âNo, no, I did not know it!â Du Mingyang stammered with joy. He had always wanted to have children.
âWhat did you just say?â Zhang Xiuying came out of the room after hearing Wang Yaoâs words.
âYour sister is pregnant. Is that what you mean?â
âYeah.â
The family was very happy after hearing the good news. It was a delightful surprise out of their expectations.
âIs it a boy or a girl?â Du Mingyang didnât ask, but Wang Yaoâs mother did.
âWell, I cannot see that since I donât have X-ray vision. Only God knows that,â Wang Yao said with a laugh.
âMom, I love it no matter if it is a boy or a girl,â Du Mingyang hurriedly said. He did not have any traditional patriarchal ideas.
âLet me check you to see what kinds of nutrients you need to replenish,â Wang Yao said.
âOK, Sister, have a seat.â
Wang Yao carefully checked his elder sister.
âThere are no problems. My sisterâs body is great, and the child has nothing unusual. You can rest assured.â
âWhat do I need to pay attention to?â
âItâs enough to check about it on the Internet. There is a lot of information out there,â Wang Yao said. He still told his sister to pay attention to some things.
âNo more cooking. Iâll do it myself,â Zhang Xiuying said.
âMom, didnât Xiao Yao just say that itâs less than two months and proper activities are alright?â Wang Ru asked.
âNo.â
âIâm here to help,â Wang Yao said. âSister, just have a seat and rest.â
Wang Ru did as she told. She felt like she was being protected as if she was a giant panda. She did not even need to serve the food.
âWhat are you doing?â She felt unhappy. She was less than two months along.
âNo, my darling, listen to me,â Du Mingyang said. âDuring the first three months of your pregnancy, you must pay attention to avoid any danger.â
âWill I have to take three-month leave? No, will it need to be nine months to take care of myself and the baby at home?â
âSince you mention it, I think itâs feasible. You can tell your boss next week.â Wang Yao was just joking, but Du Mingyang took it seriously.
âDu Mingyang, what are you thinking about?â Wang Ruâs complexion changed. She could not stand resting at home all the time while setting her work aside. Besides, proper activities were good for her baby to develop and grow up.
âI will listen to you no matter what you want.â Seeing his wifeâs complexion change, Du Mingyang immediately agreed.
âWell, enjoy dinner. Mingyang said that for he is concerned about your health,â Zhang Xiuying said.
The family was very happy. Wang Fenghua drank two more glasses of wine, and Du Mingyang accompanied him to drink a few glasses of spirits.
They were going to stay overnight and go home the next day. Besides, it was Sunday.
Another week has passed in a flash, Wang Yao thought.
After dinner, he called Su Xiaoxue. He really missed her.
It was a special kind of happiness to have a person one missed so much.
In the village, Jia Zizai and Hu Mei were happy. They drank two bottles of wine to celebrate.
As evening approached, Jia Zizai went with Zhong Liuchuan for a run. Zhong Liuchuan also taught him the breathing method he had learned from Wang Yao.
Jia Zizai was smart. He knew things that looked ridiculous often came from the most basic things, such as the legendary Taoist method of immortality, which was based on the method of breathing guidance. He listened carefully to remember it firmly in his mind.
After seeing him light another cigarette, Zhong Liuchuan said, âMr. Wang doesnât smoke, so I advise you to smoke as little as possible in his presence.â
âOK, Iâll keep that in mind.â Jia Zizai put the cigarette back into the cigarette case. He was quite addicted to smoking. Because of his prior job, he smoked to relieve stress.
âAre you free this evening to come to my house for dinner?â he asked.
âNo, thanks. Anxin will be back, so I would like to accompany her,â Zhong Liuchuan said.
âAsk her to come with you,â Jia Zizai said. âHu Mei will cook for us.â
âAh...â
âWell, thatâs it.â
âOK, thank you.â
âHey, we are all in the village now, so there is no need to be so polite.â
As sunset fell, the sky gradually darkened. The moon was large and bright.
After 9 p.m., Wang Yao left home for Nanshan Hill. It was silent as he walked up the mountain road outside the village. Even the sound of insects had disappeared. After the frost, there were few insects.
Within the blink of an eye, he was already more than 60 feet away. It was like he had the legendary ability to shrink the land within a foot. After a while, he was on Nanshan Hill.
âSan Xian?â
The dog was squatting beside its kennel. It was looking at the sky, thinking of something, but no one knew what it was.
âWhat are you thinking about?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Woof!
OK?
A meteor was shooting across the sky.
âMake a wish.â Wang Yao smiled and rubbed the dogâs head.
Woof!
âGo to sleep. It will be a sunny day tomorrow.â Wang Yao laughed. The dog stayed where he was, looking at the sky as if he had not heard what was said.
âHey, San Xian, are you also watching the star patterns in the sky?â Wang Yao, who had just arrived at the door, suddenly stopped and turned to look at the dog.
âIs this too mysterious?â
Wang Yao went over to the dog and looked at it.
âSan Xian, tell me, what do you see?â
Woof! Woof! The dog barked twice, raised a paw, and pointed to the sky.
âDo you really understand it?â
âOK, do what you would like. Good night.â After sitting for a while with this fast-growing dog, Wang Yao entered the room and read a Taoist scripture. Before long, he turned the lights off and went to sleep.
In the village, at Wang Yaoâs home...
âMy darling, have you ever thought about a name for the baby?â
âItâs 9:30, go to sleep.â
âHow about Du Ziteng[1]?â
âThatâs not good. Have you drunk too much? If you suggest Du Ziteng, why not Du Zipang[2]?â
âI like girls. It would be best if the first child was a girl. That way we can have a second child.â
âWhat if the second child is a girl?â
âI donât mind. Boys and girls are the same.â
They laid in bed and talked until 10 p.m. Wang Ru couldnât stand it anymore and wanted to sleep.
âPregnant women need plenty of rest.â
âOK, donât talk anymore. Have a good nightâs rest.â Her words worked well. Du Mingyang immediately shut up.
The night passed quietly.
In the morning, not many people visited the clinic. Around 11 a.m., at mealtime, a foreign car drove into the mountain village and stopped outside the clinic.
âDad, here it is.â
Three people got out of the car. Two of them had been to the clinic twice. One of them even went around the village with gifts and tried to persuade Wang Yao to pay a home visit. The third was an old man with a bad complexion. He wore a lot of clothes, including a down coat and a hat. He seemed to be afraid of the cold. His steps were not stable. He needed some help.
âSlow down.â
The two people beside him helped the old man go into the clinic. Coincidentally, there was no one there, so they didnât need to wait in line.
âHello, Dr. Wang, sorry to disturb you again,â the middle-aged man said.
âPlease check my father. He always has a headache. It is getting serious, especially when itâs cold. He canât eat or sleep due to the pain.â
The old man had sudden shivers as if it was to confirm his sonâs words. He covered his head with his hands. His expression looked pained. Beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead.
âDad.â The middle-aged man hurriedly helped his father sit down.
âExcuse me.â
Wang Yao pulled a silver needle from his pouch and inserted it into the old manâs head accurately and steadily. The needle made the old manâs body pain immediately stop, which also stopped his tremors.
âIt doesnât hurt anymore!â The old man was surprised.
âReally?â The middle-aged man was also stunned. The pain went away after being stuck with a needle. It was amazing.
âItâs only temporary,â Wang Yao said.
The old man was suffering from chills into the brain. The needle could only temporarily stop the pain. It could not cure it.
âDo you have a cure?â
âYes,â Wang Yao said.
It was not difficult to cure this old manâs disease, which was to expel the chills that entered the brain.
âThatâs great! Please cure my father.â
âHe needs to take medicine, which is not cheap!â
...
[1] Du Ziteng sounds like having stomach pain in Chinese.
[2] Du Zipang sounds like a fatty belly in Chinese.