Walking further inside, there were rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with books. Between the shelves stood several long tables for those who preferred to read without checking books out. Zhu Siqi didn't stop until he reached the third floor, where he finally found the computer science section, and he hurried over.
The collection of computer-related books was extensive, occupying four entire shelves—at least a thousand volumes. Zhu Siqi didn't worry about the quantity and started with the basics. He began with hardware books, knowing that computers consist of both hardware and software, but software is built upon hardware. Without hardware, even the best software is useless.
Time passed quickly. One book after another was finished. It wasn't until someone called out to him that Zhu Siqi realized the entire third floor was empty.
The person calling him was Xie Lu. She and Zhang Mengqin hadn't seen each other for a long time, and when girls get together, there's no shortage of things to talk about. When they noticed it was already nearly 10:30 p.m., Xie Lu told Zhang Mengqin to wait a moment while she went down from the top floor, checking each level to remind anyone still inside that the library was about to close. When she reached the third floor, she saw Zhu Siqi still reading.
Only then did Zhu Siqi realize how late it was. He quickly put the book back on the shelf, selected a few books to borrow, and went downstairs with Xie Lu to the first floor. When Zhang Mengqin saw him, she asked, "Why are you still here? Your school should be closed by now—you won't be able to get back in. Where are you going to sleep tonight?"
Zhu Siqi didn't really mind. Sleeping anywhere for a night was fine. He had his ID, so there was no need to worry about hotels refusing him.
"I'll just stay at some hotel for the night."
"You…" Zhang Mengqin sighed. "How can I feel at ease letting you stay outside? Forget it—come stay at my place for the night." Considering his young age and the fact that she had brought him out, she felt responsible as his teacher and worried something might happen to him.
"That wouldn't be very convenient. I can figure something out myself," Zhu Siqi said, not wanting to trouble her.
"My place is big—only my grandfather and I live there. There's nothing inconvenient about it. If something really happened to you outside, how would I explain it to Teacher Peng tomorrow? It's settled."
"Xie Lu, I won't be going to your dorm tonight. I'll find another chance next time," Zhang Mengqin added.
Once again, Zhu Siqi rode the bicycle with Zhang Mengqin behind him, following her directions. They arrived at a residential compound where the guards at the entrance were not security guards, but armed police. Zhu Siqi couldn't help glancing at them repeatedly, wondering what kind of family Teacher Zhang came from. Seeing this, Zhang Mengqin explained, "My grandfather was in the military and is now retired. Most of the people living here are from the army—it's sort of a semi-militarized compound."
When they entered the apartment, it really was spacious—a four-bedroom, two-living-room layout. In the living room sat an elderly man watching television. When he saw Zhang Mengqin, he said, "Qin'er, didn't you say you wouldn't be coming back tonight?"
"I have a student who has nowhere to stay tonight. I was afraid something might happen to him if he stayed outside, so I brought him back," Zhang Mengqin replied.
Only then did the elderly man notice Zhu Siqi. Zhu Siqi quickly greeted him, "Hello, Grandpa."
The old man warmly invited him to sit down. Zhang Mengqin went to her room and said as she walked away, "Grandpa, you two chat for a bit. I'm going to take a shower and change."
The old man's name was Zhang Aihua. Before retirement, he had been a full general and a member of the Central Military Commission. He could have spent his retirement in Beijing, but since he was originally from Nanchang and had no close relatives there, he chose to return home. His granddaughter, who had been studying in Nanjing, was later admitted to Nanchang University, which made the place livelier.
Zhang Aihua had a dignified presence, and years of high authority gave him an imposing aura. At first, Zhu Siqi wasn't very comfortable, but Zhang Aihua rarely had people to chat with and began asking him about everyday matters. Gradually, Zhu Siqi relaxed.
The two chatted enthusiastically. Zhang Aihua had few friends in Nanchang—only subordinates—and conversations with them were always restrained. Zhu Siqi, on the other hand, listened happily as Zhang Aihua recounted his youthful experiences of traveling and fighting battles, along with strange stories from different regions. In fact, elderly people don't always need much care or material comfort. Often, they just need someone to listen to them talk—even if that person simply sits quietly nearby.
After chatting for a while, Zhu Siqi noticed that Zhang Aihua looked tired and kept massaging his stomach. Using his perception, Zhu Siqi checked his condition and found many serious problems. The damage to his stomach was severe—though Zhu Siqi didn't know the medical term, it was actually stomach cancer. The old man himself knew he didn't have much time left. His heart condition was also poor, with slow beats and severe blockages in his blood vessels. Zhu Siqi said, "Grandpa, your health isn't very good. You shouldn't talk too much. I know a little medicine—would you like me to take a look?"
"Oh? I wouldn't have guessed you knew medicine," Zhang Aihua said. "This is an old problem. When I was young in the army, meals were irregular. Sometimes, when ambushing the Japanese, we'd go days without food. Only in old age did my body give out. Hospitals can't cure this—I'm just waiting for the end." Having experienced life and death countless times, Zhang Aihua faced death calmly.
Still, he didn't want to disappoint Zhu Siqi's kindness and extended his hand.
"Grandpa, your stomach condition is very serious, and your heart and blood vessels aren't in good shape either."
"That's right—stomach cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Not bad, young man—you've got some skill," Zhang Aihua said in surprise.
"Grandpa, I'm serious. If you trust me, I'd like to treat you," Zhu Siqi said earnestly.
"Alright then. You can use this old body of mine as a test," Zhang Aihua replied, still not fully convinced.
"I'll need some acupuncture needles, but I don't have any with me. I'll get them tomorrow."
"I actually have some here," Zhang Aihua said. "My health doctor left a set with me. I'll go get them."
Zhu Siqi asked the old man to lie down on the sofa and unbutton his shirt. With the air conditioner on, there was no worry about catching a cold. Zhang Aihua followed his instructions, treating it as a kind of game.
Zhu Siqi inserted the needles into acupuncture points around the stomach area and slowly rotated them with both hands. In fact, his true qi had already entered Zhang Aihua's body. When it reached the stomach, Zhu Siqi sensed numerous highly active bacteria destroying the stomach lining. He carefully divided his true qi into many streams, each responsible for a small area. He wrapped the bacteria with qi, increased the compressive force, killed them, and sent them into the intestines to be expelled from the body.
Zhang Aihua felt an unusual comfort, as if someone were massaging his stomach from the inside. Knowing it wasn't appropriate to speak, he endured quietly.
There were many bacteria, and Zhu Siqi kept sending more and more true qi inside. The streams worked in coordination, cleansing the stomach area repeatedly until no bacteria could be sensed. Only then did he withdraw the qi.
Nearly forty minutes had passed. Zhu Siqi was drenched in sweat—he had never been this exhausted before. Controlling hundreds or even thousands of qi streams was extremely taxing. Feeling weak, he removed the needles. Zhang Aihua put his shirt back on and stood up.
"Siqi, your acupuncture really works. My stomach feels much better—no pain at all, just a slight discomfort."
"The damage to your stomach is severe," Zhu Siqi said, leaning against the sofa. "It will take a long time to recover. I'll write you a prescription later and make some health pills for you."
At that moment, Zhang Mengqin came out after her shower. Seeing the two chatting happily, she sat beside Zhang Aihua. "Grandpa, how did it go?"
"This student of yours is impressive," Zhang Aihua said. "We got along well, and he even knows medicine. He just gave me acupuncture, and I feel very good now."
"Really?" Zhang Mengqin said in surprise. "Grandpa, your complexion looks much better too."
"Zhu Siqi, I didn't know you could treat illnesses. Can my grandpa really be cured?" she asked.
"Yes," Zhu Siqi replied. "But it will take time."
"How long?" Zhang Mengqin asked eagerly.
"About three months. His heart and blood vessels also have issues. I'm a bit tired today—I'll continue treatment tomorrow."
"Only three months? You're not lying, are you? I thought it would take years," Zhang Mengqin said, genuinely shocked. From learning to ride a bike to reading until forgetting the time, and now treating her grandfather's long-standing illness, this student had already surprised her many times that day.
"Teacher Zhang, please get me a pen and paper. I need to write a prescription for Grandpa."
After writing it, Zhu Siqi remembered that herbs from regular pharmacies might not be of the best quality. He added, "Grandpa, when buying the herbs, please have each one packaged separately. I'm worried poor-quality ingredients might affect the results."
Zhang Aihua quickly agreed.
It was already very late, and Zhang Aihua was tired. Zhang Mengqin escorted him to his room to rest, then arranged for Zhu Siqi to stay in the guest room before returning to her own room.
As soon as Zhu Siqi entered the guest room, he sat down cross-legged and entered meditation. His true qi had been heavily depleted—without circulating it, he wouldn't be able to endure. After running his qi through 108 cycles, he felt it had grown even more robust. Now full of energy and not sleepy at all, he took out the books he had borrowed from the library and began reading again.