People with weak stomachs often eat lion’s mane mushrooms. Wild ones are rare and hard to find. Zhu Yanyi once found some in a primeval forest. She collected the spores and started growing them artificially.
Her hard work paid off. The cultivated mushrooms were not as good as wild ones, but she used special Spirit Spring water to help them grow. They were still very nutritious. They were perfect for Huang Meiying, who had trouble digesting food.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Zhu Xinfu. "Grandpa, stop pretending to be sick in front of me."
Zhu Xinfu sighed. "I don’t want to know such a troublesome granddaughter."
Everyone laughed loudly.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t mind. She looked at him. "Grandpa, stop acting spoiled with me."
Who is acting spoiled? he thought. I am just old. I want to be playful sometimes. You should support me, not stop me.
Zhu Yanyi knew what she was thinking. She just wanted to tease her a little.
The family ate happily. It was a warm and joyful meal.
The next morning, Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan accompanied Zhu Zhibin to breakfast. Afterward, they went to visit Mr. Hua.
"Teacher, I brought my sister to see you," Zhu Zhibin said as they entered the courtyard.
Mr. Hua was lying on a chair in the yard, looking relaxed. Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan greeted him.
Mr. Hua was very thin now. He looked like skin and bones. But his eyes were still bright. He smiled when he saw them. "Why do you have time to visit?"
"We celebrated my win yesterday. Zhibin said she wanted to visit you today. So I brought her here," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. She studied Mr. Hua carefully.
Mr. Hua was ninety-two. His body was naturally weak. But there was a dark tint between his eyebrows. This was a sign of poisoning.
"Have you gone out recently, Teacher?" Zhu Yanyi asked.
"I am old. Going out is troublesome. So I stay home," Mr. Hua replied.
Zhu Yanyi nodded slightly. "Let me check your pulse."
Mr. Hua looked at Zhu Zhibin. "This is why you asked your sister to come, isn’t it?"
Zhu Zhibin laughed. "You are right. That is my goal. It is easy to understand. People can’t find my sister. We have this advantage. We get the moon first because we are near the tower. Why worry, Teacher?"
"You use that idiom wrong. Good thing you study math, not literature," Mr. Hua said. He did not mind. He held out his hand for Zhu Yanyi to check. He looked at Zhu Zhibin. "You only calculate when it benefits you."
"What can I do? You don’t take care of your body. Health is the capital of revolution," Zhu Zhibin said happily. "Besides, I don’t like literature. Math is great. Numbers feel friendly to me."
"I am ninety-one. This day will come soon," Mr. Hua said calmly.
"You are right. Life and death are natural. But your current illness is not natural," Zhu Yanyi said. She let go of her hand.
She saw clearly. She was poisoned. The poison was hidden. Normal people could not find it. If Zhu Yanyi did not have her wood ability, it would be hard to detect.
"What is wrong with me?" Mr. Hua asked. she understood her meaning.
"You are poisoned," Zhu Yanyi said honestly. "Someone has been poisoning you for a long time. A little bit each time. No one noticed. But day by day, it added up."
Mr. Hua understood. "Can you guess how many years?"
"At least fifteen years," Zhu Yanyi said. "But don’t worry. I can cure you. However, you are old. Your body is weak. Normally, you might live ten more years. After the cure, your life force will be damaged. Your life will be shorter."
"Shorter by how many years?" Zhu Zhibin asked quickly.
Zhu Yanyi looked at her. "At least three years. If you could live ten more years, now you can only live seven."
Mr. Hua did not worry. He was open-minded. "I am ninety-one. Living to one hundred is rare. But living to ninety-eight is still very old. Very few people in China live this long. Zhibin, don’t be sad."
"I am not sad," Zhu Zhibin said seriously. "I am calculating how to show my math achievements in these seven years."
"Good. That is what a talented person should think. My student should be like this," Mr. Hua laughed. He was very happy with Zhu Zhibin’s attitude.
Zhu Zhibin knew living this long was already amazing. He was not sad. Since Zhu Yanyi said seven years, it would be true. He wanted to shine in math in these seven years. He did not want to disappoint Mr. Hua.
Zhu Yanyi added, "Of course, if you rest well in these seven years, you might regain some life span."
"Venerable Yanluo’s book records how long people live," Mr. Hua said casually.
"I didn’t expect you to believe that," Yan Aohan laughed.
"Science cannot explain these legends. Believe if you want. Doesn’t it make people happy?" Mr. Hua smiled lightly.
She truly did not mind losing three years. She was satisfied with her life’s achievements.
Zhu Yanyi prepared the antidote. Since Mr. Hua was old, she made the medicine gentle. But it still needed to work. So she added a little Medicine Spring water.
She gave the medicine to Mr. Hua.
The family doctor behind her did not stop her. Zhu Yanyi’s status was too high. One doctor could not compare.
After Mr. Hua took the antidote, Zhu Yanyi said, "The medicine will work soon. You will feel hot all over. Then you will sweat slowly. When you sweat, take a hot bath. Come out after the sweat is gone."