Chapter 68

Yearning for Distant Place

This was not Eight Corner Mountain . At my age, I couldn’t have been to all the places of Eight Corner Mountain; however, judging by the trees on the mountain in front of me, I knew that I was not on the Eight Corner Mountain . The trees on the mountain were of a variety that I had never seen before .

The trees were twisted and not straight, but they all rose high into the sky like the ladders to the heaven . A human laugh came from the mountains from time to time . The sound of laugh was unusual and disconcerting . I could not help walking to the place where the sound came from .

There were stones all over the mountain . The stones looked not simple, as glittering and translucent as jade . I jumped and hopped from stone to stone for a long time . The trees changed continuously with a great variety along the way, becoming more and more peculiar .

I walked for a long time, but did not find the source of the sound . Then, the sound stopped suddenly .

“This is not the place that you can come!” The voice was hurried with a little surprise .

I was terrified and waked up unexpectedly . When I opened my eyes, it was dark all around . I could hear the sound of TV outside from the house of other people, and the sound of scolding the child, and sometimes a baby’s cry .

I wondered how I could have such a strange dream . What was even stranger was that everything in the dream was so real, as if I experienced it myself . For general dream, when I woke up, everything began to become blurred . However, everything in the dream was still vivid this time . I felt that it was not a dream, but what actually happened .

“What a strange dream . ” I scratched my head and pulled my quilt . And I fell asleep again .

I received the reply from Teacher Lin before the Spring Festival . In the letter, Teacher Lin said she had finished the exam and did well in the exam, and was getting ready to go home . She missed me and wanted me to study hard . She was sure that we could meet again in the future . Grandpa said there would be all kinds of trouble after you grew up . Teacher Lin also had her trouble . It was not that Teacher Lin did not want to see me, but she had her own stuffs to deal with .

The second day, He Dachao came to my home on his initiative and bought the chicken, duck and goose with high price . The price of this year was RMB one or two higher than the last year’s . Of course, that was because the prices of commodities were going up . The chickens, ducks and geese were fed more this year, so we earned more money, about thousands Yuan . However, counting the money for feeding pigs, it was still not enough to pay off the money borrowed from Huang Shulang’s family .

I asked He Dachao a question before he left .

“Uncle Dachao, I’d like to set up a stall in the town during the winter holiday . What do you think?”

“How children can……” He Dachao stopped speaking for a moment, “What do you plan to sell in the stall？I know better on this aspect . Maybe I can give you a suggestion . ”

“Uncle Dachao, thank you first . I plan to set up a stall for treating rheumatism . ” I said with smile .

“Treat rheumatism?” He Dachao could hardly believe his ears . A child at second grade claimed to be able to treat rheumatism . What a big brag!

“Many people in our village were cured by my master . ” Huang Shulang was dissatisfied with the reaction of He Dachao .

“I don't mean that I don't believe you . You are so young, but you claim that you can cure rheumatism . Even if I believe you, other people will not . ” He Dachao said with a wry smile .

“Why don't you believe? People from other villages come all the way to our village to cure rheumatism . ” Li Lijuan pouted .

What a coincidence . There was a villager who came down to my yard under the guidance of my first grandpa .

“Yangyang, he comes from Yinshanbu . He went to Luojiatang by mistake . If he did not encounter Luo Dachao, I don’t know where he would go by the guidance from the people of Luojiatang . Dachao comes here to deliver gifts of Spring Festival to his relatives, so Dachao brings him here . Dachao needs to go back in a hurry, so I guide him here . ” My first grandpa said, pointing to an old man about sixty years old .

“I come from Yinshanbu . I walked dozens of miles, but found a wrong place . My name is Zhao Jinhai . My legs and feet are not working well, young skilled doctor, please help me . ” Zhao Jinhai said with smile on his face, that was a weathered face .

He Dachao planned to leave at once . After seeing this, he stayed and wanted to check my skills . Of course, I could understand the intention of He Dachao, but I did not want to point it out .

“Yinshanbu is not near here . ” He Dachao said casually .

“Of course, it is not close . There are dozens of miles . I left in the early morning . Unfortunately, I went to the wrong direction, to Luojiatang . ” Zhao Jinhai did not know who He Dachao was, so he looked at He Dachao confusedly .

Zhao Jinhai did not walk very neatly, hobbled all the way .

“Did you walk here?” He Dachao was more confused .

“Yes, if you don't walk here, what else can you choose? I suffer a lot . Once the leg suffers a bout of rheumatism, it never stops aching . I walk far today, much the same as crawling over here . ” Zhao Jinhai said .

Zhao Jinhai pulled his trouser leg up to his thigh, and his right foot looked bloated obviously .

“It is serious” He Dachao said .

I lit fire in the hearth and asked Zhao Jinhai to sit down .

Zhao Jinhai took out two hundred yuan from his pocket quickly and handed it to me . I took the money and put it into my pocket . Then, I moved a bench to sit down . I stood up after giving Zhao Jinhai a message for more than ten minutes .

“That should do . ” I went to pour a basin of water and washed my hands .

He Dachao looked at me inconceivably: “That’s it?”

Zhao Jinhai was convinced . He stood up and put down his trouser leg, walked a few steps and laughed immediately: “Ha-ha, I am good now . ”

He Dachao said with his eyes widened: “You have recovered?”

“What’s the big fuss? Several people of our village got rheumatism . They were completely cured after coming here for one treatment . ” Zhao Jinhai put down his trouser leg and intended to leave .

“Hey, Uncle Zhao, please wait . I drive here, I can give you a ride later . ” He Dachao stopped Zhao Jinhai in a hurry .

“That’s good . ” Zhao Jinhai smiled .

After hearing what Zhao Jinhai said, He Dachao had believed that we were not cheating him .

“Yangyang, it will not work well if you only set up a stall on the street . Think about it, if you just set up a stall there and leave after earning money, no one will believe you . You need to open a store . Then, people know that you cannot run away even if you cannot cure them . They will believe you . ” He Dachao said .

“I am just a second grade primary school student, how can I open a store?” I could not help laughing .

“Oh… . . ” He Dachao patted his head . “How about this, you come to the town to find me tomorrow . I will ask someone after I go back . ”

“No, I’ll figure it out myself . ” If He Dachao said this in the first place, I would believe him . He went round and round, I did not have such thought anymore .

I could cure people on site . Like the case of Zhao Jinhai, if I cure him, he would pay undoubtedly .

I had made my mind to go to the town and earn money by curing rheumatism . That was because I seemed to have an inexplicable feeling that I would leave Eight Corner Village one day .

Teacher Lin said that I could learn more knowledge like oracle bone inscriptions in the outside world . In Eight Corner Village, it was difficult for me to contact oracle bone inscriptions . According to books, oracle bone inscriptions were not written on paper, but I could not see the real oracle bone inscriptions . I could only infer from the pictures of oracle bone inscriptions .

If I could see the real oracle bone inscriptions, maybe I could know more things .

However, I did not want to leave my grandpa alone . I often looked into the distance and lost in thought .