A doctor who travels through two eras

Director Sheng replied with a smile:

"Tao Yuanming wrote a poem, 'Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountain.' The Southern Mountain refers to the Zhongnan Mountain right in front of us."

The culture of hermits has a long history in my country. In ancient times, Zhongnan Mountain was a retreat for scholars and intellectuals who could move between officialdom and the countryside, and who believed in "cultivating their own virtue when poor and benefiting the world when successful".

Although we live in a new society today, Zhongnan Mountain remains one of the few places in China, and even the world, where hermits still live in seclusion.

Lin Sanqi was even more surprised:
"Are there really hermits? Or is this just a hoax? What do these hermits do? Do they really live in the mountains to cultivate immortality? Or is there some kind of spiritual energy resurgence that I don't know about?"

What Lin Sanqi was really thinking was that since he had even experienced dual transmigration, perhaps modern cultivation really did exist.

That would be interesting; a perfectly good urban novel would turn into a fantasy novel.

As Director Sheng guided Lin Sanqi toward the farm, he patiently explained:
"We now collectively refer to this group of people as hermits. Among them are monks, nuns, Taoists, and lay Buddhists who came for their faith, as well as ordinary people who came to pursue a quiet and simple life."

There were elderly people and young people who had just graduated from school; men and women, young and old alike.

According to our preliminary investigation, there are even some foreigners from countries such as Japan and South Korea among them. We estimate that there are about four to five hundred hermits who live in the Zhongnan Mountains long-term.

As for why they came here, and what kind of hermit life they lead, and how the ancient hermit culture continues here, the reasons are varied.

For example, in ancient times there was a type of hermit known as a political hermit, who actually wanted to attract the attention of the powerful and wealthy through this method. For instance, the famous Four Sages of Shangshan in the Han Dynasty, four old men invited by Empress Lü to assist the crown prince, lived in seclusion there.

However, in today's new society, political hermits no longer exist; instead, the majority are hermits who believe in Buddhism or Taoism.

Another group consists of hermits who live a secluded life. They retreat to Zhongnan Mountain out of personal spiritual pursuits or to abandon their original way of life, voluntarily seeking a peaceful and simple existence.

Some chose to live in seclusion because of heartbreak, some because of financial hardship, and some because of a deep reflection on their previous lives.

Of course, among them were also some of our former opponents, who were so terrified they hid in the mountains, hoping to escape the judgment of the people and history by claiming to be hermits.

After Director Sheng finished speaking, the people around him chuckled.

"But no matter what, living in seclusion means completely giving up material enjoyment, and it also means facing loneliness and solitude for a lifetime, which is not something that ordinary people can bear."

Lin Sanqi sighed, thinking about the storm to come. If he could go into seclusion beforehand, it might not be a bad way out.

Hmm, maybe it's not such a bad thing that my senior brother, whom I've never met, is hiding away in this Blue Sky Farm, isolated from the world.

Thinking of this, Lin Sanqi suddenly shook his head with a wry smile: Hiding in the farm might not be useful, they can be found out at any time.

The bosses' bosses all arrived, and Wan Yongnian, the farm's manager, ran all the way to greet them.

"Welcome, welcome, leaders, to visit our Lantian Farm."

After Dean He introduced everyone, Lin Sanqi shook hands with Director Wan.

Director Yu asked curiously, "Comrade Wan Yongnian, why don't we see your farm's workers lining up to welcome you?"

Wan Yongnian awkwardly rubbed his hands and said:
"Well, it's like this: our employees go up the mountain to work at 7 a.m., and it takes them more than an hour to come down. So I didn't intend to make things difficult for them. If the leaders have any questions, I'll answer them."

Director Yu was displeased upon hearing this:

“Comrade Wan Yongnian, your thinking is wrong. Minister Lin from the capital and Director Sheng from the provincial department have both come. They have come with the care and important instructions from higher authorities. How can you be so dismissive? You…”

Lin Sanqi, however, looked at Wan Yongnian with newfound respect and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

These days, it's rare to see leaders who stick to principles and don't make things difficult for their employees; they're truly admirable.

If Lantian Farm had a welcoming procession with colorful flags fluttering, red flags waving, and drums beating, then Lin Sanqi would have despised such sycophantic leaders.

"Director Yu, it's nothing. I came here mainly to find my senior brother, and secondly for official business. I'm here to inspect the farm. At least from an environmental perspective, Lantian Farm perfectly meets my requirements, haha."

Director Yu was a shrewd man; seeing that Lin Sanqi spoke sincerely, he didn't pursue the matter further.
"Yes, yes, yes, the leaders from the capital have such a grand vision, far beyond what we local cadres can compare to, haha. Minister Lin, shall we tour the farm first?"

Lin Sanqi nodded: "Alright, I'll go with the flow. By the way, where's my senior brother?" Director Yu then looked at Director Wan and said: "Didn't we inform you in advance yesterday to have Wei Yuanbo wait? Where is he?"

Manager Wan was embarrassed again and looked at Lin Sanqi with a sense of shame:
"Minister Lin, I'm very sorry, but Comrade Wei Yuanbo said that he is currently in a special situation and does not want to implicate his junior brother, Wuliang. Therefore, he cannot receive you."

"Just by telling you that I hope you will take good care of your master and see him to his end, he will be extremely grateful to you."

Lin Sanqi was secretly surprised, followed by endless emotion.

Even though he knew that his junior brother was a high-ranking official from the capital who could likely help him escape his current predicament, Wei Yuanbo not only didn't try to curry favor with him, but also refused to meet him for the sake of his junior brother's political future.

He truly possessed the integrity and lofty character of a traditional physician.

Such a person is worthy to be my senior brother, Master Xiao's eldest disciple.

Director Sheng was quite moved by what he heard, and at the same time, he wanted to curry favor with Lin Sanqi, so he instructed Director Wan:
"It's alright. Go and call Comrade Wei Yuanbo over. His historical problems are his father's fault. He himself has done nothing wrong and has never shed the blood of the people. We still need to treat the sick and save the patient."

When the owner of the farm heard his superior say this, he naturally had no objections:
“Then I’ll go look for him. He should be on that hilltop. He’s growing astragalus in the field. His job today is weeding.”

Lin Sanqi waved his hand:

“I’ll go over there. I also need to inspect the farm to see if the Chinese medicinal herbs you grow meet our requirements.”

Everyone present was highly emotionally intelligent and knew that this was a sign of deep brotherhood between the two, so they all smiled and agreed.

Manager Wan also smiled ingratiatingly:
"Those leaders, please come this way. Our Lantian Farm is under the dual leadership of Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Health Department. It covers an area of ​​5 square kilometers. However, as you can see, our area is mainly mountainous."

Currently, we cultivate more than 50 varieties of Chinese medicinal herbs, among which Lantian Nanshan Gastrodia elata is our flagship product. Other precious Chinese medicinal herbs include Polyporus umbellatus, Scutellaria baicalensis, Atractylodes lancea, Forsythia suspensa, and Polygonatum sibiricum.

"Our Lantian Farm now has a total of 320 employees..."

Lin Sanqi suddenly interrupted and asked:
"Where did these employees come from?"

Director Wan had nothing to hide, so naturally he didn't conceal anything:

"The farm's employees are actually those laid off from the provincial health system. This is a solution that our leaders came up with out of compassion."

Because if all these employees were to return to their hometowns to become farmers, it would cut off their livelihoods.

This is similar to a farm project launched by the Capital Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine a few years ago, which involved placing laid-off employees on farms to support themselves.

This way, we can both provide employment and generate revenue, which can then benefit the company, so we followed suit.

Lin Sanqi burst into laughter upon hearing this.

I never imagined that a project I casually came up with back then would actually be promoted nationwide. It felt like a boomerang had hit me hard.

"Haha, Director Wan, the Capital Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine farm plan you mentioned was actually spearheaded by me. Back then, I was the vice president of the hospital. Because I couldn't bear to see the staff return to their hometowns, I created the Changping Farm."

Director Sheng was delighted upon hearing this:

"So the original author was Minister Lin? Haha, I also saw this advanced experience in the newspaper, so I persuaded my superiors and strongly promoted this farm plan."

We have now established 18 staff farms across the province, with varying sizes, just enough to accommodate the staff of both systems.

The medicinal herbs grown can be sold to buy grain, allowing the farm to be self-sufficient. It's a pity that sales of medicinal herbs are currently poor, so Minister Lin's arrival is truly a timely help.

Lin Sanqi lowered his voice and asked:
"Did you agree with the agricultural system yesterday?"

Director Sheng chuckled:
"It's settled. When the Agriculture Department heard that our Health Department was going to take over all 18 farms, they were overjoyed that they could get rid of a huge burden, so of course they agreed. But once they start producing produce, they'll probably devour me alive."

Hahaha~~~ (End of Chapter)