Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2056 Just One Step Away

Accountant Yu's illness couldn't be delayed. It was Sunday, and early in the morning, Bian Mu called his parents for a few minutes, saying that Bian Yue would be home around 10 o'clock. He had important business to attend to and wouldn't be coming back. He would make some good food for his sister to nourish her, since the school cafeteria couldn't compare to home.

After a quick breakfast, Bian Mu drove to the branch office to pick up Dian Shuhua and headed north to Zhangwang Village in Dongsheng Township.

After repeated investigations, Bian Mu basically concluded that Dian Shuhua was not only an excellent traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but also a person of good character and conduct. He hoped that Dian Shuhua could become his capable assistant in the future, at least to help him keep the First Branch under control.

The reason I brought him out today is to introduce him to the old village doctor surnamed Mi, so that in the future, some things can be directly entrusted to Dian Shuhua to handle.

There was no charge for the large parking lot at the entrance of Zhangwang Village. After the two got out of the car, they found that the autumn wind seemed to have circled the village on purpose. Looking around, it felt almost the same as in late summer and early autumn. The mountains were as green as ink, the water was still so clear, and the weather was so sunny and pleasant. It was just like the idyllic Peach Blossom Spring!

"No wonder the old gentleman chose to live in seclusion here. These mountains and rivers... ah! The six elements are in harmony, it's absolutely nourishing!" Looking up at the deep blue sky, Dian Shuhua was quite moved.

"He wasn't an ordinary person back then. Who knows what special considerations led him to set up this little courtyard? We also have a rather remarkable elder in our family, surnamed Huang. We should visit him sometime when we have time. He also has a very elegant courtyard in his hometown village, which is quite tranquil and pleasant in every way. However, the surrounding environment can't compare to this place. The balance of yin and yang energy here is truly wonderful! It's incredibly spiritual and beautiful. Old Mi must have put a lot of thought into finding this place back then." While looking around at the beautiful scenery, Bian Mu casually replied.

"What do you think... when we get old, should we find a place and build a few courtyards to retire in?" Dian Shuhua said casually.

"Times have changed! After all, times have changed! When we get old, we still need to buy at least a decent house near the top-tier tertiary hospital. This is something we can only talk about privately within our industry, it would be embarrassing if it got out... I've been to the old man's courtyard a couple of times, and I didn't see a single valuable thing inside or out. If nothing unexpected happens... the old man owns at least one house in Lijin City. With his shrewdness... he might have already bought a house in Beiqi. Anyway, all signs indicate that there's almost no trace of his children living in that courtyard in the village..." At this point, perhaps realizing that it wasn't appropriate to talk about his elders behind their backs, Bian Mu stopped talking in time.

"I understand... However, with your unfathomable medical skills... that embarrassing momentum should have subsided somewhat, right?" Dian Shuhua's words were rather subtle. On one hand, he highly praised Bian Mu's exceptional medical skills, suggesting that he might one day restore a truly respectable "reputation" for traditional Chinese medicine. At the very least, top-tier TCM masters wouldn't have to spend their final days in a VIP ward of a top-tier hospital. On the other hand, Dian Shuhua was very optimistic about the future of the "Digital Medicine" school. Moreover, given Bian Mu's special status as a master pharmaceutical expert, he simply couldn't believe that Bian Mu wouldn't be able to ensure his own peaceful end.

“Life is unpredictable, and who can say for sure what will happen in the future?! Anyway, right now... Cen Songxue and Nie Yixiong dare not stray far from the best tertiary hospital. Having practiced medicine for most of their lives, they have long established deep connections in the best local hospitals. At the very least, they will make contingency plans. This Mr. Mi's thoughts should be similar to theirs.” Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"Oh... how did we get to this point... do you mean... it's difficult for our TCM practice to produce top-tier figures of epoch-making significance?! Like you!"

"Hahaha... You overestimate me. In many things, I've just been a bit luckier than you! It's been hundreds of years, it's not so easy to overturn that. Besides, with our current understanding, since we've always followed the path of giving equal importance to traditional Chinese and Western medicine, why deliberately try to determine which is superior?! Right! What I mean is... the medical skills and pharmaceutical technology we currently possess are indeed not yet fully capable of operating independently of top-tier hospitals, which is a very strong impetus for professional TCM doctors!"

"That's true... With you here, I'm still full of confidence!"

"They're here again! Come on! The old man gets up early, he should be open for business by now." As she spoke, Bian Mu called to Dian Shuhua to take out a few gifts from the trunk, and the two of them carried one in each hand and walked towards the village medical service station.

……

Seeing Bian Mu silently place the gift on the empty table under the windowsill, the old village doctor surnamed Mi just smiled politely, without any formality, and said nothing more, and went about taking the pulse of a three or four-year-old boy.

The young nurse seemed to be new to the job; I hadn't seen her before. Old Mi's assistant wasn't with him either. There were at least twenty patients waiting in the consultation room. The old gentleman was renowned, and it was a good opportunity for him to come and see the patients from all around on a Sunday. The young nurse very politely poured Bian Mu and his companion a cup of tea. Bian Mu took it and drank a couple of sips, while Dian Shuhua, perhaps having eaten something a bit too salty that morning, drank a few sips from his disposable paper cup, seemingly indicating he'd want more later.

"We'll go to the village first and ask the villagers for some white sand for medicinal use. You go ahead and do your work. We'll come back to pay our respects to Elder Mi later." As he spoke, Bian Mu turned around, smiled and nodded at the old village doctor surnamed Mi, and beckoned Dian Shuhua to leave.

……

Some of the villagers knew Bian Mu and enthusiastically helped him get a lot of high-quality fine white sand cigarettes. Bian Mu was prepared and gave them to everyone. Each person received a pack of good cigarettes. The villagers didn't pretend to be polite. They accepted whatever was offered. Some impatient ones would open the seal, politely decline a few times, and then put it in their mouths to smoke.

Bian Mu chatted with several fellow villagers for a while, then invited Dian Shuhua to walk to the small courtyard where the Yu family father and daughter were renting.

The neighbors are truly kind. When the Yu family father and daughter were away, the neighbors got the keys from the old village doctor surnamed Mi and helped tidy up the place inside and out.

Bian Mu moved a ladder and placed it on the roof, with Dian Shuhua supporting it from below. Bian Mu, with two tool bags tied around his waist, moved as lightly as a cat and climbed onto the roof.

The Orostachys edulis was growing very well. Bian Mu selectively picked some of the best quality, put them in a bag, and tossed them to Dian Shuhua. The special medicinal soil between the plants and in the cracks of the tiles was not easy to scrape out. The special tools that Bian Mu had prepared in advance were very handy, but it still took a lot of effort to scrape them out...

We've finally collected all the herbs!

Dian Shuhua took all the items and found Bian Mu trying to take a few old tiles away.

"Does that mean we have to take even the roof tiles with us to prepare medicine?" Dian Shuhua asked with a smile.

“That’s right! It’s said that Teacher Zhao Xicheng was just a little short of getting the job, but the patient who had been so kind to him later turned around and demanded huge compensation. He also tried every means to ruin his reputation. Luckily, Teacher Zhao was very insightful. He didn’t explain, argue, or make a fuss. He just went overseas and was fine in less than a year. Of course, I heard that Old Master Nie mediated for a long time. The matter was reported in the newspapers back then and caused quite a stir…” As he spoke, Bian Mu carried a plastic bag containing a few broken tiles and slid down the bamboo ladder from the roof.

Dian Shuhua noticed that all the tiles in the plastic bag were broken; there wasn't a single intact one. He couldn't help but ask again.

"Why did you choose these broken tiles?"

“It’s only because the patient isn’t around that I dare to say a few more words. Accountant Yu’s current situation is just like these broken tiles. Things resemble human nature, and things follow human nature. This is a conclusion our ancestors made long ago. Back then, Old Master Nie also suffered a little loss in this regard. He was just a little bit short. If we hadn’t read the posthumous works of Teacher Zhao Xicheng’s uncle, we brothers would never have imagined that such a strange thing could happen in our lives!” Bian Mu replied solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Dian Shuhua was truly taken aback!