Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Hot water was boiling in the cauldron. Shanjing, licorice and glossy ganoderma cooked for a while. When it was about time, the flame was turned off. A few pieces of antidote herb were then placed into the medicine. The color of the medicinal soup immediately turned jasper-like green.

  “Let the children drink it. Every child will have a cup. They don’t have to be given much,” Wang Yao said.

  All of the children drank the medicinal soup. After more than 10 minutes, the effects were seen. All of them quickly ran to the toilet. They all had diarrhea.

  “Dr. Wang, are these children okay?” the headmaster asked.

  “They’re fine. This is a normal detoxification reaction. Store this medicine first. They have to take it for several times,” Wang Yao said.

  The headmaster led a few teachers to find two thermos bottles to store the unfinished medicinal soup.

  After the children had been detoxified, Wang Yao gave them another checkup. After confirming they were fine, he notified the headmaster. Then, the children went back to class.

  Wang Yao couldn’t stop thinking about the toxins in their bodies. More than 10 children were affected, so it was not an exception. This was not a fortuitous incident.

  “Headmaster Gong, what do these children have in common?” he asked.

  “Similarities?” The old headmaster thought about it carefully. “They’re all from this village.”


  “They’re all from this village?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Yes.” The old headmaster responded confidently.

  “Besides these children, is there anyone else in this village who have such reactions?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Yes. A few adults in the village have the same condition, but their conditions are less severe,” the old headmaster replied after thinking about it carefully.

  “Who are they? Can you take me to see them?” Wang Yao asked.

  The old headmaster took the lead in front. Wang Yao and the others followed behind him. They looked for the affected adults one family after another.

  One family, two families……

  “Look, Dr. Wang. You’re already very tired from treating the children today. There are a few houses left. Why don’t we look for them in the afternoon and have lunch first?” the old headmaster suggested, while looking at the sky.

  Wang Yao did not mind. When he thought about the old man who had accompanied him the whole morning and not had the time to drink, he was the one who should be exhausted. He should sit down and take a rest.

  “Okay then. I’ve already arranged for it. Why don’t you have lunch at my house?” the headmaster suggested.

  The old headmaster was from the village. His wife was the only one at home. His children had left the village for their jobs.

  There were six dishes and a soup, including two meat dishes, which were braised pork and steamed fish.

  There was also wine along with the dishes, which was excellent. It was a blue and white porcelain Fen Liquor.

  “I’m usually reluctant to drink this wine,” the old headmaster said with a smile.

  After drinking two glasses of wine, the old man started to talk. He had been a teacher in this mountain village 34 years. At first, he had thought about leaving to work elsewhere. When he saw that the village children did not have a place to attend school and that there were no teachers, he felt it was wrong. Therefore, he stayed.

  “At the beginning, there were just a few dilapidated houses. During summer, rain leaked through the roofs. During winter, wind came in through the roofs. I don’t know much. I still learn some while I teach.” The old man sighed while sipping his wine.

  “It’s not easy,” Wang Yao replied.

  He had never experienced such a situation. When he was in elementary school, his classroom was a square. It was very cold in winter. No matter how cold it was, it was still slightly better than the type of house the old man mentioned. In such an environment, there was not much compensation. He probably had to pay for the upkeep himself. The old man stayed for more than 30 years. Wang Yao was very touched and admired his dedication. Such a person and character was rare in a materialistic society.

  “I’ll drink to you!” Wang Yao held up his glass, lifted his head and drank to his toast.

  Through the years, he had encountered many people. There were not many people whom he sincerely admired. The old man was one of them.

  “There’s an incoordination between your spleen and stomach. You have to drink less wine,” Wang Yao advised after putting down his glass.

  Somewhat surprised, the old man asked, “Hey, how do you know?”


  “I’m a pharmacist,” Wang Yao said.

  “Pharmacist? Aren’t you a doctor?” the headmaster asked.

  “Oh. You can say it that way too.” Wang Yao smiled.

  “Sigh. I can’t change it. This is my hobby,” the old man replied with a smile.

  “Well, since it’s a hobby, it’s good to keep it.” Wang Yao smiled. “I’ll give you a checkup later.”


  Headmaster Gong was getting fonder of Wang Yao and Wang Mingbao as he chatted with them. The more they chatted, the happier he was. In fact, it was mainly due to Wang Mingbao. Wang Yao did not know how to liven up the atmosphere, but Wang Mingbao was an ace in drinking. No one disliked to listen to compliments. However, the way of saying it was an art.

  In the course of the conversation, Wang Yao learned that an ex-student had donated money for the renovation of the current school.

  “He’s also a person who knows how to be grateful,” Wang Yao said.

  “500,000 yuan was not a small amount more than a decade ago,” the old man said.

  They had a long lunch. They finished eating after 3 p.m. The old headmaster did not forget about the proper business. He wanted to take Wang Yao around in the village, but Wang Yao persuaded him to stay at home. He could see that the old headmaster was drunk.

  “Aunty, why don’t I cook something for Mr. Gong to alleviate his hangover?” Wang Yao said to the old woman, who was still busy in the kitchen.

  The kind old woman agreed.

  Wang Yao took out a few pieces of glossy ganoderma and boiled some water.

  “What a pity. There’s no honey,” Wang Yao said.

  After hearing what he said, the old woman took out a bottle of honey from the cupboard by the side. It seemed to be wild.

  “Wild honey is good,” Wang Yao said.

  “I’ll give it to you if you like it,” she said.

  “I was just saying,” Wang Yao hurriedly replied.

  The glossy ganoderma was boiled with water and honey. A hangover soup was actually not that complicated.

  “I feel quite well after drinking it,” Headmaster Gong said after finishing it.

  After he took a rest and slightly sobered up, they started to look for the children’s homes.

  Wang Yao could dispel the toxins in the children’s bodies, but he had not figured out the cause of their poisoning. What would they do if they continued to be poisoned after he left? He had to determine the cause of their poisoning while detoxicating them.

  All the children came from different families. Wang Yao visited them one by one. He found out that their families were also poisoned. They were not the only ones. Other people in the village also had the same condition, but there were still some people who were not poisoned.

  What was going on? Wang Yao had no idea.

  It was getting late. They had to spend the night in the mountain village.

  The brothers chatted while lying on the kang.

  “Have you found out anything?” Wang Mingbao asked.

  “Not for the time being,” Wang Yao said.

  “Then, do we have to stay here for a few more days?” Wang Mingbao asked.

  “Yes. If we leave, their illnesses may relapse,” Wang Yao replied. “Moreover, isn’t that what you want?”


  Wang Mingbao laughed.

  During these two days, apart from accompanying Wang Yao, he spent more time in the school where Teacher Han Jia was. Although the gentle lady spent half of the day teaching the children, he was willing to wait. He waited outside the classroom, listening to her lectures and solving the problems for the children. He listened to her voice and watched her. It was enough for him.

  People who are in love! Wang Yao sighed. He did not know why, but he remembered Tong Wei.

  However, in his last dream, it was another scene.

  Under the peach blossom tree, a beautiful woman was dressed in white and dancing ethereally. Her face could not be seen clearly, but her dance was extremely beautiful. She was very stunning.

  “Sir!”


  There was a voice. It turned out that her face was covered with muslin.

  “Sir, would you like to dance with me?” Her voice was very nice.

  “But, I don’t know how to dance.”


  “I’ll teach you.”


  The two of them danced lightly under the blooming peach blossoms. The affection between them was strong. She was an alluring beauty. A gust of wind blew, making the peach blossoms and her muslin fall.

  Eh? You’re?

  Cock-a-doodle-do. The rooster crowed.

  Huh?

  Wang Yao woke up from his dream.

  That was such a weird dream! Who was the woman who appeared in my dream?

  It was early in the morning, so the sky was still a little dark. There were no other sounds except for the crowing of the rooster.