"Yao, how come you are here?" The woman who opened the door was Wang Yao's auntie, Zhang Xiumei. She was surprised to see Wang Yao.
"Hi Auntie, I heard you are sick. So I'm here to visit you. Feeling any better?" asked Wang Yao.
"You are so kind to buy me so many things. Come on in please," Zhang Xiumei guided Wang Yao into the house, then prepared some food and drinks for Wang Yao. She still treated him like a child.
"Don't worry about me, auntie, please sit down," said Wang Yao.
"No, it's fine. Try the walnut your uncle brought from Shanxi Province," Zhang Xiumei was going to peel a walnut for Wang Yao.
"Don't worry about me. Do you still have difficulty falling asleep?" asked Wang Yao, concerned. His auntie was like another mother to him. She had always treated him very well.
"Yes, it's just an old problem. No matter how tired I feel, I just can't fall asleep. Every time I lie down and close my eyes, I can hear all sorts of noises. I just feel unsettled!" sighed Zhang Xiumei.
This was a problem caused by physical recuperation after birth. It's happened every year. She had seen, god knows how many, doctors and had, god knows how many, tests. She tried western medicine, Chinese traditional medicine and some folk prescriptions. None of those worked. The medication had destroyed her stomach while her illness was still there.
"Well, I brought you an herbal formula." Wang Yao took out the glass bottle filled with the orange decoction.
"Herbal formula?" Zhang Xiumei was surprised to see the glass bottle in Wang Yao's hand.
"Yes, please try to see if it works." Wang Yao gently opened the lid of the bottle and suddenly, a nice smell of herbs came out.
"Where did you get these herbs?" asked Zhang Xiumei curiously.
"I made it myself," said Wang Yao.
"What?" Zhang Xiumei was surprised.
"Haha, just joking. Please try it. I've tested it to make sure it is not poisonous. Don't drink too much, just a little bit to start with." Wang Yao was unsure about the effects of the medication so he didn't want his aunt to drink too much in case something bad happened.
"Okay." Zhang Xiumei took the bottle. She found that the bottle was still warm.
"Wow, it's still warm!"
"Yes, I drove over here quickly!" said Wang Yao.
"You've got to be careful on road!"
Zhang Xiumei took a sip of the decoction. It was warm and a little bitter, but had a special, nice flavor. She felt warm inside her stomach and with the fluid going down, she felt very comfortable. She drank a little more; one-fifth of the 500-millimeter decoction was already gone.
"How do you feel?" asked Wang Yao eagerly. On one hand he was worried about his auntie's health. But on the other hand, he wanted to know whether his decoction had any effects.
"I feel very good," said Zhang Xiumei.
She was telling the truth. Although she hadn't had much, she felt the warm liquid in her stomach and it gradually extended to the other parts of her body. After ten minutes, she felt much better and even a little bit stronger.
"This medication is really useful!" exclaimed Zhang Xiumei.
She didn't have much faith in the decoction Wang Yao brought for her. After all, she had been to too many doctors and had too many disappointments. She just didn't want to upset her nephew. But, the decoction really surprised her—she wasn't expecting it to work so quickly.
After another ten minutes, she started to feel something else. She felt calm in her head and warm in her body. She felt much more settled and calm than before. It was a very comfortable feeling.
"Do you feel better now?" Wang Yao knew the decoction started to take its effect given the smile on his aunt's face.
"I feel much better. This medication is wonderful, Yao! Tell me the truth, where did you get it?" asked Zhang Xiumei.
"I made it myself," said Wang Yao with a smile.
"Stop joking! When did you start to brew decoctions?!" Zhang Xiumei laughed.
"Haha, as long as it works. Remember to take it three times daily and drink all the decoction within three days. Do not drink it cold. Heat the decoction with warm water, but not hot water. Otherwise the effects will be destroyed," said Wang Yao. He never studied medicine, but had learned quite a lot from the medical books he had been reading recently.
"Sure, you know quite a lot!" Zhang Xiumei laughed, "Well, I heard from your mom that you want to continue to grow herbs. Do you plan to sell them?" she asked.
"Not really. I don't want to sell them all. I want to keep some for myself too," said Wang Yao.
"For yourself? What do you need it for?" asked Zhang Xiumei.
"Brewing decoctions," replied Wang Yao.
"You want to learn traditional Chinese Medicine?" Zhang Xiumei just realized Wang Yao was not joking.
"No, I am a traditional Chinese Pharmacist," said Wang Yao.
"Pharmacist?" asked Zhang Xiumei.
"Growing herbs, making decoctions and curing diseases," explained Wang Yao.
"Like a quack doctor?" Zhang Xiumei suddenly thought about those so-called physicians with no qualifications. She had no idea why her nephew had such strange thoughts. So she started to be a bit worried.
Wait! Looking at Zhang Xiumei, Wang Yao suddenly realized he had said too much.
"Well Auntie, your priority is to look after your own wellbeing. Don't think too much about me. I have to go now," Wang Yao stood up.
"Where are you going?" asked Zhang Xiumei.
"Going home," said Wang Yao as he had served his purpose of visiting.
"No way, you must have lunch here," said Zhang Xiumei.
"Next time, when you get better," said Wang Yao.
"I'm fine! I've got to cook for your uncle and cousin anyway," said Zhang Xiumei.
Therefore, Wang Yao stayed for lunch. Zhang Xiumei told her husband and her son about the decoction Wang Yao brought to her after they came back. She praised the decoction for its wonderful effects. Her husband was smiling when listening to Zhang Xiumei, but he looked doubtful. He had taken his wife to a lot of places for treatment in the last few years. They had also seen a few specialists, however his wife still remained sick. It was hard to believe some decoction could have such incredible effects.
Wang Yao kept silent. He stayed for a short while after lunch and before he left, he repeated how to use the decoction to his auntie. Wang Yao didn't rush back home after he left his aunt's house. Instead, he wandered about in the town.
It started get cold. He was going to buy some clothes and some dog food for San Xian. There weren't many people in the supermarket on the weekdays, so Wang Yao took his time to look around.
"Wang Yao?" he suddenly heard someone calling him. Following the voice, he saw a pretty girl standing near him. She had a green, silky shawl over her slim figure and her face was as beautiful as a flower.
"Tong Wei! What a coincidence!" said Wang Yao.
The pretty girl was his old classmate he had come across in town the other day. Her name was Tong Wei and she was extremely pretty.