Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 56: Chapter 30 Elder Xu Argues with a Group of Doctors_2

“Yet there are women who handle livelihoods and support families,” Elder Xu said unhurriedly, his demeanor calm.

“That’s what those of the lower strata do; how can it be compared with practicing medicine?” someone retorted, unconvinced.

“Doctors, too, are not ranked among the Upper Nine Streams,” Elder Xu continued to rebuff.

Uncle Song, standing to the side, looked at him with admiration. Indeed, he was worthy of being the old master’s dear friend, truly unorthodox, and clearly on their side.

“You!” The crowd was rendered speechless, frustrated at being blocked; the status of medicine, although special, still fell among the lower ranks of craftsmen—this was an indisputable fact, and one that those in the medical profession least wished to admit!

“Even if she is a woman, I’ve never heard of her having medical skills, so how can she practice medicine?” someone backpedaled.

“Just because you haven’t heard doesn’t mean she cannot; moreover, with her family heritage, she might very well hold the true transmission from Elder Gu,” Elder Xu retorted.

“It seems she intends to single-handedly take on the Gu Family Medical Hall. Isn’t that a bit too confident?”

“The Gu Family Medical Hall is hers to begin with. If she wants to shoulder it all, what is it to us?” Elder Xu argued back.

“But she’s barely twenty…”

“A hero doesn’t concern themself with origins, let alone age.”

“She even claims she wants to refine Elder Gu’s medical texts—to refine, you hear that? Such audacity, it’s practically a betrayal of her teacher’s legacy!”

“Culture in one’s heart shines through one’s exterior. Since she dare say it, she must have some extraordinary abilities. Throughout history, there have always been those who surpass their predecessors.”

“By what virtue and ability does she dare to stand before us all, spouting madness about emulating Elder Gu’s virtues and benefiting all doctors under heaven?”

“Do you think her manner just now was a sham? Can any of you speak of The Great Healer’s Way so freely?” Elder Xu asked leisurely in return.

The crowd fell into contemplation, momentarily speechless.

Indeed, they had all been taken aback by Gu Changsheng’s discourse on the Great Doctor of the Masses earlier. Anyone who could speak such words, even if their medical skills were not outstanding, surely would not lack good character.

“I myself must admit I am far from the path of the Great Doctor of the Masses, but how can you know Lady Changsheng can achieve it?” someone questioned.

“I don’t know, but the very fact she could utter those words means she surpasses me by far, even if she doesn’t achieve it,” Elder Xu responded directly.

It had to be said that the crowd’s understanding of Gu Changsheng was too far from the truth; by all means, Gu Changsheng was beyond their reach.

…

The crowd’s arguments echoed without ceasing and only after a long while did they begin to subside, with everyone expressing dissatisfaction. They were waiting! Waiting to laugh at the presumptuous, arrogant Lady Changsheng who thought too highly of herself.

Hu Yihai, however, surprisingly did not join this battle of words; he stood to the side deep in thought about the words Gu Changsheng had said before leaving.

What was it? A friendly gesture? Or a warning?

But if it truly were as she said, repaying tenfold, then what should he do?

What he thought, Uncle Song did not know; he just paid extra attention to him, glancing his way several times.

After bidding farewell to the excited crowd from the medical hall, Uncle Song hurriedly returned to the back courtyard.

After searching and not finding his lady, he heard from Xiao Cui that she had gone to rest, saying that she needed to make up for the time she had missed earlier.

Uncle Song couldn’t help but feel helpless as he coughed twice. The lady had stirred up such a storm in the medical hall, and now with the entire medical community of Liuzhou alerted, she could still think of sleep?

Should he praise her for having great schemes in her heart or criticize her for her carelessness?

After puzzling over it for a while without resolution, Uncle Song let it go; after all, no matter what, she was his lady.

Having embraced this realization, Uncle Song nevertheless recounted vividly to Gu Changsheng upon her awakening all the developments she had missed.

Gu Changsheng listened with keen interest, so delighted that she nearly forgot herself. This feeling was just too damn self-aggrandizing—to be able to stun an entire room of people into overcooking outside while underdone inside, that too was a realm! A realm, you understand?

Gu Changsheng, still not getting enough of Uncle Song’s story, summarily expressed her high spirits, “Elder Xu is truly a talent; this is an outright real-life version of a verbal battle with a roomful of doctors. Being just a doctor is too minuscule for such talent!”

Without waiting for Uncle Song to react, Gu Changsheng gave a thumbs-up and continued, “Uncle Song, you did well too. Amidst the back-and-forth of so many people, you managed to recount everything verbatim. You’re just like a voice recorder, fitting for great use!”

Although he didn’t understand what a voice recorder was, Uncle Song, getting the gist of the last remark, still humbly waved his hands, “My lady flatters me, my lady flatters me. It’s my incompetence that requires you to deal with everything. But regarding the reopening of the medical hall in three days, I wonder what your plans are?”

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng propped up her chin, adopting an air of indifference, “I have no idea. The momentum has already been built; as for how things will actually turn out, we can only wait and see.”

Besides, the momentum was built a bit too big, and whether she could end it perfectly, she herself wasn’t sure. After all, they had nothing now, and their only chance was to capitalize on the reputation of the medical texts; otherwise, reviving the long-declined Gu Family Medical Hall was nearly impossible without being a Daluo Golden Immortal!

Obviously, she was not a Daluo Golden Immortal and couldn’t turn stones into gold. She could only take advantage of the situation, and whether it would succeed was up to fate.

In the following three days, Gu Changsheng did indeed make ample preparations. She ordered Uncle Song to prepare inferior brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, which were necessary for writing prescriptions. During the Zhou Dynasty, the costs of these items were soaring; she was so poor that she couldn’t even afford ordinary paper, let alone second-grade ones.

After preparing the writing materials, Gu Changsheng sent Uncle Song to frequent the herbal medicine merchants, first, to inform them that the medical hall would soon open, and second, to see if she could scrounge some herbs.

She then commanded the maids to visit other medical halls when they had free time, to listen in for any news and to recognize medicinal herbs. Since they couldn’t afford to hire any apprentices or attendants, they had to make do and have the three maids learn on the job; at the least, they had to get by for the time being.

With the few capable people in the house dispatched by Gu Changsheng, she found herself with nothing to do. When bored, she sat with Little Meat Bun and Han Mo as they stared at each other, occasionally indulging in some memorization of texts, or when out of ideas, watching the two continue their carpentry while she teased them pleasure.

With everything ready but a favorable wind, Gu Changsheng awaited the reopening of the medical hall in three days, hoping for a rolling in of wealth.