Liu Baogen looked it over and laughed, "That's right, it's our village. Who are you looking for? I know everyone in the village."
"Is there such a person as Ren Zhiqian?" Song Hao asked.
“Ren Zhiqian!?” Liu Baogen shook his head and said, “There is no such person in the village, not even a family with the surname Ren.”
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was once again greatly disappointed.
Liu Baogen said, "Let's ask my dad later; he knows more. The person you're looking for probably moved away many years ago."
After chatting for a while, I learned that Liu Baogen and his father, Liu Shan, were fishermen on the shore of Qinghai Lake, delivering fish to and from Xining. It was quite a coincidence that I ran into Song Hao and Tang Yu today.
Liu Shan saw from afar that Tang Yu's car had brought Liu Baogen back again, and gratefully went forward to greet him.
"Dad, Brother Song Hao and Sister Tang Yu are looking for someone in our village. Do you know if this person existed before?" Liu Baogen said as soon as he got out of the car. Then he went to get the car repaired.
"Who are you looking for?" Liu Shan asked.
“Uncle, do you know Ren Zhiqian? It’s said that he used to live in your Yanshi Village,” Song Hao said.
"Dr. Ren! He moved away many years ago, when Baogen was four or five years old. His medical skills were superb; he saved many people!" Liu Shan said.
“Yes, that’s the person. He’s a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Uncle, do you know where he moved to?” Song Hao asked hurriedly.
Liu Shan said, "Back then, it was said that he offended the county officials and could no longer stay in the village, so he moved away. Nobody knows why. He moved at night, and the next day, the house was empty. Nobody knows where he moved to."
"Oh!" Song Hao looked at Tang Yu helplessly, meaning that the clue to finding the anesthetic had been lost.
Tang Yu smiled helplessly.
"By the way, Uncle, Brother Baogen said there's a village called Mulian about 30 miles from your village. Do you know anyone named Ding Fengjie there? He's also a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and he must be quite old," Song Hao asked again.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan shook his head and said, "I do know a few families in Mulian Village, but I don't know this Ding Fengjie, and I've never heard of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Mulian Village. Let Baogen take you to inquire about him tomorrow."
"Is that so!" Song Hao couldn't help but feel disappointed again. Although his master, Xiao Boran, had made a twenty-year promise with Ding Fengjie, no one knew what changes had occurred in those twenty years. If Ding Fengjie had passed away, wouldn't they be unable to find him again? Moreover, his master had said that Ding Fengjie traveled around practicing medicine for many years. Even if he were still alive, would he be able to return on time to keep the promise? Also, with Ding Fengjie's skills, he should be a famous person, but Liu Shan didn't know who he was. He was a folk doctor whom his master valued highly, and the one to whom he entrusted the "Miraculous Prescriptions and Verified Formulas." If they couldn't get the book on this trip, it would be a wasted trip.
Seeing Song Hao's bored expression, Tang Yu knew what he was thinking and comforted him, "Uncle Liu may not know some things. We'll go and see tomorrow. Since your master sent you to pick up the book, he won't let you go empty-handed."
Song Hao sighed, "One of the two things has already been abandoned. Hopefully, the other one won't disappoint us."
Tang Yu said, "Your master is no ordinary person. He shouldn't let you do something you're not sure of. I have confidence in him on that point." Because of Ji Dongyang's unexpected departure, Tang Yu's thoughts about Xiao Boran and Shangqing Temple had already changed.
It took Liu Baogen more than an hour to repair the truck. He walked over, wiping the oil off his hands with a rag, and said with a grateful smile, "Thanks to you all, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to be repaired in time by tonight. Let's go now, my truck will lead the way."
Tang Yu waved his hand, got into the car with Song Hao, and the two cars started and drove away one after the other.
Several hours later, a pool of clear water appeared in the distance and gradually expanded.
"We've arrived at Qinghai Lake!" Song Hao and Tang Yu were overjoyed.
The closer they got, the more breathtaking the scenery of the lake and mountains became. Vast expanses of water, flocks of migratory birds soared overhead—a truly wondrous sight even on the plateau. If their car hadn't been following Liu Baogen's, Tang Yu and Song Hao would have loved to stop and admire this beautiful landscape.
As they drove on, a fishing village came into view; this must be Yanshi Village. Entering a spacious courtyard, both cars stopped, and Liu Baogen jumped out of the driver's seat, walked over, and said with a smile, "We're home!"
Song Hao and Tang Yu got out of the car. Looking around, they saw seven or eight tiled houses across the street, a stone wall around the courtyard, and a leashed dog barking at the unfamiliar guests. Liu Baogen's reprimand silenced the dog.
Then two women came out to greet them; the older one was Liu Baogen's mother, and the younger one was his sister. The family was very hospitable, inviting Song Hao and Tang Yu into the house and serving them tea and fruit.
"It's so nice that you live by this beautiful lake!" Song Hao said enviously.
Liu Baogen laughed and said, "Of course, you've come at the wrong time of year. If you come in spring, you can stroll around the lake, that's truly beautiful! Especially on Egg Island in the middle of the lake, flocks of birds fill the sky, building nests, laying eggs, densely packed, covering the entire island, making it hard for people to linger. Fishing on the ice in winter is an even greater pleasure. Tonight I'll cook you some Huangyu fish, a famous fish from Qinghai Lake, which you outsiders may not have eaten before. If you're not in a hurry, I can take you to the lake for a couple of days."
"Thank you! We can only have time to play after we finish our business in Mulian Village tomorrow," Tang Yu said with a smile, glancing at Song Hao, knowing that he couldn't fully enjoy himself until he finished his business.
Liu Shan said, "The Ren Zhiqian you're looking for used to have a good relationship with the old village party secretary's family. I'll go to his house later and ask if there's any news about him."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Uncle! Finding this person would be of great significance to us." Hope rekindled in his heart.
Liu Baogen said, "Brother Song, are the two people you found both traditional Chinese medicine doctors? Are you a doctor yourself?"
Song Hao said, "We are all practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. We sought out those two seniors to ask them for some medical advice."
"You and Sister Tang are both doctors!" Liu Baogen exclaimed in surprise. "Is there a certain disease you can treat?"
Song Hao said, "Tell me!"
Liu Baogen said, "There is an old man in the village, over eighty years old, who is a lonely old man. It is said that he has never slept in his entire life, and he still does now, without feeling sleepy."
"Insomnia!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise. "This condition is rare and is only occasionally recorded in ancient medical books. I never expected to encounter it here."
Liu Shan said, "It is said that this old man Gao contracted this strange illness when he was twenty years old, but he himself believes that it is not an illness, but a special ability! Back when Ren Zhiqian was still living in the village, he prescribed a medicine for the old man Gao, saying that taking this medicine could cure his insomnia, but the old man Gao refused to be cured, saying that it did not interfere with eating and drinking, so why bother to cure it? In addition, this is equivalent to extending his life by half. He also does not feel any discomfort. At night, while others are sleeping, he lies there thinking about things."
Tang Yu asked in surprise, "Even if he doesn't feel any discomfort and it doesn't affect his life, doesn't he envy how others feel when they sleep?"
Liu Shan said, "Perhaps he has been living alone for a long time and is used to being alone. He can endure loneliness. He says that sleeping takes up half of his life and is wasting his life. He is proud of this illness and uses the time he doesn't sleep to read a lot of books and think about a lot of things. He has probably overused his brain. He also speaks strangely and illogically."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao became interested in the old man and said, "Since there is such an eccentric person, could you introduce me?"
Liu Baogen laughed and said, "No problem, I'll take you to his house after we eat. If you can cure him, then treat him. If he recovers, let him experience the joy of sleeping. It always feels a bit strange to think that there's still a guy in the village who doesn't sleep at night."
The hospitable Liu family treated Song Hao and Tang Yu to a feast of Qinghai Lake naked carp. The naked carp were plump, smooth, and scaleless, with many small bones in their flesh. They were tender, delicious, and perfectly cooked, bringing out their true flavor. The two men ate with great relish, feeling so happy that they didn't want to leave.
After dinner, it was already getting dark.
"Let's go to Old Gao's house and have some fun to help us digest our food!" Liu Baogen led Song Hao and Tang Yu out the door.
At the eastern end of Yanshi Village, there is a secluded house with its own courtyard, surrounded by several willow trees, their lush greenery creating a particularly tranquil atmosphere.
Liu Baogen pushed open the courtyard gate himself, walked in casually, and called out, "Is Old Gao home? Is he asleep?"