Chapter 144: Taking on a Disciple

After Dr. Zhou finished speaking, the father and daughter looked at Ye Rufeng with anticipation.

Zhou Lin's eyes sparkled as she looked at Bai Zhi with an expression that pleaded with her to take her as a disciple.

Ye Rufeng did not immediately express his opinion, but looked at Zhou Zheng and said in a light tone, "This is your granddaughter, why don't you teach her? You still think you can only pass on your skills to men? We are not related, but I have taught you so many medical skills back then, and you still have this kind of thinking?"

Fearing that Ye Rufeng would misunderstand him, Zhou Zheng hurriedly explained, "I don't favor boys over girls. I just hope that my son can achieve something in this field. I'm focused on nurturing my son. My granddaughter is still young and in school. I always feel that waiting for her to grow up and study medicine is a very distant thing."

Zhou Zheng sighed, his face full of worry, "My health isn't what it used to be, and I also have to take care of my wife, so I can't teach this child. Since the child is willing to learn, then, brother, why don't you take him with you?"

Zhou Lin looked at Ye Rufeng with bright eyes, not at all intimidated, and boldly seized the opportunity for herself, "Grandpa Ye, I really have a great talent for studying medicine. I know almost all the names of Chinese herbal medicines, and I have a medical background."

Looking into Zhou Lin's expectant eyes, and then at Zhou Zheng and his son Zhou Huaiyi, Ye Rufeng finally softened.

"Xiao Zhi will test her later to see if she has any talent for medicine. If she does, she can go to De Ren Tang to do odd jobs."

"Thank you, Grandpa Ye. Thank you, Sister Baizhi."

Ye Rufeng looked at Zhou Lin with a serious expression, giving her a heads-up beforehand, "Don't thank me yet. It's just a preliminary assessment. If she's not that talented, I won't accept her."

While Ye Rufeng said this, his expression towards Zhou Lin revealed a hint of admiration.

This girl is very perceptive.

Zhou Lin stood there, her bright eyes shining with confidence. "Grandpa Ye, I will definitely study hard and will never give you and Sister Bai Zhi the chance to return me."

Dr. Zhou gave his daughter a thumbs up, "Girl, you have ambition."

Ye Rufeng's words gave Zhou Lin a chance to learn, and Zhou Huaiyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He solemnly stated his attitude and position, "Uncle Ye, Xiaobai, Zhou Lin is in your care. If she is not serious or hardworking, you can discipline her however you want. We will have no objections."

At this moment, Dr. Zhou was filled with mixed emotions and shame. His eyes glistened with tears as he continued, "Uncle Ye, Jishengtang is the culmination of my father's life's work. I am truly not cut out for this, but I cannot let my father's legacy be ruined in my hands. All our hopes rest on my daughter."

Ye Rufeng, however, did not accept his emotional appeal and instead poured cold water on his sentimentality, saying cruelly, "Nephew, even if your daughter is cut out for this line of work, even if she studies medicine very diligently, it will take at least five years to complete her apprenticeship. In these five years, I just hope you won't lose Jishengtang."

Dr. Zhou, "!!!"

Five years.

Given the current dire situation, he probably won't even last five months.

Although Ye Rufeng's words were unpleasant to hear, they were a very harsh reality.

Grandpa Zhou looked at his son with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.

The old man's expression revealed disappointment, helplessness, and a mix of other emotions.

No one can say for sure how well the granddaughter will learn.

Even if one studies diligently under Ye Rufeng's guidance, the prospect of actually practicing medicine is still incredibly far away.

Five years is an understatement.

Even if a woman completes five years of medical training, she would likely not gain the trust of patients in the field of traditional Chinese medicine if she were to practice medicine at a private clinic.

Of course, Angelica dahurica is an exception.

Everyone in the Zhou family fell silent after hearing Ye Rufeng's words.

Ye Rufeng looked at Zhou Zheng with sympathy, then glanced at Bai Zhi.

I felt incredibly gratified.

Ten days ago, he felt the same way as Zhou Zheng.

They also consider how to leave their medical skills to future generations.

There was no way Ye Tiandong would reconcile with him, let alone study medicine.

He had absolutely no hope.

What he feared was not that the descendants of the Ye family would not be willing to inherit his mantle.

What he fears is that the profound and extensive traditional Chinese medicine will gradually disappear.

Therefore, he is ready to take on apprentices.

To his surprise, his daughter left him with family in this world.

His granddaughter is so outstanding, so legendary.

His medical skills, those of Ye Rufeng, have found a successor.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the dinner table became somewhat tense. Finally, Bai Zhi broke the silence, "Grandpa, Grandpa Zhou, I have an idea."

"Hmm? What idea?" The group looked at Bai Zhi at the same time.

Bai Zhi put down her chopsticks, looked at them with a smile, and said, "Our Derentang can cooperate with Jishengtang."

“Grandpa, your Derentang is famous, and your reputation as a divine doctor is a living advertisement. While you are in Nancheng, you can ask Grandpa Zhou to invite you to practice medicine at Jishengtang, so as to attract patients from Nancheng to come for treatment.”

“That’s a good idea.” But just as Doctor Zhou thought of something, his bright eyes dimmed again. “However, Jishengtang is in such a sorry state right now, will anyone believe that we can invite Doctor Ye?”

Bai Zhi replied, "Don't worry about that. We will definitely increase our publicity efforts in the early stages. Once everyone's expectations are high, then my grandfather will make a grand appearance and start seeing patients."

Upon hearing Bai Zhi's words, Doctor Zhou's eyes lit up again, and he repeatedly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, our two families can cooperate for a long time in the future. After Jishengtang's reputation grows, Uncle Ye won't need to come to see patients anymore. Doctor Bai, you can just hold your clinic at Jishengtang regularly. You don't know, during the days you were here, at least a few people would come into the pharmacy. After you left, not a single patient came for five days."

Dr. Zhou used an honorific title even for Angelica dahurica.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Zhou, what do you two think of this idea?"

"That's certainly a good idea, I definitely have no objections." Old Master Zhou looked at Ye Rufeng and tentatively asked, "Brother, would you agree?"

Would Dr. Ye condescend to come and see patients at their little-known Chinese medicine clinic?

Come to think of it, when he was practicing medicine himself, Jishengtang wasn't as bleak as it is now. Back then, although Jishengtang couldn't compare to his older brother's Derentang, at least it had patients.

Ever since it was handed over to her son, it has turned into this miserable state.

If, as Bai Zhi suggested, we could invite Ye Rufeng to Jishengtang to practice medicine—or even just offer free medical consultations—we would be happy to do so.

Perhaps Jishengtang really can bring the dead back to life.

But what about Ye Rufeng's intentions?

"Give a hand in an emergency, but don't support someone who's always been poor." Ye Rufeng looked at Zhou Zheng with a meaningful expression. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Dr. Zhou was surprised that Ye Rufeng would refuse, but he didn't want to give up so easily. He eagerly asked, "Then how about we develop our Jishengtang into a branch of Derentang?"

"Let my daughter learn medicine from you, and let Jishengtang be registered under the name of Derentang. When she completes her apprenticeship, she can take over Jishengtang. What do you think of this idea?"

Upon hearing his son's words, Zhou Zheng's face fell.

Zhou Huaiyi looked at his father and explained sincerely, "Dad, I'm not trying to sell your life's work. On the contrary, I want to save our Jishengtang, which is why I made this decision."