13. Dreams and Reality

Beneath the magnolia tree, Tang Yiyi stared at Xu Bin, who was smoking. “You don’t even know how to form a team, so you’re clearly not playing the game. What are you really doing, hiding it from Master?”

Xu Bin frowned as he took a drag, then threw the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and stomped it out hard. He asked earnestly, “Yiyi, do you have a dream?”

Tang Yiyi had never seen Xu Bin so serious, but she couldn't help wanting to laugh, as if she’d stumbled into one of those music shows where mentors ask contestants: Tell me about your dream.

Isn’t that a pointless question? Everyone standing there dreams of singing; it’s not as if anyone would answer, “My dream is to become an archaeologist.”

“Ahem! This dream…” The twitch at Tang Yiyi’s lips irritated Xu Bin. He raised his hand and knocked her forehead with his knuckle. “Be serious! I'm not joking.”

Tang Yiyi rubbed her forehead, torn between laughter and exasperation. “Isn’t asking me that question itself a joke? I spend my days memorizing prescriptions, learning acupoints, and studying under Master—do you think it’s to become a chef?”

Xu Bin paused for a moment. “You really want to be a traditional Chinese doctor?”

“Yes, I do. I decided when I was twelve, after my grandmother passed away.”

“You should have been born into our family,” Xu Bin said regretfully.

“Well, here I am—even if I’m twenty-two years late.”

“Uncle Huang really recommended the right person. You’re exactly the apprentice my father was looking for: solid foundation, smart, perceptive, and most importantly, passionate about Chinese medicine. He’s utterly given up on me.”

“What did you do to disappoint him?”

Xu Bin looked at Tang Yiyi and said seriously, “I want to be a singer.”

Tang Yiyi’s lips twitched uncontrollably again. “…Are you serious?”

“You think I’m joking!”

“No… not really, I’m just a bit surprised. Uh, so tell me about your dream. Wait! Yesterday Xiao Xie said you went singing—don’t tell me you’re performing in some bar?”

“I’m not a resident singer, but I’ve formed a vocal band. The guys you saw last night are the members.”

“Is Xiao Xiao part of the band too?”

“Yes, she’s our coach.”

“A vocal band? What’s that?”

“No instruments—we sing different parts with our voices, like the Dong folk songs. You know those?”

“Oh, that’s cool! But what does that have to do with your late nights?”

“We want to compete in ‘Avenue of Stars.’ The show’s coming to Yicheng for auditions on June 30th, so we’re in a rush. Everyone has to work during the day, so we practice at night. Today the prison guard is on duty, so he couldn’t make it—otherwise…”

“Wow, ‘Avenue of Stars!’ You’re amazing! Master doesn’t know you’re singing? Even Xiao Xie knows.”

“My dad doesn’t know. Xiao Xie only found out because she caught us rehearsing once, and I made her promise not to tell.”

“She’s not exactly trustworthy; she almost slipped up yesterday.”

“She lets her guard down with you.”

“But if you keep staying up late, it’ll affect your work. Master will find out sooner or later.”

Xu Bin grabbed Tang Yiyi’s shoulders. “Yiyi, only you can help me with this.”

“How can I help?”

“Just like today—cover for me when it matters.”

“I don’t want to lie to Master.” She knew who the boss was.

“You just don’t mention I’m singing. What you said today wasn’t a lie; plenty of people play that game.”

“But you keep staying up late, and you look exhausted during the day. How much longer can you keep this up? Artists always work late and sleep in, but you can’t do this long-term.”

“There are just over thirty days left. If we pass the audition, I’ll take leave.” Xu Bin sounded far less confident as he said this.

“What if you don’t?”

“I’ll just work diligently and prepare for the certificate exam. Yiyi, I really love singing.”

“I get it. You need to have dreams, because you never know when they might come true. That line is popular in every inspirational book.”

“For you, your dream has already come true.”

“Not yet, but I’ve been lucky—everyone along the way has helped me, not stopped me.”

“That’s why you have to help me.” Xu Bin always spoke as if it were a given.

“If Master asks what you’re doing at night, what should I say?”

“Just say you don’t know.”

“Hey, you haven’t told me your dream today, so I know nothing. Go get some sleep now, and you’ll be more energetic tomorrow. Master won’t ask then.”

“Alright, I’ll take you to see our rehearsal sometime.”

After seeing Xu Bin off, Tang Yiyi returned to her room full of emotions. Passing through the living room, she was called over by Xu Mingtang, who was watching TV. “Come have some fruit.” She sat down, a bit anxious, thinking she wouldn’t have to betray Xu Bin so soon, would she?

“Xu Bin’s heart has never been in medicine,” Xu Mingtang smiled at Tang Yiyi’s nervousness.

“He’s always learning this and that—never sure what he likes. When he wanted to paint, I enrolled him in art classes. His mother said that many kids were learning piano, so we signed him up to cultivate his musical talent. He kept at it until junior high, then switched to guitar, and he even tried badminton.”

“Master, I learned painting and keyboard too. Even though it was just a small town, there were teachers. I didn’t learn badminton, but I played table tennis and joined the school team.”

“Haha, parents everywhere are much the same—they all want their children to be talented and versatile. Xu Bin’s grades have always been poor, no matter how much we tried to help. I taught him to recite ‘Medical Mirror’ when he was young, but sigh…”

“If you don’t like something, you can’t do it well or stick with it.”

“Exactly. We spent tens of thousands on tutoring for the college entrance exam, and he barely made it into a second-tier university. I was the one who suggested traditional Chinese medicine. He never objected, though—he’s a very filial child.”

Xu’s wife came out of the room and joined the conversation. “Our Bin has always been smart, just not interested in studying. But he’s fine now. Yiyi, your parents never had to worry about your studies, right?”

“It was alright. Both my parents are teachers, and if my grades weren’t good, people would talk, so I worked hard.”

“So why did you want to study Chinese medicine?”

“I was sickly as a child. My dad had a student who died during an infusion, so he was very wary about letting me have infusions. Instead, he always took me to Chinese medicine doctors. I loved the smell of herbs, and thought it was amazing how plants could heal people. When I was twelve, my grandmother suddenly fell unconscious and passed away soon after. The town’s old doctor, visiting our home, said it was a brain hemorrhage, and if he’d been there with acupuncture, maybe she could have been saved.”

“So that’s when you wanted to become a Chinese medicine doctor,” Xu Mingtang said.

“Yes, it was because I truly loved it.”

“Good child. Don’t worry—Master will teach you everything he can.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Master has a request.”

“Ah?” Tang Yiyi swallowed nervously, hoping she wouldn’t have to betray Brother Bin.

“Help Xu Bin prepare for the pharmacy certification exam. If someone’s beside him, urging him on and studying with him, he’ll be more focused,” Xu Mingtang said, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, Master, I’ll do my best to help him prepare.” Tang Yiyi promised Xu Mingtang.