"It’s all from the books," Xu Nianhua answered, thinking about how to steer the conversation toward Pei Yicheng.
Suddenly, Du Chang said, "Girl, how about you learn medicine with me? I see you’re smart, you could definitely learn well from me."
Xu Nianhua was also very surprised, having not expected Du Chang to make such a suggestion.
With an excited expression, Du Chang said, "Why not take a medical book and memorize it? I’ll take you as my apprentice. Yicheng is unwilling to learn medicine, neither does Ling Dong have the talent, and Cheng Hao is even less interested. It’s a pity, my medical skills could go unlearned!"
Over the years, Du Chang had been considering taking an apprentice, but he hadn’t come across a good candidate. He wasn’t overly concerned about it, but seeing Xu Nianhua take the initiative to ask, Du Chang thought, if Xu Nianhua were to learn medicine from him, wouldn’t their relationship become even closer?
"I... I might not be cut out for studying medicine, I’m afraid I might disappoint you," Xu Nianhua said awkwardly, touching her nose. She hadn’t even figured out how to bring up the topic of massaging Pei Yicheng, and the conversation had jumped to the matter of apprenticeship.
She truly hadn’t planned on changing her career.
She hadn’t considered learning medicine either, aware of her limitations; she simply wasn’t cut out for it.
"You, really not interested?" Du Chang asked, his face full of regret.
Sitting quietly to the side, Xu Nian’an suddenly asked, "Grandfather Du, are you really planning to take an apprentice?"
"Yes, as long as I encounter a good candidate, I definitely want to take a disciple, to pass on my medical skills," Du Chang confirmed, admitting that while he couldn’t cure his grandson’s leg, he considered himself top-notch in other aspects.
"Would I... be suitable?" Xu Nian’an’s words, one by one, were clear to all who heard, but together, they briefly stunned everyone.
Slightly belatedly, Du Chang evaluated Xu Nian’an, who was indeed good-looking, although not as strikingly handsome as his own grandson. But he was handsome and, after all, the older brother of Nianhua.
"I have here a copy of ’Herbal Properties Canon.’ If you can memorize it within a week, I’ll take you as my disciple," Du Chang said as he took a book from the shelf next to him and tossed it to Xu Nian’an.
He thought, as long as Xu Nian’an’s talent wasn’t abysmally poor, he would take him as a disciple.
A person rushed in, looking frantic.
"Shitou, what’s the matter?" Du Chang, seeing Shitou, asked with concern, "What happened?"
"My grandma, my grandma has fallen. She’s lying in bed and has bled a lot," Shitou said, his clothes dirty and stained with dark red.
Du Chang reassured him, "Don’t panic, I’ll go back with you right now."
"Ling Dong, take good care of Yicheng. I might not be able to return for a few days," he said, grabbing his medical kit and heading out the door with a vigour that belied his sixty years.
"I hope Shitou’s grandma is safe and unharmed," Pei Yicheng remarked, having met Shitou’s grandmother before. The last time Shitou had carried his grandmother to seek medical help, it was because they couldn’t afford it, and she nearly lost her life. Eventually, they sought help from Grandfather.
With a soft heart, Grandfather intervened and saved Shitou’s grandmother. It was then discovered that Shitou and his grandmother lived deep in the mountains, depending solely on each other. Shitou’s parents had been hunters and both lost their lives in an accident, leaving little Shitou to be raised by his grandmother alone.
Shitou, conscientious as he was, had always stayed by his grandmother’s side. Last time, his grandmother’s prolonged cold had almost cost her her life.