Zheng Min was just about to reprimand her when she saw Bai Youran’s expression suddenly change.
“Youran, what’s the matter?”
Bai Youran was wincing. “Mother, my leg hurts again!”
Zheng Min’s heart constricted. “What… it hurts again? Oh, it’s about time. I’ll go to the kitchen to see if your medicine is ready. Wait here!”
Zheng Min hurried to the kitchen as she spoke. She soon emerged with a bowl of black medicine.
“Here, daughter, drink your medicine. You must keep taking this medicine. Listen to me next time! Take your medicine regularly so that your condition doesn’t flare up so frequently. You’re always so disobedient.”
Bai Youran sat on the sofa and looked distastefully at the black medicine her mother was carrying. She could smell the strong, bitter scent even from a distance.
“Mother, I’ve drunk this stuff for six years. I really don’t want to drink it anymore. It’s too bitter. I can feel the bitterness spreading through my body when I drink this stuff.”
This was the medicine that Jiang Yiru had prescribed for her. She said that it would alleviate the symptoms until medical science improved and they could find a better treatment method. Jiang Yiru also said that the medicine would not affect her health, and her condition would not worsen, so it would not affect any future treatment.
When she first started drinking it, it really alleviated her symptoms significantly. But then she grew reliant on the medicine. The pain had been intolerable at first. After it lessened, she found that she really could not stand such pain any more.
She would drink the medicine the moment her leg hurt. As time passed, she really could not give up this medicine any longer.
But it was just too bitter. After drinking so much of it, she felt that the bitterness had spread throughout her body. It felt as though the bitterness had sunk into her flesh, and she increasingly disliked it.
She had stopped for just a short while, but now she was in unbearable pain again!
Zheng Min could only console her. “No! If you stop drinking it, you will be in terrible pain. Daughter, listen to me and drink it! Once you drink it, it won’t hurt so much. You must drink it regularly next time. You’ve already taken this for six years, aren’t you used to it by now? Anyway, your condition has not worsened, and it hasn’t affected your health. When we find a doctor who can heal you, you won’t need to suffer any longer.”
Bai Youran had no choice. She really could not bear such pain, so she drank it obediently.
Zheng Min continued to console her. “Don’t worry. Look at how medical science is advancing. Now many doctors who have studied overseas are returning. I’ll ask around and bring you to see one of them. If we have no other choice, we can consult a doctor overseas.”
…
Now that Gu Qingyao was back, it was natural that she would visit her former teachers. She prepared presents and visited them one by one.
Especially her former teacher, Zhou Bingsheng. He was truly her teacher because she had formally become his disciple.
Zhou Bingsheng held a distinguished position in the art world. Now that she was back in the capital, Gu Qingyao went to visit him. Zhou Bingsheng was delighted to see the girl return after six years overseas. He was very strict towards this last disciple of his. He wanted to test her even though she had just returned.
But the results were beyond Zhou Bingsheng’s expectations!
Zhou Bingsheng was astonished when he looked at Gu Qingyao’s work. This girl was a genius!
A few years ago, he had realized that this girl was unusually talented. He had felt a twinge of regret when she had gone overseas to study. After all, she was studying another subject and would undoubtedly neglect her drawing. Also, he would not be by her side to guide her. She would certainly have fallen behind after a few years.
But to his surprise!
Not only had she not fallen behind, but she had also improved greatly!