Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“It’s alright, please help me lead the goat down the hill,” the old man said while getting down from the motorbike. His body swayed and he had to hold on to the wall for support.
“Don’t go into the house. Quick, let me take you to the hospital!” the young man swiftly said, having recalled Wang Yao’s words earlier.
“I’ll just go home and sit down. There’s no need to go to the hospital!” the old man exclaimed.
His son allowed no explanation and dragged the old man back up onto the motorbike and drove straight to the hospital.
“Quietly stay here and graze on the grass, don’t wander anywhere else,” Wang Yao sat by the road and muttered to the three goats.
Before long, a middle-aged woman hurried up the hill towards his direction.
“Hello Ma’am.”
“Hey, Yao, sorry to trouble you,” the woman said.
“It’s alright. Where did that older gentleman go?” Wang Yao asked.
“His son took him to the hospital.”
“Yes, better to do a check-up to get a peace of mind.”
“You are right.”
They chatted for a bit and the woman brought the goats down the hill.
Wang Yao headed up the hill, stood at the herbal field and looked into the distance, pondering.
For some unknown reason, the goat had managed to barge past the barrier and into the herbal field. If not for San Xian, the herbs would have been destroyed. There was no telling when something like this would happen again.
“I have to find a way to resolve this.”
Nanshan hill originally had no road, especially in the area where Wang Yao was at. Some areas had narrow winding trails as they were frequently trodden upon. People who brought their goats to graze or passers-by would sometimes use these trails. These trails were not too far off from Wang Yao’s herbal field; the only obstacle between them was the woods and the newly planted trees.
By right, in this area, the presence of people was few and far between. In the initial two years that Wang Yao had been on the hill, during the busier farming season, there were occasional villagers who would come to this place to ask for some water to quench their thirst.
“At most, I should seal these paths.”
Having come up the hill, Wang Yao walked around and had a broad idea of a plan. A barrier needed to be set up, but it should not be rushed. A compromise could be considered. Some things could be set up first. After some time, if they prove to be a hindrance, they could be shifted away.
Wang Yao walked around some more and chose a few locations, using rocks as markers. By that time, it had gotten dark outside.
He went home and noticed his mother looking at him strangely.
“Just now, Chunrong came and brought some stuff as a token of his gratitude. What’s going on?”
“Chunrong?” Wang Yao was taken by surprise. He immediately realized who it was.
It was the young man from earlier in the day, the son of the old man who was unwell up at the hill.
“Thank me?”
“Yes, he said that fortunately it was discovered in time, otherwise it would have been disastrous.”
“Oh, this afternoon, his father was on the hill with his goats. I was at the herbal field nearby and noticed that he looked like he was unwell. So I took his pulse and diagnosed that his body did indeed have problems and I asked him to call his family. Was he sent to the hospital?”
“Yes, the county hospital.” While mother and son were talking, a person walked into the courtyard after knocking at the door. It was the young man riding the motorbike earlier. Seeing Wang Yao, he went up to the front.
“Thank you so much, thank you!” he thanked Wang Yao profusely.
“Is your father feeling better?”
“He’s been hospitalized.”
“Come into the house,” Wang Yao gestured to the young man, not much older than himself, into the house. This young man’s name was Wang Chunrong and he was of the same generation as Wang Yao. They did not interact much, only exchanging an occasional greeting.
Having sat down, Chunrong gave his account. After coming down the hill, he originally had no intention of sending his father to the hospital. However, after his father got down from the motorbike, his body was unstable and e almost fell. This shocked Chunrong tremendously and he made the decision to drive him to the hospital in town. They met an acquaintance in town that drove them both straight to the county hospital where it was found that the old man had a blood clot. He was arranged to be hospitalized immediately to receive thrombolysis therapy.
According to the attendant doctor, if it had been later, the likelihood of clearing the blood clot would be very low. The treatment of blood clots was time sensitive; if one were to delay the treatment time, even if it were only an hour, it could result in paralysis. Currently, his father’s symptoms were evident; the left side of his arm and elbows were uncontrollable and could only make small movements.
“I never knew that you had medical skills!” Wang Chunrong smiled.
Wang Yao smiled upon hearing him. “With rigorous treatment at the hospital and appropriate physiotherapy, with his arms and legs still being able to move, it should not be a problem.”
“Yes, the doctor said as much. I have to go to the hospital. I will thank you properly next time!”
“There’s no need,” Wang Yao declined, smiling.
He got up and sent Wang Chunrong off. Returning home, he saw his mother beaming and humming a tune. Dinner that night was particularly sumptuous.
“Eh, do we have a guest tonight?” returning home, a puzzled Wang Fenghua asked, seeing the feast on the table.
“No, it’s for ourselves,” Zhang Xiuying smiled while pouring him a drink.
“How wasteful,” Wang Fenghua murmured.
“It’s not for you, it’s for my son.” Zhang Xiuying was buoyant.
Okay. Wang Yao nodded and lowered his head while having his dinner. He knew why his mother was so happy. He did not say much. Having eaten his dinner, he chatted with his parent for a bit and went back to Nanshan hill.
“What did your son do to make you so happy?” after Wang Yao left, Wang Fenghua lit a cigarette and asked.
“Nothing much. He detected that Wang Chunrong’s father had a blood clot and gave him a reminder. This afternoon, Chunrong came here specially to express his gratitude.”
“Did you keep his gift?”
“I refused, but he insisted.”
Wang Fenghua was silent momentarily before commenting, “When the old man is discharged, remember to pay them a visit.”
“Sure.”
Relationships were like that. Where there was give and take, a lasting relationship would form. Where there was only taking and no giving, the relationship would fade.
In the morning of the next day, after Wang Yao’s practice, he went down the hill. He informed his family and drove outside with the intention of visiting the nursery where he bought the tree saplings previously. He wanted to buy a few plants to plant on the hill.
“What? Plants with thorns?” having heard Wang Yao’s request, the man was stupefied and asked him another question. “The saplings you bought from me last time, have they all survived?”
“Yes, they’re all growing well,” Wang Yao smiled in reply.
“You want plants with thorns, like cactuses?”
“No, I plan to plant on a hill,” Wang Yao said.
“Plant on a hill—arbors or shrubs?”
“Maybe shrubs at first—best if they are in a cluster.”
“Let me think.” The man stood on the spot and was in deep thought for some time.
“How about roses and rose bushes? When they bloom they look amazing.”
“Fresh flowers?” Wang Yao thought about it. A hill overgrown with fresh flowers—it would attract attention from afar. His intention was to prevent people from getting near his herbal field and cottage.
“No flowers. I don’t want anything eye-catching.”
“I have a type of purple-leaved grape root. It’s a common garden shrub and it has soft thorns.”
“What does it look like? Can I have a look?” Wang Yao asked.
“Sure, come with me.” The man brought Wang Yao to the plant. It was a cluster, the leaves were violet colored, with soft thorns and they looked nice.
“Okay, I’ll have this. I also want boxwood.”
“Sure, how many do you want? I will deliver them to you.”
Wang Yao gave an estimated number and the man drove a pickup truck to deliver the saplings to the bottom of the hill. He had men help carry them up the hill.
“What…” When he saw the saplings that Wang Yao had bought from him during the winter dancing in the wind and sprouting green leaves, he was stunned.
“This is not scientific!”
If these were in a greenhouse, he would not be so shocked, since the environment could be controlled, and special fertilizers could be added. In an open environment with exposure to the cold temperature, this was the greatest restriction to the plants’ growth. Yet, these plants had managed to grow despite these odds. It boggled his mind.
“How did you do it?” the man asked.
“I worked diligently and meticulously,” Wang Yao responded.
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive!” stunned for some time, the man spouted this word.
“I’ve said this before—if those saplings you bought last time survived, all other plants that you buy from me are free. This is today’s money, here you go!” With that being said, he took out the deposit that Wang Yao paid him earlier from his pocket, intending to return it to him.
“No, don’t do that.” Wang Yao noted that the man kept his word and was willing to bear the financial loss, therefore he did not take advantage. In the end, they agreed that he pay the lowest price for the saplings, covering the cost price of the plants at the minimum.
“Growing as well as they did in the winter—it’s miraculous!” The man kept looking back while making his way down the hill. If he had not seen it himself, he would never have believed it. The fact that in this wilderness, someone managed to grow so many plants in the winter and the fact that they could still survive and grow so well was incredible.
“Boss, what is that young man growing on the hill?”
“Should be herbs. I recognized a few.”
“Chinese herbs…are they very profitable? I see that the car he drives is very good!”
“I don’t know. Why? Do you want to change professions?”
“Of course not, I was just asking. Working with you has been good.”
Wang Yao waited for them to leave and started to get busy. The saplings delivered needed to be planted. The locations have already been determined. Shoveling, planting, watering—eventually, he watered them with diluted ancient spring.
