Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âHave you made arrangements with the King Pharmacist?â Han Xing asked.
âYes, Iâve sent people there. Zhigao is also there,â Han Zhiyu said.
âCan you find out if Dr. Sang has left Dali? If he knew the King Pharmacist came here, he would figure out what had happened immediately,â Han Xing said.
âOK,â Han Zhiyu said.
...
In Wang Zechengâs house in the village, Wang Yilong was still coughing. Ahem! Ahem!
âDad, are you alright?â Wang Zecheng asked with concern.
âIâm fine,â Wang Yilong said.
âThatâs good,â Wang Zecheng said.
âHaoyuan, your grandpa is not well. You are old enough to play by yourself. Donât always ask your grandpa to hold you. Go and get a stool,â Wang Zecheng said.
âIâm fine. Haoyuan is not heavy,â Wang Yilong said.
âLet him play by himself. You spoil him too much,â Wang Zecheng said.
Wang Yao came to deliver the decoctions to their house the day before. He also had a good look at Wang Yilong and gave him a massage, so Wang Yilong looked better.
âYour dad is very sick. I canât cure him. Iâm just trying to extend his life expectancy,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Zecheng kept Wang Yaoâs words in mind.
âTry your best to make him happy,â Wang Yao added.
âWe will,â Wang Zecheng said.
Wang Yao didnât tell Wang Zecheng how long his father might live. He could live for another month, three months, or even six months. Wang Zecheng had thought about the possibility of his fatherâs dying many times.
I must make my father happy for the time he has left!
âZecheng, I called your sister this morning. She said she would be available to come here tomorrow,â Wang Yilong said. âSheâll bring her kid with her.â
Wang Yilong missed the other grandchild.
âGreat,â Wang Zecheng said.
In the clinic, Wang Yao had finished preparing the decoctions for his trip to Beijing. He told his parents about his trip in the afternoon.
âI will probably have to stay in Beijing a bit longer than usual this time,â Wang Yao said.
âHow long?â Zhang Xiuying asked.
âAbout five days,â Wang Yao said.
âOK, donât forget about your sisterâs engagement party,â Zhang Xiuying reminded her son.
âI wonât,â Wang Yao said.
He returned to Nanshan Hill right after dinner to pack up for his trip. He then told San Xian what to do while he was away.
The next morning, he left Nanshan Hill with a backpack and headed to Beijing.
When he arrived in Beijing from Haiqu, it was afternoon. He called a taxi, which took him to the cottage where he usually stayed while in Beijing.
âHello, Dr. Wang!â Chen Ying was surprised to see Wang Yao. âHow come you didnât notify us of your visit?â
âI didnât want you guys to fuss about me,â Wang Yao said.
Chen Ying went to take Wang Yaoâs backpack.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHow is your brother?â Wang Yao asked.
âHeâs been good and has stayed sober. Itâs been a while now,â Chen Ying said. She was very happy with Chen Zhouâs condition.
âIâll visit the Wu family tomorrow morning. Iâll take a look at your brother in the afternoon,â Wang Yao said.
âOK, Iâll arrange it,â Chen Ying said.
...
Meanwhile, in a small village in the jungle, the King Pharmacist of the Miao area told his student to notify his patients that he wouldnât see anyone else that day because he had to go out.
âElder, please go first,â Han Zhigao politely said.
âElder? Iâm not an elder,â the King Pharmacist loudly said.
âOf course, of course, my mistake,â Han Zhigao said.
âAlright,â the King Pharmacist said.
He and his student got into the car arranged by Han Zhigao and headed to Dali. They arrived at noon.
âIâve arranged lunch for you,â Han Zhigao said.
âI want to see the patient first,â the King Pharmacist said.
âSure!â Han Zhigao immediately called his brothers.
âHeâs here already!â Han Zhiyu was thrilled.
Han Xing had asked his brothers not to tell too many people about King Pharmacistâs visit. If anyone asked, they would say they had a distinguished guest.
Han Xing and Han Zhiyu waited at the door to welcome the famous King pharmacist. Upon seeing him, both brothers thought, He doesnât look like he is in his 70s at all! He looks so young!
âHello, Sir,â Han Xing said.
âCut the crap, lead me to the patient,â the King Pharmacist abruptly said.
âSure,â Han Xing said.
He led the King Pharmacist to his youngest brotherâs room. They soon saw the patient lying on the bed.
âWhat is that smell?â The King Pharmacist suddenly looked serious. He quickly walked to the bed and opened the gauze proficiently. The traumatized skin was exposed.
âWhat?â the King Pharmacist seemed shocked.
His student was also shocked.
âThat horrible poison again!â King Pharmacist seemed surprised.
âHave you come across this poison before?â Han Xing asked.
âHow many decoctions has that doctor used on him?â The King Pharmacist was astonished when he saw the scars on the patientâs arm.
âWeâve used half of the first two decoctions and one fifth of the third decoction,â Han Xing said.
âBring me all the decoctions,â the King Pharmacist said.
âOK.â Han Xing showed the King Pharmacist all the decoctions given to him by Wang Yao.
âWhen was the last time you gave him decoctions?â the King Pharmacist asked.
âIt was 8 a.m.,â Han Xing said. âThis one is to expel the toxins from my brotherâs body. The second one is to consolidate his fundamental health. The third one is to help grow the skin and muscles.â
âI see.â The King Pharmacist nodded. âJian.â
âYes, Master,â Jian said.
âFetch all the decoctions I used last time,â the King Pharmacist said.
âOK,â Jian said.
âIâll go with you,â Han Zhigao said and tried to follow Jian.
âYou wait here,â the King Pharmacist said.
âOK,â Han Zhigao said. âWeâve prepared some food. Would you like to have dinner after a long trip?â
âOK,â the King Pharmacist said.
Members of the Han family took the King Pharmacist to a restaurant.
âWhat?â An old man happened to see the King Pharmacist, his student, and the Han brothers outside the house.
How come he is here? How could the Han brothers invite him here?
The old man was Sang Guzi. He met the King Pharmacist once and knew what a weird person he was. Whether he wanted to see a patient or not was determined by his mood. When he was not in good mood, a full house of gold or a blade on his neck wouldnât move him, let alone make him visit a patient at their home.
Sang Guzi knew the Han brothers were not powerful people in town.
Unless! He thought about one possibility. He sighed, shook his head, and walked off.
...
In the village, Wang Yilong was very happy because his two grandchildren were around. Watching those lovely kids made it feel like all his pain had gone away.
Wang Zecheng talked to his sister privately after lunch.
âI have to tell you something, Sis,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhat?â she asked. She found her brother had changed significantly. He was a totally different person now. She never expected him to treat their father so well. Therefore, she was quite confused about what was going on.
âLook, our dad is very sick,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhatâs wrong with him?â His sister was shocked.
âHe is extremely ill,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhat has he got?â his sister asked.
âCancer,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhat?â His sisterâs body began to shake. Tears soon came flooding out of her eyes.
âSis, hold your tears. Dad doesnât know heâs got cancer,â Wang Zecheng anxiously said. He had thought about whether he should tell his sister about their fatherâs condition. After thinking about it for the whole morning, he decided he had to tell her. He knew she would be shocked and upset.
âLetâs get out of here.â His sister covered her mouth with one hand and walked out of the room. âWhen was he diagnosed? Why didnât you tell me earlier?â
âYou were in the hospital when I called you last time, so I didnât tell you. Then, I took Dad to the hospital in town a few days later,â Wang Zecheng said.
âWhere was he diagnosed?â his sister asked.
âIn Lianshan Peopleâs Hospital,â Wang Zecheng said.
âLetâs go to the hospital in the capital city. We can take him there today,â his sister said.
âSis, listen to me!â Wang Zecheng stopped his sister, who was about to walk back into the house.
âIf we took him there, he would know heâs got cancer. The doctor from the hospital in the capital city said if he doesnât know heâs got cancer, he will probably live for another year or long. If he knew, he would stop eating and sleeping and be worried about his illness all the time. Then, he would probably only live for a month,â Wang Zecheng said.
Both the doctor from the provincial hospital and Wang Yao had said the same thing.