Great Power Reclamation

Spring comes slowly in Junken City.

It's already March, and the snow hasn't completely melted, but the sun is already warm. Melted snow drips from the eaves, drip-dropping like the ticking of a clock.

Ye Yuze pushed open the door of the clinic, and a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted out. Xiao Zhou was cleaning, and when she saw him come in, she quickly put down the broom.

"Master, we have three appointments today. Old Liu said his back is a bit uncomfortable again, Zhang's daughter-in-law needs a follow-up check-up, and there's a new patient introduced by Factory Director Li."

Ye Yuze nodded, put down the medicine box, and began to prepare.

This clinic has been open for almost a year, and business is lukewarm, but it sees a few patients every day.

Ye Yuze wasn't looking to make money; he just wanted something to do. His old friends and neighbors would come to him whenever they had a minor ailment.

Getting a few acupuncture needles, a few prescriptions, and a chat is better than queuing at the hospital.

The first one to arrive was Old Liu.

This old man is over seventy years old. He's a long-time resident of the military reclamation town, having reclaimed wasteland with Ye Wancheng back in the day. His back is a chronic problem, a result of overwork when he was young, and it's showing its true colors in his old age.

"Xiao Ye, my back is acting up again." Old Liu sighed as he lay on the bed. "I was carrying a bag of flour yesterday and it just gave out."

Ye Yuze pressed his waist, asked a few questions, and took out silver needles.

"Uncle Liu, how many times have I told you not to carry heavy things yourself? Where is your son?"

Old Liu chuckled sheepishly, "He's busy at the factory, I don't want to bother him."

Ye Yuze shook his head and began to insert the acupuncture needles.

After the needle went in, Old Liu cried out in pain.

"pain?"

"It doesn't hurt, it's sore. But the soreness is comfortable."

Ye Yuze continued inserting the needles. After a few more needles, Old Liu let out a long sigh of relief.

"Xiao Ye, your skills are getting better and better. You're much better than those young doctors at the hospital."

Ye Yuze smiled and said, "Don't talk nonsense. It's because my teacher taught me well."

Old Liu, who was lying face down, suddenly asked, "Xiao Ye, how many more years do you think my back can hold out?"

Ye Yuze was taken aback: "Why do you ask that?"

Old Liu was silent for a while, then said, "I'm old and useless. I can't do anything right, I just cause trouble for others."

After Ye Yuze finished the last injection, he sat down next to him.

"Uncle Liu, I don't like hearing that. Back when you were clearing land, how many cubic meters of soil could you dig in a day?"

Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "At the most, we can dig three cubic meters a day."

“That’s something many young men can’t do,” Ye Yuze said. “You’re old now and can’t do it anymore, but the work you did back then supported so many people. The Junken City is what it is today because of your contributions.”

Old Liu didn't say anything, but his eyes were a little red.

Ye Yuze patted him on the shoulder.

"Take good care of yourself and don't overthink things. Once your back is better, you can go for walks in the park and play chess with your old friends. You have a long life ahead of you."

Old Liu nodded.

After seeing Old Liu off, the second patient arrived.

She's Zhang's daughter-in-law, recovering from childbirth. This girl gave birth six months ago and hasn't fully recovered; she's weak and anemic, and her complexion is sallow.

Ye Yuze took her pulse, prescribed some medicine, and gave her some advice on her diet and daily life.

After listening, the girl asked, "Uncle Ye, can I still get better?"

Ye Yuze looked at her and said seriously, "Yes, I can. But you have to listen to me, take your medicine on time, get plenty of rest, and don't worry too much."

The girl nodded, her eyes a little red.

“My mother-in-law always says I’m being dramatic, saying that back in their day, they would go back to work the day after giving birth.”

Ye Yuze sighed.

“What era was your mother-in-law living in? What era are we living in now? It’s different. Don’t listen to her; your health is your own responsibility.”

The girl nodded and left with the prescription.

Ye Yuze watched her retreating figure and shook his head.

The third patient was a newcomer, introduced by Factory Director Li. He was a man in his fifties, surnamed Ma, from out of town, who said he had been suffering from insomnia for several years and that many medications had been ineffective.

Ye Yuze took his pulse, examined his tongue, and asked him some questions.

"You must have a lot of work pressure, right?"

Old Ma nodded: "How can anyone run a business without pressure? Business has been tough these past few years, and I've been so worried I can't sleep."

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and wrote a prescription.

"Take this prescription for a week first. Come back for a follow-up appointment after a week. Also, I'll tell you a few acupoints to press before bed tonight. Taichong, Shenmen, Neiguan, remember them?"

Old Ma nodded.

Ye Yuze added, "Also, don't always think about business. You can't earn all the money in the world, but you have to take care of your own life."

Old Ma paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Dr. Ye, your words are more effective than medicine."

Ye Yuze smiled too.

It was already noon when we saw Lao Ma off.

Xiao Zhou cooked a meal, and the two ate a little. After finishing the meal, Ye Yuze leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Yang Geyong burst in with his loud voice.

"Old Ye! Come with me!"

Ye Yuze opened his eyes and saw his anxious face: "What's wrong?"

"Horse! Something's happened to my little pony!"

Without saying a word, Ye Yuze picked up his medicine box and followed him.

Yang Geyong's horse farm was located in the east of the city and occupied a considerable area. When the two arrived, the foal was lying on the ground, panting heavily, its four legs kicking incessantly.

Yang Geyong squatted down beside him, sweating profusely with anxiety.

"He was fine this morning, but suddenly he started acting like this. Old Ye, come take a look!"

Ye Yuze also squatted down and took a closer look. The foal's eyes were half-closed, its belly was swollen, and drool was dripping from its mouth.

"Did you eat something bad?" he asked.

Yang Geyong shook his head: "Impossible. I only feed them the best feed."

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and asked, "Has it been running around lately?"

Yang Geyong was taken aback for a moment: "It seems he went out for a couple of days ago, but he came back very quickly."

Ye Yuze nodded and took out a few silver needles from the medicine box.

"Old Yang, hold it down."

Although Yang Geyong didn't know what he was going to do, he did as he was told. He was strong and pressed down on the colt's head.

Ye Yuze located the acupoint and inserted the needle.

The foal neighed and struggled even more fiercely.

"Hold it down!" Ye Yuze said.

Another injection.

When the third needle was inserted, the foal suddenly quieted down. Then, it abruptly raised its head and vomited up a bunch of incoherent stuff.

Yang Geyong's expression changed when he saw it.

Among that pile of things were plastic bags, wrapping paper, and a tattered rag that I couldn't tell where it came from.

"This...this is..."

Ye Yuze put away the silver needles and stood up.

"It ate while it was running around. These things got stuck in its stomach and couldn't be digested, so something happened."

Yang Geyong looked at the pile of garbage and cursed angrily.

"I'm going to fucking raise the fence higher!"

Ye Yuze laughed: "Before repairing the fence, I want to thank you for your horse's good fortune. If it had been half a day later, even a god couldn't have saved it."

Yang Geyong then came to his senses and grabbed Ye Yuze's hand.

"Thanks, Lao Ye!"

Ye Yuze shook him off: "Alright, alright, stop being so mushy. Go get some water for it to drink."

Yang Geyong ran off to get water with great enthusiasm.

Ye Yuze squatted down and looked at the foal. After vomiting, it seemed much better and was looking at him curiously with its big eyes.

Ye Yuze reached out and patted its head.

"Little guy, you're lucky to be alive."

The little pony nuzzled his hand.

After returning from the horse farm, Ye Yuze went to the sanatorium again.

Liu Xiangdong was in good spirits today, sunbathing in the yard. He waved to Ye Yuze when he saw him come in.

"Yuze, come and sit down."

Ye Yuze walked over and sat down next to him.

"Teacher, how was your day?"

Liu Xiangdong laughed: "What else can we do? Just wait to die."

Ye Yuze shook his head: "What you're saying."

Looking at the distant sky, Liu Xiangdong suddenly asked, "How's your clinic doing?"

Ye Yuze said, "It's alright. We have a few patients every day."

Liu Xiangdong nodded: "Have you encountered any difficult cases?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and then told him about Lao Ma's insomnia.

After listening, Liu Xiangdong asked, "How did you treat it?"

Ye Yuze explained the prescription.

Liu Xiangdong nodded: "That's the right idea. But we can add something else." He named a few medicines, which Ye Yuze noted down one by one.

"Teacher," Ye Yuze suddenly asked, "why did you choose to study medicine back then?"

Liu Xiangdong paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Why? Because I want to save people."

He looked at the distant sky and slowly said, "When I was young, I saw too many people die from illness. They had no money for treatment, no medicine, and could only wait to die. At that time, I thought, if only I could cure diseases."

He turned his head and looked at Ye Yuze.

"And you? Why did you study medicine?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment: "My dad made me learn it at first. But as I learned it, I grew to like it."

Liu Xiangdong nodded.

"It's good. As long as you like it."

The two sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun, neither of them speaking.

After a long while, Liu Xiangdong suddenly said, "Yuze, do you know, you are the most insightful student I have ever taught."

Ye Yuze was stunned.

“But you’re not the one who went the furthest,” Liu Xiangdong said. “You went into business and stayed away for decades. I even regretted it.”

Ye Yuze remained silent.

“But I don’t regret it now.” Liu Xiangdong looked at him. “Although you didn’t practice medicine all the time, the things you did and the people you saved were more than what you did as a doctor. You provided jobs for so many people in Junken City. Those who followed you are doing better now, and they are getting sick less.”

He smiled.

"So, you're also saving people. In a different way."

Ye Yuze's eyes felt a little hot.

"teacher……"

Liu Xiangdong waved his hand.

"Alright, stop getting sentimental. Go back and focus on running your clinic. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime."

Ye Yuze nodded.

After leaving the sanatorium, Ye Yuze went to Yang Geyong's horse farm.

The foal was completely healed and frolicking in the snow. Yang Geyong stood beside it, grinning from ear to ear. "Old Ye, look! It's all better!"

Ye Yuze walked over and looked at the pony.

"Have you chosen a name yet?"

Yang Geyong paused for a moment: "Not yet. Why don't you come up with one?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and said, "Let's call him 'Iron Head'. He's tough."

Yang Geyong laughed: "Okay! Let's call him Iron Head!"

When Ironhead heard someone call it, it raised its head, glanced at them, and then continued to frolic.

Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong stood by, watching it run around.

"Old Yang," Ye Yuze suddenly said, "don't you think our lives are pretty good?"

Yang Geyong thought for a moment and said, "Great. We have horses to raise, doctors to take care of, chess to play, and wine to drink. What more could we ask for?"

Ye Yuze nodded.

Yes, what else is wrong?
The two stood in the setting sun, watching the little pony run across the snow.

The wind was blowing and it was a little cold, but my heart was warm.

That evening, Ye Yuze returned to the clinic, and Xiao Zhou was still there.

"Master, you're back. A patient came in this afternoon and said he wanted to make an appointment for tomorrow."

Ye Yuze glanced at the reservation book, where a name was written: Wang Defu.

"Wang Defu? Who introduced him?"

Xiao Zhou said, "He came by himself. He said he had back pain for many years and heard that you are a good cook, so he wanted to come and have a look."

Ye Yuze nodded.

"Okay, arrange it for tomorrow morning."

Wang Defu arrived the next morning.

He was an old man in his sixties, tall and thin, with a slightly hunched back. He greeted everyone with a smile as soon as he entered.

"Dr. Ye, I've heard so much about you."

Ye Yuze asked him to sit down, asked a few questions, and then began the examination.

Wang Defu does indeed have a back problem; it's an old injury. Ye Yuze asked him how he got injured, and he said it was from doing heavy labor when he was younger.

Ye Yuze gave him a few acupuncture needles and prescribed some medicine.

After Wang Defu left, Xiao Zhou asked, "Master, what did you think of that person?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and said, "He's a good person, but he's burdened with worries."

Xiao Zhou was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Ye Yuze laughed: "I could tell from his eyes. He's all smiles, but there's something in his eyes."

Xiao Zhou looked at him with admiration.

In the afternoon, Yang Geyong came again.

"Old Ye, let's play chess!"

Ye Yuze glanced at the appointment book; there were no patients in the afternoon, so he nodded.

The two set up the chessboard and began their battle.

Yang Geyong is in good form today, winning the first game.

"Haha! I finally beat you this time!" Yang Geyong said triumphantly.

Ye Yuze smiled and said, "I was lucky."

"What luck? It's real skill!"

Yang Geyong won the second game again.

He became even more smug: "Old Ye, you're not up to par today!"

Ye Yuze just smiled.

In the third match, Yang Geyong suffered a crushing defeat.

He stared wide-eyed: "What's going on?"

Ye Yuze said slowly, "The first two rounds were just to make you happy. The third round is the real deal."

Yang Ge bravely stared, but there was a smile in his eyes.

The two drank tea and chatted.

"How's Tie Tou doing today?" Ye Yuze asked.

Yang Geyong's eyes lit up: "It's great! It ran a long lap with the herd of horses today and was perfectly fine. Judging by its energy, it'll be ready for breeding next year."

Ye Yuze nodded.

"By the way, how's Yang Jun's horseback riding coming along?"

Yang Geyong laughed: "He learns quickly! He can ride by himself in just one month. This kid has talent."

Ye Yuze looked at him, feeling a mix of emotions.

Yang Geyong used to sigh and lament when he talked about Yang Wei. Now, his eyes light up when he talks about Yang Jun.

“Old Yang,” Ye Yuze said, “you are doing well in your later years.”

Yang Geyong paused for a moment, then smiled.

"It's good. I have you to play chess with, I have horses to raise, and my son and daughter are by my side. What more could I ask for?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

In the evening, Ye Yuze packed his things to go home.

Yang Geyong said, "Will you come again tomorrow?"

Ye Yuze nodded: "Come on. We have patients in the morning, so we'll play chess in the afternoon."

"Row."

Ye Yuze walked out of the clinic and glanced back.

The setting sun cast a golden glow on the "Yuzetang" sign.

He smiled, turned around, and walked home.

When I got home, Yu'e had already prepared dinner.

"How was your day?" Yu'e asked.

Ye Yuze sat down and picked up his chopsticks.

"Not bad. I saw a few patients, gave Old Yang's horse acupuncture, and played a few games of chess in the afternoon."

Yu'e laughed: "Your retirement life is busier than when you were working."

Ye Yuze smiled too.

"It's good to be busy. If you're not busy, you'll become useless."

After dinner, Ye Yuze sat on the sofa reading a book. It was a newly published classic of traditional Chinese medicine, recommended by Liu Xiangdong.

As I was looking at it, my phone rang.

It was Yang Wei calling.

"Uncle Ye, is my dad with you?"

Ye Yuze said, "No. He's at his own home."

Yang Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I called him earlier but no one answered, and I was worried something had happened to him."

Ye Yuze laughed: "What could possibly happen to him? He's probably busy at the horse farm."

Yang Wei smiled and said, "That's true. Uncle Ye, how's my dad doing lately?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and said, "That's good. He's healthy and in a good mood. He especially likes Yang Jun."

Yang Wei was silent for a moment, then said, "That's good. Uncle Ye, thank you."

Ye Yuze was taken aback: "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for being with him," Yang Wei said. "My dad is stubborn, but he suffers inside. With you by his side, he feels much better."

Ye Yuze felt a warmth in his heart.

"Alright, stop getting emotional. You just focus on your work. I'll take care of things with your dad."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yuze sat there, stunned for a moment.

Outside the window, the night in the military reclamation city is gentle.

He stood up and walked to the window.

In the distance, lights were on at Yang Geyong's horse farm. A figure could be vaguely seen moving around there.

Ye Yuze smiled.

Having a brother like this in this lifetime is truly worthwhile.

The next morning, Ye Yuze went to the clinic again.

Wang Defu came again, this time for a follow-up visit.

"Dr. Ye, your medicine really works! My back feels much better!"

Ye Yuze took his pulse and then inserted a few needles.

After the acupuncture was finished, Wang Defu suddenly asked, "Dr. Ye, can your clinic treat heart problems?"

Ye Yuze was stunned.

Wang Defu lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

“My son passed away three years ago. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to sleep. I think about him every day, and it keeps me awake.”

Ye Yuze looked at him, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

"How did it disappear?"

“A car accident,” Wang Defu said. “He was only twenty-five years old, had just gotten married, and his wife was pregnant.”

Ye Yuze remained silent for a long time.

Then he said, "Brother Wang, sit here and listen to me say a few words."

Wang Defu sat down.

Ye Yuze said, "Your son is gone, and it's understandable that you're sad. But you still have your daughter-in-law and grandson. You have to live for them."

Wang Defu's eyes reddened.

"I know. But I just can't get over this hurdle."

Ye Yuze thought for a moment and said, "I'll introduce you to someone. His name is Yang Geyong, he raises horses. He's quite open-minded. Go and have a chat with him."

Wang Defu was stunned.

Ye Yuze took out his phone and called Yang Geyong.

"Old Yang, a friend of mine wants to talk to you. Are you free at your horse farm?"

Yang Geyong said, "Yes. Let him come."

After Wang Defu left, Ye Yuze sat in the clinic for a long time without moving.

He remembered many things.

Thinking back to his youth, some of those who worked with him are no longer with him. He thinks of those difficult days, those days he persevered through.

He recalled Liu Xiangdong's words: "You are also saving people. In a different way."

Perhaps, this is his way.

It's not about prescribing medicine or giving injections; it's about getting those who need help to the right place.

That afternoon, Yang Geyong called.

"Old Ye, that person is here. We chatted all afternoon."

Ye Yuze asked, "How is it?"

Yang Geyong was silent for a moment, then said, "It won't be easy. But he will get better."

Ye Yuze nodded.

"That's good."

After hanging up the phone, he stood by the window and looked at the sky outside.

The sky is very blue, and the clouds are very white.

There's still a long way to go. (End of Chapter)