Chapter 20.1 - Panax notoginseng 三七
It was already quite late when He Suye received a call from the school’s Red Cross Society.
Recently, he had noticed that he often made mistakes with actions related to ropes, such as pulling on an electrical cord and knocking over a pen holder, or tripping on a power cord and flipping over the table. After carefully examining the issue, he concluded that it was a problem with his thinking—his logical reasoning was chaotic, leading to a lack of understanding of cause and effect. It was a disadvantage that had developed over time.
It was all the fault of that offer, which had left him feeling restless and disoriented.
The phone call, however, helped calm his scattered thoughts for the time being. The school’s Red Cross Society organized a medical team every year to provide free medical consultations in mountain villages, a place he had visited two years ago and was very familiar with.
He had hidden away in that small mountain village, where he saw terraced fields, rice paddies, families raising chickens and ducks, and pigs covered in mud and water. Every day, he would go to fetch water, make a fire, and then see patients and teach the villagers. Most of the people there were very poor—they couldn’t afford expensive medicine or hospital stays. The only doctor in the village was a local quack who didn’t even know how to properly sterilize when administering vaccinations.
The air there was fresh. Although the conditions were very difficult, he enjoyed watching the children gather around him, calling him “Big Brother” and asking him math questions. The villagers would thank him by sending fresh vegetables, and the elderly would invite him to drink a few cups of rice wine in the evening.
He once had the thought of staying in that small mountain village for the rest of his life.
When he returned from that trip, his counselor and the boss scolded him harshly, and his roommate immediately dragged him to the girls’ dormitory to weigh himself. He had lost ten pounds. His ankle was still covered with a bandage—the village had unstable ground, and landslides were common.
As time passed, he gradually forgot about that place. Perhaps it wasn’t just because he was busy, but because that person no longer mattered. All the pain faded away, and the memories became insignificant.
It wasn’t that he was heartless; it was because she didn’t deserve him to degrade himself. The sky was vast, and everything was wide open.
In the rice cooker, chicken soup was simmering, with astragalus and yam added.
Astragalus tonifies the Qi and raises Yang, strengthens the stomach and protects the surface, promotes water circulation and reduces swelling; yam tonifies Qi, nourishes Yin, and strengthens the spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
It was said that on the wedding day, the bridesmaids were even more exhausted than the bride, running up and down, handling everything, so busy they couldn’t even have a bite to eat. Even though the little girl had sworn she was experienced, he still wasn’t reassured.
Perhaps in addition to preparing the special meals for her and Qiu Tian, he would also have to prepare band-aids. According to Su Shan, one of Shen Xifan’s high heels was a strappy type, which could easily cause blisters after a lot of walking.
He felt frustrated and thought to himself, this wedding was really exhausting. At least he wasn’t getting married.
Wait, getting married? Himself? With whom?
A figure flashed through his mind. He tightened his breath and quickly opened the lid, accidentally burning his hand. However, the rich, fragrant smell of the chicken soup wafted out, making him smile.
He was already somewhat impatient to see her in a wedding dress.
Qiu Tian—he yelled inwardly, I regret it! If I had known about that third knot, I wouldn’t have let you have it. At least I could have won that third knot.
The next day, He Suye was woken up early by a phone call. Qiu Tian shouted, “Come to Li Jie’s place and see, can he really marry Su Mei Mei dressed like this?”
Li Jie helplessly shouted, “I’m dashing and suave like Pan An, a pear blossom weighing down a begonia, how is this outfit so ugly?” But Qiu Tian wasn’t interested in his bad joke and kept mocking him, “Are you sure you want to get married in this turtle shell? How about adding a green hat?”
He Suye was speechless and immediately took a cab to Li Jie’s house. Sure enough, aside from the disheveled groom, Qiu Tian had himself all glammed up. He Suye sighed, “Qiu Tian, you look like a goldfish!”
In the end, they picked the most conventional dress from the many options. He was puzzled, “Didn’t you all try on these dresses beforehand? Why is everything so chaotic today?”
Qiu Tian sighed helplessly, “I told him to try them on, but this guy wouldn’t cooperate!”
Li Jie was even more helpless, “My mom suddenly brought over all these dresses; I’m under a lot of pressure too!”
When the three of them finally stepped out, they stunned everyone in Li Jie’s family—young and old. The cousins nearly stared with wide eyes. “Oh my god, these three could star in a youth idol drama!”
It was just dawn, and the morning light was clean and gentle. The air carried a faint mist and the fresh scent of plants.
As they walked into the courtyard, Qiu Tian shamelessly draped himself over He Suye’s shoulder and whispered in his ear with a chuckle, “Sharp angle, do you think the cute girl will fall for you when she sees you?”
His heart skipped a few beats. He quickly turned to push Qiu Tian off, saying, “Stop talking nonsense, focus on being a good best man and don’t create trouble.”
Qiu Tian’s head was still resting on his shoulder, “Sharp angle, why haven’t you confessed to her yet? Do it now! Hurry up!”
