Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
By the time they walked to Su Xiaoxueâs house, it was already past 9 p.m. Wang Yao went in and stayed for a few minutes before leaving.
âMom, here is some fruit I brought back especially for you,â Su Xiaoxue said. âThey were grown by Sir. Theyâre delicious. Try it. Where is Auntie Lian? Ask her to have to taste too.â
âYour Auntie Lian has something to do tonight,â Song Ruiping said. âDid you have fun this time?â
âYes I had fun,â Su Xiaoxue said. âI attended the wedding of Wang Yaoâs older sister. I was supposed to be a bridesmaid, but I could not become one.â
âWhy?â Song Ruiping asked.
âSir said that I was too beautiful after I put on the gown,â Su Xiaoxue said. âHe was afraid that I would be too dazzling and steal the limelight from his sister.â
âWell, my daughter is so beautiful. She must be more beautiful in a gown,â Song Ruiping said with a smile. âI think Wang Yao did right. On the day of marriage, the bride should be the main character.â
âI know, so I didnât insist on becoming the bridesmaid,â Su Xiaoxue said. âMom, would you like to taste this fruit?â
âYes, letâs try it,â Song Ruiping said.
She plucked a grape and placed it into her mouth.
âMmm, itâs delicious!â She exclaimed. It was sweet, juicy, and delicious. She had never tasted such delicious grapes before. She wanted to have a second one.
âTrying something else,â Su Xiaoxue said.
âSure,â Song Ruiping said.
According to her past living habits, she would not eat anything at this time of day. This evening was an exception. First, it was her daughterâs kind intentions. She had brought the fruit a long distance. Second, the fruit was delicious.
âTheyâre delicious, right?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âDelicious, very delicious,â Song Ruiping said. âI did not expect that in addition to being an expert at treating people, Wang Yao could also plant such delicious fruit. They are so delicious. Could they be planted by his parents?â
âThey were planted by Sir,â Su Xiaoxue said. âTheyâre on top of Nanshan Hill. I picked them with him.â
âSave some for your father and Auntie Lian,â Song Ruiping said.
âYou can eat them,â Su Xiaoxue said. âThere are more on the hill. Sir said that he will send some over for us regularly in the future.â
âThatâs nice. His kindness is rare,â Song Ruiping said.
After chatting with her mother for a while, Su Xiaoxue went back to her room to sleep.
The next morning, Wang Yao went to his second auntâs house first. He gave her some specialty products from his hometown. He chatted with her for a bit before going to the courtyard. Chen Ying was there.
âWhy are you here, Sir?â she asked.
âI came last night to see a patient,â Wang Yao said. âWhere is Xiao Zhou?â
âHe went to school. Sir, please come in.â Upon seeing that Wang Yao had arrived, Chen Ying was very happy and hurriedly invited him into the house.
âCome and try some of the fruit that I grew on the mountain.â Wang Yao handed her a plastic bag. He hadnât brought anything much this time, only some fruit and specialty products.
âThank you, Sir,â Chen Ying said. âHave a seat. Iâll go and wash the fruit.â
She busied herself with brewing tea and washing the fruit.
After eating a Chinese date, Chen Yingâs eyes shone brightly. It was crisp, fragrant, and sweet. âMmm, delicious!â
âTry them all,â Wang Yao said. âTheyâre all quite delicious.â
âHow long will you be staying for this time, Sir?â Chen Ying asked.
âIâm not sure. Probably around three days,â Wang Yao replied.
âWhy donât you stay a little longer?â Chen Ying asked. âThe maple leaves on Xiangshan Mountain are going to turn red soon.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Xiangshanâs red leaves were famous in the country and abroad. It was one of the âEight Sceneries of Yan Jing.â Every autumn there would be red maple leaves covering the floors. It was very beautiful, but it was not that season yet. It could only be seen closer to the frost season.
âI can just come back then,â Wang Yao said with a smile. âOh, Iâd like to meet the patient here today. Is that alright?â
âOf course.â Chen Ying replied.
The small courtyard had originally been under the name of the Su family. Although the legal procedures had not yet been completed, Wang Yao was actually one of the masters of the Su family now. This was his familyâs courtyard. Strictly speaking, the siblings were just living here to help manage it.
âIâve been taking care of your room,â Chen Ying said. âYou can stay there anytime.â
âOK, thank you,â Wang Yao said.
âYou are too polite,â Chen Ying said.
Wang Yao called Song Ruiping and told her that he was ready for the woman to come at any time.
âAlright, I got it,â Song Ruiping said. âIâll have her go over now.â
They were family, so she could not reject her. Otherwise, Song Ruiping would not be willing to cause trouble for Wang Yao.
Before long, a pale, slim woman in her 30s, accompanied by a well-dressed man, arrived at the courtyard.
âHello, Dr. Wang,â she said.
âHello, please take a seat,â Wang Yao said.
He had been looking at the woman since she came into the house. Her face was pale but lacked veins. These were signs of a lack of Qi and blood. Her gaze was dull, and she had bags under her eyes. That was due to poor rest and spirit. She also had dry hair, which indicated unhealthy kidneys, and uneven breath. Her body was in exceptionally poor health.
This womanâs Qi and blood were not flowing smoothly, and her spirit was lacking. Her five internal organs were unstable. That was something that appeared when a serious illness had not recovered. The key problem was that she was not alone. She had a little life in her stomach. The nurture of life required a considerable amount of nutrition, and it needed to be supported by a healthy body. The womanâs physical condition was not good enough to support and nurture life. According to her current situation, sooner or later, the child would face some problems and make the womanâs originally fragile body more vulnerable.
âYou are in very poor health,â Wang Yao remarked.
âI know that,â the woman said.
âYou shouldnât want this child at all. If you want one, at least, you should have taken care of your health before having one,â Wang Yao said. To be honest, she was putting her health and life on the line. âAccording to your current physical condition, this child will probably be lost, and it would make your already weak body worse.â
After hearing this, the womanâs face became paler. She sat there silent for a long time.
âI really want a child, my own child.â Her voice was soft and bitter.
âCome on, Iâll take a look for you,â Wang Yao said.
After taking her pulse, he realized that the problem was even worse.
This is troublesome!
âWhatâs the matter?â Looking at Wang Yaoâs grim face, the womanâs heart grew uneasy.
âLet me think,â he replied.
Judging from her pulse, the child would soon be lost because her health was too poor. She also had experienced two miscarriages, which was the precursor of recurrent spontaneous abortion.
He stared at the couple sitting in front of him, focusing on the woman.
âWhy do you want this child so much?â Wang Yao asked.
âMy first child died less than a month after birth. I, I...â Tears began to flow out of the womanâs eyes. The man sitting next to her held her hands tightly. He never said a word. From his gaze and actions, he loved the woman beside him very much.
âDo you want to keep this child?â Wang Yao asked.
For the first time, the man spoke loudly. âYes, I am willing to pay any price.â
âYou?â Wang Yao smiled. âIf you guys trust me, I will try, but there is a precondition. You should follow my arrangements for everything. If you can ensure that, we will continue. If you canât do it, please leave.â
âWe promise weâll be able to do that,â the man said.
âWell, from now on, you are not allowed to smoke or drink,â Wang Yao said. âYou canât wear perfume or use any cosmetics. Ah, and you, have you sprayed some on yourself as well?â
âAh, a little,â the man said.
âTo put it simply, avoid strong external stimulation, especially taste-wise,â Wang Yao said. âYou should be very sensitive to strong, irritating smells, right?â
âYes, I am quite sensitive. My nose is very sensitive,â the woman said.
âAt home too,â Wang Yao said.
âAlright, Iâll throw away all the scented things at home when I go back,â the man said.
âYou will need to take a rest and not walk frequently,â Wang Yao said. âYou will need to stay in bed for at least 12 hours every day.â
âNoted.â The man took a pen out of his pocket and wrote the points down one by one.
âThe key is to maintain emotional stability,â Wang Yao said. âYour nerves are too tense. Youâre too nervous and concerned about this child. That is a problem.â
âI know, but I havenât had a good rest lately because Iâm too worried about this child,â the woman said. âI canât help but worry about it. Itâs impossible to not care!â
After thinking a moment, Wang Yao said, âWait for a moment. Iâll prepare some medicine for you to it with you.â
âOh, sure,â the woman said.