After reading the description of Shibalih River in the Huagui County Annals, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart pounded fiercely, and his breathing became rapid as well.
Wang Xiaoqiang discovered that even though it was the county annals, there was hardly any historical material that could be verified about Shibalih River. Instead, the myths were detailed, revolving around the notion that there was an enormous spring in the river. This matched what the village elders had said, only that the county annals were a bit more detailed than oral tradition.
"Five Elements Spirit Spring, freely accessible, can grow or shrink, can give birth to Five Element Spiritual Energy, nurturing all things, wondrous in many ways..."
Upon closing the annals, Wang Xiaoqiang shut his eyes and murmured to himself. Combining this with the unidentified "object" inside his body, the more he thought about it, the more he believed that the "object" was intrinsically linked to the "Five Elements Spirit Spring", and could even be, the Five Elements Spirit Spring itself.
Of course, this was a bold conjecture, and Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't find a definitive answer, but as long as it wasn't harmful to his body, there was no need to worry too much.
Just as Wang Xiaoqiang's feelings about the unidentified "object" inside him shifted from anxiety to acceptance, his sister-in-law's voice rang out in the yard, "Little Qiang, it's time to eat."
"Alright, coming..." Wang Xiaoqiang responded, placing the county annals in a drawer beside his bed, then went to have his meal.
Wang Xiaoqiang had an older brother named Wang Dali, who was three years his senior. Dali had gotten married last year to Liu Juyi, a year younger than him, beautiful and virtuous. After the wedding, while Wang Dali went out to work, Liu Juyi stayed at home taking care of their parents-in-law and her young brother-in-law.
In the summer heat, the three meals a day were all eaten under the paulownia tree in the yard. When Wang Xiaoqiang stepped out of the house, he saw that the meal had already been set up on the small square table under the tree, four dishes and a soup.
A cold dish of cucumbers, chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried green beans, minced garlic eggplant, and a tomato and egg soup.
Though they were modest home-cooked meals, under Liu Juyi's exquisite cooking, they looked quite refined and emitted an enticing aroma.
Soon after, Wang Xiaoqiang's parents also arrived at the table with Liu Juyi's assistance.
The Two Elders of the Wang Family had been in a car accident the year Wang Xiaoqiang was in high school, suffering leg injuries that left them partially disabled and with difficulty moving. This was the main reason why Wang Xiaoqiang had dropped out of school.
At that time, Liu Juyi hadn't yet married into the family, but she was already engaged to Wang Dali. When she learned that her future in-laws had been in a serious accident and were disabled, she didn't call off the wedding. Instead, she volunteered to marry in early to take care of the Two Elders, which illustrated her virtue. According to local sayings, you couldn't find such a good daughter-in-law even if you searched with a lantern.
If there was someone Wang Xiaoqiang admired in his life, it was his sister-in-law Liu Juyi.
Not only did Liu Juyi's dishes look beautiful, but they also tasted perfectly seasoned and delicious, rivaling those made by big restaurants in the city.
With the meal so appetizing, Wang Xiaoqiang ate with relish. As soon as the food was served, he kept his head down, gobbling his food, hardly lifting his head because he could see his sister-in-law's cleavage whenever he glanced up.
It was the height of summer.
In the rural areas during this season, men typically wore just shorts and a pair of slippers, while women dressed in skirts and tank tops, and more open-minded girls would just wear a tube top, exposing their belly buttons.
Having been newly married for less than a year, Liu Juyi was comparatively modest. She wore capri pants and a homemade short pink blouse, revealing two snow-white arms as attractive as tender lotus roots.
When facing women, Wang Xiaoqiang was quite shy, especially around this beautiful sister-in-law at home, he always felt too embarrassed to look at her directly.
While Wang Xiaoqiang dared not stare at Liu Juyi, she, sitting across the table, kept a watchful eye on her young brother-in-law. For someone as conservative as Liu Juyi, this was somewhat unusual.
For some unknown reason, Wang Xiaoqiang's appetite surged dramatically that day. After finishing one bowl, Liu Juyi immediately filled another for him. Taking the bowl from her, Wang Xiaoqiang buried his head and ate ferociously, as if he had a vendetta against the rice.
Far from being disgusted by her brother-in-law's unrefined eating manners, Liu Juyi's gaze carried a hint of approval and indulgence,
In the countryside, unmarried young lads are seen as children in the eyes of others. Though Wang Xiaoqiang was already eighteen, and legally an adult, his family never treated him as one, including Liu Juyi, who always regarded him as a child.
Wang Xiaoqiang had been frail since childhood, not as robust as other youths in the village. It was a good thing to have a hearty appetite. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang enjoying his food, Liu Juyi served him a piece of chicken and asked, "Little Qiang, when I went to Aunt Big Mouth's store to get soy sauce earlier, and passed by the village clinic, I heard Doctor Xu say you were not feeling well. What exactly is going on?"
At Liu Juyi's words, Wang Xiaoqiang's face turned red instantly, and he thought desperately, This is terrible. Did Little Xu Xiaoya tell my sister-in-law about my embarrassing situation? If that's true, how can I face her from now on?
Upon hearing the daughter-in-law's words, the Two Elders of the Wang Family were taken aback, and both sets of eyes immediately fixated on their youngest son, showing faces full of surprise and concern. Before the father could speak, the mother had already asked, "Little Qiang, what's wrong with you? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
"You child, why wouldn't you say a word if you're feeling unwell!" the father reproached.
With the entire family's attention on him, Wang Xiaoqiang became even more embarrassingly tongue-tied. Lowering his head, he opened his mouth but didn't speak of the unknown object inside his body, mainly because he feared worrying the elders.
"I'm saying, you child, why aren't you talking..." his father said, a bit angrily.
"I, I just feel a bit of a stomachache..." Wang Xiaoqiang replied evasively, "It might be roundworms causing trouble..."
"Really? Don't lie to your mother!"
A mother knows her son best. Seeing her son's unnatural expression, she immediately guessed he was lying.
"Doctor Xu said there's something in Little Qiang's stomach..." Liu Juyi interjected.
"Ah, something? What kind of something?" the mother asked anxiously, her voice trembling. To people of Mother Wang's age, mostly illiterate, having something in one's stomach meant growing a tumor. And in Mother Wang's mind, a tumor equated to cancer.
The mother's frantic cry filled Wang Xiaoqiang with guilt. He had kept silent and secretly visited the village clinic primarily because he didn't want his parents to worry about him.
As Wang Xiaoqiang was overwhelmed with guilt, Liu Juyi spoke up, "How about this, I'll take Little Qiang to the big hospital in the county tomorrow to get a check-up..."
Liu Juyi hadn't finished speaking when Wang Xiaoqiang shook his head and said, "No need, no need, it's just a stomachache, there's no need for a check-up..."
"No, you must get a check-up, let your sister-in-law accompany you tomorrow..."
The father spoke up, his tone very resolute.
Despite his age, Father Wang still held the role of head of the household, and his words carried weight.
Furthermore, his naturally stubborn nature, unchanged throughout his life, meant that nobody could alter his decisions once made.
But Wang Xiaoqiang still insisted firmly, "I won't go."
If this had been in the morning, Wang Xiaoqiang might have agreed to go to the hospital for an X-ray, but now, even if he wanted to go, he dared not, fearing the "Five Elements Spirit Spring" inside him could be discovered and made public. He could end up being seen as a freak and might even be forcibly taken for a "biopsy."
With this thought, despite the sweltering heat, he shuddered and, abandoning his bowl and chopsticks, jumped to his feet as if to flee.
Unexpectedly, just as Wang Xiaoqiang got up, his father's temper exploded, and he bellowed, "You stand right there!" then suddenly rose to his feet. Because he stood up too swiftly, the old man's leg, already partially disabled due to a car accident, twisted again, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.
"Dad!!"
Wang Xiaoqiang, who was about to flee, his heart thumping with shock, stopped dead in his tracks, immediately helping his father up and seating him on a stool.
The pain turned the old man's face ashen, with beads of sweat the size of soybeans breaking out on his forehead. Despite this, Father Wang clenched his teeth and didn't utter a sound.
Wang Xiaoqiang, consumed by shame, knew all too well his father's fiery temper, which was obviously a reaction to the concern for his own health. It was his impetuousness to blame.
Ashamed, Wang Xiaoqiang stared at his father and examined his father's leg injury. He saw that the ankle was swollen and red, and couldn't help but reach out to gently rub the injury, hoping to alleviate the pain,
Just as his fingers barely touched the swollen area on his father's ankle, he felt the mysterious "object" inside him move rapidly from his heart to his right arm, then travel along the arm to the palm of his right hand.
Then, an astonishing thing happened.