On that day, my mother said that my health was too poor and I lacked exercise. She wanted to take me to a place dozens of kilometers away to see an old Chinese doctor and catch some Chinese medicines to strengthen my body. Now retired old Chinese doctor, according to legend, has superb medical skills. He has been practicing medicine for generations and is good at conditioning people's weak bodies. I couldn't resist my mother's encouragement, so I promised to go.
On that day, I got up very early, as if I hadn't got up so early for a long time. Before the sun rose, I felt the breeze blowing gently and looked at the lush green trees, but my mood was also pleasant.
However, the old Chinese doctor lives in the deep mountains, and if it weren't for someone's guidance, we wouldn't have found the way to go. However, the car was still forced to stall at the foot of the mountain, because the mountain road was rugged and winding, as wide as a narrow path, and the trees and weeds were dense, so the car could not drive in. When I got off the bus and looked at the hot sun, thinking that I was about to walk aimlessly, I couldn't help but frown.
walking, the sun is getting stronger and stronger, even holding a sun umbrella is of no help. Fortunately, as the mountain goes deeper, there are towering trees blocking the sunlight.
Before I knew it, I walked to the door of the old Chinese doctor's house, which the guide said was "an old house by a spring".
Knock at the door. After a long time, an old woman with white hair came out to open the door. We said hello to her, and then explained our purpose. She smiled and led us into the room.
as soon as I entered the room, I felt cool and refreshing, and it was like two days outside.
This is a relatively old house, and even the ground is still earthy, which is fairly smooth, because there is no dry floating dust after living for a long time and stepping on it for a long time, and the surface is unusually bright and clean, with dim light, which is probably due to the earthy ground, so it can be cool there. The walls of the house are painted very white, and there are some vigorous and powerful calligraphy works on the walls. There is also a big picture of the rising sun in the center of the hall, with pine trees and cranes flying. Those paintings and calligraphy works let me smell the breath of art, and the original fidgety mood seems to be relieved at once.
go through the living room and go out through a side door. I was really taken aback: in the yard of about 3 square meters, it was colorful, singing and dancing, and the fragrance was fragrant. I had some illusions, as if I had strayed into a fairyland on earth. Those potted plants are large and small, with different shapes, just as the flowers are blooming, and some birds are jumping up and down in the cage happily.
In a corner of the yard, there is a stone table and four small stone benches. Next to the stone table, an old man with silver hair, wearing a pair of reading glasses, lay calmly in a rocking chair, reading a book.
Some words suddenly popped up in my mind: a man of the world, a man of elegance ...
The old woman called his name, and he got up, moved lightly and turned to smile at us.
Mother explained her purpose to him, and he motioned for us to sit down on the stone bench, and then asked the old woman to make tea for us. I said don't bother, but the old woman has turned and entered the house.
The old man is kind-hearted, with a detailed face. I think he was once a handsome man. He asked me my name, age and physical condition, and I answered them one by one.
I saw the book he put on the stone table, which is The Doctrine of the Mean.
the old woman brought two cups of tea, which were filled in blue and white cups and cups, and the fragrance was curling up.
later, he felt my pulse. My eyes were slightly closed and I was very devoted. I also felt the rhythmic but weak pulse between my wrists.
Later, he gave me a prescription, and I sat next to him and watched him write seriously. His words were vigorous and full of charm, which was not inferior to those calligraphers.
So I asked him if he wrote those cursive scripts in the living room. He said, yes, I didn't expect you to know calligraphy. I said, I dare not understand, just appreciate. He said that in order to cultivate sentiment, it is also a pastime of life.
I said, is it too inconvenient to live in the mountains? He said, no, children in need will be sent up. Moreover, the old couple are in good health, and there is nothing inconvenient. What is important is that they like this truly peaceful life. If someone comes, they will look at it. If no one comes, they will feed the birds and raise flowers, which is very good.
a real gentleman who lives in seclusion.
I was suddenly moved, because of this pure and peaceful mentality, because in this materialistic society, I can still see some people who are not tired of fame and fortune, but only feel the truth of life with one heart.
at the age of eighty-five, he can still be so pure-hearted and spirited. I think it must have something to do with his indifferent and distant temperament.
He explained to me the matters needing attention in taking medicine and how to take it. It was all over, but I was reluctant to leave, so I stayed for a while with his sentence "sit down for a while and finish my tea".
I admire those potted plants one by one. Besides some bought potted plants, some were dug and cultivated by him in the mountains, and they are growing well. He saw that I also like flowers and plants, and then told me about the habits of those flowers and plants and the phenomena that need to be paid attention to in maintenance. He said that the most important thing is that these potted plants live in the forest and feel at home before they grow well. I am very benefited, and finally know why the potted plants I raise are not as full of vitality as him.
Gradually at noon, my mother said, Don't bother, it's time for us to go down the mountain. The old woman was picking up some fresh vegetables by the spring. She asked us to have lunch, but her mother declined politely.
The old man sent us to the intersection with enthusiasm, and I smiled and said goodbye to him.
at that time, the sun was shining in the sky, but I had no boredom when I first entered the mountain. Still the same scenery, still the same distance, but the mood is two completely different understandings.
Walking in the forest path covered with stones, watching the green trees and the mottled sunlight sprinkled on the ground through the leaves, the leaves rustled with a slight wind, just like a graceful melody rippling between heaven and earth. I feel my heart rising as if I were in a painting.
I told my mother that I should hide in the mountains when I am old, so that I can live a peaceful life without being infected by the floating world. Mother smiled and said, this is a realm of life, because their hearts are quiet enough to make these bleak days lively and fragrant. Not all people who are hidden in the mountains can have such an indifferent state of mind.
In the conversation with my mother, I walked very slowly, like a stroll, but I reached the bottom of the mountain unconsciously.
it turns out that when you come and go, it is the same, but it is also different.
Standing at the foot of the mountain, looking back towards the mountain, I wonder which position is the home of the old man. In a blur, I feel as if I saw the old man still lying in a rocking chair with the book "The Doctrine of the Mean", slowly commenting.
I just realized that the old man in the mountains, even if he didn't prescribe medicine for me, my body and mind have been washed, purified and adjusted by what he saw and felt during this trip ...