Chapter 89: Full of Hurt
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When w.a.n.g Yao arrived at home and his mother had cooked dinner, everyone in the family was waiting for him.
“Here you are. Take one small cup of the decoction within one and a half hours after dinner, and take the rest of the decoction tomorrow.” w.a.n.g Yao gave the white porcelain bottle to his sister.
“This is what you did on the hill just now!” said w.a.n.g Ru in surprise.
“Yes, take the decoction while it is still warm. Be careful with what you eat, try to avoid spicy, oily and cold food in the next few days,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Is this going to work?” asked w.a.n.g Ru.
w.a.n.g Yao thought his sister would be very appreciative and touched as he made the decoction specifically for her, but she was full of doubt instead. w.a.n.g Yao was upset.
“Haha, I was pulling your leg, Yao! Don’t worry, I’ll take it even it is poison!” w.a.n.g Ru patted her own chest and said.
w.a.n.g Yao was speechless when he heard the word poison. Although he didn’t add any licorice roots in the decoction, the herbs he used to brew the decoction were of high quality. There may be mild side effects, but it was nowhere near poison.
“Don’t worry, the decoction made by your brother is effective,” said Zhang Xiuying.
“Really? Has he made it for you before?” asked w.a.n.g Ru in surprise.
“Not for me. He made some for your Uncle Fengshou’s wife, who had an upset stomach a few days ago. The hospital couldn’t find anything wrong with her so your uncle came here to ask Yao to prescribe an herbal formula for her. It took effect just after one dose. They dropped by the other day to thank us!” said Zhang Xiuying proudly.
“Really? Since when was Yao so capable?” asked w.a.n.g Ru in surprise.
“You’ll know after you try my decoction after dinner. For your peace of mind, it doesn’t have any side effect,” said w.a.n.g Yao while eating.
w.a.n.g Ru didn’t eat much due to her upset stomach. She really wanted to eat a lot as her mom cooked a full table of delicious dishes. w.a.n.g Yao also asked her not to overeat.
w.a.n.g Ru heated the decoction slightly and drank a small cup of it as instructed by w.a.n.g Yao one and a half hours after dinner.
The decoction was nice and warm. She could feel a warm current going from her throat to her belly and then it started to spread inside her body, as if she had a warm water bag on her belly. She felt very comfortable.
“Looks like it does have an effect on me!” said w.a.n.g Ru, who looked at w.a.n.g Yao in surprise.
“Of course!” said w.a.n.g Yao calmly.
It was a piece of cake for w.a.n.g Yao to make a decoction like this.
“You should become a doctor. Don’t bother to grow herbs on the hill,” said w.a.n.g Ru.
“But I don’t have a medical certificate,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Well, go and get one!” said w.a.n.g Ru.
“I’m considering it.”
w.a.n.g Yao looked at the light from his sister’s eyes and started to doubt if he had made any mistakes when brewing the decoction. He thought he should add something to calm his sister the next time he made a decoction for her.
“Today is Little New Year, will you still go to Nanshan hill?” asked w.a.n.g Fenghua, who lit a cigarette after dinner.
“Yes,” said w.a.n.g Yao after some thinking.
“What about Chinese New Year’s Eve?” asked w.a.n.g Fenghua.
“No, of course I’ll stay at home,” laughed w.a.n.g Yao.
“Good, I thought you were possessed by something from Nanshan hill!” said w.a.n.g Fenghua.
w.a.n.g Yao left home at about 9 pm. The lights on the streets were still on until the south end of the village. It was very dark at the south end, and the road was uneven with pit holes.
After months of breathing exercises and drinking ancient spring water, w.a.n.g Yao’s fitness had improved significantly. For him, walking in the dark was as easy as walking in the daylight. He used his Qi to walk very fast at night, even faster than the speed of running for most people. Therefore, it didn’t take long for him to arrive at Nanshan hill.
The shape of Nanshan hill was like a standing boot. One side was much steeper than the other side. It was called Nanshan hill because it was located at the south end of the village. (“Nan” means “south” in Mandarin Chinese)
The topography of Nanshan hill was not suitable to grow crops and trees. In addition, the north side of Nanshan hill was full of stones, making it very hard to grow a large area of trees. Therefore, no one bothered to get a contract to grow anything on Nanshan hill. When w.a.n.g Yao signed his contract for Nanshan hill, he was very young, and the cost was really low.
w.a.n.g Yao’s cottage was located at the less steep side of the hill.
After spending one night on the hill, w.a.n.g Yao did his routine breathing exercises and worked in the herbal field as usual the next morning.
When he was doing his breathing exercises on the top of the hill, he followed the method from Natural Cla.s.sics. He felt the Qi inside his body was growing and felt warm where the Qi had traveled.
Not sure if the Qi is any different from the inner power and the essential Qi described in the novels and movies.
After w.a.n.g Yao finished working in the herbal field and chatted with San Xian and Da Xia, it was late afternoon already. He blocked all the entrances to his herbal field before going home using the five-line illusion method. w.a.n.g Yao knew he wouldn’t stay on the hill during Chinese New Year, unless there was an emergency or any special tasks, so he must protect his herbal field when he was away.
w.a.n.g Yao found the way his sister was looking at him was very weird when he got home.
“What’s wrong?” asked w.a.n.g Yao.
“Just want to let you know that I’m fine now. The decoction you gave me worked well,” said his sister w.a.n.g Ru.
“Of course! I’m a Chinese Traditional Pharmacist who is able to treat all diseases,” laughed w.a.n.g Yao.
“Okay. The chief of our bureau’s dad was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Do you want me to introduce you to him?” asked w.a.n.g Ru seriously.
“Sis, hurry up, I’ll take you to town later,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Look at you!” said w.a.n.g Ru with her nose in the air.
w.a.n.g Yao drove w.a.n.g Ru to down after dinner. She took a day off as she was not feeling well.
“Yao, tell me the truth. Are you serious about getting a medical certificate?” asked w.a.n.g Ru in the car.
“Yes, I have to,” said w.a.n.g Yao.
“Let me see if I can get you any help,” said w.a.n.g Ru.
“I’ve already asked one of my friends to look into it, but thank you anyway. By the way, Chinese New Year is around the corner, don’t forget your promise of finding a boyfriend for mom,” teased w.a.n.g Yao.
“Shut up!” w.a.n.g Ru rolled her eyes.
w.a.n.g Yao planned to wander in town for a while after w.a.n.g Ru left for work. There were still quite a few people on the street due to the upcoming Chinese New Year, so w.a.n.g Yao decided to go home. As soon as he drove out of town, he received a phone call from an acquaintance. It was He Qisheng.