I asked in a deep voice, "What rules did that country doctor mention?"

Sorcerers never dared to underestimate the rules of the trade, because those rules represented taboos. Some taboos came from the living, while others came from ghosts and gods. Once you violated the rules, it meant you had to face the ghosts and gods directly, something even sorcerers were unwilling to do.

Yun Ya slowly said:

"That old doctor said, 'In the old days, there were few doctors in the Northeast. Villagers would go to barefoot doctors for medical treatment.'"

"Barefoot doctors were both farmers and doctors. During busy farming seasons, they farmed; during slack seasons, they practiced medicine. Or, they farmed during the day and delivered medicine to people at night."

"It was because the barefoot doctors went out at night so often that there were three rules: save the familiar, not the unfamiliar; save the big, not the small; save the white, not the black."

"My dad didn't take what the old doctor said seriously at all. He even told the old doctor, 'Saving people is a doctor's duty. How can there be any talk of saving or not saving?'"

"The old doctor left in anger because of my dad, and later wouldn't even speak to my dad when they met, all because my dad didn't take the old man's words seriously."

Yun Ya stopped here. I could clearly see her body trembling slightly. I was probably about to touch the most crucial part of her memory.

I said softly, "I've heard the old saying: when you don't take the words of the elders seriously, something bad will really happen. Did something happen to your father soon after?"

"Yes!" Yun Ya couldn't stop trembling. I raised my hand, pulled out a silver needle, and pierced it into her acupuncture point, which controlled her fear.

Yun Ya continued, "I remember clearly that it snowed heavily on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month that year."

"The snow in the yard was up to people's ankles. Everyone in the village stayed at home and didn't go out. My dad and I went to bed early too."

"In the middle of the night, I heard someone banging on the door. My dad put on his cotton coat, lit the lamp, and shouted outside, 'Who is it?'"

"I heard someone outside pleading, 'Dr. Xiang, someone at the village entrance is dying. Please lend a hand!'"

"My dad got out of bed and opened the door for the person, then turned back to get his first-aid kit, and told me to wait for him to come back."

"When my dad used to go out on house calls in the middle of the night, I would always wait for him to come back alone, and I was never afraid."

"But that day, I don't know why, I felt a wave of fear looking at the door."

"By the light of the doorway, I could see half of the person's face, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before."

"The person stood motionless at the door waiting for my dad, but his eyes were fixed on me. The more I looked at the door, the more afraid I became, as if I was afraid that person would push the door open and come in."

"Before my dad could pack his things, I cried and insisted on going with him on the house call. My dad couldn't get rid of me, so he had no choice but to take me with him."

"When I followed my dad out the door, I heard the clock in our house chime once. I looked back and it was exactly eleven o'clock. Wasn't that what the old man said, 'Save the white, not the black'?"

"The old man said, 'Don't go out to see patients after eleven o'clock.' There was an unwritten rule among the old and young in the surrounding villages: don't disturb the doctor after midnight. No one would come to seek medical attention in the middle of the night. No matter who comes to find you at night, you can't go out on a house call."

"I wanted to tell my dad, 'It's past eleven o'clock,' but when I looked up, I saw the person leading the way turning his head to look at me, smiling as he looked. Da Feng Novel Website"

"That person was much taller than me, so the way he looked down at me made my heart skip a beat. I was so scared that I didn't dare say a word, and just kept tugging at my dad's clothes."

"My dad kept his head down and hurried on, not even looking at the person. He thought I couldn't walk anymore, so he turned around, took my hand, and walked forward."

"My dad practically dragged me to the village entrance."

"There were no houses outside the village entrance, and all I could see was a vast expanse of white snow. My dad asked the person, 'Where's the patient?'"

"The person pointed to the area under a large willow tree in front of us. My dad shone his flashlight over there and saw a pregnant woman lying there."

"My dad told me to wait for him in the distance, and he ran to the willow tree and put down his first-aid kit."

"Before my dad could save the person, I heard someone shout, 'Don't do it! Stop!'”

"The person who shouted at my dad was the old doctor from the village. I don't know how he ran over. He grabbed my dad and tried to drag him back, 'Didn't I tell you? Save the familiar, not the unfamiliar! Are you looking for death!'"

"My dad shook off the old doctor and tried to save the person. The old man immediately became anxious, 'I'm asking you, have you ever seen this person before? Think about it yourself, in the middle of the night, in the heavy snow, how could a pregnant woman run under a willow tree?'"

"And that willow tree... can you just lean against that willow tree willy-nilly?"

"What the old man meant by 'save the familiar, not the unfamiliar' was that you can only save people you know, not people you've never met before. Because you don't know who you're saving, or rather, what you're saving."

"My dad's stubbornness flared up too, 'I don't care if I've met them or not. If I don't save them, that's two lives. If I see someone dying and don't save them, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?'"

"The old man was trembling with anger at my dad, but he still wouldn't let go, 'Are you stupid? I'm asking you, who told you to come out? Where's the person who called you to save their life? Who is he? Where did he go?'"