The elderly man opened his eyes, took a good look at Wang Xiaoqiang, and then commanded him to sit on the small stool beside the bed. He touched his stomach, but found nothing wrong, and then instructed, "Put a book under your arm, and I will take your pulse."
Hearing that his pulse would be taken, Wang Xiaoqiang felt a bit guilty, but still followed the orders, removing the "Yin-Yang and Five Elements of the Human Body" from the table and placing it under his arm by the bed.
Lin Qingshan rested his index finger on Wang Xiaoqiang's pulse, closed his eyes, and carefully felt his pulse. After about a minute, he spoke, "Hmm... Little Qiang, this isn't right..."
Seeing the look of question in Elder Qingshan's eyes, Wang Xiaoqiang felt his heart skip a beat, worried that he had discovered his secret. Elder Qingshan then opened his eyes and took another look at Wang Xiaoqiang, expressing slight surprise, "Little Qiang, have you been taking tonics recently?"
"No, Grandpa Qingshan, I don't have the money for that..." Wang Xiaoqiang replied truthfully.
"Then you must have been exercising regularly during this period," Lin Qingshan guessed, then explained, "Your pulse is deep and strong, clearly slower than the average person. This is a sign of a robust body. I've practiced medicine my whole life, taken countless pulses, but pulses like yours I've counted on one hand—these people are either athletes or soldiers..."
Wang Xiaoqiang had always been weak since childhood, and had often sought medical advice from Elder Qingshan. Just last month, Wang Xiaoqiang was treated here for gastroenteritis and was prescribed several traditional Chinese medicine decoctions. Elder Qingshan knew Wang Xiaoqiang's physical condition best.
The sudden improvement in Wang Xiaoqiang's physical condition was comforting yet puzzling for Elder Qingshan, but his lifelong medical experience, especially his mastery of pulse diagnosis, was profound.
"Uh... does that mean I am not sick?" Wang Xiaoqiang tentatively asked.
Elder Qingshan pushed away Wang Xiaoqiang's arm, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "Your body is as strong as an ox, how could you be sick?! However, since the symptoms persist, I suggest you visit a major hospital for a check-up."
Wang Xiaoqiang breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing this. He didn't have any symptoms; the stomach pain was just a pretext to placate the old man. He was afraid that Lin Qingshan might detect the unidentified "object" in his body, but in the end, it was just a false alarm.
Wang Xiaoqiang thanked him and was putting the book that had been under his arm back in place when he glanced at the title "Yin-Yang and Five Elements of the Human Body" again and, feeling intrigued, raised the book and asked, "Grandpa, may I borrow this book to read?"
"Um, sure, take it with you!" Lin Qingshan agreed readily. He was nearing the end of his life, and those books were no longer of use to him. He wouldn't mind even if Wang Xiaoqiang took them all.
After thanking him, Wang Xiaoqiang walked out with the book. Just as he was leaving the house, he heard the conversation of two women in the courtyard:
"Really? Wang Dali has been away for over half a year and hasn't even called you once, how could he be so careless…" It was Xia Huizhi's voice, tinged with surprise.
"Sister-in-Law Huizhi, please, not so loud. It's not good for outsiders to overhear..." Liu Juyi's voice mixed with repression and grievance responded.
Xia Huizhi slightly lowered her voice, "Honestly, Wang Dali really doesn't know how lucky he is to have married such a beautiful and virtuous wife. How can he not cherish her..."
Although their voices were very low, Wang Xiaoqiang heard everything. However, he didn't continue eavesdropping and instead walked out of the door.
"Uh... Little Qiang came out..." Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang walk out, Liu Juyi stood up unnaturally from a small stool in the yard and asked with concern, "Little Qiang, what did Grandpa Qingshan say?"
"Grandpa Qingshan said I am in great health and not sick at all." Wang Xiaoqiang grinned at Liu Juyi, showing a bright white smile that looked even more dazzling in the night.
"Ah, that's good." Liu Juyi responded with a relieved smile, then turned to pay Xia Huizhi the consultation fee, but Xia Huizhi refused to accept it.
After expressing their thanks, the aunt and nephew left the Lin family home together.
The two of them headed home under the moonlight. Compared to the way there, Liu Juyi was noticeably more reserved, walking not side by side with Wang Xiaoqiang but a few steps behind. Contrarily, Wang Xiaoqiang felt no such restraint and even slowed his pace to walk alongside Liu Juyi. Halfway through, he finally couldn't help asking, "Sister-in-law, how long has it been since my brother called you?"
In this high-tech society where communication is extremely developed, not only does every household in the village have a landline, but almost every young person has a mobile phone. Wang Xiaoqiang knew that both his brother and sister-in-law had mobile phones and could contact each other anytime. He was shocked to hear that his brother had been away for half a year and had not contacted his sister-in-law, and from the conversation with Xia Huizhi, it was clear she felt aggrieved. It was evident from her tolerance that it wasn't just about the lack of calls, there might be a rift between her and his brother.
Although Wang Xiaoqiang appeared shy and honest, he was quite straightforward, and stubborn at heart.
Seeing such a virtuous sister-in-law being mistreated, Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't help but intervene.
Wang Xiaoqiang's question made Liu Juyi tremble, and she immediately realized that he must have overheard her recent conversation with Xia Huizhi. However, Liu Juyi didn't want Wang Xiaoqiang to know about her issues with Wang Dali, so she forced a smile and said, "Little Qiang, you don't know your brother. He's even shyer than you when it comes to matters of the heart, and you know he doesn't like making phone calls."
It was true that Wang Dali did not like making phone calls. However, since he had started working away, he had called Wang Xiaoqiang twice. In those calls, he spoke cheerfully, exaggerating that in another half-month he would stop working as a laborer. He planned to take on his own projects and become his own boss, and he even asked Xiaoqiang if he had any plans to venture out and if so, to come and help him.
In those two calls, Wang Dali mentioned their parents but didn't bring up his sister-in-law Liu Juyi. At the time, Wang Xiaoqiang thought nothing of it, assuming the couple often called each other. Now, he realized something was seriously wrong.
If he could call his brother, why couldn't he call his wife?
Liu Juyi's words obviously couldn't satisfy Wang Xiaoqiang, but seeing that she was reluctant to talk about the matter, he tactfully didn't press further. Instead, he said very firmly, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. If my brother dares to mistreat you, I will not let him off easily."
At his words, Liu Juyi's body trembled again, her heart warmed and her nose tingled. She quickly walked past Wang Xiaoqiang, fearing he would see the tears at the corner of her eyes.
...
There is another update in the early morning for friends who stay up late.