Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After going through an entire cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, a full cycle of blooming and wilting, the trees had become firewood. In a sense, it was the end of their lives, but at the same time, a new beginning for them. Today, they would discover another purpose—to become firewood.
Wang Yao would always use firewood when he decocted medicine. He would never use natural gas or the electric cookers that modern pharmacists used. This was not only a form of respect towards tradition, a preservation of culture, but also a way to retain the medical strength of the herbs.
Over the span of the afternoon, Wang Yao searched around the mountain for more firewood. He managed to find a decent amount, which he piled up behind the small cottage.
It doesn’t look like the weather is going to get any better, Wang Yao thought.
He looked up at the sky. It was still overcast but showed no signs that it was going to rain. The breeze was chilly.
Wang Yao chose not to go back home for lunch but instead whipped up a simple meal on the hilltop. Then, he brought out one of his books of classics to read through.
After reading for a while, he put the book aside and lay down on his bed. Not long later, he closed his eyes to take an afternoon nap.
Just as he was falling asleep, his phone rang. It turned out to be Tian Yuantu calling. Wang Yao hadn’t met Tian Yuantu in a while. According to Wang Mingbao, Tian was busy with his company. Even the others hadn’t seen him in a while.
“Tian, have you been busy?” Wang Yao asked after the call connected.
“It’s me, Dr. Wang.” A gentle feminine voice sounded through the phone.
“Sister-in-law, what is it?” Wang Yao was stunned for a moment before realizing that it was Yu Jiahui.
“Yuantu isn’t feeling well. He’s got a terrible headache, but the hospital couldn’t pinpoint any problem. Could you take a look?”
“Sure.”
“Are you free this afternoon?”
“I am.”
“We’ll go over to your place in the afternoon then.”
“Sure.”
Wang Yao was initially planning to go over, but since the other party had offered to come, he didn’t say anything more.
He went back to continue his nap. Soon, he was woken up by the sound of his dog barking.
Guests had arrived. They were precisely Tian Yuantu and his wife, Yu Jiahui.
Tian Yuantu’s complexion didn’t look good. It was an unhealthy shade of yellow. Furthermore, the fatigue was clearly visible on his face, and his eyes were blurry. His wife looked extremely worried.
“Please, come in.”
Wang Yao ushered the two of them into the cottage and brought out the tea.
“Rest for a while; I’ll take a look when you’re ready.”
Just climbing this short mountain path had caused Tian Yuantu to become breathless. This would not have happened in the past.
They talked as they drank the tea.
“Have you been very tired these past few days?” Wang Yao asked as he took Tian Yuantu’s pulse.
“Yeah, I’ve been working overtime for the last few days.”
“Your business is already doing fine. Do you really need to push yourself so much?”
Tian Yuantu’s problem was just a simple case of being overworked. On top of that, his cervical spine was injured. This had resulted in him feeling faint. The problem could be easily solved with some massage treatment. However, more importantly, Tian Yuantu needed to rest and take care to not overwork himself.
Once a person reached their mid-forties, they needed to pay more attention to their health. There were many diseases that would start to set in after forty years old. If one didn’t pay attention and treat them, what might seem to be a small problem may develop further and cause greater regret in the later years of life.
“I was planning to take a break after this busy period,” Tian Yuantu said.
Wang Yao didn’t believe him. After all, too many people have said similar things.
This is the last time, I swear.
I will work harder starting tomorrow.
It won’t happen again.
Words like this.
When it came to wealth, one could never have enough. It was just a matter of perspective.
“How is it?”
“There are no serious problems; just make sure to get enough rest,” Wang Yao instructed. “Sit up straight, let me give you a massage.”
Wang Yao began to give Tian Yuantu a massage, focusing on the neck and back area.
“Wow, this feels really nice!”
Within a few minutes, Tian Yuantu felt his body relaxing. His neck didn’t feel as stiff anymore, and the headache had also reduced remarkably.
“It’s because you overworked yourself. That’s why your neck hurts.”
“When did you learn how to give massages?” Tian Yuantu asked curiously.
“Tuina was originally a form of medical treatment,” Wang Yao said.
After a bit more pushing and pressing, Wang Yao stopped.
Tian Yuantu and Yu Jiahui were in no hurry to leave. They stayed in the cottage to accompany Wang Yao.
“To tell you the truth, I haven’t relaxed like this in a while,” Tian Yuantu said. Recently, he had been rushing to meet many deadlines. The things he had to manage were just too much. Not only were they not decreasing, they were in fact piling up. It seemed to have become a vicious cycle.
“Don’t you have other deputies in your company? Can’t they handle some of it?” Wang Yao asked.
“I don’t feel confident leaving it to someone else.”
Some bosses were like that, unwilling to trust and hand power over to their employees. This was a poor way to manage a company.
When Li Kashing ran Cheung Kong Holdings, would he really bother with every little thing like the design of the buildings and the number of floors?
“You never used to be like this,” Yu Jiahui said.
“Mmm.” Tian Yuantu just made a noise in response. Clearly, he had some things weighing on his heart.
“Thank you, I feel much better,” Tian Yuantu said to Wang Yao again before leaving.
“No problem, just make sure you get more rest for now,” Wang Yao said.
Tian Yuantu now was very different from the Tian Yuantu he knew before. The old Tian Yuantu was never so crazed overwork, and he would always prioritize his family over his work.
“What is it, Yuantu? Is there a problem you’re not telling me?” As they descended the mountain, Yu Jiahui asked.
He stopped. “There’s a problem at the company,” Tian Yuantu hesitated for a bit before saying.
“What kind of problem?” Yu Jiahui asked immediately.
“There’s a problem with funding.”
“Funding? How can that be?” Yu Jiahui was shocked. She was extremely familiar with her husband’s company. In fact, for the company to have developed until now, it could not have been done without her help and support. It was after the company had developed enough that she started to spend more time taking care of the home.
“A while back, we bought some land on the island and were preparing to develop it. Not long later, however, there were some problems with the administrative procedures and the government forced us to stop.”
“The island?”
Yu Jiahui couldn’t be any more familiar with the housing prices on the island.”
“This is why you want to get your company publicly listed?”
“You could say that; it’s a kind of gamble,” Tian Yuantu said.
“What was the response from the banks?”
“They haven’t replied, but the company has already invested billions into this project!”
It was very tiring to do real economy in China. Not only did you have to deal with tax and environmental ministries, but you also needed to invest a huge sum of money before a chance of getting any returns. In contrast, real estate was definitely lucrative, but it also contained a high amount of risk. Once there were problems with funding, the whole project could collapse.
“I’ve never heard about this from you before,” Yu Jiahui said, surprised.
Normally, as long as there were any large investments to be made, Tian Yuantu would definitely consult his wife about it. Although Yu Jiahui looked like a gentle woman, she had a shockingly astute business acumen.
“I was baited into this project,” Tian Yuantu admitted.
He was scammed!
“Is there any other way?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll make a trip to the island the check out the situation there and see if there will be any changes. As long as the government stops being stubborn, even if we immediately sell off that piece of land, it would be a profit.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Wang Yao watched the two of them departing from the hilltop.
A loving wife, a warm family, and a business—these were things that would make many people envious already. What more was there to chase for?
People’s suffering came from a never ending greed for more.
Just look at Wang Yao right now, living a carefree life, planting herbs on the hilltop and going around treating patients. He would marry a gentle wife, settle down for a quiet life, and much later on, write a book with his experiences to pass it on to future generations.
That sounded like a problem-free life.
Some people would say that life has got to be exciting. They would want to set up a successful business. But yet, look at how many people are doing mundane work today. If everyone were to set up big businesses, who would there be to do the mundane but essential work?
The sky was still overcast, but it still didn’t rain.
After preparing the herbs for decocting the Muscle Revitalization Powder and setting them aside, Wang Yao descended the hill.
…
“These people are really hateful!” As Wang Yao entered his house, he could hear his mother complaining.
“What’s wrong? Who made you so worked up?”
“There were people who came to abduct children yesterday!”
“What?!” Wang Yao was stunned.
“Whose child got abducted?”
“No one. Fortunately, we discovered it early,” Zhang Xiuying replied.
“That’s good then,” Wang Yao said, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Was it captured on the surveillance cameras?”
“It was, but we couldn’t make out the culprit. They made a police report,” Zhang Xiuying said. “Over in the next village, the Li family’s child also went missing. I’m not sure if they’ve found him.”
Wang Yao was silent for a while. Then, he went indoors to get a glass of water.
This had nothing to do with medicine, and so he could do nothing about it.
This was just an interlude in life. Life still had to go on. After eating his meal, Wang Yao gave his father a massage. The television broadcasted a missing persons report.
A three-year-old child was missing. He looked very adorable.
Most likely, this child will never be found.
