A doctor who travels through two eras

Wei Yuanbo was bending down in the field, pulling weeds with his hands.

Using tools to remove weeds would be faster and save a lot of energy, but Wei Yuanbo prefers manual weeding because it avoids damaging the roots of the Chinese medicinal herbs.

This renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Xi'an, whose hands should have been used for pulse diagnosis, now had hands that were black, dry, and covered with calluses.

At this moment, Wei Yuanbo heard many footsteps beside him, but he did not look up and continued to pull weeds at his own pace.

It seemed that he only had Huang Qi in front of him in his eyes and didn't care about anything else.

He only slowly raised his head when he heard Director Wan calling him.

"Doctor Wei, Doctor Wei, look who's here!"

Wei Yuanbo looked up at the crowd in front of him and naturally recognized them as high-ranking leaders in the health system and direct superiors of the hospital.

However, a young man in a white shirt and carrying a large black bag stood out in the crowd, as everyone seemed to be standing around him.

Wei Yuanbo immediately realized who this young man was; it must be the one who had introduced himself as his junior brother earlier.

Wei Yuanbo did not immediately go up to acknowledge his relatives; at this moment, he had doubts in his heart.

He hadn't seen his master for many years and had no way to communicate with him, so he didn't know how his master was doing. Naturally, he didn't want a junior brother to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

What if this junior brother is a fake?

You should know that his master, Xiao Youlong, was one of the four most famous doctors in Beiping. In his view, reputation was above all else, and he could not tolerate anyone impersonating his master.

This situation became very common in later generations. A famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor would attract a lot of attention, and then a large group of apprentices would emerge to piggyback on that attention and swindle money. But this was also quite common during the Republic of China period.

Wei Yuanbo stood there motionless, while Lin Sanqi was filled with mixed emotions.

This was also the first time he had met this senior brother, and he never expected it to be in this kind of setting.

But at the same time, he was also relieved, because although his senior brother Wei Yuanbo was doing farm work and his clothes were old, they were all clean, and even his hair was carefully combed.

Aside from his dirty hands and shoes with his toes sticking out, covered in mud, there was nothing he could do; it was impossible to do farm work without getting dirty.

Overall, Senior Brother Wei Yuanbo still maintained a shred of dignity befitting an intellectual and did not give up on himself.

Lin Sanqi had seen this when he went to the countryside to gather those doctors who had studied abroad. Clearly, these were the last group of truly principled intellectuals whose backbones had not yet been broken.

Ignoring the mud on Wei Yuanbo's hands, Lin Sanqi stepped forward and tightly grasped both of his hands:
"Brother Wei, hello, hello. My name is Lin Sanqi. I have many positions, including the director of the Capital Infectious Disease Hospital within the health system."

Wei Yuanbo was puzzled again. This self-proclaimed junior brother had become the dean of the capital, so it seemed impossible that he was a fraud. Otherwise, what would he be after?

He remembered that Lin Sanqi, the director of the Capital Infectious Disease Hospital, was the inventor of tuberculosis treatment and was a Western doctor. How come he became a disciple of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor?

"Dean Lin, hello. You and my master are..."

Lin Sanqi immediately knew that intellectuals had a habit of being inherently suspicious, so he quickly let go of her hand and took out a photo album from his backpack:

“Brother Wei, I did kowtow to Master Xiao Longyou and serve him water, but that was in 59. Look, this is a photo from when I became his disciple, it’s all evidence.”

Wei Yuanbo took the photo and looked at it, then his question marks widened even further:

“Oh, this is Master Shi, this is Master Shi Jinmo, this is Master Han Bangxu, and this is Master Lu Yuanlei, and this…”

Lin Sanqi smiled and said:
“Brother Wei, stop counting. There are twelve masters of traditional Chinese medicine here. In 59, my wife and I, the little girl in the photo, became disciples of twelve masters.”

Wei Yuanbo was stunned: "Huh? Twelve people becoming disciples at the same time? This, how is this possible? This is not in accordance with the rules."

Lin Sanqi put away the photos and casually said:

"The main reason is that I have some influence in the capital. It just so happens that these twelve elderly people are in dire straits due to special circumstances, and they are also afraid that their lineage will be lost and that their medical books will not be preserved."

So, with the consent of several masters, my partner and I both became their disciples. This way, we could take care of them and also safeguard their ancient medical books and secret recipes—a win-win situation for both of us.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuanbo's eyes immediately reddened: "How is Master? Is he still alive? It is my fault as a useless student that I cannot help Master and have caused him to suffer."

At this time, the bond between master and disciple was comparable to that between father and son, especially the son disciple, who was absolutely treated like his own father.

Decades later, all that talk of master and apprenticeship vanished when money was involved, and they turned on each other in the media, losing all decorum.

Lin Sanqi patted his down-on-his-luck senior brother on the shoulder and comforted him:
"Don't worry, my master is doing well now. I've brought him to Bao'an County to live in seclusion. Although I'm not very good at medicine and have failed his expectations, I will definitely take good care of him in his later years and be responsible for his care until his death."

Wei Yuanbo finally believed that this young man was his junior brother, so he smiled wryly:

“Actually, I have been thinking about my master all these years. My parents have passed away, and now my master is my only family.”

However, starting in 59, my movements were also restricted, and I could not sit in the clinic. My income was only a little over 20 yuan a month.

With this little money, let alone supporting my master, I can barely support my wife and children.

Over the years, I've written to my master, but I've never heard from him. I even suspect he's no longer alive.

Lin Sanqi looked around the farm and asked:
"Senior Brother Wei, who is still in your family?"

Wei Yuanbo smiled faintly:
“My wife and three children are all around me. My eldest son is already married and has children. My second and third sons have been implicated by me and have never gotten married. They do odd jobs on the farm.”

Lin Sanqi said with a relaxed expression:

"Senior Brother Wei, I'm already here, won't you invite me to your home for a visit?"

"This……"

Wei Yuanbo hesitated for a moment, but Director Wan encouraged him:

"Dr. Wei, it's alright. Minister Lin is a superior, so he's politically reliable. Besides, you two are fellow students, so it's only right that you get to know each other better. In that case, we won't get involved. Why don't you take Minister Lin to get acquainted with the place?"

"Alright, Junior Brother Lin, please come to my house for a visit, hehe."

The two chatted about the past as they walked home.

Lin Sanqi also wanted to see what the situation was like for these special groups in this era.
He is now in a very high position, busy with smuggling and dealing with various high-ranking and foreign figures. He has long since become detached from the masses and forgotten their suffering.

The other timeline he traveled to, Huadu City, had already reached the level of a developed country, so it could not be considered a hardship at all.

To put it simply, he didn't suffer when he first transmigrated in 59, so he has no idea what it's like for poor people now.

After coming down from the mountain, Wei Yuanbo led Lin Sanqi to a residential area.

The residential area was clearly divided into two parts. One part consisted of low thatched houses with walls plastered with yellow mud. If a big Shandong man came in, he would have to bend over to enter.

The other part consists of blue bricks and black tiles; the conditions aren't great, but at least they resemble traditional dwellings.

The comparison of conditions is very clear.

Lin Sanqi sensed something was amiss and asked, "Senior Brother Wei, you live in this dilapidated thatched hut? And those are the cadres' houses over there?"

Wei Yuanbo glanced at her, smiled, and clearly didn't want to say anything more, but instead warmly invited Lin Sanqi into the house.

After entering the house, it took Lin Sanqi a while to adjust to the darkness. Once she could see clearly, she found that the house could only be described as extremely poor.

Even the tables and chairs were clearly handmade and very rough.

As for household appliances, there wasn't a single one. There was even a hole cut out of the wall with a kerosene lamp inside.

Is this like going back to ancient times? Are we on the same level as the hermits in Zhongnan Mountain?
Wei Yuanbo took a ceramic jar, poured Lin Sanqi a cup of water, and then said with a smile:
"The conditions here are a bit harsh. All the furniture was made by ourselves. Even this jar was made by a few of us old friends. Isn't it very antique? It's just like the hermits on Zhongnan Mountain."

Lin Sanqi sighed inwardly, but his face remained nonchalant:
"Senior Brother Wei, your place has beautiful mountains and rivers, a truly ideal place for cultivation. I've come here to inspect the farm and am considering collaborating with Shaanxi Province to start cultivating Chinese medicinal herbs. What do you think?" (End of Chapter)