Chapter 3074 Apprentice
Hu Dalang was running around the yard. When he saw Zhou Man finally finished seeing the patients and was free, he immediately pulled Hu Xiaomei to her and knelt down.
Zhou Mancai had just washed his hands when he saw this and was shocked. He quickly asked Xibing to help the man up and asked, "What are you doing?"
Hu Dalang knelt and refused to get up. "Sir, please accept my sister as your apprentice, or as your maid. We are willing to sign..."
He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm willing to sign a twenty-year working contract, as long as she stays by your side and learns some skills."
Qian Xiaoyang, who was about to take the basin away, heard this and immediately stood closely beside Zhou Man, fearing that she would take away her job.
Sister Sijing said that not everyone can stay in the medical office with Lord Zhou. She is the only one among so many farmhands who can do it, so she must be obedient and not be squeezed out.
Zhou Man looked at him in surprise, then looked at Hu Xiaomei, who was kneeling beside him. Seeing that she still looked confused, he asked, "Is your father here to embarrass you again?"
Hu Dalang shook his head. "It's not him. It's you who said that a person must have ability so that he can support himself no matter where he goes."
Qian Xiaoyang immediately shouted, "This is what the adults taught me, you eavesdropped!"
Hu Dalang lowered his head in embarrassment. "I was moving herbs in the front yard when I heard it and I remembered it. I'm sorry."
Zhou Man smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? Everyone can listen to the truth. It's a good thing that you can listen to it and have your own understanding of it."
Qian Xiaoyang is a very simple-minded person. Although he is very strong, it is not obvious when he is young. When he grows up, he may suffer losses.
Therefore, Zhou Man hopes that she can learn more things in her spare time. Even if she cannot learn medical skills, being able to process and prepare some medicinal materials will be a skill in the future.
But she couldn't remember it well and became irritable after studying for a few days, so Zhou Man used these words to persuade her.
Unexpectedly, the host didn't listen, but Hu Dalang next to him took it to heart.
Zhou Man asked Hu Xiaomei, who was kneeling beside him, "What do you think?"
Hu Xiaomei, who was only nine years old, had a simpler mindset. She said, "I'll listen to my elder brother."
Zhou Man thought about it, and seeing the expectation in Hu Dalang's eyes, he nodded and said, "Then stay and be an apprentice. However, being an apprentice doesn't pay, and it's also hard work, and you need to do more work."
Hu Dalang immediately pulled his sister to kowtow and said firmly, "Thank you, sir. She is not afraid of hard work. If you have any instructions in the future, just ask her to do it."
Zhou Man asked Hu Dalang, "Do you want to be an apprentice?"
Hu Dalang hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and refused.
Being an apprentice means no income, but now his mother needs to recuperate and he has younger brothers and sisters to support, so he obviously cannot be an apprentice. He has to support them.
Zhou Man smiled slightly and didn't force it, letting Xibing take Hu Xiaomei away.
This is the first apprentice in their medical department and also Zhou Manshou’s first apprentice, which has a very special meaning.
She waved her hand to let them all leave. She stood at the door and watched them leave with shining eyes. She couldn't help but wave her fist in the air with joy.
Mingda and Bai Erlang saw it when they came in and couldn't help but stop in their tracks.
Mingda then asked, "What are you so happy about?"
Bai Erlang: "Are you cheating?"
Zhou Man: "Am I that kind of person?"
But she couldn't contain her joy, and said to them excitedly, "I just accepted an apprentice."
Bai Jilang and Mingda understood instantly and said "Oh" meaningfully.
Zhou Man: "...Don't look at me like that. Mr. Qian has already said that this is the best way for the development of the Medical Department for both parties."
The Medical Department is currently seriously understaffed, and it is difficult to recruit doctors. However, it costs a lot to hire doctors, and the funding from the Imperial Medical Department is also required, so the expenses are even higher.
Mr. Qian saw that doctors from all over Qingzhou always came to Zhou Man to discuss medical skills. Some were even doctors from other states, just to sit and talk with Zhou Man for less than half an hour.
He listened in for a while and it was said to be a discussion, but basically they asked questions and Zhou Man answered them.
This shows how good Zhou Man's medical skills are. After listening to him a few times, Mr. Qian urged Zhou Man to take in apprentices, and he still had to face these doctors who came to him.
In Mr. Qian's words, "You are not stingy with knowledge. You teach everyone who asks for advice. You also want more doctors to improve their medical skills and benefit the people. If so, why not recruit apprentices? They can learn medical skills from you, which will also alleviate the medical department's shortage of staff and relieve financial pressure."
Zhou Man was convinced, but she couldn't speak to these doctors. They were all practicing doctors, some of them were even famous, and they were older than her. How could she have the nerve to ask them to be her apprentice?
She couldn't speak, and Mr. Qian, for the sake of her reputation, felt that she shouldn't be allowed to speak on her own initiative, so he was trying to find a solution recently.
But she didn't expect that her first apprentice would be the nine-year-old Hu Xiaomei.
Mingda asked her, "What are you going to teach her? Medical skills?"
Zhou Man shook his head. "That's too far off. Who doesn't start learning medicine by studying pharmacy? Since I'm an apprentice, the things I need to learn are more complicated. Let's start with pharmacy."
She said, "Even if I can't learn medicine in the end, being able to process and prepare medicinal materials, recognize herbs, and understand their properties is also a skill."
Don’t the students in the pharmacy department study medicine?
Mr. Qian came back from outside and as soon as he entered the door, he heard that Mr. Zhou had accepted Hu Xiaomei as his apprentice.
This incident shocked everyone in the medical department. From Xiao Kou to the doctors and patients seeking medical treatment in the medical department, they all looked at Hu Xiaomei with envy and wished they could take her place.
Xiao Kou was particularly envious and couldn't help but keep stealing glances at Hu Xiaomei while having dinner in the evening.
Seeing Xibing's indifferent reaction, she pulled her aside and asked, "Sister Xibing, don't you envy Hu Xiaomei?"
Xibing wondered, "Why would I envy her?"
Xiao Kou: "...She can learn medicine from adults."
Xibing said, "I can do that too."
Xiao Kou: "...How are they the same? We are slaves, but she is an apprentice, a good citizen."
Xibing: "We were originally slaves."
Xiao Kou: "..." She didn't know how to say it, but that wasn't what she meant.
Seeing her depressed, Xibing advised her, "People are different. She was born a good family, I was born a slave, and so are you. But my wife said that one's birth cannot be changed, but one's future can be changed."
Xiao Kou: "Can I not be a maid in the future?"
"Just earn enough money to redeem yourself."
Xiao Kou opened his mouth, then remembered something and quickly asked her, "Sister Xibing, how much is your ransom?"
"I don't know. I don't want to redeem myself," Xibing said proudly, raising his chin. "I want to follow my wife for the rest of my life."
What is the purpose of redemption?
She is so beautiful, and her life may not be easy if she redeems herself. She might even be kidnapped by someone. It is better for her to stay with my wife and live a free and happy life.
See you at 10pm
(End of this chapter)
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