“Gray, can you fix my leg?” Dad asked.

“Your leg is a little inflamed. You must have a cold.”

As the needle was inserted, father and son both felt their bones tingle. Dad groaned contentedly and said, “Son, you’re a man now . . .”

“Dad, you’ve come back.”

“Yes, I’m back. My son is a doctor now.”

Looking at Dad, Gray felt that his father had a childlike attachment to him. It was a strange feeling for him. Dad had been a spectator, watching him grow up. Now he was a man and Dad a child. Life was interesting. He used to be indifferent to life, narrow-minded and poor at observing.

“Dad, tomorrow I’m going to Deserted Village to help Mia with her herb hill.”

“I see. Everybody needs you now. There’s been a lot of noise on the hill lately, and one day I saw a silver fox come out of a hole there. Mia is doing a great thing.”

“A silver fox?”

“Yes, I didn’t believe my eyes, for that kind of fox is only legendary.”

“There are so many things we haven’t heard of before.”

Birds woke him up the next morning, and he jumped out of bed.

“Yun Village is awake—it’s really awake!” he said.

“Gray, don’t shout, you’ll frighten the birds away!” said Mother. “The magpies were arguing. I was worried about them just now.”

Gray was in high spirits as he took the bus to Deserted Village.

He had been there long ago, but the village he saw now had completely changed. The tiled houses were low and hidden from view by the trees. You couldn’t see them if you didn’t look carefully. He didn’t remember Deserted Village looking like this. Had the bus taken him to another village? There were several hills around. Which one was Mia’s herb hill?

“Young man, where did you come from?” Someone was talking in the woods.

“I’m from Yun Village. I’m looking for Mia.”

“Yun Village! That’s a good place. Come in and have a drink with me.”

Gray didn’t see the man. He followed the voice through the woods and went into a house.

“May I have your name, please?”

“My name is Yang. Come on in, have a drink.”

Gray couldn’t hold much liquor. After two cups of rice wine, he was already a little drunk.

“D-do you live here alone, Yang?” he asked.

“That’s right. I didn’t get married because I wasn’t responsible enough. You’ve come a long way to help our Mia. You came here to help Mia, and I’ve also become a beneficiary. I knew this was my lucky day when I saw you looking about outside the woods just now.”

“Oh, oh, I see!” Gray couldn’t get a good look at this old man. “Wh-what you said m-makes m-me very happy. Where is Mia? I have to go look for her now!”

He put his hands on the table to push himself up, but he fell and blacked out. The last thing he remembered was the delicious rice wine.