"Brother Wei has diarrhea. I don't know if something wasn't cooked through when we went out for hot pot at lunch. He's been running to the bathroom nonstop since this afternoon," Sister-in-law Wei replied anxiously as she checked what she needed to take with her. "I'm afraid he's dehydrated, so I'm getting ready to take him to the hospital."
"Diarrhea? Don't panic yet. My master has a home remedy that's supposed to work really well. Give me a minute." As I spoke, I ran into the kitchen.
The book my master had given me contained this passage: "For diarrhea, eat charcoal-roasted garlic. Roast it until black outside and soft inside, with a charred flavor but no pungency. It is especially effective for acute diarrhea." [Aside: Many home remedies have been passed down in traditional Chinese medicine. Please test them objectively rather than putting blind faith in them. Methods are meant to serve us; we should judge them by their results, not become fixated on any one approach.]
I couldn't find any charcoal at that hour, so I turned on the gas stove, roasted some garlic over it as best I could, and handed it to Brother Wei.
By then, Brother Wei was weak all over. Whether he believed in it or not no longer mattered; with nothing to lose, he swallowed it straight down.
"In his current condition, it'll be hard for you to support him on your own. Let Brother Wei lie down and rest for a while. Make sure he gets fluids, and keep an eye on him. I'll go upstairs and get my things ready. If he doesn't improve, I'll help you take him to the hospital," I told Sister-in-law Wei.
Sister-in-law Wei was so anxious by then that she hardly knew what to do. She nodded distractedly in agreement.
After helping Brother Wei lie down, I hurried upstairs to get ready, then rushed straight back down to wait.
More than an hour passed, and Brother Wei slept soundly the whole time.
Sister-in-law Wei relaxed too. It was the middle of the night, and once her tension eased, sleepiness set in. Gradually, she could barely keep her eyes open.
I gestured to Sister-in-law Wei to call me if anything came up, then went back upstairs to rest.
When I went downstairs the next morning, I found that Brother Wei had gotten up even earlier than I had.
He greeted me, full of energy. "Sanhe, thank goodness for your home remedy last night. It saved us a trip to the hospital. Not only would it have cost money, but everything there is in English. We probably wouldn't even have figured out how to register. My stomach hasn't hurt once since last night."
Sister-in-law Wei was a down-to-earth person too. Unsure how to express her gratitude, she thought for a moment and said, "How about I cook for you every day from now on? You don't seem to know much about cooking."
"No, no, no!" I hastily declined.
You two have your own life together. Having you cook for me every day would be awkward just to think about.
Although I understood how Sister-in-law Wei felt, I still wasn't comfortable with a woman approaching me so enthusiastically. I wasn't sure whether that counted as social anxiety.
Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I hastily found an excuse and fled.
When I came back that evening, Brother Wei held out a red envelope to me. Rubbing his hands awkwardly, he said, "I don't know how to thank you, so I'll be tacky and give you a red envelope."
Although money really was tight for me, Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei had both come here to work too, and they seemed very frugal in their daily lives. I really couldn't bring myself to accept it.
Brother Wei seemed to read my thoughts and insisted on pressing it into my hands. "If we'd gone to the hospital, this little bit of money definitely wouldn't have covered it. Just don't think it's too little."
I checked inside. There were two hundred Singapore dollars, equivalent to over a thousand yuan. I really didn't feel right taking it.
In the end, with no other way out, I compromised and accepted $100. That way, Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei could feel at ease without leaving me feeling uncomfortable.
Although it was only a small incident and hadn't earned me much money, being able to help someone still gave me a real sense of accomplishment.
It also made me quietly resolve that, besides reading the textbooks for my classes, I would spend a little extra time every day reading the books my master had left me. I never knew when they might come in handy.
As it turned out, I had made exactly the right decision. Before long, I needed them again.