The Hill Had a Soul
The Hill Had a Soul
In a boutique in Beijing, Dr. Chen was visiting Chen Ying and her brother.
"What do you think of Zhou's recovery?" Chen Ying asked.
"He is doing well and is stable," Chen Zhouchuan said with a smile. "Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Yes, I've told Ms. Song," Chen Ying said.
She was going to take Chen Zhou to Wang Yao's village the next day. She wanted Wang Yao to cure her brother. She had applied for a long leave from Song Ruiping.
"I don't have much to do at the moment and want to travel around," Chen Zhouchuan said. "How about going with you two?"
Chen Ying thought, I knew he came here for a reason!
Chen Zhouchuan normally wouldn't visit her for no reason. He even offered to see Chen Zhou.
"OK," Chen Ying said.
"Great, I'll go with you guys tomorrow," Chen Zhouchuan said. "We old fellows! We are so happy today!" Chen Zhouchuan started to hum a tune.
"Sis, who is Dr. Chen?" Chen Zhou asked.
"Some old fox," Chen Ying said with a smile. "Let's go pack. We are leaving tomorrow."
"OK," Chen Zhou said.
Chen Zhouchuan was humming a pleasant tune while he walking home.
"What makes you so happy?" Li Shengrong came along with a birdcage in his hand.
"It has nothing to do with you. Walk your bird," Chen Zhouchuan said.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Shengrong asked. "Why are you so ill-tempered."
"Off I go!" Chen Zhouchuan walked away. He didn't seem to be keen on talking to Li Shengrong.
"Stubborn old fellow!" Li Shengrong sighed and shook his head. He knew Chen Zhouchuan was still upset about what happened at his house last time.
Never mind!
It was nice and sunny the next day.
Chen Ying and Chen Zhou arrived in Haiqu in the afternoon. They didn't linger. They quickly took a bus to Wang Yao's village.
Chen Zhouchuan didn't come due to family issues. He was a bit upset to miss the opportunity.
Chen Ying preferred that Chen Zhouchuan didn't travel with them. It had started to get dark by the time Chen Ying and Chen Zhou arrived in the village.
"Is there a hotel in the village?" Chen Zhou asked.
"Let's go see Dr. Wang first," Chen Ying said.
"Hello, Dr. Wang." Chen Ying greeted Wang Yao as she and her brother arrived at the clinic.
"Hello, come sit down please," Wang Yao said with a smile. He made them a pot of tea.
"How have you been lately? Busy?" Wang Yao asked.
"Not really," Chen Ying said.
"Has Zhou had any episodes?" Wang Yao asked.
"No, he's been stable," Chen Ying said.
"How about dreams at night?" Wang Yao asked.
"He doesn't dream as often as before," Chen Ying said.
Since Chen Zhou started continuously taking the decoction given by Wang Yao, he had dreamed much less.
"Good," Wang Yao said. He took a good look at Chen Zhou. "He is fine."
"Dr. Wang, we plan to stay here until Zhou is fully recovered," Chen Ying said.
"That's a good idea," Wang Yao said.
"By the way, are there any houses for lease here?" Chen Ying asked.
Another person wants to rent a house! "I'll ask for you," Wang Yao said.
"OK," Chen Ying said.
Wang Yao called his father right away to ask about house rentals in the village.
"You know what, there is a house available for rent," Wang Fenghua said.
"That's great," Wang Yao said.
The landlord soon came to the clinic. He had two houses in the village for rent. However, one of them had been used to swap with an apartment in the town center. Once the construction of the apartment had been completed, the house in the village would no longer belong to them. At the moment, they could still rent the houses out to grasp the last opportunity to cash in.
The house was tidy. Chen Ying and Chen Zhou were well-prepared before they came to the village. They brought sheets and covers with them. Their belongings occupied three big suitcases. They were prepared to stay in the village a while. They settled after paying two months' rent.
"It's been a long time since we traveled this far," Chen Zhou said. He was quite happy to leave Beijing. It was a nice trip for him.
"As long as you are happy," Chen Ying said.
"Are they staying here for treatment?" Wang Fenghua asked while having evening dinner.
"Yes," Wang Yao said.
"What's wrong with him?" Wang Fenghua asked.
"The young man's got issues here." Wang Yao pointed to his head.
"Tumor?" Wang Fenghua asked.
"No, he has a mental illness," Wang Yao said.
"I see, but he looks fine," Wang Fenghua said with surprise.
"He's fine at the moment. He hasn't had an episode for a month. No, more than a month," Wang Yao said.
"Is his condition intermittent," Zhang Xiuying asked.
"Sort of," Wang Yao said.
It was quiet in the village that night. Chen Zhou sat in the courtyard looking at the sky. The sky in the village looked higher than the sky in Beijing.
"Sis, you mentioned Dr. Wang prefers to stay here," Chen Zhou said. "Is it because it's so quiet here?"
"That's one of the reasons," Chen Ying said.
"Any other reasons?" Chen Zhou asked.
"He's got a hill to look after here," Chen Ying said.
She had been to Nanshan Hill. She had never seen such a hill before. Thinking back, Nanshan Hill seemed to have a soul.
"Can you take me to the hill tomorrow?" Chen Zhou asked.
"You can only see it from a distance," Chen Ying said.
"OK," Chen Zhou said.
Chen Ying and her brother slept well that night. It was perhaps because they were tired after a long trip or were relaxed. It also could have been because the village was so quiet.
In another house in the village, some people couldn't fall asleep. It was Professor Lu and Wen Wan's son.
What had happened during the day terrified them. Wen Wan almost died. Although Wang Yao saved her using two magical decoctions, she could die anytime. She could fall asleep and never wake up. Therefore, Professor Lu and Wen Wan's son couldn't sleep while Wen Wan napped.
"You guys can go to sleep," Wen Wan powerlessly said as she looked at the two men. "I'll be fine tonight."
"Don't worry about us, Mom, we'll sleep soon," her son said.
"Yes." Professor Lu nodded.
"I'm fine. I feel better after taking the decoction," Wen Wan said.
"That's good, but you should continue to rest," Professor Lu said.
Wen Wan closed her eyes. It seemed that she couldn't convince the two men to go to sleep. She was tired. She almost died during the day. It was as if she had had a weird dream and woke up exhausted. The two decoctions she took had astonishing effects. Apart from being tired, all the other symptoms had reduced. She felt warmer and more comfortable. The warm feeling came from the center of her body and traveled to her organs and limbs.
Gradually, Wen Wan fell into sleep. Her breathing was steady.
"Uncle Lu, I'll stay here. You can go to sleep," Wen Wan's son said.
"Are you OK by yourself?" Professor Lu was still concerned.
"I'll be fine. I'll let you know if anything happens," Wen Wan's son said.
"OK, I'll sleep for a while. We will take turns," Professor Lu said.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry," Wen Wan's son said.
Professor Lu went to sleep in another room. Wen Wan's son continued to sit next to his mother. Professor Lu came back two hours later.
"Come on, go and rest. I'll watch your mom for a while," Professor Lu said.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Wen Wan's son said. "You only slept for two hours."
"That's fine," Professor Lu said.
"OK." Wen Wan's son eventually failed to convince Professor Lu to go back to rest. He went off to take a nap.
They took turns watching Wen Wan overnight. Wen Wan had a good sleep. She looked better the next morning.
"Oh no, you two didn't sleep last night!" Wen Wan was concerned about the two men.
"We are fine," her son said.
"You two should both go rest," Wen Wan said.
"OK," her son said.
Since she seemed to be fine, the two men went to rest.
Professor Lu fell asleep right away. He was exhausted and getting old. His energy was limited, unlike Wen Wan's son.
In a different house, Chen Ying and Chen Zhou had a simple breakfast before going out. They planned to have a walk in the village. The air in the village was fresh in the morning. Both Chen Ying and her brother were delighted.
"Nice air," Chen Zhou said.
They went onto the path leading toward Nanshan Hill.
"Let me show you Dr. Wang's hill," Chen Ying said.
"OK," Chen Zhou said.
Although it was spring, the hills around Nanshan Hill looked deserted. After passing a hill, Nanshan Hill was in front of them. It was covered by well-grown plants and looked alive.