Chapter 23 - 14: Initiation

After Director Zhou Wenbin of the medical affairs office understood the entire situation, he did not blame Xu Chunliang. Instead, he felt a sense of vindication; a big throw had taken down the fierce Wang Dalei, and calling 110 in front of so many security staff sounded satisfying. He even regretted not being present at the scene.However, the office was equipped with surveillance, and only he, as the director, had access rights to it. Upon returning to his office, Zhou Wenbin immediately checked the playback. Through the surveillance, he confirmed one thing: Mrs. Jiang’s fall was not due to external force, and there was no physical contact with anyone else.

While watching the playback, the police station called, asking if he could provide the surveillance footage from that time.

While watching the video on the screen, Zhou Wenbin, somewhat regrettably, told the other party, "I’m really sorry, but the surveillance has been broken for several days and hasn’t been repaired yet." Repaying evil with kindness was never Zhou Wenbin’s style.

Xu Chunliang and Cheng Xiaohong went together to the emergency room. Mrs. Jiang lay alone on the bed, accompanied only by a nurse. The old lady has two daughters who are out of town, and her husband died five years ago. Because of her eccentric temper, most relatives have cut ties with her.

Cheng Xiaohong put down the fruit basket she just bought and smiled, saying, "Grandma Jiang, we came to see you." The old lady fainted in their office, so they had to express some sympathy.

Mrs. Jiang turned her face away, unwilling to respond to her.

Xu Chunliang said, "You shouldn’t get angry. If the kidney water depletes, even Buddha can’t help."

Mrs. Jiang, hearing about kidney water depletion, slowly turned her face back, looking at Xu Chunliang, "Xiaoxu, are you saying that I’m going to die soon?"

Xu Chunliang laughed, "I didn’t say that. Your kidney water is deficient but not exhausted. With proper conditioning, your health can definitely be restored to its original state."

"How can I condition it?"

"Among the Five Elements, the lung represents metal, and the kidney represents water. Metal generates water. They’re like mother and child. If the lung’s Yin is damaged, the mother falls ill and affects the child, resulting in kidney water deficiency. The body lacks water, water does not nourish wood, and the liver wood is not nourished, leading to liver yang rising and symptoms of dizziness."

Cheng Xiaohong listened on the side, dumbfounded. This newcomer truly is a big trickster, yet he seems to understand some traditional Chinese medicine. It makes sense, considering this guy is the young master of Huichun Hall. Knowing some traditional medicine is normal. However, Mrs. Jiang is not easily fooled. If she turns on someone and doesn’t acknowledge him, it could be trouble for him.

Mrs. Jiang’s eyes lit up, "Yeah, just now in your office, I suddenly felt dizzy, and everything went black, causing me to faint."

"Actually, given your constitution, this shouldn’t have happened. You fainted because a few ruffians with tattoos barged into the office suddenly, and their ferocious appearance scared you. The liver fire rushed upward, and your kidney water couldn’t extinguish the liver fire, leading to a heart attack and causing you to faint."

"Yeah, those bastards scared me!" Mrs. Jiang clutched her chest, beginning to feel uncomfortable again.

"You don’t have to be afraid. In Changxing Hospital, your safety is guaranteed, and every patient’s safety is assured."

Inwardly sighing, Cheng Xiaohong thought, what a high level of conversation this was. Director Zhou sure knows how to pick the right people. Compared to Chen Guangming, Xu Chunliang is far superior in many ways. Besides, he can fight; he subdued Wang Dalei with just one move. Working with someone like him provides a sense of security.

Mrs. Jiang took the initiative to hold Xu Chunliang’s hand, saying, "Child, you look like a good person, and there aren’t many good people like you nowadays."

Xu Chunliang smiled, "There are still many good people. You can rest assured here. Don’t worry; our Changxing Hospital will definitely seek justice for you. As for those bastards who scared you, we won’t let a single one escape."

Mrs. Jiang nodded, "Thank you, thank you!"

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaohong was utterly amazed, filled with admiration. It was hard to believe that such a difficult Mrs. Jiang could be handled so easily if she hadn’t witnessed it firsthand.

The police also came to understand the situation, needing to hear not only Xu Chunliang’s side but also Mrs. Jiang’s opinion.

As Xu Chunliang and Cheng Xiaohong left the observation room, they heard Mrs. Jiang’s bitter voice, "Officer, please stand up for me. Those bastards almost scared me to death!"

...

The signboard for Huichun Hall hadn’t been put up yet, but the beehive on the big tree opposite had already taken shape. Xu Changshan stood at the gate, watching the hornets busily around the hive, secretly wondering if these hornets truly understood the principle of choosing neighbors wisely.

This afternoon, his son Xu Jiaxuan called, inquiring about Xu Chunliang’s situation. Xu Changshan scolded him over the phone, thinking that if a father truly cared about his son, he wouldn’t just make phone calls; he should at least visit in person. The grandson is already twenty-one, and the father and son have spent less than two months together in total.


Xu Jiaxuan felt very apologetic towards this son too, but now his work and family are in the United States, so he cannot stay in the country for the long term. He also expressed that he would provide the greatest compensation through other means.

Before he could finish, Xu Changshan hung up the phone angrily, feeling aggrieved for his grandson and himself. Although he initially suggested his grandson go abroad for college, deep inside, he was reluctant. Now that Xu Chunliang decided to stay in the country for work, it pleased him. If there was any regret, it was that his grandson refused to inherit his mantle. If he persisted, the signboard that had been passed down through the generations would end with him.

That’s why Xu Changshan was hesitant to hang up the Huichun Hall signboard; if no one inherits it, why bother?

The old man was lost in thought when someone on an electric scooter stopped next to him and greeted, "Mr. Xu."

Xu Changshan looked up and thought the person seemed familiar, but he couldn’t recall when they had met. As he aged, his memory was deteriorating.

"Don’t you remember, sir? I helped you move the other day—the one with the dislocated elbow."

Xu Changshan then remembered and was indeed the case. He didn’t have a great impression of that moving company, so he smiled faintly and said, "Looking for me?" He tried to remember if he had helped the person with repositioning.

"Nothing much, just wanted to express my gratitude."

The person took out a woven sack from the back of the scooter, filled with many cicadas. In Jiangzhou, they are called ’dielou turtles’ and are usually fried as a good side dish with drinks.

Xu Changshan said, "I don’t deserve a reward without merit."

"Sir, this is to thank your grandson. If he hadn’t helped me with repositioning that day, I might have ended up in the hospital for surgery. I’ve left Sincerity Moving Company now."

The person insisted on leaving the sack, and while Xu Changshan wasn’t paying attention, they rode off quickly.

Xu Changshan shook his head helplessly and picked up the sack from the ground, estimating that it weighed about six or seven catties. Nowadays, the market price for cicadas is quite high, with each costing at least nine Mao, making the bag worth several hundred yuan.

Xu Changshan suddenly remembered what the person had said and couldn’t help but feel a bit strange. Helped with repositioning? How come Chunliang never mentioned it? Does that kid have such a skill?

Xu Chunliang rode a public bicycle home from the hospital, a skill he had recently acquired. There was a public bicycle station right at the entrance of the new Huichun Hall location. He parked the bike and said to the old man waiting at the door, "Grandpa, here to greet me again? I was too busy at work today and didn’t get around to buying groceries."

Seeing his grandson return, Xu Changshan beamed with joy. "Looks like they’ve already been delivered."

Xu Chunliang saw the bag of cicadas and curiously asked, "Who sent these?"

Xu Changshan recounted the whole story, and Xu Chunliang carried the cicadas inside. Aunt Lin had already prepared dinner and left, so the old man personally cooked, frying a plate of cicadas with millet peppers and sprinkling fine salt. The fragrant aroma filled the air.

The grandfather and grandson opened a bottle of Laimao, and Xu Chunliang skillfully poured some for the old man. Almost every evening after returning, he would have a couple of drinks with his grandfather.

Xu Changshan asked about the repositioning incident, to which Xu Chunliang said he often watched his grandfather help others reposition, so he had learned a bit of the technique. Coincidentally, the worker’s dislocation was not severe, and by chance, he successfully managed to reposition it.

Xu Changshan didn’t believe in luck. How could someone who hadn’t learned repositioning techniques successfully help someone the first time? He had never seen such a thing.

Xu Changshan didn’t press further. He took a sip of wine, ate a cicada, and cautiously asked, "Chunliang, do you want to learn medicine?"

"If you’re willing to teach, I’m willing to learn."

Xu Changshan was taken aback. His grandson indeed seemed to have changed. In the past, whenever they talked about this topic, he had always been very resistant. It was unexpected that he agreed today, and the old man couldn’t quite believe his ears. "Chunliang, don’t force yourself. Don’t say it just to make me happy."

Xu Chunliang smiled, "I’m not forcing myself. Recently, while copying those prescriptions for you, I unintentionally developed an interest in traditional Chinese medicine. I’ve read quite a few medical books during this time, and I realized that although I’m not very good at math, physics, and chemistry, I seem to have pretty good memory and understanding in traditional Chinese medicine."

Those adept at using poison often master medicine. As the Five Poison Sect Leader, he was not only the best poison user but also a top-notch healer in the medical community. Without sounding humble, his medical skills far surpassed his grandfather’s. Looking back, most of his time was spent poisoning, with few instances of saving lives.

The times had changed, and he was born in an era where medical skills were flourishing with diversity. Many schools were not included in the Thirteen Great Families of Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, over time, he did not expect that the once-glorious path of national medicine would instead wither. Although every city had a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital or clinic, they couldn’t compete with Western medicine in terms of prominence.

The martial arts scene was the same. Xu Chunliang had been in this era for some time and had yet to find a single martial arts expert. In peaceful times, weapons were put to rest and there were no survival crises, making martial arts less relevant.

The reason he agreed to learn medicine from his grandfather was to provide a reasonable explanation for his abilities.

Xu Changshan’s long-held wish was finally realized, and he felt immensely gratified. After dinner, he took his grandson to pay homage to the Two Saints.

Xu Changshan planned to start teaching from the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine. What surprised him was that Xu Chunliang had already mastered these foundational theories thoroughly, thinking it was the result of making him copy books during this period, subtly allowing him to pass the entry level invisibly.

Xu Chunliang suggested that the old man start teaching acupuncture. While pleased with his insight, Xu Changshan couldn’t help but lament that if this uncut gem had been nurtured from a young age, he would likely be running Huichun Hall by now.

Xu Chunliang only intended to disguise himself. Through his grandfather’s introduction, he also learned how the contemporary national medicine had evolved. Reflecting on the past and present, he felt much regret.