Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âI heard the King Pharmacist has a special rule. If someone offers him special herbs or decoctions, he will do one thing for that person,â Han Zhigao said.
âSo?â Han Xing asked.
âCan you give the King Pharmacist the three decoctions and ask him to treat our little brother?â Han Zhigao asked.
Han Xing stared at his brother but didnât say anything.
âBrother?â Han Zhigao gently asked.
âYou think we donât need Dr. Wang anymore?â Han Xing asked.
âWho needs him if we have the King Pharmacist?â Han Zhigao asked.
âAnd, we wonât need Dr. Sang anymore?â Han Xing asked.
âWell, Dr. Sang is a fantastic doctor, but no one is better than the King Pharmacist,â Han Zhigao said.
In Yunnan, King Pharmacist had a really good reputation. To people in Yundan, he was capable of anything.
âFine!â Han Xing nodded. He then stared at his brother. âHave you ever considered that the King Pharmacist might not be able to cure our little brother?â
âHow could that be possible?â Han Zhigao asked. âThat Wang Yao is so young. How good could he be? How could he possibly be a better doctor than the King Pharmacist?â
âYes, brother, I donât think he could be a better doctor than the King Pharmacist,â Han Zhiyu said.
âI donât agree with you,â Han Xing said. âWe Hanâs family always keep its word. Additionally, you should get a better idea of the King Pharmacistâs rule. That old man is very weird.â
Han Xing left the room. He didnât want to discuss this topic anymore with his brothers.
âWhat does our big brother mean?â Han Zhigao asked.
âYou canât see it? He didnât agree with our proposal,â Han Zhiyu said.
âI think it is a good idea,â Han Zhigao said. âOur big brother is a nice guy, but heâs sometimes too stubborn. What do you think, bro?â
âI agree with you.â Han Zhiyu nodded. He thought Han Zhigaoâs idea was practical. âLook, we need to know exactly what the King Pharmacistâs rule is. Then, we can come up with a plan.â
âWe want to keep our promise, but we really donât know if that young doctor can cure our brother,â Han Zhigao said. âBesides, who will know if we keep our mouths shut. Both Wang Yao and Sang Guzi have left.â
âOK. For now, we keep this to ourselves. Letâs stop talking about it,â Han Zhiyu said.
Wang Yao took a direct flight to Dao. It was dark by the time he had arrived. The Han brothers had booked the best hotel for him in the city. He had a nice sleep in the hotel. A car came to pick him up in the morning to take him to Lianshan.
Several patients were already waiting outside Wang Yaoâs clinic.
âHeâs away? When will he come back?â one of the patients asked.
âItâs hard to say,â a different patient said.
âIsnât he from the village? May we should go to his house to ask,â a patient said.
âNo, you canât go to this house. He hates people disturbing his parents,â another patient said. âI heard that from one of the villagers. Canât you read the sign on the door?â
âThen, what can we do? We came all the way here,â one of the patients said.
âLetâs wait for another hour. If he still doesnât show up, weâll come back tomorrow,â another patient said.
They waited for one hour, but Wang Yao didnât show up.
âLetâs go,â one of the patients said.
âWhat sort of clinic is this?â a middle-aged man complained.
âStop complaining. Iâm the one you should blame. I brought you guys here,â another man said.
It was normal for these men to be unhappy. After all, they had come all the way to the clinic but didnât get to see the doctor. It was a waste of time.
Thirty minutes after they left, Wang Yao arrived home.
âDad! Mom! Iâm back,â Wang Yao said. Zhang Xiuying was busy cooking lunch.
âHave you had lunch?â Zhang Xiuying asked.
âNot yet,â Wang Yao said.
âDrink some water and take a rest. Lunch will be ready soon,â Zhang Xiuying said.
Since her son was home, Zhang Xiuying cooked two more dishes. Before long, she finished cooking. âLunch is ready.â
âWhere is Dad?â Wang Yao asked.
âSomeone invited him for lunch. Itâs just us,â Zhang Xiuying said. âHow is everything going in Dali?â
âNot bad,â Wang Yao said.
âHave you cured the patient?â Zhang Xiuying asked.
âNo. I only stayed for three days. It will take some time to treat the patient. By the way, has anyone come to our house in the last few days?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, and no one went to Nanshan Hill either,â Zhang Xiuying said.
âGood,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Yao went to Nanshan Hill right after lunch. San Xian came down to welcome him. He wagged his tail happily.
âHi, San Xian, you put on weight again,â Wang Yao said.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
âHaha! Is everything alright here?â Wang Yao asked.
Woof!
âNo? Whatâs wrong?â Wang Yao could tell something was abnormal by the way San Xian barked.
Wang Yao sped up and rushed to his herbal field. He came to San Xianâs dog house. âThis is what you are barking about?â
There was a small wild rabbit inside the dog house.
âWhere did you find it?â Wang Yao asked.
San Xian barked toward the back of the hill.
âWhat? You want to eat rabbit with soy sauce?â Wang Yao asked with a smile. âHey, why do you look at me like that? You want me to raise it up?â
Woof!
âWow! You are such a nice dog!â Wang Yao patted San Xianâs head. âDoes Da Xia know about it?â
Dogs didnât like eating rabbits, but rabbits were eaglesâ favorite food.
âFine, Iâll take it home. We canât have a rabbit here,â Wang Yao said. âAnimals like rabbits will eat up all my herbs.â
Woof!
Wang Yao put the rabbit aside and walked around the herbal field. Before long, he had walked around the entire hill.
âHmm?â After Wang Yao had reached the top of the hill, he found a number of trees at the foot of hill down south had been cut. He followed the path down to take a close look. He found a number of old jujube trees had been removed.
The south end of Nanshan Hill was very steep. It was irregular and shaped like an arc. Further up was a small hill. People rarely went there because it was so isolated.
Wang Yao had stayed on Nanshan Hill for several years. He knew that even the shepherds didnât come there because it was too steep. One time, a person fell off the hill and broke his leg.
Who came here? Someone from the village? Wang Yao wondered.
According to the original contract, this place also belonged to him.
If someone comes here, they will probably be able to reach the north side of the hill.
Wang Yao was a bit worried. âSan Xian!â His voice flew to the top of the hill and went down into the herbal field.
A moment later, San Xian, who was as big as a calf, ran from the top of the hill. San Xian was several feet closer with one jump. He really looked like a small lion from distance.
âHas anyone been here before?â Wang Yao asked.
San Xian sniffed around and barked.
âFrom which direction?â Wang Yao asked.
The dog sniffed around and led the way. Wang Yao followed him. There was no footpath on this side of the hill. Initially, there had been a few small paths. Since no one came around, those small paths had disappeared. Wang Yao really didnât understand why anyone would come there for a couple of jujube trees.
San Xian stopped in front of a cliff. There were some marks on the ground.
âWhat is this? Honeycomb?â Wang Yao asked.
He looked up at the cliff and found what was left of a honeycomb about 20 feet high. He looked back at the location where the jujube trees were. It was not hard to spot the honeycomb from that location.
Someone came to grab the honeycomb, found the jujube trees by accident, and then cut the trees?
âGo on, San Xian,â Wang Yao said.
San Xian continued to lead the way. They quickly reached the west side of the hill. They continued to walk north for about an hour. They eventually went back to Wang Yaoâs village. San Xian stopped at the door of a house.
The person is from our village? Wang Yao was surprised.
âHi, Yao.â A villager passed by and greeted Wang Yao. The way the villager looked at San Xian was strange. âIs that a dog? It looks like a small lion!â
âHi, Uncle,â Wang Yao said.
âIs this the place?â Wang Yao asked San Xian.
Woof! San Xian barked.
âGood, letâs go.â Wang Yao walked away.
Creak! The door of the house suddenly opened and a man came out of the house. He was in his 40s and had beard.
âHello, Yao. Are you looking for me?â the man asked.
âHello, Uncle,â Wang Yao said.