Mu Lin knew that treating an illness required not only a positive mindset from the patient but also a further diagnosis. He teased Claire, “Madam! Have I ever offended you? Why did you ignore me the first time we met? And every time after that, you’ve always been so cold.”
Claire burst into laughter. “You still bring that up? Who wouldn’t be annoyed when someone stares at them with a lecherous look the very first time you meet? Anyway, don’t call me ‘madam’ anymore. Just call me ‘Auntie’ like Mei Fang and the others.”
“What? Me, lecherous? Impossible!” Mu Lin almost jumped up.
“No way! No way! I absolutely won’t call you ‘Auntie.’ You’re so young and beautiful. Calling you ‘Auntie’ would make you sound old, and besides, I’ve never called anyone ‘Auntie’ before.”
Come on! During his three years of traveling and studying, everyone treated him as an equal. That feeling was just amazing—so liberating. And before he turned ten, he had already had enough of being treated like a junior by so many elders.
Now, out of nowhere, someone wanted him to call her “Auntie”? No way! Not even if he was beaten!
“Still denying you’re a little pervert? If you weren’t staring at me, how would you know I’m young and beautiful? If it wasn’t for the professor contacting me, I wouldn’t have anything to do with Chinese people. You know I hate them. But when I heard that you had no parents and were taking care of two younger sisters all by yourself, I felt really sad. It reminded me of my own childhood, which is why I agreed to let your sisters stay here.
Who would’ve thought that a mere 14-year-old brat would dare to stare at me like that? If it weren’t for Mei Fang, Mei Zi, and my daughters being there, I would’ve kicked you out long ago. You wanted a warm welcome? Hmph! Dream on!” Claire teased with a smile.
“I’m more wronged than Dou E! Sister, you dress so youthfully and beautifully—aren’t you meant to be admired? Besides, I’m only fifteen. Even if I did have any thoughts, it wouldn’t matter anyway,” Mu Lin replied with a grin.
“Still talking nonsense! Smooth talker. Why are you suddenly calling me ‘sister’ now? And if you call me ‘sister,’ what will Mei Fang and Mei Zi call me? You know, fifteen-year-old high school students already have had several girlfriends. Don’t tell me you’re still a virgin—that would be a real joke, hahaha!”
Mu Lin felt gloomy. At first, she was cold and distant, which he wasn’t used to. Now that they were closer, she was teasing him about being a virgin, which he wasn’t used to either. Wasn’t he supposed to be a “slutty guy”? But for the sake of treatment, he needed to find a way to relax the patient’s mood.
So he changed the subject, “Sister, I have my own relationship with Mei Fang and the others. You know I’m not their biological brother. What they call you is their own business. From now on, I’ll just call you ‘Sister.’ I know you’ve always had a grudge against Chinese men my age. So how did you change your mind about me later?”
Hysteria, also known as hysteric disorder, is a type of mental illness commonly seen in young women. It is primarily caused by psychological trauma. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed to result from damage to the brain’s meridians, leading to blocked energy flow. Patients are highly suggestible and imitative, so treatment must avoid verbal or physical stimulation. Building strong confidence in the patient is crucial, and recovery can be rapid with proper care.
For a patient like Claire, who suffered from depression, the key was to help her relax and feel uplifted, which was why Mu Lin spoke the way he did.
“Alright, alright. Sister it is! Yes, my childhood experiences made me hate Chinese people, especially Chinese men. That’s why, after moving to Boston, I never had any contact with them again.
At first, I had a hostile attitude toward you. Who let you stare at me the moment we met? Later, after Mei Fang and Mei Zi told me their stories, I realized you weren’t their real brother.
You know how girls sometimes can’t talk about certain things with male relatives. When I heard about Mei Fang and Mei Zi’s experiences, it was almost like my own. They were lucky to have such a good brother as you. Why couldn’t I meet someone good like you back then?” Claire sighed.
“But you did meet Jack and Tom. They’re good people,” Mu Lin comforted her.
“Yes, they are good people. Later, when I saw how genuinely you cared for Mei Fang and Mei Zi, I gradually changed my view of you. Especially this time, when you bought back our house that had been taken away by the court, giving us a place to live again. That truly made me feel your kindness.
You don’t know how hard it was after we moved out. We had to rent an apartment in a slum area. It was so chaotic there—robberies and rapes happened all the time. I was constantly worried that I or Bess and Dora would get hurt. Although Dora and Bess told me about your luxurious mansion in Salt Lake City, I knew you were rich, but we had no relation to you. Why would you help us? I felt so helpless back then.
You know, after covering their living and education expenses, I could only afford such a place. When I received your call, I was so excited I almost screamed. I knew you bought the house just so we could live there. Otherwise, with your wealth, you could’ve bought a better house and hired better caregivers for Mei Fang and the others. Do you know how grateful I am to you? Oh…” Claire began to cry softly.
Mu Lin was at a loss, not knowing what to do. If it were a man, he would’ve already pressed an acupoint to calm him down. But this was a woman…
After a moment, Mu Lin wrung out a towel and handed it to Claire. “Sister, wipe your tears, okay? If you keep crying, your eyes will swell up. Not only will you look less pretty, but Mei Fang, Dora, and Bess might think I bullied you.”
Claire couldn’t help but laugh again. “You little pervert! Even daring to tease your sister now, huh?”
Mu Lin was sweating inside. “I was just telling the truth! Now I’ve become a ‘little pervert’? When did I ever act lecherous?”
Seeing Mu Lin’s pitiful expression, Claire playfully asked, “By the way, how come you’re so rich for such a young kid?”
Mu Lin thought to himself that this was something he would never reveal to anyone. He knew that if word got out, the safety of Mei Fang and the others would be at risk.
“Didn’t Mei Fang and Mei Zi tell you that my medical skills are top-notch? There’s practically no illness I can’t cure. Plus, I also make medicine. I earned a lot of money in Hong Kong,” Mu Lin said proudly.
“So then, what you said at dinner—that you can cure my illness—is it really true?” Claire asked eagerly.
“Of course! Don’t you know who I am? I’m Doctor Mu, the miracle healer!” Mu Lin continued to boast, trying to instill strong confidence in the patient.
“But will it cost a lot of money? You know I don’t have much now,” Claire hesitated.
“Alright, alright! You’re Mei Fang’s auntie. How could I charge you?” Mu Lin said generously.
“So how do you treat it? Where do you treat it? What do you need for the treatment?” Claire asked urgently.
Mu Lin looked around. In just a short while, Mei Fang and the others had already fallen asleep. It seemed the stress of Claire’s illness had exhausted the girls. But treating her in the living room wasn’t appropriate—if one of the girls woke up, it could cause serious misunderstanding for both him and Claire. Yet, if he asked her to go to her bedroom and take off her top, wouldn’t she misunderstand him again? Especially after she had already called him “little pervert” several times. This was really a headache. Was he really that lustful?
Mu Lin was already fifteen in actual age, his body had developed, and he had begun experiencing the stirrings of adolescence. He sometimes had dreams filled with vague fantasies—sometimes featuring the three girls, sometimes even Hong Jiani. Claire had appeared in his dreams a few times too. Mu Lin knew this was a result of excessive yang energy, a common condition in boys his age. Normally, he could find a shady spot in the wilderness to balance his energy and restore harmony between yin and yang.
But in the city, he hadn’t found a solution yet. What he didn’t know was that the three girls in the apartment had emitted yin energy, which Mu Lin had unknowingly absorbed during his nightly cultivation, helping to suppress his excessive yang energy. That’s why he felt a bit guilty about Claire’s teasing. After all, every man has a natural inclination to appreciate beauty. It’s normal for a teenage boy to admire a beautiful woman.
This semester, with better nutrition and fewer worries, Mu Lin had grown about ten centimeters. Now he was almost the same height as Claire. If not for his slightly youthful face, he could easily be mistaken for an eighteen-year-old college student. That’s why Claire teased him.
If he had still been as short as last semester, no one would have said such things. After all, how awkward would it be for an adult woman to laugh and call a young boy a “pervert”? In truth, a woman wouldn’t tease a man unless she had some affection for him. But Mu Lin, being socially inexperienced, didn’t understand this.
His hesitation made Claire impatient. She thought he must have some difficulty. Claire knew her condition well—she had visited many hospitals, but no one could cure her. Now that Mu Lin claimed he could heal her, how could she not be excited? She instinctively doubted his hesitation, and her emotions began to spiral. Her facial muscles twitched, and her body trembled restlessly.
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