Chapter Nineteen: Meeting Again

It was past six o'clock, and the sky had long since turned completely dark. On the town’s street, which stretched for about two hundred meters, only two dim streetlights stood, struggling to cast their light in an effort to illuminate the world.

The street was utterly deserted. Even in the height of summer, let alone in the bitter cold of deep winter, there was rarely anyone out at night. With no entertainment to be found, why stay out when it was far more comfortable to be at home, tucked away with one’s wife?

Li Yancheng tightened his overcoat as he stepped out of the health center. Standing by the roadside, he looked at the nearby town store, which still had its lights on, and headed toward it.

Just as he reached the bottom of the steps at the entrance, the curtain was pulled aside from within, and a familiar face emerged. Both men froze as their eyes met.

"Hello, Doctor Li."

"Uh... hello, hello. You haven't headed back to the county seat yet?"

The person who emerged was the same young man who had come to him for treatment that afternoon, only to leave without actually being treated. Li Yancheng hadn't expected their work group to remain in this remote, impoverished place for the night.

"Our work isn't finished yet," the young man said. A smile frequently played on his lips, and he spoke with a measured, unhurried tone that put others at ease. However, having seen all sorts of people, Li Yancheng could still sense a hint of arrogance and detachment behind that smile. It wasn't directed at him specifically; it was simply that the young man used that smile as a mask.

"Doctor Li, if you're here to buy something, you’d better go in quickly. I heard the clerk saying they were about to close up for the night."

This store was the only department store in Mulin Town. The standard working hours were nine to six, with an hour for lunch. The staff were all government-salaried employees, so it was quite a surprise that they were still open at half-past six.

Li Yancheng had come specifically for cigarettes. When he walked out after his purchase, he found the man still standing by the door, clearly waiting for him.

Seeing him emerge, the young man smiled and extended his right hand. "Doctor Li, let’s get acquainted. My name is Luo Yang—'Yang' as in 'soaring.' I work for the relevant municipal department, the newly established committee."

Looking at the hand offered to him, Li Yancheng shifted the two packs of cigarettes from his right hand to his left and shook it.

"Li Yancheng. My unit is the Municipal First Hospital."

"Doctor Li, I’d say we’re about the same age. What year were you born?"

"Forty-two."

"Hah! We really are the same age. I’m from forty-two as well, though I’m sure my birthday is earlier than yours," the young man—Luo Yang—continued, as if just making conversation.

"That’s not necessarily true. Under normal circumstances, nobody born in the same year would be older than me. My birthday is New Year's Day." Li Yancheng wasn't the type to be cold, and since the other man was making an effort to chat, he followed the lead.

In truth, he didn't actually know what year he was born. When the old man had found him, he had estimated his age to be three, so when they registered him after the liberation, they settled on forty-two. As for his birthday, they had just picked New Year's Day because it was easy to remember. Even his name had been given to him by the old man, taking on the family surname.

Hearing that he was born on New Year's Day, Luo Yang paused, his hand halfway to his pocket for a cigarette, a look of astonishment on his face.

"New Year's Day, forty-two? Are you really born on New Year's Day?"

"Yes, that’s the date on my household registration."

"Hey, what a coincidence! I never expected to run into someone born on the exact same day, month, and year as me here."

"Oh?" Li Yancheng was also surprised. It was quite a coincidence.

"Rare, truly rare. Come on, brother, let’s shake hands again. It’s not easy to find someone born on the same day in this vast sea of people."

"Hahaha, indeed!"

The smile on Luo Yang’s face became noticeably more sincere.

"Brother, I see you’re wearing a military overcoat. Were you in the service?"

"Yes, I only returned from the army last year and was assigned to the First Hospital."

"Were you a medic in the army?"

"No, I graduated from medical school before joining the army."

"You... you went into the army after graduating from vocational medical school?" Luo Yang’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit a goose egg.

"Yes. I can't even remember what I was thinking back then; I didn't even wait for a job assignment, I just ran to the recruitment office and signed up."

"You’re really something!" Luo Yang shook his head in genuine admiration and flicked a cigarette from his pack to offer it to Li Yancheng.

It was a filtered Blue Peony, costing sixty cents a pack—the same price as unfiltered Zhongnanhai—and was the kind of thing you couldn't always buy even if you had the money.

Observing the cotton-padded overcoat made of polyester-cotton khaki and the suede cotton-lined leather shoes, Li Yancheng figured this guy was likely a "second-generation" elite. He just wasn't sure why he would be working for this newly formed committee, even though the unit did indeed hold power now.

Striking a match, Li Yancheng lit Luo Yang’s cigarette first, then his own. After blowing out the match, he asked, "Where are you staying tonight?"

"At the town government compound. There are a few rooms in the back intended for guests."

As he spoke, Luo Yang glanced back at the store, which had already turned off its lights and locked up. Turning back to Li Yancheng, he whispered, "Brother, give it to me straight: is my condition treatable or not?"

He couldn't let go of the concern for his own body. It was understandable; no healthy man could take such a matter lightly.

Before Li Yancheng could answer, he added, "I won't lie to you. Over the last two years, I’ve seen many famous doctors. Not just around here; I’ve even been to Shanghai. But the results... like I told you this afternoon, the conditions for treatment were too harsh and the time required too long. Honestly, I didn't have the patience to stick with it."

Li Yancheng hesitated, unsure how to respond. After a moment of thought and a few puffs of his cigarette, he spoke under the weight of Luo Yang’s anxious gaze.

"I wasn't lying to you this afternoon. I really do have a way to cure you. You would see obvious results in just one month, but the conditions are indeed quite strict."

"Is it the three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng you mentioned?" Luo Yang frowned. If it truly required such a thing, he really didn't have a way to get it. That sort of item was like a legendary medicine; even his family couldn't easily procure it.

"No, no."

Li Yancheng shook his head. "That was just an excuse I gave because I saw you were skeptical of me. What I mean by 'strict' is that you would need to come to me for acupuncture every single day for a month. For example, if you came at eight-thirty in the morning, you would have to come back at eight-thirty in the evening. Then the same for the second day, the third day, and so on, for thirty consecutive days without fail."

"So, you mean acupuncture every twelve hours?"

"Exactly. And once the treatment begins, it cannot be interrupted, or it could cause unknown harm to your body."

"If it can really cure me, that’s no problem at all." Was it a harsh condition? It was and it wasn't. As long as he could ensure he had the time, it was all about persistence.