Doctor Zhang finally saw Gu Xia's younger brother Xiao Zhuzi, whom he often talked about. For a doctor, the first thing he pays attention to during the three tests of observation, smell, questioning and palpation is the other person's physical fitness, not appearance.
The child looked smaller than his peers, and it was obvious that his development was not as good as that of a normal one-year-old. However, due to the careful care that Gu Chun's family had given him in the past month, the child was getting better and better, and no longer looked as frail as he had been when Gu Chun first brought him here.
After all, his parents had just passed away at that time, and no one at home could take care of him. He had been drinking rice porridge to fill his stomach for several days, and he was sick. When Gu Chungang saw him, he wondered if he could raise this child.
It is difficult to feel a child's pulse. Doctor Zhang picked up Xiao Zhuzi and examined his body. He pulled his legs and feet, and pulled down his eyes, mouth and tongue. His face was serious, which made Gu Xia frightened.
Fortunately, after a careful examination, he said: "The child is a premature baby, and his physical fitness is indeed weaker than that of a full-term baby, but it is not a big problem. He needs more nutrition and more complementary food in addition to milk.
You don't need to take any medicine, I'll give you some recipes, just use food to nourish yourself."
Gu Xia felt relieved after hearing this. As long as the little bamboo can grow up healthily, it will be fine.
"Um, Doctor Zhang, I..." Gu Xia was thinking about how to propose becoming his disciple without being offensive.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't talk here." Doctor Zhang saw that the boy seemed to have something to say today. Considering that he was a good candidate for medical studies, if there was anything he needed help with, he might reluctantly help.
Gu Xia said solemnly: "Doctor Zhang, I, Gu Xia, would like to become your disciple and learn from you how to heal illnesses and save lives."
Doctor Zhang was stunned. Although he had thought about accepting a disciple, studying Chinese medicine was not an honorable thing these days. He didn't expect that Gu Xia hesitated for a long time just for this.
"How did you come up with the idea of learning this? Don't think that Chinese medicine is easy to learn. Just because you memorized a few herbs, you think you have learned it. But those are just a few, not even the basics."
"Doctor Zhang, I don't think Chinese medicine is easy to learn. The more I learn about medicinal herbs, the more interested I am in it. I want to become your disciple because I want to learn more about medical skills and save lives like you in the future."
He seemed very serious, but Doctor Zhang still reminded him:
"Kid, look at my current situation. The hospital has fired me. They don't believe in Chinese medicine and say it's a scam. Aren't you afraid of being reported for studying Chinese medicine?"
"Doctor Zhang, I'm not afraid. I believe that one day, light will shine, and people will realize the profoundness of Chinese medicine, which contains the great wisdom of our ancestors. A good doctor can give people hope. Whether it's Chinese or Western medicine, as long as it can save lives, it benefits mankind."
"You are like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger."
"Since you are so confident, I will accept you as my disciple. However, in today's world, it is not appropriate to publicize it. This matter is between you and me. At most, I will tell your sister, but don't tell anyone else outside."
Although Doctor Zhang always looks unkind, he actually considers Gu Xia in everything. He asked him to become his disciple privately in case he gets into trouble and is implicated one day.
Gu Xia was very touched, and also knew that it was not appropriate to make a big deal about becoming a disciple, but the ceremony still had to be performed. She would go home and discuss it with her sister about giving the disciple gift to Doctor Zhang.
Gu Chun was not very surprised that Doctor Zhang accepted Gu Xia as his apprentice. After all, Gu Xia was so smart and was said to have a photographic memory for medicinal herbs. It was obvious that he was a good candidate for studying medicine.
But she was very touched by the fact that Doctor Zhang asked Gu Xia to become his disciple privately. He was like a close elder, always considering the child's future.
She prepared a gift for becoming an apprentice, but because she was not sure what was needed, she went to ask Aunt Guo in the compound, but she just made an excuse and did not tell the truth.
In modern times, there is no ancient custom of giving six gifts such as celery and red beans when taking an apprenticeship, but one still has to kowtow to the master and serve him tea. The gifts given vary from person to person. For example, technicians in these factories will receive a tool set as a gift when they take in an apprentice.
Doctor Zhang lived a simple life, only drinking homemade medicinal tea. However, he practiced calligraphy, so Gu Chun prepared a brush and inkstone for him as a gift.
The brush was bought at the supply and marketing cooperative. It is a relatively common style.
The inkstone had a great origin. She went to the scrap yard, gave the janitor fifty cents, and brought it out mixed in with a pile of old newspapers.
The period novels all talked about going to the scrap yard to pick up bargains, but she went there several times and didn't find anything good.
Come to think of it, wouldn’t the good stuff have been taken away long ago?
Fortunately, she often goes there to check it out, thinking of finding some picture books for her children to read.
Unexpectedly, she actually found an inkstone. It looked ancient in shape and felt very smooth. Even if it was not an antique, it could be put to use as it was well preserved.
Just then, as he needed a gift for becoming a disciple, Gu Chun thought of the inkstone, took it out, packed it up, and gave it to Gu Xia.
After drinking the apprenticeship tea, Master Zhang, who had officially accepted the gift, opened the box and his eyes widened.
The best Duan inkstone is polished smoothly and has elegant colors, it is simply the best.
"Where did you get this... this...?"
Seeing his performance, Gu Xia was also surprised. The siblings hadn't figured out this inkstone yet, and thought that their master might be able to use it, so they gave it to him as a gift. It seems that this thing is quite valuable?
Doctor Zhang knocked him on the head. It turned out that he had accidentally spoken out his true feelings.
"It's not about whether it's valuable or not. It's about not being able to buy it even if you have money. Scarcity makes things valuable. I haven't seen an item of this quality in years."
"Master, since this inkstone is so good, giving it to you would be a good way to put it to good use. Anyway, I can't write big characters, so I don't understand these things."
"You little brat, if you can't do it now, you'll learn it later. According to the rules of our sect, disciples must learn to write calligraphy. Even though we use hard pens now, we can't lose our tradition. Starting tomorrow, you will write fifty big characters a day."
"And this gift is so precious, I feel unworthy of it. You should take it back."
He pushed it back reluctantly, and Gu Xia laughed in her heart.
"Master, whether this thing is valuable or not is not its own value. If it were in my hands, I wouldn't know how to appreciate it, and it would be useless to me. Besides, we didn't put in much effort to get this inkstone, so it can't be called valuable at all."
"You'd better accept it. As long as it can be used properly in your hands, it will be worth its value."
Without a doubt, Dr. Zhang was persuaded by him and could only accept the gift with a stern face.
Since he has accepted the apprenticeship gift, he must teach Gu Xia more attentively.
"I usually only memorize a few herbs, but starting tomorrow, that won't be possible. I'll give you a medicine book, and you must memorize all of them within a month."
Unexpectedly, the master became stricter after giving the gift, but Gu Xia was a good boy who loved learning, so he agreed after hearing it.
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