Cai Wenji grew desperate. "So, is there really no way?"
Cai Wenji knew the old saying, "One wishes to provide for their parents, but they are no longer there," and he dreaded facing that reality.
Cai Xing shook his head and avoided a direct answer, trying to change the subject. He waved his phone and said, "You heard the call from Wang Jian just now. Any thoughts?"
Cai Wenji opened his mouth to say sothing harsh but restrained himself. "This is hardly the ti. Why are you even worried about him?"
The mont he said it, however, Cai Wenji realized sothing. The na Wang Jian was deeply ingrained in his mind. He had once suspected Wang Jian might be his brother, but now it seed another of his early theories had co true.
"Dad, be honest with ," Cai Wenji asked imdiately. "Did sothing happen to you on the mountain that day? Was it Wang Jian who saved you?"
"Yes," Cai Xing nodded, confirming it. At this point, there was no reason to hide it. "That young man’s dical skills are extraordinary. For soone so young, he possesses knowledge and acupuncture techniques that are incredibly rare. I feel like I’ve seen them sowhere before, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. He’s no simple man."
"With my condition, even a seasoned Chinese dicine master might not have been able to save . Can you guess how Wang Jian did it?"
Cai Wenji truly couldn’t guess. He had never studied Chinese dicine and only knew of it through hearsay, ignorant of the specifics.
Cai Xing recalled the scene and said wistfully, "I was all alone on that mountain. I thought I was a goner, that I’d leave this world without a word and just beco a pile of bones in the wilderness. My calls for help went unanswered, and I was completely helpless. I fainted, and for all intents and purposes, I was already dead. With a heart condition like this, once you lose consciousness during an attack, you’ve basically got one foot in the grave."
"The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and saw Wang Jian pulling back from the brink with just a single needle. He used nothing but that one needle. Afterward, just by looking at the few incomplete herbs I had gathered, he was able to figure out the exact prescription I needed to nurse myself back to health."
As he spoke, Cai Xing shook his head in amazent, clicking his tongue in wonder. In his entire life, he had rarely seen anyone with such capabilities.
"The crucial thing is that this young man seeks neither fa nor fortune. He left a major hospital in the Capital City to open a clinic in a small village. It’s truly..."
Hearing this, Cai Wenji nodded repeatedly, astonished by Wang Jian’s character. More importantly, the fact that Wang Jian possessed such dical skills gave him a glimr of hope. Although this hope seed more like a pipe dream given Wang Jian’s age, Cai Wenji still chose to believe.
"Dad, if that’s the case, do you think Wang Jian might have a way to help you?" Cai Wenji’s eyes widened as he looked at his father, desperate for this last chance at life for him.
"Don’t get your hopes up," Cai Xing said, neither confirming nor denying anything. Instead, he tried to persuade his son. "Have you forgotten what the report said? My condition is beyond the point where simple conditioning can fix it. And how old is Wang Jian? Even if he claid he could cure , could you really trust him completely?"
In truth, Wang Jian had said he had a thod, but Cai Xing decided to bear this hope alone. If Wang Jian was just bluffing, he would be the only one disappointed. His son didn’t need to endure that pain a second ti. That way, even if he ultimately passed away, Cai Xing wouldn’t bla Wang Xing for it, and the Cai family wouldn’t lose soone destined to snatch people from the jaws of death.
But Cai Wenji didn’t care what his father said. Now that he had a sliver of hope, he was determined to grasp it.
"Dad, what exactly did Wang Jian say on the phone?"
Cai Xing chuckled. "Speaking of that, I have to praise him again. His clinic in the village isn’t doing well. He’s young, after all, so no one is willing to see him."
"That’s to be expected," Cai Wenji agreed. He recalled how he hadn’t thought much of Wang Jian at first either. "Most people would be skeptical of such a young, recently graduated Chinese dicine practitioner. It’s normal not to trust him. So what’s his plan? Does he need our help?"
"He has a plan, yes. He wants to hold a free clinic, offering consultations and treatnt to everyone over sixty in the surrounding villages. He needs my help, not for another doctor, but for manpower and logistical support." Cai Xing explained, "He’s very confident, not at all worried about diagnosing illnesses or how to treat them. Instead, he’s concerned about the crowds getting too large and causing safety issues. What do you think? Is he arrogant, or does he really have such incredible skill?"
Cai Wenji nodded, then suddenly said, "I think the second possibility is more likely."
"You don’t know him as well as I do. How can you trust him so easily?"
"I’ve only t him once, but it left a deep impression. I watched him closely, and he doesn’t seem like the boastful type. Besides, if you’re willing to trust him, Dad, why shouldn’t I?"
No matter what, Wang Jian has to have the skill. Otherwise, the man right in front of can’t be saved.
Cai Wenji then said aloud, "Since he has the heart to run a free clinic, we shouldn’t be stingy. I’ll cover the cost of all the dicinal herbs and other expenses."
"Good," Cai Xing smiled, pleased by his son’s rare thoughtfulness. "Since he’s starting the day after tomorrow, I’ll go join the crowd. I want to see for myself how he plans to handle my condition."
"Since Doctor Wang is so young, why don’t we bring Doctor Niu and Doctor Deng along? They can watch from the sidelines, and if sothing goes wrong, they can step in to help."
Cai Wenji’s arrangent was reasonable, but his real fear was that Wang Jian was unreliable and might accidentally kill his father. Having two senior experts there provided an extra layer of security and would also be a good way to see if Wang Jian truly had skill.
Cai Xing naturally saw through his son’s intentions but didn’t point them out.
With the help of the Cai family and village chief Li Dayu, thirty to forty people signed up in less than a day, and the number was still growing. When Wang Jian heard the news, he knew this would take more than a single day to handle.
His goal this ti was to build a reputation, so he couldn’t just ask a few questions and be done with it like in a hospital. Chinese dicine focuses on the body’s balance, which is closely tied to a patient’s daily life. The ti spent on each person would likely average between ten to thirty minutes. Finishing in one day was out of the question. He wasn’t a god; he needed rest. Realizing this, Wang Jian prepared himself for a long battle.
Then again, it wasn’t a sure thing. The people coming were probably not suffering from critical illnesses but rather from chronic, hard-to-cure ailnts. He ntally steeled himself for that.
When the news got out, his sister-in-law, Xu Qian, was shocked. After confirming it with Wang Jian, she kept saying he was being too impulsive. Just because the clinic was empty didn’t an he should rush into a massive free clinic. If sothing went wrong, all his efforts would be for nothing. Xu Qian’s point was simple: no one in their entire city had ever organized such a large free clinic, and here he was, planning to see dozens of people all by himself.
"Who do you think you are? Did a university degree make you that arrogant?"
Though her words were harsh, her anxious expression made it clear she was lashing out from worry, not anger.
Wang Jian knew his sister-in-law ant well, but what gave him a bigger headache were the phone calls from his older brother and parents, who worked far from ho. They berated him for his recklessness. However, the news was already out there; the arrow was already nocked and had to be fired. All his family could do was scold him.
When Wang Jian ntioned the Cai family would be helping, his family finally relaxed. Wang Jian himself might not inspire confidence, but the power of the Cai family was undeniable.
Using the Cai family’s na, Wang Jian had already bluffed his way through two conversations. Only he knew the truth: the Cai family wouldn’t be sending any doctors over. In the end, it would just be him.
What no one knew was that before his hospital internship, after graduating from his master’s tutelage, he had often accompanied his master to provide free dical services. He had treated far more patients than the number registered for this event, which was the source of his confidence.
「Another day passed, and it was the eve of the free clinic.」
Wang Jian had spent another day waiting idly at the clinic. Not a single person ca. He sat there reading dical books all day, and the prolonged stillness left him with an aching back and sore neck. The only visitor was Li Dayu, who dropped off a list of the patients for the clinic. Finally, Wang Jian dragged his weary body ho.
He had just showered and entered his room. He was sitting wrapped in a blanket, playing on his phone, when the door was suddenly pushed open.
"Sister-in-law?"
"What’s this?"
Wang Jian was completely baffled to see Xu Qian walk in carrying a basin of steaming water.
Xu Qian smiled. "When you ca ho, I saw you rubbing your neck and twisting your waist. I figured you were sore from sitting for too long. The free clinic tomorrow will be even more exhausting, so I brought so hot water for you to soak your feet in. I can give you a neck massage, too. Otherwise, how are you going to manage tomorrow?
"You dical students sit hunched over your books all day long, and you keep doing it when you get to the hospital. You’re bound to have these kinds of problems. When I brought you lunch today, I saw you with your head buried in a book, not moving an inch. It’d be a miracle if you weren’t sore after sitting like that all day.
"You’re not made of iron, you know."
Listening to Xu Qian’s nagging, Wang Jian scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. He agreed to all her suggestions, promising he would move around more in the future.
Ignoring whether he agreed or not, Xu Qian pulled him right off the bed. Unfazed by the fact that he was only wearing boxer shorts, she said, "Sit on the stool and put your feet in the water. I’ll give you a massage from behind."
Once Wang Jian was seated, Xu Qian leaned in close behind him and whispered, "Does that feel good?"
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