The group chatted for a while. Li Chu checked the time and, seeing it was almost time, stopped acupuncture. She then gave the old lady a few more instructions before preparing to leave. An old man quickly stopped Li Chu, took out an egg, and handed it to her, saying, "Little Chu, take this as payment."
Li Chu didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it, saying, "Okay, then I'll take it." He said to the old lady, "Grandma, please take care of yourself. I'll be going now." He then said goodbye to the old man, the old woman, and He Yuzhu before heading to the front yard.
This consultation fee was a rule set by Li Chu. Except for the third uncle who was at the school, everyone else in the compound had family members working at the steel mill. They didn't have to pay for treatment at the steel mill's clinic, and the third uncle's family also didn't have to pay for treatment at the school clinic. "You want to see me? Fine, but you have to pay a fee. Anything is fine. If you don't, the people in this compound will drive you crazy." Some people had gossiped about Li Chu because of this, but he didn't take it to heart at all. "Say what you want," he thought. "You think I'll give you a free consultation? No way!"
Once inside his room, Li Chu noticed it was still early, only a little past six. He casually put the eggs into his spatial storage, then turned on the stove he had sealed off the night before, made himself a cup of tea, sat down by the stove, and took out a medical book from his spatial storage to start reading.
The medical books were left by his predecessor. When he was studying at the medical school, he apprenticed under a master who was said to be a descendant of a royal physician from the previous dynasty, though the master never admitted it. The master gave him many ancient books on traditional Chinese medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine is a profession that relies heavily on experience; you can't learn much in school. So his master took him around the streets and alleys to practice medicine, broadening his horizons. By the time Li Chu transmigrated, his master was no longer there. With his predecessor's experience in traditional Chinese medicine combined with the knowledge and acupuncture skills provided by the system, he had surpassed his master in many ways.
It's just that Li Chu is too young and not famous yet. He'll definitely make a name for himself in a few more years. But Li Chu isn't thinking about making a name for himself now. In a few years, that great era will come. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down first. He should stay quiet, find a wife, have kids, and a warm bed. Isn't that nice?
Money is something you only need to have enough to live on. Doctors don't earn much these days. My salary plus what I get from signing in is enough to last me for many years, even if the system is gone and I can't sign in anymore.
In his past life, Li Chu was a carefree person. After graduating from university, instead of staying in a big city to make a living, he returned to his hometown, a small, third-tier county, and got a job in a public institution. At a young age, he settled into a life of leisure, spending his days with a cup of tea and a newspaper. His parents died in a car accident, and no one pressured him to get married or have children. When he felt really lonely, he would go out for a fast food meal costing several hundred yuan. Although his parents are gone in this life too, he has an older sister who is like a mother to him, often talking to him. Thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem so bad.
Sipping tea and reading the ancient medical books left by his predecessor, Li Chu's heart gradually calmed down. He now really enjoyed this leisurely life.
Just as Li Chu was engrossed in his book, he was suddenly awakened by a commotion in the courtyard. He stood up and looked out the window, only to see that the old man across the street was carrying a fishing rod and preparing to go fishing. He was talking to the house, and it was unclear what he was saying.
The old man would go fishing whenever he had a break, and then sell his catch to the supply and marketing cooperative for 30 cents per pound to supplement his family income.
Li Chu wasn't looking outside. He raised his hand to check his watch; it was already eight o'clock. The plum blossom watch he was wearing was a gift from his brother-in-law when he first graduated and started working.
Forget it, I'm too lazy to cook. I'll just go out and get a bowl of braised pork offal, then take a stroll around the library. These books left by my predecessor are practically worn out from all my reading; they're all ancient texts, rare copies, I must preserve them well.
After getting ready, I replaced the briquette in the stove with a new one and resealed it. Although it was already mid-April, the mornings and evenings in Beijing were still a bit chilly. I slung my green bag over my shoulder and set off.
I ate a bowl of braised pork offal at the alley entrance, which cost four ounces of grain coupons and two cents. Then I started my own zero-pollution, zero-traffic sports car that consumed a pair of cloth shoes every hundred kilometers, and transferred to a bus, arriving at my stop after four stops.
While modern libraries may not have the same quantity and variety of books as future ones, they have a wonderful atmosphere, and everyone who comes here to read or borrow books does so with a sense of reverence.
In the past, you'd be thrilled if you could even glance at the cover of these books, let alone borrow them.
If it weren't for the new China, in this situation, you might as well just wash up and go to sleep; anything can happen in dreams.
The library card requires a 50-cent deposit and allows you to borrow up to 5 books. The deposit is refundable if you decide you no longer wish to use the books. However, you must take good care of the books; any damage will require you to pay for the damaged books.
I borrowed a total of five books on traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Although my major is traditional Chinese medicine, I also want to learn about Western medicine; after all, learning from others can be beneficial. It's never a bad thing to learn more.
After borrowing the books, it was still early, so I planned to stroll over to my older sister's house, which wasn't far from there.
Walking through the streets of Beijing today, looking at the city as it is now, I am filled with emotion. No one in the world could have imagined the speed of this city and this country's rise, a rise that has shocked the entire world. They have covered in sixty or seventy years the distance that the beautiful country on the other side of the world took more than 200 years to complete.
As I walked and pondered, I unknowingly crossed an intersection and arrived at my eldest sister's house. It was in the district grain bureau's residential compound. My brother-in-law, Wang Ziwen, was the deputy director of the bureau, and they owned a 70-square-meter, three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment there. My sister worked as the deputy director of the local street office. They had two children: a 14-year-old boy named Wang Jiadong in middle school, and a 7-year-old girl named Wang Jiayuan who had just started elementary school.
As they approached the courtyard, they quickly took things out of their spatial storage while no one was around. Two bottles of Moutai liquor, five catties of pork, a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, and a package of pastries.
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