Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He drank the tea in the cup. The scent lingered in his mouth and teeth. âGood tea!â he sighed.
The two left the clinic and went to Xishan Hill.
âSince what happened last time, the villagers must be worried,â Professor Wu asked.
âYes, many people have are wanting to move out,â Wang Yao said.
âThis mountain village is very good,â Professor Wu said. âIt is very peaceful. Since I came and stayed for a while, my heart has been quiet. What about you?â
âIâll naturally stay here,â Wang Yao said.
The two arrived at the first pit, where they had visited last time. There were several pits inside, all of which were dug by Wang Yao. âLetâs go down to see it.â
They went into the pit. In it, they saw the mice hole and dead mice inside.
âWhat is this?â Professor Wu asked.
âI put some rat poison down. It looks like it worked,â Wang Yao said.
Professor Wu knew how troubling mice could be. They had a strong reproductive ability and survivability, as well as excellent mobility. They could be stalking all over the mountain village. If the mice carried the terrible bacteria around, it would be an extremely terrible thing.
The two then went other places and finally came to the broken, charred rock.
âI understand microorganisms, but I really do not understand insects!â Professor Wu knelt down and looked at it carefully. He took several photos. âHe should be interested.â
They wandered around carefully. After taking more photos, they went down the mountain.
âProfessor Wu, are you very busy?â Wang Yao asked.
âItâs very busy recently,â Professor Wu said.
âWhat about staying for lunch?â Wang Yao asked.
âGood,â Professor Wu said.
The ate at the restaurant in the village. In the past, guests came in like gathering clouds, resulting in even an idle table being unavailable. Now, it was completely empty without one guest.
âHey, Dr. Wang, come in, please come in!â Seeing a guest coming, the manager almost ran out to welcome them.
âWhatâs wrong here?â Wang Yao asked. âThere should be a lot of people on a weekday!â
âHey, itâs all due to that sickness,â the manager said. âItâs said that the infectious diseases happened in your village and a dozen of people have died. Since my restaurant is so close, who dares to come here to have meal? There have only been two groups of guest in the past four days.â
Wang Yao felt bad for the manager. If things stayed this way, it was likely the restaurant would have to close.
âCan we get a few side dishes with a jug of wine?â he asked.
âYes, wait a moment,â the manager said.
Since they were the only guests in the restaurant, the dishes were served quickly. All of them were delicacies from land and river.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âProfessor Wu, though the restaurant is small, the food tastes good,â Wang Yao said.
Originally, Wang Yao wanted to invite his driver and assistant to join them. He was rejected by the assistant, who felt that his teacher must have something to talk about with the guy who looked so young.
âWell, itâs really good.â Professor Wu took a taste using chopsticks, âNot bad.â
âWould you like a drink?â Wang Yao asked.
âOK,â
The two ate, drank, and chatted happily.
âDo you ever think about moving somewhere else?â Professor Wu asked after three rounds of wine. They had almost finished the meal.
âI like this kind of life. A place like Jing is not suitable for me.â Wang Yao smiled.
Although it was prosperous, it was too complicated. Plus, the air was not good. In fact, many people who worked and lived in Jing said they often feel breathless. That was not only because of air pollution. It was also because of the great pressure of life, especially considering that a house could cost a few million. Living in first-tier cities like Jing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, people in the ordinary working class were under great pressure.
âGiven the knowledge you have, based on my conservative estimates, you could easily be equal to a lecturer in a university of relevant major,â Professor Wu said. âI... Forget it.â He smiled and waved his hand.
If Wang Yao was willing to teach, some people would take the initiative to come to school. Not to mention others far away, many people who had recently met him wanted to learn his medical and kung fu skills.
After drinking wine, Professor Wuâs face was slightly red. He rarely drank with others in his daily life. When lunch was finished, he left with the carefully sealed box Wang Yao had given him.
âSafe journey,â Wang Yao said.
âThank you, remember to tell me if you come to Jing,â Professor Wu said.
Wang Yao did not forget to advise the professorâs assistant. âIf Professor Wu feels any uncomfort, please tell me.â
On this trip to Xishan, they went up the mountain without any protection. Under such circumstances, he naturally had no problem. But, it wouldnât necessarily be the same for Professor Wu. He might be infected.
âOK, sure,â the assistant said.
He had followed Professor Wu for a while and knew the manâs character. He rarely drank. If he did, it was usually not very much. Now, he had drank more than a little. Generally, he only drank this way with people with whom he was familiar.
After sending them off, Wang Yao returned to the clinic. That afternoon, a man in his 40s came in. He was thin and had a pale face and weak voice.
âHello, Dr. Wang, martial law here can really be unsettling,â the man said. He had been there twice. Every time he came, he had encountered the martial law.
âSorry, where are you not feeling well?â Wang Yao asked.
âI donât want to eat. I feel sick when I eat a little,â the man said.
âIs it you donât want to eat anything or is it just some kinds of foods you donât want to eat?â Wang Yao asked.
âI donât want to eat anything,â the man said.
âCome on, I will give you a check,â Wang Yao said.
Looking at his complexion, he could tell there was a deficiency of Qi and blood, which led to lack of vigor. The man gave off no peculiar odor. Only his breath was a slight hot.
After feeling his pulse, Wang Yao was slightly surprised. âYour body is still relatively healthy.â
As for the pulse, there was no other big problem except for the weak constitution and the lack of blood and Qi.
âIs it? But, why donât I want to eat?â the man asked.
âThat would be anorexia,â Wang Yao said. âWhen did you have feeling?â
âWell, hey, a month ago,â the man said.
âIs there anything that may have triggered this disease?â Wang Yao asked.
âOh, thatâs it. It was about a month ago,â the man said. âMy wife had just steamed some buns. When I was eating, I ate a hair from the bun. I felt very disgusted at that time. I almost threw it up.
âAfter a few days, my wife made meatballs. When I ate them, I ate my hair. Then, I vomited. I havenât eaten for three days since then because I felt sick when I ate. I felt a little better after a dozen days. I then went out to drink. I ate a large intestine of pork. It was like I smelling pig manure, so I vomited.â
The manâs face suddenly changed. It seemed he was going to vomit.
This was Wang Yaoâs first time dealing with this type of illness, which was actually a mental illness. âWhat do you do when you are hungry?â
âAlthough I am hungry, I just donât want to eat. I just force myself to eat something every day,â the man said. âBut, it must be what I like in my daily life.â
âThat is really troublesome,â Wang Yao whispered to himself.
For the time being, he couldnât think of a very suitable solution.
âWhy donât you leave your contact information and Iâll call you if I think of the appropriate treatment. Of course, I suggest you go to a larger hospital. Maybe they have some treatments,â Wang Yao said.
âOh, OK.â The man left him the phone number and left.
Anorexia?
Such diseases could occasionally be seen on films and television programs or it novels. It also could be seen in the news. Patients were sick and did not want to eat anything, so the body became extremely thin. In some extreme cases, they even needed to use injections to help the body operate normally.