Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1946 Lake Stones, Lake Salt, Lake Sand
After obtaining the parents' consent, Bian Mu gestured for the little boy to roll up his trouser legs and take off his shoes and socks. The so-called art nanny, seeing that the little boy was clumsy, kindly stepped forward to help him a few times.

Seeing this, Bian Mu roughly guessed what was going on. Sigh! This child has been spoiled rotten.

Bian Mu noticed that the little boy understood his mother's words immediately, reacting much faster in every aspect. Bian Mu asked the little boy's mother to relay her message. Bian Mu knelt on the ground, placing both palms facing upwards in a flat, level position on the floor. At the same time, she gestured for Dr. Gong to stand beside the little boy for protection, and arranged for the little boy to stand barefoot on her palms.

The onlookers were all incredibly curious, having never seen a traditional Chinese medicine doctor treat patients like this before. They formed a complete circle around him, eager to see what Bian Mu could possibly discover.

The little boy was a bit unsteady on his feet, and his expression showed some panic. Clearly, he rarely interacted with strangers.

"Don't be afraid! Uncle is confident that he can make you stand like this. Look straight ahead, yes! Listen to your mother! Straighten your back..." Taking advantage of the little boy's slight distraction, Bian Muqian used his internal energy to lift the little boy off the ground, right up against his chest.

Dr. Gong quickly stood by to protect the little boy, lest his legs suddenly give way and he fall down.

Bian Mu began to move gently on the floor, supporting the little boy steadily with both hands. He adjusted his center of gravity every now and then. Before three minutes had passed, the little boy's knees were visibly weak. If Bian Mu hadn't been skilled in martial arts and occasionally adjusted their relative center of gravity, the little boy would have already collapsed into Bian Mu's arms.

To the onlookers, Bian Mu's movements seemed like acrobatics. Fortunately, many of them had received a high level of education, and after a while, they could roughly guess that Bian Mu was truly skilled, with an extremely precise grasp of the relative center of gravity of the two figures, which was definitely not something an ordinary person could do.

……

After the examination, Bian Muchong winked at Dr. Gong and deliberately adjusted the height to a suitable position. Dr. Gong then lifted the little boy from behind and gently placed him on the ground.

"Put your child's shoes and socks on! It's not really an illness, it's just that he's been in an environment that's out of touch with reality for too long, and he's gradually lost some of his natural instincts. It's alright, take him out to play for a while!" After saying that, Bian Mu sent the little boy and the art nanny away.

At this moment, the little boy's grandfather stepped forward and asked, "Is it easy to treat?"

“Not difficult! Have you heard of Sangong Lake in the suburbs?” Bian Mu said with a smile.

“I know, I know! When we were young, we worked on the reservoir and terraced fields in that area. It’s been decades since we last went there,” the little boy’s grandfather replied with a smile.

"Really? You'll need to find someone to talk to the scenic area managers. I can come up with a plan; they're quite familiar with me, so they might be able to make an exception. Use pebbles from the lake bottom, the kind that's unique to the area. The size should be similar to chicken or quail eggs—not too big or too small. Wash them several times, then go to a nearby village and find a friendly family. Use an old-fashioned earthen stove, the kind that burns firewood. Get a large iron pot, and put about 10 jin (5 catties) of lake salt in it—it has to be lake salt, the locals all have it, it's called 'local salt,' the really salty kind. Pour it into the pot, then put the pebbles on top and stir-fry them until cooked. Then let them cool." "Bring back a few baskets. You have plenty of open space in your front yard anyway. Spread out a patch of it, and buy some local lake sand to fill in the gaps between the stones so the child won't feel uncomfortable walking barefoot on it. Of course, the sand shouldn't be too flat; a smooth surface won't provide the massage effect. If you can't manage it, call me and I'll come over. Don't bother on rainy days, but on sunny days, let the child walk around on it. If he doesn't want to, just coax him, saying he can't walk down and they won't let him go to school, or something like that." Bian Mu explained patiently.

"Doesn't he need to take medicine?" the child's grandmother interjected from the side.

"Not for now. Also... the child needs to eat the kind of ordinary home-cooked meals that ordinary families have, such as millet porridge, sesame seed cakes, sweet potatoes, and wild vegetables. It's best to go to the backstreets and alleys and find some of those bustling, old shops that sell a lot of food to buy for him. One day, when the child suddenly tells you that he heard birds chirping, you call me. That will mark the end of the first phase of treatment. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be fully cured by June next year. Of course, the premise is that you follow my instructions exactly. Otherwise, I'm afraid I can't help you anymore!" Saying this, Bian Mu felt a little tired, glanced at Dr. Gong, and prepared to say goodbye and leave.

"I'll definitely listen to you! Is there anything else I need to be careful about?" the female celebrity asked hurriedly. "Nothing for now. If he can't hear the birdsong, nothing else will work. He has to hear the birdsong. Other sounds won't do. It has to be the birdsong. Also, none of you parents can hint at it. He has to hear it clearly with his own ears and be extremely excited, telling everyone he meets. In our traditional Chinese medicine practice, this is very important. We can't reveal it now, otherwise it will affect the treatment effect. I'll explain the reason to you all when the second stage of treatment begins. It's getting late, so we should go. Don't worry, the child has no congenital defects. You can rest assured about that!" After reassuring everyone, Bian Mu got up and took his leave.

It was the same luxury car. The little boy's father insisted on driving along to see the two off. Bian Mu arranged for the driver to take Dr. Gong home first. When they arrived, they found that they had indeed passed by the forestry processing plant. Near that place, Bian Mu was suddenly attacked. He still feels a bit scared when he thinks about it now!
At the entrance of the residential area where the Wu family's old house was located, Bian Mu watched the luxury car drive away. The little boy's father remained very calm. Along the way, he only asked some simple questions about everyday life, such as what toys children of ordinary age like to play with. He didn't say a word of anything else.

It's clear that the little boy's father has an exceptionally large business and a remarkably stable mental state.

……

The next morning, while eating breakfast, Bian Mu casually made a phone call to San Qiangzi and briefly recounted the story of the suspected mute boy.

"You mean to drive some birds over to keep the children company?"

"No need now. Just pick three or five with particularly melodious calls. Can you locate them?"

"A piece of cake! Within 3000 li, it's like child's play!"

"This cow?!" Bian Mu on the other end of the phone was also quite surprised.

"Alas! I possess extraordinary skills, yet I have no way to realize them!"

"A hero will always have a chance to prove himself, and this consultation fee will be paid in full. We'll split it 50/50 then!"

“It’s no fun taking this money, brother! It’s a trivial matter. Give me a call when you want to take action, and I’ll send someone right away… send some bird enthusiasts over for the trouble.”

"Hahaha... You're amazing! I listened to some birds in the neighborhood for a while. Despite its high-end appearance, apart from a few calls of grey magpies, there were hardly any other birds. The little boy is quite pitiful. I just wanted to use these birds to inspire the child's nature. If he gets into a good university in the future, theoretically, the whole family will have to thank you properly!"

"We're not after that! Uncle Kui's been doing much better lately, how about we ask him to go to 'Hongyang' and keep an eye on things for us?"

"That's fine, but... if he discovers a problem, he shouldn't resort to any underhanded methods. Just let him know in time."

"okay!"

"It's almost time, I have to go to work. We'll talk later!" With that, Bian Mu hung up the phone.