Chapter 112 - 97: The Passage of Time

Xu Chunliang knew that his alcohol tolerance was low, so he didn’t persuade him to drink more. As expected, after a few drinks, Li Jia Kuan became excited. He first talked about his past acquaintance with Zheng Peian and then reminisced about attending Elder Xu’s lectures in the past. It was clear from the details of his conversation that Elder Xu had a significant influence on him.Xu Changshan looked at him with a smile. Li Jia Kuan mentioned the lectures which Xu Changshan remembered; it was in the late 1990s, over twenty years ago, but he completely forgot about Li Jia Kuan, which was normal given there were hundreds of people attending the lectures, and Xu Changshan didn’t deliberately get to know anyone.

Li Jia Kuan said he still remembers that the theme of Elder Xu’s lecture that day was the efficacy and usage of Cordyceps. He was highly praised for Cordyceps and it remains one of his commonly used medicines even today.

Xu Changshan couldn’t help but lament that the overall social environment in the last century was more favorable towards Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The acceptance was comparatively good, and the TCM departments in major hospitals had wards. The integration of Chinese and Western medicine was popular for a time. But now, the living space for TCM is being constantly compressed, and the situation is not optimistic. Many ordinary people don’t believe in TCM anymore, and some have even equated TCM with feudal superstition.

Zheng Peian completely agreed. He believed the phenomenon of praising Western medicine while belittling TCM is not just about the effectiveness but is rooted in imperialism’s unyielding desire to defeat us.

Gao Xinhua laughed, saying that Zheng Peian was politicizing a medical issue.

Zheng Peian insisted that any social phenomenon ultimately can be linked to politics. Eastern and Western ideologies are different, and each has its strengths. They should complement each other and seek common ground while preserving differences.

However, while the Chinese can fairly view Western medicine, Westerners have always looked at Chinese traditional medicine with tinted spectacles. The cultural differences are just superficial excuses. Indeed, some Westerners don’t understand, but many pretend to be ignorant. They clearly know TCM is effective, yet they still defame and slander, trying to trample TCM underfoot and destroy Chinese culture. This is actually a devious form of cultural invasion, and they have already taken the upper hand in this war without smoke.

Li Jia Kuan agreed, noting that he had seen a movie called "Acupuncture", about an old Chinese doctor living abroad who gave his grandson scraping therapy and was sued for child abuse by foreigners. It highlighted the cultural differences between East and West and the inherent disdain of Westerners for Eastern cultures.

Zheng Peian continued: "Since the 1990s, negative reports about TCM have increased. Under such propaganda, the public increasingly believes in Western medicine and belittles TCM. Now, although every city and county has a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, they have become places that sell Western medicine under the facade of TCM."

Li Jia Kuan sighed and admitted that what Zheng Peian said was true. In his county’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Western medicine dominates, and the marginalization of TCM is an undeniable fact.

Gao Xinhua also felt that the public opinion trends in recent years were wrong. Before Western medicine entered our country, the survival of the Chinese nation depended on TCM. While TCM is not perfect, neither is Western medicine without its faults.

The status of TCM has been declining over the years domestically, but neighboring countries regard it as a treasure.

Take the two most developed neighbors, for example. Japan’s pharmaceutical industry has a dedicated Kampo medicine sector, which accounts for a significant proportion of their medicinal products. Not to mention the plagiaristic Korea, which has copied everything from the "Inner Canon of Huangdi" to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", from acupuncture to moxibustion. They blatantly claim the authenticity of Korean medicine, even changing Li Shizhen’s nationality.

Gao Xinhua was most annoyed with Korea. Just mentioning this made him furious.

Xu Chunliang said: "Doesn’t this prove that TCM is good? If something wasn’t valuable, even thieves wouldn’t covet it."

Xu Changshan agreed, saying that his grandson was right. Others know TCM is a Chinese treasure and try various ways to steal it and make it their own. Only the Chinese themselves don’t appreciate it. His gaze swept meaningfully across the faces of those present, "The promotion of TCM rests on your generation."

Gao Xinhua quickly shook his head: "Not me, I’m an outsider, and I’m too old. The burden of promoting Chinese medicine should be given to young people."

Zheng Peian agreed: "Yes, it should be entrusted to Chunliang."

Li Jia Kuan nodded along: "Director Xu will surely surpass the previous generations."

Xu Changshan felt that these three were just flattering. Even if his grandson was clever, it was too late for him to start. TCM requires accumulated experience; surpassing the mentors is certain, but whether he can surpass them in excellence is uncertain. From the current perspective, the hope is slim, as Xu Chunliang clearly has no ambitions in this area.

Elder Xu didn’t realize that among the three, two had witnessed Xu Chunliang’s medical skills but couldn’t tell him due to special reasons.

Zheng Peian, although unaware of Xu Chunliang’s medical skills, knew about Xu Chunliang’s antics with Lin Yougang and highly appreciated his abilities. He believed that talent is crucial in a person.

Xu Chunliang said: "You seniors are being irresponsible, pushing everything onto me. How come you’re not this modest when eating and drinking?"

Everyone laughed. Gao Xinhua wrapped a piece of twice-cooked pork with Perilla Leaf, eating it with praise. Zheng Peian’s cooking skills were indeed impressive, as he used many herbal ingredients in his dishes today.

It was Li Jia Kuan’s first time eating like this; although Perilla Leaf was found in his hometown, he had never seen it eaten this way.

Xu Changshan asked Xu Chunliang to educate everyone about Perilla Leaf, as a small assessment of his recent study of the "Pharmacopoeia."

This was no problem for Xu Chunliang, who began to speak eloquently.

In ancient times, perilla leaves were known as "Ren," and the "Renran" in the phrase "time passes" actually refers to perilla leaves. After the Song Dynasty, the name "Su" replaced the original "Ren" among the common folk, making it more straightforward to understand, but the character "Ren" is still in use. In the Book of Songs, "Lesser Elegies, Clever Words": Ren dye softwood, gentlemen plant it. Here, "Ren" refers to perilla leaves.

In "Greater Elegies, Suppression": Ren dye softwood, twist the silk thread. It is still about perilla leaves.

There is a story about someone who casually scattered a handful of perilla leaf seeds before heading out. By the time he returned home, the perilla had grown lush and filled the courtyard, astonishing him greatly. He couldn’t help but lament how time had quietly slipped away, just like the flourishing perilla.

Everyone was engrossed in Xu Chunliang’s explanation, lost in the passage of time. Unconsciously, they too had gone from being passionate young men like Xu Chunliang to middle-aged, and some even a bit middle-aged and greasy.

Zheng Peian sighed, "To rid ourselves of excesses, more perilla leaves must be consumed."

Gao Xinhua provided a phone number to Xu Chunliang, one connected to Xianhong Farm on Weishan Island. The farm’s contractor, Tong Guangsheng, was his comrade. He had already contacted him, instructing him to look after his nephew.

Xu Chunliang felt it wasn’t necessary, as he was going there on business, but Gao Xinhua meant well, so he took down the number.

Li Jia Kuan felt a bit insecure, always fearing that others would look down on him for being a county doctor.

He proactively spoke about buying a house for his son in Nanjiang. For this, he had recently gone to Nanjiang again, purchasing a three-bedroom, two-hall apartment in Linjiang Garden. The total cost was over three million, and for him, his son was his pride. Being able to support his son’s education and help him settle down in Nanjiang was something to be very proud of for a county doctor.

Zheng Peian laughed, "It seems your county hospital is quite profitable, brother. In the future, if you have any lucrative opportunities, you must give me some pointers."

Li Jia Kuan replied, "My wife and I live on fixed salaries. This house purchase was all thanks to Xiaoxu."

Everyone was curious now, wondering if Xu Chunliang had that much influence.

Xu Chunliang laughed, saying that Li Jia Kuan was overpraising him, and he didn’t have such capabilities.

Li Jia Kuan said earnestly, "I bought this house thanks to Miss Mo, who contacted President Jiang. She got the price reduced by 30% from the original deal, saving me nearly a million."

Xu Chunliang said, "That’s because of your relationship; it has nothing to do with me."

"Who says it’s unrelated? If it weren’t for you saving..." Li Jia Kuan almost blurted out the high-speed rail incident where Xu Chunliang saved Luan Yuchuan but quickly corrected himself, "If it weren’t for your good relationship with Miss Mo, she wouldn’t have helped me."

This caught the interest of Xu Changshan, who became quite curious. Who is Miss Mo? How old is she? Is she pretty?

Li Jia Kuan laughed, "She’s very pretty, but you’ll have to ask Xiaoxu for more details. I feel they make a great pair."

Gao Xinhua chimed in, surprised at how the kid managed to make a girlfriend in Nanjiang, feeling a bit different inside.

Zheng Peian viewed things from a different perspective, noting that few could help someone save a million on a house purchase—proof that Miss Mo was either rich or influential. A favor involving a million isn’t trivial anywhere.

Xu Chunliang realized that as soon as Li Jia Kuan had some alcohol, his words had no gatekeeper, wondering what other secrets might spill out if he continued drinking.

Realizing he’d drunk a lot and slipped in conversation, Li Jia Kuan decided he should leave, excusing himself so as not to disturb Elder Xu’s rest, as he had to return early tomorrow.

Zheng Peian saw he was half-drunk and offered to escort him back to the hotel.

Xu Chunliang saw Gao Xinhua off, who was fine with alcohol and insisted there was no need to accompany him, opting to call a taxi himself.

Xu Chunliang insisted on calling a nice car for him, seeing him off and handing him a bottle of mineral water for the journey, showing his thoughtful consideration despite his young age.

As the taxi departed, Gao Xinhua suddenly had a thought—what a fine young man. If he could be with his daughter... This idea was immediately dismissed, as his daughter didn’t see Xu Chunliang as anything but a failure, especially since she planned to stay in the Capital City.