The person didn’t seem to mind, as there were always people queuing by the table at meal times. He simply focused on his own meal. Seeing this, Mu Lin didn’t interrupt and instead walked directly to the owner to settle the bill on their behalf. Then he returned to the table to patiently wait while they finished eating.
After they had finished their meal, Mu Lin respectfully handed a box of tissues to the elderly man. Suppressing his excitement, he softly said, “Teacher Wang, it’s been a long time. I hope you’re doing well. I’m Mu Lin.”
“What?! You’re Mu Lin? The little monkey? How is that possible?” The old man stood up in shock, exclaiming loudly, which drew curious glances from everyone in the restaurant, making Mu Lin feel extremely embarrassed.
A stifled giggle broke the tension—it came from one of the two young girls who had been dining with the old man. Mu Lin now had a neat crew cut, wore an expensive beige casual suit, and beige crocodile leather casual shoes. His calm and refined expression made him appear elegant and distinguished. He looked nothing like the “little monkey” the old man remembered. Combined with Mu Lin’s awkward expression, the two girls couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Teacher Wang, shall we continue our conversation outside? Look, so many people are waiting to eat,” Mu Lin said, pointing to the crowd around them, still speaking respectfully to the old man.
The old man followed Mu Lin’s gaze and looked at his current attire. He realized he had overreacted and quickly led the two girls and Mu Lin out of the restaurant.
The two young female police officers, now working as Mu Lin’s secretaries, felt a bit puzzled seeing how respectfully he treated this elderly Chinese man. But they maintained their professionalism and followed Mu Lin out of the small restaurant.
Mu Lin remained as composed as ever, following the old man outside. This man was one of Mu Lin’s 26 teachers—Professor Wang Shoushan, a renowned professor and experienced physician at S City’s College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Back in the day, Mu Lin had been in excellent physical condition due to his martial arts training. He was always running around—partly for exercise, partly to search for food. Since there was such a big age gap between him and his teachers, they affectionately called him “little monkey” because of his energetic nature. It had been over six years since Mu Lin last heard that familiar nickname. Hearing it again stirred deep emotions, though his expression remained calm.
After his great-uncle passed away, Mu Lin had lived alone. To him, those 26 teachers were like family. Otherwise, during his three years of traveling to study, he wouldn’t have secretly visited them from time to time, following their advice. He had also feared that his reappearance might bring trouble to them.
Inside the restaurant, Mu Lin had carefully observed his teacher. Wang still wore a faded brown Chinese-style tunic that had clearly been washed many times, and his feet were in handmade cloth shoes. Though neatly dressed, his energy seemed low. Mu Lin knew that unless something serious had happened, his teacher wouldn’t have come here.
Looking at the two young girls following the teacher, they appeared even younger than Meizi, and faintly resembled her. Watching them tightly clutching the back of their grandfather’s coat, hurrying to keep up with small steps so as not to fall behind, Mu Lin could roughly guess what had happened in the teacher’s family.
Following the teacher, Mu Lin arrived at an old six-story building on a slightly secluded street. The teacher opened the door to a space labeled “Wang’s Traditional Chinese Massage Clinic.” Mu Lin entered behind him. Inside, there was a round table with several stools, and a partitioned area beside it held a massage bed. The inner room served as a bedroom, with a small bathroom attached. The entire space felt cramped and crowded.
Professor Wang invited Mu Lin and Sara to sit around the round table. Soon after, the two girls brought everyone a cup of boiled water. In Mu Lin’s eyes, the two young girls were quite considerate. At this point, Mu Lin felt it inappropriate to involve Sara and Stephen further in this matter, so he sent them back to prepare for tomorrow’s work and to notify his home to have Finny prepare dinner.
After Sara and the others left, Mu Lin finally felt at ease to catch up with his teacher. Seeing the hesitation on his teacher’s face, Mu Lin quickly asked, “Teacher Wang, I remember you used to teach at S City’s College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. How come you’re here now?”
“Ahh, it’s a long story! But let’s not talk about me first. Let’s talk about you! We all went looking for you after we heard about your great-uncle passing away. We wanted to take you in, but the village chief said you had gone traveling and planned to find us. Do you know that all 26 of us have been waiting for news from you every year?” Professor Wang sighed, not answering Mu Lin’s question but instead asking his own.
“Well, here’s what happened…” Mu Lin knew that if he didn’t answer first and address his teacher’s concerns, he wouldn’t be able to learn what had happened to his teacher. To these teachers who had always wanted to help him, putting his matters before theirs was both a mark of their integrity and proof that they had come to see him as their own child. So, he briefly explained what had happened since they last met, of course only mentioning his schooling and medical practice, without revealing his cultivation or business ventures, nor the many girlfriends he now had.
After hearing Mu Lin’s story, the teacher couldn’t help but sigh deeply—feeling sorrow for Mu Lin’s past hardships and joy for his current achievements. The two young girls listened alongside their grandfather, their expressions gradually turning into admiration.
Once the emotions had somewhat settled, Mu Lin resumed his earlier question.
As the teacher recounted his story, Mu Lin slowly learned the details. When Mu Lin was young, the teacher had only taught him medical theory and never mentioned anything about his family. It turned out the teacher came from a traditional Chinese medicine family who had fled war and settled here long ago. Later, the teacher returned alone to the homeland, while his wife and two sons remained here. Over the past decade, due to poor living conditions, both of the teacher’s sons had died of illness, and their wives had abandoned the family, leading to the family’s gradual decline. In recent years, the teacher had finally reconnected with his wife, but shortly after he arrived, she also passed away.
The family’s once considerable wealth had been completely spent on medical expenses for the family members. Eventually, even their home was sold. Without a medical license here, the teacher could only rely on massage therapy, renting a small space to survive with his two granddaughters.
Now Mu Lin knew the two girls were named Wang Jia and Wang Ni, both 10 years old. They were both Eurasian, with the fair skin and delicate features typical of mixed heritage. Having been abandoned before, it was no wonder they clung tightly to their grandfather’s coat—it was their last source of security.
Seeing the exhaustion on his teacher’s face, Mu Lin felt a deep ache in his heart. His teacher’s talent was extraordinary, but he had been born in an unfortunate time and suffered many hardships, leading to a life full of difficulties. At the same time, Mu Lin silently blamed himself for not contacting his teachers back home earlier, which had left Teacher Wang in such a difficult situation.
Deeply pained, Mu Lin’s voice became slightly hoarse. “Teacher, I learned medicine from you. Now I have a permanent clinic. For Jia and Ni’s sake, I’d like to invite you to be the chief physician at my clinic. What do you think?”
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