Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  The woman looked at the movie poster outside. She suddenly suggested, “Shall we go in and see a movie?”


  “Sure,” the man said with a smile.

  “We haven’t watched a movie together for a long time.”


  Because the woman was in poor health and had frequent headaches, they could not go to noisy places. Otherwise, it would aggravate her headache and other physical symptoms.

  The two entered the cinema. Instead of going to an action blockbuster, they chose a more tender, urban, and light comedy. Although it was full, it was quiet in the small cinema. Most of the people were couples.

  The movie soon began to play. There were new, eye-catching actors, but it had an old plot. It was the kind of movie in which one could guess the ending after only watching the first 10 minutes. Still, the two of them enjoyed watching it. Watching the movie was secondary. The main point of enjoyment was the atmosphere.

  Their hands were clasped together. The woman gently leaned her head on the man’s shoulder. They looked very loving.

  In the hotel, the slightly older man with whom they were traveling smoked heavily. He seemed unhappy.

  “I shall go shopping!” He roughly threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground and trampled the flame out. He picked up his coat and went out the door.

  After he had wandered around the town, he couldn’t help but complain about it. “What kind of small town is this? There is not even a decent place!” Compared with his hometown, Lianshan’s town center was much smaller and underdeveloped.

  However, small towns had their advantages.

  The pace of life was slower, and there was less to stress about like in a big city.

  In the mountain village, Wang Yao had a special guest.

  It was Guo Sirou.

  “I haven’t seen you for some time. What are you busy with these days?” Wang Yao made a cup of tea for her. She had lost a lot of weight, but she was still very beautiful.

  “I was mainly abroad. I went to all the places I could, including Europe, Africa, and America.”


  “That sounds good,” Wang Yao replied.

  “Yes, I’ve seen a lot, met a lot of friends, and thought through a lot of things,” Guo Sirou said with a smile.

  “You’ve gotten thinner but more energetic,” Wang Yao remarked.

  As the saying went, reading 10,000 books was not as good as walking 10,000 miles. A person gained experience from traveling. It provided the opportunity to meet more people, which often led to finding more places to go. People who took trips gained a broader sense of knowledge than those who stayed at home and didn’t go anywhere.

  “There’s something more, Sir,” Guo Sirou said.

  “Oh, what is it?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Well, it’s a mysterious aura, a secular aura.” The two things Guo Sirou said didn’t seem to match.

  “Your eyes are sharp and see through things clearly,” Wang Yao said. “Indeed, I have traveled quite often recently.”


  “Has your matter with Xiaoxue been fixed?”


  “Yes, it’s basically settled. After she graduates, we’ll get married.”


  “Please let me know when!”


  “For sure.”


  Guo Sirou was different from her calculating brother. She was a frank woman. One could see in her a kind of ease and confidence rarely seen in men. If she were a man, she would be countless times better than her brother, who kept causing trouble.

  “Mmm, good tea!” Guo Sirou exclaimed.

  “Is this the Da Hong Pao tea of Wuyi Mountain?”


  “Yes, it is,” Wang Yao replied.

  “Sir, you have many treasures!”


  “It was a gift.”


  The two of them were like old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. They chatted about a lot of things for a long time. Wang Yao could see that Guo Sirou didn’t seem to be particularly happy. She had something weighing her down.

  “Do you have something troubling you?”


  “Yes, marriage.”


  “Oh, do you have someone you like?” Wang Yao asked.

  “Not for the moment, but my family has arranged the marriage for me,” Guo Sirou said. This marriage had been arranged for a long time. At that time, she was young and didn’t know what marriage was, so she had not worried about it. Now that she was at the age to discuss marriage, her family naturally brought up the matter. Although the old people from the two families who had decided on the marriage were no longer around, the matter still needed to be done.

  The problem was that Guo Sirou did not like the man at all.

  “I don’t like him.”


  “Then don’t marry him. Wait and see,” Wang Yao said.

  “I think so too, but my family does not agree,” Guo Sirou said.

  She had been born into a rich family and enjoyed the life that ordinary people couldn’t enjoy. Naturally, she would have to give up some things.

  A marriage alliance was common in families like theirs.

  It didn’t matter if there were no feelings involved. The thought was they could be slowly cultivated.

  Love was sometimes unrealistic.

  This was the mindset of the elders. They would tell the young people this, especially those who had romantic thoughts, according to their experience.

  “That makes it a little more troublesome,” Wang Yao said.

  Guo Sirou and Su Xiaoxue did not face the same situation. Su Xiaoxue’s parents just wanted their daughter to be happy. As for who she was going to marry, they would not interfere much as long as they liked the person and, of course, the necessary checks were completed. They couldn’t let their daughter marry someone unreliable.

  “Did you talk to your parents about it?”


  “I have told them,” Guo Sirou said. “It is very annoying. My parents used the parents’ orders and matchmakers’ advice to pressure me. It’s the same old pattern.” That was also why she had decided to travel. She wanted to avoid the marriage discussion and show them how she felt.

  “What is that man like?” Wang Yao asked.

  “He’s fine. His reputation is quite good,” Guo Sirou said.

  She had inquired about the man whom she was supposed to marry. He was a man of humility and not a scheming and cunning man. This attribute was quite good.

  “You could try and get to know him,” Wang Yao suggested.

  “Mmm.” Guo Sirou sipped her tea.

  “I’m leaving.”


  “So fast?” Wang Yao asked. “Stay and have a meal.”


  “No thanks, I just stopped to see you and talk to you.”


  Guo Sirou smiled. She and Wang Yao were not that close. Their relationship was an ordinary friendship. She didn’t know why, but after returning home, she subconsciously came to the small mountain village to talk to Wang Yao. She somehow talked about the troubles in her heart as if they were good friends who had known each other for years.

  “Have a safe journey.”


  “Alright, go back in.”


  “Come visit when you have time.”


  “Sure!”


  “Oh, wait.”


  Wang Yao stopped Guo Sirou. He returned to the room and took out a bag.

  “This is the fruit I planted on the mountain. It tastes quite good. There is also a bag of tea. I planted the tea myself too. Take it with you.”


  “OK, thank you.”


  Wang Yao stood at the south end of the village and watched Guo Sirou leave.

  “Tss…… Hey, look at that girl! Isn’t she beautiful?”


  “What are you thinking of?”


  “She came out of Sir’s clinic, and Sir stood there to watch her leave. Do you think Sir……” Jia Zizai leaned against the wall and scratched his chin with a thoughtful expression.

  “Jia Zizai!” Hu Mei grabbed him by the ear.

  “Ouch, ouch, that hurts. My wife, take it easy.”


  “Are you bored? Is that why you have so many idle thoughts, especially about Sir’s business?”


  “No, I am just curious!”


  “Hurry up and deal with the poison master’s body.”


  “Roger that.”


  That night, a car took advantage of the dark and drove out of the village. Its destination was unknown.

  In the morning, the sun rose as usual.

  Pan Jun didn’t go to work. He came to Wang Yao’s clinic to help him out. Wang Yao began to teach him how to identify various kinds of Chinese herbal medicinal ingredients. He started from the most commonly used ones. It was difficult for people like Pan Jun, who had studied Western medicine and did not have much herbal medicine knowledge.

  “Don’t worry. These herbs have their own characteristics. They are different in shape, color, and taste.” Wang Yao’s tone was calm. It unconsciously made people relax.

  “Remember the common ones first.”


  The herbs needed to be correctly remembered. If they used the wrong ingredient, not only would they not be able to cure the disease, but they might also aggravate the disease or cause death.

  Around 1 p.m., Pan Jun felt his head bursting with knowledge.

  “Let’s go eat.”


  On their way to eat, they called Zhong Liuchuan. They had wanted to invite Jia Zizai and Hu Mei, but they had gone out and were not home.