Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1932 In-person instruction on the art of calculating rods
The Yunmo Peak Scenic Area was much better developed than Bian Mu had imagined, with all the facilities he needed. The two chatted and laughed as they climbed up the mountain path.

"You seem to be walking on flat ground, how come?! Do you exercise every day?" Teacher Xiao An said with a smile.

"No, not really. However, I get up on time every morning and almost never stay up late. My schedule is relatively regular. Compared to most people, I know a bit about breathing techniques and practice some common breathing exercises morning and evening. The mountain path has been deliberately made gentle. At my age, if I were out of breath, how could I treat patients?" Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"Sigh! It's so much better for you doctors, at least your schedules are more flexible. Unlike us, who are supposed to have two holidays a year, most of our time is actually spent on professional training and teaching research. Before, I could run with the students in the morning, but I just couldn't keep it up. I had no choice, my sleep schedule was all messed up. Not to mention, if I don't finish grading the homework on time, I can't fully monitor the students' learning progress, and then I'll be teaching without any direction!" Teacher Xiao An laughed as she recounted the hardships of being a teacher for a long time.

"Hehe... Actually... we can try to change our thinking about some things. For example, go to bed earlier at night. At our age, five or so hours of high-quality sleep a day is enough. There's no need to insist on sleeping eight hours, which isn't very scientific. For example, if you go to bed at 10:30 pm sharp, you'll be well-rested by around 4 am. Then you can get up and grade homework with plenty of energy and higher efficiency. If you can cook, you can also make some simple breakfasts. You can take care of both, ensure your health, and not delay your teaching progress. Why not?" Bian Mu explained with a smile as she walked up the mountain.

"Oh! That's true! It's already getting light around four in the morning, and it's almost fully light after five. Okay! I'll give it a try later, so I won't be so busy all the time, and the teaching results won't seem to improve." Teacher Xiao An said with a smile.

The two got along quite well during their conversation, and Teacher Xiao An had an even better impression of Bian Mu.

When they were almost halfway up the mountain, Ms. Xiao An was too tired to walk any further, so the two of them found a seat in front of a nearby convenience store.

Since it's customary to buy something from someone else when sitting in their place, otherwise it can be a bit awkward. So, Bian Mu went to the convenience store and bought Teacher Xiao An a walking stick, the kind made of good wood. Cheap ones have no elasticity and are bad for your health.

In addition, Bian Mu also ordered a pot of hot tea, as drinking hot tea halfway up the mountain has special health benefits.

The two ate, drank, and chatted, while tourists occasionally stopped to rest nearby, creating a lively and pleasant atmosphere.

"Besides teaching, do you usually dabble in things like divination?" Bian Mu asked with a smile.

"I don't have that kind of free time! I have to figure out how to teach the graduating class, otherwise, it will be hard for me to maintain my standing among my colleagues," Teacher Xiao An replied with a smile.

"Then... what about counting rods?" Bian Mu continued to ask.

"That thing! I'm quite interested, but... I don't have enough information on it, I've never actually dealt with it before. What? You know how to use it?"

"I know a little bit." As he spoke, Bian Mu took out a wooden box from his backpack. Inside was a miniature set of wooden counting rods made of chicken wing wood, which felt nice to the touch.

"Wow! These are the legendary counting rods?! The traditional calculator from ancient mathematical legends?! What advantages do they have compared to the abacus?" Teacher Xiao An was filled with curiosity as she fiddled with a few counting rods.

"The abacus can't compare to this thing. In addition to ordinary addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, it can also set up equations, solve equations, construct functions and solve functions. Especially in calculus, this thing is much more convenient."

"No way?! That's amazing?! I never heard my teachers mention it when I was in school!"

"It might be related to memory. To manipulate these counting rods, you need a pretty good memory. Otherwise, you'd use enough draft paper to fill a cart. Come on! Let me demonstrate." As she spoke, Bian Mu earnestly explained for a long time about the approximate height of the highest mountain in the distance, relative height, altitude, and other such topics.

"It sounds really profound, I never would have guessed! You're a medical student and you're so good at math, I'm almost embarrassed to tell people that I graduated from the math department!" With laughter and chatter, Bian Mu explained the simplest rules of counting rods, such as the operation rules, procedures, formulas, and free recombination, for a long time.

Teacher Xiao An was very interested and studied very diligently.

“Another advantage of counting rods is that they can be used for logical calculations, the kind that can be done in advance, not afterward. Since you have a background in this field, you naturally understand this better than I do,” Bian Mu explained with a smile.

"Really? Could you give an example?"

“Yes! Look, that uncle coming down the mountain in the distance is the one wearing a white T-shirt with the Great Wall pattern on the front.”

"I saw him. What happened to him?"

"How about we use counting rods to calculate the probability that the old man will stop here to rest?" Bian Mu suggested with a smile.

"Great! Great! It would be best to also calculate how many children the old man has, hahaha..." Teacher Xiao An joked with a smile.

"Don't laugh, really. If he really does stop here for a rest, I can actually figure out how many children he has," Bian Mu replied with a smile.

“Great! If the calculation is accurate enough, I’m willing to offer 1000 yuan as a reward!” Teacher Xiao An said with a smile.

"Okay! It's a deal!" After saying that, Bian Mu took out a pair of binoculars from his backpack. They were for sightseeing and were quite useful.

After observing through the binoculars for a long time, Bian Mu began to abstract the various information he saw. He then replaced some relatively fixed factors with mathematical symbols and counting rod symbols, and then used the simplified version of the counting rods to calculate for a long time.

……

"The results are in. The old man's family has a total of 11 members, I mean direct relatives. Moreover, the old man has been married twice, with two sons and one daughter. As for who is older or younger, let's leave that aside for today. This is a simplified version, which is a bit difficult to calculate. We'll get a different set of tools and recalculate it another day." As he spoke, Bian Mu wrote down the calculation process on a piece of paper and handed it to Teacher Xiao An.

Ms. Xiao An read through the book very carefully and attentively. She graduated from the mathematics department of a reputable normal university, so she has at least some mathematical knowledge. Counting rods are only relatively easy for her. As long as the rules are explained in detail, she can digest them relatively easily.

Gradually, Teacher Xiao An became very engrossed in watching.

……

The old man and his family finally arrived in front of Bian Mu and his companion. Teacher Xiao An carefully watched the family to see if they would stop by the convenience store. As it turned out, the old man and his family not only stopped for a bite in front of the convenience store, but also ordered two pots of good tea. They chatted and laughed, and the family seemed very harmonious.

Teacher Xiao An was very curious, so she went up to explain the situation and inquired. It turned out that Bian Mu's prediction was almost exactly the same, which surprised Teacher Xiao An.