Chapter 3 tree like this

——In Memory of His Dead Friend Wang Guoxiangjun There used to be a row of three Italian cypresses planted near the fence in the west corner of my backyard.This Italian cypress (Italian Cypress) originally grew on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, and it is different from other pines and cypresses.The main trunk of the tree stretches straight up, reaching a height of sixty or seventy feet, but the horizontal branches do not expand arbitrarily. Standing alone, it is very imposing.The climate along the coast of Southern California is as mild as the Mediterranean. This kind of Italian cypress can be seen everywhere.Some people have deep houses and large courtyards, densely planted with cypress trees, and when viewed from a distance, they are lush and gloomy, like a wall towering into the sky.

I moved into the house "Hidden Valley" in the spring of 1973.This area is called "Hidden Valley" because it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, the forest is deep, and the terrain is quite hidden. Although it is located in the urban area, it is difficult to detect because of the hill barrier.At the beginning, I searched for this house according to the address in the newspaper. I lost my way a few times and found out that behind the hillside, there was a hole in the sky, and there was a house in the valley.That evening, I drove along the hillside into the "Hidden Valley" and faced the green hills and green trees. I just thought it was a quiet place. I never expected that I have lived in the valley for more than 20 years.

No. 940, Barcelona Drive, is a very ordinary one-story house in the middle of the slope.People and houses also have fate. This house, I took a fancy to at first sight, mainly because of the few big trees in the front and back of the house.There is a pagoda pine standing tall in front of the house, and a pair of Chinese elms behind the house, swaying and swaying, with a taste of weeping willows. The bushes on both sides completely isolate the neighbors, and the whole house is sheltered by trees. I like this kind of The house hidden in the bushes, and the price was just right, and Dingyang was put down on the same day.

The house itself is well maintained and needs no repairs.The problem is the plants in the garden.The owner of the house is partial to ivy, and the front and back yards are full of this kind of vines, which are crawling around.Ivy is amazingly strong and tough, and it takes a lot of work to pull it out. Daisies, poppies, and hibiscus are not my favorite flowers and trees.Fortunately, during the summer vacation, my middle school friend Wang Guoxiang came to Santa Barbara from the east bank to help me. The two of them worked together to remodel my "Hidden Valley" home, planting flowers and trees of my choice, and then laid the foundation. The basis for future garden development.

Looking forward to a golden future Wang Guoxiang was doing postdoctoral research at Penn State University at that time. We only had one and a half months of vacation, but we did 30 days of gardening work.Start work at 9 o'clock every morning, until 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening to call out the gold and retreat, cut through the brambles, remove the chaff and save the chaff, clear several truckloads of vines and weeds, and finally sort out the outline of the garden.Guoxiang and I are both beginners, not used to farming, and after a day, our backs hurt.Fortunately, Santa Barbara is cool in summer, and under the warm sun, it's really not hard work.

Wine is produced near Santa Barbara. There is a winery brewing a kind of apricot wine (Aprivert), which is fragrant and sweet. It is the best fruit wine. It is especially refreshing after being frozen.There is a plum tree next door, and half of its branches extend into my garden. This plum tree is really a different species. It is a ox blood plum.In July of that year, Kazuki was covered with little red balls, which was really attractive.At the beginning, Guoxiang and I were a little scrupulous. After all, it was someone else's fruit tree. Picking the neighbor's fruit in broad daylight was unavoidable.Later, I found out that California law stipulates that trees that grow beyond the boundary are considered products of this side.With the legal basis, we set up a long ladder, Guoxiang climbed up the tree, and I supported him below. After a while, we picked a bucket full of bright red and bright fruits.After work was over, the sun was setting and the breeze was blowing. Sitting on the lawn in the garden, sipping apricot wine and eating ox blood and plums, the fatigue of the day quickly recovered.

Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara) is known as the "Paradise of the Pacific Ocean". The city's mountains and rivers are indeed fascinating, but I think one of the advantages of this small town is that it is rich in seafood: stone crabs, hardback shrimps Sea urchins, sea urchins, and abalone are all local specialties, especially stone crabs, which have a hard shell, tender and sweet meat, and a pair of giant claws, which are really delicious in Santa Barbara.At that time, Americans didn’t know how to eat shelled crabs. In the fish market on the wharf, raw crabs cost one yuan for a round navel, and only one and a half yuan for a sharp navel.Wang Guoxiang is from Zhejiang, and he likes this thing all his life. Every time we go to the wharf fish market, we always bring back four or five giant crabs and eat them steamed.The first thing to pay attention to when steaming crabs is the heat. After half a minute, it will be old, and if it is less than half a minute, it will be uncooked.Wang Guoxiang steamed crabs based on his intuition. He watched the crab shells gradually turn red and said "OK!" He lifted the crabs from the pot and steamed them with certainty.Then serve it with ginger and rice vinegar, and boil a pot of Shaoxing wine, and that is our dinner.During that summer vacation, Wang Guoxiang and I ate at least a few dozen stone crabs.I had just received tenure that year, and it hadn't been long since it was published.After Guoxiang graduated from UC Berkeley, it was his first job to do postdoctoral research at Penn State University. At that time, he was full of confidence and enthusiasm for theoretical physics. We look forward to the prospect of life, which is golden and the future destiny We were unaware of the danger.

landmark in the garden The garden is in order, but the selection of flowers and trees takes a lot of thought.Among the flowers, I only like camellia.The camellias are noble, the white teas are elegant and clean, the black teas are beautiful, and the pink camellias are pretty and delicate, which naturally arouses pity.Even if it doesn't bloom, a tree with a greenery is still beautiful.Camellia originated in China, abounds in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and then spread to the United States via Europe.Camellia likes temperature and humidity and is suitable for acidic soil. Santa Barbara happens to belong to the camellia belt of the United States. Due to the regulation of sea fog, the camellia here grows extraordinarily abundantly.We then decided that camellia should be the main tone of vegetation in the garden, so we searched all the nurseries in the city, and finally selected more than 30 seedlings of various varieties.The naming of American camellias is sometimes quite ingenious: the white tea is called "Swan Lake", the pink camellia is called "Jiao Jiao Nu", and there is a kind of black tea called "General Eisenhower" - this is a very American tea, my backyard I planted a tree, and it really grew tall and rocky, with the style of a general.

After the flowers were planted, the last problem left was an open space in the west corner of the backyard. The owner originally built a swing here, but after the frame was removed, a blank corner was left.Because the area is not big enough to accommodate trees that are too large, Wang Guoxiang suggested: "It's better to plant Italian Cypress here."We bought three seedlings and planted them in a row along the fence.As soon as it was planted, it was only three or four feet high. Guoxiang predicted: "These three cypress trees will grow bigger than the other trees in your garden!" Landmarks in the garden.

The ten-year trees, the flowers and trees in my garden, are thriving and gradually taking shape.During that period, Wang Guoxiang had changed jobs several times. He had been to Canada and then to Texas.His postdoctoral research did not go well. Theoretical physics is an advanced subject with narrow prospects. American students regard it as daunting. Few people study, and the teaching positions are relatively limited.In those years, the budgets of American universities were tight, and it was hard to find a position. Only the physics departments of a few famous universities had theoretical physics positions, and it was difficult to squeeze in. Arizona State University once wanted to hire Wang Guoxiang, but he refused.When Guoxiang chose theoretical physics at National Taiwan University, he was more or less encouraged by Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhenning's Nobel Prizes.Later, he chose Berkeley, and he followed famous teachers. At that time, there were six Nobel Prize-winning professors in the Berkeley Department of Physics.Famous teachers from prestigious schools naturally have high expectations for their own research.When he realized that his research in theoretical physics could not achieve major breakthroughs, and he could not be a top physicist, he resolutely gave up physics and switched to high technology.Of course, the unrealization of his highest ideals in life has always been a hidden pain in him.He later found a steady job at the Hughes Corporation in Los Angeles, working on artificial satellites.In the Persian Gulf War, the artificial satellite used by the US military was made by "Hughes".

In those years, Wang Guoxiang often came to Santa Barbara to live in Santa Barbara during his holidays. When he came to my house, the first thing he did was to go to the garden to inspect the flowers and trees we had planted in those years.After a while, when he saw the three Italian cypress trees in the backyard, he couldn't help exclaiming: "Wow, they have grown so much taller!" The cypress trees rose more than ten feet every year, and within a few years, they reached the top and became six to seventy feet tall. towering tree.Among the three trees, the one in the middle is the strongest, and it is much higher than the two sides, forming a mountain shape.In the valley, the humidity is high, the cypress trees are verdant, and the sunset light is reflected on them, resplendent and eye-catching.In March and April, all the camellias in the garden are in full bloom, the trees are covered with white swans, and the pink camellias are even more delicate and bright. My garden is finally full of spring. Cypress dies for no reason In 1989, the year of horse fighting was an auspicious year.One day, I suddenly noticed that the tip of the leaf in the middle of the three Italian cypress trees in the backyard was slightly browned.At first I thought that the summer would be hot and dry, and the plants would not tolerate drought. Unexpectedly, within a few days, a tall tree of sixty to seventy feet would suddenly wither and die as if struck by fire and lightning.Those needles and leaves will fall off at the touch, such a lonely evergreen tree, which is proud of the world and flourishing, is completely necrotic within a few days.The strange thing is that the cypress trees on both sides are still green and unharmed, but there is a stumpy pillar erected in the middle, which is shocking. I had to ask someone to cut down the dead tree and drag it away.Since then, a gap has appeared on both sides of my backyard.The cypress tree withered and died for no reason, which made me depressed for a long time. I always felt ominous in my heart, as if some terrible disaster was about to happen.Not long after, Wang Guoxiang fell ill. That summer, Guoxiang had a persistent cough. He has been in the United States for more than 20 years and has always been in good health, even catching a cold is rare.He went to the doctor for a check-up. After a blood test, it was found that his hemoglobin was half that of ordinary people, only more than six grams per liter.Then the doctor took a bone marrow test for him. After the results came out, Guoxiang called me: "My old disease has recurred again. The doctor said it was 'aplastic anemia'." When Guoxiang spoke, his voice was still calm, He has always been calm in times of crisis, with the rationality and calmness of a scientist, but when I heard that long and strange disease name, I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart, and a series of terrible memories came back again. aplastic anemia Many years ago, in the summer of 1996, one early morning, I rushed to the hematology department of the Taipei Central Clinic alone to wait for the test results. Dr. Huang Tianci, the director of the hematology department, came out and told me: "Your friend Wang Guoxiang suffers from 'aplastic anemia. '." That was the first time I heard this strange disease name.Dr. Huang probably saw that my face was full of bewilderment, and then explained to me the pathological etiology of "aplastic anemia" in detail.This is a rare type of anemia. The hematopoietic function of the bone marrow is out of balance and cannot produce enough blood cells, so red blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin are all low.The cause of this blood disease is also very complicated, and various factors such as physics, chemistry, and virus are all possible.In the end, Dr. Huang told me very seriously: "This is a very serious anemia." Indeed, this troublesome blood disease has not been invented to eradicate this difficult blood disease until now. Hormones are used to stimulate the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow.Another treatment method is bone marrow transplantation, but at that time in Taiwan, this kind of thing had not been heard of.I walked out of the central clinic that day with a very heavy heart, but I was young and ignorant at the time, and I didn't really understand the seriousness of this disease. I thought that as long as it was not terminally ill, there was always hope for treatment.In fact, the cure rate of patients with "aplastic anemia" is extremely low. Only about 5% of them will recover by themselves inexplicably. When Wang Guoxiang suffered from "aplastic anemia" for the first time, he was about to enter the third grade in the Department of Physics of National Taiwan University, so he had to take a break from school, and the break lasted for two years.Guoxiang's illness started to be very serious, and he had to go to the hospital for blood transfusions every month, at least 500 cc each time.Due to the low platelets and poor coagulation ability, the gums often bleed, and even the eyeballs are congested, which hinders the vision.Among Wang Guoxiang's personalities, the most prominent is his straightforward temper of being competitive and never willing to admit defeat. It is his stubborn willpower that helps him temporarily resist the overwhelming disease disaster.At that time, I could only cheer him up and give him spiritual support.His family has moved to Taichung, and he lives alone with relatives in Taipei to recuperate because it is convenient to see a doctor.Often after class, I would ride a bicycle from National Taiwan University to Chaozhou Street to visit him.At that time, I had just founded "Modern Literature" with my classmates, and I was in a state of high morale. What I talked with Guoxiang was, of course, the details of my magazine.Guoxiang was also happy to see that I was in high spirits. During his illness, he got two subscribers for Modern Literature and became a loyal reader of the magazine.In fact, Wang Guoxiang’s contribution to Modern Literature was not small. This money-losing magazine was often in economic crisis. In the first few years when I was a lecturer at the University of California, because of my limited salary, I was often struggling to pay for the magazine’s printing costs.Guoxiang received a full scholarship to study for a Ph.D. in Berkeley, and he had more than 400 yuan a month for living expenses.After he knew my predicament, he would save one or two hundred dollars a month and send it to me to support "Modern Literature", and it lasted for a long time.His family was not considered wealthy, and at that time, it was a very large sum.Without his long-term "financial assistance", "Modern Literature" would have ceased publication long ago. The demon suddenly woke up Wang Guoxiang and I met when we were seventeen years old. At that time, we were both in the second year of high school in Jianguo Middle School. From the very beginning, there was a tacit understanding between us as siblings with different surnames.After graduating from high school, I had the chance to be admitted to National Taiwan University. Because I wanted to study water conservancy, I dreamed of building a dam in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and I couldn’t wait to leave home and pursue freedom, so I applied for admission to National Cheng Kung University. There is a water conservancy system.Wang Guoxiang also had this idea. He is a high-achieving student in his class, and it should not be a problem for him to be admitted to National Taiwan University.We rented a house in a military dependent village near the school, and lived a free university life for a year.Later, because of different interests, I re-examined the Foreign Languages ​​Department of National Taiwan University and returned to Taipei.Guoxiang studied at Chengda University for a year, but couldn't stand it anymore. He realized that his real ambition was to study theoretical science, and engineering was not his favorite, so he took the transfer examination at National Taiwan University and transferred to the Department of Physics.Back then, it was extremely difficult to transfer schools, departments and schools, especially National Taiwan University, Wang Guoxiang was admitted, and he was the only one admitted.We are rejoicing that the two of them were ignorant, and after a lot of tossing, fortunately, they were both admitted to the school that matched their interests.But at this time Wang Guoxiang was unfortunately suffering from this extremely rare blood disease. After more than a year of western medicine treatment, Wang Guoxiang's condition did not improve, and the high cost of treatment made his family fall into trouble day by day. Just when his relatives felt helpless, Guoxiang met a savior.His relatives found out that Dr. Xi Fu, a well-known doctor in the south of the Yangtze River, had cured a Korean overseas student who also suffered from "aplastic anemia".I have been studying Western medicine since I was a child, and I can't help but have a prejudice against Chinese medicine.In the prescription given to Guoxiang by Dr. Xi, among the many herbs, there was a dose of rhinoceros horn. At that time, I didn’t know that rhinoceros horn is the blood-cooling element of traditional Chinese medicine. .However, after Guoxiang took the medicine given by Dr. Xi, his condition improved day by day, and he no longer needed blood transfusion after half a year.Many years later, when Wang Guoxiang and I were in the United States, we once went to the world-famous zoo in San Diego, California, to watch animals. There was a group of rhinoceros in the park, seven big and small. That was the first time I really saw this kind of magic. I didn't expect to see such a beast at a close distance. The rhinoceros is so huge, and its skin is thick, armored and armored, with a corner of its nose protruding, like a sharp ax facing the sky, it looks very mighty.Probably because the rhinoceros horn had treated Guoxiang's illness, I had an indescribable affection for that group of ferocious beasts, and I lingered in front of the fence for a long time before leaving. Wang Guoxiang and I were too optimistic, thinking that "aplastic anemia" had already become a nightmare of the past, and Guoxiang belonged to the lucky few.He never expected that this tenacious disease would lie dormant for more than 20 years, like a monster that had been sleeping soundly for a long time, suddenly woke up and counterattacked with its teeth and claws.After all, Guoxiang is over fifty years old, and his physical resistance is naturally much different than when he was a teenager. The old disease has relapsed, and this time the situation is even more dangerous.Since then, Wang Guoxiang and I have spent three years fighting against the disease together. It was a life-and-death struggle. time funnel endless In view of the fact that Wang Guoxiang's illness was cured by a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for the first time, we will of course follow the old method this time.Guoxiang found out the prescription given by Dr. Xi Fu more than 20 years ago, and asked his relatives and friends in Taipei to take it to Dr. Xi for identification. Dr. Xi changed several medicines and increased the dose: Astragalus, raw rehmannia, Codonopsis pilosula , Angelica, Shouwu, etc. are some herbal medicines that nourish blood and regulate qi, and rhinoceros horn is also retained in the prescription.Fortunately, these medicines are available at the Chinese Medicine Store in Monterey Park, Los Angeles.There is a time-honored brand still called "Tak Shing Hang", which is run by Hong Kong people, and it has a complete range of goods and reasonable prices.In those few years, I picked up medicine for Guoxiang, went in and out, and got to know the boss of "Dechengxing" well.Because rhinos are protected rare animals, the sale of rhino horns is prohibited in the United States.The guy who started the "Decheng Xing" still refused to take it out. After we begged for a long time, he took out a piece of rhino horn from a small locked iron box, ground it into powder and sold it to us.However, after more than 20 years, Guoxiang's condition has changed greatly, and he is not in Taiwan, so he has not been able to get the doctor's pulse. Naturally, there is no way to control the changes in the prescription.This time, taking traditional Chinese medicine has no quick effect.But in the past three years, Guoxiang has not stopped using herbal medicines, because Western medicine has no specific treatment methods, and he still uses various hormones as before.We have discussed the possibility of bone marrow transplant with the doctor, but the doctor thinks that the risk of bone marrow transplant is too high for patients over 50 years old, and it is difficult to find a bone marrow donor with exactly the same blood type as looking for a needle in a haystack. During those three years, Wang Guoxiang relied entirely on blood transfusions to sustain his life, sometimes twice a month.Our mood also fluctuates with the number of his hemoglobin.If his hemoglobin remains above 9, we will be a little relieved, but once it drops to 6, we have to prepare that he will have to go to the hospital for blood transfusion again that weekend.Wang Guoxiang's insurance belongs to Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest medical systems in the United States.The headquarters of Caesars in the center of Los Angeles is a series of behemoths stretching for several streets. The hospital is like a maze.I went in and out of that hospital no less than 40 or 50 times, but I often broke into completely unfamiliar areas, going to the radiology department and the ear, nose and throat department.Because the appearance of each building in the hospital is exactly the same, a whole row of glass doors and windows reflecting the cold blue light.It was a Kafkaesque ultra-modern building, and entering it was like straying into an alien planet. Because there may be a reaction to the blood transfusion, I drive Wang Guoxiang to the hospital most of the time.Fortunately, each blood transfusion time is set on weekends and Saturdays, so I can drive down to Guoxiang’s residence in Los Angeles after class on Fridays, and take him there early the next morning.The blood transfusion starts at 8 o'clock in the morning, and it will be 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon after the 500 CC transfusion, so I have to leave home after 6 o'clock in the morning.Los Angeles is terribly big. Wherever you go, it’s not uncommon to drive for an hour on the highway. Especially during the morning commuting time, Highway 10 is famous for its traffic jams.People living in Los Angeles spend most of their lives on that octopus-like road network.Because I woke up early, when I accompanied Wang Guoxiang for blood transfusion, I couldn't bear to take a nap, but no matter how long I fell asleep, when I opened my eyes, I always saw the bag of blood plasma hanging on the shelf, the dark red liquid, drop by drop, It flows down the plastic tube and injects into the vein in Guoxiang's arm.That bit of plasma, like the water drops of the time funnel, is endless and never ends.But Wang Guoxiang was lying on the bed quietly accepting the infusion of the eight hours of life serum.The veins in the bends of his arms were often black and red due to frequent needle insertions, but he never complained.Wang Guoxiang's endurance to bear the pain is astonishing. When he cried out in pain, it must be that the pain is beyond what ordinary people can bear.I seldom see patients who are as tolerant as Wang Guoxiang. His Stoic spirit is due to his super self-esteem, and he does not want others to see his embarrassment in his illness.And he and I both understood that it was an enormous struggle that required all the faith, rationality, and willpower from both of us.We must not show weakness or timidity to the serious illness. When we are together, we seem to be admonishing each other all the time: hold on, don't let up. In fact, as long as Wang Guoxiang's physical condition allows, we will try our best to have fun.After Guoxiang finished the blood transfusion, his mental and physical strength immediately recovered a lot, and the red light appeared on his face again. Although we knew that this was only artificial temporary well-being, we still wanted to enjoy a normal life at this moment.When we drove home through Monterey Park, we would go to our favorite restaurant to have a big meal on weekdays, probably after a day in the hospital, to make up for it, the appetite was very good.We often go to "Beihai Fish", because this Guangdong restaurant is full of Hong Kong flavor, and a "Fried Crab in Typhoon Shelter" is very authentic.After dinner, I went to rent a videotape and watch it back. I have never watched so many "serials" from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in my life. Dozens of episodes, "The Thirteen Emperors of the Qing Dynasty", "Yan Fengying", along with those Dong La It's easy to get rid of the gossiping stories in one night.Of course, Wang Guoxiang is also very concerned about the general trend of the world. At that time, the "Soviet Federal Socialist Republic" fell apart. We watched TV every day and saw Germans climbing up the East Berlin Wall to drink champagne to celebrate. Wang Guoxiang and I applauded and cheered. At that moment, "aplastic anemia" was really forgotten. life and death struggle It was not until 1988 that Wang Guoxiang bought a small building in Elmonte. There was a small yard behind the house. Within a year after moving in, he fell ill before the garden had time to take care of it.Before he fell ill, he found a pair of caramel-colored preserved egg vats in the supermarket, with embossed ginger-yellow Erlong beads on them.One Sunday, he was very energetic, so I took him to the flower garden to see the flowers. We found that there were sweet-scented osmanthus in California. We bought two and transplanted them into the pair of preserved egg tanks.From then on, the two sweet-scented osmanthus trees became Guoxiang's good companions during his illness. Even when he was seriously ill, he never forgot to go to the backyard to water the flowers. Wang Guoxiang was seriously ill. Although he refused to show his face in front of me, I could deeply understand the heaviness and fear in his heart when he was alone, because when I calmed down by myself, my own mood began to sink.I had privately asked his doctor in charge, and the doctor told me that the "aplastic anemia" that Guoxiang suffered from had reached its terminal stage after more than 20 years of remission.He used the word "Endstage" which sounded very harsh, and he didn't go on. I don't want to hear it and I don't want him to go on.However, a chilling question keeps rolling in my mind like a flood: What should I do if Wang Guoxiang’s illness cannot be recovered this time? In fact, Guoxiang’s illness is often dangerous, so that overnight Surprised.One night, when I came back from a dinner with friends in Los Angeles, I found Guoxiang lying on the sofa in a semi-conscious state. I rushed him to the hospital. I drove at least 80 miles per hour on the highway that night. My driving skills are not very good, and I don't know the direction, but I can make quick decisions, and I arrived in half of the usual 40-minute journey.According to the doctor's measurements, Guoxiang's blood sugar was as high as 800 MG/DL, and his brain cells would be damaged if it was a moment later.It turned out that he had been taking hormones for a long time, which caused his blood sugar to rise. The emergency room of a hospital is a place of life and death. Kaiser's emergency room is several times larger than that of an ordinary hospital. , while the patient was trapped in the small compartment surrounded by white curtains, but seemed to be completely forgotten, and finally looked forward to the doctor's visit, but when he poked his head, he disappeared again.I accompanied Wang Guoxiang in and out of the emergency room many times, and each time I waited until dawn before the official ward was available. Visit famous doctors in mainland China Since Wang Guoxiang fell ill, I began to inquire about the treatment of "aplastic anemia".The doctor I saw in Taiwan was Dean Wu Delang of Chang Gung Medical College. Dean Wu introduced me to Ms. Shi Liyun, the attending doctor of the Department of Hematology of Chang Gung Hospital.I corresponded with Dr. Shi to ask for advice and sent her Wang Guoxiang's medical records. I made an appointment with her to visit her when I went to Taiwan.At the same time, I searched all the books and magazines on the treatment of this disease by traditional Chinese medicine in mainland China.I read in a medical journal that Dr. Wu Zhengxiang, director of the Hematology Department of Shanghai Shuguang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, had treated this disease, which is called "aplastic anemia" in mainland China, or "aplastic anemia" for short.At the same time, I read in the mainland newspaper that there was a TCM doctor in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province who had a special method for treating "Aplastic anemia", and opened a clinic specializing in the treatment of "Aplastic anemia".I found out that such cases are not uncommon in mainland China. Integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine has been used for a long time in mainland China, and some diseases are cured very well.So I decided to go to the mainland by myself, and maybe find a doctor and prescription that can cure Guoxiang.I told Guoxiang my thoughts, and he said, "You have to work hard." Wang Guoxiang is not good at words, but he speaks from the heart.All his life, he was most afraid of troubling others, and begging for help when he was sick was really a last resort. In September 1999, before going to the mainland, I went to Taiwan and visited Dr. Shi Liyun at Chang Gung Hospital in Linkou.Dr. Shi told me that she is also treating several patients suffering from "aplastic anemia", and the treatment method is similar to that of American doctors.Dr. Shi read Wang Guoxiang's medical records and didn't say much. I think she couldn't bear to tell me that Guoxiang's illness might be difficult to cure. I carried a large box of Wang Guoxiang's medical records and flew to Shanghai. Accompanied by my friend Professor Lu Shiqing from Fudan University in Shanghai, I went to Shuguang Hospital to find Dr. Wu Zhengxiang.Shuguang is the most famous traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Shanghai, and its scale is quite large.Dr. Wu took great pains to explain to me the various causes and treatment methods of "Aplastic anemia" from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.The treatment of "Aplastic anemia" at Shuguang Hospital is also a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. While transfusing blood, taking traditional Chinese medicine at the same time, long-term recuperation, mainly nourishing blood and regulating qi.Dr. Wu discussed Wang Guoxiang's condition with me several times, and finally gave me a prescription and asked me to keep in touch with him by phone.I heard that Zhejiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine also has a famous doctor, so I went to Hangzhou again to visit an old Chinese doctor with a very high seniority.Only when relatives and friends are seriously ill can we understand the true meaning of the saying "go to the doctor in a hurry".At that time, if someone told me that there is a miracle doctor on the top of the Himalayas, I would also climb up to beg for elixir.At that time, saving Wang Guoxiang's life was more important to me than anything else. On the second day after I flew to Beijing, I was accompanied by Professor Yuan Liangjun from the Academy of Social Sciences, took the train to Shijiazhuang, and stayed at the Hebei Political Consultative Conference Guest House that night.That night at the guest house, I met an engineer from the United States, who was also a Taiwanese student studying in the United States and graduated from Chengda University.He knew that I was visiting a doctor in mainland China for a friend, so he came to see me.I was wondering how could there be visitors from the United States in such a remote area. The engineer told me his story as soon as we met: It turned out that his wife was injured in a car accident a few years ago and had been unconscious and turned into a vegetative state.The engineer sought medical treatment everywhere but in vain. Later, he found out that there was a very famous qigong master in Shijiazhuang who opened a clinic to treat patients with qigong.He resigned his high-paying job, sold his property, and transported his wife to Shijiazhuang to receive qigong treatment.He told me that four or five qigong masters took turns to infuse his wife with Qi every day. He said that his wife's fingers could move and felt, and his face was full of hope.I was deeply moved by him. It was his love and faith that made him go all the way to escort his wife to a remote northern China for medical treatment.Over the years I have forgotten the name of the engineer, but I often think of him and his wife, whether she finally regained consciousness or not.A few years later, I experienced the magic of Chinese Qigong myself, and let a Qigong master cure my dizziness, and became a faithful believer of Qigong.At the beginning, the engineer was kind enough to tell me the secret of qigong healing. I was really tempted to want Wang Guoxiang to go to the mainland to receive qigong treatment.However, Guoxiang often needs blood transfusions and is prone to diseases, so it is really not suitable for long-distance travel.But I have always been worried about this matter. If Guoxiang tried Qigong at the beginning, I wonder if there is any possibility of recovery. The next morning, I went to visit the clinic specializing in the treatment of "Aplastic anemia" and met with the attending doctor.In fact, it was an extremely simple small hospital, and there were more than a dozen inpatients, all of whom seemed to be seriously ill.The doctor is very young and speaks confidently. Before leaving, I bought two big bags of herbs from him and ground them into fine powder for easy carrying.Carrying two bags of spicy and pungent medicinal powder, I headed back to Beijing.It was late September, the weather had just entered autumn, and it was the best time for Beijing's climate.That was my first time in Beijing, and I couldn't help but go to the Forbidden City and the Ming Tomb, but because I was in a bad mood, I didn't have any interest in traveling.My hotel is near Wangfujing, not far from Tiananmen.In the evening, I strolled to Tiananmen Square to have a look. The largest square in the world was empty, except for the guards of the People's Liberation Army, there were very few pedestrians.That night, my mood was as bleak as a breezy autumn night in Beijing.After seeking medical treatment everywhere in the mainland, my conclusion is that there is no specific medicine for "aplastic anemia" in China.Of course, Wang Guoxiang must have a lot of expectations for my trip to the mainland, and I am afraid that he will be disappointed again. Wang Guoxiang's last birthday After returning to the United States, I discussed with Wang Guoxiang, and finally decided to take the prescription prescribed by Dr. Wu Zhengxiang of Shuguang Hospital, because the medicine is relatively mild.I also brought back two bags of medicine powder from the doctor in Shijiazhuang, but I didn't dare to use them.But Guoxiang's illness is getting worse day by day.In the first year, he still managed to go to work, but he had to drive two hours back and forth every day, and finally he was exhausted, so he stopped Hughes' work.Fortunately, he bought disability insurance and did not go bankrupt due to illness.In the second year, due to taking too many hormones, diabetes was triggered, and because of long-term ischemia, the heart was affected, arrhythmia occurred, and it became difficult to move gradually. In January 1992, Wang Guoxiang was fifty-fifth birthday. I thought he was in good spirits that day, so I proposed to go to "Beihai Yu" to celebrate his birthday.We were discussing what to order along the way, and when it came to eating, our interest came again. From the parking lot of "Beihaiyu" to the restaurant, there is a stone step with more than 20 steps. Guoxiang climbed up with the railing, and when he climbed halfway, he gasped, probably his heart couldn't bear it, and he looked very uncomfortable, so I hurried over I helped him and asked him to sit on the stone steps to rest for a while. He took a breath and stood up and tried to climb up. I knew that he didn't want to spoil the fun, so I discouraged him: "Let's not eat here, go home." Make birthday noodles to eat." I didn't expect that Wang Guoxiang's body was so weak that he could barely move.Back home, we cooked two bowls of Yangchun noodles for Wang Guoxiang's last birthday.On Sunday evening, I was going back to Santa Barbara. Guoxiang sent me to the door to get into the car. I caught a glimpse of his isolated figure in front of the door in the car mirror. Later, he was entangled with all kinds of diseases, and his head became full of shackles. In the twilight, he was extremely frightening.After driving on the expressway, a sudden burst of irresistible pain hit me. I pulled the car to the side of the road, leaned on the steering wheel, and couldn't help crying loudly.I grieve that Wang Guoxiang was so brave and persevering, and he worked so hard to resist the aggressiveness of the disease, but in the end he was still tortured to death.And I also tried my best to protect his sick body, but I saw his life was exhausted bit by bit, and finally I was helpless.I have always believed that man will conquer nature, and I often go against the law, but after all, human power is no match for the destiny, and no one can break the limit of life. send him through the last journey of his life During the summer vacation, I moved to live with Wang Guoxiang's house in El Monte, because danger could happen at any time.On the evening of August 13th, when I came back from shopping in the supermarket, I found that Guoxiang was having difficulty breathing. I hurriedly called 911 and called an ambulance. I used an oxygen tank to give first aid, and then carried him into the ambulance and drove him to the hospital. go.After two days in the hospital, Guoxiang seemed to be in better spirits on Friday.他进出医院多次，这种情况已习以为常，我以为大概第二天，他就可以出院了。我在医院里陪了他一个下午，聊了些闲话，到晚上八点钟，他对我说道：“你先回去吃饭吧。”我把一份《世界日报》留给他看，说道：“明天早上我来接你。”那是我们最后一次交谈。星期六一早，医院打电话来通知，王国祥昏迷不醒，送进了加护病房。我赶到医院，看见国祥身上已插满了管子。他的主治医生告诉我，不打算用电击刺激国祥的心脏了，我点头同意，使用电击，病人太受罪。国祥昏迷了两天，八月十七日星期一，我有预感恐怕他熬不过那一天。中午我到医院餐厅匆匆用了便餐，赶紧回到加护病房守着。显示器上，国祥的心脏愈跳愈弱，五点钟，值班医生进来准备，我一直看着显示器上国祥心脏的波动，五点二十分，他的心脏终于停止。我执着国祥的手，送他走完人生最后一程。霎那间，天人两分，死生契阔，在人间，我向王国祥告了永别。 一九五四年，四十四年前的一个夏天，我与王国祥同时匆匆赶到建中去上暑假补习班，预备考大学。我们同级不同班，互相并不认识，那天恰巧两人都迟到，一同抢着上楼梯，跌跌撞撞，碰在一起，就那样，我们开始结识，来往相交三十八年。王国祥天性善良，待人厚道，孝顺父母，忠于朋友。他完全不懂虚伪，直言直语，我曾笑他说谎话舌头也会打结。但他讲究学问，却据理力争，有时不免得罪人，事业上受到阻碍。王国祥有科学天才，物理方面应该有所成就，可惜他大二生那场大病，脑力受了影响。他在休斯研究人造卫星，很有心得，本来可以更上一层楼，可是天不假年，五十五岁，走得太早。我与王国祥相知数十载，彼此守望相助，患难与共，人生道上的风风雨雨，由于两人同心协力，总能抵御过去，可是最后与病魔死神一搏，我们全力以赴，却一败涂地。 我替王国祥料理完后事回转圣芭芭拉，夏天已过。那年圣芭芭拉大旱，市府限制用水，不准浇灌花草。几个月没有回家，屋前草坪早已枯死，一片焦黄。由于经常跑洛杉矶，园中缺乏照料，全体花木黯然失色，一棵棵茶花病恹恹，只剩得奄奄一息。我的家，成了废园一座。我把国祥的骨灰护送返台，安置在善导寺后，回到美国便着手重建家园。草木跟人一样，受了伤须得长期调养。我花了一两年工夫，费尽心血，才把那些茶花一一救活。退休后时间多了，我又开始到处收集名茶，愈种愈多，而今园中，茶花成林。我把王国祥家那两缸桂花也搬了回来，因为长大成形，皮蛋缸已不堪负荷，我便把那两株桂花移到园中一角，让它们入土为安。冬去春来，我园中六七十棵茶花竞相开发，娇红嫩白，热闹非凡。我与王国祥从前种的那些老茶，二十多年后，已经高攀屋檐，每株盛开起来，都有上百朵。春日负暄，我坐在园中靠椅上，品茗阅报，有百花相伴，暂且贪享人间瞬息繁华。美中不足的是，抬眼望，总看见园中西隅，剩下的那两棵意大利柏树中间，露出一块楞楞的空白来，缺口当中，映着湛湛青空，悠悠白云，那是一道女娲炼石也无法弥补的天裂。