Chapter 1

Leaving the village, Ye Chen found that he had already been on the train for over ten hours. The scenery outside the window was nice, but he felt his stomach was already growling. He took out a packet of instant noodles from his backpack and decided to have it for dinner.

When he first got on the train, he didn't pay much attention to the other passengers. Now, hearing the noise, he looked over and noticed that the two bunks above him were occupied by two young men who were eating sunflower seeds and playing on their phones.

On the upper bunk opposite him, there was a middle-aged nouveau riche man with a fat face and a lecherous look in his triangular eyes, occasionally glancing at the middle bunk. Ye Chen also looked over and saw that the middle bunk was occupied by a young woman.

The young woman in the middle bunk had an oval face and long black hair. Her face was even more beautiful than the female stars he had seen on TV. This was the first truly beautiful girl he had seen since leaving the village, far more attractive than the village beauty, Wang Guifu.

On the lower bunk opposite him, a young couple was sitting, with a five or six-year-old boy sleeping beside the young woman.

When Ye Chen glanced at the boy, he initially thought he had seen wrong.

After returning with hot water, he soaked the instant noodles for a few minutes, finished eating, and placed the bowl on the table, waiting for the attendant to collect it. Checking the time, it was not yet eight in the evening. Ye Chen sat cross-legged on his bunk, closed his eyes slightly, and felt a warm sensation in his dantian. Starting from the lower dantian, the energy rose along the Du Meridian, descended along the Ren Meridian, passing through the three gates of the tailbone, the spine, and the Jade Pillow, and circulated through the upper, middle, and lower dantian and the upper and lower magpie bridges. Ye Chen felt that his senses were even sharper.

"Putting on an act?" When Ye Chen opened his eyes, he heard a voice in the noisy train. The voice came from the upper bunk opposite, the middle-aged man with foot odor. Ye Chen didn't pay much attention to it and just smiled.

Anyway, he thought, they would soon arrive in Shanghai, and all this would soon be over.

Around nine in the evening, when the attendant came to collect the trash, he said, "Passengers, please tidy up your belongings. The lights will be turned off at ten o'clock."

At that moment, Ye Chen noticed that the beautiful girl in the middle bunk opposite was drowsily unfolding her blanket, revealing a pretty red dress, and getting out of bed. The middle-aged man above her was looking at her with a lecherous gaze.

The girl got out of bed, took her toothbrush from her backpack, and headed to the train's restroom to wash up.

Seeing this, Ye Chen became even more interested in his trip to Shanghai. In the village, he thought the young widow Wang Guifu was beautiful and pure, like a wildflower in the mountains. But now, meeting this beautiful girl in the small county town and on the train, he realized that city girls were indeed more numerous and attractive.

"Dear, you rest first. I'll watch him." "No, I'm afraid he'll wake up and cry again." The young couple opposite was quietly discussing the boy. Ye Chen didn't say anything, fearing he might have seen wrong. Besides, he didn't know the family of three, and if he spoke up directly, it might cause misunderstandings.

Although it was his first time leaving the village, and the old man at home hadn't given him any specific advice, he still understood some things.

Soon, he saw the girl with long hair, who looked a bit sleepy and lazy, but her face was truly more beautiful than the female stars he had seen on TV.

Perhaps noticing Ye Chen's unintentional glance, Yang Yajing seemed a bit unhappy but didn't say anything.

Actually, the stench from the middle-aged man's foot odor above her was already making her feel very uncomfortable, even to the point of nausea. She hoped the train would arrive in Shanghai soon so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Around ten o'clock, before the train's lights were turned off, the attendant hadn't come to check, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among many passengers. Some wanted to sleep, while others couldn't, but fortunately, they had their phones to play with.

At that moment, Ye Chen lay down, preparing to sleep again, hoping to wake up in the morning and arrive in Shanghai.

"Wah..."

...

"Mom, my stomach hurts."

...

Suddenly, the five or six-year-old boy opposite started crying loudly. After the train's lights were turned off, most people were speaking in low voices, but the boy's sudden cries were heard by almost everyone in the car.

The boy was crying terribly, clutching his stomach and rolling around in bed. If the young couple hadn't held him, he might have rolled to the floor.

"Xiaojun, how are you feeling?"

...

No matter how the young couple tried to comfort him, the boy's cries didn't stop, and his thin, pale face turned even paler.

"What should we do? What should we do?"

The young woman, seeing her child in such a state, was flustered, her face tense and sweating.

"We can only give him some painkillers and see if it helps."

Ye Chen looked up and, even in the dim light, could see clearly that the boy's father was frowning tightly, looking at his suffering child. Not knowing what to do, he reached into his pocket to take out a cigarette but, remembering he couldn't smoke on the train, put it back.

Perhaps because the boy's cries were so loud, an attendant came with a flashlight and asked, "Comrade, what's wrong with the child?"

The attendant's tone wasn't harsh. Otherwise, in such a situation, other passengers would have scolded them for disturbing their rest.

"Xiaojun's condition has flared up again. We can only give him some painkillers and see if it helps."

Hearing that the boy was sick, the female attendant didn't say much more, comforted the boy, and left when she saw it wasn't effective.

After taking the painkillers, the boy's cries became a bit quieter, and the other passengers thought he would stop. However, after a while, he started crying even louder.

Soon, his cries were heard throughout the train, and passengers from neighboring cars started complaining.

"Dear, what should we do?"

"We can only wait until we get to Shanghai. I don't know what else to do."

This time, they were taking their son to Shanghai to see a doctor. But seeing their child in such pain, with no doctor on the train and no way to stop it, they were very distressed.

"Is the child still not better?" the female attendant asked again.

"Comrade, can you help us find a doctor?"

"Sorry, there's no doctor on the train. But I can ask if any passengers are doctors."

With so many passengers on the train, from various professions, there should be at least one or two doctors.

While the attendant was asking around, Ye Chen had already gotten out of bed. The boy's cries had kept him awake, and because he knew some medical techniques, he had already noticed some issues when he first saw the boy. However, he didn't want to diagnose the boy without the parents' trust.

The attendant walked through several cars and finally brought two men who were doctors.

One was in his forties, wearing a suit, and had a medical title. The other was in his thirties, wearing glasses, and introduced himself as a Western medicine expert.

The two men followed the attendant to the young couple and saw the boy lying on the bunk, pale and in pain, rolling around.

The middle-aged doctor first examined the boy and then asked the young parents, "What was the child's previous illness? Do you have his medical records?"

"These are my child's medical records. In the county, the doctors couldn't confirm what he had, so we decided to take him to Shanghai."

"I'll check his pulse first." After reviewing the medical records, the middle-aged doctor frowned and tried to reassure the couple.

Because of the boy's cries and the examination, the attendant had turned the lights back on. With the light, everything was clear.

The young couple, seeing the doctor examine their child, were disappointed when he didn't say much after a few minutes.

Actually, diagnosing on a train in such a sudden situation, the middle-aged doctor, even if he noticed something, didn't dare to treat the boy rashly. Otherwise, if something happened to the boy, he would be held responsible.

"Doctor, what's wrong with my child?"

"From the medical records and my examination, it seems to be acute gastritis. However, I don't have the necessary medication, so there's not much I can do right now."

Hearing it was acute gastritis, the young couple's faces changed. The boy was in so much pain, clutching his stomach and rolling around, his face pale.

At that moment, the young doctor, who was a Western medicine expert, examined the boy. Unlike the middle-aged doctor, he thought the illness wasn't acute gastritis but pediatric acute appendicitis.

"I don't think it's acute gastritis. It seems more like pediatric acute appendicitis. In this situation, I can't treat him, but we should take him to Shanghai for a detailed examination and surgery."

In Western medicine, in such a situation, a thorough examination is always done before any conclusions are drawn. However, Ye Chen, watching the two doctors, was secretly scoffing.

He had initially thought the two doctors were quite skilled, especially for stepping up in such a situation. But now, after their hasty diagnosis, the young couple was even more afraid and didn't know what to do.

To many, appendicitis requiring surgery is a serious illness.

"Doctor, what should we do?"

As the two doctors recommended their respective hospitals, Ye Chen couldn't stand it anymore and said, "I don't think it's acute gastritis or pediatric acute appendicitis."

His words naturally caught everyone's attention. No one had noticed him before, but now, the young couple, who were at a loss, quickly asked, "Young man, what's wrong with my son?"

"I need to examine him more closely."

"No need. He's just putting on an act. He's probably a quack. Be careful not to be cheated," the middle-aged man in the upper bunk said.

First, from Ye Chen's appearance—wearing a white shirt, faded jeans, and fake Nike shoes—he seemed untrustworthy.

Ye Chen didn't care about that. Seeing the boy in such pain, he wanted to help.

"Young man, can you really cure my child?" the young woman asked, seeing a glimmer of hope.

Ye Chen then lifted the boy from the bunk, observed his face, and opened his shirt to check his navel area.

"Doctor, what's wrong with my child?"

"This is a case of pediatric abdominal pain. I've observed it carefully and found the problem. The liver is often excessive, and the spleen is often deficient. The spleen is affected by evil, and the liver overpowers it. The tongue is red, the coating at the root is slightly thick and white, and the pulse is fine and slow."

...

Ye Chen said a lot, but only the middle-aged doctor understood. The others were unclear, but the young couple felt Ye Chen's medical skills were good and not a scam.

Since their child had been sick, they had taken him to many doctors and tried many medications, but nothing had worked. Most doctors had diagnosed him with pediatric acute appendicitis, acute gastritis, or even roundworms.

Now, Ye Chen thought it was just pediatric abdominal pain.

"Are you a doctor? Do you have a medical license?" the middle-aged doctor asked.

When the doctor examined the boy, he had shown his medical license to prove his credentials and to avoid responsibility if anything went wrong.

The young doctor, hearing Ye Chen's diagnosis of pediatric abdominal pain, was不服气 (unconvinced) and showed a mocking expression.

"Ha, pediatric abdominal pain? Truly a quack. I thought he was something special," he said, disbelieving in traditional Chinese medicine and viewing it with prejudice.

"I don't have a medical license or a medical certificate. But I can guarantee that the child has this illness, and I haven't misdiagnosed him," Ye Chen said directly.

At that moment, no one said anything, especially the young parents. But Ye Chen knew that if they didn't let him treat the boy, he couldn't do anything.

"Can I treat the child?" he asked the parents.

"Of course, of course. Xiaojun is in so much pain, and we are also very worried," the boy's father said quickly.

"Treatment is not a simple matter. If I make a mistake, it could be a big problem, even fatal. Can you take responsibility?" the young Western doctor continued.

"I agree with the young doctor," the middle-aged man in the upper bunk said sarcastically.

Ye Chen didn't want to deal with these two. They were deliberately making things difficult for him and questioning his abilities, which annoyed him.

"Now, how do you plan to treat him without any medicine?" the middle-aged man continued.

"Xiaojun, lie down. I'll treat you, and you'll feel better soon," Ye Chen said, gently comforting the boy as he placed him on his bunk.

Xiaojun, who had been in pain for a long time, followed Ye Chen's instructions.

In the strange looks of the others, Ye Chen took out a small box from his backpack. Inside the silver box were three layers, each containing needles of different lengths—gold needles, silver needles, and wooden needles, which few had seen before.

In the early development of traditional Chinese acupuncture, stone needles were also used, but they are rarely used today.

"Are you going to treat the patient with these? You're truly a quack," the middle-aged man in the upper bunk said sarcastically.

This time, not only was Ye Chen annoyed, but the middle-aged doctor was also displeased. He didn't like it when people looked down on traditional Chinese medicine.

Ye Chen ignored them, and with the parents' consent, he took out three silver needles from the box. After disinfecting them with a lighter, he didn't immediately start the acupuncture.

First, he did a simple massage on Xiaojun's navel, which reduced his pain significantly. When the boy stopped rolling around, the others looked at Ye Chen with a newfound respect, thinking he might have real medical skills.

"Xiaojun, I'm going to start the acupuncture. Don't move, and you'll feel better soon."

Ye Chen was afraid that if the boy moved during the acupuncture, it could cause problems. He asked the parents to sit beside Xiaojun and gently hold his hands and feet.

With the others watching curiously, Ye Chen inserted the three disinfected silver needles into Xiaojun's navel area.

After about ten minutes, while others might not have noticed, Ye Chen saw some white gas emanating from the needles.

When the needles were first inserted, Xiaojun might have felt some pain, but it was different from the pain of taking medicine or getting injections. Soon, he was fine.

"It's done. You're fine now." Ye Chen removed the three silver needles, disinfected them, and put them back in the silver box. The boy, who had been crying loudly, stopped crying after the acupuncture.

"Xiaojun, does it still hurt?"

"Mom, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore."

Ye Chen knew his medical skills well. For many doctors, if they couldn't diagnose and treat the illness correctly, it would be difficult to cure. But for him, it was a simple illness.

"Is it really that miraculous?" the middle-aged man in the upper bunk said, still disbelieving.

"Thank you, young man. You're truly a miracle doctor. Xiaojun seems to be fine now."

The young couple hadn't said anything, but hearing the middle-aged man's words, they were also annoyed. Regardless, they were grateful to Ye Chen, thinking they had met a miracle doctor on the train.

"Xiaojun's illness is easy to treat at the beginning. But if it persists for too long, a minor illness can become a major one. This acupuncture treatment will alleviate his pain, but to truly cure him, he needs to take Chinese medicine."

Ye Chen was about to find a pen and paper from his backpack to write a prescription but realized he hadn't brought any when he left the village.

"Does anyone have a pen and paper?"

The young couple quickly searched their backpacks but couldn't find anything. The attendant, seeing the boy had stopped crying and the train was quiet again, was happy. Hearing Ye Chen's request, she offered to get a pen and paper from her office.

At that moment, the pretty girl in the middle bunk, who had been watching Ye Chen treat Xiaojun, said, "I have them." Her voice was gentle and pleasant.

Yang Yajing quickly found a notebook and pen from her backpack. When Ye Chen took them, he noticed it was a travel notebook. He tore out a page, which still had a faint fragrance, and placed it on the table to write the prescription.

"20 grams of white peony, 12 grams of Xu Changqing, 3 grams of raw licorice, ..., 10 grams of Shenqu, 10 grams of hawthorn. Five doses, one per day, taken three times a day."

Ye Chen's prescription was standard. If he hadn't had to leave the train, he could have given Xiaojun two or three more acupuncture treatments, and he wouldn't need to take the medicine to recover.

"Thank you so much, young man." Xiaojun looked much better, his pale face now more normal. He lay down on his parents' bunk and fell asleep.

"No need to thank me. You can boil the medicine in the morning. After these five doses, Xiaojun will be fine." The boy's mother gratefully took the prescription, and Ye Chen returned the pen to the pretty girl in the middle bunk.

"Thank you for the pen."

Yang Yajing took it back without saying much. Earlier, when she noticed Ye Chen looking at her, she was a bit annoyed, but now, seeing his medical skills, she was impressed.

"Ha, I think he just got lucky. I didn't think he was that good," the middle-aged man in the upper bunk said again.

When he first got on the train, he had noticed the pretty girl, Yang Yajing, and tried to attract her attention. But she ignored him, and now, seeing her interact with Ye Chen, he was bitterly criticizing Ye Chen's skills and character.

At that moment, the most annoyed were Xiaojun's parents. Regardless of Ye Chen's skills, he had cured Xiaojun when other doctors, including the two on the train, had failed.

"Young man, don't listen to them. This is for your treatment fee. Please take it." Xiaojun's father said, referring to the middle-aged man. He took out 300 yuan from his wallet and gave it to Ye Chen.

For the young couple, 300 yuan was a significant amount, and for Ye Chen, it was also a lot. In the village, he usually only charged a few yuan for treatment.

"No, I won't charge for treating Xiaojun this time." Ye Chen had offered to help, so he couldn't accept payment. He also noticed that the young couple didn't seem wealthy and had likely spent a lot on Xiaojun's illness.

Seeing that Ye Chen wouldn't take the money, Yang Yajing looked at him differently. The middle-aged man, however, said sarcastically, "I'm afraid he thinks it's too little. But I think his entire outfit, including the fake brands, doesn't