Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1347 Persuading Master to Go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
After dinner, Fang Yan had some time, so he took the chickens and delivered them to Director Liao, the former dean, and the new dean. Neither the former dean nor Director Liao were home, so the chickens were delivered to their families.

When Fang Yan delivered the message to the new dean, Cui Jingyi, who was at home, she was somewhat surprised.

They probably thought it was someone with a dialect who needed her help.

After Fang Yan explained the situation to her, she finally understood.

I was just delivering chickens; I didn't have any other intentions.

After delivering the goods, Fang Yan drove to his master Lu Donghua's house.

Xiyuan Hospital is quite far away; it was already dark when Fang Yan arrived.

Master has finished dinner and is listening to the radio alone in his study at home.

I was a little surprised when I opened the door after hearing the knocking in dialect.

"Why did you come here?" the old man asked Fang Yan with a smile.

"I've brought you two chickens. Your little apprentice, Hu Daohu, raised them at the factory using medicinal herb residue. I'm bringing them over to help you recover," Fang Yan said to his master as he carried the chickens into the house.

Fang Yan followed his master into the house. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he felt the quietness of the room. Unlike his own home, where the aroma of food wafted after a meal and the air was filled with conversation, his master's room was so quiet that he could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, and even the air felt a few degrees cooler than outside.

He glanced instinctively toward the kitchen. Through the half-open door, he could see that the stove was clean, and the pot contained porridge that had probably been cooked that afternoon. It was no longer hot, and the enamel bowl next to it still had some porridge residue on it, indicating that it hadn't been washed yet.

"You're just making do with dinner by yourself?" Fang Yan put down the net bag containing the chicken, his fingers touching the kitchen door frame. The cold wood made his heart sink. The study was lit, and a story was playing on the radio, but the volume was low, making the room seem even more spacious. On the desk was an empty enamel mug, next to which was a half-eaten dish of pickled vegetables, clearly a side dish for the old man's dinner.

Lu Donghua followed his gaze to the kitchen and waved his hand, "Why bother with this? I just had a bowl of millet porridge with some pickled vegetables for dinner. I'm getting old, and eating too much will make me indigestion."

Fang Yan didn't reply. He turned around, went to the living room, grabbed a chair, and sat down next to his master's rattan chair. He then got up and closed the study window. The night breeze seeped in through the cracks, carrying the chill of early autumn, making his arms feel tight.

"Oh dear, you didn't close the window properly. It's windy at night, you'll catch a cold." As he spoke, he touched the enamel mug next to his master's hand, and sure enough, it was cold. "You never drink hot water. You always say 'warming and nourishing the spleen and stomach,' but how come you forget that when it comes to yourself?"

Lu Donghua paused for a moment, glanced down at the water tank, and laughed, "Hey, I was so engrossed in listening to the radio that I forgot to pour in the hot water."

"Is Wangyou not here?" Fang Yan asked his master.

Lu Donghua waved his hand and said:

"Oh, she's not at home. She's in elementary school now, and her mother has taken her to live with her. Come to think of it, she's actually closer to your place."

Judging from the dialect, the old man was alone at home.

He thought for a moment and said to his master:

“Master, look at your room. It’s fine when you’re at work during the day, but when you come back at night, you’re all alone. You even have to pour yourself a cup of hot water. Why don’t you just move to my place?”

Lu Donghua shook his head:

"No, no, I have to work at the hospital every day."

"It takes me an hour to get to your place every day."

He said in dialect:

“Then you can work at Peking Union Medical College Hospital instead of here. You can work there too. Besides, we are in greater need of doctors there. Xiyuan Hospital has no shortage of you.”

Lu Donghua waved his hand again:
"Hey, I'm a perfectly happy old man living alone. I'd never bother you."

"I can take care of myself now, you don't need to worry about me."

Fang Yan said to him:
“Master, it’s not that you can’t take care of yourself, it’s just that we’re really worried about you being home alone. Think about it, if you trip and fall while getting up at night, or suddenly feel unwell, there’s no one around to bring you water or medicine. If something really happens, we disciples will regret it for the rest of our lives. Here, you either cook some porridge for dinner or just eat some pickled vegetables. But at my place, every meal has vegetables and soup, and I can even make your favorite steamed fish and stewed tofu. It’s much better than being alone at home. Besides, if you want water at night, you can just call out and someone will bring it to you. There’s also someone to help you get up at night. Isn’t that much more reassuring than being here all alone?”

Lu Donghua's eyes widened upon hearing this:

"You better watch out for me, kid! Don't let my age fool you, I'm still in great shape."

Fang Yan said with a smile:

"Haha, that's right. But if you come to stay at my place, it won't be because you're idle. The Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital is indeed short of experienced senior doctors right now. If you go there, you can not only see patients, but also work with me to figure out prescriptions. In a few days, the overseas Chinese businessmen will be coming back for the National Day holiday, and we will be short-staffed at that time. If you go there, you can help me out. Besides, they are all rare diseases. We can get together after get off work every day to study them. Isn't that more interesting than you listening to the radio alone at home?"

Lu Donghua didn't speak, which meant he had clearly taken some of the information to heart.

He wasn't unaware of his loneliness, but he was too ashamed to admit it.

It's alright being busy at the hospital during the day, but when I get home at night, there's nothing to do but sit in the cold kitchen with no one to talk to. No matter how lively the radio is, it can't fill the emptiness in the house.

He was actually happy when Fang Yan came in, but he didn't say it.

Fang Yan, seeing this, continued, "And then there's Wangyou, that child is so attached to you. Now that you live here, she can only see you once a week. If you move to my place, it'll be closer to her, and if you don't mind the trouble, you can take her to school every day. That would be so convenient."

When his granddaughter was mentioned, Lu Donghua's eyes softened noticeably, but he still insisted, "Her mother will take her; I don't need to worry about it."

“But the child misses you.” Fang Yan leaned forward. “Think about it, you raised her. If you move in, you’ll see her much less often. Besides, we have a car. Anton and Sophia can easily pick her up. With all her students and their families together, isn’t that better than you being alone at home?”

Lu Donghua was tempted, but still said:
“I know you mean well, but I’ve been in Xiyuan for so many years, and all my old colleagues are here. I’m not comfortable with suddenly moving to a different place. Besides, I know what kind of patients your Peking Union Medical College Hospital treats. I know my own level of expertise.”

He said in dialect:

"Peking Union Medical College Hospital now treats more than just rare and complicated cases; it treats other illnesses too. It's like when we were at Tongrentang. My old colleague from Xiyuan, if you want to come back for a visit this weekend, I'll drive you. Besides, Peking Union Medical College Hospital isn't too far from here; it's only a 40-minute drive, much closer than the one hour you mentioned. If you really miss Xiyuan, we can come back anytime."

Lu Donghua remained silent, caught in a dilemma.

Fang Yan continued:

“Think about it again. If you stay here, you can read until midnight and have no one to talk to. If you come to my place, the house will be lively at night. There will be food, drinks, and servants to do your bidding. That kid Zhengyi will even call you to practice boxing in the yard in the morning. You can also give Sophia pointers. Our whole family will be around you. It’s much better than you sitting here facing a cold stove, isn’t it?”

Fang Yan reached for the enamel mug on the desk, got up and walked to the kitchen: "I'll pour you a cup of hot water. This mug is completely cold; it's not good for your stomach if you drink it."

He went to the kitchen and glanced at the cold pot again. There wasn't even a rag to wipe his hands on the stove. He felt even worse. The old man had always been a strong man. Even if he lived alone, he would never complain about the hardship. But the desolation in these details could not be faked.

When I poured out the water, I noticed that the temperature wasn't high. It must have been boiled in the morning, and it had cooled down a bit by now, but it was still just right to drink.

When he returned with the hot water, Lu Donghua was staring blankly at the photo of Wangyou hanging on the wall, his eyes full of longing.

Fang Yan said to him:
"Oh, don't bother looking anymore. Come over to my place, you can see me every day if you want."

Lu Donghua hesitated for a moment, then said:

“But the hospital situation is hard to say; I was rehired.” Fang Yan said to him:
"I'll go and say something, and they'll definitely agree."

"I still have that much face."

Lu Donghua paused in his hand holding the water glass, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but he still couldn't help but mutter, "Do you think Xiyuan is your private property? This old man who was rehired, you think I can just leave like that? If word gets out, people will say I've abandoned my post." His words carried a hint of toughness, but his tone had lost its previous resolve.

Fang Yan knew that her master was giving her a way out, so she smiled and moved closer to him: "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to 'abandon your responsibilities.' Tomorrow I'll go to Xiyuan Hospital first and talk to the vice president. I'll tell him that recently many overseas Chinese businessmen have returned to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and there are a lot of difficult and complicated cases. The young doctors can't handle the situation, so I'd like to ask you to lend a hand, as a kind of 'secondment for support'."

The old man looked up at him, his lips involuntarily twitching downwards, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes:

"Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou, right?"

He took a sip of warm water, and the last bit of lingering doubt in his heart slowly dissipated.

"Alright, since you're so confident, I'll go with you. But let me make this clear from the start: if I don't like things at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, I'll go back to Xiyuan immediately, and don't stop me."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan immediately burst out laughing and patted his master's arm, saying, "Don't worry, I promise I won't stop you! I think we should pack our things now and head over there."

The old man said:
"Why are you so quick to jump to conclusions! I need to hand over the duties tomorrow, are you really planning to just make a phone call and take him away?"

He asked in dialect:

"Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow?"

"Okay, come tomorrow!" Lu Donghua nodded.

He said in dialect:

“Okay, tomorrow Anton and Lao Hu will also finish their quarantine, so we can celebrate at home at noon.”

"Hmm...wait, quarantine? What happened to them?" the old man asked Fang Yan.

Fang Yan then recounted the story to his master, and Lu Donghua finally understood.

He hasn't been listening to the news much these past few days and missed this.

The two chatted for a while longer. Fang Yan glanced at the time and said, "Master, it's getting late. You should get some rest. I'll come pick you up early tomorrow morning."

Lu Donghua nodded, saw him to the door, and waved goodbye, saying:

"Be careful on the road."

Fang Yan agreed and was about to leave, but after taking only a couple of steps, his master called him back:

"Oh, right, take the chicken back with you!"

“I can’t kill him here,” Lu Donghua said to him.

He said in dialect:

"You should go and present this to the leader tomorrow!"

The old man was taken aback, then waved his hand, his tone a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Why would I give it to a leader? As a retired doctor who's been rehired, I don't deal with leaders much. Besides, you specially prepared this to improve my health, how could I possibly give it away?"

He pointed towards the kitchen, "I don't even have a place to kill a chicken here. There's just a small pot on the stove. It's okay to cook porridge, but stewing a chicken is a hassle. Take it back with you. It'll be a good opportunity to welcome Anton and the others back tomorrow. You can also join in their fun."

Fang Yan smiled as he looked at his master's serious expression.

He thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay, then I'll take the chicken back first. When you move over tomorrow, I'll stew it for you in a clay pot, and add some ginseng and goji berries to replenish your qi and blood."

"Oh, no need for all that trouble, a simple home-cooked meal will do." Lu Donghua waved his hand with a smile, then added, "Drive carefully at night, don't rush, call me when you get home, I'll be waiting for you to come over first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Master!" Fang Yan picked up the net bag containing the chickens and turned to walk into the car.

After getting in the car, he started the engine and drove away. Through the rearview mirror, he saw his master still standing at the door. The dim streetlights cast a long shadow of him. It wasn't until the car had driven far away that the figure slowly disappeared from sight.

When he drove home, Zhu Lin and the others were watching TV in the main hall. They were surprised to see him carrying a chicken: "What's wrong? Why did you bring a chicken back again? Did Master confiscate it?"

“Master said he doesn’t have the means to handle it, so he told us to use it for a welcome dinner for Anton and the others tomorrow.” Fang Yan handed the chicken to Sophia, and then recounted what had happened with his master.

People are quite supportive of the idea of ​​using dialects.

Lu Donghua was Fang Yan's first master, and the two had a deep relationship. In addition, the old man was also willing to give Fang Yan things; the books in the study at home were the legacy of several generations of the Lu family.

It is only natural for Fang Yan to take care of him in his old age.

Besides, they're not here to retire; they still need to work at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

This can also be considered as helping Fang Yan, the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

He said in dialect:

“When Master moves over tomorrow, we’ll stew a separate pot for him in a clay pot and let him taste it.”

"This can also be considered a welcome dinner for Anton and Lao Hu."

Everyone smiled and nodded.

The next day soon came.

Early in the morning, Fang Yan finished checking the rooms and prepared to go to her master Lu Donghua's place.

Before they even got there, Lao Hu and Anton came back.

Old Hu rushed off to see his wife, Huang Huijie, whom he hadn't seen for several days and was now impatient to see her.

Anton immediately followed Fang Yan and got into the car with him to pick up Lu Donghua.

As for the other students and teachers, they will receive a collective commendation from the Ministry of Health when they return to school.

PS: I've gained another 800 monthly passes, so I owe you all another 16000 words, bringing my total to 24000 words.

There will be more this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)