Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“You’re so skillful!” Guo Sirou sighed.
“You flatter me,” Wang Yao said with a smile.
In fact, they had not met each other many times. They rarely communicated, but they had the feeling of being very familiar with one another.
“You could speak out if you have something on your mind,” Wang Yao said. “It is a way of unbosoming. Otherwise, you will feel uncomfortable if it is kept in your mind for long time.”
Everyone had their own worries. Even it a girl from a respectable family could feel upset about something.
“Marriage,” Guo Sirou said after a moment of silence.
“Marriage? Is it dominated by your family?” Wang Yao thought of the marriages between the wealthy family and aristocrats, like how the emperor asked the princess to marry a general or son of a minister.
“Something like that,” Guo Sirou said.
“Don’t you like him?” Wang Yao asked.
“No,” Guo Sirou said.
It was hard for a person to imagine suddenly having to marry a person whom they had set eyes on, especially knowing they would have to spend the rest of their lives with that person. It was even harder to not know much about a person or not eve like them. Some people said a person could gradually familiar with their spouse after marriage, but was that actually feasible?
“You could refuse him if you dislike him,” Wang Yao said.
It was very simple in his view. One could hardly be happy marrying someone they disliked.
“Ah, it can’t be easy like that!” Guo Sirou sighed.
“Does your family need help from him?” Wang Yao asked.
“Yeah,” Guo Sirou replied.
This type of marriage involved the interest of the whole family, not just the acquirement or loss of one person.
Wang Yao did not know much about the Guo family. In fact, he did not want to know. He suddenly felt that it might be not as happy as a life as people thought to be born into a wealth family. They indeed had many ascendant conditions, but they could not decide anything about important lifetime matters, which created a real sadness.
“Have you told it to your parents?” Wang Yao asked.
“No. I told my grandpa. He disagreed on the marriage, but he passed away. What a pity.” A sad expression again appeared on Guo Sirou’s face when she mentioned her grandpa.
“You could try to talk with them,” Wang Yao suggested. He didn’t believe there were parents who would never take their children into consideration.
Guo Sirou just smiled. “Could you take me to your Nanshan Hill to have a look?”
“No problem,” Wang Yao said.
They closed the door of the clinic and slowly went up to Nanshan Hill.
It was really windy on the mountain, and Guo Sirou was not wearing much.
“Do you feel cold?” Wang Yao asked.
“Not really,” she replied.
Wang Yao took off his coat and covered body with it. He only wore a thin shirt.
“How could it be like that? You will get sick from the chill,” Guo Sirou said.
“No worries,” Wang Yao said with a smile. “I am never conquered by weather no matter if it is summer or winter.”
Guo Sirou looked at him carefully. She did not refuse his coat after she ensured he would be alright. The coat covering her body resisted the chilling wind. She felt very warm.
Nanshan Hill stood there peacefully. It was a piece of dark green on the hillside.
“It is still so green at this time?” Guo Sirou was surprised.
“Yeah,” Wang Yao said. “What about going up to have a look?”
As they ascended from the foot of the mountain, the closer they were to the hillside, the warmer Guo Sirou felt. Eventually, she no longer needed to wear Wang Yao’s coat and took it off.
“Why’s that?” she curiously asked.
“The mountain is different from other ones,” Wang Yao said.
They were at the hillside. Guo Sirou suddenly had the feeling of palpitation, like the sense of suffocation. It was as if there was something pinching her throat. Her head began to spin.
“Take a sip.” Wang Yao took out a bottle of medicine. After she took a sip, the uncomfortable feeling quickly vanished.
“What’s up?” She had come up to the mountain more than one time, but this was her first time to experience something like that.
“The medical herbs in the field give off special odor, which could affect the human body,” Wang Yao said.
The medical herb was Xian Qiuluo, which he used as another fence to keep strangers away. It was a licorice root with a marvelous medical effect, but it was also a poison. Its odor greatly influenced the human body. The way of eradicating the influence was fairly simple, which was to boil its leaves and drink the water. Afterward, people would be immune to the horrible and imperceptible odor for a long period after drinking it one time.
The trees outside the medical field were still shaking. One could feel their spinning just by looking at them. After a bit, one could have a hard time standing steadily. It made one feel as if the sky and earth were spinning.
“Is this?” Guo Sirou hurriedly closed her eyes. She knew the battle array and its profoundness and power. She vaguely remembered last time when she came it had been not as powerful. Now, it was overwhelming.
“Lower your head to look at the road, then follow me,” Wang Yao said.
He walked in front. Guo Sirou lowered her head to follow him from behind. Before long, the scene in front of them changed.
The layout of the medical field was reasonable and sequential. She saw many medical herbs with which she did not know the name. There was a clear pool not far from the medical field. It was very small. Some special plants grew beside the waters. The little, simple, or even shabby, house just stood there calmly.
It was bleak winter outside, but here it was warm like spring.
The moment they came in, a dog bigger than a calf was standing in front of them. It looked at Guo Sirou with quite spiritual eyes.
“Ah, is that San Xian?” Guo Sirou was amazed.
“Yeah, it is,” Wang Yao said. “San Xian, this is Miss Guo. She came here before. Do you remember?”
Woof! Woof! The dog barked. He then smelled and stared at Guo Sirou for a while.
“You don’t have to stare at her. Leave it to me,” Wang Yao said. The dog slowly walked away hearing his words.
“That dog is so spiritual, and it is bigger than a Tibetan Mastiff. How did you make it like that?” Guo Sirou asked in shock. It was like she scene she was seeing was in spring.
“Since the god told me.” Wang Yao pointed to the sky.
It was sunny and lofty.
Guo Sirou laughed and smiled. Seeing that he had such skills, she thought it might actually be a god who told him.
“Come into the room and take a seat,” Wang Yao said.
The tea he had was the mountainous tea. Wang Yao left half of the bucket. Compared with the famous tea his friend brought, he was more fond of this type of tea, which gave off a special fragrance. Its difference was because the water used was the ancient spring water.
“Ah, it is tasty. It is even more delicious than what we drank in the clinic under the mountain,” Guo Sirou said.
Looking out on the medical field outside, the woods not far away, the distant mountain, and the more distant sky, Guo Sirou felt her mood seemed to be more relaxed. She temporarily forgot her troublesome matters.
“It is really good to live here,” she said with a sigh.
“It is indeed good,” Wang Yao said.
He liked to make a cup of tea, quietly read a book, or sit on a stool outside to look at the sky, thinking of something or nothing, and just keeping his mind absent to look at the sky.
Now, he didn’t have much time to do that. He needed to treat patients, so he felt much busier. In some aspect, it was worse than before.
“Do you need an assistant?” Guo Sirou asked.
“What?” Wang Yao was in a daze for a moment. Amazed, he looked at Guo Sirou. “Did I hear wrong?”
“I just asked casually,” Guo Sirou said. But, at that moment, she indeed had the thought of finding a house in the village to live in. It would be worth it as long as she could often come up to the mountain and take a walk in the medical field. She also knew such life could only be an extravagant hope. One could not follow their so many times. She sighed gently.
“I think you are too tired, spiritually tired.” Wang Yao poured a cup of tea for her.
“Yeah, I have felt so tired recently,” Guo Sirou said.
“You could do more things that make you happy,” Wang Yao said.
“Happy?” Guo Sirou heard the words and looked outside the window in a momentary daze. What kind of thing could make me happy?
She lived in an environment in which she got used things. Considering her family, she did business, took over part of the engagement of her family, and ran about for her family. It was the theme of her life. It accounted for more than half of it. She was a pragmatist, able, and decisive. She received appreciation from her family and other seniors. Gradually, her tasks were heavier and heavier. She could not follow her heart gradually. Now, she did not even know what she liked.
“You might laugh at me, but I can’t think of what could make me happy in a moment,” Guo Sirou said.
She suddenly found the life she had lived for many years was not what she wanted. It was because of pride. But, so what? She could not even make any decision or a selection in her own big matters. She was a girl on earth.
The preference of boys over girls always existed. Her family was not an exception. In fact, it was even more severe than for common families. For example, in her family, the family resources were going to her younger brother. Girls would expected to marry into another family.
Guo Sirou was fond of her young brother. She did a lot for him. She thought it was her duty as an elder sister, but she could not contribute her whole life for her young brother, right?
For a moment, she thought of a bit too much. She was in a daze looking at the outside of the window. Wang Yao did not disturb her.
“Ah, sorry, I am absent-minded,” Guo Sirou said.
“No worries,” Wang Yao said.
“I have disturbed you too much,” Guo Sirou. “I should leave.” She felt as if he was her good friend. She felt relaxed around him and acquired much.
“To where?” Wang Yao asked almost subconsciously.
“Ah, I haven’t an idea. I want to wander around to relax,” Guo Sirou said.
“Good, come again when you are free,” Wang Yao said.
They went down the mountain. Guo Sirou had driven her Porsche to the clinic.
“See you! Think more about the happy things,” Wang Yao said.
“See you.” Guo Sirou slowly left the village in her car.
She saw the young man standing beside the road and the more distant mountain by the rearview mirror. It was enviable without any worries.
At the intersection, she unexpectedly saw two cars coming. Since the road in the village was comparatively narrow, only one car could pass at a time. When two cars met, generally, one car would stop an pull to the side. Guo Sirou stopped her car and moved to let the two cars on the opposite go first.
Ah? She was confounded when seeing the plate number. They were from Jing. She was more shocked when she saw who was sitting on the co-driver seat in the second car.
Chen Ying? Why does she come here? And, she sits on that place? Who else is sitting in the car?
Guo Sirou looked toward the back seat in the second car. She could only see a vague shadow through the dark window. I don’t suppose it is her.
She did not roll down the window or say hello. Instead, she just took a look at the two cars driving to the south of the village by the rearview mirror.
“Lady, it seems that was Miss Guo in the car,” a woman said.
“Sister Sirou?” Chen Ying asked.
“Yeah,” the woman said. “Why did she come here?”
“It may be for Dr. Wang,” Chen Ying said.
The cars stopped when they arrived at the south of the village.
Chen Ying got off the car and went into the clinic. Wang Yao had just come down from the mountain. He was choosing a medical book to read when he heard the knocking sound.
“Ah, why did you come here.” He was amazed to see Chen Ying. He thought to himself, What’s up today? Why are all the guests coming here when they rarely came before?
“Hello, Sir,” Chen Ying said.
“Hello, come on and have a seat,” Wang Yao said.
“Are you free now?” Chen Ying asked with a smile. She felt really amiable and happy seeing Wang Yao again.
“Yes, and why? You stand on ceremony too much,” Wang Yao said.
“Lady Song and Miss Su are outside” Chen Ying said.
“They also came? Su Xiaoxue?” Wang Yao was amazed.
“Yes,” Chen Ying said.
“Send then in quickly,” Wang Yao said.
“Is it his clinic?” Su Xiaoxue sat in the car looking at the white wall with black tiles on it through the window. It was a building with southern architecture.
