Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

The few minutes of waiting felt like an eternity, stretching out endlessly.

A moment later, Zhao Xiaohu followed Teacher Xu in. His expression remained as nonchalant as ever.

"Zhao Xiaohu, Zhang Hao has already confessed. You led him to find outsiders to give false testimony and instigated him to frame Cang Tianci. What do you have to say about this?" Xu Wenyuan's voice was not loud, but it carried the pressure of an impending storm.

"He's talking nonsense!" Zhao Xiaohu retorted reflexively, pointing at Zhang Hao. "He ruined it himself by messing around with it, what does it have to do with me? Teacher Xu, Director Yang, you can't just listen to his side of the story..."

Seeing that Zhao Xiaohu not only showed no remorse but also turned the tables and blamed the victim, Director Yang was furious and couldn't help but interrupt him, shouting:

"Zhao Xiaohu, now is not the time to discuss your motives. We'll only look at the facts and the results."

"Fact 1: Professor Shen Qingshan, the vice president of the Municipal People's Hospital and an orthopedic expert, has just made a clear diagnosis that Zhang Hao's wrist injury was aggravated by improper treatment after the injury, and has no causal relationship with whether or not he received bone-setting treatment. I think no one here will question Professor Shen's professional judgment."

"Fact Two: Zhang Hao himself admitted that he had improperly massaged the bone before Dr. Jia's diagnosis. This matches the characteristics of 'secondary injury' pointed out by Professor Shen, but it fundamentally contradicts Dr. Jia's claim that he was 'damaged by violent bone setting'."

"Fact three," Director Yang's gaze turned to Dr. Jia, whose forehead was sweating, "Dr. Jia, the so-called 'diagnosis' and 'treatment' you provided are completely contrary to the conclusions of authoritative experts. The school will compile this into a written report. As for whether your diagnosis is standardized and whether the basis is sufficient, we will truthfully report this to the county health bureau and request the relevant department to conduct a professional review."

"Based on the above three points," Director Yang looked at Zhao Xiaohu again, his tone becoming more serious, "Zhao Xiaohu, any false statements you make now will only exacerbate your mistakes and make the school's assessment of the nature of your problem more severe. Will you clarify the actual situation now, or will we wait until the school has thoroughly investigated all these contradictions and doubts before we involve the relevant departments?"

When Dr. Jia heard the phrases "report to the county health bureau" and "ask relevant departments to intervene," his face turned pale. If things really came to that, his medical license would likely be revoked, and he might even face imprisonment—wouldn't that cut off his livelihood?

He looked at Zhao Xiaohu, who simply stared arrogantly at the sky. His last glimmer of hope vanished. He thought, "Zhao Xiaohu is a minor, and he has a powerful father behind him; he'll definitely be fine in the end. But I have elderly parents and young children to support; I can't afford to gamble!"

Thinking of this, the last trace of color drained from his face, leaving only utter panic and a will to survive in his eyes. He abruptly stood up from his seat, the chair legs scraping loudly on the floor due to the sudden movement. He staggered a few steps to Cang Tianci, and under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he bowed deeply, his head almost touching his knees.

"Cang! I was wrong, I'm not human, I wore this white coat in vain, I was bewitched, I was blinded by greed, I... I heard Zhao Xiaohu say it was just a small squabble between classmates, and I was just helping him scare someone, and I... I was blinded by greed! I violated medical ethics, I fabricated a diagnosis, I... I deserve to die!"

He raised his tear-streaked face, his eyes filled with fear, pleading, and perhaps a tiny bit of genuine remorse, and looked at the young face of the heavens.

"I don't dare ask for your forgiveness... I know I don't have the face for that. But... but please, for the sake of my momentary lapse in judgment, and for the sake of my family's livelihood depending on my skills... please... please say just one word to the school leaders, to Professor Shen... just one word of leniency, please? I'm willing to accept any punishment, pay compensation, issue a public apology, anything. I just... just please don't take this to the health bureau, don't completely revoke my license, give me... give me a way to make a living! Please!"

As he spoke, he frantically reached into the inner pocket of his worn-out suit, pulling out a crumpled brown paper envelope. Judging by its thickness, it clearly contained some money. Without a word, he shoved it into Cang Tianci's hand, his voice urgent: "This... please accept this, it's a small token of my apology. I know it's not enough, far from enough. Please accept it first, and if it's not enough, I'll..."

Looking at the middle-aged man before him, tears streaming down his face, his dignity utterly shattered, Cang Tianci felt a lump in his throat. The man was hateful, yet his appearance also made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable and embarrassed. Remembering that the man hadn't caused irreparable harm, and recalling his mother's words, "Forgive and forget," he sighed inwardly, gently stepping aside to avoid the man's bow. He didn't accept the envelope, but instead said, "Dr. Jia, I can't accept such a generous gift. I don't need your money. I just hope you'll remember this lesson, and that in the future, when practicing medicine, you'll always keep in mind the ancient saying, 'A doctor's heart is like a parent's,' and never again do something against your conscience for money."

"Yes, yes, young man, you are right. I will definitely remember it!" Dr. Jia nodded quickly.

Cang Tianci turned to Director Yang and Teacher Xu, bowed slightly, and said, "Director Yang, Teacher Xu, Dr. Jia made a mistake, and it should be handled by the school and relevant regulations. As a student, I don't understand these things. But... seeing that he truly knows he was wrong and is willing to bear the consequences, I wonder if I could..."

Director Yang and Teacher Xu exchanged a glance, both seemingly seeing satisfaction and admiration in each other's eyes. What a wonderful child!

Director Yang was about to speak when he saw Zhang Hao's father suddenly stand up, grab Zhang Hao, and walk up to Cang Tianci, saying:

"Tianci, please be magnanimous. Considering my son's young age and ignorance, and also because you are classmates, please forgive him this time! I apologize to you!" After saying this, he bowed deeply to Cang Tianci. Then he pulled Zhang Hao to bow and apologize to Cang Tianci as well.

Cang Tianci turned to the side and said, "Uncle Zhang, please don't do this. Since Zhang Hao knows he was wrong, and I wasn't hurt. I think," he looked at the two teachers again, "let's leave it at that?"

The meeting room fell completely silent after he said that. It meant that he had forgiven everyone who had maliciously hurt him, including Zhao Xiaohu, who had never apologized to him.

Professor Shen Qingshan nodded slightly, looking at Tianci with eyes as if he were a beautiful piece of jade. Director Yang and Xu Wenyuan were deeply moved. They had seen too many disputes between students, but rarely had they seen a victim with such magnanimity.

Director Yang looked at Cang Tianci with satisfaction and said, "Since Tianci has such a magnanimous heart, I think we should leave this matter here!"

He then looked at Shen Qingshan and respectfully asked, "What does Dean Shen think?"

Shen Qingshan nodded and said, "Of course, everything will be subject to the school's decision."

Xu Wenyuan nudged Zhao Xiaohu and said, "Xiaohu, look, they've all apologized. Why don't you go over and apologize to Tianci?"

Zhao Xiaohu abruptly shook off Teacher Xu's hand, his face flushed red. He glared fiercely at Cang Tianci, spitting out a "Hmph!" through gritted teeth. Then he turned his head away, refusing to look at anyone again.

Seeing Zhao Xiaohu like this, the expressions of the people present varied: some sighed, some were indifferent, and some were puzzled...

The commotion subsided temporarily, and everyone left the office.

Director Yang and Teacher Xu came to Shen Qingshan to express their gratitude once again.

Shen Qingshan exchanged a few polite words and was about to leave when he saw Cang Tianci quickly walk up to him, bow, and say, "Dean Shen, thank you so much for today!"

Shen Qingshan was moved again, thinking to himself, "This child is so young, yet he is so polite and dignified in his conduct, and knows how to act appropriately. He is truly remarkable."

He said gently, “Young man, no need to thank me. I was merely stating the facts. However, I overheard a few words outside the door before I came in. Your immediate identification of ‘tendons prefer softness to hardness’ to determine it wasn’t a bone-setting injury, and your ability to refute this by considering the duration and nature of the swelling, demonstrates very clear thinking and a solid foundation. Truly remarkable.” He paused, seemingly considering his words, before finally asking, “Your teacher, who taught you all this, must be a master of medicine? What’s his name?”

Cang Tianci replied, "Reporting to Dean Shen, my master's name is Chen Jiren."

"Chen Jiren?" Shen Qingshan murmured, puzzled. He'd never heard of this name before. Logically, someone who could produce such an outstanding disciple shouldn't be unknown. Perhaps he was a reclusive master living in the mountains and countryside.

Thinking this through, he stopped pursuing the matter and said, "Child, you've met a good master. When the opportunity arises, I will come to see you again and personally visit your master. What do you say?"

Cang Tianci nodded.

Shen Qingshan patted Tianci's shoulder meaningfully and said, "Good boy, I heard from Ruoxi that you're very good." He turned to look at his granddaughter and smiled, "My granddaughter rarely praises people, but she's full of compliments for you..."

"Grandpa, don't you have something to do?" Lin Ruoxi, her face slightly flushed, quickly interrupted her grandfather.

"Haha... Yes, yes, I'll be going now, you guys keep chatting." With that, he turned and strode away.

Lin Ruoxi stamped her foot, about to follow, when Cang Tianci called out to her, "Ruoxi, this time... I'm really grateful to you!"

Lin Ruoxi paused slightly, but didn't turn around. She simply turned her head and explained, "It wasn't for you. I just despise this kind of manipulative and unfair behavior."

After speaking, she straightened her back, like a solitary and aloof orchid or bamboo, and walked away into the distance along the corridor.

The matter was over, but Cang Tianci felt no relief. Instead, he felt heavy, like muscles that had been overworked after a workout, both sore and swollen. As he walked back to the sports school, he realized for the first time that the word "famous" was not as light as an award certificate, but rather like an invisible burden, one end carrying light and heat, while the other end weighed down with shadows and thorns.

He remembered the kerosene lamp in his home in Xiqiao Village. Its light could illuminate his mother's face and the words in the book, and it could also cast huge, flickering shadows on the wall. The brighter the light, the deeper and more elusive the shadows.

He tightened his backpack strap and quickened his pace. He was still willing to be like that lamp, illuminating wherever he could. But he also began to understand that he had to carefully protect that halo, neither letting it be easily blown out, nor failing to see clearly where those flickering shadows outside the halo came from.