Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1369 Rumors of 1937, are they after the secret formula again? (Bonus chapter for monthly votes)

Fang Yan thought to himself: Tianjin in 1937 is forty-one years ago now. My master was only in his early forties back then, and he was looking for people to challenge him to duels.

He remembered that his second senior brother, Ding Jian, had said that their master and his father had once been involved in the business in Tianjin.

He possessed an exceptional skill in throwing needles, and even when facing two armed men at the Tianjin docks, he escaped unscathed. (See Chapter 182)
The old man in front of me looks to be over sixty years old. If he wasn't a martial artist like his master, then he must have been in his early twenties back then.

At this moment, Director Liao introduced Lu Donghua:

"Dr. Lu, this is Mr. Wang Zhenlin. Mr. Wang is also a famous TCM doctor who returned from overseas. Before he came back, he heard that Dr. Fang was your outstanding student, and he even sent a telegram saying that he had interacted with you when he practiced medicine in Tianjin in his early years, so you can be considered old acquaintances."

Upon hearing this, Lu Donghua cupped his hands in greeting and said:

"It turns out to be Mr. Wang in person. I'm so sorry, Mr. Wang, my memory is getting worse with age. I can't remember anything from more than forty years ago."

Wang Zhenlin's smile froze for a moment, then quickly relaxed. He took two steps forward and said:

"Think back to the time at the Tianjin docks, your father, Mr. Lu, gave me some pointers on acupuncture techniques. He said I was quick to learn and almost took me on as his apprentice! You even served us tea back then."

Upon hearing this, the overseas Chinese businessmen who were offering toasts all stopped and looked at the two with curiosity. Lu Donghua still had a gentle smile on his face, and he clasped his hands in a slight bow: "Thank you, Mr. Wang, for remembering these past events. However, my father passed away many years ago, and I am really unclear about the details of what happened back then. It is fate that we can meet again here today, Mr. Wang. Let's have a drink first, and we can talk about the old days another day?"

Fang Yan looked at the two of them, puzzled. Was his master really that forgetful?

He spoke politely, but he never acknowledged the identity of an "old acquaintance".

Wang Zhenlin's eyes flickered, but he didn't press further, smiling as he raised his glass:

"Since you can't remember, let's pretend we're new acquaintances today! I'd like to toast you and Dr. Fang. I've long heard that your apprentices are highly skilled in medicine, and I'll have to learn from them more in the future."

"Good, good, good!" Lu Donghua nodded repeatedly to Wang Zhenlin.

Fang Yan and his group continued toasting the people at the other tables, and didn't have time to talk about Wang Zhenlin anymore. The last Chinese medicine doctor who came back was actually his maternal grandfather's brother, but it turned out he was a spy and is still locked up.

These days, the people who come back immediately try to get close to their masters. Who knows what they're really up to?

Natural dialects are also guarded against.

After experiencing this kind of thing so many times, one should be more careful.

Fang Yan still knew his master somewhat; his memory couldn't be that bad.

Could it be that they are taking advantage of the old man's age and making up a fake identity to get close to him?
Since his master didn't say anything, Fang Yan could only guess. Then, Fang Yan and the others continued to toast. After toasting everyone in the circle, Cui Jingyi was already feeling the effects. Her face was flushed, and she was swaying from side to side. Fang Yan quickly took out some silver needles to help her sober up and also inserted two needles into her acupoints.

Only Director Liao and his mentor Lu Donghua drank tea. They were fine with it and, after returning to their seats, even invited everyone to eat.

Fang Yan quickly started eating, because he knew the process was familiar and that someone would come over to toast him later, at which point he wouldn't have time to eat or drink.

At this moment, Director Liao asked Lu Donghua:
"You really don't recognize that Wang Zhenlin from earlier?"

"He spoke so vividly, I thought you remembered it very clearly."

Lu Donghua glanced at Director Liao, smiled, and waved his hand, saying:
"I do have some recollection of it, but I don't remember it very clearly, and it might be confused with some other things. I was afraid that it would be awkward to say it back then, so I simply didn't acknowledge it."

"Oh?" Director Liao looked at Lu Donghua with some curiosity.

Lu Donghua picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at Wang Zhenlin who was chatting with overseas Chinese businessmen not far away, and then lowered his voice to say to Director Liao:

“Tianjin was in chaos more than forty years ago. I did see him a few times at the dock, but it wasn’t a respectable relationship 'under my father’s guidance'.”

His tone became more serious: "Back then, he always hung out with some shady characters. Later, we heard that he had defected to the Japanese and opened a small clinic in the Japanese-occupied area. On the surface, he treated patients, but in reality, he helped the Japanese find out about the movements of doctors in our area and collected medical books and case studies from various schools of traditional Chinese medicine. My father even specifically told me to stay away from him, because this person only cared about personal gain and had no bottom line."

Director Liao paused, his hand holding the teacup still, and his brows furrowed: "Is that so?"

Lu Donghua said:
"At the time, I only heard about it. Now that he dares to come back openly, I'm not sure. Maybe we wronged him back then by spreading rumors."

"So I simply don't acknowledge it, since there's nothing to reminisce about anyway."

Upon hearing Lu Donghua's words, Director Liao frowned instead.

He recalled what had happened before and asked, "Are they after what Fang Yan has again?"

"It's hard to say." Lu Donghua shook his head. "He didn't contact me first when he came back this time. Instead, he contacted the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office first. Now he's trying to make connections with us. I think he either wants to use my and Fang Yan's reputation to gain a foothold, or he's after our TCM resources. Keep an eye on him in the future and don't let him get involved in anything too core. If he doesn't do that, then I'll just say that I'm being petty and thinking he's a bad person."

Director Liao asked:
"Does anyone else know about these things you've heard?"

Clearly, Director Liao still wanted to get to the bottom of things. Lu Donghua said:
"Go to Tianjin and ask the elderly; you should be able to find out."

After hearing this, Director Liao nodded thoughtfully.

At this moment, Fang Yan followed Lu Donghua's gaze to Wang Zhenlin and whispered:

“I also found it strange just now. You have always had a good memory, so how could you not remember an old acquaintance from decades ago?”

Lu Donghua patted the back of his hand and instructed him, "Don't reveal too much when you deal with him. If he asks you about your prescriptions or treatment plans, just dodge the question. We practice medicine to heal and save lives, so we can't let people with ulterior motives take advantage of us."

Hearing his master say that, Fang Yan nodded.

He asked Director Liao:
"By the way, Director Liao, where did this person come from?"

Director Liao glanced at him and said in a low voice:
"Japan."

After they finished speaking, Fang Yan and Lu Donghua exchanged a glance. Good heavens... did they wrong him or not?
Director Liao said:
"I'll have Gao Han contact the Tianjin Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners first thing tomorrow morning to ask the elderly people who practiced medicine there back then to confirm whether the story of 'Wang Zhenlin' and 'defecting to the Japanese' is true. Also, check his activities overseas over the years."

He asked in dialect:

"What if we find out and it can be confirmed?"

He paused and added:
"If the allegations are verified, we won't falsely accuse him. We'll first restrict his opportunities to participate in TCM exchanges, observations, and consultations to prevent him from taking things out of the country. If he doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve and just wants to practice medicine peacefully, then we'll treat him like an ordinary overseas Chinese, but we still need to take precautions. However, if we find that he's still inquiring about resources and trying to obtain information, then we'll report it to the relevant departments and follow the regulations. We can't let him ruin our plans."

As they were talking, Wang Zhenlin, who was in the distance, seemed to notice their conversation. He glanced over, then picked up his wine glass and started to walk over. Director Liao quickly raised his hand to signal, "Let's not talk about this now. He's coming over. Don't give him any indication."

The three of them immediately changed the subject and started talking about the banquet dishes, their tone relaxed and natural.

Wang Zhenlin walked over and asked with a smile, "What are you all chatting about? It's so lively!"

What should we talk about? We should talk about how you're a major traitor!

Director Liao said with a smile:

"Speaking of these dishes, I wonder if Mr. Wang, after spending so long in Japan, still finds the food palatable upon his return?"

Upon hearing Director Liao's words, Wang Zhenlin paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Director Liao is joking. I am still Chinese at heart. No matter how long I live in Japan, I always miss the food from my hometown. Especially the side dishes on this table, they taste just like the ones I ate in Tianjin when I was a child. They bring back fond memories."

Lu Donghua chimed in, "That's right. Wherever we Chinese go, we always miss the taste of home. Mr. Wang, after all these years in Japan, have you been able to find food that suits your taste?"

Wang Zhenlin put down his chopsticks, his face filled with emotion: "Where in Japan can you find such authentic food? I only occasionally try to cook a couple of meals myself, but unfortunately my skills aren't up to par, it's always just not quite right. This time I came back for two reasons: first, to talk to the overseas Chinese businessmen about cooperation, and second, to really enjoy some hometown cuisine, and also to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine from you two."

Fang Yan was already on guard, and smiled as she picked up her teacup: "Mr. Wang, you're too kind. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes 'practice makes perfect,' and I learned and practiced slowly under my master's guidance. You have practiced medicine overseas for many years, so you must have your own unique experience. In the future, we can exchange more basic health knowledge, such as seasonal health preservation and dietary regulation, which are all useful for ordinary people."

Director Liao chimed in, trying to smooth things over: "It's great to exchange ideas on health! People are all paying attention to their health these days, and this knowledge is very practical. Come on, Mr. Wang, let's have a drink and wish each other a successful future collaboration and a pleasant exchange!" He raised his teacup.

Wang Zhenlin clinked glasses with Lu Donghua, smiling, and asked:
"You really don't remember me?"

Lu Donghua smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"I'm getting old, I can't remember anymore."

After saying that, he asked directly:
"By the way, how did you end up living in Japan? When did this happen?"

Upon hearing Lu Donghua's question, Wang Zhenlin's smile visibly faltered, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around his wine glass. After a couple of seconds, he slowly spoke:
"Well, that's a long story..."

PS: I've gained another 100 monthly votes, so I still owe you 66,000 words after finishing this chapter.

There will be more this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)