"Brother Jinhua! Brother Jinhua!"
Aunt Wang’s shouts cut through the clamor of voices in the Aconite field.
She stumbled along the ridges between the fields, her face alight with a joy not seen in years.
Ma Jinhua was squatting to inspect the quality of the newly dug Aconite. He looked up at the sound, an unconscious frown creasing his brow. "Aunt Wang, what’s happened? What’s the rush?"
"Rui is better!" Aunt Wang gasped, stopping in front of Ma Jinhua with her hands on her knees. "He suddenly beca clear-headed just now, and he even asked where you were!"
Hoes dropped to the ground one after another.
The nearby villagers all stopped their work, the air seeming to freeze.
Ma Jinhua was in the middle of showing a freshly dug Aconite root to the representative from Japan when he heard Aunt Wang’s words. He froze on the spot.
"You... what did you say?" Ma Jinhua couldn’t believe his ears.
"It’s the absolute truth!" Aunt Wang stomped her foot in her eagerness. "Rui’s eyes are bright and clear, and he’s speaking perfectly, just like before he was poisoned! You should hurry back..."
Ma Jinhua didn’t wait for her to finish before taking off, running toward the village.
This village chief, normally as steady as a mountain, was now running like a reckless youth, not even bothering to pick up the shoe that had fallen off his foot.
The fields imdiately erupted in an uproar.
The villagers gathered in twos and threes, buzzing with discussion. So said with delight that the Ma Family had finally seen their suffering end, while others shook their heads, saying that recovery from Aconite poisoning couldn’t possibly be so fast.
Li Xu stood beside the drying house, watching this scene from a distance. He let out a soft sigh of relief.
’That Eight Hundred-Year-Old Purple Sandalwood Core Material really is sothing,’ he thought. ’The Calming Pills are working even faster than I expected.’
He didn’t rush over.
No good cos from being too eager. He continued to watch the villagers process the Aconite.
...
Ma Jinhua sprinted all the way ho, but he skidded to a halt the mont he pushed open the courtyard gate.
He stood outside the threshold, his chest heaving. Suddenly, he didn’t dare to take a step inside—he was afraid. Afraid that what Aunt Wang had said was a hallucination, afraid of having his hopes dashed once again.
"...Hee hee... mud is fun..." A familiar, foolish laugh ca from the corner of the wall.
Ma Jinhua’s heart sank to the depths.
He walked slowly into the courtyard and saw his son squatting in the sa old spot, face sared with mud, holding up a lopsided mud rabbit and smiling at him.
Aunt Wang, catching up breathlessly, was also dumbfounded by the sight. "This... this is impossible! Just a mont ago, he was clearly..."
Tears of frustration welled in her eyes as she gestured incoherently. "Rui really was lucid! He even said sothing like, ’It was all a dream’..."
Ma Jinhua took a deep breath, squatted down to his son’s eye level, and asked, "Rui, do you know who Papa is?"
Ma Rui tilted his head, then suddenly reached out and poked Ma Jinhua’s nose. "Big nose... hee hee..."
Then his attention returned to the mud, and he focused intently on adding a tail to his mud rabbit.
A crowd of villagers, drawn by the news, had already gathered at the courtyard gate.
Ma Jinhua stood up, dusted off his pants, and waved a hand at the crowd. "Everyone, disperse. Go on back to what you were doing."
His voice was surprisingly calm, but the bulging veins on his temples betrayed his inner turmoil.
After everyone had left, Ma Jinhua questioned Aunt Wang about the details.
Aunt Wang was extrely anxious. Ma Rui had clearly recovered just monts ago, so how could he have relapsed? It made her look like she was crying wolf.
"Brother Jinhua, what I said was true..."
"Don’t worry, I believe you. Just tell slowly."
"It was like this: Rui was playing with his mud, and I brought him a towel... He called ’Auntie’ and asked where you were..."
Ma Jinhua listened intently, and when she finished, he abruptly turned and walked out.
"Brother Jinhua, where are you going?" Aunt Wang called after him.
"To find Dr. Li," Ma Jinhua said without looking back. "If he can get better once, he can get better a second ti."
’These past two days, the only thing different about my son is that he took the dicine Li Xu gave him.’
’So, that change just now was definitely the dicine working.’
’I can’t believe it... it’s actually working.’
Excitent surged in Ma Jinhua’s heart.
He began to walk, his pace quick and urgent.
...
At the drying house, Li Xu was observing the villagers’ timing as they processed the Aconite slices.
He saw Ma Jinhua approaching quickly.
The surrounding villagers opened their mouths as if to ask sothing, but seeing Ma Jinhua’s urgency, they closed them again.
"Dr. Li, I’m begging you, please save my son." Ma Jinhua stopped in front of Li Xu and was about to drop to his knees.
These past few years, each day had felt like a year. He could only numb himself with work. Now, seeing a glimr of hope, he was willing to do anything.
Li Xu quickly helped him up. "Village Chief Ma, what’s all this...?"
"Aunt Wang was looking after Rui," Ma Jinhua said, looking up with red-rimd eyes. "He was lucid for a few minutes."
His voice trembled slightly. "I know nerve damage can’t be healed overnight, but since there’s been a change for the better, it proves your dicine is effective. I didn’t trust you before, and for that, I formally apologize."
The area fell silent. Everyone was straining their ears to hear the conversation.
Even Sato, the Japanese representative who had been inspecting the Aconite, paused his work and looked over, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Li Xu pondered for a mont. "The brief period of lucidity is a good thing. It ans the damaged nerves are starting to regain function. There may be relapses, but the overall trend should be positive."
Ma Jinhua rubbed his hands together and said hesitantly, "The dose he took this morning was for the morning... It’s already afternoon... and he hasn’t had his midday dose..."
Li Xu didn’t make things difficult for him. He took out the dicine bottle and handed it to Ma Jinhua. "It’s just as I said this morning: three tis a day, ten pills each ti. There’s enough here for three days. My other ingredients are at the clinic, so I’ll need to go back to prepare more..."
Ma Jinhua took it with extre care, then asked, "Dr. Li, won’t you co and take a look?"
"Very well."
Li Xu nodded.
He followed Ma Jinhua back.
’As the Calming Pills take effect, the changes in the patient’s body will be reflected in his pulse and on his tongue.’
On the way, Ma Jinhua said emotionally, "Dr. Li, you’re incredible. It’s only been one day, and you’ve already given hope... In all these years, I’ve taken Rui to every major hospital, and not a single doctor dared to guarantee a cure."
He kicked a small pebble off the path. "As soon as you arrived, Rui showed a response. This must be fate."
When the two of them arrived at the Ma family’s courtyard,
Ma Rui was still squatting in the sa old spot, playing with mud. He just giggled foolishly when he saw them.
"His pulse is much stronger than this morning," Li Xu said after taking his pulse. "After a few more doses, perhaps tomorrow will bring a pleasant surprise."
Ma Jinhua stood to the side, unconsciously wringing the corner of his shirt like a prisoner awaiting his sentence.
When he heard Li Xu say "tomorrow will bring a pleasant surprise," the resilient middle-aged man lifted his head, fighting to keep the tears in his eyes from falling.
Afterward, Ma Jinhua composed himself and gave his son another dose of dicine.
He had originally intended to stay with his son all afternoon, but being by his son’s side was a great ntal and emotional tornt. In the end, he returned to the fields. Only by keeping busy could he find so relief.
At the sa ti, he instructed Aunt Wang, "If Rui shows any change, call my cell phone directly. Don’t run all the way to the fields."
Aunt Wang nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I know. I was so excited before that my mind went blank, and I completely forgot about calling."
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