Chapter 133 - 123: Has a Story
Chapter 133: Chapter 123: Has a Story
Grandma patted Xiao Man’s hand. "That doctor was very patient and kind. He asked me so many times, saying he had to understand everything clearly before deciding what medicine to prescribe, so I had no choice but to tell him."
Xiao Man smiled. "It’s okay that you told him. It’s fine to tell the doctor. It’s just that for now, we can’t let other people know I’m making medicine for you. Grandpa is right to be worried. I’m still studying the medical books and learning to identify herbs, so I can’t just go around giving people medicine. It would be terrible if something went wrong."
Grandpa nodded, gratified. "My Xiao Man is so sensible."
Then he patted her head again. "So you just went ahead and gave it to your grandma? You should have at least told me! Are you two trying to worry me to death? Your grandma spoils you too much!"
Xiao Man chuckled, then listed off a few herbs with liver-cleansing and vision-improving properties. She explained that based on other formulas in the Sun’s Medical Books, she had combined the herbs according to her own understanding, added some catalysts, and followed a specific decoction process. She rambled on with a hazy explanation that left Grandpa staring blankly. ’As far as I’m concerned,’ Xiao Man thought, ’I’ve explained myself.’_
Grandma opened the bag and laid out the things she had bought for Xiao Man one by one. She had bought two new outfits. Grandma said one was for wearing now, and the other was to be saved as a New Year’s outfit. Xiao Man held them up against herself. ’Hmm, they were from the provincial city, after all,’ she thought. ’They’re a little prettier than the two outfits Gu Shaojun bought me at the department store.’
Grandma took a large, red apple and a snow pear from the bag, handing them to Xiao Man with a wide smile. "Last time Teacher Yu gave us some apples and pears, it’s no wonder you love them so much. These fruits are so fragrant and sweet. They’re a real delicacy, only grown up in the North, so we rarely see them here. Grandpa and I walked a long way to find a fruit shop and bought four apples and two snow pears. They’re all for you. Take your time and enjoy them!"
Xiao Man took the apple and the snow pear and took a deep sniff. It was true—the fragrance of apples and pears back then was so rich and pure. Unlike in the distant future, where the scent of an apple could only be described as "faint."
"Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you, Grandma! The apples and pears are so delicious and pretty. I love them!"
Seeing Xiao Man so happy, Grandpa and Grandma beamed with joy.
Just as the family was reveling in their happy moment, Mo Laoer and his wife arrived. They had come about compensating Qiu Xiaobao’s medical expenses. Grandma gathered the things and told Xiao Man to take them back to the house. When Second Aunt Mo saw the two bulging cloth bags, she knew Grandpa and Grandma had brought them back from the provincial city. Certain they contained good things, she tried to snatch them, but Grandpa blocked her. Xiao Man took the things inside, then came back out to help Grandma to her bamboo chair under the eaves.
Mo Laoer and his wife argued with Grandpa for a long time, demanding that he pay the money and also agree to let Mo Xiaosu move in. Grandpa flatly refused both demands.
"Don’t you ever mention such things again. I raised you out of respect for our ancestors. Now, we’re just ordinary members of the same clan. Each family eats from its own pot. My heir is Xiao Man. What happens to us, in this life and the next, is none of your business!"
The shameless, belligerent couple refused to leave. Mo Laoer waved his fists at Grandpa, shouting and roaring, while Second Aunt Mo sat on the ground, wailing and making a scene. Xiao Man started to move toward them, but Grandma gripped her tightly with both hands. After the incidents with Mo Xiaofeng, Mo Xiaosu, and Qiu Xiaobao, Grandma was terrified and would absolutely not allow Xiao Man to get hurt.
Thankfully, Secretary Mo arrived quickly with a few men and drove Mo Laoer and his wife away. Secretary Mo then stood at the courtyard gate, pointed at them, and viciously berated them. He warned them that if they came back to harass the old couple again, he would deduct more of their money and grain rations as compensation for Granny Mo’s "nutritional needs." He’d claim that with so many witnesses, they had openly come to insult the elderly, and that Granny Mo, weak from her hospital stay, had fainted from the shock!
Xiao Man couldn’t help but give Secretary Mo a mental thumbs-up. That excuse for compensation was as legitimate as it gets.
After Mo Laoer and his wife were berated into leaving, Secretary Mo closed the gate and came inside. He sat with Grandpa in the courtyard and they talked for quite a while.
During their meal, Grandpa told Grandma and Xiao Man that Secretary Mo had asked a favor of him: to take a young man from the clan under his wing and teach him how to identify and gather herbs.
The young man was the second son of Uncle Mo, a clan cousin from Secretary Mo’s branch. His name was Mo Chengfu. After graduating from middle school, his family had spent a small fortune and pulled some strings to get him a temporary job at the cement factory. But while playing ball at the factory, he took a bad fall and injured his hand. The injury was severe—he couldn’t lift heavy objects anymore, so the factory sent him home. Since it wasn’t a work-related injury, there was no compensation or subsidy. To make matters worse, the girlfriend he’d had for a year broke up with him. Mo Chengfu became completely disheartened. He lost his appetite and grew as thin as a bamboo stalk. The last few days had been especially worrying; he’d been staying out all night, his whereabouts a mystery. The day before yesterday, villagers cutting firewood in the mountains had to drag him home. Then yesterday, he went down to the river and just sat there, motionless, all day long. Uncle Mo and Eighth Aunt were worried sick...
Secretary Mo had said that if Chengfu was allowed to continue like this, he would have a breakdown, if not worse. It would be better to give him a new path, a glimmer of hope. His hand was practically crippled, so heavy farm work was out of the question. But carrying a bamboo basket and following Grandpa into the mountains to learn about herbs might just work.
Xiao Man glanced at Grandpa. ’Grandpa, they’re treating your home like a rehabilitation center,’ she grumbled to herself. ’Mo Xiaosu lost her teeth and they wanted to send her over. Mo Xiaofeng went blind and they wanted her to come, too. Now here comes a guy with a crippled hand... With Secretary Mo making the request himself, I guess you couldn’t say no.’_
Grandma spoke up. "Chengfu is twenty this year, isn’t he? He’s a good kid. When he got into the cement factory last year, he even brought me a bag of noodles. Old Eighth and the Secretary are about the same age, and they’ve managed to raise five or six children. He and his wife often look in on us, and Old Eighth always takes your shift at the reservoir... See what you think. If you can guide him, then you should."
Grandpa sighed. "Over the years, many people have wanted to learn how to gather herbs from me, but... I really don’t know how to begin teaching. Maybe I’m just bad with words, so I’ve never agreed."
"But you were able to teach Xiao Man."
"Xiao Man is different. She’s family, I can teach her however I want! Besides, our Xiao Man is beyond compare. She’s incredibly smart and has a great memory. Teaching a child like that is no trouble at all!"
Xiao Man placed a piece of greens in Grandpa’s bowl with her chopsticks. "Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa!"
Grandpa chuckled. Grandma reached out and stroked Xiao Man’s head. "Amu, we really found a treasure. No wonder that Mr. Sun wanted to take our Xiao Man as his disciple after just one look!"
Xiao Man said, "Grandma, it wasn’t just one look. When Grandpa went to unhitch the ox-cart, I sat next to Mr. Sun and we talked for a long time. He didn’t say anything about taking me as his disciple. He just lent me his family’s medical books to read. Those two strings of beads he gave me were a meeting gift, because I called him ’Grandpa’."
"Are family heirlooms just given away so casually? He didn’t explicitly say he’s taking you as a disciple because he’s waiting for the right time, understand? He’s a renowned master physician. Taking on a disciple has to be done with proper ceremony."
"Grandma, you know so much."
"Of course. Your grandma, she used to be..." Grandpa trailed off with a knowing chuckle as he heard Grandma clear her throat.
Grandma said to Xiao Man, "It’s a long story. When you’re a little older, I’ll tell you."
"Okay." Xiao Man nodded. ’I knew it,’ she thought. ’Grandma has a story.’_