Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âI will go out with him,â Chen Ying said. âThis time Xiao Zhou has a special request.â
âYes?â Wang Yao asked.
âI want to follow you to study medicine,â Chen Zhou said.
âYou want to follow me?â Wang Yao asked. âWhy do you suddenly have such an idea?â
âWith my experiences in mental health centers, there were many people who were really pitiful and helpless. Now, I canât help but feel a strong emotion to help others.â Chen Zhou spoke as if he was an old man with many insights on life after experiencing ups and downs.
âBased on his age, he should go to an elementary school,â Wang Yao said.
âActually, it should be Grade 7,â Chen Ying said.
âMy suggestion is to send him to school first so he can be educated in accordance with normal procedures and integrate into society,â Wang Yao said. âHe has been isolated from normal society many years, so that is what he urgently needs. He needs to learn communication, as well as make friends. As for studying medicine from me, that is not a problem. I can send you a few books to get a glimpse of some basic knowledge of Chinese medicine.â
âGood,â Chen Ying said.
She agreed with his recommendation. Since Chen Zhou had a strange sense of worship toward Wang Yao, whom he was very keen to learn from, she did not have to persuade her brother further.
Chen Zhou was silent for a while before replying, âWell, OK. I will listen to you and regain all those lost things first.â
âWell, where do you want to go?â Wang Yao asked.
âSomewhere near Qi province,â Chen Ying said. âI want to take him to Mount Tai first.â
âOK, you can use my car,â Wang Yao said.
âThanks, but we have already rented a car,â Chen Ying said.
The sister and brother left. Wang Yao was very pleased that more people wanted to study medicine. Given Chen Zhouâs demeanor when he was speaking, Wang Yao could tell that he wanted to learn from the heart and not just in the spur of the moment.
...
Just before 1 p.m., Wang Zecheng went into the clinic pressing his waist. He looked as if he was in great pain.
âWhat happened?â Wang Yao looked at his face, which was pale. He could tell it was the manifestation of pain and overwork. He could tell that Wang Zecheng did listen to his advice to rest instead of work.
âI have lower back pain, and itâs very painful,â Wang Zecheng said.
The pain made him fidgety. HIs lower back hurt whether he was standing, sitting, or lying down. It was as if someone holding a knife was stabbing him regularly.
During the first two days, he could put up with the pain and thought he would get better soon. So, he just applied some plaster on it. But, it kept getting worse.
When he went to work in the morning, he almost couldnât stand it. He barely endured until the end of his shift. He could not even push his motorcycle. After returning home and having some food, he saw Wang Yao coming to the clinic and decided to follow him.
âI advised you to rest for at least seven days and come for a massage every other day, but you only came one time,â Wang Yao said. âHow many days did you rest at home before going to back to work?â
âAh, two days.â Wang Zecheng said.
âTell me truth,â Wang Yao said.
âOne and a half days,â Wang Zecheng said.
He actually had rested at home for a day and a half. The next afternoon, he felt much better, so he went to the factory to work regardless of his familyâs wishes. On the third day, he began to feel lower back painful. The nature of his work was heavy physical labor, so it was necessary to use his waist strength. After a day of work, his lower back was very painful. To a lesser extent, his arms and neck also hurt.
Doctors could refuse patients for many reasons, including ignoring health care or advice.
âIf I go by principle, as for your illness, I shouldnât have treated you,â Wang Yao said.
âYes.â Wang Zecheng nodded. His face was pale. âI also know it. That is what I deserve.â
Hindsight was easier than foresight.
âCome on, let me give you a check,â Wang Yao said.
When he took off his shirt, his waist was red and swollen. It was almost purple.
âAh!: Wang Zechengâs body trembled when being gently touched by Wang Yao.
âDoes it hurt that much?â Wang Yao asked.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âOh, it hurts very much,â Wang Zecheng said.
He had sprained muscles, which resulted in poor blood circulation and could cause muscle necrosis.
âGet down,â Wang Yao said.
Wang Zecheng laid down enduring the pain.
âYou have to put on with it,â Wang Yao said.
Instead of a massage, he used needles to stimulate the acupuncture points. Because of the pain, Wang Zechengâs back muscles were tight, which was not good for the treatment.
âRelax,â Wang Yao said.
âAh.â Wang Zecheng bit his teeth.
âIs it painful when I insert the needles?â Wang Yao asked.
âItâs not very painful.â Since his waist hurt so bad, it reduced other feelings like the itchiness of inserting needle. It was too light compared to the original pain.
After the needles were placed, Wang Yao began to massage the acupoints to dredge the blood. This was mainly kneading the muscles.
Wang Zechengâs body was tight. His trembling became more serious.
âIt must be hurt,â Wang Yao said.
âOw!â Wang Zecheng tried his best to withstand the pain.
âStand it,â Wang Yao said.
The silted meridians and blood had to be dredged by an external force for stimulation and not the self-repairing function of the human body, which was weaker. Naturally, it had some side effects.
When the treatment was over, Wang Zechengâs clothes were soaked in sweat. He had some trouble getting up.
âAt the very least, it will take 10 days of rest,â Wang Yao said. âDonât come to me if you donât listen to me.â
âOh, OK,â Wang Zecheng said.
Like a fall into the pit would make one gain their wit, he would really remember this lesson.
âDo less activities and rest more,â Wang Yao said.
âHey, how much?â Wang Zecheng asked.
âNo need to pay,â Wang Yao said.
âHow could I...â Wang Zecheng was surprised.
âJust go home and rest,â Wang Yao said.
âThank you.â Wang Zecheng pressed his waist and walked away slowly.
...
In a testing center in Province Qi...
âHow is it going on?â a lab specialist asked.
âAh, we have tested 17 kinds of medicinal materials. So far, we have not detected any pesticide residues or metal exceeding the standard. This batch of drugs has not been polluted,â the other lab specialist said.
âNo pollution, how is that possible?â the first lab specialist asked.
âItâs possible, if they are wild or planted on the mountains,â his colleague replied.
These drugs had been sent from one of the nearby counties. The specialists were asked to work overtime to check whether the herbs were unqualified, but they did not have any problems.
âWhy is that?â the specialists wondered.
...
In a clubhouse in Ji...
âChilde Li, you look to be in a good mood these days,â a man said.
âCrap, when am I in a bad mood?â the other man asked.
âI heard that you have worked in the Food and Drug Administration,â the first man said.
âWell, it is boring,â the other man said.
âHey, you should be satisfied. A department like that is directly subordinate to the provincial section,â the first man said. âAppreciate the happy life you enjoy.â
âI didnât want to work for that department. The poor salary is not enough to even buy cigarettes,â the other man said. âI worked there for someone.â
âSomeone. A beauty?â the first man asked.
âDamn it. A beauty? No, a foe,â the other man said.
âA foe! Who dares to provoke you, Childe Li? Who is it? Tell me. I will cut him!â The first man, with slicked-back hair, spoke barbarously, just like the son of an official.
âF*ck! He is in Haiqu. Is it under your jurisdiction?â the other man asked.
âHaiqu, that place? How did he irritate you?â the first man asked.
âI have plenty of time to mess with him gradually,â the other man said.
...
In a house in Lianshan County...
âNo! No!â The blood left the face of a young man, leaving it an ash color that made him look like he was almost dead. âHow could this be, how could this be?â
Ring! Ring! The phone on the desk rang. He looked at the number and thought about it. After hesitating for a few seconds, he answered the phone. âHey, Xiaoling.â
âAre you free tonight? What about having a dinner together?â a womanâs voice asked.
âWhere?â the young man asked.
âWe will talk about it when we meet,â the woman said.
After hanging up the phone, the man paced back and forth in the room. âSee her first.â
He got ready and drove out of the county to the mountain village.
âDoctor Wang, hello,â the young man said.
âOh, itâs you.â When Wang Yao immediately remembered the young man because his illness was somewhat special.
He had too much sex and always thought about it. It was almost out of control. Wang Yao used a special treatment on his body. He had transfused neixi into the manâs lower abdomen. Any thought of that kind would cause a physical reaction. His private parts would be exceptionally painful, like they were being pricked by a needle.