li Tongxiue leaving, Song Ruiping knew she had probably upset Li Tongxiu since she sort of turned her down.
Guo Zhenghe was peeling an orange at home. He stood up immediately when he heard someone opening the door.
âWhat did they say, Mom?â Guo Zhenghe anxiously asked.
âSame excuse as last time,â Li Tongxiu said with a smile.
âI see. Have some orange first.â Guo Zhenghe was still smiling. No one could tell what was on his mind.
âYou are really a good-tempered boy,â Li Tongxiu said as she looked at her son.
Most young men Guo Zhengheâs age would have been upset or disappointed at the news. However, he still appeared calm and pleasant. Li Tongxiu was very proud of her son. As a government officer, he should never show his emotion on his face.
âSame old excuse... Canât she be a bit creative?â Guo Zhenghe took a bite of the orange, which was sweet and juicy.
âZhenghe, you have a lot of competitors. I heard your Uncle He and Uncle Cheng also want Xiaoxue to be their daughter-in-law. Both of them have spoken to Xiaoxueâs parents. I saw Xiaoxue again today. She is such a pretty girl, like a fairy in a painting,â Li Tongxiu said.
She had seen many pretty girls. Su Xiaoxue was definitely one of the prettiest.
âYour son always has sharp eyes for beauties,â Guo Zhenghe said.
âI bumped into Mr. Yuan the other day. He had read Xiaoxueâs face and said she was like a dead tree coming back to life, a butterfly coming out of the cocoon. She is a very fortunate girl. Her face indicated fortune,â Li Tongxiu said.
âHmm!â Guo Zhenghe nodded.
People from prestigious families were often quite superstitious.
âYou need to make an effort to marry Xiaoxue,â Li Tongxiu said.
âWill Dad come back for work next week?â Guo Zhenghe asked.
âYes,â Li Tongxiu said.
âMaybe ask Dad to talk to Uncle Su?â Guo Zhenghe suggested as he gave his mother an orange.
âOK, Iâll speak to your dad,â Li Tongxiu said.
Meanwhile, Song Ruiping was talking about the same thing with Su Xiaoxue.
âWhat did Auntie Li come here for?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âShe came for you,â Song Ruiping said.
âShe wants me to marry Zhenghe?â Su Xiaoxue asked with a smile.
âYeah, she wants you to marry her precious son,â Song Ruiping said.
Su Xiaoxue didnât hold back her feelings. âI donât like him.â
âWell, tell Mommy, you like Wang Yao, right?â This was the first time Song Ruiping asked her daughter this question.
âYes,â Su Xiaoxue said without hesitation.
I was right about this! Song Ruiping sighed. âWhy? Because he cured you?â
âThat is just one of the reasons. I donât know how to tell you. I just like him, really like him,â Su Xiaoxue said. âDo I need reasons to like someone?â She was like a young girl falling in love for the first time in her life.
âSilly girl,â Song Ruiping said.
âCome sit here.â She dragged her daughter to sit next to her. âHave you thought about if heâs fallen love with someone else?â
âI would give him my blessing then,â Su Xiaoxue said.
Song Ruiping suddenly felt a bit sad. âYou have my support no matter what you decide to do.â
She held Su Xiaoxue in her arms. She then went straight to the cottage where Chen Ying stayed as soon as she walked out of her daughterâs room.
âHello, Maâam.â Chen Ying was a bit surprised to see Song Ruiping, who rarely came to the cottage unless Wang Yao was there.
âI want to ask you something,â Song Ruiping said.
âSure,â Chen Ying said.
âI remember you mentioned last time that Dr. Wang has a girlfriend, right?â Song Ruiping asked.
âYes, her name is Tong Wei. Iâve seen her here once,â Chen Ying said.
âWhat is she like?â Song Ruiping asked.
âSheâs an extraordinary girl,â Chen Ying said.
âWhere does she live?â Song Ruiping asked.
âIn Dao.â Chen Ying then told Song Ruiping where Tong Wei worked.
âI see.â Song Ruiping asked a few questions related to Chen Zhou and left the cottage.
Why did she ask about Tong Wei? Chen Ying was a bit confused by the sudden visit from Song Ruiping. Is it because of Xiaoxue?
âWell, I donât know if this is a good thing or not,â Chen Ying murmured with a sigh.
...
Wang Yao was brewing Connection ointment on Nanshan Hill. He had already prepared for the herbs and purchased feilaifeng from the medicine shop using bonus points.
Panax notoginseng, achyranthes, draconis sanguis... Wang Yao put the herbs into the pot one by one.
The color of the decoction changed gradually from light blue to dark blue. The liquid in the pot became thicker and thicker as more herbs were added.
Initially, the decoction was as clear as water. It gradually became as thick as honey. Finally, it turned into a gum-like material. An ointment was supposed to be thick and sticky.
Wang Yao was squatting next to the fire. He was constantly stirring the decoction. He didnât add any water into the pot. He only added firewood from time to time.
The sun had reached the highest point of the day.
The decoction had become very thick. Wang Yao filtrated the decoction again and removed the dregs.
Normally, the process of making ointment contained many steps, such as frying the herbs, alchemy, refining, and removing heat poison. Wang Yao only took advantage of the herbsâ nature to make the ointment.
He brewed and filtered the decoction several times. Whatever was left inside the multifunctional pot for herbs became dark green and extremely thick and sticky.
Almost done! Wang Yao moved the pot away from the fire. He place the pot next to the pond outside to allow it to cool down.
San Xian came out of his dog house once he heard Wang Yaoâs footsteps. He came to the pot and looked at the dark-green ointment inside.
âDonât get too close, San Xian.â Wang Yao patted the dogâs head with a smile. The dog sat quietly next to him.
The ointment inside the pot gradually cooled down. The nature of the ointment was changing as it cooled. The color of the ointment became much clearer, like jelly. A full pot of decoction eventually turned into a bowl of ointment.
âDone,â Wang Yao said.
He put all the ointment into a porcelain cup with a round lid.