Chapter 1229: Backbone
Xiang Mingxue, who was reading in the house, heard the conversation in the yard. He couldn't help but put down the book and looked through the window at the master and disciple in the yard.
Mr. Zhuang lowered his head to meet his disciple's bright eyes and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
He walked in the yard carefully, wondering if it was right to let Manbao go further on the path of studying medicine.
Especially after she increasingly showed her talent in studying and her understanding of the world.
But all the hesitation disappeared when the child looked up at the starry sky and made a wish that she would become the best doctor in the world and save the dying and the wounded.
Mr. Zhuang walked around twice, and after considering the situation, he said, "Manbao, the three of you have lived in Qili Village since childhood and don't know much about the outside world. Your background is simpler than Bai Shan and Bai Cheng's. There are some things that Mr. Zhuang has never specifically taught you, and your family dotes on you, so there are some things you haven't experienced."
Manbao listened carefully.
"In the outside world, people are divided into different classes."
Manbao nodded and said, "I know, scholars, farmers, merchants, artisans, slaves, and criminals."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and shook his head slightly, saying, "You say it so easily, obviously you don't know."
Manbao looked at Mr. Zhuang in confusion.
Mr. Zhuang patted her head and said, "Let me put it this way. People in the world believe that shamans, doctors, musicians, and craftsmen are despised by gentlemen. Doctors are artisans among the craftsmen, and their status is even lower than that of merchants."
Manbao opened his mouth wide, and it took him a while to find a reason to refute, "No, Shang Ke doesn't have an official position, but we doctors do."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and nodded. "You're right. That's why doctors aren't registered like other craftsmen and recruited by the government."
You have to know that craftsmen have a very hard life. They have to be registered and often work for the government for free. Sometimes they are even recruited for free when major events occur.
For example, in terms of military service, there are regulations on the number of days that farmers, or common people, must serve each year, and local officials generally will not and dare not delay for too long.
Otherwise, the labor will be too hard, and the common people will rise up and start an uprising. What should we do?
But they wouldn't do that to craftsmen. When they needed to build a road, they would recruit craftsmen; when they needed to build a water conservancy project, they would recruit craftsmen; when they needed to build a palace, they would recruit craftsmen; when they needed to go to war, they would also recruit craftsmen...
Some craftsmen were conscripted for two or three years, and some were even pulled to another place and repeatedly seconded, making it impossible for their families to find them. Sometimes they were released and had been away from home for more than ten or twenty years.
Mr. Zhuang said, "There are fewer now, but in the past, if there was a major war and the army had no doctors, they would also recruit doctors from the local areas to join the army."
Once you join the army, you become a military doctor. You can't just run away. If you run away, you will be considered a deserter and will be beheaded.
He said, "There has only been one Imperial Physician, Fan, in the dynasties who was able to move from military doctor to the Imperial Hospital, and then return home to retire from the Imperial Hospital."
Manbao vaguely understood, "So the status of doctors is actually very low."
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly. "And you're a female doctor. In the eyes of the world, your status is even lower. However, well-educated people will be more polite to doctors and won't get angry easily."
There are also people like the prince who casually draw their swords and kill people, but they are very rare.
"Mrs. Cheng was polite to you before because you were a doctor and wanted to treat her. A little more courtesy will make things easier for her in the future." Mr. Zhuang said, "I think she respects you now because your status has changed. Although your father was honored posthumously, he was a man of integrity, and you are filial. You are literate, so you are worthy of being a scholar. And as the descendant of a loyal minister, you are willing to do this kind of work to save lives and heal the wounded. Naturally, you deserve respect."
Manbao seemed to be lost in thought.
"So you see, not everyone in this world follows rules to the letter. There are people like Madam Cheng who see things clearly, but there are also people who don't see these things and only follow the rigid rules of this world. You will meet more people in the future, and there will be all kinds of people."
Mr. Zhuang said, "These people may recognize you as a 'scholar', or they may just recognize you as a 'doctor'. But no matter what others think, you are what you believe yourself to be."
Manbao thought for a while and said, "I consider myself a doctor, and I can also be a scholar, but I don't think that doctors are inferior to scholars."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "That's right."
He smiled and touched her head. "I, your teacher, can barely be considered a scholar. Your father and brothers are farmers. In your heart, do we have any difference in status?"
Manbao shook his head embarrassedly, "No."
"That's just the way things are in this world. Rules are set by people, but how can scholars only befriend other scholars, farmers only befriend other farmers, or merchants only associate with other merchants?" Mr. Zhuang said, "You'll meet many more people in the future. Some will remain loyal to you, while others will constantly change. You don't need to worry about these changes, and you certainly shouldn't let them change your original intentions. Do you understand?"
Manbao nodded repeatedly, "Stick to yourself and don't forget your original intention."
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly. He liked to teach such disciples, who understood things immediately. He was in a good mood to talk and simply sat down on the chair and talked to her in more detail.
"The distinction between noble and humble in this world is nothing more than a set of rules created by some clever people seeking to profit, designed to constrain the foolish. This has existed since the Xia and Shang dynasties, and we, mortals, certainly can't change it." He said, "But our hearts are our own. Some things are best kept in mind. If you don't feel lowly, then you are not lowly. That's integrity."
Manbao held up her little face and began to think, digesting what her teacher had taught her today.
Xiang Mingxue, who was in the room, was also stunned. He clutched his book tightly. He didn't know how long it was before he heard the sound of laughter outside. He looked out and saw Bai Erlang rushing into the yard with a basket of books, cheering all the way, and Bai Shan following closely behind...
Manbao, who had been thinking, was also awakened. She turned her head to look at the two people and asked, "What are you doing?"
Bai Erlang and Bai Shan gave the master a perfunctory salute and rushed to Manbao together, their eyes sparkling as they asked, "Manbao, where is your horse?"
Manbao: "...How do you know?"
Bai Shan said, "We stopped at Jishiditang on purpose when we came back. We thought you hadn't come back, but Xiao Shao said you bought a horse and came back on your own. Where is your horse? Is it in the front yard?"
Bai Erlang also looked at her with interest.
Manbao: “…”
She hesitated for a moment, but still said under the shining gazes of two people, no, three people, "If I said I gave the foal to someone else, would you believe me?"
See you at 4 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
