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But she hadn’t expected that as soon as this man saw her grandfather, he would say that Grandpa was sick!!
And to think she and her grandfather had been so courteous to him, only for him to actually scold Grandpa!!
With these thoughts, Liu Qinglian’s face also showed anger, feeling as if she had been deceived.
She pointed to the door and said to Liu Wentian, "Leave, leave now, I’m not inviting you to the bonfire party anymore!!"
However, at this moment, Liu Qinglian’s grandfather looked deeply at Liu Wentian, sighed, and said, "Qinglian, and all you young girls, don’t be so agitated. The young man is right; I am indeed ill, and tonight’s bonfire party is being held on account of my health issues, especially arranged by the chieftain for me."
In the eyes of some ethnic minorities, the bonfire party, in addition to being a celebration, also serves the purpose of warding off disasters and epidemics.
The originally aggressive group of girls, including Liu Qinglian, were stunned upon hearing this, unable to believe their eyes as they looked at the old man.
To understand, in their eyes, the old man was a divine healer, able to cure any disease, the most powerful witch doctor of the Miao ethnicity. They found it hard to believe that he, too, could get sick!!
"Grandpa, you’re sick?? What’s wrong with you, is it serious??" Liu Qinglian’s face turned a shade of purple, as she stepped forward to grasp the old man’s hand, which resembled dry tree branches, and asked urgently.
"Hehe, who can live their whole life without getting sick?" the elder noncommittally replied, then curiously turned to Liu Wentian, asking, "Young man, can you tell me how you knew I was ill?"
The chieftain too looked towards Liu Wentian, with a trace of skepticism in his eyes.
Liu Qinglian and the other girls had a touch of apology in their looks towards Liu Wentian now.
Clearly, they had just misunderstood him.
"I could see it," Liu Wentian answered simply.
Liu Qinglian and the chieftain and others were taken aback by his response, but the elder’s eyes lit up and he asked,
"Are you a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine? I’ve heard that Chinese medicine values ’looking, smelling, asking, and listening’, and that in its most profound practice, merely by one glance, through observing a person’s skin, eyes, hair, and such external manifestations, one can determine if someone is healthy or what illness they have."
Liu Qinglian and the others were somewhat flabbergasted, finding it exaggerated that one could understand someone’s health, and even the specific ailment, just by looking.
After the elder spoke, he continued, "However, in reality, the Chinese medicine practitioners I have seen do not possess such skill. Therefore, I am actually quite skeptical of whether Chinese medicine is really that miraculous. You say you could see it, so can you tell me exactly what my issue is?"
"You have been dealing with various toxins for years, accumulating too much poison in your body over time. Add to that old age and weakness, the poison has erupted. Simply put, my good Sir, you won’t live longer than a month!" Liu Wentian said gravely.
By toxins, he was referring not only to common things like venomous snakes and insects but also to some herbs; it is understood that ’all medicine has its toxic side’, and furthermore, as per Liu Wentian’s knowledge, witch doctors often treat poison with poison, frequently dealing with highly toxic substances.
As these words left his mouth, the expressions of everyone present changed once again!!
A look of shock spread across the elder’s and the chieftain’s faces, while Liu Qinglian’s complexion turned deathly pale.
"Grandpa, ah, is what Brother Tian said true? Will you really not live more than a month??" As Liu Qinglian’s urgent question came out, she saw the old man’s complexion and felt a pang of dread in her heart.
The stark amazement on the old man’s face undoubtedly confirmed what Liu Wentian had said!!
Suddenly, Liu Qinglian felt her eyes redden, her hand covering her mouth, her body shaky, as she felt dizzy and lightheaded!!
Her parents had passed away when she was very young, and she had been raised by her grandfather ever since. Her grandfather was her only relative in this world, and the thought of him leaving her was as if the sky were falling down!!
"What an extraordinary young man, to be able to ’see’ in such a way," the old man remarked with a sigh, then turned to Liu Qinglian with a faint smile and said, "Well, Qinglian, there’s no need to be so heartbroken. Grandpa has lived to a ripe old age and is content. After all, everyone must face death eventually."
His words turned somber as he held Liu Qinglian’s hand and sighed, "The only thing I worry about is you, dear. If I could hold on a few more years until you get married and have children, then I would truly have no regrets at my departure!!"
"No!! N-no... no!! Grandpa, you won’t have anything wrong with you!! You definitely won’t!!" Liu Qinglian cried a river of tears, vehemently shaking her head in denial.
In her heart, she knew the true significance of her grandfather’s words; he was indeed about to leave her.
After all, if there was a way to cure him, the old man would have done so himself by now.
But she simply could not accept this cruel reality!!
At that point, the chieftain spoke up, "Ah, Uncle, don’t worry. Even if you’re no longer with us, Teng Lai and I will take good care of Qinglian. That boy Teng Lai truly likes Qinglian sincerely. Shouldn’t we settle their matter right now??"
Liu Qinglian was at this moment like a helpless child, clinging to the old man’s hand, crying bitterly, too emotional to even hear what the chieftain was saying.
The elder stroked her hair and then told the chieftain, "This girl has high aspirations; she still wants to go to the university in the capital. It wouldn’t be right for me to arrange her future now without considering her will. I hope we follow what she wants."
The chieftain, still not giving up, said, "That’s fine, Qinglian can continue her university studies. We can settle the matter now and have her return to marry Teng Lai after she graduates. Then they can manage our Miao village together! You are worried about who will take care of Qinglian, aren’t you? You know me, as long as she marries Teng Lai, I will never let her suffer a bit!!"
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