26 – Testing Joy

“What?”

Lu Qing looked at the old doctor in surprise, a bit doubtful if he had heard him correctly.

“Grandpa Chen, did you just say you want me to study medicine with you?”

“What, you don’t want to?” the old doctor asked.

“No, it’s just that… Grandpa Chen, didn’t you just say you wanted me to learn some herbal knowledge by staying by your side?”

“I changed my mind. What Old Wang said reminded me that the village indeed needs a doctor in the future.”

“Since you’re the only literate person in the village, maybe I should give you this opportunity.”

Old Wang, the elder who had earlier patted Lu Qing on the shoulder and told him to follow the old doctor and study medicine well.

Lu Qing was stunned.

He had thought it would be a long time before he got the opportunity to study medicine.

Unexpectedly, things turned around so quickly.

He looked joyful and was about to bow in thanks.

The old doctor added, “However, don’t get happy too soon. Learning medicine requires aptitude. If your aptitude is lacking, even if I want to teach you, you might not be able to learn.”

“Then what counts as having aptitude?” Lu Qing asked.

“One month,” the old doctor said. “If you can memorize the names and properties of all the herbs recorded in the Herbal Scripture within one month, I’ll officially take you as my apprentice.”

“If you can’t do it, then you’d better stick to learning some herbal knowledge and make a living as an herb gatherer.”

“Grandpa Chen, I will definitely memorize this Herbal Scripture!” Lu Qing said excitedly.

What was the big deal about memorizing the Herbal Scripture? He could do it right now.

But Lu Qing also knew, if he really recited the entire book in front of the old doctor, it might not be met with joy, but with fear.

So he couldn’t rush it. He had to let the old doctor accept it gradually.

After all, he had earlier told him he only recognized some words and wasn’t well-read.

Next, Lu Qing held the Herbal Scripture and asked the old doctor about some of the issues in it.

Mainly, they were some obscure characters and the pronunciations of medicinal herb names.

Although his special ability helped him memorize the entire Herbal Scripture,

he still wanted to understand the meanings of some words more deeply.

It just so happened to verify if there were any differences from his own understanding.

Naturally, the old doctor was willing to explain everything to Lu Qing meticulously.

During the explanations, the old doctor was surprised to find that Lu Qing’s memory was exceptionally good.

Many characters, he only needed to explain once or twice, and Lu Qing could remember them without needing further elaboration.

“Lu Qing, you are indeed a very bright child,” the old doctor said with great comfort.

Lu Qing’s performance was far beyond his expectations.

At this rate, he might actually be able to memorize the Herbal Scripture within a month.

“It’s because Grandpa Chen teaches well,” Lu Qing replied modestly.

At the same time, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.

It was his first time feeling that playing dumb could be exhausting.

Even though he knew many things, he still had to ask repeatedly without letting the old doctor see through his act.

This was a significant test of his acting skills.

“Alright, that’s it for today. It’s not advisable to recognize too many characters at once, otherwise, they’ll be easy to mix up. Take this Herbal Scripture home and study it well tonight. I’ll assess your progress tomorrow.”

“Do I not wait for the next acupuncture session to come again?” Lu Qing asked, surprised.

“You’re going to study the Herbal Scripture, why wait so long? In three days, you’d forget everything you learned today!” the old doctor reprimanded jokingly.

“Then we’ll come up to see you again tomorrow,” Lu Qing said happily.

“Grandpa Chen, does that mean Xiao Yan can come up and play with you tomorrow?” Xiao Yan said joyfully.

“Of course, tomorrow Grandpa will make some new pastries for you to try,” the old doctor said, picking up the little one.

Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up: “New pastries, are they as delicious as yam cakes?”

“They won’t be worse than yam cakes…” The little one immediately felt her mouth watering.

Leaving the small courtyard halfway up the mountain with Xiao Yan, Lu Qing’s heart remained joyous.

Today’s harvest was once again enormous.

The Red Moon Carp he originally intended to give to Old Doctor Chen turned out to be a rare and precious fish.

Once Old Doctor Chen sells the Red Moon Carp, after deducting the owed herbal medicine fees, there should still be some silver left over.

Just as well, as he was very poor at the moment, and with the silver, many urgent matters could be resolved.

More importantly, he learned that the Red Moon Carp liked to eat blood apricots.

Since the river outside the village produced a Red Moon Carp, there must be others.

With patience, he might be able to catch another one.

By then, it would be another source of wealth.

Besides the Red Moon Carp, the greatest gain was the opportunity bestowed by Old Doctor Chen.

Next, as long as he diligently studies the ‘Herbal Scripture’ and gains Old Doctor Chen’s approval, he would genuinely have a chance to learn medicine.

Lu Qing believed that with his unique abilities, as long as he studied earnestly, he could definitely master medical skills.

Furthermore, he had also discovered today that his abilities were even stronger than he imagined, with many functions still waiting to be explored.

With excitement, the siblings walked home.

At this moment, the events that took place at Old Doctor Chen’s house were spreading throughout the entire village.

Especially the fact that Lu Qing was learning medicine from Old Doctor Chen, which drew the attention of almost all the villagers.

Under a big tree in the center of the village, a group of villagers were discussing.

“Do you all think it’s true that Lu Qing is really learning medical skills from Old Doctor Chen?” a villager asked in surprise.

“Of course, it’s true. Everyone saw it with their own eyes. Lu Qing was holding a medical book and memorizing it!” a villager replied.

“Exactly, and when we asked Lu Qing, Old Doctor Chen didn’t deny it either. Isn’t that proof enough?” another villager added.

“So, does this mean our village will have a doctor in the future?” an elderly man said excitedly.

“It’s still early to say. Lu Qing is just learning from Old Doctor Chen now. When he will be able to practice medicine on his own is still uncertain.”

“Regardless, it’s still a hope. If our village doesn’t have a doctor, we will return to the old days.”

Hearing this, the villagers fell silent.

Indeed, before Old Doctor Chen came, whenever they fell ill, they could only rely on themselves to endure.

For minor illnesses, they might get better by enduring it.

But the fear was that enduring too long could lead to major problems.

Many people in the village had passed away like that.

After Old Doctor Chen came, everyone’s lives got better.

No matter what illness they had, Old Doctor Chen could treat it. Even if he couldn’t cure it immediately, he could relieve the pain so the patients wouldn’t suffer as much.

The most crucial thing was that Old Doctor Chen’s medical fees were very reasonable.

Even if someone couldn’t afford the fees temporarily, he would still treat them and allow them to owe the money.

Where else could they find such a good doctor?

So everyone had a heartfelt respect for Old Doctor Chen.

But everyone also knew that Old Doctor Chen’s age was already very advanced.

So sometimes, they would inevitably wonder what they would do if Old Doctor Chen was no longer there.

No one wanted to go back to the days of having no doctor to consult when sick.

Now, hearing that Lu Qing was learning medicine from Old Doctor Chen, they indeed felt very happy.

While everyone was chatting under the tree, someone suddenly shouted.

“Lu Qing is back!”