Liu Qinran

PART I: OUR HERO

Rotating relentlessly yet its destination remains unknown, Earth has brought the lands of Hubei back under the reign of summer’s day. Auntie Liu laid on the trunks of trees, buzzing in annoyance of the unbearable heat; a flock birds flew by, chirping and seeking for the blessing of shades. Everything... not to exaggerate, but everything is in motion. Even the air waved and twisted, as if a portal to another world was about to appear...

A school... or rather a single classroom that accommodates around 40 people sat patiently in the middle of the woods.

Spinning her pencil on her finger knuckles, and her toes just could not stop tapping. Our hero, a young girl with a look of sophistication and despondency that do not belong to one of her age, sat right beside the window in that overcrowded and overheated classroom. The overwhelming heat acted like a wad of cotton, clogging up her senses. Her classmate’s chitchats were muted; her teacher’s voice was muffled.

Does life have an inherent meaning? She could not help but wonder, as she stared outside the window into the serenity of the forever – or at least in her life – unchanging and static forest. If the role of trees and bushes and flowers and fruits were to contribute to this picturesque view received by these optical receptors of mine, then in what part... in what part of the world do I take a role in?

BAM!

Just as our hero was about to dive deeper into her inner world of thoughts, a sudden sound drew her consciousness back to her tangible body. She was startled and looked towards the source of the sound, cringing in distaste for indecent interruption of her thoughts.

A classmate of our hero was lying sideways on the ground, moaning. Her facial expression was somewhat distorted by agony.

Hoping to escape from the overheated and overcrowded classroom, our hero proposed to take her classmate to the nearby clinic.

“Well,” her teacher said and looked in the direction of the clock, “alright then, be careful on your way. Be home before sunset, do not make your parents worry.”

Not heeding his warning, our hero wrapped her classmate’s arm around her neck to cling her classmate to her and set off on her short journey...

PART II: DENIAL

Exerting the very last bit of her force, our hero and her classmate had finally arrived at the clinic. She wearily placed her classmate on the old-fashioned wooden chair and helped her sit up straight. As the doctor took over, she backed down and collapsed onto a chair nearby.

Her body collapsed, but her mind remained active. This was her first time visiting the clinic, and she was anticipating... anticipating something new and unpredictable on her way there.

Not knowing if it was psychosomatic or due to the soothing smell of dried herbs in the clinic, the wad of cotton in her senses had been removed. She watched the procedure closely:

She watched as the Daifu* rested his wrinkled fingers on the girl’s wrist, feeling the vibrations of the girl’s pulses. She watched as he performed acupuncture and inserted silver needles into her classmate’s arm. She watched... as he turned around to the wall of drawers that contain carefully prepared traditional Chinese medicine that ranged from minerals to herbs and to dried animals and decisively picked out around ten types of herbs.

The Daifu cooked the multitude of medicinal herbs that he took out from the drawers and fed the girl with their soup. Not much later, the girl was already able to regain her entire consciousness.

Our hero’s eyes were riveted on the Daifu – she did not dare to remove them for any second, or else she would lose track of his procedures.

The ability to cure so swiftly and deftly... Our hero thought to herself, still fascinated at this experience. This... this is what I want. I want to be part of the picture of patients smiling after their recovery... I want to be the creator of these smiles. I want to pass down this art of healing.

Our hero bid farewell to the Daifu and her classmate and hurried home, not realizing that it was already dark outside...

Excitedly, our hero thrusted the door open... but in front of her eyes, was her mom standing worriedly on the side of the dining table, and her father, tapping his toes rapidly, sitting impatiently with his face tinging red.

The family of three remained in their separate positions awkwardly, until our hero’s father finally initiated the conversation.

“You little bastard... do you know how late it is?” her father said, drunkenly

“Sorry father, I had to bring a classmate to the clinic.” she replied, coldly, already immune to his father’s careless insults.

Silence ensued for another half a minute.

“May I study traditional Chinese Medicine in the future?” Our hero asked, not observing the atmosphere.

Her father lifted his head and stared right into her eyes.

“Traditional Chinese Medicine...? Study? Hmph. I was just about to tell you. You’re no longer going to school”

“What? But why! I get incredibly good grades at-”

“There is no ‘why’!” Her father interrupted, “Do you even have the slightest idea of how expensive it is to raise a child... especially a useless girl like you! Your mother and I had found you a job.

You’re quitting school... You’re quitting tomorrow! That’ll be the first thing you do in the morning. Tell your frail and effeminate so-called teacher that you’ll no longer study! Damn it... what has this prick instilled in you...”

“But -”

“The best future for a girl like you is marry a decent man and have a child and expect the child to bring you a great fortune! Snap your girlish fantasies and go back and sleep!”

Our hero has never felt so helpless with controlling her tears. She rushed back into her room and slammed the door. Her father’s words had left a permanent scar in her...

PART III: PERSEVERENCE

Just as her father wanted, our hero is now married, has a son, and works as a domestic worker in Shenzhen. However, she did not give up on her dreams.

After her parents withdrew her from school, she would secretly visit the clinic when she got back from work. From the Daifu, she learned quite a lot about traditional Chinese medicine, including how to handle the medicine and treat simple illnesses.

Until recently, our hero’s passion for traditional Chinese medicine still remained relevant. In her free time, she would learn about Chinese medicine with the help of her friend and the educational content makers on social media.

She was able to spot her employer’s illnesses and lend out a helping hand. Once, when her employer felt sick due to a stomachache, she gave him dietary therapy with a list of traditional medicine that could potentially help him. Her treatments cured him in a day.

The triumph that comes along curing illnesses drove her to continue to study traditional medicine. It was her love for Chinese medicine that allowed her to live on.

PART IV: AFTERTASTE

Having been through so much, our hero is able to see the world through her own unique lenses. She is not the only domestic worker like this, but she is one of the rare ones who is willing to share her stories...She now lives with three main principles: Love what you do and persevere, treat others how you want to be treated, and swallow other people’s malice, do not let them bother you...

And so, the birds will continue to sing in the hills of Hubei, and the trees will remain in the forest. Our hero will live on with passion and continue her studies in traditional Chinese medicine and inspire more girls with great aspirations like her…