After finally managing to escort the endlessly grateful Wang family out, the neighbors and onlookers surged forward to congratulate the Xu father and son.
“I’ve watched A-Ze grow up,” declared Old Man Tang from next door, a look of pride on his face as if he himself had been the mentor. “I always said this boy would go far. See? I was right! And A-Ze is still studying. Who knows, he might become a professor someday!”
“Exactly, exactly! A-Ze is no ordinary child. He’s definitely destined for great things…” The crowd chimed in, their praises growing more and more extravagant. Gradually, they even started predicting Xu Ze’s future for decades to come: “I reckon… in ten years, he’ll be a professor. In twenty, he’ll be famous nationwide. In thirty, winning a Nobel Prize will be no problem at all…”
As the chatter grew more and more far-fetched, Xu Ze’s parents, who had initially been brimming with pride, began to sweat nervously. Xu Ze himself, feeling extremely embarrassed, had long since retreated back upstairs.
Even without the main protagonist present, the crowd continued their enthusiastic praise for a good while before reluctantly dispersing.
However, as the neighbors went their separate ways, word quickly spread throughout the town about the young Dr. Xu from the Xu Clinic, who had miraculously revived someone who had stopped breathing.
Gradually, more and more stories about Xu Ze circulated. By noon, even the fact that he worked part-time as an apprentice in the provincial capital had gotten out. But as the tale was passed along, it became increasingly embellished. It was said that shortly after Xu Ze began his studies in the provincial capital, he happened to be spotted by a reclusive master of traditional medicine living there. This master, with his keen eye, instantly recognized Xu Ze as a once-in-a-century prodigy with extraordinary natural talent. He allegedly insisted on taking Xu Ze as his disciple, personally instructing him for two years, which was how Xu Ze acquired his remarkable skills. Thus, another layer of legend was added to Xu Ze’s story.
While some dismissed these tales—other doctors and clinic owners in town believed the young Xu was just lucky, a case of “a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse,” and thought they could have easily achieved the same fame in his place—fate had other plans.
The story spread wider and wider. Moreover, many previous patients whom Xu Ze had treated for colds, coughs, vomiting, or fevers—via IV drips or injections—began proudly boasting about their experiences.
A gaunt old man, squatting under the big tree at the town entrance, basked in the admiring gazes of a bored post-meal crowd. Staring skyward, stroking his two white whiskers, he sighed with feigned profundity and pride, “Young Dr. Xu saved my life once too. Last time I had a fever and diarrhea, I took medicine from Dr. Tao for several days with no improvement. I was bedridden, too weak to walk, barely breathing. In the end, with my own sharp discernment, I had someone find young Dr. Xu. He fixed me up with just one injection! A true miracle doctor…”
Hearing the old man’s words, the crowd nodded in agreement. “Indeed, a little miracle doctor…”
Hidden behind the tree, a certain Dr. Tao listened, tears of frustration streaming down his face as he lamented silently to the heavens, “You old coot! Last time you just had enteritis. You were weak from prolonged diarrhea, of course you couldn’t walk! An IV drip would have naturally fixed you up. But you were too stingy to pay for the medicine. When you heard an IV would cost a hundred bucks, you absolutely refused. Only a greenhorn like Xu Ze would be foolish enough to charge you just the drug cost, losing money on the injection fee, house call fee, and IV supplies. Making a house call for an IV and only charging thirty-five… Ah… if I’d known, I would have taken a loss and given you that drip myself.”
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Busybodies kept adding more fantastical details, making the stories increasingly incredible. And so, Xu Ze’s formidable reputation rapidly expanded, showing every sign of surpassing his father and the other doctors in town, poised to claim the title of Chentang Town’s Number One Miracle Doctor.
