Elixir Supplier

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Alright, I’ll prescribe medicine for you.” Wang Yao thought about it.

Angelica, Rehmannia glutinosa, Ophiopogon japonicus, Paeonia alba, and Polygonum multiflorum…

It looked like dermatophytosis on the surface, but it was blood fever. The treatment worked to smooth the Qi flow and cool the blood. Unfortunately, the patient was a child. There was a saying that medicine was three parts poison. Wang Yao had to choose herbs with mild properties and strictly control the quantity.

“This medicine should be taken internally once a day for seven days.”

Wang Yao said, “This medicine should be applied externally. I’ve already ground it up for you. Mix it with olive oil when you want to use it. Apply it on the growths, and use gauze to wrap it up. Keep it well ventilated. Come back if it’s not enough.”

“Oh, yes.”

“How old is the child?” Wang Yao asked.

“She started primary one this year,” the father said.

Wang Yao looked at the little girl, who looked unhappy, and said, “Since she has just started school, her environment has changed. She needs time to adapt to it. She might be anxious, and you might get frustrated. During these times, don’t be too harsh on her. You should give her guidance as your priority.”

“Well, you don’t know this, but this child doesn’t listen carefully in class and can’t answer anything she’s asked,” the father said. “She does her homework in the evening until 9 30 p.m., which makes her not want to get up in the morning. I’m so worried and angry, but she doesn’t listen when I talk to her about it.”

“There’s a process to this. Don’t be too anxious. She might even be more anxious than you. Has her stool dry recently?”

“Yes, it’s very dry. Sometimes she only defecates once every two or three days.”

“She needs to drink more water,” Wang Yao said. “Children of this age must get enough sleep.”

He turned to the little girl and said, “Study hard, and good luck to you.”

“Mmm.” The girl was still unhappy.

“Say thank you, Uncle,” the father said.

“Thank you, Uncle,” the girl said.

“Thank you so much,” the father said.

“You’re welcome. Goodbye.”

The middle-aged man left the hospital with his daughter.

“My son didn’t listen when he started primary school either,” Pan Jun said. “He was very naughty. He even got up from his seat and walked around the classroom during one of the lessons. The teacher asked him why. He said that it was too tiring to just sit down and that he wanted to move around. It’s quite ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“You were quite worried and anxious then too, weren’t you?”

“Of course I was. I was extremely worried. Every time the teacher called out the names of the naughty students, he would always be among them. When I tutored him in the evening, he basically knew nothing at all. It would be a strange thing if he understood his homework without listening attentively in class. I couldn’t help but beat him several times, but I would regret it after I was done. After all, he was only a 6-year-old child. I felt that he was quite pitiful when I saw how wronged he looked.” When it came to his son, Pan Jun was quite a chatterbox.

“What happened?”

“After that, I communicated with his teacher several times, and I was also paying more attention to him. He slowly cooperated,” Pan Jun said. “Some bad habits gradually improved. His studies are quite acceptable now. It is all thanks to his teacher. I told his teacher that if he was naughty in class, he should just hit and scold him, and I would have any complaints and would absolutely cooperate.”

“Well, it’s quite important to have a good teacher,” Wang Yao said. It was because of one of his high school teachers that he was able to enter the famous university. His grades greatly improved thanks to that teacher as well.

“Well, nowadays, it’s not like before,” Pan Jun said. “It might be considered physical punishment even if teachers just touch the students a little. Putting aside hitting the students, even if the teachers scold the students or their criticism is a little too harsh, some parents will complain afterward. If the Education Bureau finds out about it, those teachers face punishment. If it is serious, they lose their job.”

“Yes.” Wang Yao nodded. He had seen numerous articles regarding these matters. A teacher had shaken a student a few times and was sued by the student’s parents. The teacher was even slandered with the act of physical abuse and almost lost their job. It was completely different from when he went to school. If he was naughty, he would have to go and stand outside the class. If he stayed naughty and didn’t listen, he would admit his mistakes after two sharp slaps.

“To be honest, a teacher should have the authority of a teacher,” Pan Jun said. “It is necessary to punish students properly. In ancient times, their hands would be hit with rulers!”

“Look at the situation now,” he added. “The teachers are unwilling to educate the children, which has placed the pressure of educating the kids on the parents.”

“It’s not the teacher’s fault,” Wang Yao said. “It’s just that social norms have changed.”

Back then, their teachers would get gastric problems from being angered by the students. They went to school at 5 a.m. and stayed until 10 p.m. Now, apart from those older teachers, there were not many who could do that. The students were different nowadays as well. They didn’t seem to be able to suffer as much as they were able to back then. The times were changing.

However, whether this was good or bad was hard to say.

For the vast majority of students, the best way was to study, take the exams, get into a good school, and choose a good major. Those who said that studying was useless were spouting nonsense. Now, the threshold of employment and the most basic requirement of most employers was a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, some companies only accepted students from universities under the 211 program, which was another threshold. If one did not study hard, one would not even qualify to come into contact with those opportunities. If one’s father was a senior official or had several mines at home, that was another matter. They would not even have to attend junior high school.

In the afternoon, there were four patients. There were no special illnesses. By 5 p.m., Wang Yao and Pan were done working.

“Here, have some fruit that I grew them on the mountain,” Wang Yao said.

“Mmm.”

“Delicious!” Pan Jun exclaimed after he ate a bunch of grapes.

“Take some back when you leave and give it to your family,” Wang Yao said.

“There’s no need for this,” Pan Jun said.

“It’s fine,” Wang Yao said. “There are more on the mountain. I can’t eat them all by myself after I’ve plucked them down. They will spoil after a while.”

“Alright.” Pan Jun didn’t stay long. He drove back to Lianshan county with a bag of fruit.

That night, Jia Zizai and Hu Mei drove back to their home with tired expressions.

“Phew, I need a good rest. I’m so tired.”

“I’ll make you something to eat. What do you want?”

“Just some noodles will do.”

After eating the noodles, they went to bed early. Nothing happened overnight.

The next morning, the sky was a little overcast. The weather forecast said it would rain.

Zhong Liuchuan came to the mountain early to practice with Wang Yao.

“Sir, Jia Zizai and Hu Mei came back last night. The matter should be settled,” he said.

“Alright, I got it.” Wang Yao nodded.

“Do you have anything going on in the afternoon?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Make an appointment with them,” Wang Yao said. “I’ll treat them to lunch to thank them.”

“OK.”

It started raining a little after 10 in a.m. The autumn rain was light and cool. It was also a little windy, which felt cold on the body.

On days with this type of weather, few people would come to the clinic unless it was an emergency.

At 11 a.m., Wang Yao closed the door. He met his lunch group at the foot of the village.

In the car, Jia Zizai sighed with a cigarette in his mouth. “It’s such a cool autumn!”

“Smoke less,” Hu Mei said. “It’s not good for your health. Don’t you want children?”

“Well, yes, I’ll quit!” Jia Zizai immediately put out the cigarette in his hand and threw it out of the car.

It was a rainy day today. When the four of them arrived at the restaurant, they were the only ones there.

“If you didn’t come today, I wouldn’t have opened my shop,” the manager said with a smile.

“On rainy days, it’s normal to have fewer guests,” Wang Yao replied. He ordered several dishes. He had brought wine with him.

Because they were the only people there, the food was served quickly.

“Come on, let’s have a drink. This is to thank you two,” Wang Yao said.

“I dare not accept it, Sir. It would be nice if you didn’t blame us,” Jia Zizai said. He drank all the wine in the cup.

“For the second cup, let the past be the past. From now on, we are in the same village, so we should get along well.”

“Ah, yes.”

This glass of wine was consumed in one gulp.

It was still raining outside.

“Come on, have some fish.” The fish was the last dish to be served because it took longer to stew.

“Tut, tut, it smells good.”

Everyone enjoyed the meal, especially Jia Zizai and Hu Mei. Whether Wang Yao would accept him as his disciple or not was no longer the main concern. More importantly, they liked the small mountain village. It was hard to find such a suitable place to settle down in, so they really did not want to leave.