Chapter 27: The Story of My Master
Just as Ye Jianfei was about to continue his conversation with Zhang Shen, his phone suddenly rang.
When Ye Jianfei picked up the phone, his expression froze for a moment before he answered.
“Hello!” Ye Jianfei’s voice was barely audible, and within seconds, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Zhang Shen, though unsure who would call Ye Jianfei so late at night, could tell from his demeanor that he was quite fearful.
After a long pause, Ye Jianfei finally said, “I’ll come home right away,” and hurriedly hung up.
“That was my wife calling—I need to go back,” he explained.
Zhang Shen hadn’t expected the renowned Ye Jianfei to be afraid of his wife. Then again, in today’s society, men who fear their wives aren’t so rare. It seemed that Ye Qiong’s unruly temper was quite reminiscent of her mother’s.
Zhang Shen mused silently.
“My young friend, let’s continue our conversation tomorrow.”
“All right, Mr. Ye.”
They exchanged phone numbers, then Ye Jianfei departed by car while Zhang Shen returned to his night shift as an internet café attendant.
…
The next afternoon, Zhang Shen was awakened by the ringing of his phone.
“Working night shifts really isn’t ideal—every time the phone rings, my sweet dreams are mercilessly shattered,” he grumbled aloud. But when he saw who was calling, he immediately became alert.
“Hello, Mr. Ye.”
“My young friend, are you still at Shunyi Lane?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Excellent. I’d like to talk to you about your master, and my wife would also like to meet the disciple of her benefactor. I’ll send my driver to pick you up—wait at the entrance of the internet café, all right?”
Zhang Shen was surprised by Ye Jianfei’s sincerity.
“Of course, Mr. Ye.”
Anything concerning his master was important to Zhang Shen, and hearing that Ye Jianfei was coming to get him, he sprang out of bed, quickly washed up, changed into clean clothes, and went downstairs.
Before long, the black Mercedes from the previous night was already driving toward him. The driver took Zhang Shen to the villa district outside the city where Ye Jianfei lived.
When the car stopped, Zhang Shen got out and saw Ye Jianfei waiting for him.
Upon seeing Zhang Shen arrive, Ye Jianfei quickly came forward.
“My young friend, you’re finally here—please, come in.”
With that, Ye Jianfei led Zhang Shen inside.
Having already admired Hu Sihai’s Mirror Lake Villa and Zheng Tiande’s home, Zhang Shen felt that these wealthy families truly had money; each house was adorned with lavish decor, radiating grandeur.
“My dear, this is the disciple of the benefactor I mentioned last night—Zhang Shen.”
Zhang Shen saw that she was a woman in her forties, but what caught his attention most was her sturdy build. It was no wonder Ye Jianfei feared his wife.
“My young friend, this is my wife, Qin Rong.”
“Hello, sister!” Zhang Shen blurted out, catching both Ye Jianfei and Qin Rong off guard. Ye Jianfei hadn’t expected Zhang Shen to be so tactful, and Qin Rong was pleasantly surprised by his sweet words.
Qin Rong didn’t say much, only smiled gently in reply.
“My young friend, please have a seat—I’ll bring some fruit.”
Qin Rong beckoned Zhang Shen and went to the kitchen.
But Zhang Shen’s mind wasn’t on fruit; he was eager to learn about his master.
“Mr. Ye, about my master…”
“Oh, right, how could I forget something so important,” Ye Jianfei paused, then began recounting his history with Luo Baiyang.
“Thirty years ago, our hometown was suffering from famine. Many couldn’t get enough to eat, so people went up the mountain to find wild herbs. At that time, no one knew which were edible and which were poisonous. We dug up whatever we could find—those who survived were lucky, those who didn’t, well, it was fate.”
Zhang Shen listened intently, afraid to miss any crucial detail.
“I remember it was a sweltering day. As usual, I went up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. After boiling them at home, I swallowed a bite and immediately lost consciousness. In that instant, I felt I was about to die.”
“And then?” Zhang Shen asked.
“Of course I didn’t die—silly child,” Qin Rong interjected, carrying a plate of fruit.
Zhang Shen knew Ye Jianfei had survived, but he wanted to know if it was his master who had saved him.
“When I finally woke up, I saw a thin, middle-aged man in his forties.”
“That was my master?” Zhang Shen asked nervously.
“Yes, it was. That man was your master, Luo Baiyang.”
“What happened next?”
Seeing Zhang Shen’s eager curiosity, Ye Jianfei continued, “It turned out your master was traveling through our area while I was unconscious. He saw me lying there, and with the leftover soup nearby, deduced I’d been poisoned. He used silver needles to expel the toxins, and that’s how I survived.”
“Thank goodness for Master Luo, or else Jianfei wouldn’t be alive today,” Qin Rong remarked, still feeling a lingering sense of dread as she recalled the story.
“After he cured me, Master Luo took the young people from our village up the mountain and taught us which wild herbs were safe to eat. From then on, there were no more cases of poisoning in our village. We always regarded Master Luo as our savior, and later, we even built a statue of him in the ancestral hall.”
“So that’s how it was.”
“Yes. Afterward, I swore to follow Master Luo’s example and help those in need. I went to medical school, intending to become a doctor, but then I met Qin Rong, and now I’m in the medicinal herb business.”
After hearing this, Zhang Shen felt the conversation was beginning to take on a romantic tone.
Just as he was about to speak, a clear voice rang out from the doorway.
“Dad, Mom, I’m home!”
“Dad, Mom? Could it be the girl who bumped into me last night?” Zhang Shen wondered, quickly turning to Ye Jianfei.
“Mr. Ye, may I ask how many children you have?”
“Just one—the girl you met last night, Ye Qiong.”
Ye Jianfei noticed Zhang Shen’s sudden question and asked, “My young friend, is something wrong?”
“No, nothing at all. Now that everything’s fine, I’ll take my leave.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yes—I’m a little afraid of your daughter.”