Gen Z – Wu Gang, Zhao Lusi

At a restaurant during mealtime, Sun Toutou nervously tended to pots and pans in the kitchen, trying to fulfill several takeout orders before they became delayed. Though she was originally a delivery person, she was so efficient that even the restaurant’s owner thought she was talented. As she hurriedly left, he even reminded her that there was a position available for a chef at the restaurant for 4,500 yuan a month.

On the way to make a delivery, Sun Toutou ran several red lights, risking being fined by the police. She eventually arrived at her destination, but the delivery was still late. Zhao Liquan asked Ren Tianzhen if he could borrow his suit for a defense he had that afternoon. Ren Tianzhen gladly lent him his suit and even ordered takeout, which Sun Toutou delivered.

Sun Toutou arrived late and immediately apologized to Ren Tianzhen with a smile. She said that the school route was too complicated when her phone suddenly rang, reminding her of another overdue order. She repeated the same excuse and Ren Tianzhen felt that her lies flowed out of her mouth so easily. Despite Sun Toutou’s apologies, Ren Tianzhen bluntly cancelled the order. Sun Toutou angrily threw the delivery at Ren Tianzhen’s head and ran off to her next order.

Ren Tianzhen, still wearing his new suit for the defense that afternoon, was completely drenched in soup. He had never experienced such a scene before. During the defense, he was still immersed in his anger from earlier and did not even hear his advisor’s questions properly. Fortunately, the chief examiner had a father who was friends with and had mentored Ren Tianzhen, and he immediately repeated the questions. The defense was hastily and successfully completed.

While delivering food, Sun Toutou heard a woman screaming for help. She found a man twisting the woman’s hair, causing her to scream in agony. Sun Toutou immediately intervened and rescued the woman from the attacker. However, the man retaliated and they fought on the floor for several minutes. Shockingly, the woman who had been rescued did not help. In fact, when they gave statements to the police, the woman accused Sun Toutou of starting the fight, claiming it was because her delivery was late and she didn’t give a good review.

Sun Toutou was completely convinced that there were shameless men in the world, where the person who saved someone was accused of being the attacker. She had become a regular at the police station, always willing to help people while delivering food, without seeking any appreciation. The kind-hearted police officers comforted her, advising her to call them in case of emergency and leave the rest to them. Sun Toutou couldn’t understand what would happen if she was beaten to death before the police arrived, considering the situation at the time.

Over the years, Ren Xinzheng had been searching for the successor of the Jiang’s acupuncture technique. Finally, his friend Wu Shandao received accurate information and found the direct successor of the Jiang’s acupuncture technique, even obtaining the photo of the successor. Ren Xinzheng discussed the matter with his family, including his father-in-law, a renowned old Chinese doctor. He learned that the girl grew up in a welfare home, and both her parents sacrificed themselves while saving others. Moreover, her mother was the successor of the Jiang’s acupuncture technique. The old man felt that he had a connection with this person and decided to provide the ten thousand yuan himself, especially considering that the girl was the successor of the Jiang’s acupuncture technique.

Ren Xinzheng brought Sun Toutou out of the police station and took her to the Chinese medicine clinic. Sun Toutou had a rough demeanor, not looking like someone who would study acupuncture. Ren Xinzheng advised her to speak less and offered her a daily wage of one hundred yuan, as well as free Chinese medicine lessons. At first, Sun Toutou couldn’t believe that such good fortune existed, until Ren Xinzheng brought her to the clinic where many people surrounded her and called her “Uncle master”. She was surprised and delighted, and at that moment, Ren Tianzhen arrived.

Ren Tianzhen, who is naturally innocent, called Sun Toutou a fraud when he met her, saying she was just a delivery person. When his father asked him to carry the luggage, he naturally refused and even claimed he had a backache. He gave Sun Toutou a stern look and left.

In the evening, Ren Xinzheng severely criticized his son’s unreasonable behavior. However, Ren Tianzhen couldn’t understand how a delivery person could know traditional Chinese medicine, making him feel that his seven years of university education were a waste. Unlike Ren Tianzhen’s upbringing, his family had a long tradition of practicing medicine. Both his parents and grandparents were experts in traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, he believed that anything related to medicine was rigorous and would never allow someone like Sun Toutou to randomly throw food on people’s bodies.

Early in the morning, Ren Tianzhen’s family gathered together for breakfast as usual. They diagnosed each other’s conditions by taking their pulses. Ren Xinzheng was even more remarkable, as he could tell what flavor of ice cream his father-in-law had eaten the previous day just by taking his pulse. When washing dishes, Ren Xinzheng’s wife asked him how he knew, and he just smiled and said he smelled the ice cream scoop that his father-in-law had left in the kitchen last night.

All the staff at the traditional Chinese medicine clinic had arrived, except for Sun Toutou. Ren Xinzheng went to her house in person and found that she looked sleepy and had not woken up from a deep sleep. She did not look like a successor to traditional Chinese medicine at all. Ren Xinzheng asked her why she didn’t come to work, and Sun Toutou demanded a higher salary, claiming that her rate yesterday was that of an extra and being a queen was an additional charge. To encourage her to study hard, Ren Xinzheng promised to give her 4,800 yuan a month and immediately wrote it down.

Sun Toutou unexpectedly received a monthly salary of 4,800 yuan and the opportunity to learn medicine in a respected industry. This was an unprecedented “windfall” that she had picked up. She immediately bought desserts and champagne and celebrated with her roommates. She felt that she had never been so lucky and even stepping on dog poop wouldn’t be this unlucky. Her roommate reminded her to be vigilant, but Sun Toutou thought about her recent experiences and felt that she was just a poor person, and the other party could not get anything from her.

Ren Xinzheng resigned from school and heard Sun Toutou say that she loved playing claw machines. He thought that this game should be fun. In order to prevent his wife from blaming him, Ren Xinzheng specially invited his wife to go to the mall to play claw machines. Just as his wife was happily playing, he quickly told her about his resignation and asked Song Linglan to help him retrieve his books from the school.

When Song Linglan saw the wall of books piled up, she complained while organizing them, saying that Ren Xinzheng didn’t consider her feelings when he did things. Song Linglan’s mother, Zhang Jiru, who understood her well, comforted her and said that Ren Xinzheng had his own ideas when it came to doing things, and that they should understand and support each other.

Ren Xinzheng planned to open a traditional Chinese medicine apprenticeship class. The venue and enrollment plan were already in the works. One night, an old friend came uninvited, hobbling on a cane with a painful look on his face, asking Ren Xinzheng for help. This person was very familiar with Ren Xinzheng and claimed to have gone abroad, unable to resist the temptation of seafood and ending up with gout from overeating. Ren Xinzheng’s acupuncture quickly helped him stand up and leave the cane behind. When the friend heard about his plan to open a traditional Chinese medicine apprenticeship class, he immediately offered a venue for free.

With a smooth venue secured, Ren Xinzheng discussed with his wife and decided to provide dormitories and meals for the medical students at his own expense. This would not only help them to get to know each other better but also establish rules early on. His wife supported Ren Xinzheng’s ideas almost entirely. Although she complained a little when she heard that he wanted to pay for everything himself, as a traditional Chinese medicine enthusiast, she knew the significance of the matter and did not refuse her husband’s proposal.

Sun Toutou received her salary and naturally had to arrive at work on time. The next day, when there was only one minute left until eight o’clock, she hurriedly sat in front of Ren Xinzheng. Ren Xinzheng took out the pre-prepared “Huangdi Neijing” for her to read carefully. This dry book was a bit overwhelming for Sun Toutou. She only graduated from junior high school and found it difficult right away. It was known that she would not be obedient. Ren Xinzheng reminded her that she had already signed an agreement yesterday and she had to be obedient after receiving her salary. Sun Toutou was speechless and had no choice but to move a stool and sit next to a small table in the training class while reciting the book.

Shiyan is Ren Tianzhen’s senior brother. He currently works in a pediatric hospital and got injured unexpectedly due to a medical dispute. Ren Tianzhen went to visit him and couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the bandage on his head. Shiyan explained that he had prescribed the right treatment, but the patient insisted on taking Chinese medicine without permission, which resulted in the blame being shifted to him. He was given a one-month break by the hospital. Ren Tianzhen often secretly learns Western medicine from Shiyan. This time, when she heard Shiyan complaining about traditional Chinese medicine, she suggested that he should join Ren Xinzheng’s Chinese medicine heritage class. It would be good for him to experience and see if traditional Chinese medicine is as magical as it is said to be. Maybe he could even refute rumors in public and make his father no longer look down on everything. Anyway, he had nothing better to do, so Shiyan readily agreed to study for a few days.

As graduation approached, Zhao Liquan also visited two classmates and heard that they were planning to join the principal’s apprenticeship class. He started to waver in his heart and decided to study together with them. Despite coming from a poor family, Zhao Liquan had ambitious aspirations. After finally getting into college, he planned to become successful and lead the people in his village to prosperity or escape from the mountains. Ren Tianzhen and Shiyan understood the heavy burden on Zhao Liquan and even gave him the fruits and milk that the hospital had sent as condolences. Zhao Liquan didn’t hesitate and put them all into his own backpack.

Zhao Liquan participated in interviews at several hospitals, but unfortunately, he wasn’t hired. He received a call from his hometown and, in order to prevent his parents from worrying, deliberately claimed that he was currently working at a top-tier hospital. His parents were proud of their son and felt that he had a bright future.

Yang Xiaohong was a well-known lawyer in the local area, commonly referred to as “Miejue Shitai” (an honorific title). She rarely lost the cases she took on. One day, after winning another lawsuit, as she walked out of the courthouse, she ruthlessly refused to shake hands with her colleagues. In just a minute, one of her colleagues turned and fell down the stairs, losing consciousness. The situation was critical, and Yang Xiaohong didn’t know how to administer first aid, so she quickly called the hospital. The ambulance finally arrived, but it was too late for the best rescue efforts, and her colleague passed away suddenly. This incident had a heavy impact on Yang Xiaohong. The phrase “it’s best to never see each other again” that she had just said had unexpectedly become a reality. Having witnessed a scene of death, Yang Xiaohong walked the streets in a daze. When she saw an advertisement for a traditional Chinese medicine apprenticeship class, she immediately enrolled.

Sun Toutou was in charge of admissions for the first time. When she saw Yang Xiaohong readily enrolling without even asking about the tuition fee, she felt that this person was very arrogant. Ren Xinzheng’s reputation was well-known, and soon the class was filled with students. Sun Toutou and the teacher cleaned the classroom together. It hadn’t been used for a long time, and the windows couldn’t even close properly. The teacher asked Ren Xinzheng to tell Liu Changsheng to fix the windows. However, since no one had asked for rent for the entire venue, it was embarrassing to trouble others again, so Ren Xinzheng paid for the repairs himself.

According to the requirements, the apprenticeship class needs to collect basic information from each student. Yang Xiaohong reported her foreign name, and someone questioned whether she was being mysterious or perhaps a person with no social standing. Yang Xiaohong publicly took out her doctoral degree certificate. Shiyan and Tianzhen had master’s degrees, and they finally met someone else with a doctoral degree.

On the first day of class, an unexpected incident occurred. A deranged woman rushed into the training class and accused Yang Xiaohong of being a murderer, claiming that she had killed her husband. It turned out that the woman’s husband was the same person who had been taken away in an ambulance that day. The insane woman believed that Yang Xiaohong had caused her husband’s death due to anger. How could that be possible? Sun Toutou poured a bucket of water on the deranged woman’s head, finally calming her down. Ren Xinzheng’s wife realized that something was wrong and immediately examined her pulse. It was discovered that the deranged woman had hysteria and was also pregnant, but the fetal heart rate was unstable, so she was immediately sent to the hospital.

Ren Xinzheng’s friend, Liu Changqing, has recently been discussing a project for a medical and nursing center. He has extensive resources and a silver tongue, which has piqued the interest of the other party. However, due to the long payback period, they were cautious and inquired carefully, asking Liu Changqing about his advantages. Liu Changqing deliberately boasted that the dean of the Medical College, Ren Xinzheng, is his friend and has just resigned to support him in his entrepreneurial venture. He is currently establishing an apprenticeship class to promote the spirit of traditional Chinese medicine. As soon as the other party heard Ren Xinzheng’s name, they immediately became interested and insisted on meeting him right away.

When Liu Changqing and his team arrived at Ren Xinzheng’s office, Ren Xinzheng was busy swatting flies. He is skilled at treating illnesses and saving lives, but not at using official jargon or being deceitful. The other party asked if Ren Xinzheng already had a well-established teaching outline and detailed plan for the apprenticeship class. Ren Xinzheng truthfully replied that he did not and mentioned that it was his first time opening an apprenticeship class, so he was learning as he went along. Ren Xinzheng’s response was completely different from Liu Changqing’s previous claims. Liu Changqing had boasted that Ren Xinzheng not only had exceptional medical skills but also had valuable experience in teaching acupuncture.

Liu Changqing noticed that some of the investors were wavering, so he seized the opportunity to suggest that Ren Xinzheng diagnose the big boss’s pulse. The investors were eager to give it a try since not everyone has the chance to be diagnosed by a renowned Chinese medicine doctor. Ren Xinzheng glanced at his watch and mentioned that the class was about to start, so he asked them to come back next time. Liu Changqing further suggested that everyone could benefit from listening to a lecture by a renowned master. Ren Xinzheng explained that today’s class would cover the emergency treatment of heart attacks, strokes, and sudden deaths. The group exchanged puzzled glances, and Liu Changqing was dissatisfied with Ren Xinzheng’s response.

In Ren Xinzheng’s classroom, only Sun Toutou dared to sleep on the desk. Ren Xinzheng used this as an opportunity to remind everyone that during class, they should maintain a proper learning demeanor. Even if they feel sleepy, they shouldn’t use their phones or appear distracted. At the very least, they should keep their minds engaged while dozing off. Ren Xinzheng was lenient towards Sun Toutou, but she seemed unaware of her own behavior. She already had an unsavory reputation in society, and her master had a negative impression of her. Sun Toutou’s best friend heard about the apprenticeship class and specifically took time off to attend. She pleaded with Ren Xinzheng to allow her to sit in on the class, emphasizing that as a nurse in the hospital, knowledge of emergency treatment was essential. Ren Xinzheng made an exception and agreed!

At lunchtime, the ordered takeout arrived. Upon hearing that Sun Toutou could “smell and recognize dishes,” Shiyuan initially thought she was boasting. He intentionally added a little something to each takeout box and asked Sun Toutou to guess. To everyone’s surprise, Sun Toutou got everything right. She not only identified the ingredients and seasonings but also accurately described the cooking techniques. Everyone was impressed, and Ren Xinzheng, watching from the side, was pleasantly surprised. He happily told his wife that Sun Toutou had a natural talent and a keen sense of smell, showing potential in studying traditional Chinese medicine. Sun Toutou received praise from everyone and immediately agreed to take charge of the meals in the future.

Currently, the students reside and eat in the apprenticeship class, and all expenses are covered by Ren Xinzheng. His wife suggested he think of ways to raise funds, but Ren Xinzheng was not skilled in such matters. He asked his wife to handle the financing for now and inform him when things became critical. Ren Xinzheng’s salary at the hospital was substantial, and his expenses were not excessive, so he had grown accustomed to finding ways to support himself.

Shiyuan, Rentianzhen, and Sun Toutou went to the supermarket together to buy cooking utensils for the apprenticeship class. While they were there, they encountered someone promoting a Taobao store. Rentianzhen politely declined the person’s friend request, but Sun Toutou, well aware of the difficulties of starting a business, readily added the person on WeChat. Shortly after, they noticed that the girl promoting the store had fainted. Items around her fell to the ground, and she appeared pale, clutching her abdomen tightly. Her lips even turned purple. Shiyan, being a pediatrician trained in Western medicine, immediately determined that she was experiencing low blood sugar. After confirming that the girl had indeed skipped breakfast, Rentianzhen swiftly opened her acupuncture kit and applied acupuncture according to the treatment for low blood sugar. After a short while, the girl’s color returned to normal, and she was finally able to stand up.

This incident made Sun Toutou feel a sense of accomplishment. During dinner, she happily told her master and mistress about their rescue at the supermarket. Based on Sun Toutou’s description, Ren Xinzheng and his wife realized that it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. The fact that the girl tightly held her abdomen indicated that something was wrong. When they heard the location of the acupuncture treatment from their son, they were startled and quickly asked where the girl lived.

Since Sun Toutou had added the girl on WeChat during the day, she was able to find out where she lived quickly and promptly took her to the hospital. The girl’s life was out of danger, but the emergency room had to remove one fallopian tube, which would reduce her chances of conceiving in the future. In reality, she had an ectopic pregnancy, but Ren Tianzhen mistakenly treated her as having low blood sugar. The miscarriage that occurred that day was directly related to Ren Tianzhen’s actions. Back at home, Ren Xinzheng criticized Ren Tianzhen severely and was almost on the verge of hitting him. Reflecting on the frightening moment just now, Ren Tianzhen felt a deep sense of remorse.

Sun Toutou was surprised to hear that the rescued girl had an ectopic pregnancy. She never expected such a young girl to have this condition. Seeing Ren Tianzhen’s heavy-heartedness, she couldn’t help but ask Peng Shiyan how many fallopian tubes women have. Upon hearing that there is only one, she thought it was not a big deal. Sun Toutou encouraged Ren Tianzhen not to lose heart, stating that they saved the girl, and they shouldn’t retreat just because of a small accident. Then Sun Toutou asked Ren Tianzhen what he wanted to eat tomorrow and promised to make it happen.

In the morning, Yang Xiaohong couldn’t find her human anatomy model that she used for practice. She asked Sun Toutou and discovered that she had placed the model in her own bed. Yang Xiaohong never liked sharing things with others, so she immediately got angry and went to find the class monitor. She accused Sun Toutou of stealing her belongings. Peng Shiyan was surprised and when he saw Sun Toutou arriving shortly after with the human anatomy model, he comforted Yang Xiaohong, telling her not to make a big fuss and that they could practice with the model together. Yang Xiaohong disliked sharing a dormitory with Sun Toutou, but there were no extra bedrooms in the teacher training class. So Yang Xiaohong suggested moving back home to live on her own.

Ren Xinzheng heard about this matter and couldn’t help but ask if everyone knew the reason for them to live with their roommates since there were still a few classmates who were not accustomed to it.

Sun Toutou nonchalantly replied, “If you want to learn, you can’t go home and sleep.” This whole thing started because of her, and she seemed quite proud of it. Ren Xinzheng couldn’t help but give her a stern look and explained that in the study of traditional Chinese medicine, they needed to practice clinical consultations regularly. By living with classmates, they could consult each other conveniently and make progress together. Ren Xinzheng’s sincere words were well received by everyone. Indeed, compared to the precious bond with classmates, a learning tool worth only a few yuan was insignificant.

Linglan was worried about the heavy daily expenses when suddenly Wu Shandao came with a sponsor to visit her home. Linglan was very happy and even mentioned that Ren Xinzheng once said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” When Ren Xinzheng returned home, he heard the sponsor’s conditions and immediately declined their sponsorship. He explained that he had already resigned from the medical university, so accepting the sponsorship would be inappropriate. He earnestly recommended Wu Shandao to give lectures on behalf of the sponsor. The sponsor hesitated because their company often received orders from overseas, and those clients were attracted by Ren Xinzheng’s reputation. Ren Xinzheng smiled and said that Wu Shandao could give lectures for this phase of the course, and in the next phase, they could lecture together. This way, the sponsor had no objections.

Near the end of class, Ren Xinzheng assigned homework to the students. With Qingming approaching, he asked the students and Linglan’s mother to learn how to fold “yuanbao” for ancestral worship. It was a tradition for their teacher training class to pay respects to their ancestors every year, and Ren Xinzheng also made some green rice balls.

In the evening, all the students in the teacher training class gathered together to fold paper. Sun Toutou found it troublesome and suggested buying them online, claiming it would be cheaper and more convenient. However, Linglan criticized her, saying that it was a gesture of affection and remembrance, so how could they buy them online?

Linglan received the outfits she purchased for everyone to wear during the Qingming Festival. The boys had suits with pants, while the girls had dresses. Sun Toutou found it inconvenient to wear and was criticized by Linglan’s mother for her improper posture. She reminded Sun Toutou that it was formal attire and should be worn with proper etiquette.

Ren Xinzheng led everyone to pay respects to their ancestors. When they arrived at the mountain, Linglan tied a red string at the intersection they passed through as a marker. She reminded everyone to pay attention to the markers while walking. Finally, they reached the tomb of Doctor Huang and led everyone in reciting the “Great Physician’s Sincerity” oath. However, Sun Toutou disrupted the solemnity by saying it was just a formality and considered superstitious behavior.

Sun Toutou didn’t understand this way of ancestral worship. In her opinion, a group of people offering fruits and then swearing along with it seemed like a cheap trick to please the crowd. The solemn atmosphere was disrupted by Sun Toutou. Yang Xiaohong couldn’t stand it and said that it was impolite to make grandiose statements in a cemetery. If it were the burial place of loved ones, it would be even more unacceptable. However, Sun Toutou claimed that she grew up in an orphanage without parents, so she had no need for ancestral worship. She even mentioned that the most memorable festival in her impression was when people came to the orphanage every month to adopt them. Many children would sit neatly at the entrance, waiting for the adopting families to choose them. The quiet and beautiful children would always be selected first, and even sick children would find families. On the contrary, she was left behind because of her unruly behavior.

Upon hearing Sun Toutou’s words, some people were moved. Yang Xiaohong was about to apologize to Sun Toutou when suddenly Sun Toutou quietly leaned in and whispered in her ear that she was just joking with them earlier. Such lack of manners earned a stern glare from Ren Xinzheng, and he continued leading everyone in reciting the medical classics. Sun Toutou was isolated by everyone and stood alone, watching everyone earnestly recite, feeling somewhat awkward.

At Huafeng Mountain, Ren Xinzheng and Linglan had just arrived in the village with their students when they saw many villagers warmly welcoming them at the village entrance. They knew that Ren Xinzheng would always provide free medical consultations here every year, so they had come early. Ren Xinzheng and Linglan noticed that with the improvement in living standards, more and more people were addicted to the internet. They stayed up late at night, felt lethargic the next day, and even developed various complications. Therefore, they prescribed a remedy called “Internet Disconnection at Ten O’Clock.” When the students asked the teachers about their regular sleep schedule, Ren Xinzheng analyzed the modern pace of life and said that going to bed before 11 p.m. was the most basic rule. If they consistently followed this routine for three months, many minor ailments would naturally heal.

During lunchtime, Linglan had a slight cough. The air in the village was chilly, so Ren Xinzheng told her to take a car back to the clinic the next day. Sun Toutou was feeling listless near the stove, and Ren Xinzheng took her pulse and instructed Linglan to make some ginger syrup for her. Sun Toutou was experiencing her menstrual period, which she usually endured silently. When she saw Ren Xinzheng’s wife putting socks on her and reminding her not to walk barefoot during this time, and even bringing her a cup of warm ginger syrup to drink, Sun Toutou was deeply moved. It was the first time someone had cared for her like this.

Sun Toutou, who had just sat quietly like a girl, immediately became nervous when she heard that Shiyuan wanted to drink the chicken soup left for her. She quickly wanted to get up and grab it, even blaming Shiyuan for causing trouble. Linglan heard Sun Toutou blurt out the medical classics recited during the ancestral worship in the morning, and she found it amusing. Sun Toutou had a good memory and didn’t forget things easily. Linglan mentioned this to Ren Xinzheng, who believed that the child’s nature wasn’t bad; she just lacked proper upbringing, and perhaps her sense of belonging was too low. With proper guidance in the future, there should be positive results.

Ren Xinzheng began to establish some rules. Every day, the students would have to hand in their phones for a few hours, during which they could focus on studying. However, Sun Toutou was extremely dissatisfied. Not only could she no longer use her phone, but she also couldn’t sleep in the morning. Otherwise, the class monitor, Shiyuan, would use Ren Xinzheng’s teaching baton to compel her to get up. Sun Toutou secretly went to Ren Xinzheng’s room, intending to steal her phone, but Ren Xinzheng caught her red-handed. Feeling bored and unsatisfied with the food, Sun Toutou took advantage of the darkness and escaped in the middle of the night.

This is a deep forest in the mountains. It’s easy to get lost during the day, let alone at night. Sun Toutou, carrying her luggage, mumbled to herself and completely let go, unintentionally ignoring a path marked by Linglan. She took the wrong path and walked for a long time without finding her way out. With no other options, she leaned against a tree to rest, but soon there was commotion from a hornet’s nest in the tree. Swarms of hornets chased after Sun Toutou, stinging her frantically. Sun Toutou let out a scream and started calling for help.

Luckily, Ren Xinzheng and Ren Tianzhen arrived in time and safely brought Sun Toutou back. Sun Toutou had a hard lesson and no longer dared to be mischievous. Ren Tianzhen couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Sun Toutou’s swollen face, and Ren Xinzheng quickly crushed some herbs and applied them to her face as a poultice.

After returning from the study tour at Huafeng Mountain, Ren Xinzheng arranged for the students of his lineage class to study at his father-in-law’s Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic. In order to enrich the students’ knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he also invited well-known domestic TCM practitioners and scholars. Sun Toutou was the first to raise her hand and ask the master what she would be instructed to do, whether it was preparing herbal medicine or something else. Ren Xinzheng directly reminded her that her current task was to clean and maintain hygiene, and she didn’t have a separate teacher. From now on, she would only study under him.

After finishing the arrangements, Ren Xinzheng had a patient come in. The young girl looked like a high school student and was paralyzed in the lower limbs due to a car accident. Her mother had been single for many years and finally managed to raise her daughter, but now they were struck by another calamity. They had asked all the Western doctors, who said there was no hope for her to walk again. So they came all the way to Ren Xinzheng. He carefully diagnosed the girl’s condition and believed that there was still a chance for treatment. He asked Linglan to bring him his medical books.

According to the medical book, the prescription consists of a 300-year-old roof tile, which is then soaked in the urine of a child for one week. The tile is then cooked into a traditional Chinese medicine and consumed daily. The prescription is quite peculiar, and it must be a 300-year-old tile. It might be a bit difficult to find, but since it’s a prescription, the girl’s mother sees hope and believes that the 300-year-old tile can be found. The students below looked at each other when they heard about the prescription. It seemed so strange. How could an old tile cure paralysis? Moreover, there was no possible chemical formula mentioned. How could it be possible?

Ren Tianzhen had been learning medicine from his father since childhood and had witnessed many incredible things. He told them not to be surprised, as Traditional Chinese Medicine is vast and many prescriptions have miraculous effects. These things couldn’t be explained by science, but they could still heal illnesses.

When Sun Toutou was cleaning the courtyard, she saw Ren Tianzhen watering the flowers. Surprisingly, she approached him on her own initiative and stared at him as if infatuated, saying that he looked handsome and everything he did was good-looking. Ren Tianzhen had a bad impression of Sun Toutou and naturally didn’t give her a friendly face. He simply turned around and continued with his work. They exchanged a few words teasing each other, but when Sun Toutou noticed that she had annoyed him, she quickly tried to avoid him. Unfortunately, she accidentally bumped into a middle-aged man and broke his glasses.

The man demanded compensation, claiming that the glasses cost over ten thousand. Sun Toutou was stunned and quickly shifted the blame to Ren Tianzhen. When the man heard that Ren Tianzhen was Ren Xinzheng’s son, he immediately approached him with flattery. It turned out he was Xu Meng’s father. Last time, when he collapsed at the mall due to low blood sugar, Ren Tianzhen mistook him for the girl who needed acupuncture. In reality, Xu Meng had an ectopic pregnancy, and the treatment could have caused a major disaster. This time, Xu Meng’s father complained that his daughter had gone mad and disappeared, refusing to work as well.

Xu Meng’s father brought Ren Xinzheng and Linglan to their daughter’s house to pulse diagnose her. Upon entering Xu Meng’s home, they could see it was a two-story villa with a nanny. Xu Meng’s father was very angry to hear that her mother had gone out, leaving only their daughter and the nanny at home. He was upset because his daughter was prone to illness. Linglan entered the room and saw Xu Meng with disheveled hair, crouching by the bedside trembling. She gently approached her and performed pulse diagnosis, discovering that she had stagnation of Qi and blood stasis.

Upon hearing about Xu Meng’s condition, Ren Tianzhen immediately requested to bring her to the medical clinic where he could help treat her properly. Ren Tianzhen had been feeling guilty all along because his own mistake had led to the removal of one of Xu Meng’s fallopian tubes. Sun Toutou, on the other hand, got involved in a fight with a patient’s family member while trying to help her friend. As a result, she was summoned by the police station to give a statement. Ren Xinzheng once again went to the police station for her release. Despite seeing her stubborn attitude, Ren Xinzheng allowed her to live in the clinic for the convenience of taking care of Xu Meng.

After discussing among themselves, they decided to bring Xu Meng to the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic for treatment. Linglan took everyone to pick tea leaves and learn how to identify medicinal herbs. The hilly area had fresh air, which helped Xu Meng relax. Ren Tianzhen stood by Xu Meng’s side, never leaving her for a moment, truly taking care of her like an older brother.

In the evening, Ren Xinzheng took several children from the clinic to go out and gaze at the night sky. They were usually busy with concrete buildings and had never taken the time to admire the stars. Linglan called Sun Toutou over and taught her to appreciate the beauty of nature. Surprisingly, Sun Toutou, who was usually noisy and lively, became quiet. The stars in the night sky were much more beautiful than diamonds. Ren Xinzheng taught her how to recognize the North Star so that she would know which direction to go when she got lost in the future.

Linglan arranged the dormitory, with Sun Toutou and Xu Meng sharing a room. The two had completely contrasting personalities. Xu Meng rarely spoke and was very reserved, while Sun Toutou was like an untamed monkey, leaping onto the bed with ease and comfortably stretching her legs while inviting Xu Meng to experience the softness of the mattress. Xu Meng had strict upbringing and probably rarely encountered such an ill-mannered girl. Linglan was already used to it and instructed Ren Tianzhen and the others to leave their phones in the living room every night at ten o’clock. Sun Toutou couldn’t disagree, as she couldn’t win against the majority.

Late at night, the sound of a ringing phone startled Xu Meng, who screamed and ran into the living room. Unfortunately, the phone kept ringing, and the living room was filled with cries of horror. Linglan, Ren Xinzheng, and the two elderly people in the house were all disturbed by the noise. Linglan carefully comforted Xu Meng, while Ren Tianzhen stood by her side. With everyone’s reassurance, Xu Meng’s emotions finally stabilized. Ren Tianzhen, fearing a relapse, stayed by her bedside throughout the night.

Seeing how attentively her son cared for Xu Meng, Linglan couldn’t help but worry. Ren Xinzheng understood her concerns. It was normal for a girl like Xu Meng, who had good looks and came from a well-off family, to be liked by boys. The more Linglan thought about it, the more sleepless she became. She regretted agreeing to let Xu Meng stay with them and reminded Ren Xinzheng to ask Xu Meng to move back home the next day.

Despite all the events that took place in the evening, Sun Toutou slept through it all and couldn’t be awakened even when Linglan called her. The next day, Sun Toutou revived with energy and happily bounced into the living room, asking for food. Linglan instructed her to wait until the whole family was present before eating. In order to have the barbecue buns made by the teacher’s wife as soon as possible, Sun Toutou obediently complied and quickly took care of the teacher’s grandparents. Finally, it was time for the meal. Before eating, Linglan asked Sun Toutou to learn how to feel the pulse. The morning pulse was the best for diagnosis. Sun Toutou was amazed by this family tradition; growing up in an orphanage, she had never seen family members examining each other’s pulses to determine their health. It was truly interesting to her.

In the morning, a patient arrived at the traditional Chinese medicine clinic. She had been feeling unwell for a long time and had consulted various Chinese medicine practitioners after experiencing health issues. She had thought that if she turned to Chinese medicine after Western medicine, it would most likely be a terminal illness. However, Ren Xinzheng diagnosed her pulse and confidently said it could be treated. He asked if she had ever killed animals when she was young. The elderly woman replied that she had never killed chickens or geese but enjoyed eating snails. Over a decade ago, her husband fell ill, and she had killed several pigeons. Ren Xinzheng nodded, indicating that the problem lay there. He advised the old woman to find a friend and travel around the country together, visiting temples and paying respects to Buddha. This way, her karmic obstacles would be eliminated, and her health would improve quickly. It turned out that traveling and sightseeing could be a cure for illness. After hearing Ren Xinzheng’s enlightenment, the old lady returned home feeling relieved.

Sun Toutou couldn’t help but feel guilty, realizing that she had eaten more crayfish than the old lady had snails. Her accumulated karmic obstacles seemed too great, and she was frightened. She quickly requested time off to visit a temple and pay respects to Buddha. Ren Xinzheng glared at her and reminded her to get back to work.

Zhao Liquan pushed Jianxi for a follow-up visit and encountered a patient at the clinic. They suddenly rushed towards each other and started fighting as if they had gone mad. Chaos ensued, and Ren Xinzheng and the others quickly intervened to separate them.

Ren Xinzheng finally learned the details and finally knew that Zhu Xia’s daughter was paralyzed by Cheng Ying’s accidental collision. At that time, Cheng Ying saw her husband buying a luxury sports car for another woman while driving, and in a moment of distraction, she accidentally hit Jian Xi, causing the tragic accident. After the accident, Cheng Ying deeply regretted it. She would rather be the one hit by the car herself. Now that her husband is having an affair, Zhu Xia harasses her every day, even causing trouble at her workplace. She is now afraid to go to work, and her life has almost reached a dead end.

With Zhu Xia pressing on step by step, Cheng Ying is really feeling depressed. Ren Xinzheng asked Linglan to give Cheng Ying acupuncture treatment while he went out to meet Zhu Xia and tell her that Cheng Ying had died, finally fulfilling his wish. Zhu Xia curses Cheng Ying every day, wishing her death. Now that she hears Cheng Ying has been harassed to death, she finally understands the seriousness of the situation. She caused a big scene at the clinic just now, and many people saw it. When the police inquire, she will definitely go to jail. Zhu Xia is trembling with fear. Ren Xinzheng reminds her to quickly find a way to take care of Jian Xi. Zhu Xia regrets it deeply. If she is caught and imprisoned, there will be no one to take care of her daughter. As she thinks about it, Zhu Xia regrets it to the point of kneeling in front of Ren Xinzheng. Later, when she heard that Cheng Ying was not dead, Zhu Xia was overjoyed. If Cheng Ying is alive, she doesn’t have to take responsibility and stay in jail. After the thrilling experience just now, Zhu Xia dare not curse Cheng Ying anymore and believes that she will not continue to stalk and harass her.

Ren Xinzheng knew that Zhu Xia was a single mother and that living alone was not easy. But he also encouraged her to learn to let go. Since the situation had already occurred, she needed to face it calmly. Forgiving others is also forgiving oneself. Currently, the Chinese medicinal herbs for Jian Xi had not been found, so the urgent task was to find the lead on the herbs.

In the evening, Shiyan waited for Yang Xiaohong at a food stall. Since he still had to work, he asked Yang Xiaohong to help him with his studies at intervals. This time, they agreed to meet at the food stall, and Shiyan treated Yang Xiaohong to barbecue. However, Yang Xiaohong had always been fastidious about cleanliness, so this time she sat on her seat wearing a raincoat, waiting for Shiyan. Yang Xiaohong didn’t like greasy food, but Shiyan warmly entertained her and ordered sugar-free yogurt from the boss. After they finished their studies, Yang Xiaohong confessed that it was Ren Xinzheng’s idea to have her go out for tutoring. Although she knew that Shiyan attended the Chinese medicine apprenticeship class to make trouble, Ren Xinzheng didn’t hold grudges and was still willing to teach him. This is the magnanimity of Chinese medicine. Hearing Yang Xiaohong’s account, Shiyan felt even more in awe of the vastness of Chinese medicine.

In the evening, Sun Toutou noticed that Ren Tianzhen went out alone to play skateboarding, and there were many people around engaged in extreme sports. She was envious and insisted that Ren Tianzhen teach her; otherwise, she would report to their teacher. Ren Tianzhen had no choice but to temporarily agree and then find an opportunity to play a prank on her.

Zhao Liquan had graduated and could no longer stay in the school dormitory. He often caused power outages in the dormitory by secretly using electrical appliances to cook noodles or dumplings. When caught by the dormitory supervisor, he was immediately kicked out. He couldn’t stay at the school anymore, so Zhao Liquan had to find a cheap place to live off-campus. When Ren Tianzhen found out, she took out a simple bed and gave Zhao Liquan the key to the Chinese medicine clinic, allowing him to temporarily stay there after work and fold up the bed early in the morning. It indeed solved Zhao Liquan’s urgent need, but Ren Tianzhen insisted on not taking a single penny from him.

Cheng Ying went for her regular follow-up appointment and heard that Ren Xinzheng was teaching a class. Ren Xinzheng was educating everyone in the class about knowledge related to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and health preservation. TCM not only focuses on treating the root cause of the disease but also pays attention to “Qi circulation.” Poor emotional state can also lead to a series of complications. Therefore, one must overcome inner fears, hesitation, avoidance, and wishful thinking, adjust these emotions, maintain a positive mindset, and many things can naturally improve without treatment. It seemed like what was being said was very similar to Cheng Ying’s condition, and listening to Ren Xinzheng’s lecture provided her with a lot of relief.

The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Zhao Liquan’s parents said they would come to visit. Recently, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic just announced that they would select a few students to participate in a TCM forum. Zhao Liquan called his parents and asked them to come later.

Ever since Sun Toutou found out that Ren Tianzhen can skateboard, she would pester him every day to teach her how to play. Ren Tianzhen couldn’t stand it anymore, but this time he finally agreed readily. He made careful plans and brought some snacks and a large jar of yellow wine. The yellow wine was stolen from his grandfather, all to settle the personal grudge from the last time Sun Toutou splashed him with rice.

Ren Tianzhen told Sun Toutou that if she wanted to learn skateboarding, she had to show respect to the master by offering wine. Unfortunately, Sun Toutou was a bit reckless. She grabbed the wine jar and started drinking without hesitation. Ren Tianzhen, on the other hand, had a few cans of beer and was very satisfied to see Sun Toutou making a fool of herself while intoxicated. Last time, he was drenched in takeout food by Sun Toutou, and now he finally had his revenge. Seeing Sun Toutou lying drunk on a recliner in the neighborhood, Ren Tianzhen left on his own.

Sun Toutou originally wanted to learn a few moves from Ren Tianzhen while making medicine, but she ended up forgetting everything due to drinking. The pot of medicine boiled until the soup dried up and even cracked the pot. The sharp sound of the smoke alarm came from the kitchen, waking up the family. Ren Xinzheng rushed to the kitchen and saw the ruined pot. He immediately asked Linglan to call Sun Toutou and ask where she was.

Meng Meng was also awakened and started screaming in the house. Ren Tianzhen quickly ran to Meng Meng’s room to reassure her that everything was fine. Sun Toutou still hadn’t returned, and Ren Tianzhen started feeling anxious. After a long time, Linglan finally got through on the phone. The security guard in the neighborhood said they only found the cellphone and noticed a woman’s shoe by the riverbank. Due to a previous incident of someone drowning in the river, he replied in surprise that the owner of the phone might have jumped into the river.

Ren Xinzheng and Linglan were shocked and hurried to the riverside to search for people. They shouted for a long time, but there was no response. Linglan carefully examined the scene and found several boxes of takeout food on a bench, a jar of yellow wine, and a porcelain wine cup, which belonged to their household. Based on Sun Toutou’s careless nature, she wouldn’t use such a nice wine cup for pouring. Finally, Ren Tianzhen found Sun Toutou in the river. Because she had drunk too much yellow wine, Sun Toutou felt uncomfortable and jumped into the river to cool down.

They rescued Sun Toutou and brought her back home. Linglan privately called Ren Tianzhen into a room and sternly criticized him. Fortunately, Sun Toutou wasn’t in danger that night, but if anything had happened to her, Ren Tianzhen would have to eat prison food for many years. Linglan scolded Ren Tianzhen severely, reminding him that he was the only male in the family and would have to take responsibility for the clinic in the future. He couldn’t act recklessly without considering the consequences. She also solemnly warned him to maintain distance from Meng Meng and not entertain any inappropriate thoughts.

In the morning, Ren Xinzheng and the family sat together to have breakfast. They saw Sun Toutou, completely exhausted, leaning on the railing and staggering down the stairs. After a night of turmoil, Ren Xinzheng asked her who she had been drinking with. Sun Toutou insisted that she was alone, repeating it a hundred times. Ren Xinzheng asked her again, warning her about the consequences of being expelled from the clinic. Sun Toutou still didn’t even look at Ren Tianzhen and focused on her bowl, saying that each person should be responsible for their own actions.

Ren Xinzheng naturally knew that Ren Tianzhen was also drinking with them, but his carefully educated son kept his head down at the dinner table, too afraid to speak up, which disappointed Ren Xinzheng. A few days later, Ren Xinzheng took his disciples to participate in a TCM forum. Ren Tianzhen was worried about leaving Meng Meng alone at home. However, the spots were limited, so without hesitation, Ren Tianzhen let Zhao Liquan go back first. Zhao Liquan had been eagerly anticipating this opportunity and hoped to meet some influential figures, which would enhance his resume. He was struggling with the decision when the principal noticed and immediately asked Zhao Liquan to ride in the same car with him.

In the car, Zhao Liquan was very grateful to the principal for giving him this opportunity. The principal couldn’t help but express that when he saw Zhao Liquan, he saw a young version of himself. In the past, the principal also had feelings for Linglan when they were young, but in the end, Linglan chose Ren Xinzheng.