In the car outside the clinic...
âXiao Nan, how do you feel?â the middle-aged man softly asked. He hoped the treatment would be effective and his son would quickly recover and be healthy.
âDad, Iâm fine,â the boy said.
His words made his father smile.
In the past, he had not answered any questions from his father, no matter what his father asked. It was as if he thought his words as valuable as gold. Now, he answered him at once, which was a great improvement. Of course, it might be a coincidence, but there had been no such coincidence before.
âAn old friend of mine, who passed away, had only one grandson,â Sang Guzi said. âThe boy begged me to come to see you here. Otherwise, I would not come to trouble you.â
âHey, youâre welcome. Just tell me what you need me to do in the future,â Wang Yao said.
âSince you said that, there is another thing I want to ask you,â Sang Guzi said.
âYes, go ahead.â
âDo you need an apprentice here?â Sang Guzi asked.
âWhat?â Wang Yao stunned for a moment.
âApprentice? What kind of apprentice?â
âTo learn medicine,â Sang Guzi said.
âI donât want to hide it from you,â Wang Yao said. âI do have an apprentice. He is a doctor in our county hospital.â
âWould you like to have one more? I would like to put it straight forward. I have a grandson who is studying Chinese medicine. He is quite smart. Iâm getting older now. As his grandfather, I am afraid that I canât teach him well, but the abilities of his father and his uncles are limited. If you want another apprentice, please tell me. I will bring him here to have him learn from you.â
âOK, let me think about it,â Wang Yao replied.
âThat is good.â
âSince you have come all this way, would you like to stay and have a meal?â Wang Yao asked.
âNo, thanks. I came here with the father and his son, so I should go back with them. There is still something to do at home.â
âIâll see you off.â
He walked Sang Guzi to the car. He gave him a bag of tea, which had been picked from Nanshan Hill.
âTry some tea. I planted it myself.â
âOK, thank you.â
The young man, Xiao Nan, in the car kept staring at Wang Yao.
âWhat is it, Xiao Nan?â his father asked.
âGoodbye.â The teenager raised his hand and waved at Wang Yao.
âGoodbye,â Wang Yao replied with a smile.
The middle-aged man was surprised to see the situation.
In the car, the middle-aged man praised, âMr. Sang, Dr. Wang is a very good doctor.â
âHe is truly extraordinary in medicine,â Sang Guzi said.
The middle-aged man looked at his son. His eyes were filled with love. This was the first time in a long time that he saw his son took the initiative to speak to others.
The young boy sat quietly in the seat, looking out of the window. Nobody knew what he was thinking.
He did not like to talk. Since his mother died, he felt as if the world had become dark. Since it was dark, there was no reason to communicate with the world. He closed himself off and became quiet and unwilling to talk to others. He was like that even when facing his father and family.
Gradually, he found that it was good to be silent. He looked at the world quietly. Looking at the people around him, he knew everything, but he said nothing. He thought it was good like that. However, his family worried about him. How could he grow up without talking or communicating with others? At the very least, he had to answer his teachersâ questions. It was a surprise that Xiao Nanâs grades were good. He was one of the top three students in the class, which made his teachers accept the fact that he was unwilling to speak. As long as his grades were good, it was alright if he was unwilling to speak. After all, reading and recitation were not tested in the university entrance examination. But his family didnât think so. They took him to see many doctors, but it didnât work. In that regard, Xiao Nan once simply told his father that he had no problem, but his father did not think so. Later on, he no longer explained anything, even to his father, who loved him the most in the world.
Taking medicine and receiving psychological cues, as well as having other special treatments, were all treatments he had received. None of them had any obvious efficacies until he met Wang Yao. He felt there was a cool sensation on his head after taking his medicine. More importantly, it was his action of pointing to him. It seemed an ordinary action to point his forehead, but Wang Yao found the wall, as well as the protective screen, the young man had in his mind to isolate himself from the outside world. Wang Yao made it crack. The young man felt an urge to talk to the people around him. He had not had the feeling in a long time.
Why? He had asked himself that more than once. He even wanted to ask Dr. Wang, but he stifled the urge.
The middle-aged man drove his car and looked at his son from time to time.
âXiao Nan, what are you thinking about?â
âNothing,â Xiao Nan replied almost subconsciously.
The middle-aged man thought, One more sentence for him! He had a pleasant smile on his face.
This means progress and hope! He was in a good mood. He thought the autumn scenery was much more beautiful.
âThis is a great place!â
In the village, Wang Yao recorded the teenagerâs condition.
His treatment should be effective.
When he was outside the clinic and saw the boy in the car, he knew the treatment was effective because of his eyes, which were the windows of the soul. When he first saw the boy, his eyes were clear. He was cautious about people and the world. It was more appropriate to say the boy was blocked. He had built a city for himself and sealed himself in it. He no longer communicated with people outside of it. He only occasionally came out to relax. Just now, Wang Yao saw that the door of the city had been opened when the boy took the initiative to talk to him. If he had more time, he would have talked a little more.
The medicine was secondary. Neixi was the key.
He poured his neixi into the boyâs mind in a unique way and smashed the door.
What about the matter with Mr. Sang? Do I accept another disciple?
In Jia Zizaiâs home in the village...
Jia Zizai was sitting on a futon with his eyes closed. After a while, he suddenly jumped up.
âThatâs strange. Why canât I get it?â He frowned.
Zhong Liuchuan had taught him Wang Yaoâs method of breathing. Jia Zizaiâs practice was not as smooth as Zhong Liuchuanâs. He had not touched the threshold. Breathing and practicing seemed easy, but it was the most difficult to comprehend. The process was about the heart and the mind instead of so-called intelligence. Some people were inherently intelligent. Once they practiced, it was difficult to get started. However, those who were not very talented, or even a little bit stupid, sometimes could start quickly.
No, no!
He paced back and forth in the room.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â Hu Mei entered the room and asked after hearing him muttering.
âI have practiced for several days, but I canât handle the trick all the time,â Jia Zizai said.
âAre you too impatient?â Hu Mei asked.
âI will go to my brother and ask him.â Jia Zizai was very serious about his practice. This could be seen through his appellation for Zhong Liuchuan. There were only two of them there, but he still called Zhong Liuchuan his brother. In fact, even if they were in public, it was nothing to call him his name. Zhong Liuchuan did not care, but he did. He was honored to learn from him and worshiped him as his teacher. He had to strictly follow the rules, even if nobody else cared.
âOK, go and ask him.â
Jia Zizai went to Zhong Liuchuanâs home.
âBrother.â
âWhatâs wrong with you?â Zhong Liuchuan asked with a smile.
âIâve failed to get started after trying a long time,â Jia Zizai said about his intentions.
âYou are upset and irritable. Naturally, you could not get started smoothly.â Zhong Liuchuan quickly pointed out the reason.
âAs Mr. Wang said, our practice is about a state of mind.â Zhong Liuchuan poured a glass of water for Jia Zizai.
âIn the beginning, my practice progressed very slowly. After listening to Mr. Wangâs words, I began to read Taoist scripture. I gradually started to like it and gained a more peaceful mind, which sped up my progress.â