After practicing for a short while, Lu Jiu took out a copy of the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor from the drawer and began to read it carefully.
Compared to the textbooks at school, Lu Jiu felt that the classics were more thorough, but to fully understand their meaning was quite complicated.
Anyway, Lu Jiu had read through the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor several times and still had not fully grasped its meaning. However, after acquiring basic acupuncture skills, when he revisited the Spiritual Pivot, Lu Jiu found that his thoughts were clearer than before, and he inexplicably understood many of the contents.
This made Lu Jiu more and more fascinated, as if his entire being was immersed in the book.
Beside him, Lu Mountain squinted his eyes, occasionally glancing at Lu Jiu, unable to hide the contentment in his eyes.
He never expected his children to show no interest in medicine, but in the next generation, Lu Jiu emerged with a passion for traditional Chinese medicine.
Not only passionate, but also quite gifted.
In his twenties, he could independently diagnose patients, almost on par with himself.
Most importantly, after learning Western medicine, Lu Jiu could proficiently use modern language to explain traditional Chinese medicine theories. Not only could he cure patients, but he could also impart simple health knowledge to them, achieving the effect of treating not only existing but also potential illnesses, which greatly satisfied Lu Mountain.
Hmm?
As Lu Mountain silently praised Lu Jiu with a smile, he suddenly noticed that the finest needle in Lu Jiu's left hand was vibrating continuously.
Is it Qi moving by itself?
Lu Mountain stared at Lu Jiu in surprise, his mouth open but speechless.
He remembered only teaching Lu Jiu some basic acupuncture, never delving into complex content. On one hand, he was not particularly skilled himself; on the other hand, he feared that studying acupuncture might interfere with Lu Jiu's learning of classical formulas.
Because the diagnostic thinking used in acupuncture sometimes conflicted with that used in classical formulas, if one lacked a general concept while learning, it was easy to become entangled in these two thought processes.
Now, Lu Jiu had evidently mastered the art of Qi Introduction, and appeared extremely proficient, which naturally astounded Lu Mountain.
However, as a grandfather, he couldn't act boastful just because his descendant achieved something, as it would harm his image.
"Who taught you acupuncture?" Lu Mountain asked with an indifferent demeanor.
While observing the needle, Lu Jiu smiled upon hearing Lu Mountain's inquiry, "I didn't learn from anyone, just practiced aimlessly."
Practiced aimlessly?
The brat is quite good at pretending.
"Have you learned the Supplement and Drainage Acupuncture Technique?" Lu Mountain inquired.
Lu Jiu shook his head, then grinned, "Grandpa, are you going to teach me?"
Ahem... Lu Mountain had just sipped tea, "Learning classical formulas well is enough to last you a lifetime, don't bite off more than you can chew."
Lu Jiu curiously said, "Grandpa, didn't you say that real Chinese medicine requires learning both classical formulas and acupuncture?"
Lu Mountain replied, "Doctors who are proficient in both acupuncture and classical formulas are all genius-level individuals, requiring guidance from an excellent teacher. You're not there yet, take your time learning."
Lu Jiu squinted, "Grandpa, you're looking down on me again, aren't you?"
Lu Mountain leaned on the recliner, shaking his leg, "I'll only respect you once you've surpassed me."
Lu Jiu chuckled, "Then you'd better keep an eye out, surpassing you won't take me many years."
Lu Mountain sat up, "You brat, alright, I'll watch."
Within the Lu Family, in terms of medical talent, Lu Mountain was considered average, but with decades of clinical experience, Lu Jiu couldn't simply surpass him just by saying so.
Of course, if Lu Jiu truly surpassed Lu Mountain, Lu Mountain would probably rush to the ancestral tablets to comfort the ancestors.
"Pay attention when taking pulses in the afternoon; most people's Qi and blood tend to slow down, so don't make a wrong diagnosis," Lu Mountain advised.
"Hmm, I understand," Lu Jiu replied.
This was also why Lu Mountain didn't see patients in the afternoon. In the morning, the body's Qi and blood were very active, and illnesses were not easily hidden. By afternoon, the Qi and blood slowed, and illnesses tended to hide, requiring more effort to diagnose.
Due to his age, he couldn't see many patients in the afternoon, so it was better to conserve his energy and see more the next morning.
Lu Jiu was young and full of energy; as long as it wasn't a difficult illness, the difference between morning and afternoon meant little to him.
"Lu Jiu!"
Soon, a shout came from the clinic's entrance. Lu Jiu looked and recognized his cousin, Lu Shuang.
His uncle, Lu Feng, worked in the health committee. His cousin, Lu Ming, had been studying abroad for several years, while Lu Shuang was still in high school.
"How come you're here?" Lu Jiu smiled.
"I came to congratulate you on your grand opening! Look, this is a gift I made!" Lu Shuang ran in gleefully, greeted Lu Mountain, and then proudly took out a box from behind her.
Lu Jiu received the box and, upon opening it, found a folding fan inside. He couldn't help but laugh, "Why are you giving me this?"
Lu Shuang pouted, "Keep opening it~"
Lu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, then unfolded the fan. Oh? It had writing on it.
On the front, it read "Serve the Public."
On the back, "Selfless Altruism."
"Nice calligraphy, custom-made online?" With these words, Lu Jiu felt quite satisfied with the gift.
Upon hearing Lu Jiu suspect it was a custom online job, the little girl puffed up her cheeks, "Who are you looking down on? I wrote it myself, and there's my carved seal below."
Lu Jiu was surprised, "When did you learn calligraphy?"
Lu Shuang was quite satisfied with Lu Jiu's expression, "Grandpa, last year, see, how did I do with my writing?"
Lu Mountain glanced at the folding fan in Lu Jiu's hand, "It's decent."
Receiving this evaluation, Lu Shuang became even happier and proudly looked at Lu Jiu, "See, even Grandpa said it's not bad."
Lu Mountain's education level wasn't high, he didn't even finish elementary school, but he learned ancient medical texts from a young age, and his calligraphy skills were praised even by the president of the Lu'an District Calligraphy Association. Getting him to say "decent" was certainly a point of pride for Lu Shuang.
"Wow, you! I used to only hear Uncle say you liked traditional Hanfu clothing, I didn't expect you to even practice calligraphy," Lu Jiu laughed.
"There are lots of things you don't know," Lu Shuang said with her nose upturned and then took out her phone, swiftly opening several interfaces, "Look, here's my account on U Station, over two thousand followers, impressive, right!"
Lu Jiu looked and found Lu Shuang was just wearing different kinds of Hanfu in videos, each one not longer than a minute or two, with the highest views over ten thousand, and comments ranging from a few dozen to hundreds.
"Not bad, not bad, looks like you've put a lot of thought into this." Lu Jiu also quite liked traditional culture, but due to studying medicine, he didn't have much energy to research it deeply.
Upon hearing Lu Jiu's praise, Lu Shuang's face lit up, but she only got a bit of confidence from Lu Jiu, because in her parents' eyes, fiddling with these things was just not doing serious work.
"Brother, do you want a Hanfu?" Lu Shuang asked out of the blue, with her hands resting on the table, her eyes shining brightly.
Me?
Lu Jiu seemed a bit tempted.
"Very expensive, right?"
Lu Shuang laughed, "Good ones are definitely expensive, costing over ten thousand, but I buy fabric and make them myself, as long as it's not too extravagant, a few hundred is enough."
Lu Jiu said, "Alright, then make me a set."
After saying that, Lu Jiu just transferred a thousand to Lu Shuang.
Lu Shuang didn't put on airs and accepted it directly; the siblings didn't fuss over these things much.
"Brother, any specific requirements for the clothes?" Lu Shuang asked.
"Just make it as you see fit," Lu Jiu wasn't very knowledgeable about Hanfu.
"Alright, then I'll make it according to my own taste." Lu Shuang rubbed her palms together, eager to get started immediately.
"Okay." Lu Jiu couldn't help but smile at Lu Shuang's enthusiastic demeanor.
"Students should focus on their studies, read more books when you have time, understood?" Lu Mountain couldn't help but start advising Lu Shuang upon seeing this.
"Got it, got it." These words Lu Shuang had heard long enough to have calluses on her ears, and her reply was fairly perfunctory.
However, she understood that only those who truly care about you would nag, so despite her perfunctoriness, Lu Shuang never said a hurtful word to her elders.
Taking out a tape measure, Lu Shuang carefully measured Lu Jiu's body, remembered the numbers, and then skipped out of the clinic.
Lu Jiu was somewhat curious about what kind of Hanfu that girl could make for him.
Practice acupuncture, practice!
Even with the system, there's no room for complacency.
...
"Dad, I don't want to go, haven't all the hospitals checked? I'm not sick."
"Do you want a beating?"
"I just don't want to go!"
"Listen, if your health fails, how will you study?"
...
Outside Lu's Clinic, a father and son slowly approached.
Gong Huo followed closely behind Gong Ming, stealthily entering the clinic, his expression unmoved when he glanced at Lu Jiu, but becoming tense upon seeing Lu Mountain.
"Dr. Lu, I passed by and saw you still had the clinic open in the afternoon, so I brought my son over for you to take a look. This kid's been saying he has heart pains lately, and the day before yesterday he was woken up by the pain while sleeping, but the hospital checks found nothing," said Gong Ming as he walked into the clinic, pushing his son in front of Lu Mountain.
Gong Ming had previously suffered from a persistent cough that couldn't be cured at the hospital, and after being introduced to Lu Mountain, three doses of medicine cured him.
Since then, whenever Gong Ming had a headache or fever, he would come to Lu Mountain to get checked.
"See my grandson, it's his turn to consult now. I'm old, it's time to retire," Lu Mountain laughed.
Grandson?
Gong Ming looked towards Lu Jiu, his mind filled with doubt.
Isn't he a bit too young for this, is he capable?
"Alright then, let this young man take a look." Gong Ming agreed.
Gong Huo, standing nearby, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come and sit. Put your hand on the table, and I'll check your pulse." Lu Jiu addressed Gong Huo.
Gong Huo didn't resist and obediently placed his hand in front of Lu Jiu.
As soon as Lu Jiu's three fingers pressed onto the pulse point, his mind once again became a cacophony.
...