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Translator: Silavin
Dummy took two steps forward. He felt the direction was wrong and immediately stopped. He opened his mouth to loudly bark, indicating he wanted to go in the direction of Dazhang Mountain.
How could Doctor Zhu not understand what Dummy wanted? At this moment, his heart was already torn. With great reluctance, he had to turn his head away from Dummy. In his heart, he could only return to go with Dummy to Dazhang Mountain after finishing the delivery.
A Beijing 212 Jeep was parked at the village entrance. With a car, it would be much faster. In the chaos of the moment, he did not think about why the patient’s Family, who already had a car, did not send the pregnant woman to the hospital.
The Jeep drove towards the county town like lightning.
Doctor Zhu calmed down and felt something was amiss, so he hurriedly asked, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there,” the middle-aged man coldly replied.
“Aren’t we going to save the pregnant woman?” Doctor Zhu became increasingly suspicious.
The people in the car stopped responding, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
“I want to get off. My Son is still waiting for me to save his life,” Doctor Zhu shouted.
“Don’t shout. We’re being polite to you. Otherwise, we would have tied you up and gagged you,” the middle-aged man said menacingly.
At this moment, Doctor Zhu realised something was wrong. He might have encountered kidnappers who wanted to rob and kill. However, he was just a barefoot doctor. He had nothing valuable at home.
The Jeep drove into Wuyuan County Town and finally stopped in front of a large house with a courtyard.
Doctor Zhu was taken to the reception room, where someone served tea and then silently withdrew.
Doctor Zhu’s gaze swept around the room. A standard portrait of Chairman Mao was hung on the wall, and some green plants were placed at the corner. He recognized them as a very precious variety of short-leaf Clivia.
“Haha, I hope it’s not inconvenient to invite Doctor Zhu here in the middle of the night,” Three people walked in through the door. The leader was Huang Qiansui, the Chairman of the County Reformation Committee, whom the villagers nicknamed ‘Thousand Year Emperor’.
(Silavin: Thousand Year Emperor(皇千岁), sounds similar to his name Huang Qiansui(黄乾穗).)
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“Chairman Huang?” Doctor Zhu was startled. What was going on? Looking at the two people behind him, one was Meng Zhuqi from Nanshan Town, and the other was Wu Daoming, the Feng Shui Master from Hong Kong.
“Doctor Zhu, please sit down and have some tea,” Huang Qiansui said as he and the other two sat down one after another.
Doctor Zhu looked at the top official of Wuyuan County, wondering in his heart what business they had calling him here in the middle of the night.
“Doctor Zhu, the Revolutionary Masses have reported that you’ve treated the poor and lower-middle peasants perfunctorily, while you spare no effort in treating the Landlords, Rich Farmers, Anti-Revolutionaries, Right Wingers and Bad Actors. Your stance is problematic,” Chairman Huang said with a very serious expression.
“In a doctor’s eyes, all people are my patients. They should be treated equally,” Doctor Zhu said calmly.
“Comrade, do you know the meaning of the word ‘comrade’? It means having a common aspiration. I ask you, can the Revolutionary Masses and Class Enemies have a common aspiration? This is a matter of our class stance. As a barefoot doctor’, your medicine and treatments concern the life and death of the Revolutionary Masses. Of course, I think you didn’t mean to do this intentionally. Chairman Mao said, ‘Those who correct their mistakes are good comrades.’ Don’t you think I’m right?” Chairman Huang said earnestly.
Doctor Zhu snorted.
Chairman Huang seemed not to notice and continued, “I can consider not pursuing this matter. You can continue your discussion. I’ll step out for a moment.” With that, he stood up and walked out the door.
Only Meng Zhuqi, Wu Daoming, and Doctor Zhu were left in the room, and the tense atmosphere seemed to ease a bit.
“Doctor Zhu, it’s very rare for Chairman Huang to spare time from his busy schedule to meet you. As long as you tell us where the Taiji Halo is, we’ll send you back by car immediately. In the near future, we’ll transfer you to work at the county hospital. You’ll have an urban household registration and eat Commodity Grain. How about that?” Meng Zhuqi said with a smile all over his face.
[So, they really are after the Taiji Halo.] Doctor Zhu finally understood.
“What Taiji Halo? I’ve never heard of it. Is it some kind of Chinese herb?” Doctor Zhu said.
“Hehe, Sir might not know the name Taiji Halo, but you must know where your Son dug up that Earth Spawn, right?” Wu Daoming interjected.
[Son… Hansheng is still in Dazhang Mountain, his fate still remains unknown, while I’m stuck here. What can I do now?] Beads of sweat appeared on Doctor Zhu’s forehead.
Meng Zhuqi and Wu Daoming exchanged smiles. They knew they were getting somewhere.
“Alright, I’ll go back now, ask my Son clearly, and then tell you,” Doctor Zhu stood up and walked towards the door.
Two large men appeared outside the door, blocking his way.
Huang Qiansui stood with his back turned to the courtyard. He impatiently waved his hand, saying, “Find a place for him to think it over.”
The two big men grabbed Doctor Zhu’s arms and, without a word, pushed him into a small room in the back of the courtyard. They locked the door from the outside and guarded it.
Meanwhile, in Nanshan Village, Dummy stood motionless in the rain, waiting for Doctor Zhu to return.
Finally, he could not wait any longer. Disappointed, after howling sorrowfully several times, he turned and ran madly towards Dazhang Mountain…
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Hansheng hadn’t closed his eyes all night due to the waves of intense pain occasionally transmitted from his leg. He finally made it to daybreak. He picked up the glass bottle and found a layer of White Urine had settled at the bottom.
“The thirty-six peaks are clear, snow melts with mist growing green. The moon remains for three nights, spring stretches across four mountains. Distant grass begins to show colour, cold birds have not changed their voice. The highest stone on the eastern cliff, only I, have my name inscribed.” The sound of someone reciting poetry came from next door. The Hermit of Wuchu Mountain had awakened.
“Little Brother, did you sleep well last night?” He walked in.
Hansheng shook his head and said, “I didn’t sleep all night. Uncle Hermit, can you help me apply medicine and find a splint?”
“Of course,” the Hermit of Wuchu Mountain replied.
With the Mountain Hermit’s help, Hansheng took off his pants. His entire right leg was swollen and bruised, with some parts purple. The Tibia and Fibula, in the middle of the calf, had a transverse fracture. After examination, there was no open wound, which Hansheng felt relieved by. This type of fracture could be treated with repositioning, splinting, and casting.
The Hermit of Wuchu Mountain helped Hansheng reposition the leg bone and mixed the white precipitate from the glass bottle with some dust threads. He stirred it and applied it evenly on the broken leg.
“Traditional Chinese Medicine is truly incredible,” the Mountain Hermit sighed. At the same time, he took out a clean old bedsheet, tore it into long strips to wrap Hansheng’s right leg. He used wooden boards to splint both sides of the leg, and finally tightly bound it with layers of cloth strips.
Hansheng looked at the Mountain Hermit, whose forehead was slightly sweating, and said, “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
The Hermit of Wuchu Mountain laughed heartily. “We’re both wanderers of this world, no need for thanks. Would you like to eat Golden Bamboo Mountain Rat Jerky again for breakfast?”
Hansheng had previously dealt with a few patients with fractures. All those times, he had his Father with him. After treatment, it was impossible to heal completely in less than three months. Not to mention, the trouble of changing the dressings and preventing inflammation. This strange treatment method from the Classic of the Black Satchel was incredible, especially since it specified only one application was needed, and healing only needed seven days.
A cool, comfortable sensation transmitted from the fractured part of his lower leg. The medicine had begun to work.
The Hermit of Wuchu Mountain brought in breakfast. It was porridge with sides of pickled chilli Golden Bamboo Mountain Rat Jerky. Hansheng ate with it relish.
“Don’t you feel bored living alone in these mountains all year round?” Hansheng asked.
The Mountain Hermit smiled and explained. “I’ve grown up in the mountains since childhood and don’t know the dangers of the outside world. This is good. I don’t have so many desires. I was tired of the hypocrisy and intrigues in the city. I was unwilling to go with the flow, so I secluded myself in Dazhang Mountain, living a simple life close to nature.”
“But what about your Family? Do you have…”
“Ah, I once had…” After a long while, he told Hansheng a sad and winding story.
“I was born a Bannerman (Manchurian militia). However, I grew up in Beijing, with both parents deceased. I used to teach at Peking University. Back then, I was young and proud. I criticised the current state of affairs and pointed out the problems of our times. In the movement of 1957 (the Great Leap Forward), I was labelled a Right Winger and sent down to a small village in the Weibei Plain of Guanzhong, Shanxi province.”
“At that time, I was filled with resentment. It was hard to dispel. I soon fell ill due to my pent-up emotions. My landlord was a simple and honest farming couple, with a Daughter named Hexiang. This farm girl was hardworking and straightforward. She always had two big braids, and was always dignified. Males from villages ten kilometres around came to propose to her, but Hexiang rejected them all.”
“She always treated me exceptionally well. She cared for me meticulously. As a man of passion, I naturally understood her intentions, but I was a deep rooted Right Winger. I did not want to implicate her honest Family of farmers. However, as time passed, my feelings grew, and I finally couldn’t hold back. Later, one day, Hexiang became pregnant…”
“I decided to marry her and return to Beijing to sell my Ancestral Home. I planned on farming, and continue spending the rest of my life with Hexiang. I still remember the morning I left, Hexiang blushing as she secretly slipped me a sachet, before she turned and ran away. When I opened it, I saw a lock of her hair inside. I understood she was expressing her unwavering commitment to me for life.”
“I quickly dealt with all matters in Beijing, but when I returned, there had been a great flood in the Wei River Basin, flooding the whole Tongguan. The village and Hexiang’s Family were all gone. I searched like a madman, searching all over Guanzhong, until I finally fell ill. More than a year later, I barely survived, but the government exiled me back to my Ancestral Home in Heilongjiang (extreme north of China). Later, I went back to Guanzhong, but that village no longer existed. By then, I was disheartened and vowed to remain single for life. Till this day, on clear, cold nights with a full moon, I take out the sachet and look at that lock of hair, silently shedding tears…”
The Hermit of Wuchu Mountain wiped the corners of his eyes, ending this sad and tragic story.
Silavin: Landlords, Rich Farmers, Anti-Revolutionaries, Right Wingers and Bad Actors are basically targets of the CCP. They are propagandised as the main evil of the country. For Bad Actors, they are a general classification for criminals (which includes religious beliefs).
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