“Can you speak with a little conscience?” Jia Zizai asked. “You accidentally had a nasty fall when I just happened to pass by. You got up and scolded me. I argued with you for a few moments, and then you started a fight. I simply fought back, but you weren’t my match. It’s as simple as that. Don’t confuse right and wrong. You can’t break traffic rules just because you drive a BMW. Isn’t that right, Officer?”


  “You ……” After listening, Director Zheng took a deep breath but said nothing. He remained silent. He found that the man in front of him was as eloquent as a stand-up comic performing in Tiaoqiao. His eloquence was better than the average person.

  “Well, there is no video or witnesses,” a police officer said. “Mr. Zheng, can you think of any more details?”


  They had been hesitant to come at all. This was just a civil dispute at most. It was not a criminal case, Director Zheng had some form of a relationship with their boss. Thus, the police officers were told that they had to go to the village to investigate. They drove all the way to the mountain village just to deal with a trivial matter. Who wanted to do that? Even though they didn’t say anything, that was what they thought. Naturally, they weren’t overly willing to help him.

  “Well, I have nothing more to add,” Director Zheng said.

  While they were talking, Wang Yao came out of the clinic.

  “Mr. Wang.”


  “Dr. Wang.” One of the police officers knew Wang Yao. Since a family member could get sick at any time, he had heard about the doctor from his relatives and friends. They all praised Dr. Wang’s medical skills. There was no incurable disease as long as a person went to see him. He could treat incurable diseases that big hospitals in the county could not. Wang Yao was famous in Lianshan County.

  “What happened?” Wang Yao had already heard their conversation from the room.

  “Nothing. I had a little conflict with this guy, and I am cooperating with the police investigation,” Jia Zizai said.

  “It’s you!” Wang Yao looked at Director Zheng. “I haven’t seen you for a day. Why are your nose and face swollen, and why are you black and blue?”


  It seemed as if he was rubbing it in.

  You must be in the same group! Thinking of that, Director Zheng simply stopped talking. Looking at the two police officers next to them, he did not expect that their attitude toward Wang Yao would be kind and respectful.

  What’s the situation? Have they known each other for a long time? But I spent money!

  “OK, we should end this here. Sorry to have disturbed you.” After a few words of symbolic questioning, the lead police officer announced that the investigation was over.

  “Is it over?” Director Zheng was reluctant to let it go. These results were very different from what he had imagined.

  “This is what will happen next, Mr. Zheng,” the lead police officer said. “The investigation and evidence collection will end here. In a few next days, we will issue a report based on today’s investigation and send it to the bureau. As for what to do in the future, you can wait for the notice.”


  “You…… You……” Mr. Zheng was dumbfounded.

  He watched as the police officers left. Although he was unwilling, he could only drive away with them. He would not stay there for fear that he either would get sick from rage or be violently beaten.

  “Excuse me, Sir.”


  “It doesn’t matter.” Wang Yao laughed.

  In the late afternoon, it was a bit rainy and the wind was blowing in the sky. The temperature dropped several degrees.

  The sky gradually darkened.

  While eating, Zhang Xiuying said, “It’s cold. Put on some more clothes when you are on the mountain.”


  “Mom, the mountains are like spring all year,” Wang Yao said. “It’s OK.”


  After eating, Wang Yao gave his parents a massage. Every time he massaged them, he would transfer his pure internal Qi into their bodies to and improve their constitution. The effects were very obvious. Their gray hairs and turned black, and their skin had become radiant. Each of them was more energetic.

  “Is everything OK with Xiaoxue in Jing?” his mother asked.

  “She is good,” Wang Yao said. “I talked to her yesterday.”


  “I watched the weather forecast,” his mother said. “The temperatures in Jing has dropped sharply. Tell Xiaoxue to wear more clothes to keep warm so she doesn’t catch a cold.” Even though they were not married, she was very concerned about her future daughter-in-law.

  “OK, I’ll tell her today,” Wang Yao said.

  “Don’t always stay in the village,” Zhang Xiuying said. “You should go to the capital to accompany Xiaoxue. You are a man, so be active.”


  “Yes,” Wang Yao softly answered.

  “Everything is alright at home,” Zhang Xiuying said. “The herbs on the mountain can be left to your dad and your three students, who are supposed to help anyway.”


  “Well, I thought about going to the capital in two days to see Xiaoxue,” Wang Yao said.

  “Go,” said Wang Fenghua, who was watching TV but listening to the conversation.

  When Wang Yao came out of the house, it was already 9 p.m. He saw a man on a motorcycle coming from the north of the village.

  “Are you going up the hill?”


  “Yeah, are you just getting back?”


  Wang Zecheng was riding the motorcycle. At this point, the weather was very cold. He was wearing a somewhat worn jacket and looked very tired.

  “There was something to do at the factory, so I worked overtime,” Wang Zecheng said. Recently, the factory where he worked had a lot of orders, so he often worked overtime.

  His wife was not working, and he had a family to take care of. It was hard for him to support the family.

  “Health is the most important thing,” Wang Yao said. “Take some time to rest. You are too tired.”


  He knew just by looking at Wang Zecheng’s eyes that he was exhausted. He must have worked for at least 12 hours, and it was very intensive labor work.

  “Hey, I’ll take a break when I’m not busy,” Wang Zecheng said.

  It was another “after.”


  After he had money…… After he had time…… After two days…… After getting a little older……

  “After” came in many forms, like waiting until the flowers withered or the leaves to fall. Before long, it would quickly turn into another year passing.

  When one looked back, one would see that everything had changed.

  No one knew the future, so grasping the present should always be the priority.

  “I’ll go back now. The family is waiting for me,” Wang Zecheng said.

  “By the way, the pharmaceutical factory is about to start production,” Wang Yao said. “If you want to go to work there, just go and tell them I referred you.”


  “Ah, OK, thank you,” Wang Zecheng said. “I will invite you to have dinner one of these days.”


  “There is no need,” Wang Yao said. “Hurry up, your family is waiting for you.”


  “I will go now.”


  Wang Zecheng rode his motorcycle to the south of the village.

  When Wang Yao arrived in the direction Wang Zecheng had gone, he heard children whispering and giggling. They were particularly happy. He turned his head and looked at them. The sounds came out from Wang Zecheng’s home. The lights were warm.

  What could make people happier in the world than being happy and healthy with family?

  Good! Good!

  Wang Yao smiled and walked on the dark mountain road alone. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. A light suddenly appeared on Nanshan Hill. If one regularly looked, it could be seen from time to time in the distance.

  After a short while, chanting could be heard on the mountain.

  The dog lying in the kennel raised his ears.

  The goshawk on the lime tree flapped its wings a few times.

  There was some rustling. A black snake came from nowhere and hung under the eaves of the hut.

  They were quietly listening to the chanting sounds coming from the room.

  Late that night, after the chanting ceased, the dog laid down, the Goshawk closed its eyes, and the black snake entered the mountain.

  Nothing happened overnight.

  Early the next morning, the weather was gloomy. The wind was cold.

  After practice ended, Wang Yao’s three students came to the clinic. They drank a bowl of medicine, which they had been doing for several days in a row.

  “Well, it should be a bit effective now,” Wang Yao whispered.

  “Sir, what did you say?”


  “Ah, it was nothing. You can go.” Wang Yao waved his hand with a smile.

  As soon as they left, Zheng Weijun came in.

  “The day has been selected,” he said. “It will be Nov. 26, which is a zodiac day with good luck.”


  “OK, I’ll be there,” Wang Yao said.

  “That day, we plan to test the machine and produce to make the medicine you provided prescriptions for,” Zheng Weijun said.

  “OK, the herbs must be guaranteed to be wild and natural,” Wang Yao said. “I still have a little here. You can use it first.”


  “Yes, I understand,” Zheng Weijun said. “I will guarantee the quality of the medicinal materials, you can rest assured.”


  Zheng’s family was engaged in the procurement of medicinal materials. They had channels to get high-quality herbs.

  “That’s good,” Wang Yao said.

  After telling him the date, Zheng Weijun left.

  Nanshan Pharmaceutical Company, which was about to start production, was his painstaking effort. He was tired of fighting at home and had given up those rights he once controlled. Now, he only had this company. He wanted to run it well since he had gracefully won it.

  There was still a lot of work to do before production could start. This was a big investment in Lianshan County and the first pharmaceutical company in this small county. Biomedicine had always been a high-tech industry. Therefore, the county attached great importance to it. There would be major leaders from the county and city coming to cut the ribbon. Some things needed to be prepared and considered.

  From now on, we will take root here, Zheng Weijun thought.

  It was also important whether the first shot could be fired. He believed in Wang Yao’s medicine, so he had great confidence in the medicine.

  After lunch, Wang Yilong came to the clinic.

  Seeing the elder coming, Wang Yao hurried to meet him. “Uncle, are you looking for me?”


  “Hey, how long before this disease is cured?” Wang Yilong asked.

  It was still the same problem.

  “You need a certain period of treatment for this disease. This process can be slow.”


  “Could you hurry it up?” the old man asked. “It’s fine if I suffer.”


  “Uncle, why do you suddenly think that? Is there something wrong with you?”


  “Well, Zecheng has worked overtime every day for the past days, and he has lost weight,” the old man said. “I can’t do anything to help. I spend all the money.”


  His son had been working outside all day. He returned home after 9 p.m. It had been like that for more than a month. As his father, he felt sorry for his son. He thought if he could be cured earlier, they wouldn’t have to spend so much on medicine. The sooner he recovered, the sooner that money could be used to support the family.