Chapter 9: A Bystander in the World of Espionage during the Republic of China
These days, becoming an apprentice is a serious matter. Jiang Yue made a phone call directly to the Chen family. Aunt Chen answered the phone. She knew that Jiang Yue had been studying with Mr. Sun for the past two months. She was happy for her after learning that Jiang Yue had passed the test and said that she would leave the matter of becoming an apprentice to her.
After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Chen got busy. She booked a hotel, asked someone to calculate an auspicious day, and called Uncle Chen to tell him about the apprenticeship ceremony, asking him to find a respected witness. After he agreed, she asked the servants to buy the six gifts for the apprenticeship ceremony and also prepared a rare medical book as a gift.
On the day of the apprenticeship ceremony, Aunt Chen picked up Jiang Yue early and took her to the hotel. The Chen family booked the entire hotel and invited many people to witness the ceremony. Chen Tianxiang also personally went to pick up Mr. Sun. Once everyone had arrived and the auspicious time had come, the ceremony began.
The emcee first went on stage: "Heaven and earth open up, the day is auspicious and the time is right; learning from a master brings great fortune and prosperity."
Then Mr. Sun went on stage, took his place, adjusted his hat, fastened his belt, and put on his shoes, followed by washing his hands and dusting himself.
Then the officiant announced: The ceremony is complete.
Then comes the second step of the first agenda: welcoming the ancestral tablet; the third step: offering sacrifices; the fourth step: burning incense; the fifth step: offering wine; and the sixth step: paying homage to the ancestral master.
Then the deacon: the process.
The first agenda item is now complete. Let's begin the second agenda item: the apprenticeship ceremony.
First, the respected elders were invited to take their places. Then, the rules of the sect were read aloud. After the disciples' code of conduct was read, Jiang Yue presented the apprenticeship certificate. Then, the master of ceremonies began to read the apprenticeship certificate. After that, the disciples presented the six gifts of tuition. Then, the disciples bowed to their masters with three kneelings and three kowtows. After the ceremony, the disciples served tea. Jiang Yue served tea to Mr. Sun and called out, "Master."
Then Master Sun gave Jiang Yue some advice, and Jiang Yue said she would listen to her master. Finally, Master Sun recalled distributing the doorplate and pulse pillow. After that, they signed and exchanged visiting cards. Finally, the witnesses signed, and the apprenticeship ceremony was over. Everyone else returned to their places.
Then comes the final step: respectfully sending off the ancestral master's memorial tablet. The officiant hands the tablet to the master, who kneels to receive it and burns it in the incense burner. After the master of ceremonies reads the farewell address, the officiant announces: "The ceremony is complete."
After that, Jiang Yue was officially accepted into the sect and had a master. At this time, the guests began to socialize. Aunt Chen and Uncle Chen came over and offered the master a cup of tea, saying, "We entrust this child to your care from now on. If she is disobedient, we will have no objection to punishing her as she should be."
The two of them truly treated Jiang Yue like their own daughter, and the master remarked with emotion, "It's Jiang Yue's good fortune to have met you two." The master also learned about Jiang Yue's background, since a master needs to know who you are when you become an apprentice, so Jiang Yue told her master everything about herself.
The master led Jiang Yue in greeting the senior members of the academy who came to observe the ceremony, introducing them all to Jiang Yue. Several senior brothers also came today, and they introduced them to Jiang Yue one by one. Jiang Yue greeted each senior brother with "Hello, senior brother."
After introducing the master, he said, "Your senior brothers have all graduated. If you have any questions in the future, just consult your senior brothers."
She then said to her senior brothers, "Your junior sister, remember to lend a hand if you ever need anything."
The senior disciples readily agreed and left Jiang Yue their phone numbers and addresses. In the end, each of them gave her a copy of the medical records, which is a tradition of the sect, and all new disciples receive one.
After chatting for a while, Jiang Yue noticed that her master was tired, so she asked the driver to take him home. After her master left, several senior members of the academy also left one after another. Jiang Yue chatted with her fellow students for a while, and when it was almost time, everyone dispersed.
After the event ended, Jiang Yue chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Chen for a while. Mr. Chen said to Jiang Yue earnestly, "Since you have become an apprentice, study hard and don't give up halfway. It's not easy to find a famous teacher these days, especially a renowned doctor like your master."
After encouraging Jiang Yue, the two took her home and then went home themselves. Once home, Jiang Yue was exhausted and lay down on the sofa. Aunt Fang quickly handed her a cup of hot tea, which she drank a few sips of, feeling a bit stronger. Then Aunt Fang said, "Miss, the house is finished being renovated and has been ventilated for a while. The furniture is all arranged. When are we moving in?"
Aunt Fang was referring to the house Jiang Yue bought. Jiang Yue originally wanted to buy a house near the school, but after becoming an apprentice of Master Sun, she bought a house near Aunt Fang's house, which is very close to her master's house: "Aunt Fang, after I go to the shop tomorrow, you can find some people to move in."
"We'll have dinner at the new house."
The next morning, Jiang Yue went to the shop and asked the foreman for leave, telling him that she was moving that day. The foreman didn't say anything and let her go about her business. Jiang Yue found a rickshaw driver and headed to the new house. Actually, she could afford a car, but gasoline was hard to buy now, and it would be too conspicuous for her to be alone, so Jiang Yue didn't buy one.
Aunt Fang hadn't come over to the new house yet, so Jiang Yue took a look at it first. She only came over for a quick look on the day the renovation was finished. Aunt Fang had bought all the furniture, and the renovation was similar to the previous house. Everyone was used to the style of the renovation. This house was much bigger than the previous one, and it also had a garden and a yard.
Jiang Yue went upstairs for a look around, checking out the bedroom and study. The bookshelves in the study were full, all provided by Aunt Fang; Jiang Yue only paid for them. She then took a stroll through the garden. It was beautiful, but probably not easy to maintain; she figured Aunt Fang couldn't manage it all by herself.
After a while, Aunt Fang returned with some carts, all pulled by hand. The carts mainly contained clothes, some kitchen utensils, and grain. Three carts were brought over. Aunt Fang slowly directed the people to put the things in the yard. Aunt Fang lent money to everyone, and then the group pulled the carts away.
After Aunt Fang and Jiang Yue slowly put everything away, they were exhausted. Aunt Fang wanted to cook, but Jiang Yue quickly stopped her, saying, "Aunt Fang, let's not cook today. Let's eat out and save ourselves some trouble."
The two of them washed up and went out. Aunt Fang found a nice restaurant, and Jiang Yue ordered a few dishes and a bottle of wine. She treated today as a day off. She hadn't rested for a single day in the past two months. After dinner, she went home and continued studying. She really didn't dare to relax for a moment. Jiang Yue hadn't even finished studying the books her teacher recommended.
After moving, Chen Xin chose a day when Chen Xin was home for vacation and invited the Chen family and teachers to have a meal together in the new house. Everyone helped Jiang Yue warm up the house. Afterwards, Chen Xin took Jiang Yue horseback riding and also took him to a shooting range to practice shooting. Jiang Yue finally knew what type of handgun he had in his space.
After the shooting session, Chen Xin mysteriously handed Jiang Yue a box, saying it was a gift for her. When Jiang Yue opened it after returning home, she found a small, gold-colored handgun, probably a women's model, with two boxes of ammunition. There was also a note inside: "This is for your self-defense."
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