Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âLet me ask him first.â Wang Yao called Tian Yuantu right away.
âDengzhou?â Tian Yuantu was reluctant. âYou can speak to Sun Zhengrong. He knew a lot of people in Dengzhou. As far as I know, he also had business there. He should be able to help you.â
âOkay, thanks.â Wang Yao then called Sun Zhengrong.
After knowing what Wang Yao wanted, Sun Zhengrong just said, âLeave it to me. A piece of cake.â
For him, it was just a piece of cake. He just needed to make a single phone call.
Wang Mingbao was waiting at Wang Yaoâs place while this happened. After just a single hour, he got a call saying that his cousin was fine.
âSuperb!â said Wang Mingbao after keeping silent for a while.
âHeâs a very capable person!â said Wang Yao. Let alone other things, Sun Zhengrongâs social network was incomparable.
âHow can we thank that Mr. Sun?â asked Wang Mingbao.
âYou donât need to worry about it. Leave it to me,â said Wang Yao with a smile.
Another visitor came soon after Wang Mingbao had left.
It was Guo Sirou, a very beautiful woman.
âWhat a nice clinic!â praised Guo Sirou after she had entered the courtyard.
âI thought you were currently traveling overseas. What brings you back so soon?â Wang Yao made Guo Sirou a cup of tea with a smile.
When he was in Beijing over a month ago, he recalled that Guo Sirou was quite distraught about her grandfatherâs disease and subsequent passing. Therefore, she said she wanted to travel overseas, but hadnât decided when and where she would go. Wang Yao didnât expect her to return so soon.
âI feel much better now, so I came back,â said Guo Sirou with a smile.
âYouâve lost weight,â said Wang Yao.
The beautiful woman in front of Wang Yao did lose some weight. She had an aura of elegance.
âYes, I lost some weight. Tell me about you though. When will your clinic open?â asked Guo Sirou with a charming smile.
âJust have to wait for a little while longer,â said Wang Yao as he added water into Guo Sirouâs cup.
They chatted for a while, like two old friends who hadnât seen each other for a long while. It was soon approaching lunch time.
âWould you like to have lunch at my house?â asked Wang Yao.
âOkay!â Guo Sirou accepted the invitation without hesitation.
Obviously, she came very well prepared. She took out several well-packed gifts out of her car.
âYou donât need to bring these stuff,â said Wang Yao.
âItâs not appropriate to come empty-handed on the first visit,â said Guo Sirou with a smile.
Oh, well, why does it sound so awkward? thought Wang Yao.
Zhang Xiuying and Wang Fenghua were surprised to see Guo Sirou, who came with gifts.
What is going on?
How come Yao brought back yet another pretty girl?
âHello, Auntie,â said Guo Sirou.
As a girl from a prestigious family, Guo Sirou was quite elegant and graceful. Her voice was sweet. Wang Yaoâs parents were impressed by this pretty girl immediately.
âHello,â said Zhang Xiuying.
She threw a inquisitive look to her son.
âCan you introduce your friend to us?â said Zhang Xiuying.
âDad, Mom, let me introduce, this is Guo Sirou, my friend from Beijing,â said Wang Yao.
âFriend? I see! Please come in and take a seat,â said Zhang Xiuying.
She and her husband set to preparing tea and food for Guo Sirou happily.
âAuntie, I can help myself.â Guo Sirou was a well educated girl. She made sure to show courtesy to Wang Yaoâs family.
When Zhang Xiuying was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen, Guo Sirou went to help, but Zhang Xiuying said she could just wait in the dining room.
Guo Sirou suddenly worried her visit might have caused some misunderstanding.
Zhang Xiuying didnât spend a lot of time preparing a banquet.
âThank you for the food. It is so delicious!â said Guo Sirou.
Wang Yaoâs parents asked quite a few questions during lunch.
Zhang Xiuying asked Guo Sirou where she was from, how old she was, and how many siblings she had.
Wang Yao kept coughing, as if he had caught a cold.
Guo Sirou answered all the questions from Wang Yaoâs parents with smile.
She told Wang Yaoâs parents that her parents were public servants, and she was telling the truth.
Wang Yao somehow managed to survive lunch.
Guo Sirou left after lunch. Wang Yaoâs parents walked her to the end of the lane.
âNice car,â commented Zhang Xiuying as she saw Guo Sirouâs car.
âUncle, Auntie, Iâm fine from here. Thank you so much for the delicious lunch.â Guo Sirou waved at Wang Yao, then drove off.
âYao, come inside, I need to ask you something,â said Zhang Xiuying.
âWhatâs your relationship with that girl?â asked Zhang Xiuying as soon as they had retired back inside the house.
âJust friends,â said Wang Yao with a smile.
âJust friends?â asked Zhang Xiuying.
âYes,â said Wang Yao.
âI think this girl is quite nice,â said Zhang Xiuying.
Wang Yao was speechless.
âBut what about Tong Wei?â asked Zhang Xiuying.
âWhat? It has nothing to do with Tong Wei,â said Wang Yao. âHonestly, Mom, she is just from an upper-class family in Beijing. I went to see her grandpa while I was in Beijing. She just came here to see the clinic Iâm about to open,â added Wang Yao.
âReally?â asked Zhang Xiuying.
âOf course,â said Wang Yao.
After explaining to Zhang Xiuying the purpose of Guo Sirouâs visit, Wang Yao went back to Nanshan Hill.
âHey, Fenghua, do you think our son was telling the truth?â asked Zhang Xiuying as she wasnât quite convinced.
âI think he was telling the truth. But, she is not some ordinary girl,â said Wang Fenghua.
At his age, Wang Fenghua had come across a lot of people and experienced many things. He was quite a good judge of character. For one, he could tell Guo Sirou was not some ordinary girl. She was very different, compared to Tong Wei. After all, the two girls were from different backgrounds.
âBut that girl is really nice,â said Zhang Xiuying.
âI prefer Tong Wei. Our son should marry someone from similar background to himself,â said Wang Fenghua.
Wang Yao had no idea of his parentsâ conversation. He knew why Guo Sirou came to visit him. It was just an accident that she was able to have lunch at his house. He was a carefree Traditional Chinese Pharmacist living in the hills, while Guo Sirou was a girl from a prestigious family in Beijing. They could only be friends. They would never become lovers or a couple.
No matter how pretty Guo Sirou was.
Wang Yao continued to read medical books while in his cottage on Nanshan Hill in the afternoon. He didnât leave the hill until late afternoon.
He didnât have any patients today.
It had been over a week since he received the mission he needed to complete in 30 days.
The stars looked bright at night.
âYou have to stay for another month?â asked Wang Yao on the phone to Tong Wei.
He was talking to Tong Wei, who was in France. Tong Wei had planned to come back this week, but she had to stay for another month as was dictated to her by her company.
âIs everything going well in France?â asked Wang Yao.
âYeah, how about you? Are you on the hill?â asked Tong Wei.
âYes,â said Wang Yao.
Then they video chatted for a while and talked about what had happened recently to each of them. They had chatted for more than an hour.
âItâs getting late, you should go to bed,â said Tong Wei.
It was day time in France, but it was late night in China.
âOkay, take care of yourself. Call me if you need me,â said Wang Yao.
âOkay,â said Wang Yao.
After hanging up the phone, Tong Wei felt quite elated.
People said absence made the heart grow fonder. Tong Wei felt that Wang Yaoâs absence made her miss him so much. She had thought about Wang Yao every night since she had arrived in France a month ago.
As a developed country in Western Europe, the life in France was colorful. Tong Wei was in Paris, the most romantic place in the world. She could see pretty men and women from different countries everywhere in Paris.
As a pretty Asian girl, Tong Wei had plenty of people pursuing her when she was in France. Those pursuers included the French managers from her company and Chinese businessmen.
âFrance,â Wang Yao murmured the name softly.
It was quite gloomy the next day, and started to rain in the afternoon. The rain was very heavy.
The rain broke the heat that day.
It was not that hot anymore.
The rain was even heavier in Haiqu than in Lianshan.
âMom, stop worrying about me,â said a teenage girl.
She was very young, about 16 years old, and she looked weak. Her face was extremely pale. She had almost no color to her lips. However, her eyes were still bright and tough.
âLetâs go to Beijing,â said the girlâs mother.
âI donât want to go. Weâve been to the hospitals in Shanghai already. I donât think the hospitals in Beijing are any better. The doctors have all said, my illness...â The young girl didnât continue.
Her illness was beyond cure.
She had come down with a sudden fever with rashes all over her body and the feeling of pins and needles all over her body. Then she became weaker and weaker, without anyone being able to pinpoint a reason. The result of medical examination suggested multiple organ failure and unknown toxins in her blood.