“What are you thinking about? Don’t waste your time,” said his mother, standing at the window.

Gray went to his bedroom and bandaged the wound. Spoon’s scent still filled the room. Thinking of her young, fragrant flesh made him shudder. But Spoon wouldn’t return. Mother was right: there are some things you can never figure out. He didn’t know why Spoon had come to Yun Village, but they had really hit it off. Gray had never expected to fall out with her.

He took a sip of cold water and went to bed. He tried to fall asleep, but the chickens in the coop made so much noise that it seemed as if the weasel were attacking them nonstop. Maybe he shouldn’t have interfered just now.

As he was falling asleep, he saw himself in his own herb garden. A dirty beggar with ulcers on his leg was sitting among the herbs. In a muffled voice, Gray asked him to leave, but the beggar was unfazed. When Gray started dragging him away, he bit Gray. Gray shouted and almost fainted. Just then he woke up: it hurt where the hen had pecked him.

He remembered that the herb garden was full of small purple flowers. What was the name of this herb? He lit the kerosene lamp and checked the herbal medicine handbook. He couldn’t find it. Dismayed, he thought he didn’t have what it took to be a barefoot doctor. Just now he was disgusted by the sick beggar. Mrs. Yi never reacted the way he had. Mrs. Yi was made of different stuff, while he was just a country bumpkin. But the herbs, those beautiful herbs, kept him from giving up.

By the time he got up in the morning, the wound on the back of his hand had scabbed over. Although it was itchy, it didn’t have to be bandaged again. Apparently, what had happened last night wasn’t serious.

At breakfast, Gray bent his head to eat porridge. His dad looked at him from across the table.

“Gray, Old Onion asked me if you could help him with acupuncture. His back hurts a lot. He knows you’re studying to be a barefoot doctor, and he said you could practice on him.”

Gray was embarrassed. He hated Old Onion. The old man smelled so bad that he couldn’t bear to go near him. Gray had only practiced acupuncture on himself, and he didn’t want to do it on anyone else, especially an old man like Onion.

“I’d love to, Dad. But I’m not good enough. I’m afraid it might go wrong. I’m still young. I have a lot to learn from Mrs. Yi. I can’t rush this kind of thing.”

“Relax, Gray.” His dad laughed. “I’m just testing you. I’ve been wondering, Can Gray really help people? What will he be like as a doctor?”

“Don’t be so condescending,” Gray said angrily. “Why can’t I be a doctor? Aren’t I learning to be a barefoot doctor? Aren’t I the only one in this village doing that? Maybe you also look down on Mrs. Yi? Didn’t you see her for your toothache not long ago?”