ss. He wasn’t an expert in male urology; on the plane, they could treat common acute illnesses or provide emergency assistance, and handle some common conditions. Even if it’s not his professional fie...Chapter 272: Xiao Hongyang Becomes an Apprentice (1)
"Senior Brother, quickly get Hongyang to stand up!" Upon seeing that he couldn’t help Xiao Hongyang up, Xiao Yu turned towards Old Yue and said.
"Junior Brother, I’m here for exactly this reason. Just take him on as your disciple!" Old Yue said.
"Senior Brother, I’m only in my mid-twenties. How could I be qualified to take on a disciple"
Xiao Yu couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly when he saw that even Old Yue was urging him to accept Xiao Hongyang as his disciple.
He was very optimistic about Xiao Hongyang’s prospects; both in medical skills and ethics, he was top-notch. Although a bit older than him, the years of studying medicine had laid a solid foundation for him. However, given that Xiao Yu himself was only in his mid-twenties and hadn’t been practicing medicine long, taking on a disciple at such an early age felt quite odd to him.
After all, accepting Xiao Hongyang as a disciple was different from letting him into the Xiao family; it entailed a lifelong commitment.
"Haha... What’s wrong with being twenty In traditional Chinese medicine, knowledge is passed down from those who are knowledgeable. It’s not strange for an eighty-year-old to apprentice under someone in their twenties. And considering that you’re already his Senior Uncle and an elder, there's nothing odd about taking him on as a disciple!"
Old Yue chuckled upon hearing Xiao Yu’s concerns.
Xiao Yu’s medical skills were something Old Yue admired greatly. Even though Xiao Hongyang had already achieved a certain level of accomplishment, when it came to medical skills, he still fell short compared to Xiao Yu, so apprenticing under him wouldn’t be squandering his talent.
Hearing what Old Yue said, Xiao Yu fell into deep thought.
Seeing that Xiao Yu was thinking deeply about the matter, Old Yue didn't disturb him. This kind of decision wasn’t to be made lightly as it not only affected the transmission of medical skills but also the disciple’s entire life.
In fact, in traditional Chinese medicine circles, both masters and disciples were very cautious when considering apprenticeship, because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the apprentice.
Trying to change masters later on would require either being expelled by one’s original master or leaving of their own accord. In such cases, it would be extremely difficult to find another master willing to take them in.
No one wanted to entrust their medical skills to an unsuitable person; therefore, people with a history of expulsion were generally not accepted as disciples because they could afford no more risks.
Therefore, both the act of taking on a disciple and becoming someone’s apprentice in traditional Chinese medicine circles was done very cautiously. If a master refused to teach their disciple anything valuable, then that disciple would likely waste their life.
A single master could take on several disciples, but these disciples were not chosen at random; their talent was one thing, but more importantly, the master had to trust in their moral character.
Therefore, this is also why when some masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) take on apprentices, they usually choose from among the young men who work in their pharmacies as medicine preparers. These preparers have generally worked with them for many years and have a fairly deep understanding of their character, integrity, and natural aptitude.
Hongyang, if you don't learn anything after becoming my disciple, don’t blame me! So please consider carefully now; it's not too late to change your mind. Otherwise, once you've become my disciple, it will be too late for regrets!
After a long while, Xiao Yu slowly raised his head and looked at the kneeling Xiao Hongyang in front of him.
Xiao Hongyang learned family-transmitted medical skills and had never studied under Old Yue, so he could still take on disciples. From another perspective, since Xiao Hongyang was already studying Xiao Family medicine, there would be no need for him to seek out other mentors.
"Hongyang has absolutely no regrets!"
With a determined voice, Xiao Hongyang said while kneeling on the ground.
"Good. Get up first; I'll formally take you as my disciple in a few days," replied Xiao Yu with satisfaction at Xiao Hongyang's answer.
Xiao Yu knew Xiao Hongyang well, and from last time’s car accident, he could tell that Xiao Hongyang had good morals and medical ethics. Most people would likely stay away from such an accident scene as far as possible; they wouldn't rush towards it.
"Ha ha, great! I've picked a lucky day today, so there's no need to wait for later. Now I'll invite fellow practitioners here for the ceremony!"
Old Yue chuckled and said, seemingly more anxious than Xiao Hongyang; he had even chosen an auspicious date before coming.
"Brother Yu, it doesn't have to be so complicated. We just need to find a day to serve tea."
Hearing that Old Yue wanted to invite some TCM masters for the ceremony, Xiao Yu quickly stopped him.
"Alas… That's not possible;拜師是大事，豈能草率行事！"
Upon hearing this, Old Yue shook his head at Xiao Yu and said.
Xiao Yu did not stop him after thinking about it. Inviting fellow practitioners is one of the long-standing traditions in TCM since ancient times. Besides witnessing the ceremony, those invited masters also act as supervisors.
Moreover, if no one was present for the ceremony and they merely agreed among themselves to form a master-apprentice relationship, then who would know if an apprentice later left their teacher's school Or if the master didn't teach properly
If these invited masters were present as witnesses, however, when an apprentice leaves their master's tutelage in the future, these witnessing masters can expose them, making it impossible for such an apprentice to have a footing in the TCM world.
Similarly, if the master doesn't teach properly and the disciple practices medicine without knowing what they're doing, those who see this won't laugh at the apprentice's lack of skill but instead mock the master’s poor medical skills.
This is also why it takes over a decade of study before a master will allow their disciple to graduate. Moreover, these elderly masters highly value the graduation of their disciples, sometimes even more so than when they first accepted them as students. This is because once a disciple graduates and starts practicing medicine on their own, they represent the face of their lineage or school.
This also explains why some master physicians only take on gifted and diligent disciples; otherwise, they would rather not have any disciples at all than accept one with poor moral character and mediocre talent. This is because accepting such a disciple would tarnish not just the reputation of the disciple but also that of their master and lineage.
Seeing that Xiao Yu had not spoken up, Old Yue realized he had agreed to his arrangements. He then took out several gilt-edged invitations from his bag and started writing on them with a brush pen he retrieved from Xiao Yu's desk.
In no time, Old Yue had written four invitations. At the signature spot, he wrote down his own name and handed the brush over to Xiao Yu for him to sign as well. Normally these tasks should have been handled by Xiao Yu himself, but considering that he had only recently started practicing medicine, his network in the medical community was far less extensive than Old Yue's.
After waiting for the ink on the invitations to dry slightly, Old Yue folded them up.
"Erxi, go deliver these invitations for me. Here’s some money for a cab."
Xiao Yu handed over the invitations to Liu Erxi behind him and then pulled out 300 yuan from his bag.
"Yes, Doctor Xiao!" Liu Erxi nodded in response.
As he left Wan Sheng Hall with the invitations, Liu Erxi found it strange that someone as old as Xiao Hongyang would take a person in their twenties as a disciple. However, since he didn’t understand the customs involved, he kept quiet and only observed.
An hour later, Liu Erxi returned saying, "Doctor Xiao, Old Yue, I've delivered them all; they said for sure they will come."
"Mm."
Old Yue nodded. He had anticipated this outcome since these were traditional matters and no one would likely refuse.
In a flash it was already 4:30 pm, with the invitation stating that guests should arrive at 5 pm. So they started preparing after 4 pm.
"Old Yue, congratulations! Having your son take on a master is such a joyous occasion!"
Just as Xiao Yu and his group finished getting ready, an elderly man's voice was heard outside the door.
"Haha… Old Liu has arrived. Come in, sit down quickly!" Seeing who it was, Old Yue laughed and invited him over.
Xiao Yu turned to see a seventy-something-year-old man followed by a fiftyish gentleman standing at the entrance.
This old man, Xiao Yu recognized him as the famous doctor Liu Bingru whom he had met during his previous consultation with Cao Er. As for the middle-aged man standing behind the old man, Xiao Yu did not know who he was.
"Nephew Liunkang greets Uncle Y嶽老!
“Liunkang has also come!” Old Ye said to him with a smile on his face.
“Mr. Liu, Brother Liu! We really trouble you two to make this trip!”
Xiao Hongyang walked over and greeted the two men.
"No trouble at all; this is a big matter for you!" Old Liu waved his hand and replied.
“Mr. Liu, welcome!” Xiao Yu said with a slight bow.
“Brother Xiao, no need to be so formal! I congratulate Brother Xiao on finding such an excellent disciple!
Seeing Xiao Yu, Old Liu quickly stood up from his seat and greeted him. Regardless of whether Xiao Yu was young or not, he now represented a lineage, and upon arriving, he had noticed the signboard hanging at the entrance.
The Wan Sheng Hall of the Xiao family; when Old Liu was younger, he often heard about it from elders in his family. Even those elders lamented the loss of heritage due to the closure of the hall back then. Little did they know that years later, not only would a branch of the Ye family emerge, but even the main line descendant like Xiao Yu would appear.
“Mr. Liu, please take your seat; Brother Liu, please sit down as well!” said Xiao Yu to them both.
The middle-aged man was Old Liu’s son, Liu Liunkang, who could be considered the leading figure of the next generation in his family and also their future patriarch. Therefore, any activity by Old Liu now would include bringing along young Liu, thereby expanding his network.
“Haha, Doctor Xiao is being too polite!”
After Liu Liunkang said this, he helped his father take a seat. Then he turned and looked at Xiao Yu; inside their family, they had heard about the Xiao clan’s matters and even from his father that Xiao Yu was very young.
Xiao Hongyang they all knew, aware of his good medical skills and certain fame even within Beijing. But Xiao Yu was surprisingly young, which made them feel amazed.
Thus, in their minds, they believed that Xiao Yu's medical skill must be lacking; it didn't matter if he had started learning medicine at a young age—didn’t they all start early too
In their mindset, there was no fault in Xiao Hongyang seeking out a master, as his skills were inherited from family. However, since Xiao Hongyang was only in his forties and hadn't reached the golden age of a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, he should have sought after a renowned expert or an esteemed physician instead. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth拜師since once you became a disciple, there would no longer be a second chance to choose another master.at the person lying on the ground screaming and gestured with his hand to two younger men behind him.When he spoke, there was not a trace of pity on the middle-aged Japanese man's face; only coldness...