In the study, Uncle Wu nodded as he looked at Li Wenxuan who followed him in.

“The child is all grown up now, you should take him with you more often wherever you go in the future.”

“Uncle, my son and I are both doctors. As long as our medical skills are good, that’s our livelihood. Everything else is secondary,” Li Chu said with a smile.

He understood what Uncle Wu meant, but he knew his own son well; Wenxuan's personality meant he was only suited for purely technical work.

"My father and I have limited abilities. My master was a doctor all his life. I remember when he was about to pass away, he told me that our lineage consists of ordinary doctors. We should never dream of becoming great doctors who can heal the country. Treating the sick and saving lives is just doing our duty, and that is enough to honor our ancestors."

I was an unfilial disciple, failing to follow my master's dying words, but with my son, I should return to my duty as a doctor.

Li Chu's words left Uncle Wu sitting on the sofa in silence for a long time.

Li Wenxuan sat quietly to the side without saying a word, but he was also pondering what his father had just said.

"The ideas are all good, but sometimes things don't go as planned."

"Uncle, but it's all about human effort."

"Hehe," Uncle Wu waved his hand, "Let's not talk about that. Tell me why you wanted to get that medicine?"

"Making money"

Uncle Wu waited for a long time without hearing anything further, and looked at Li Chu in surprise, asking, "That's it? That's all?"

"That's it? It's all about making money."

"Are you short of money?"

"Look at what you're saying. Everyone needs money. Let's not talk about the distant future. Just take that pager. I would have to go without food or drink for three months to buy even the cheapest one. And then there are those mobile phones that are already available abroad. I'm sure you know how expensive they will be when our country has them in the future."

"Are you suggesting I report this to my superiors and get you that pager?"

"Please don't, Uncle. I don't want that thing. I was just using it as an example."

"Speak properly, don't try to fool me."

"It really is about making money, but not for myself, but for the country. Just like those beauty formulas before, I will submit this one as well."

Li Chu stated his thoughts in a very serious manner.

"Can this thing make money?" Uncle Wu asked with some skepticism.

"Uncle, you really underestimate this..."

Li Chu then talked a lot, discussing the broad prospects of this drug from many aspects, including the economy, family life, and even the fact that overseas markets are more open than domestic ones, so the demand would be even greater.

This time, the old man remained silent for even longer; he even closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

"Dad, is that really what you think?" Li Wenxuan whispered in his father's ear.

"Otherwise what? What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"I..." Li Wenxuan didn't know how to answer the question for a moment.

"But can it really make that much money?"

Having no other option, he asked again from a different angle.

"You know what we've done this time, and you know how much those drugs cost in total. Let me ask you, even if we sell each pill for a penny, we can still make a profit. But if we really take them abroad and sell each pill for a dollar, do you think we can make a profit?"

"Xiao Chu, can you guarantee that your medicine won't be copied by others?" The old man had opened his eyes at some point.

"There's no way to guarantee that. We have to apply for patent protection for the formula, and we need to apply for it in every country."

"But patents have time limits."

"I think this timeframe is about twenty years? I think that's about right."

And so, the old man kept asking questions, which Li Chu patiently answered, while Wenxuan occasionally shared his own opinions. This unusual discussion among the three generations was quite lively.

The conversation didn't end until the staff came in to call them for lunch.

"Wenxuan"

"Grandpa Wu, please speak."

"Have you remembered everything we discussed today?"

"Uh... I've almost remembered it."

"Okay, when you get back, put our conversation into a written report and give it to me."

“This…” Li Wenxuan glanced at his father beside him, and seeing him nod slightly, he agreed.

"yes"

Uncle Wu shook his head with amusement.

The family of five stayed there until they finished dinner before leaving the sanatorium.

Watching the car's taillights disappear around the corner, the two elderly people helped each other walk into the house.

"Old man, I've noticed you've been frowning for a while now, what's wrong?"

"Sigh, that kid Chu is thinking of quitting."

"He told you?"

"No, I noticed it myself."

The old lady didn't speak, but turned her head to look at Uncle Wu, waiting for him to continue.

"This guy has changed a lot since his daughter got married. He couldn't be invited to several expert seminars in the health sector. Even when Vice President Duan called him personally, he would just write down his opinions on paper and hand them over. He even asked people to look for storytellers everywhere."

"Huh? What's going on?" the old lady asked in surprise.

"Didn't he get a courtyard house over at Shichahai?"

"Yes, I know."

"It's almost done. He plans to set up a teahouse there for his own enjoyment. He doesn't intend to open it to the public. He just wants to invite some of his friends, or people like Lao Wang and Lao Chen, to come over for tea, chat, and listen to stories."

slkslk.

The old lady's eyes lit up when she heard this.

"Hey, you know what, this is good."

"You think it's good too? But this is life after retirement."

“Old man, your idea is a bit strange. Why can’t Xiao Chu think about retiring? We call him Xiao Chu all the time, but don’t forget, he’s already fifty. If he were in a factory, he could retire if he was doing manual labor.”

Besides, whether he's making house calls or providing healthcare for us older folks, he hasn't stopped. Why can't he make his life a little easier?

You can be strict with yourself, but you can't be the same with others. You can't expect everyone to work until they're seventy or eighty, can you?

“Who said he shouldn’t rest?” Uncle Wu was both amused and exasperated by his wife’s nagging.

"I'm just feeling a bit sentimental. Those little monkeys from back then are now grandfathers."

"But you know what, I'd like to go and sit in that teahouse he set up."

"Just go once he's done. Nobody's stopping you, and I'm sure Xiao Chu won't stop you from going."

"What were you talking about in the study this morning?" Aunt Wu changed the subject and asked about the morning again.

"He got another drug..."

After listening to Uncle Wu's words, Aunt Wu was stunned for a moment before saying, "Old Wu, this child is quite capable. You should talk to the higher-ups and let him be a doctor in peace. I also want to live to 97."