Kang Bai looked into Wen Sining's eyes, his mind stirring up familiar memories.
"Believe me or not, it's up to you," Kang Bai said, then lifted his foot and walked towards the door.
The wooden door creaked open as the wood embedded in the threshold groaned under the movement.
Wen Sining was confused by Kang Bai's words. Her eyes nervously followed him.
The scar on her face was bought at a high price from abroad. Coupled with her excellent makeup skills, the fake scar looked as real as a genuine one.
How on earth did he see through it?
"Have you finished the examination?"
The old master was the first to come over.
Kang Bai turned around and looked at Wen Sining. Their eyes met, and the urgency in her heart was clearly exposed before him.
"I'd like to have a private talk with you," he said.
"Can't it be cured?"
The words got stuck in Wen Sining's throat. She dug her nails into her palms, her hair standing on end. All her attention was on Kang Bai.
"I'll only be able to draw a conclusion after talking to you," Kang Bai said, his eyes fixed on Wen Sining.
The old master was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't notice anything amiss.
"Doctor Kang, I need to talk to you," Wen Sining decided to take a gamble.
Since he could see through her thoughts, he must be hoping for her to tell the truth. Even if he told the old master the truth, she would have an excuse to explain.
The old master was inexplicably asked to leave again, and the wooden door once again separated them.
Inside the room, Kang Bai sat on a chair, waiting for Wen Sining to speak.
Wen Sining lifted her arm and took off the fake scar, holding it in her palm.
Seeing her true face, Kang Bai couldn't help but say, "You look so much like her. It's unbelievable."
In the quiet room, Wen Sining clearly heard his words.
Like someone?
When she first met the old master, he had said the same thing.
Could it be that he also knew her grandmother?
"Did you know me before?" Wen Sining asked tentatively.
Kang Bai glanced at her but didn't respond.
This was her first time in Lincheng and her first encounter with him. Maybe she was overthinking it.
Wen Sining forced a smile and put the fake scar back on. "I did get injured here when I was a kid. I made this fake scar to protect myself. I hope you can help me keep it a secret from others."
For now, she hadn't received the compensation for her parents yet. She still had to maintain this false appearance in front of the people outside.
"Go out and tell them to wait outside," Kang Bai said.
Wen Sining was dazed as she stood in front of the closed wooden door after being kicked out of the room.
Kang Bai was just like this strange village. He was an enigma, impossible to understand.
"Sining, what did Doctor Kang say?" the old master walked up to Wen Sining.
Wen Sining shook her head. She didn't know how to put some things into words. His ambiguous attitude had also left her deeply skeptical.
Time ticked by, and the group standing in the yard gradually grew tired.
Out of boredom, the old master and Uncle Bai decided to take a stroll around the village to find out more about Kang Bai.
Lu Luochen was called away by a phone call.
The signal on the mountain road was poor, almost non - existent. Lu Luochen stood on the highest point, holding his phone high, but still couldn't get a signal.
Looking at the caller ID on the screen, he paced around, trying to find a signal source.
Everyone had something to do, but Wen Sining sat on the steps in front of the door, preoccupied. She propped her chin up, mentally preparing for the worst.
After a short while, the old master returned, looking satisfied.
"Sining, isn't Doctor Kang out yet?"
Just as he finished speaking, the door opened.
Kang Bai held a white porcelain bottle in one hand and leaned on a walking stick with the other. He stopped in front of Wen Sining. "Apply this three times a day. Don't use any other ointments."
The heavy bottle was stuffed into Wen Sining's hand, making her heart skip a beat.
"Sining, hurry up and thank Doctor Kang," the old master urged.
"No need for formal thanks. I'm doing this for an old acquaintance," Kang Bai said coldly. Then he turned around and walked back into the house, leaving the others behind.
He could be kind to people, but his actions were always cold.
"What a strange person," the old master sighed.
Old acquaintance?
Could it really not be the person she was thinking of?
Wen Sining stared blankly behind her. Driven by curiosity, she was determined to find out who this old acquaintance in Kang Bai's words was.
After getting the medicine, the old master deliberately left a thick envelope on the medicine rack in the yard.
"Where's Luochen?"
Only when they got in the car did the old master realize that Lu Luochen wasn't there.
Uncle Bai took out his phone, but there was no signal, so he couldn't reach Lu Luochen.
They had planned to return to Licheng today, but due to the search for Lu Luochen and the sudden rain, the plan was disrupted. They were forced to stay in the village.
When they returned to Kang Bai's house, the old master wanted to talk to him about staying for the night, but was turned away at the door.
It was Uncle Chen, an old man of the same age as Kang Bai from the same village, who saw them standing helplessly under the eaves. Out of kindness, he took them in.
Trudging through the muddy water, they arrived at Uncle Chen's house.
"This place can't compare to your big cities. You'll have to make do for one night," Uncle Chen said warmly. He brought them hot water and found them some clean and thick clothes.
The old master had slept in caves and eaten wild grass when he was young. He didn't think the simple house was uninhabitable.
Perhaps because of their similar ages, after a few conversations, there was no gap between the old master and Uncle Chen despite the difference in their wealth.
Uncle Chen introduced that the villagers in the village had all fled from famine. At that time, only Kang Bai had lived here. Thanks to him, those suffering from hunger and illness had been cured and had settled down here, leading normal lives.
"When did Doctor Kang come here?" Wen Sining suddenly interrupted.
Uncle Chen was stumped. By the time he came here, there had already been many villagers living nearby.
The rain outside gradually subsided, and Uncle Bai suggested going out to look for Lu Luochen.
"I'll go. The roads are difficult to walk on, and I'm more agile," Wen Sining volunteered.
Facing three middle - aged men, she had to take on this labor - intensive task of searching.
Holding an old - fashioned umbrella, Wen Sining made her way to a small hill at the end of the village. According to Uncle Chen, the signal on the hill was the strongest in the whole village. Many people who came to see Kang Bai for treatment would go to the hill at the end of the village.
Passing by one house after another, Wen Sining watched the curling smoke rising from the eaves and smelled the sweet aroma of the cooking. Simple as it seemed, every corner exuded the warmth of life.
Maybe having suffered so much, they were easily content with the simplest of happiness.
The muddy water on her feet felt like a thousand pounds. By the time Wen Sining reached the small hill, she couldn't tell whether the liquid on her forehead was sweat or rain. She leaned against a big rock, took a deep breath, and prepared to climb up.
The umbrella in her hand was too heavy for her to exert enough strength. She had to rely on her waist instead.