Chapter 143

Chapter 143

◎ Big Yuan, Little Kuang ◎

Ever since Old Master Dong showed up here, Li Qingjiang has been so busy he hardly had time to catch his breath.

Because he had to carefully brew three doses of medicinal soup every day—morning, noon, and evening—for three patients!

Three bowls each round, so that's nine big bowls a day!

He also had to mind the stove and adjust the heat while brewing, because some recipes needed two and a half bowls boiled down to one, while others needed three bowls boiled down to half a bowl. Since the results were different, the heat control varied too. After the soup was consumed, the prescriptions had to be adjusted based on changes in the patients' conditions.

To sum it up in one sentence: The process of treating illnesses with traditional Chinese medicine is tedious, exhausting, detail-oriented, and a real test of patience.

Fortunately, Liang Wenkai was willing to help Li Qingjiang with some trivial chores, which really lightened his burden. Moreover, Liang Wenkai's enthusiasm for traditional Chinese medicine far exceeded Meng Qi's. After a few days of interaction, Li Qingjiang was even thinking of taking him on as an apprentice again.

Over the following period, under the combined treatment of Elder Dong and Li Qingjiang, Ren Suiyi recovered first. In just three or five days, he stopped coughing and his fever subsided. His complexion was rosy, his breathing steady—he was already a healthy person.

The second to recover was Meng Qi. After a week, he was bouncing around out of bed, not only free from stomachaches and back pain but also in much better spirits than before.

Now only Wang Boyuan was still dragging his feet on recovery.

Although his insomnia had eased somewhat, his auditory hallucinations persisted, even worsening. Sometimes, in broad daylight while talking with Meng Qi and the others, he'd suddenly whip his head around to look behind him, which really worried Meng Qi.

Regarding this, Elder Dong, on the other hand, was totally unfazed. Aside from occasionally adjusting Wang Boyuan's prescription, he often took Wang Boyuan for walks nearby. Sometimes they walked in silence, stopping and starting; other times, Elder Dong would share simple life philosophies, chattering on regardless of whether Wang Boyuan took them to heart.

Thus, another period passed, and still no one could get Wang Boyuan to spill who was calling his name in his ear.

As they say, "The cure for a troubled mind is a mental remedy." Without finding the remedy, the matter remained difficult to resolve.

Privately, Meng Qi came to Elder Dong specifically to ask in detail about Wang Boyuan's condition. Elder Dong smiled serenely and reassured Meng Qi, "His pulse is gradually stabilizing. Be patient. Give him more time to slowly open his heart and re-embrace everything before him. I promise you, Grandpa, he will be fine."

With Elder Dong's rock-solid promise, Meng Qi felt even more at ease. He immediately pretended nothing was wrong, smiling as he went to find Wang Boyuan for creative work.

He hadn't forgotten the big talk he'd made: to turn Wang Boyuan into a red-hot superstar! A powerhouse singer! A top-tier triple-threat in the entertainment industry! He also wanted to use this opportunity to keep Wang Boyuan busy from now on, leaving him no time to overthink—that was also one of his goals.

Qu Liang wasn't highly educated, but he was clever and sharp-tongued. He joined in the fun, occasionally throwing out a couple of rhyming witty remarks, which coincidentally sparked some creative inspiration for Meng Qi.

Zhao Zheyuan didn't talk much, but he had a good voice and could play the guitar. When it mattered, he could also provide Meng Qi with some melodic ideas.

Kuang Hui, never one to miss out on excitement, naturally dragged Dong Jiaming along to join the creative team, urging Meng Qi to sing "Chinaberry" again.

Since Meng Qi left, "Chinaberry" had become a hit everywhere. These internet junkies had long heard the viral online version. Now they wanted to hear Meng Qi's live version, to compare the differences and figure out why not a single one of them had realized this song could blow up like that!

Otherwise, that taxi driver wouldn't have become the star, right?!

Meng Qi smiled and pushed Wang Boyuan into the center of the crowd, stirring things up: "Let him sing this time. From now on, this song will be his. The legendary Ran Ming is old news; the entertainment industry's singing god, Wang Boyuan, is about to take the scene by storm!"

Kuang Hui, being a wild card, led the crowd in shouting "Wang Boyuan, Wang Boyuan, Wang Boyuan" while clapping enthusiastically, much like the fans at a concert screaming "Encore!" This got Meng Qi and the others joining in, each shouting till their faces were red and their necks bulged.

For a moment, Sunflower Elementary School was livelier than ever.

But there were two groups that didn't join in.

One group was the quiet, laid-back crew around Elder Dong, consisting of Elder Dong, Li Qingjiang, Liang Wenkai, and Elder Gu.

The other was the serious, reserved pair with Ren Suiyi, though he only represented one person—his brother, Ren Suiwu. The two brothers were left out of the fun, leaning one on each side of the doorframe like door gods, staring blankly at the commotion from a distance, their eyes filled with envy.

After watching for a while, Ren Suiwu, eyes fixed ahead, suddenly sighed, "They sure are happy."

It sounded like he was talking to himself, or perhaps to Ren Suiyi beside him. But since he didn't directly address anyone or glance sideways, he was beating around the bush. In such a situation, even if Ren Suiyi ignored him, he wouldn't feel embarrassed.

Ren Suiyi didn't let his brother's words fall flat. He just hummed a low "Mm," with a barely noticeable smile in his voice. Clearly, he had been infected by the joy radiating from Meng Qi and the others.

Ren Suiwu had sharp ears and knew his little brother inside out. Even if Ren Suiyi didn't answer aloud, Ren Suiwu could tell what he was thinking just from the shift in the air.

He glanced in Ren Suiyi's direction, a smile playing on his lips, asking in a coaxing tone, "Hey little bro, wanna join them?"

The muscles around Ren Suiyi's eyes visibly tightened, and just as Ren Suiwu was about to get excited, they quickly relaxed back to normal. Then Ren Suiyi shook his head lightly, saying wistfully, "The moment we show up, they'll stop having fun."

Ren Suiwu let out a disappointed "tsk" and offered a different view: "I wouldn't be so sure. Remember how Meng Qi used to stick to you like glue? Even during a ten-minute break, he'd run up and down several floors just to see you and play for a few minutes. On weekends, forget about it—he basically camped out at our place. I think if you go over now, it might be just what he wants."

Ren Suiyi shot a cool glance at his brother and said, "That was the past... You go if you want. I'm not going."

Ren Suiwu gritted his molars, as if annoyed by Ren Suiyi, but soon raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Fine, I'll go. You stay here then."

Just to stealthily blend into the excitement over there and abandon his own brother, he had to go through all that trouble. Ren Suiyi silently mocked his brother behind his back: "Wow, you've really come a long way."

Having successfully ditched Ren Suiyi, Ren Suiwu squeezed in next to Kuang Hui, clapping vigorously like Kuang Hui and the others, shouting along, "Wang Boyuan, give us a song! Wang Boyuan, give us a song!" He fit right in without a hitch, and no one seemed to mind him joining.

With the atmosphere stirred up to this point, Wang Boyuan stopped being bashful. He smiled and pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to quiet down as he was about to start singing.

Zhao Zheyuan chimed in quickly, "Hey, wait. I have a guitar. I can accompany you."

Qu Liang immediately ran toward the room he shared with Zhao Zheyuan, shouting as he went, "Hold on, I'll go get it!"

"But I don't have the sheet music," Zhao Zheyuan said, looking at Wang Boyuan. "Can you write a simple score for me?"

Wang Boyuan shook his head. "No clue."

Kuang Hui pointed at Meng Qi and said, "No need for that trouble. Meng Qi knows it. Not only can he sing this song, but he can also play the guitar. Let Meng Qi accompany him, so you don't have to familiarize yourself with the score in advance."

Meng Qi, who was tone-deaf, stood there dumbfounded like a statue.

Only the Book God and Wang Boyuan knew that Meng Qi had never even touched a guitar.

Now of all times, was he about to be exposed again? Meng Qi was totally freaking out!

Seeing Meng Qi's expression, Kuang Hui immediately realized that Meng Qi had also "lost his memory" and forgotten many things from the past. Just then, Qu Liang returned with the guitar. As Qu Liang was handing the guitar to Zhao Zheyuan, Kuang Hui intercepted it mid-way. He first tried a simple slide to test the strings, then tilted his chin toward Wang Boyuan. "You sing. I'll accompany you."

Both Meng Qi and Wang Boyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Boyuan shot Meng Qi a "don't worry" look, then, amid everyone's eager anticipation, began to sing:

...

"The scent of memories carries your news,

"The purple of memories, you drawing near step by step,

"Memories of you, you, soft hair, burning warmth, like a dream I don't want to wake from,

"Chinaberry, that's me,

"Bitter love, that's you,

"Met yesterday,

"Parted today,

"Sorrow comes tomorrow,

"In the future, forget."

The clear voice, paired with the unique metallic quality of the guitar, came rushing at you with youthful energy. Everyone present showed expressions of being intoxicated by the beautiful music.

"It's a lock, a lock—a new generation music god is in the bag!" Qu Liang, the first to snap out of it, enthusiastically made an approving gesture to Wang Boyuan.

Kuang Hui took the opportunity to show off a few high notes on the guitar, then asked Qu Liang with a smug look, "What about me?"

Qu Liang thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "Carry the bag for the music god."

As soon as he said that, it instantly amused everyone.

Ren Suiwu leaned on Kuang Hui's shoulder, casually strummed the guitar twice with his other hand, and as the pleasant melody drifted away, he praised both Wang Boyuan and Kuang Hui, "You two should just form a duo, a gold medal singer and a gold medal guitarist debuting together, winning awards left and right."

Meng Qi excitedly said, "Brother Wu's suggestion is great, the duo name is right there, called the 'Yuan Kuang' duo. As 'Xi Shan Qin Kuang' says: one of the twenty-four conditions is 'Yuan,' originally meaning the zither is clear, subtle, distant, and lingering, with an ethereal and profound artistic conception, really stylish. Plus, these two characters are each taken from their names, making it quite meaningful!"

Ren Suiwu placed his big palm on Meng Qi's head, rubbed it a couple of times, and praised him with a smile, "Your college education wasn't wasted; this duo name is clever, with great meaning." Meng Qi chuckled, about to say thank you, when Ren Suiwu added a tail, "But it's not quite catchy enough, a bit awkward to say; we need to think of a character to add..."

Ren Suiyi, from a distance, suggested to everyone, "How about changing it to 'Da Yuan Xiao Kuang' (Big Yuan Small Kuang) duo? It has meaning, is playful, and easier to remember."

No wonder he's the protagonist; just adding two plain little characters made it sound more like a duo name, and it rolled off the tongue. Meng Qi couldn't help thinking to himself.

Kuang Hui, however, said, "Better change it to 'Xiao Yuan Da Kuang'; he's small, I'm big."

Everyone except Dong Jiaming voted against it, as "Da Yuan" sounded more grand and ambitious.

Regardless of whether Kuang Hui would later choose to debut with Wang Boyuan, at this moment, their duo name was established: Da Yuan Xiao Kuang.

"Author's Note"

A couple of days ago, I completed the full song "Chinaberry". [Milk tea] sang the first half earlier, and here is the second half. Did you notice the difference?

The completed version of "Chinaberry" is in the column. [Rose] If you want to recall the first half, you can check the column (though you probably don't need a refresher [chin resting on hand]).

The first half a million words have been written, a new milestone achieved. [Rose] Keep going!