Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1380 Want to Go Fishing? Encountering an Old Boss at Shichahai (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

Judging from the dialect, it's clear that his wife is quite a fan of the couples in TV dramas.

She didn't connect the "dialect" in it with her husband at all.

“It’s really interesting. People from Hong Kong used to think that this is what it’s like here…” the old lady next to me said.

Fang Yan realized that she was referring to the sets in the TV series, the pharmacy scenes, and the street scenes, which were all built according to their imagination and were not quite the same as the real scenes.

As they were talking, the scene shifted, and on TV, "Fang Yan" was wearing a long robe and taking pulses in a pharmacy. Standing next to him was a female apprentice with braided hair and affectionate eyes. The scene was showing the female apprentice secretly slipping "Fang Yan" a sachet. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Damn it, this Fatty Wang is making things up. Back when I was working at the pharmacy, I never had this kind of commotion. I was so busy every day that I didn't even have time to drink water. Where would I have time for all this lovey-dovey stuff?"

Zhu Lin turned around with a smile:

"What do you know? This is called artistic embellishment. If it's just about you seeing a doctor and getting medicine every day, who would watch it? Adding a couple of romantic scenes makes it more interesting."

She pointed to the "female apprentice" on TV and said, "You know what, this actress is quite pretty, much more pleasing to the eye than those clerks in your old pharmacy."

He said in dialect:

"Hey, you're taking sides with outsiders?"

"Besides, the apprentices in my pharmacy back then were Jia Dapeng, Xie Guolai, and Xiao Liu. Unlike in this TV series, the apprentices don't handle or grind medicine; they just stare at the 'doctor' all day long. Is that reasonable?"

Old Hu chuckled and chimed in, "Don't take it too seriously. That's how Hong Kong TV dramas are; they're all about creating a lively atmosphere. Although it's a bit exaggerated, many people who watch them will know that there's a powerful traditional Chinese medicine doctor in mainland China called Fangyan."

"After the TV series aired, our medicine sales in Hong Kong increased significantly."

Fang Yan was speechless. Too lazy to watch TV, he went to the study next door to read a book.

Today, I mainly want to look at the magazines that Master Lu Donghua brought back back back then; maybe there's something else inside.

Actually, besides specific medical cases, there are also some interesting little science popularizations in it.

Some of the things were even dialects I'd never heard before.

For example, Dong Qichang's sleep method.

This refers to Dong Qichang, a famous calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, discussing his sixteen-character method for improving sleep.

"First, calm your mind; then calm your eyes. Calming your mind is the method of stillness; calming your eyes is the method of observation."

First, "sleep with your heart" means letting go of all distracting thoughts and stopping all mental activity in your brain, so that you can fall into a deep sleep. Then, "sleep with your eyes closed" means closing your eyes and falling asleep in a peaceful and calm state of mind.

"The method of seeing with eyes closed" means to look with eyes closed, also known as "inner vision".

Close your eyes and look. Although you can't see objects clearly, you will see blurry colors. You can also open your eyes slightly and stare at an object in dim light. Do not strain your eyes. The purpose is to use the optic nerve to work slightly, so that other nerves are relatively inhibited, thus allowing you to fall asleep peacefully.

There is also the custom of Japanese mothers breastfeeding. It is written that: According to the "History of Diet and Life" by Kiyoko Segawa of Japan, there is a folk custom that "colostrum is poisonous and should be discarded".

Babies born on Shodoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture require breast milk from other mothers who have recently given birth.

Boys should drink the milk of mothers who have given birth to girls, while girls should drink the milk of mothers who have given birth to boys.

In her book "Nutrition and Health," Kondo Toshiko describes methods to promote lactation, including eating boiled cakes four days postpartum or applying carp scales to the breasts, which are said to be very effective.

Fang Yan didn't know whether this thing was real or fake, after all, the content was copied from other places, and compared to things with real and detailed medical records, its credibility was questionable.

Fang Yan continued flipping through other magazines.

You can see all sorts of odds and ends inside, and the dialect is just something to look at out of curiosity.

Before she knew it, Fang Yan had been reading for quite a while. She put down her book and started to move around in the yard.

They're still watching a TV series in the main hall right now. In mainland China, this is something you can only watch in your local dialect home; you can't see it anywhere else. And they seem to be really enjoying it.

Fang Yan checked the time; it was 3 PM.

There wasn't much to do at home in the afternoon, so Fang Yan came into the house and said to Lao Hu, who was putting together a toy:

"Want to go fishing?"

Upon hearing about fishing, Old Hu immediately put down his toy and said:
"go!"

Even my father and father-in-law, who were watching TV, turned around and said:
"Let's go too!"

Then my younger brother, Anton, and my brother-in-law also responded.

Even little Zhao Zhengyi stopped playing with toys.

His master wanted to go fishing, so he wanted to go too.

Strangely, none of the women in the family responded.

Fang Yan counted the number of people: nine.

If Lao Hu goes, his assistant Xiao Lin and bodyguard Lao Cui will also go, making a total of nine people including the others, or even ten if his master Lu Donghua is included.

Then Lu Donghua indeed said:

"If you're all going, then I'll go join in the fun too."

With all ten people present, they packed up their two cars and set off.

Since it's a rare afternoon break, we should definitely do some outdoor activities.

They drove all the way to Shichahai Lake.

The weather in the capital city in October is gradually turning cooler, entering the mid-to-late autumn season.

The average temperature is generally between 10℃ and 20℃. The temperature difference between day and night gradually increases. It may feel cool or even chilly in the early morning and evening, but the temperature will rise under the sunshine during the day and become more comfortable.

Many anglers fish here.

Once the car stopped, everyone got out. Fang Yan and Lao Hu opened their trunks and took out their fishing gear. There weren't many good spots left, so they had to carry their gear and look for a place to sit.

They hadn't gone far when someone shouted:
"Hey! Hey! You there... hey!"

"Dr. Fang!"

"Dr. Fang is here!"

When everyone turned around, they saw that it was Old Chen and his group, along with the group of old men who had been watching them fish. When they saw Fang Yan and his group carrying their fishing gear, they immediately greeted them.

"We've been waiting for you for so long! You said you were supposed to come during the holiday, but we thought you weren't coming! You've finally arrived!" Fang Yan heard the shout and turned around to see Old Chen sitting on a stool waving. He was surrounded by four or five old men carrying fishing gear, all of whom were his old fishing buddies from Shichahai.

Fang Yan smiled and waved:
"The old man has appeared again."

Old Chen moved the stool next to him to make room for Fang Yan. "Come on, come over here. I was just saying that you guys had free time during the National Day holiday, so my buddies and I came here every day to reserve a spot, afraid that you wouldn't have a place to fish. Look, this spot is sheltered from the wind and sunny, the fish are sure to bite."

Fang Yan looked at the people who came with him and said:
"Shall we fish here?"

The others readily agreed.

Everyone put down their fishing gear. Zhao Zhengyi, who had been itching to get started, grabbed a small fishing net and ran to the water's edge. He squatted down and stared at the water's surface, with An Dong following behind, worried that he might fall.

My father and father-in-law didn't stand on ceremony; they took the stools, sat down, and began preparing their fishing rods.
"You guys really know how to find a good spot. This location is definitely better than the ones we just saw."

Old Hu, along with Xiao Lin and Old Cui, distributed the bait to everyone, while he himself took some fermented rice and scattered it at the fishing spot that Old Chen had pointed out.

"How many did you catch today?"

"Not many, just a few small crucian carp, waiting to compare with you!" Old Chen laughed as he picked up his fishing rod. "But it's different now that you're here. Dr. Fang is a skilled fisherman; the fish he caught last time were really something..."

Fang Yan laughed as he baited the fish, saying, "Don't flatter me. Fishing is all about luck. I'm not even sure if I'll catch anything today."

As he spoke, he cast the fishing hook out, and the fishing line landed steadily in the fishing spot. The float stood upright on the water's surface, swaying gently with the ripples.

Others started fishing too.

At this moment, Fang Yan noticed that there were more and more people behind him. He turned around and saw that they were the same group of people who had watched him fish last time.

"Dr. Fang, we've been waiting for you to catch the big fish."

"The route you ran last time hasn't appeared yet."

"Dr. Fang, we've been waiting for you to come and show your amazing skills all this time!"

Listening to their back-and-forth conversation in dialect, I quickly cupped my hands in greeting:
"I'm alright at treating illnesses, but I'm an amateur at fishing; it's all down to luck. You're all too kind to me!"

As soon as the dialect was finished, someone in the crowd burst out laughing:

"Dr. Fang, you're too modest! Those fish you caught last time were unusually big. You said it was all by chance, but we come here every day, how come we never have that kind of luck?"

Old Chen chimed in from the side, "That's right! When he caught that big fish last time, his hand didn't even shake. He reeled in the line steadily and quickly. That's not amateurish; he's just hiding his true skills!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the onlookers, "These guys are all here for you, they just want to see your skill in catching big fish again."

Fang Yan shook his head helplessly.

Just as I was about to say something, I felt the fishing rod in my hand sink, and the float was pulled directly into the water.

"Hey! A fish has taken the bait!"

People around pointed into the water and shouted.

Fang Yan quickly gripped the fishing rod, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the rod instantly bent into an arc, the line whirring loudly. The onlookers immediately quieted down and crowded around to watch.
"Whoa! What did I say? I haven't even finished speaking yet!"

"It must be because of the bait; there must be a secret recipe! Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are experts at this."

"Judging by that force, it must be a big one! Tsk tsk..."

"I told you so! You can tell how good Dr. Fang is as soon as he makes a move!"

Fang Yan slowly reeled in the line, occasionally giving the rod a gentle tug to ease the fish's pull. Old Hu quickly handed over the landing net, squatting by the water's edge, ready to help at any moment. The onlookers held their breath, their eyes fixed on the water, until a large crucian carp weighing over two pounds surfaced, at which point cheers erupted from the crowd:
"A crucian carp, and a big one at that!"

It didn't take long for the fish to be scooped up. Fang Yan put the fish in the bucket, wiped his hands, and said to the onlookers, "It was just luck; the fish just happened to be hooked."

Seeing the commotion, many people came over.

Just then, someone shouted from the crowd:

"Hey, isn't this Comrade Fang Yan? Fishing?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw a somewhat familiar figure.

It turned out to be those retired cadres who had received medical treatment under Director Liao's arrangement last time.

Judging from their posture, it seems they're fishing here too.

Fang Yan quickly greeted them:
"Greetings, leaders!"

Upon hearing Fang Yan's name, the people around immediately turned their attention to the group of old men. Although they didn't recognize them, they quickly made way for them to come to Fang Yan.

The leading retired cadre, Lao Zhou, waved with a smile, walked over to Fang Yan, and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't call me leader, I'm on holiday."

"I didn't expect to run into you here. You seem to be enjoying fishing quite a bit."

Several retired cadres behind Lao Zhou also gathered around. One of them looked at the big crucian carp in the fish bucket and said with a smile, "Not bad. We've been fishing all afternoon and only caught a few small ones. You caught a big one as soon as you arrived. It seems that you are not only good at medicine, but also good at fishing."

Fang Yan quickly replied modestly, "We were just lucky; the fish were biting. Are you all here to fish too?"

“That’s right,” Old Zhou sat down on the stool next to him. “The autumn weather is nice, it’s better to come out and get some fresh air than to stay at home. Didn’t you also tell us to get more exercise?”

"The prescription you gave me last time worked quite well. I've been sleeping much better lately. I was planning to find some time to talk to you and get some more medicine to help me recover, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan said:

"Okay, I happen to have some free time now, shall I show it to you all?"

What difference does it make where you watch it?
Upon hearing the dialect, the surrounding senior leaders were taken aback. Right here?

It doesn't seem like it's impossible, huh?

Old Zhou said:

"Alright! Show it to us!"

Fang Yan nodded, put down his fishing gear, and used the box as a consultation table to take their pulses and treat their ailments.

PS: I've gained another 100 monthly votes, so I still owe you 53,000 after finishing this chapter.

The update this morning was incorrect, so I deleted and revised the first chapter, replacing it with the same amount of content. There is no duplicate content.

(End of this chapter)