Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2110 The Deep Roots of an Old Tree
Old Hou is indeed a capable assistant. If Bian Mu were to handle many things, his efficiency would definitely not be as high as Old Hou's. Bian Mu is well aware of this.

Although Lao Hou is a bit greedy for money, he can sometimes be a bit impatient when things happen, so we still need to contact him to give him some instructions.

At noon, just after getting off work, Bian Mu picked up her phone, intending to contact Lao Hou to go out for a quick bite. She still needed to explain the tumor's disappearance to Lao Hou.

Just then, my phone rang by itself.

The phone number of Mr. Chang, a patient with advanced lung cancer.

“We have arrived at the location, and everything is being set up. Is there anything else the owner would like to remind us of?” Mr. Chang asked very politely.

"Stay here for now! Don't worry. I checked online and it seems there are peach and pear orchards all over the area. Is that really true?" Bian Mu reassured Mr. Chang over the phone.

"It is indeed a local specialty. I didn't pay much attention to it before, but when I returned to my hometown this time, I saw that the peach and pear orchards have been improved for so many generations that the taste doesn't seem as good as it used to be. They just look better. How come? Is it related to my later treatment?"

"It does have some connection. You haven't stayed in your hometown for many years, have you? It's not easy being away doing big business all year round! Go out for a while, change your mood, and while you're at it, check out some old trees, the kind of peach and pear trees that have never been improved. And after you find suitable tree species, you should work a little harder and use the target peach and pear trees as a starting point to look for century-old walnut trees in the surrounding area. Yes! The kind of old walnuts that ordinary people plant in their homes! Those walnuts have very thick shells, and an average adult man can't crack them with his bare hands. Yes! They're also small, as hard as small stones. If you were to sell them at the market, almost no one would buy them. According to the current market situation, what we're looking for are actually old trees that have been phased out by the times. Old trees have deep roots, and at crucial moments they can often exert unexpected and miraculous medicinal effects. This is also a manifestation of the traditional Chinese medicine philosophy of 'concrete imagery and meaning,' and clinical records passed down for thousands of years have proven that it is indeed effective!" Bian Mu explained patiently for a long time on the phone.

It was clear that Bian Mu had rekindled the faint flame of hope in Mr. Chang's heart on the other end of the phone.

"Now that I've found it, should I just buy it?" Well! Mr. Chang was getting a little anxious.

"Hehe... There's absolutely no need for all this talk about neighbors! Besides, if you don't say it outright, even if they haggle, it'll only be a few dollars. If you really spend a lot of money to buy it, within five years, almost all the unique root energy of that old tree will be gone! It's a bit like the rare ginseng from the Northeast, which is hard to come by. Let's just settle for that! Find it first, old peach root, old pear root, old walnut root, you can't be missing any of them! Once you have everything, call me and I'll come over and measure it. If your ancestors were virtuous... sorry! slip of the tongue! That's the gist of it. I'll establish a coordinate system among the three types of old tree roots and try my best to prescribe the right medicine for you. At least I can help you recover to a certain extent, but you'll have to accept it!" Bian Mu explained seriously over the phone.

“I understand! Once I got back to my hometown, maybe it's because I'm grounded, but my mood has improved a lot. It's definitely different. People are like trees; they need to have roots. Otherwise, if you're just drifting aimlessly in this superficial world, you'll inevitably run into trouble sooner or later. In our old saying, you'll lose your foundation. Heaven won't support you, earth won't protect you, and if you're not a good person, once something happens, you won't even have the support of others, and you'll quickly fall apart…”

"That's right! To put it simply, that's how it is. Also... how long have you been abstaining from smoking?"

“My wife, I mean the one I’m talking about now, I haven’t smoked since she got pregnant.”

"Not bad, not bad! Compared to most people, you're much more of a gentleman! That's rare! So... what about baijiu with an alcohol content of 40 degrees or higher? How many years have you given it up?"

"Well... I'll have a sip now and then, but not much. I just drink a small cup as a token. Occasionally, when I'm in a really bad mood, I might have a couple of ounces, but that's it."

"That's good! Starting today, smoking and drinking are completely banned! As for food, try to eat only what the locals grow, and get back to the earth!"

"Understood. What about the rest?" "Find an old Buddhist temple nearby, the older the better. Ask the monks on duty if there's an old well deep in the courtyard, ideally over 300 years old."

Would you like some well water?

"No need for that. Actually, it's for me to find, and it has nothing to do with you. If we're lucky, I'll have to go and get some things from around the old well. I can't tell you right now. It's not that I'm being mysterious, but if I say it, you'll be too eager to save your life and might do something. In that case, all our hard work will be for nothing."

"Oh...now that you put it that way, I understand. This is similar to negotiating big business deals! Okay! I'll do whatever you say!"

"It's rare to see you so cooperative. I looked it up online, and there's a pretty famous botanical garden there that's just as good as the one in Lijin. I saw videos and pictures, and the atmosphere is completely different! You're lucky, since you're locals, so it's easier to talk to them. Could you please arrange for them to go twice a day, morning and evening, whenever it's sunny, so you can help them water and fertilize the plants for free? Don't bother going when the weather gets bad, it's no use!"

"This is easy to handle. Are there any other things we need to be aware of?"

"Let's start with these few steps for now! If you're bored, try practicing calligraphy. If you're good at it, that's great; if you're just average, you can learn as you go!"

"No problem! I've been pretty good at calligraphy since I was little. By the way, here, almost everyone who's been to school carries their calligraphy with them, and there aren't many bad ones."

"Really? That's great! You're lucky. Take good care of yourself! I'll contact you anytime if I remember anything else!"

"Okay, okay! Thank you for your trouble, Curator!"

"Don't be so polite, we're kind of destined to meet! Besides, being cooped up in the clinic all day, and with Lijin being a megacity with tens of millions of people, I've lost touch with the local culture. It's good for me to come to your hometown to relax and replenish my spiritual energy, otherwise I won't be doing well in the future!" Bian Mu said politely with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"That's just to comfort me! I know, haha... The owner is kind-hearted, we all know that!"

"Then you can walk around and get familiar with the place first. I'm hanging up now!" With that, Bian Mu hung up the phone.

When Lao Hou received Bian Mu's call, he said that he happened to have some fresh fish on hand, caught by a friend, and it would be best to cook it fresh.

So, Bian Mu made an appointment with Accountant Yu and Doctor Gong, and even went to the painter's family to pick her up along the way.

When Lao Hou saw so many beautiful women arrive, he quickly found a familiar restaurant nearby. He and Bian Mu personally cooked several seasonal delicacies. Everyone sat around the table, chatting and laughing, and ate to their heart's content!