Chapter 115 Who is coming?
It rained for seven or eight days straight, and I felt a sense of unease. Why had it been raining non-stop ever since my nephew came into this world?
On the eighth day, I couldn't help but tell my master about my worries.
The master said softly, "It's almost Dragon Boat Festival. Let's get some water."
He didn't say much, and I didn't dare ask any more questions. It wasn't until the tenth day that the rain stopped. That day, Master, upon entering the living room, sighed, "Boss Lan's ten million has gone down the drain."
I said disdainfully, "You can't even stop it. It's all greed, who can you blame?"
The master shook his head and said, "It's not just a matter of greed, but rather too much self-confidence. One must be confident, otherwise nothing can be accomplished. But one cannot be overconfident."
The master and his disciple sighed for a moment. A few people arrived, some to do fortune-telling, others to choose an auspicious date. The master handed the job over to me and walked out into the yard. He liked to stretch his arms outside or visit a neighbor's house.
Business was good this morning, and I was busy until ten o'clock. When I came out of the bathroom, the owner of the Fugui Shopping Center across the street came over and asked me, "Where's Master?"
"I don't know. I went out for a walk. If you have anything to say, I'll tell you."
She said, "My little granddaughter is over two years old and has been coughing non-stop. She's been to the hospital, taken medicine, and had injections, but it's no use. It's no use seeing a doctor. I want Master to cast a spell on her."
I burst out laughing: "It's the same when I cast a spell."
She was a little doubtful and asked, "Did the master teach you?"
I waved my hand and said, "Bring your granddaughter here."
She didn't want to offend me, so she left.
After a while, I brought my granddaughter to me. I followed the method taught by the Eighth Master and checked her tongue coating. I picked up a pen and prescribed a few Chinese medicines. I said confidently, "Find a shop I know well and boil these five herbs for ten minutes. Drink it and you will be fine."
She was skeptical.
I tilted my chin. "Why are you still standing there? Don't you trust me?"
As she walked, she said, "Believe, believe."
I was so tired after not moving all morning that I stood up to stretch. Just as I raised my hands and twisted my waist, someone said, "Is it time for lunchtime exercises?"
I put down my hands and saw a short old man who was slightly older than my master and looked to be in his seventies, walking in while talking.
I sized up the newcomer. Though short, he exuded an air of formidability. From his casual entrance, I guessed he was either a neighbor or a relative of my master's.
I smiled and said, "Please sit down." Then I went to make tea.
The old man sat down and asked softly, "How old are you, Master Xiao Wan?"
I took the tea and replied, "I'm already twenty-four, and will be twenty-five in October. Do you know me?"
He took the tea and said with a smile, "I've been away from this street for many years. Now I'm back to retire."
As he was speaking, the master came out and shouted, "Mr. Chen is here." He then hurriedly introduced me to Mr. Chen, saying, "Mr. Chen is a famous pharmacist on this street."
Although I didn't understand what "Pharmacist" meant, I knew he must be a man of the Jianghu, so I stood up, clasped my hands together and said, "Salute, Senior."
Mr. Chen said casually, "Don't be too polite. I'm coming back to live here, and we'll be neighbors from now on."
The master also took a seat and offered a cigarette to Mr. Chen. He shook his head and said, "I have a little cough."
I was about to write him a prescription, but I swallowed the words back. After all, I hadn't told my master about this prescription yet.
After chatting for a while, Mr. Chen said to me, "The eldest daughter is in Nanning, and the youngest daughter is in Shanghai. The youngest daughter gave birth to a boy. Last night, I asked a Taoist priest to calculate the five elements. I asked my old neighbor to choose a name for him, and he asked you to do it. It shows that Master Xiao Wan's skills are quite good."
I said shyly: "It's all thanks to Master's guidance."
He smiled and said, "A master like this is a good master. A good person in the world."
I nodded repeatedly.
At this time, Mr. Chen said: "My grandson's surname is Duanmu. He is a boy and lacks water."
I blurted out, "This surname is quite rare. It belongs to Zigong, one of Confucius' seventy-two sages."
Old Chen looked at his master and smiled, as if to say, "You're a good apprentice." He turned to me and smiled, "Master Xiao Wan has indeed read a lot of books. However, I don't know much about these things. It turns out this surname has a lot of history."
I thought about it and said, "I've done some research on double surnames. They tend to be very effective in creating names, like Sima, Linghu, Ouyang, Shangguan, and Dongguo. These surnames themselves carry poetic connotations, which is why Mr. Jin Yong often uses them in his novels."
The master asked, "Do you know the other meaning behind Mr. Jin Yong's love of using double surnames in names?"
I added, "To prevent people from identifying with me in real life."
They both laughed.
I wrote a few words on a piece of paper and looked up. "Since your surname is Duanmu and you lack water, I'll name you Duanmu Feng. 'Feng' is associated with water and supports wood. It symbolizes the tall, upright tree on the top of a mountain. When your grandson grows up, he'll be just like the swordsman described by Mr. Jin Yong: handsome, tall, and talented..."
When Mr. Chen heard this, he smiled widely and said, "I like this. I've wanted to be a swordsman all my life, but I didn't make it. Let him do it." Then he started to count the money.
The master looked unhappy and stopped him, saying, "Are we really so estranged from each other?"
Mr. Chen bowed to the master and said, "Then I'd rather obey than be disrespectful."
The master asked, "What's the main problem with your body?"
Mr. Chen smiled and said, "As we get older, each year becomes worse than the last, and we become sick all over."
The master smiled and said, "Nature's laws are irresistible. Anyway, you have money and your daughters are living well. Just practice Tai Chi and exercise your body. Don't worry about anything else."
Mr. Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, old friend, for your guidance. Now I'll walk around, take a stroll, and relax my mind." After that, he stood up, hummed a little tune, and walked out.
I gazed at Mr. Chen's back, listening to him humming a familiar tune. Suddenly, I felt like this man had a story, so I asked Master, "You said Mr. Chen is a medicine man. What does medicine man mean?"
The master said, "It's hard to explain right away. Let me tell you about Mr. Chen."
I blurted out: "A strange man?"
The master nodded and said, "Yes. An absolute extraordinary person."
At this time, Aunt Chen came out and glanced at me. I felt puzzled, so I smiled at her and said, "Auntie, what do you think is wrong with me?"
Aunt Chen smiled and said, "If you want to eat here, you have to register with me."
I picked up my phone and saw it was already twelve o'clock. After hesitating for a moment, I said, "Okay, let's eat here. I want to listen to Master's stories."
She smiled and walked into the backyard.
The master picked up the teacup and said, "Let's go to the study."
I sat down in the study and refilled Master's tea.
Then, the master systematically recounted the story of this legendary neighbor.
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