"Doctor Li, the rice on Tang Mountain is ripe. The weather’s great today, so I’ll go ahead and harvest it for you."
The call from Wang the Third ca just as Li Xu was thinking about it.
"Uncle, sorry to trouble you. I’ll head over today and harvest it with you."
"If you’re busy, you don’t need to co over. It’s not a big patch. I can finish cutting it this morning, thresh the grain this afternoon, and deliver it to you tomorrow."
"I’ll co over and take a look."
Li Xu decided to go anyway.
After all, he hadn’t been there in a long ti.
He wanted to check on the condition of the rice paddies as a reference for next year’s planting.
After breakfast, Song Sisi ca over.
Today, instead of stead buns, she’d brought fried dough cakes.
"After you eat, you’re coming with to Tang Mountain."
"Okay!"
Song Sisi said happily.
She was tired of being cooped up in the clinic and was more than happy to get out.
「Half an hour later.」
Just as the two of them were about to leave, Xia Lei arrived, his face etched with anxiety.
Though it had only been a day, Xia Lei’s entire deanor had completely changed.
He had heavy, dark circles under his eyes and looked like he’d thinned down considerably.
His face wore an expression of terror and unease.
His voice was also a bit hoarse. "Doctor Li..."
Li Xu beckoned him. "Co in and talk."
Xia Lei entered the consultation room chanically.
Li Xu poured him a glass of water.
Xia Lei’s hands trembled slightly as he took the cup with both hands.
Behind the steam rising from the hot water, his eyes darted about restlessly, like a frightened animal.
"They let you out," Li Xu said softly. It wasn’t a question.
Xia Lei’s head snapped up.
He hadn’t contacted Li Xu at all since yesterday.
Yet Li Xu knew what had happened to him.
’Could it be...’
Xia Lei asked, "Was it... Was it you who helped?"
Li Xu didn’t answer right away. Instead, he first took Xia Lei’s pulse.
The pulse beneath his fingers was taut and rapid. Stagnant liver qi, deficient gallbladder qi—classic signs of extre fright.
"First, drink so tea," Li Xu gestured. "Then tell what happened."
Cupping the teacup in both hands, Xia Lei haltingly recounted yesterday’s ordeal—how he was suddenly detained, spent an agonizing day in custody, and was then abruptly released in the middle of the night.
Li Xu took the agreent and glanced over it. The terms were frighteningly rigorous, blocking nearly every possible legal recourse.
"Doctor Li, what exactly is going on?" Xia Lei asked, his emotions stabilizing a bit after drinking the hot water. "Why so suddenly... and this money..."
Li Xu put down the agreent and sighed heavily. "This whole affair started partly because of , so of course I couldn’t just ignore it. I asked an influential old gentleman for help. He put pressure on them to release you, but that’s as far as it goes."
"As far as it goes?" Xia Lei was already ntally prepared for this. He nodded. "Yes, I suppose this is as far as it can go..."
’We’re just insignificant people.’
’There are so things we can’t change.’
’The fact that the other party was willing to release and even offer compensation is already the biggest concession they could make.’
The consultation room fell silent for a mont.
Outside the window, the calls of street vendors and the laughter of children created a clamor of ordinary life, a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere inside.
Xia Lei nodded. "I understand... At least my family and I are safe, right?"
"Yes," Li Xu nodded. "They won’t bother you again, and they won’t bother either."
"And the surveillance..."
"It should all be gone," Li Xu said, refilling his tea. "You can use your phone normally from now on."
Xia Lei wiped his eyes and forced a smile. "Thank you... I an it, thank you. Without you, I might have died without even knowing why."
Li Xu wrote a prescription to calm the spirit and supplent qi, then had Song Sisi prepare the herbs.
Looking at Xia Lei’s haggard expression, he felt a mix of emotions.
Song Sisi prepared the herbs and handed them to Xia Lei.
Xia Lei paid.
With a word of thanks, he turned and walked out into the sunlight.
Song Sisi now understood what kind of patient he was.
"Sigh. I used to think these were just tabloid stories. I never thought sothing like this could really happen."
Li Xu didn’t answer, just looked up at the sky.
The weather really was beautiful today.
The sky was a clear, limpid blue, like a flawless piece of glazed glass—vast and pristine.
Especially in late autumn, the sunlight that spilled down wasn’t scorching like in sumr, but carried a gentle coolness.
It was enough to lift one’s spirits.
"Let’s go. Ti to harvest the rice."
Li Xu motioned for Song Sisi, and they boarded the bus to Tang Mountain.
On the way, his phone rang.
It was Elder Li.
"Doctor Li, that golden toad skin is truly a miracle drug! It’s divine! I slept soundly yesterday, and I don’t feel any pain in my liver at all!"
Elder Li’s voice bood with energy. "By the way, has that matter with your patient been resolved?"
"It’s resolved. Thank you for your help, Elder Li," Li Xu said gratefully.
"Good to hear. Co by and check up on when you have ti. This old bag of bones is counting on you to keep tuned up!"
"Of course. Once you’ve finished the golden toad skin, I’ll prescribe you so other detoxifying herbs."
After hanging up, Li Xu closed his eyes to rest.
To the RUMBLING AND CLANKING of the bus, they arrived at Tang Mountain.
Li Xu opened his eyes, erging from his light doze.
Outside the window, the autumn sun dyed the mountains gold, and the air was filled with the fragrance of dry grass and ripe crops.
"Boss, we’re here."
Song Sisi gently nudged his arm, her eyes shining with excitent.
She had changed into a light blue tracksuit and tied her hair into a casual ponytail, looking much more vibrant than she did at the clinic.
After they got off the bus, Li Xu took a deep breath. The crisp mountain air filled his lungs, instantly easing so of the oppressive feeling he’d had for days.
Tang Mountain wasn’t high, but its terrain was unusual.
"This way," Li Xu said, leading Song Sisi onto a small path between the fields.
Wild chrysanthemums blood profusely along both sides of the path, a brilliant stretch of gold.
On a distant slope, various dicinal herbs grew in patches—the Astragalus Root had already gone to seed, and withered dandelions rustled in the wind;
Goji Berry bushes were laden with fruit like little rubies;
and a patch of mint, though past its peak season, still gave off a cool, refreshing scent.
These were all things he and Song Sisi had planted together during the sumr.
Now, it was ti for the harvest.
Most of them, however, were just ordinary dicinal herbs.
Rounding a small earthen hill, they were t with a dazzling sight—a small, golden rice paddy appeared abruptly in the mountain landscape, a stark contrast to the withered wild grass surrounding it.
The heads of grain hung heavy, gleaming like amber in the sunlight.
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