So, Tang Guihua made a phone call to Tang Weiqiang, spoke a few sentences, and then hung up.
"My cousin is still outside, he said he would get in touch with Xie Dongyang. It's best to have supper together tonight to talk things over. Let's head home first," Tang Guihua advised.
"Thank you, Sister Guihua," Luo Yang said.
"As long as I can help, anyone else would do the same. Yuying, don't be afraid, things will pass," Tang Guihua comforted.
Parting from Tang Guihua, Luo Yang directly escorted An Yuying back to her doorstep. He was now her safe harbor and had to consider her safety.
An Yuying invited Luo Yang in for dinner, and her whole family wanted him to stay. Since they insisted, he ended up dining at their house.
While waiting for the meal, Luo Yang made a phone call home to inform his parents that he was eating at Teacher Lin's place.
An Qixing, An Yuying's father, used to be a peddler. On market days, he would ride his motorcycle loaded with goods to the market to sell clothes.
Five years ago, a car accident left An Qixing with severe concussion, rendering him unable to stall at the market ever since, and he had not recovered. As the perpetrator of the accident was never found, he had no means to claim compensation.
Lin Jialan had been a primary school teacher for over twenty years but was suffering from a lung disease, still teaching while sick. She had taught Luo Yang and was his first teacher.
With both parents ill and needing care, An Yuying, a university graduate, couldn't leave them and had to return home. Otherwise, with her looks and qualifications, finding a good job in a big city wouldn't be hard.
Many villagers' children had been Lin Jialan's students. They would help out when they could. For instance, they would take the vegetables Yuying grew to Xiaoshulin Market to sell and then bring back the proceeds.
An Yuying grew string beans, spinach, and cabbage among other vegetables, which were not of great quality. She was the only daughter at home and had never worked in the fields despite living in the countryside before.
Since An Qixing's accident, An Yuying had begun to cultivate crops, mainly vegetables that were initially meant for the family's consumption. Now, with both elderly parents needing money for medical treatment, the financial burden had grown, and she had to grow more vegetables for sale. Earning every dime was not easy.
During the dinner, the An family thanked Luo Yang several times for saving An Yuying.
Luo Yang humbly deflected the praise then shifted the topic, "Teacher Lin, I can cure your diabetes."
As everyone was from the same brigade, Lin Jialan had watched Luo Yang grow up and knew him as well as anyone could. She was curious why he said that.
Luo Family had never been barefoot doctors; they had always been farmers. Hearing Luo Yang's words, Lin Jialan thought he was joking and just laughed it off.
In the afternoon, he had obtained the "Shennong Scripture," which included various medical techniques. Luo Yang quickly searched his mind for a treatment for diabetes and found one, but he found no cure for concussion.
"Teacher Lin, I'm serious," Luo Yang said earnestly.
"How would you treat it?" Lin Jialan asked.
"Acupuncture."
Luo Yang knew the method of acupuncture but lacked silver needles. He knew Guihua's family might have them; her family had been barefoot doctors for generations. Borrowing would suffice.
After dinner, An Yuying called Tang Guihua to borrow silver needles.
About ten minutes later, Tang Guihua personally brought a box of silver needles to An Family's home. She wanted to see Luo Yang's acupuncture skills for herself, though she was mostly skeptical.
The two Village Beauties sitting together added quite a charm to the living room.
"Cowboy," Tang Guihua cut straight to the chase, "I want to hear how you're going to treat Teacher Lin."
Luo Yang replied, "Acupuncture and Chinese medicine."
He spoke without any hesitation, clearly full of confidence.
No one would feel assured seeing he was just a teenager; it's common belief that doctors need to have some years on them.
Tang Guihua spoke bluntly, "Cowboy, even I don't practice acupuncture, and you understand it? Are you just joking around? That kind of joke isn't funny—it could cost lives."
Doubt from others was only natural, but Luo Yang didn't mind.
"I might lie to anyone else, but I wouldn't lie to Teacher Lin," Luo Yang stated firmly.
"Cowboy, then tell me, when did you learn acupuncture?" Tang Guihua pressed.
"A classmate's father knows acupuncture. I used to hang around their house a lot and picked it up," Luo Yang explained with apparent seriousness.
Knows all the doctors in a radius of ten miles, including those selling rat poison, Tang Guihua was well aware of them. She had never heard of an acupuncture expert in Hongyun Town and thus, believed Luo Yang was lying.
Running her fingers through her chestnut hair, Tang Guihua teased, "Did you learn it from Duke Zhou?"
Luo Yang did not initially understand that Tang Guihua was referring to the "Duke Zhou" who presides over dreams; he thought she actually knew some acupuncture expert named Zhou and admitted, "Sister Guihua, yes."
Everyone laughed, fortunately thinking he was just joking.
Luo Yang could not reveal the secret of the Shennong Scripture and had to cope with lies. He saw that no one believed him but could understand everyone's skepticism.