Chapter 29 Chapter 29 A golden phoenix flew out of the chicken coop...
A few days later, Shen Miao and Shen Wanshan were invited to the office building of the provincial TV station.
This was their first time visiting a place like this.
Looking at the cameras and lenses around him, as well as those faces he had only seen on TV, Shen Miao felt more nervous than excited when he thought that he would appear in the same frame with them soon.
In order to look better when on TV, Shen Miao specially changed into a new set of clothes. She usually didn't like to dress up, but today she also put a light-colored hairpin on her head.
On the other hand, when Shen Wanshan came, he was still wearing his plain blue cloth shirt, with his pipe casually tucked into his waist, and he didn't look like he was here to film a show at the TV station.
Knowing that they were going to be on TV, Shen Shansheng took him for a spin in the city yesterday, saying that he wanted to spruce him up and paint the Shen family's "old signboard" with some gold paint to make it look more respectable.
But after the father and son had been wandering around for a day, the old man only bought half a pound of tobacco and some fresh fruits. He was too lazy to even try on his new clothes, but he bought a new mouthpiece for his pipe, which he had used for many years.
A man with knowledge of literature and ink has a humble mind; a man with poetry and books in his belly has an elegant demeanor.
Shen Wanshan didn't care about these empty-headed fake tricks. A truly capable person could not hide his talent even if he was dressed in rags, so he was too lazy to waste time on face-saving projects.
The dark blue coat that was almost faded due to washing, the thin trousers, and the pair of old cloth shoes that had been worn for four or five years...
Shen Wanshan was dressed casually, but he looked very energetic, with a straight back and a steady lower body. Although he was over seventy years old, he still had a ruddy complexion and looked full of energy, better than many young people in the office building.
Because Jiang Xiaozhen was called to a meeting, they were led by the staff to the lounge to take a rest. The man who led them said that other masters would come soon and the meeting would not start until all the people were present.
When we arrived at the lounge, some people had already arrived and were reading today's newspaper while waiting for others.
He was a middle-aged man in his early forties.
The man was dressed very neatly, with a pen in his chest pocket. He looked like an intellectual who was well-versed in poetry and books.
Seeing someone coming, the man took the initiative to stand up and shook Shen Wanshan's hand, introducing himself: "Hello, hello, my name is Liang, my given name is Xu, and I work in the Department of Psychiatric Surgery of the Eighth People's Hospital of Yu City."
Shen Wanshan nodded and greeted him neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Shen Wanshan, the eighth generation successor of the Shen's Medical Clinic in Qinghe Village."
The Eighth People’s Hospital, Department of Psychiatric Surgery?
Well, that makes sense. Combining Chinese and Western medicine for diagnosis and treatment should have very good results.
This was Shen Wanshan’s first contact with psychiatry, so while waiting, he listened to some of his knowledge and cases in this area, and also learned some methods in treating mental illness.
The mind and the body seem to be two different areas, but in fact the treatment methods are very similar. They both calm the body by calming the mind, but the drugs used are different.
Just as the two were chatting excitedly, someone pushed open the door of the lounge.
She was a big and strong lady, probably preparing to be on camera. She was wearing red and had a cloth pocket on her waist. The pocket should be filled with something like pebbles, which made a "rustling" sound when she walked.
The woman looked to be in her fifties. Her hair was shaved into a short buzz cut for easier management, and her face was roughly made up. Perhaps she was not used to dressing like this, and she didn't even realize that the lipstick on the left corner of her lip was smudged.
"You're all early. Sorry, I got a flat tire on the way, so I'm a little late."
The woman's name is Zhang Rong. Not only does she have a cheerful personality like a man, but her name also sounds like a man's at first glance. Her carefree demeanor is a bit like those enthusiastic and good-hearted aunts and grandmas in the village, giving people a feeling that she is easy to get along with.
I heard that she said that she was a "witch" from Yuanmen Village in the west of Yu City.
Yes, she herself described herself as a witch. She said that she had a serious illness when she was young, and since then she has been able to see "ghosts" and communicate with "ghosts".
Traditional Chinese medicine + Western medicine, and now there’s a fortune teller who can communicate with “ghosts”… Isn’t this treatment a bit too comprehensive?
Zhang Rong is very proud of her identity as a "fortune teller". During the chat, she talked about many of her experiences in communicating with spirits and how she helped many people get rid of being haunted by ghosts.
She spoke in a magical way, with the ups and downs of her tone like a storyteller, and she was just short of performing her own exorcism process for them. However, Liang Xu was not interested in it. After responding a few times, he lowered his head and continued to read his newspaper.
It seemed that he was a materialist and did not believe in her talk of ghosts and gods, so no matter how eloquently she spoke, he would not listen to a word she said.
To be honest, Shen Miao didn’t believe it either.
She had also seen many fortune-tellers who could read Feng Shui and treat illnesses, but in fact, they were all scammers. But the strange thing was that Shen Wanshan listened to her seriously and would respond to her from time to time.
"Is it so weird?"
"No, his grandfather just can't let it go and doesn't want to die, so he wants to use him as a substitute!"
"So how did you cure him in the end?"
"Use the coal ash from Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace. Look, this is it."
As he spoke, Zhang Rong untied the cloth bag at his waist and took out a handful of beans of various colors: red beans, black beans, mung beans, and a few peanut kernels mixed in... This was the coal ash from the "Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace" she mentioned.
Shen Wanshan looked at the "coal ash" in surprise and said, "Can you give me some? I'll put it at home to ward off evil spirits."
Seeing Shen Wanshan's support, Zhang Rong looked very proud, so he pinched a small handful and put it in his palm, then told him: "Here, go back and put it on the bedside. After 49 days, I guarantee that no demons or monsters will dare to provoke you again."
"Oh, okay."
After chatting for a long time, Zhang Rong felt a little thirsty, so he asked a staff member to go outside and get a glass of water.
After she walked away, Shen Miao dared to approach Shen Wanshan and asked him, “Master, do you really believe that she can talk to ghosts?”
"I don't believe it." Shen Wanshan answered simply.
"Then why did you ask her for the coal ash of Taishang Laojun?"
Shen Wanshan rubbed the beans in his hand and snorted sarcastically, "Just for fun, anyway, I have nothing to do sitting here, it's better to listen to her bragging than to quarrel with her after exposing it."
This is also one of the life experiences summed up by Shen Wanshan.
What he despised most was those liars who used the stories of gods and ghosts to get people. If he were younger, he would definitely expose their deceptive methods one by one and then spread the news far and wide to let everyone be wary of their scams.
It’s different now. He just watches her act silently, as if he is watching a clown performing hard.
Because he knew that what was fake would never be real, and even if he didn't have to do anything himself, they would be exposed sooner or later. Instead of wasting his energy arguing with others, it would be better to save his energy and watch the show.
Watching it rise up, watching its guests gather, watching it collapse...it's quite interesting.
This was how Ma Qiudong sold the "miracle medicine" in the beginning. If the other party hadn't gone too far, he wouldn't have let the matter get out of hand.
Having said that, it’s good to have a “witch” to work with, so that you can compare with Chinese and Western medicine that can really cure diseases.
They thought that they were the only ones participating in the program, but when Jiang Xiaozhen finished the meeting and came to the lounge, they found out that there was another expert joining them.
This master arrived the latest. He was a man in his early thirties. He was wearing a blue Taoist robe and had long hair tied up. I guess he was a Taoist practitioner.
The man said very little. He only said that his name was Wang Yunfeng and that he was practicing in a Taoist temple deep in the mountains of Henan Province. That was the end of his self-introduction.
Although he was quite polite when speaking to the people present, he had an indescribable arrogance, and his attitude of looking down on people was as if he was saying to everyone “You are all a bunch of rookies”, which made Shen Miao feel very uncomfortable.
Young people, middle-aged people, old people, all ages are there;
There were people studying medicine, Taoism, and Taoism, and people from all fields were gathered here.
They said they were going to treat people, but Shen Miao always felt that such a grand posture was to collectively perform a ritual to subdue demons. If that mad man was not some demon or the Monkey King, it would be a shame for them to mobilize so many people.
Before setting off, Shen Miao heard Jiang Xiaozhen say that except for herself and Liang Xu, the others were all asked by the men's parents to find them.
In order to cure their son's illness, they tried every possible method, but they were at their wits' end, so they thought of looking for some unconventional people to see if they had any magic tricks to cure madness.
Well, that’s true. If taking medicine can work, who would be willing to believe in shamanism?
On the way to the man's home, Jiang Xiaozhen recounted his situation to everyone: the man's name was Song Chen, he was 22 years old this year, and he suffered from occasional madness three years ago. Only by eating ginseng regularly could he stabilize his condition and reduce the incidence of the disease.
"…So I invited everyone here today in the hope that everyone can help Song's parents and find out what disease Song Chen has."
"Leave it to us, don't worry!"
As soon as Jiang Xiaozhen finished speaking, Zhang Rong took over her words with full confidence.
Jiang Xiaozhen: "Thank you for your hard work."
"This disease is really unheard of, and it sounds really evil." Shen Wanshan muttered in a low voice.
This was the first time Shen Miao saw him in trouble.
Although he had encountered some difficult and complicated diseases before, he could at least grasp some clues and sort out some clues. But today's disease... well, it's really hard to say at the moment.
*
The provincial TV station's bus turned again and again in the city and finally stopped at the gate of a housing estate.
A couple in their fifties had been waiting eagerly for a long time. When they saw a large truck with a TV station logo coming towards them, the anxious expressions on their faces relaxed a little.
"Hello, teachers. Sorry for the trouble. I really trouble you all!"
"Thank you for your hard work along the way. I'm sorry to have caused you all trouble."
"Hello, hello. You don't have to be so polite."
The couple were very polite. When they saw several teachers getting off the car one after another, they kept bending down and bowing to them to express their gratitude.
They did not prepare any expensive gifts, but only brought a bag of fresh oranges and a few bags of soy milk. When getting off the bus, they respectfully handed their insignificant gifts to everyone.
This is the staff quarters of the Yu City Cotton Mill. Those who can live here are all employees of the factory.
The city cotton mill is a state-owned enterprise, and the salaries of people working in the factory are not low. Just by looking at the cars parked in the family compound, you can tell that the quality of life of the cotton mill employees should be higher than the city average.
But the couple who came to greet them were in tattered clothes and looked very haggard. Shen Miao was two years older than their son, so logically, they should be about the same age as Shen Miao's parents, but their heads were already covered with white hair.
The man's name was He Xinjun, the woman's name was Wang Juan, and the one who became insane was their son, He Shengwei.
They are old employees of the cotton mill. They had originally planned to retire and enjoy a peaceful life after their son graduated from college in two years. But now, in order to pay for their son's medical treatment, they not only have to work in the factory during the day, but also have to take on odd jobs after returning home at night.
When I followed them home, He Shengwei had not come back yet. I heard that he went to the bookstore to read.
This 60-square-meter house was allocated to them by the factory. Because they had been buying ginseng for their son's medical treatment continuously in the past two years, most of the furniture in the house had been sold, leaving only some worn-out tables and chairs, and a radio with half of its casing broken.
He Shengwei's madness must have occurred many times. There are traces of smashing things everywhere in the house. The dent on the table looks very new, and it is estimated that it was left just in the past few days.
They said that He Shengwei was fine before he went to college, but he started to get sick after he entered college. When he had an attack, he would yell and throw things around like a mad bull.
At this time, you either have to tie yourself up with a rope and rely on willpower to get through the madness; or you have to eat ginseng in time to regain your calm.
"Ginseng? What kind of thing does it look like? How old is it? What's the dosage?" Shen Wanshan asked.
"It must be more than 20 years old," He Xinjun replied. "The dosage... he has to take a bite when the disease occurs. It doesn't matter how much he takes at other times. Anyway, he has to take it when he feels unwell."
Twenty years...
When Shen Wanshan heard this year, he couldn't help but be surprised.
The older the ginseng is, the higher the ginsenoside content is. Generally, ginseng that is about ten years old can only play a role in daily health care. If you want to regulate your body and treat diseases, you really need ginseng that is more than twenty years old.
However, Shen Wanshan was not surprised by this, but he treated the twenty-year-old ginseng as fruit and had to eat a little from time to time... Wouldn't he have nosebleeds every day after taking such a powerful tonic?
Shen Miao and Shen Wanshan looked at each other and sighed in the same voice: "Twenty-year-old ginseng costs about ten yuan per gram in a pharmacy, and one root costs at least several hundred yuan..."
"Yes," Wang Juan sighed, "They are expensive in pharmacies and sometimes you can't even buy them... Well, at first we only took two or three a month, which we could still afford. Now we have to take more than ten a month, and our family really can't afford it."
As a parent, who would want to expose their child’s wounds to the whole world?
They really had no other choice. They couldn't let their child be burdened by such a strange disease for the rest of his life.
"Then do you know how he got this disease?" Jiang Xiaozhen continued to ask while holding the microphone.
"It's all our fault..."
When Wang Juan mentioned her son's illness, her eyes moistened instantly. As soon as she opened her mouth, tears began to fall: "We set too high expectations for Xiaowei. We always hoped that he could study hard and make a name for himself in the future. We never expected..."
Wang Juan said that they had high expectations for their son since he was young. In addition, since their son was indeed much smarter than his peers, they hoped even more that he could become a golden phoenix that flew out of the chicken coop.
Because their son fell ill at school, they didn't know the specific cause. They just often heard their son complain that studying gave him headaches and he felt suffocated, so they guessed it might be caused by too much stress.
After briefly understanding the situation, Jiang Xiaozhen handed the microphone to Zhang Rong and asked, "Teacher Zhang, based on your experience, what do you think is the cause of He Shengwei's illness?"
When the camera turned around, Zhang Rong couldn't help but sit up straighter, and cleared his throat before speaking, "No hurry, let me calculate first."
As she spoke, she untied the cloth bag at her waist, took out a handful of beans, shook them in her palm, and then sprinkled them on the table.
Crash...
The beans were scattered on the table, like stars in the dark night sky. After touching them randomly with his hands, Zhang Rong couldn't help but touch his short hair, then sighed: "Well, I felt that I had touched something dirty, and it turned out to be true."
Shen Miao took a curious look but didn’t see anything.
Zhang Rong made way for Wang Juan and pulled her over to him. "Look, the black beans are mostly gathered here, which shows that the Yin energy is heavy. It is precisely because of the heavy Yin energy that we need ginseng, which has the most Yang energy, to replenish it. Otherwise, we would have been possessed by ghosts long ago!"
"Oh my god, is it that serious?!"
Oh my God, she really believed it!
Haste makes wisdom slow. Wang Juan was too worried about her son's condition, so she believed everything Zhang Rong said.
What do you mean by strong yin energy? She grabbed so many black beans in one go, it would be hard to prevent them from gathering together. If she had grabbed a few more red beans, it would probably be considered strong yang energy.
Wang Juan: "Teacher Zhang, is there any way to crack it?"
His fingers continued to touch the beans on the table. In order to prove that he really had magical powers, Zhang Rong continued to ask: "Let me ask a few questions first, and see if your child can match them."
"OK."
"Your child had a serious illness when he was young, and had a fever for at least two or three days."
"Yes, when I was in first grade, it burned for two days after it got caught in the rain!"
"Your child's interpersonal relationships are usually... well, let me think of how to describe it. Probably the kind that not everyone likes."
"Almost. Xiaowei is a bit introverted and doesn't like to communicate with others."
"Have any of his grandparents passed away?"
"The older generation is gone. His grandparents died when he was a child, and his grandma and grandpa also died when he was a teenager..."
Every guess Zhang Rong made was confirmed by Wang Juan, as if she had seen through their son's past twenty years.
Although He Xinjun didn't say anything, he couldn't conceal the admiration and surprise in his eyes. At the end, he was almost kneeling down and kowtowed to her, begging her to save his son.
Perhaps this is the case of those involved being confused. The couple were stunned by the question. Shen Miao and Shen Wanshan on the side did not say anything on the surface, but every time they looked at each other, they would raise the corners of their lips meaningfully.
Calculated? Didn't she figure it out by asking one question at a time?
From beginning to end, Zhang Rong used interrogative sentences like "is it, is there, is it right", and she would only add the second half of the sentence after Wang Juan told her the following situation. Even if what she said was wrong, she could always find an excuse to make up for it.
For example, when Wang Juan answered "probably not", she would say "unrequited love does count, so it should be possible".
So after this "question-and-answer" investigation, Shen Miao was even more convinced that she was a charlatan. It was just that Wang Juan and He Xinjun, as parents, were confused by the situation and were led by her.
After hearing her preliminary diagnosis, Jiang Xiaozhen, a reporter, did not rush to express her opinion, but handed the microphone and camera back to Taoist Master Wang Yunfeng, who spoke the least.
"There is a saying in Cai Gen Tan: Everything has a cause and an effect. Only by examining your own words and deeds can you avoid disasters." Wang Yunfeng did not look at the camera. Instead, he closed his eyes and recited these words in a very soft voice.
He didn't explain, but Wang Juan and He Xinjun probably guessed what he meant: the child's illness was probably caused by the bad karma he had planted, and it was because of the parents' fault that the child had suffered such a disaster...
It should be... like this, right?
Wang Juan wiped away the tears from her eyes and nodded to admit her mistake: "Yes, yes, it's our fault. We know we were wrong."
"Good fortune and bad luck come from nowhere, but are summoned by people. The rewards of good and evil follow you like a shadow." Wang Yunfeng didn't listen to her anymore. He interrupted her and continued to recite another sentence, "A family that accumulates good will surely have more blessings; a family that accumulates evil will surely have more disasters."
Compared to the mysterious Zhang Rong, Taoist Wang Yunfeng was indeed more profound. He started by quoting profound principles from scriptures. However, after listening to him for a long time, no one understood what he meant.
I just roughly guessed that it was the relationship between "cause" and "effect".
Seeing everyone looking at him in bewilderment, Wang Yunfeng raised his eyelids slightly and said, "He is suffering the consequences. His own virtues have been damaged, which has caused his mind to become confused."
Shen Miao: …
At first, after hearing him say so many great truths, she thought he really was some kind of enlightened master, but as soon as he said this, Shen Miao instantly understood what was going on.
Yeah, another liar.
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