Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 274 - 268 Big Scene

"Dad, how have you been all these years out on your own?"

After hearing Wang Jian’s story, Wang Tianhe never imagined his son would turn the question back on him. Thinking of Wang Xiang still in the hospital, and then looking at his younger son before him, Wang Tianhe sighed.

"What do you expect? I’ve just been working. When I first left, I was at a feed factory, manually bagging feed. When the weather was hot, sweat and feed would get caked all over me. I couldn’t bear to wear a shirt, just a pair of shorts. After a shift, I’d be covered in several thick layers of grime, even up my nostrils. It took multiple showers just to get clean."

As he spoke, Wang Tianhe rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, pointing out some dark patches on his skin for Wang Jian to see. "Look, these are from back then. I had no idea what was wrong with my skin at the time; it was just constantly itchy. I ended up scratching it raw, and it only got a little better after I changed jobs. But my skin has been prone to random itching ever since, and these dark spots are the scars left behind."

"Later, I tried being a delivery driver for Hema, but my hemorrhoids flared up. I was bleeding constantly, to the point I became anemic and couldn’t even climb stairs. It only improved after I had surgery." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Just recently, I finally found a job riding along in a truck, helping unload cargo."

Wang Tianhe was only in his early fifties, but the wrinkles on his face and the white in his hair were impossible to hide. Coupled with his constant smoking and drinking, he looked much older than his peers, and his overall health had clearly declined.

Wang Jian frowned inwardly as he looked at the dark spots on his father’s body. Any skin problem, no matter how small, should be taken seriously. With his current perception, however, he could see something coalescing beneath those dark patches, something similar to the death qi he had found on Lu You. But when he compared the two, this strange energy seemed weaker, more like simple cellular necrosis.

This strange phenomenon made Wang Jian’s heart clench. He immediately grabbed Wang Tianhe’s hand to examine it more closely.

Knowing his son was a doctor, Wang Tianhe didn’t protest, though he didn’t think much of it. Watching his son inspect him so carefully, he said, "Eh, just give it a quick look. I’m used to it. They’re all minor issues, nothing serious. Don’t worry about it."

Wang Jian frowned but nodded along with his father’s words. He tried channeling his qi to regulate Wang Tianhe’s body, focusing on one of the dark patches on his arm. The qi, brimming with vitality, did indeed help. The patch lightened slightly, but as soon as it improved, it would rapidly draw on Wang Tianhe’s own qi to restore itself, quickly returning to its original dark color.

Compared to Lu You’s condition, these dark patches weren’t aggressive. Their presence, however, was like that of a parasite, siphoning off the nutrients from Wang Tianhe’s body.

After some thought, Wang Jian considered a more direct solution: simply cutting out the dark spots. But that would likely mean removing chunks of flesh. With so many spots, how troublesome would that be? He immediately dismissed the idea. Instead, he decided to use acupuncture and moxibustion to draw out the strange, stagnant energy once and for all.

However, that would require some preparation and medicinal herbs. He had also noticed that Wang Tianhe’s body had other chronic problems from years of heavy labor, many of which were likely irreversible, such as issues with his spine and joints. Those would require slow and steady recuperation. For that reason, Wang Jian decided he had to make his father stay and stop him from going back to work.

But Wang Jian knew his father’s personality. If he suggested it directly, Wang Tianhe would almost certainly refuse. He had to first show his father that he was capable of supporting the whole family. Only then would it be appropriate to bring it up. At that point, even if Wang Jian said nothing, Wang Tianhe himself would likely start thinking about staying.

After all... if you could lie back and take it easy, who would want to work?

"Is there really a problem?" Wang Tianhe asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but he was watching Wang Jian’s expression closely. Noticing his son was lost in thought, he pressed, "If there’s really something wrong, you have to tell your old man straight."

Wang Jian shook his head and smiled. "It’s nothing major, but you should really stop doing heavy labor. Take some medicine for a few days to build up your strength. Then I’ll give you a few acupuncture treatments and some moxibustion. That should help."

Wang Tianhe finally relaxed. But when he heard Wang Jian tell him to stop doing heavy work, he just waved his hand and laughed. "Your dad never got much schooling; I don’t know how to do anything but manual labor. What else could I do? I can keep at it for a few more years, save up some money for you to get married, and then maybe help you with a down payment on a house in the city. Then I can rest."

Fearing Wang Jian might argue, he quickly added, "You’ll have to pay the mortgage yourself, though. Don’t think I’m paying it for you." Then, worried he might have sounded too harsh, he asked, "That’s okay, right?"

Wang Jian, who was certainly not short on money, nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, of course. But for now, just focus on your health. From now on, you should just be enjoying life."

"Enjoy life?" Wang Tianhe laughed. "Now that sounds great."

The two continued to talk about what they had been through over the years. Xu Qian came out once to check on them but didn’t interrupt. Finally, as it grew late and they were about to call it a night, Wang Tianhe suddenly said, "Tomorrow, after we’ve hosted your master, I want to go to the hospital to see your brother."

"..."

Wang Jian had tried to visit before, but Wang Xiang had refused to see him. He didn’t know if his brother would see their father, so he simply nodded, planning to ask Cai Qiong about it the next day.

The night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, Wang Jian was awakened by a commotion in front of the house.

He had miscalculated something. His university professor, Song Yijin, and his daughter; Peng Qing and his son; and Cai Qiong with her father had all promised to come and support him for the documentary he had participated in. They had all arrived first thing in the morning.

When Wang Jian finished getting ready and came out, he was surprised to see such a large group. But after hearing why they were there, all he could say was a heartfelt, "Thank you."

Besides them, there were other new faces in the village. Wang Jian’s memory was exceptionally sharp now, and he recognized the men surveying the village at a glance. They were the same elite bodyguards he had seen at Old Chen’s home. It seemed Old Chen’s visit came with all the necessary security measures, which was a relief; he had been worried about that yesterday.

While things were fine on his end, Li Dayu was having a terrible time.

Originally, with so many people visiting Wang Jian’s home today, he had planned to go over to show his face and get acquainted. Any single person in that crowd was a big boss he could only have dreamed of meeting before, so his mind was buzzing with opportunities.

But before he could even leave his house, a man claiming to be from National Security showed up at his door, and a whole group of plainclothes men who clearly had military backgrounds entered the village.

The sight of them made Li Dayu’s legs go soft.

When he heard from the National Security official that a major figure was coming to visit, Li Dayu collapsed onto his sofa, stunned. It took him a long while to snap out of it. Even after the men left, he remained there, muttering to himself.

They want me to go to Wang Jian’s place again?

"Nope, I’m too scared. I’m not going." Li Dayu called for his wife to bring him a Heart-saving Pill, and only let out a sigh of relief after taking it.