Chapter 1: Catching the Snake

As soon as she finished speaking, a rustling sound suddenly arose all around. Everyone felt puzzled and couldn't help but look around. Upon seeing the scene, everyone was left dumbfounded.

Immediately afterward, I saw my uncle take out a packet of powder from somewhere, gather everyone together, and then sprinkle the powder in a circle, encircling the people within it, just like the protective circle drawn by Sun Wukong.

My wife said, "It's not far; I specifically came here to travel, to the Niu She Mountain you mentioned." Immediately, my uncle gathered a few people to make a stretcher and had them carry the wealthy man to Niu She Mountain.

Subsequently, my uncle proceeded to disembowel the snake, extracting the gallbladder to feed it to the wealthy man. That very night, the poison in the wealthy man's body was alleviated

Generally, those who have some understanding of the Chinese medical system know that in order to obtain a medical license, one must attend a formal university and obtain a diploma. Otherwise, regardless of whether one studies traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, without that certificate, one is operating without a license. No matter how skilled you are at reviving the dead, you remain a barefoot doctor

I had just learned to read when he asked me to study traditional Chinese medicine with my uncle, hoping that I could make up for this regret, but by then, the times had already changed

Surrounding the hillside, at an unknown time, a multitude of snakes of various sizes had gathered. These snakes slithered towards their location, gradually coming closer, but upon reaching the circle of medicinal powder, they all halted and did not advance further

After a while, the daughter-in-law could no longer contain herself and, with a somewhat unfriendly tone, asked: "The person has already brought the books over, why aren't you taking care of it? Let me tell you, if anything happens to him, I will not let this go."

At the age of 24 this year, I am heading towards the ranks of old bachelors. I have opened a pharmacy in Tianjin, which is a store that solely sells medicine and does not provide medical consultations.

The wealthy man's wife was anxiously shedding tears, saying, "The will hasn't been established yet. If you die just like this, how am I supposed to live?"

His wife was initially skeptical, thinking that if the snake venom serum couldn't cure him, what could a barefoot doctor possibly do? However, seeing that the head of the household was in dire straits, she adopted a "grasping at straws" mentality and brought him to our home.

Thus, when I chose my major, I selected psychiatry, which infuriated my father to the point of jumping up and down.

However, reputation is just reputation; no matter how capable the uncle is, he does not possess the official red book issued by the state. Once he arrives in the city, he is operating without a license, and thus can only be considered a barefoot doctor

The overwhelming presence seemed as if all the snakes from the mountain had gathered, leaving both the bride and the bearers of the stretcher utterly stunned

In fact, although my university is a medical school, I studied psychiatry. The reason is simple: by studying this field, I do not have to face surgical procedures, as I have a severe aversion to blood.

I looked at the laptop, and the year displayed was 2012, the time was three o'clock in the afternoon. This train journey took two days and two nights to reach the destination. After getting off the train, I transferred to a car, and only then did I return to my parents' old house

My uncle has never married. It is said that in his youth, he suffered from emotional trauma. At that time, the girl he liked found him poor and directly left with a handsome young man from the village to work in the city, seeking a more prosperous life.

My name is Sun Miao

My ancestors have always been practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. My grandfather was a renowned master of traditional Chinese medicine in the surrounding villages. Later, my grandfather passed on his skills to my uncle and then lived out his years in peace, only occasionally coming out of retirement to address difficult and complicated cases.

A few days later, the wealthy man and his wife sent a package containing a thank-you gift wrapped in letter paper, which was filled with a thick stack of Renminbi. If my uncle had accepted it at that time, he could have easily bought a house in the county, but he only accepted one yuan for medicine.

But when it came to my father, he backed down

My father later wanted to regain his face, so he gave me the name Sun Miao, which means to emulate the Medicine King Sun Simiao

The daughter-in-law cried bitterly, attracting the attention of an old man. The old man inquired about the situation and said: "Why are you still crying! Let me tell you, you should hurry to Liupanshan County, where there is a doctor with the surname Sun. Inquire about Doctor Sun Guoyi; everyone knows him, and he can cure you!"

The train has already reached the territory of Luoyang, with the railway traversing the fields. Between the mountains and the wilderness, the heavy snow weighs down the old pines, and a thick fog envelops the area, making it feel chilling even while sitting inside the train

Unfortunately, the daughter-in-law arrived at an inopportune time; my grandfather was out on a house call, leaving only my uncle to look after the home. The daughter-in-law explained the situation, and my uncle went to attend to the wealthy client, asking: "On which mountain peak did you encounter the *illustration*?"

After graduating from university, I worked at a psychiatric hospital, but there were too many dark practices inside, such as the beating of patients and the wrongful labeling of normal individuals as mentally ill. We were even forced to make them take medication, which left me with a heavy conscience. I could not continue after two months, so I resigned and opened a small pharmacy in Tianjin.

It is said that a particularly miraculous event occurred with my uncle

To be honest, I have little interest in traditional Chinese medicine, and even if I graduate after studying with my uncle, I will not obtain a nationally recognized diploma. In the end, I would only be able to open an unlicensed pharmacy in the countryside like my uncle, which is quite frustrating to think about

As he spoke, his subordinate acted swiftly, seizing the snake by its vital point with a sudden grip. With a flick of his wrist, the snake danced in the air, making a rustling sound, and then he forcefully slammed it against the sharp rocks beside him, killing the snake instantly

My grandfather's name is Sun Yihua, and 'Doctor Sun' was the title of respect people had for him at that time. That old man probably survived under my grandfather's care, so he was introduced to the wealthy man's wife.

From that point on, my grandfather was completely disappointed in my father and devoted all his attention to my uncle

Just the day before yesterday, my father called me and said that I hadn't returned home for two years. This year, for the Spring Festival, I must go back home no matter what. Since I hadn't prepared in advance and it was the peak travel season, I hurriedly bought a train ticket, and it was a hard seat, which is already considered quite fortunate.

One year, a wealthy man was bitten by a snake while traveling in the mountains. He was quickly taken to the local health clinic for antivenom injections, but by that evening, the wealthy man's face had turned purple, and it was evident that he was not going to survive

My uncle has been deeply affected and has not remarried to this day, which is why he treats me as if I were his own son. In the past, whenever my father hit me, I would run to my uncle's house. When my father came to the door to continue the beating, my uncle would glare at him, and my father would back down.

When I was young, I foolishly studied, and at that time, it was quite enjoyable. However, as I grew older and entered high school, I saw my classmates filling out their applications, while my future was quite concerning.

Upon returning home, I inevitably faced a barrage of nagging from my parents, yet the warmth of family reunions was undeniable. Although my father always felt that I was not living up to expectations, he still appeared quite pleased. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, my father asked me to pay New Year greetings to my uncle.

That year, I rebelled against my father for the first time, stating that I did not want to study medicine but rather architecture. At that time, architecture was quite popular; graduating from university and becoming an architectural designer was a prestigious endeavor. However, my father disagreed, insisting that our family had a long-standing tradition of studying medicine. Even if you do not pursue traditional Chinese medicine, that is acceptable; you must apply to a medical university. There are three hundred sixty-five professions, but in any case, you cannot escape the fate of becoming a doctor

This matter spread widely, and at that time it was referred to as 'Shou She' (Catching Snakes). It is said to be a lost ancient Chinese medical skill. First, a secret medicinal powder was used to lure all the snakes out, and then the blood from the wound of the injured person was used to draw out the snake that bit them, in order to extract the bile for detoxification. As a result, my uncle gained great fame in the local area

At that moment, I saw my uncle, calm and unhurried, take out a thin blade from his sleeve. He made a cut on the wealthy man's bitten calf, and immediately a stream of black blood flowed out. Following that, from among the group of snakes, a black snake suddenly swam out, trying to rush into the circle of medicinal powder. My uncle clapped his hands and pointed at the snake, saying: "It was you that bit him"

His aptitude was poor. He spent a full two months studying "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and only memorized ten prescriptions. Later, when someone’s dog fell ill, they came to my father for some medicine. My father prepared a dose, and it ended up killing the dog outright.

At that time, I had not yet been born; my hometown was in a village below the county level, which, of course, can no longer be found now

The powder emitted a strange odor, quite unpleasant. Uncle then sat down cross-legged, and there was no further movement.

Initially, only traditional Chinese medicine was sold. As the business gradually developed, some Western medicine was also sold, yet there was still no license. Whenever I think of this, I feel that fate is a particularly mysterious thing. In the past, I worked tirelessly to avoid being barefoot, but unexpectedly, in the end, I am still barefoot.

My father is a particularly strong-willed person, and I cannot resist him. I had no choice but to enroll in a medical university, thinking to myself: a medical degree is better than following my uncle and spending my life as a barefoot doctor.

He still lives in the countryside, but don't think he lives in poverty. In fact, my uncle is living quite lavishly; he has built a villa locally and enjoys a particularly comfortable life. It is said that he has cured many wealthy individuals, which makes me somewhat regretful now. All those red books are just illusions; I should have followed him back then.