Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âWhat kind of pain is?â Wang Yao asked.
âIt comes intermittently. It is prickling pain,â the man said.
âHow long has it been bothering you?â Wang Yao asked.
After thinking a moment, the man said, âWell, itâs been six or seven days.â
Wang Yao took a closer look at the man. His complexion was not particularly good. He had heavy eye bags, which was a sign of bad rest. âHow have you been sleeping?â
âWell, these days I have been busy with work, so donât get to bed until after 11 p.m.,â the man said.
âHow long has that been going on?â Wang Yao asked.
âWell, itâs been almost half a month,â the man said.
âThat is actually quite a long time,â Wang Yao replied.
After 11 p.m., most of the body entered a state of rest. Once that happens, a person must sleep to ensure their body gets enough rest. Staying up late for the long-term was harmful to the body.
âThe illness is mainly caused by bad rest,â Wang Yao said. âAs long as you pay attention to rest, keep a regular cycle and donât stay up late, there should be no big problems.â
âOh, Dr. Wang, I want to rest. But, every time I lie down, I get a headache, which keeps me from sleeping,â the man said.
Because of work, he often stayed up to keep up. That work had finally been completed and he wanted to rest, but he could not.
âIt is easy.â Wang Yao took out two silver needles and inserted them in two parts of the manâs head. He twisted them a few times before withdrawing them.
âTry to have peace of mind before going to bed and avoid violent fluctuations in emotions,â Wang Yao said.
âOh, OK. Is that all?â the man asked.
âIf you have trouble sleeping again, come to me,â Wang Yao said.
âOK. How much do I owe you?â the man asked.
âThere is no need to pay.â Wang Yao smiled.
âThank you, thank you.â The man left happy.
By the time Wang Yao was done treating the patient, it was already after noon.
Once the man got home, he told his family about his experience at the clinic.
âWell, the doctor is not bad. He even provides free to treat patients,â he said.
âIs there really such a good doctor?â a family member asked.
âOf course it is true,â the man said.
âDid it work?â the family member asked.
âIt worked. It does not hurt at all,â the man said.
Just after Wang Yao finished his afternoon meal, a guest arrived at the clinic.
âIs Xiaoyao here?â It was a woman from the same village. She was in her 30s. She held a child in her arms.
âHello, come in and take a seat,â Wang Yao said. âWhat happened?â
âMy child has a fever. He has not been crying, only sleeping. I am worried, so I came to look for you,â the woman said.
âTake a seat and wait for a moment,â Wang Yao said.
Most of the villagers usually went to the hospital when they were sick. They would not come directly to him unless it was a special situation. This situation seemed comparatively urgent.
âLet me see,â Wang Yao said.
The child was quite young, approximately 2 years old, sleeping in his motherâs arms with a ruddy face. Wang Yao reached out his hand to touch his head. It was hot. He had a high fever.
âHow long has he had it?â Wang Yao asked.
âWell, today is the second day,â the woman said.
âDid he take any medicine?â Wang Yao asked.
âHe took some,â the woman said. âHis fever was gone in the morning, but it came back again in the afternoon. And, he has no appetite.â
âThere is a heat toxin in the body that needs to be dissipated. Otherwise, it may lead to big problems,â Wang Yao said.
âHow do we do that?â the woman asked.
âPut him down,â Wang Yao said.
The woman put her son down on the sofa. Wang Yao quickly opened the childâs clothes and gave him a massage with his unique technique. The child was exceptionally well-behaved and did not cry or make any trouble. Generally at this stage of such high fever, children would cry.
Soon, the child started to sweat. A child with a fever did not sweat. The sweat indicate that the childâs fever had begun to go.
âHe might have a rash,â Wang Yao said.
âHe has had that disease. It is said that people could be immune to it for life after having had it, right?â the woman asked.
âA rash can be divided into many types,â Wang Yao said. âWell, the heat toxin has almost dissipated, and the rest will spread out on its own. Have him drink more water and wear less clothes during a high fever.â
âOh, OK, thank you,â the woman said. âThe...â
âThere is no need to pay.â Wang Yao waved his hand.
The woman happily left with her child.
In the afternoon, Li Shiyu delivered more trees. Wang Yao spent the rest of the afternoon moving trees to the mountains, digging holes, and planting some of them.
At the foot the mountain, four cars arrived at the clinic.
âIs it here?â a man asked.
âYes, the house is the style of the Hui architecture. It is here,â another man said.
âHey, why is the door locked?â the first man said. âHe is not available!â
Wang Yao was not in the clinic. When he was not accepting patients, he hung a wooden sign on the door to notify the people looking for doctor.
âWhat should we do?â the first man asked.
âLetâs go and come back tomorrow morning,â the other man said.
Some people came and saw the door was closed, so they left. Some people did not give up and waited outside the clinic until sunset. None of these people went to his home to find him. Even though some of them knew he lived in the village, the rules of seeing the doctor were written on the wooden sign. People also would inform their relatives and friends of his rules when they recommended them to see him.
When Wang Yao came down from the mountain, the sky was completely dark. He went to the clinic. There were still people waiting outside of it. One was a man with sunglasses and a mask, which hid his face. The man had grey hair.
âHello, are you here to see a doctor?â Wang Yao asked.
âWell, yes, are you Dr. Wang?â the man asked.
âI am. Didnât you see the notice on the door that I was not seeing patients for the afternoon? Have you just waited here?â Wang Yao asked.
âOh, I have nothing to do anyway,â the man said.
âCome in.â Wang Yao opened the door and invited him in.
âWhat disease do you have?â Wang Yao asked. âLet me check it.â
The man took off the mask. He had a scar from the left corner of his mouth to the root of the ear. It has not healed and had signs of ulceration. The wound was a horrible purple.
It was no wonder he wore a mask. This scar was a little scary.
âWhen were you injured?â Wang Yao asked.
âAbout a month ago,â the man said. As soon as he spoke, dark red blood flew out from the scar.
âDid you sew it?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, but it did not heal and became inflamed, so the line was removed,â the man said.
âAre you a local?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, I am from Dao,â the man said.
âHow did you find me?â Wang Yao asked.
âBrother Hao told me about you,â the man said.
âHe is with Sun Zhengrong, right?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, that is him,â the man said.
Wang Yao checked the wound carefully before checking out the rest of the man. His body was tight and had a unique smell. He frowned from time to time as if he was enduring a great pain.
âThis is a knife wound,â Wang Yao said with certainty.
âYes,â the man replied.
âAre you in security?â Wang Yao asked.
âWell, I guess you could call me a hired thug.â He spoke while wiping the blood from the mouth corner of his mouth.
âThe knife was poisonous. Did your hair become white recently?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes,â the man said.
âIs there any problem with your eyes?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes!â The man was surprised. He slowly took off the huge glasses, showing his yellow eyes.
âI can cure the disease, but it is very expensive,â Wang Yao said.
âOK,â the man said.
âPlease wait a minute.â After finishing the conversation, Wang Yao went out.
The man was left in the room. He sat quietly and looked at the room. It was very simple, even a little crude.
Not long after, Wang Yao returned with a porcelain bottle. He poured a small amount into a cup. âTake this medicine.â It was the toxin-resolving powder made from the leaf of antidote herb.
Ten minutes after drinking it, the man sighed with relief.
âDo you feel better?â Wang Yao asked.
âIt is much better,â the man said.
He had been injured by a sharp blade when he was fighting with a man. The poisonous knife made it difficult for the wound to heal. The poison had already been in his body for a few days. During this time, his hair became white and his body ached. He also vomited whatever he ate and had blurry eyesight. His rich energy and vitality had begun to dry up.