The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Jian Zheng asked his mother to arrange an appointment for his grandfather with a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. The appointment is scheduled for 1 p.m. today.

Wang Jie rushed out of the city library, but was still almost twenty minutes late.

The hospital was unusually quiet, with hardly any doctors or patients in sight. Normally, hospital appointments are held in the morning, and doctors primarily see patients during the morning hours.

This traditional Chinese medicine doctor is very famous for treating lung diseases, and it's quite difficult to get an appointment with him. Wang Jie had gotten up early several times to queue up, but still couldn't get one. Later, Jian Zheng asked his mother to ask a friend for help, and they managed to get an appointment during lunch break.

Wang Jie knew that Jian Zheng's mother, as a city leader, must have found someone who was "either rich or powerful," and he believed that the old Chinese medicine doctor would do his best to treat her out of consideration for their acquaintance. However, Wang Jie was also worried about how to repay such a great favor in the future.

Grandpa's illness is getting worse and worse, to the point that he can no longer lie flat to sleep at night.

Wang Jie kept urging his grandfather to see a doctor, but his grandfather always made various excuses to avoid going to the hospital. Whenever his cough got bad, he would only rely on the cough suppressants that Jian Zheng brought to temporarily relieve the symptoms, but this was ultimately only treating the symptoms and not the root cause.

Wang Jie's understanding of his grandfather is limited to those fragmented memories: the place where his grandfather worked in his early years was heavily polluted, and he unfortunately contracted pneumoconiosis, so he had to retire due to illness and live on social security benefits.

As for his grandfather's other experiences and past events, he knew very little, because his grandfather always kept his mouth shut and was unwilling to talk about them.

Wang Jie also had concerns and dared not ask too many questions. He was worried that if he talked too much with his grandfather, his grandfather would find out something. As a result, he felt a lot of pressure every time he faced his grandfather.

Deep down, he wasn't particularly close to his grandfather. He always felt that, given Wang Jie's current situation, he was his grandfather's only relative, and taking care of his grandfather was a responsibility, not out of affection.

"Here, which way?" Jian Zheng pulled Wang Jie, who was walking straight ahead, "What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought, how come you didn't see me?"

"Oh, I thought the examination room was inside."

Wang Jie had just stepped from the bright outdoors into the dimly lit indoors, and his eyes were still adjusting, so he didn't see Jian Zheng. However, it was indeed true that he had been a little distracted.

"Where's grandpa?"

"As soon as I went in, Grandpa wouldn't let me stay with him. He told me to wait at the door." Jian Zheng raised his chin slightly towards the examination room.

The consultation room was closed. Wang Jie walked to the door, raised his hand as if to knock and go in, hesitated for a moment, lowered his hand, walked back and stood next to Jian Zheng.

"I'd better wait outside. Going in now will disrupt the doctor's appointment."

“Wang Jie, I always feel that you treat Grandpa differently than before,” Jian Zheng said, looking at Wang Jie.

"No, I don't think so." Wang Jie said somewhat awkwardly. "Why don't you tell me what's different? Maybe it's because I'm leaving and my mind is a bit chaotic lately."

Wang Jie asked and answered his own question.

"If you really want to put it into words, there's nothing different. It's just a feeling, you know? It's just a feeling, like something's missing."

"Stop making such a fuss. What am I missing? Tell me," Wang Jie said, trying to hide his surprise with a smile.

“Temperature,” Jian Zheng thought for a moment and said, “That’s right, neither too hot nor too cold, but very thoughtful.”

Wang Jie and Jian Zheng's pagers went off almost simultaneously.

The two of them looked down at almost the same time.

The message was from Zhang Qian: "Same place tonight, beer, skewers, senior students, Professor Zhou's students, let's go together."

"Oh right, Zhang Qian told me this morning to tell you, but I forgot."

"Did he go to work in the lab today?" Jian Zheng asked. "Did his senior come to Xichuan too?"

"Yeah, they said they'd introduce us." A strange longing welled up inside Wang Jie. "I really want to get to know this outstanding senior."

"I'm also very curious. What an outstanding person Zhang Qian always talks about, as if he were a guiding light for him."

"Professor Zhou's students are coming tonight, I wonder if Professor Zhou will come too."

"Hey, what are you thinking about? Why would Professor Zhou come and eat skewers with us?" Jian Zheng pointed at Wang Jie and laughed, "I told you your brain hasn't been working properly lately, but you wouldn't admit it."

Just then, Grandpa came out of the clinic, and Wang Jie and Jian Zheng hurriedly went to greet him.

Wang Jie helped her grandfather up, saying, "Grandpa, please sit here and wait a moment while I go find the doctor to ask about the situation."

Then he went into the examination room to find the doctor: "Hello, Dr. Wei, how is my grandfather's illness?"

In general, when people talk about traditional Chinese medicine, those with superb medical skills are often closely associated with the word "old," which is what people call "old TCM doctors." The name of TCM seems to always be inseparable from the word "old." However, the Dr. Wei in front of us is a young man who is no more than 40 years old.

Dr. Wei: "The elderly patient's symptoms include chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and difficulty breathing. He often feels chest tightness, has difficulty breathing, and even experiences persistent coughing. These symptoms are mostly caused by poor circulation of Qi and blood in the lung meridian, resulting in obstructed Qi flow. I have written a prescription for him to try first."

Wang Jie thanked him and was about to turn and leave when Dr. Wei said again, "However, the old man's lung meridian has already entered his internal organs, causing other problems that have damaged his very foundation. This cannot be ignored; simply relying on conditioning may not be enough..."

Wang Jie: "Thank you for the reminder, Dr. Wei. I will take Grandpa for further examinations."

"Yes, the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine is more effective. Modern TCM is no longer bound by old ways and avoids relying on optical imaging to assist in diagnosis."

Dr. Wei politely saw him off.

Upon seeing Jian Zheng, he greeted him, "You must be Director Lin's son. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. You don't need to bother Dr. Li anymore. It seems a bit inappropriate to say such things in the hospital. Please forgive me."

Wang Jie thought to himself, "Are all professionals this worldly-wise?" He glanced at Jian Zheng and said, "We'll wait for you outside." Leaving Jian Zheng to exchange pleasantries, he helped his grandfather walk towards the door.

Behind him came Jian Zheng's worldly-wise polite words: "No problem, no problem, thank you Dr. Wei, I will definitely tell Uncle Li."

Jian Zheng went out and hailed a taxi, letting Wang Jie and his grandfather get in and go back first, while he rode Wang Jie's bicycle back to Yangxi Road.

Back home, Wang Jie told his grandfather to lie down and rest while she went to boil water and prepare to make his grandfather's herbal medicine.

"Wang Jie, don't be busy, come here, I have something to tell you." Grandpa was a little out of breath when he spoke.

Wang Jie poured a glass of warm water, walked over and handed it to his grandfather, then sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for his grandfather to speak.

"Child, thank you for taking such good care of me, 'cough cough cough.'" Grandpa coughed a few times, then quickly drank some water to suppress it.

"Let's talk about it after we rest," Wang Jie said.

Grandpa waved his hand and continued, "I know you're not Wang Jie."