A Valiant Life

After seeing the little old man, Lin Fan had bought train tickets for that night. Although the little old man had promised not to tell anyone, some things could not be done by a single promise.

Something like this would naturally attract the attention of people concerned. It wasn’t something that could be hidden completely.

In the hospital.

The little old man was humming a tune. He was in an exceptionally good mood. He felt as if he had been reborn and at the same time, he felt as if he must have done something good in his past life for him to meet someone like this master.

As he passed by the service counter, he greeted the nurses and cheerily prepared to enter the ward to have a nice chat with his wife.

“Uncle, wait a moment,” one of the nurses called for the Uncle. She realized that his complexion was really different from before. In the past, it had been pale and yellowish. You could tell that he wasn’t healthy. But now, she realized that his complexion was very good. He was full of liveliness and didn’t seem like someone with a severe illness at all.

“What is it, young lady?” asked the little old man with a smile.

The nurse came to the little old man and looked at him closely. With a bit of shock in her voice, she said, “Uncle, did you eat something special recently? Why does your complexion look so good?”

“Heh! Of course, it’s that miracle medicine,” said the old man with a laugh. Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he said, “My body has been much better lately. I’m full of energy.”

The nurse didn’t quite understand. “Uncle, does your body still hurt?”

“Nope, my whole body feels great. I’m going to find my wife. I’ll come and talk to you all later.” The little old man was full of hope for the future. He waved goodbye to the nurses and went towards the ward.

The nurses started discussing.

One of the nurses, a plump woman, said, “Something’s not right. Something’s really not right.”

“We all know something’s not right but we don’t know what it is. That complexion of his simply doesn’t look like that of a sick person. Moreover, Uncle is suffering from cancer. No matter what, his complexion should not look so good.”

“I can’t figure it out but seeing Uncle like this is pretty good too. Maybe because his mental well-being improved, the condition of his body also became better.”

“How could that be? We’re nurses and that’s cancer we’re talking about. There’s no way he could just recover all of a sudden.”

“Why don’t we do a check on Uncle’s body one day to see if there’s anything wrong with his body?”

“Yep.”

…

The little old man was very curious about this master who was treating his illness. He didn’t know what kind of person he was and the master wouldn’t say. It seemed like he didn’t want anyone to know his name. Although the little old man was old, he wasn’t stupid. He knew very clearly what kind of sickness he was suffering from. He knew that his life was ending and no medicine could save him.

But now, things had changed. His body was gradually getting better.

The wife asked, “Old man, what’s that you’re holding in your hand?”

The old man smiled and replied, “It’s nothing. What are we going to eat for lunch later on? I want to eat something lighter.”

The wife smiled. “Alright, alright. I’ll go and prepare something for you.”

When he saw that his wife was leaving, the old man smiled. Then, he placed the remaining packets of medicine into the cabinet. This was his life-saving medicine. He understood what the Master had said. He would brew the medicine, one packet a day. Once he finished all of it, he would have recovered fully.

At three in the afternoon.

The little old man cheerfully went out for a stroll again.

When he passed the service counter…

“Uncle, you’re going out again?” asked the nurses.

The little old man replied, “Yeah, I’m going down for a stroll.”

The nurses asked passionately, “Do you want us to accompany you, Uncle?”

He was going to see the Master, how could he let anyone follow him? Then, he waved his hand and said, “No need, no need. You worry about your things. I can go alone.”

Then, the little old man quickened his footsteps but just as he was about to reach the entrance, he ran into the doctor-in-charge.

“Uncle Chen, your complexion is looking pretty good.” said the doctor-in-charge with a smile.

“Doctor Li, my complexion has always been good,” said the little old man, “Doctor Li, I’m going down now. See you next time.”

After the little old man left, the nurses stopped Doctor Li. “Doctor Li, we realized that Uncle’s complexion has started improving since yesterday. Do you think his cancer will disappear by itself?”

When Doctor Li heard that, he started laughing. “Cancer getting better by itself? Where did you hear that from? That’s not medically proven at all. But to be honest, that Uncle Chen’s complexion really doesn’t look the same. Compared to before, it’s like heaven and earth. Follow me to the ward, I want to speak to his family.”

Inside the ward.

Suddenly, a cry of shock rang out.

Doctor Li said in surprise, “Auntie Chen, you mean to say that since yesterday, Uncle Chen has stopped taking painkillers?”

At that moment, in the doctor’s hands were the painkillers that he had prescribed to Uncle Chen. But it hadn’t been touched at all. It hadn’t moved from its original spot.

Auntie Chen nodded. “Since yesterday, the old man hasn’t eaten any medicine. Even when I wanted to feed them to him, he said his body wasn’t hurting and that he felt very comfortable.”

“How could that be?” Doctor Li couldn’t understand it. It was simply not possible. People suffering from the late stages of cancer feel unbearable pain. Once the pain comes, it’s simply excruciating. But now, this Uncle Chen didn’t take the painkillers and he even said that he wasn’t in pain. It was simply impossible.

The nurse interrupted, “Doctor Li, we realized that Uncle Chen’s complexion changed dramatically. It was as if it changed all of a sudden. Moreover, he has been going out frequently recently. Do you think there’s some kind of problem?”

Doctor Li couldn’t figure it out. “Go down and look for Uncle Chen. Ask him what’s going on.”

The nurse nodded. “I’ll go right now.”

…

At the same old place.

“Master, this old man really doesn’t understand. Why would you help me?” asked Old Man Chen.

Lin Fan smiled and replied, “That’s fate. I went to a few other hospitals and told other people that I would treat their illness but none of them trusted me.”

Old Man Chen nodded. “That’s true. Nowadays, most doctors are part of big hospitals. Most people wouldn’t trust people like Master. It was only because I knew I was dying and I couldn’t bear to die that I decided to give it a try.

This little old man was really amusing. Lin Fan laughed, then asked, “Has anyone noticed your changes?”

Old Man Chen couldn’t wait to reply, “Yes! The nurses all realized that I look different. They said my complexion looks much better than before.”

Lin Fan removed the silver needles from the little old man’s body and said, “Alright, the work is done. Remember what I’ve said. You must drink those packets of medicine every day. After that, observe your nutrition, then, your body will be able to recover to its original state. Also, don’t tell anyone that I’ve treated you.

Old Man Chen nodded. “Don’t worry. If you don’t want me to tell, I promise not to.”

“Uncle! What have you done to Uncle?” At that moment, a voice rang out from afar.

Lin Fan saw the silhouette and was startled. F*ck! I’ve been discovered! Then, without saying much else, he left the place. “I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m leaving. If it’s fated, we’ll meet again.”

“Master…Master…” The little old man stood up and shouted at the top of his voice, “Thank you, Master…”

Lin Fan waved his hand and disappeared.

The nurses came over to the old man, panting. “Uncle, what did he do to you?”

“Huh?” Old Man Chen blinked several times. Then, as if he had no idea what was going on, he said, “I don’t know…”

…