Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I think I should start to pay you,” Wang Yao said as he and Pan Jun were having a cup of tea.
Pan Jun had helped him a lot when practicing in the clinic. He reduced Wang Yao’s workload significantly, especially during the past two days when Wang Yao had a lot of patients.
“Are you serious?” Pan Jun asked. “I haven’t paid you tuition fees! In addition, my help here is nothing big.”
Pan Jun could benefit a lot from practicing in Wang Yao’s clinic. He learned a valuable treatment technique from Wang Yao. A lot of patients went to his sister’s clinic to see him. Pan Jun had built a reputation as a fantastic massage therapist among the patients living close to Pan Mei’s clinic. Therefore, he appreciated Wang Yao from the bottom of his heart.
“By the way, I’ve finished reading the book I took from you last time,” Pan Jun said. “I’ll return it next time. Can I borrow two more books this time?”
“Of course. I’ve got some books on the table,” Wang Yao said.
He grabbed two books about Chinese medicine and gave them to Pan Jun. These books were actually available from a book shop or online. However, the content in the books Wang Yao gave to Pan Jun was different. Wang Yao had went through every single book thoroughly a few times and made annotations. He also rectified contents that he didn’t think was accurate. These book he purchased from the book shop didn’t contain accurate and detailed information.
Pan Jun didn’t stay for dinner. He left the clinic around 5 p.m.
Wang Yao tidied up the clinical room and locked the door before leaving. He bumped into Zhong Liuchuan and Zhong Anxin on his way home. The two of them were having a walk in the village. Zhong Anxin looked extremely well.
“Hello, Dr. Wang,” Zhong Anxin said.
“Hello, have you guys had dinner?” Wang Yao asked.
“Yes, we are just having a walk. Have you finished working?” Zhong Anxin asked.
“Yeah, busy day,” Wang Yao said.
Zhang Xiuying had cooked dinner by the time Wang Yao arrived home. After eating, Wang Fenghua told Wang Yao something about the Li Family Creek.
“They closed down the hot spring resort temporarily,” Wang Fenghua said.
“Really? Why?” Wang Yao asked.
“People died after visiting the hot springs,” Wang Fenghua said.
“People died because they visited the hot springs?” Wang Yao asked.
“I heard it from someone this afternoon,” Wang Fenghua said. “The person who died wasn’t well anyway. He had been suffering from a headache. He suddenly had an episode in the hot springs and died on the way to the hospital. His son has some background. He couldn’t let the resort off the hook. He lodged a lawsuit to ask for compensation and has been causing trouble every single day. So, the owner of the resort had to close the business for now.”
“You’ve been to that place. What do you think of it?” Wang Yao asked.
“I think it’s a nice place. It would be a shame if they were to close it permanently,” Wang Fenghua said.
After returning to Nanshan Hill, Wang Yao had a video chat with Su Xiaoxue. He spent the rest of the evening reading a Taoism scripture that he hadn’t touched for a while.
It was windy on the hill, which made the trees shake. The dog, which was resting in his dog house, lifted his ears. The eagle, which stood on a tree branch, was very alert. His eyes were shiny.
Swish! Swish! A snake moved toward the window. He curled up and lifted his head. They all seemed to be listening to Wang Yao with heart.
Wang Yao stopped reading around 11 p.m. After a while, the dog laid down, the eagle closed its wings, and the snake moved away. The night passed quietly.
It was nice and sunny the next day. Wang Yao started working early in the morning. He saw seven patients in the morning, took a lunch break, and was ready to work again at 1 p.m., when Pan Jun came to help.
“Hi, you are not on duty in the hospital today?” Wang Yao asked.
“I was covering a colleague last night and had some sleep in the morning. I’m available this afternoon and tomorrow,” Pan Jun said.
“I see. Sit down and have a cup of tea,” Wang Yao said.
There were currently no patients, so Wang Yao and Pan Jun could take the opportunity to rest. After a short while, patients started to arrive.
“Yao, do you have paracetamol pills for kids?” a man in his 40s asked.
He and Wang Yao were from the same village. He asked Wang Yao without waiting in the queue when Wang Yao was seeing other patients.
“No,” Wang Yao said.
“Oh, thanks.” He turned around and left the clinic. This was not the first time someone came to buy medication without consulting the doctor first.
“What is paracetamol?” a patient asked.
“A common medication to reduce cold symptoms and fever,” Wang Yao said.
He finished seeing all the patients at about 4 p.m.
“There were not too many patients today,” Pan Jun said.
“Yeah, otherwise it would be too much for me,” Wang Yao said.
He presumed because he had been away for a week, many patients had been waiting to see him. After the number of patients had reached a peak in the past two days, it had gone back to normal.
“Someone’s here,” Wang Yao said as he took a look toward the entrance.
Two people came into the clinic. One of them was a well-dressed young man. The other was a man in his 50s wearing old and shabby clothes. The man in his 50s seemed to be very sick. His hair had turned completely white. His face was blue. He was skinny with an arched back and very unsteady with his feet. It seemed that he was making a great effort to walk as he leaned on the young man the whole time.
“Dad, take it easy,” the young man said.
Wang Yao could tell the old man was in critical condition. Since the young man and his father stepped into the clinic, he had started to diagnose the old man with observation.
The old man was very ill. There was a deadly look on his face. His breath was shallow. He breathed in more than he breathed out. Wang Yao could even tell that the old man was about to die soon.
“Doctor, can you please take a look at my dad?” the young man asked.
“Help him sit down.” Wang Yao came closer to the old man to check his pulse.
“Aye!” The old man suddenly sighed.
“Do you feel uncomfortable in your chest?” Wang Yao asked.
“Yes, I feel there is a stone pressing my chest,” the old man said.
He had severe problems in his heart and lungs.
No! Wang Yao sensed something wrong.
Ahem! Ahem! The old man suddenly started to cough badly. His body started to shake.
“Are you alright, Dad?” the young man anxiously asked.
Wang Yao took out his needles rapidly and inserted them in the acupoints in the old man’s chest.
“Dad,” the young man said.
Dark blood came out of the corner of the old man’s mouth.
“Dad, don’t scare me. Doctor, please save my dad!” The young man held Wang Yao’s hands tightly.
“Be careful!” Wang Yao shouted.
His hands shook, and the young man took a number of steps back.
“What is it?” The young man was in shock.
Wang Yao quickly transferred some Qi into the old man’s body and gave him a nine grass pill. He quickly started to massage the old man with a unique technique to save his life.
“Doctor, is my dad alright?” the young man asked.
“For now he’s out of danger,” Wang Yao said. “By the way, where are you from?”
“We are not local,” the young man said.
“How long has your dad been ill for?” Wang Yao asked.
“About two years,” the young man said.
“Two years? He’s very sick. You haven’t taken him to a formal hospital?” Wang Yao asked.
“Yes, but the doctors there could not help him,” the young man said.
Ahem! Ahem! The old man started to cough again.
This is not right! Wang Yao thought. The old man shouldn’t be so sick in the beginning. The treatment must have been delayed to cause the deterioration of his condition.
“What should I do next?’ the young man asked.
Wang Yao looked at the well-dressed young man and had a thought about the question.
“I suggest you to take him to a formal hospital to be examined. Your dad requires ongoing treatment,” Wang Yao said.
“You can’t treat him here?” the young man asked.
Wang Yao shook his head.
“But, I heard you are an extraordinary doctor,” the young man said.
“You sound nervous,” Wang Yao suddenly said.
“What?” the young man asked with surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. You are sweating a lot,” Wang Yao said.
“Because I was so worried about my dad just now,” the young man said.
“Take him to a formal hospital,” Wang Yao said.
“OK, thank you,” the young man said. “What about the fee?”
“Don’t worry about the fee. I didn’t cure him anyway,” Wang Yao said.
“Thank you so much,” the young man said.
He took the old man out of the clinic.
“Teacher, what’s wrong with that old man?” Pan Jun asked.
Outside the clinic, the young man suddenly found something was not right with his father. “Dad! What’s happening to you? Dad!”
He carried his father back to the clinic. As he walked into the clinic, the old man had blood at the corner of his mouth. He was dying.
