Liu Yumin made the final decision: "At that time, we didn't know each other well, so our understanding was naturally somewhat subjective. Let's let it go and get along well from now on."
Tan Fuya agreed: "Yumin, it's not easy for you to come to Shanghai. I'll take you to explore the city. I know a place that has some old items. Let's go and see if we can find any ancient medical manuals. I found many of my antiques there."
Liu Yumin's interest was piqued: "Are there any antiques there?"
Tan Fuya said proudly, "Of course, but you can't get into this antique street unless you have someone you know there."
Now that the country has just been founded, the most pressing issue for the people is food. Grain production is extremely low. Many families with antiques are selling them to make ends meet, but they don't want to sell them at a low price. So they secretly set up an antique market where anyone can buy or sell.
The antique market is maintained by a man named Master Xin, so no one dares to cause trouble, making it relatively safe. Inside, there are not only antiques, but also calligraphy, paintings, and gold and silver items; it just depends on whether you have a good eye.
Liu Yumin naturally understood: "I just love the things passed down from our ancestors. Look how beautiful the music played on the guqin is. Why do you have to learn the piano and cello, saying it's elegant? Aren't the things passed down from our ancestors more elegant than those things? Everyone is so obsessed with foreign things, it's infuriating."
Tan Fuya agreed: "No matter who comes, the things passed down from our ancestors are the most precious. I found a lot of musical instruments and antiques in the antique street, and I also collected a whole set of phoenix coronet and wedding robes."
Liu Yumin also sighed, "When I was young, my father told me that the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe for a woman's wedding were the best. Unfortunately, we didn't have the means in those chaotic times, and we can't wear them now even if we wanted to. But I can collect a set for Fanfan."
Zhu Fanfan: ... politely declined, as she is determined not to marry or have children.
Tan Fuya suddenly remembered something: "I remember seeing some children's jewelry there before, but there weren't any suitable children at the time, so I didn't buy any. Let's go see if there are any left when the market opens."
Liu Yumin hesitated for a moment: "When will the market open next? I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring much money. I called Lao Zhu and asked him to send some over, but I don't know if it will be in time?"
Tan Fuya immediately said, "I still have some savings. As a grandmother, isn't it only right that I buy some gifts for Fanfan? You can just buy whatever you like. If you need money, I'll lend it to you first. You can pay me back when you get the money. The market opens tomorrow, so it might be too late to send money."
Liu Yumin thought for a moment: "My only skill is medicine. I make some health-preserving pills, which should be worth some money. I just don't know what the market price is for antiques now."
Tan Fuya immediately said, "Now it's a new society. Many capitalists in the old society were criticized and their property was confiscated. Some resourceful people still managed to keep a few things. Now society is short of food and clothing, and people are willing to give anything to eat. Money and food are all acceptable, and medicine is even more rare and definitely possible. Moreover, many good things are in Master Xin's hands. We can trade directly with Master Xin. Everything he has is genuine."
Master Xin is the initiator of the antique market and has always controlled it. With him around, there won't be any fakes. After hearing about Master Xin from her, Lao Fu made a special trip to meet him and said he could trust him.
Liu Yumin sighed, “I wonder if there are any ancient medical books. I heard my master say that wealthy families used to have many books in their collections, but they were all sold off when the family fell on hard times. He was lucky enough to buy a few books and treasured them. My family also has quite a few ancient medical books, but my father doesn’t allow me to look at them. I usually take a look when he goes out and then write them down from memory.”
Tan Fuya was puzzled: "Why won't your father let you see it?"
Liu Yumin still felt indignant when she thought about it: "He thought that it was a family tradition passed down to the Liu family and could only be passed on to men. He wouldn't let us girls study medicine. He only made us learn to read and write and learn female virtues. Bah! Why didn't he make us sisters bind our feet? He said that girls only need to manage the household well. No matter how much they learn, it's all contributing to their husband's family. He doesn't cultivate talents for other families."
She was furious. If her mother hadn't stopped her, she would have burned all the books in the house. If her mother dared to punish her according to family rules, she would have burned the ancestral tablets. The Qing Dynasty is over, yet she thinks too highly of herself and refuses to treat the poor. She is supported by her mother's embroidery and still has the nerve to tell her that it is a rule passed down from the ancestors. If she is so capable, let the ancestors support her.
Tan Fuya chuckled, thinking that this was the real childishness of Old Fu: "But now, Yumin, you are quite remarkable, known as a miracle doctor. Your father must have come to his senses and let you study medicine."
Liu Yumin scoffed: "Tch~~ What do you mean he figured it out? I was just secretly learning behind his back because I was not convinced. I have a master who saw that I liked to learn from him. My father only taught my brother. I listened outside the door. My brother then explained it to me. When he found out, he wanted to punish me with family discipline. I was lucky that I ran away quickly and didn't get beaten."
Unfortunately, her brother was framed for being too good at medicine and was never allowed to practice medicine again. The other children in the family were not cut out for medicine either. Her father wanted to teach her medicine, but he made her swear never to marry and to pass on her medical skills to the next generation. She ignored him. At that time, she was already privately taking pulses and prescribing medicine for others. Whether or not her father taught her, it did not affect her.
Tan Fuya didn't understand: "They are all his own children. Your father is too old-fashioned and feudal. When we were at my house, none of us sisters wanted to learn, but my father forced us to learn the ancestral secret recipe. He said that in chaotic times, everything is unpredictable. No matter which one is gone, as long as there is a family left, the inheritance will not be broken."
Liu Yumin was genuinely envious: "Your father is so open-minded. My father is so old-fashioned. He only lets girls learn things like needlework and cooking. Unfortunately, I have no talent for it at all. If I pick up a needle, I want to prick someone; if I pick up a kitchen knife, I want to kill a chicken. He was afraid, so he didn't let me learn."
Tan Fuya chuckled and sighed, “My father wanted us to go to school and learn foreign languages and all that. But later, because the school was teaching us about foreign culture, my father read the books and found that they contained hidden messages about worshipping and submitting to foreigners. So he immediately made us drop out of school. Even though we were in occupied territory, it didn’t mean we had to bow down to the invaders. I firmly believed that our country would eventually take back the lost land.”
Liu Yumin deeply admired him: "My uncle is a very remarkable person."
Tan Fuya said modestly, "Yumin, you flatter me. My father said he only did what a father should do. Let's not talk about that anymore; it's all in the past. Let me tell you about the rules of the antique market. Yumin, I know you are government officials, but there are some things I must tell you in advance. If you can't accept it..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com