Dr. Guo, with a look of confusion, reached out and took the "Yi Fang Lun" handed to him by Chen Lan. He casually glanced at the title and then eagerly began to flip through it, commenting as he read. At one moment he'd praise a formula for its ingenuity and boldness, and at another he'd remark on the perfect reasonableness of a certain combination of ingredients.
Chen Lan waited patiently by his side. It wasn't until Guo Rou came in to pour them both a cup of linden flower tea that Dr. Guo finally lifted his gaze from the book. He stroked his goatee and said sheepishly, "Little Lan, please don't be offended! A doctor can't help but get carried away when they see a good medical text."
Chen Lan seized the opportunity, smiling broadly. "Dr. Guo, if you like this medical book, I'll give it to you. It's no use to me anyway, as I can't understand it. If you like it, it's perfect for you. As they say, a good sword belongs to a hero!"
Dr. Guo didn't stand on ceremony. He stroked his goatee and chuckled, "Excellent! I really like this gift you've given me. I won't be polite then; I'll accept it."
After chatting with Dr. Guo for a while longer, Chen Lan took the chance to discuss the specific schedule for the apprenticeship ceremony with him. Dr. Guo, from somewhere, produced an old almanac and carefully flipped through it. He finally selected the most auspicious date in the near future, the day after tomorrow. Dr. Guo asked Chen Lan if that day would work, and Chen Lan, not understanding such matters, nodded in agreement. Thus, they settled on holding the apprenticeship ceremony the day after tomorrow.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the formal apprenticeship. Chen Lan woke up early. Since it was the day of the ceremony, no one went to the main kitchen for breakfast. Chen Lan prepared a simple meal at home: spicy soup with buns of various fillings. It was unavoidable, as there were too many children in the family, and everyone had different tastes.
After breakfast, Chen Lan carefully checked if the children's clothes were properly fastened. Then, she had the three children who were to be apprenticed today—Jia Yao and her two younger brothers—each carry a gift for their master. She then left with her mother and the three children.
On the way to the medical clinic, they encountered Old Qi and his son Qi Yujie waiting by the roadside. The two younger brothers and Jia Yao exchanged greetings with the father and son. Chen Lan and her mother also greeted Old Qi and his son, handed over the apprenticeship gifts for Dr. Guo to Qi Yujie, and said, "Let's hurry!"
The group, a considerable procession, soon arrived at Dr. Guo's home. Chen Lan's mother and Old Qi exchanged pleasantries with Dr. Guo, and the apprenticeship ceremony officially began.
The apprenticeship process was actually not as complicated as imagined; it was quite simple!
First, all the disciples faced east and performed the ritual of three bows. Guo Rou loudly recited: the first bow to the Ancestral Master, "By the grace of the former master's blessings"; the second bow, "To the Way of the ancient sages, whose merits span ages"; and the third bow, "To the investigation of things and the cultivation of self and governance."
After the ritual, it was time for the disciples to formally pay their respects. The disciples successively presented their congratulatory letters to Dr. Guo, who sat in the main seat of honor.
At this point, Guo Rou quickly stepped forward to receive the disciples' letters for her master, one by one. As Dr. Guo was old, Guo Rou acted as his proxy for receiving the apprenticeship letters.
Dr. Guo sat in the grand armchair in the center. Chen Lan's mother and Old Qi sat on either side of him. Now it was time for the disciples to formally perform the apprenticeship rites.
The first step was for the three disciples to kneel before their master, kowtow, serve tea, and address him as "Master." This was followed by the tea-serving ceremony, symbolizing remembering the source of blessings and passing down knowledge, cherishing the master's teachings, and inheriting the medical arts.
The second step was the kowtow to express gratitude and present the six gifts to the master.
The third step was the kowtow to perform the inheritance ritual.
Guo Rou was responsible for reading out the disciples' letters. After reading each letter, she would hand one to Dr. Guo. The apprenticeship letters were written by the children themselves. Chen Lan hadn't intervened, and was surprised to find they were all written quite elegantly! Su Dan Novel Network.
Dr. Guo accepted the three disciples' apprenticeship letters one by one from Guo Rou, listening as Guo Rou read them aloud. The general content was that a certain disciple was willing to be accepted under Dr. Guo's tutelage, with the sentiment that "one day as a master means a lifetime as a father."
Following this, Dr. Guo offered words of encouragement and guidance to the disciples, urging them to love traditional Chinese medicine, learn to be good people before learning to do things, and to study medicine diligently.
He then presented each of the three disciples with a return gift. After the disciples received their master's return gifts by kneeling, the apprenticeship ceremony was concluded.
With the apprenticeship finished, Chen Lan, her mother, and Old Qi all had other matters to attend to. They exchanged a few pleasantries with Dr. Guo and his daughter and prepared to take their leave. Dr. Guo and his daughter, knowing that it was the busy spring planting season and everyone was occupied, did not press them to stay. They only asked the three disciples to remain.
So, the three disciples stayed to learn medicine from Dr. Guo, while Chen Lan, with her mother and Old Qi, took the return gifts from Dr. Guo and headed home.
On the way home, Chen Lan curiously opened the return gift wrapped in brown paper. It contained a pair of bamboo chopsticks and a medical book. She asked in confusion, "Mother, I understand giving a medical book to a disciple means encouraging them to study more. But why give a pair of bamboo chopsticks? Is there some special meaning to this?"
Old Qi, looking at the pair of bamboo chopsticks, was also very curious and looked expectantly at Chen Lan's mother, wanting to know the special meaning behind them.
Chen Lan's mother smiled and replied, "Of course, there's meaning! When a master gives a disciple bamboo chopsticks, it's to encourage them to have noble character like a gentleman, and to be as humble and cautious as the character Xu Zhu. Giving a medical book is to hope that disciples will diligently study medicine in the future, acquire more knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, and heal the sick and save people."
Upon hearing her mother's explanation, Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh, "Life is truly full of philosophy at every turn! The wisdom of our ancestors is truly not to be underestimated!"
Her mother chuckled upon hearing Chen Lan's感慨, and replied, "Indeed. As the old sage said, 'Among three people walking, one must be my teacher.' It means teachers can be found everywhere, and we should be adept at learning from others, complementing each other's strengths."
Chen Lan cupped her hands in front of her and said playfully to her mother, "What the teacher says is reasonable, and the student has learned much."
Her playful actions and tone immediately made her mother and Old Qi burst into laughter. Her mother reached out and gently patted Chen Lan's arm, smiling, "What kind of behavior is this, child? You're already a mother of seven, yet you're still like when you were little, always being mischievous and making your mother happy."
The three of them walked home, chatting and laughing all the way.