Chapter 168 Consultation
After taking a nap at noon, Wang Deming put all the drafts of "To Live" into a yellow canvas bag and rode his bicycle to the post office. He mailed it to the Commercial Printing Bureau by registered mail for 8 cents. Then he went to the telephone room to queue up and dial the number. "Beep, beep."

"Hello, comrade, who's the call?"

"Take Shanghai."

"Ok."

"Connect to the Commercial Printing Bureau."

"Ok."

"beep"

"I'm calling from Beijing. My last name is Wang. I'm looking for editor Zhao Shouyan."

"Shh. Oh, he's not here. Why don't you call back later? He should be back around 4pm."

"Ok."

How come a 2-second call and a 2-minute waiting time are like patients complaining about the length of their consultation in my previous life?
Wang Deming obediently paid 5 cents. Fortunately, it was charged by the time, not by the minute, otherwise it would have been a huge loss. Long-distance calls were 5 cents, and local calls were 4 cents.

I traveled light, not only were there no thick draft books in my schoolbag, but my clothes were also no longer as bulky as in winter.

Although he was wearing a sweater underneath, it didn't bulge out like a cotton-padded jacket, and only showed off Wang Deming's slender figure and his long legs that were as good as riding a bike.

Hey, you took down the sign so early today?

The plaque with the inscription "Palace Xia-style Bone Correction" that used to hang at the gate of the courtyard was not hung out today. The gray walls were bare and no sound was heard in the courtyard.

He carried the bicycle into the courtyard and pushed it to the corner. As soon as he entered the hanging flower gate, he saw Master Xia Xiwu sitting leisurely under the crabapple tree drinking tea and waving at him.

Wang Deming went over and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea. Immediately, a scent of jasmine flowers wafted in the air. It was jasmine tea. The warm, sunny sunshine of a spring afternoon shone through the branches and leaves of the crabapple tree, and there seemed to be a hint of fragrance in the mottled sunlight.

Hey, don’t mention it, sitting under the tree with a pot of tea at hand, it’s so comfortable to be lazy, you might fall asleep at any moment.

Do you feel sleepy in spring, tired in autumn and nappy in summer?

Wang Deming even spoke lazily, "Master, why are you collecting the plaques so early today?"

"I'm old and can't work anymore. I was exhausted after giving massage and bone setting to several patients this morning." Xia Xiwu squinted his eyes, listened to the Peking Opera singing coming from the box, hummed along softly, and tapped his fingers on the back of the chair to make drum beats.

"The sun is high in the sky, the spring breeze is warm, the trees are sprouting green, and hundreds of birds are singing among the leaves."

Oh, it’s a play in “Water Margin”, “The Forest of Wild Boars”, which tells the story of Lin Chong going to Liangshan on a snowy night, as everyone knows.

Wang Deming also imitated his master, leaning back in his chair and listening to the opera with his eyes squinted.

At this time, the mood is at this time, nothing happens to the little fairy!
However, Wang Deming occasionally turned his head to look at his master and found that although he looked relaxed, his brows were slightly wrinkled, as if he was worried about something?
After a while, the master's wife came over to add water. Wang Deming quickly stood up, took the kettle, glanced at the master, and asked softly: "Sister-in-law, is there anything the master needs today?"

The master's wife glanced at my father, put her finger on her lips, shook her head and walked away.

Wang Deming frowned. What could it be?

He reached out to pour tea for Master and said, "Master, Brother sent a letter home saying that the frontline was too tough?"

Xia Xiwu shook his head.

"Did someone send a letter from the front saying that our brother is ill?"

Still shaking his head.

"Master."

"Okay," Xia Xiwu raised his hand to interrupt Wang Deming's continued questioning, "You are determined to get to the bottom of this."

Xia Xiwu opened his eyes, sighed barely audibly, and said, "It's nothing serious, except that from now on, my clinic can only be open half a day." "If I want to continue practicing medicine, I have to go to a clinic or hospital designated by the Ministry of Public Health."

"Anyway, it's either morning or afternoon. They say it's to standardize medical procedures."

"Hey, what did I think it was?" Wang Deming slapped his thigh and said with a smile: "Master, this is a good thing!"

"You may feel that the government doesn't trust you. But think about it, there are many bone-setting and traumatology shops in the market. What if there are unskilled people?"

"Not to mention that in the major temple fairs in our capital, there has always been a group of people who are good at bragging, selling powerful pills, muscle-relaxing powder, and dog-skin plasters, claiming that they can cure all diseases. Shouldn't the government take action to regulate them?"

Xia Xiwu frowned even more and continued tapping the back of his chair. After thinking for a while, his brows relaxed and he smiled, "That seems to be the case!"

Wang Deming continued, "Moreover, Master, you are the chairman of the Orthopedics Society of the Chinese Medical Association, and you are well-known. How could the government not know about this? They must also hope to use your sharp eyes and golden eyes!"

Old man Xia Xiwu laughed, "Well, not bad, you are really smart!"

He turned around and shouted into the house, "Huizhen!"

"Dad." My sister-in-law came out of the house with needle and thread in her hand.

"Help me and Deming prepare some appetizers, and heat up a pot of Lihuabai so that we can drink a cup together."

"Okay, Dad!" The master's wife smiled with two dimples, and her big eyes showed an approving smile. She nodded at Wang Deming, turned around and went back to the house to put away the needle and thread and went to the kitchen at the entrance of the yard.

Soon, four small plates were served: thinly shredded pig ears mixed with coriander and a few drops of soy sauce to enhance the flavor; shredded Tianyuan Jiangyuan beet and ginger sprouts; fried peanuts sprinkled with fine salt; and Wangzhihe's fermented bean curd.

Add a pot of hot pear blossom white tea and two small wine cups, and you're all set.

Wang Deming and Xia Xiwu, father and son, were drinking under a crabapple tree, basking in the sun and listening to some music.

"Master, has Brother written to you recently?"

"I received a letter, and it's all good. They said that our Chinese medicine is very useful on the front line. Although our treatment of traumatic infection is not as effective as Western medicine's penicillin, it has an immediate effect;"

"But when faced with the plague, we Chinese medicine practitioners have thousands of years of prescriptions for reference; secondly, we can use local materials. When faced with local people who are sick, we isolate them and make decoctions to clear away heat and toxins based on their symptoms, and we quickly control the spread of the plague."

"Deming, do you know? Your senior brother said that at the beginning, the leaders of the volunteer army medical team in charge of the front line also looked down on them."

When Xia Xiwu talked about the team of traditional Chinese medicine supporting the bacterial warfare on the front line, he seemed to be there himself, full of enthusiasm, radiant, and full of vigor.

The old man soon fell drunk, and Wang Deming helped him into the house and onto the kang. The master's wife and her husband's wife took off their shoes and covered themselves with a quilt. Soon, a snoring sound was heard.

Several people came out of the hall, and Wang Deming brought up the old topic again, "Master's wife, Master's wife, is Master only worried because the health department requires him to practice medicine in a fixed location?"

Upon hearing this, the master's wife was filled with worry and sighed, "I heard from the old man that if I don't go to see patients, my family's medical license will be revoked and I won't be able to see patients at home anymore."

Wang Deming frowned slightly, lowered his head and remained silent for a while before he said, "Master's wife, I understand. I'll go back first."

"Okay, Deming, please ride slowly on the road. You've been drinking."

"Ah."

Looking at the time, Wang Deming quickly rode his bike to the post office again, queued up and dialed the number, "Hello, is this Brother Zhao Shouyan? I'm Wang Deming."

"I mailed you the manuscript of my second novel, To Live, today."

"Oh, Deming, hello! I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Brother Shouyan, has the Rural Doctors' Handbook been printed?"

With the crackling sound of electricity, Zhao Shouyan on the other end of the phone said, "Quick!"

(End of this chapter)