Physician's Odyssey

Chapter 719 - Start learning medicine from young

Translator: Thyaeria

There were procedures in every illness, especially psychological illnesses. It had to be done slowly, and Little Yuan’s condition was related to her childhood experience. She was abandoned by her parents and stayed in a special environment, not to mention that she even encountered all kinds of people. She had sealed up her heart, so she needed an opportunity for her to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly.

When Little Yuan realised that she could speak, she constantly called out, “Mama, Uncle Su!”

As long as she tried to reorganise her words, she could become a normal child, but it still required her to constantly practice.

“I love Mama and Uncle Su the most...” Hearing a complete sentence coming from Little Yuan, Lu Shimiao’s tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed.

“At most, Little Yuan only needs to undergo a week of practice before she can be like any normal person. Her voice is sweet, and who knows, she might become an outstanding singer or speaker.” Su Tao smiled.

Wiping her tears, Lu Shimiao smiled. “I only wish that she can be like any other child, having her own freedom without being discriminated against.”

Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Su Tao replied, “This is your temporary thoughts. Who knows when you might force her to attend tons of tuitions in the future.”

“Attending tuition is also the life of a normal child.” Lu Shimiao sniffed after a brief stun.

“That makes sense. But it’s not freedom. How many children want to study throughout the day and do homework? You should ask Little Yuan what she wants to become in the future!” Su Tao smiled.

“Mama... I want... to become a... TCM Physician... like Uncle Su!” Little Yuan suddenly said.

Lu Shimiao was stunned as she looked at Little Yuan with a complicated gaze. Clearly, she was surprised that her daughter would have such a dream.

“It’s not easy to learn TCM. You will need to memorise herbal books that are tougher than textbooks, not to mention that you also have to learn acupuncture that’s even harder than playing piano.” Su Tao bitterly smiled.

“I’m not afraid of that!” Little Yuan said with determination in her eyes as she looked at Su Tao.

Caressing Little Yuan’s ponytails, Su Tao replied, “To learn TCM, you have to start from young. If you’re really determined and not afraid of difficulties, you can go to the Three Flavour Hall tomorrow and look for Aunt Jingjing. I will get her to teach you.”

“You’re treating the words of a child seriously?” Lu Shimiao bitterly smiled.

Seriously nodding his head, Su Tao answered, “The words of a child are more trustable than an adult’s. Since she has chosen this path, we will have to respect her decision.”

“Parents would always hope that their son can become a dragon, while their daughter becomes a phoenix. All of them hope that their children can have a speciality. Right now, it’s common for children to learn calligraphy, foreign languages, and music instruments. Letting her learn TCM now might be a pretty good choice. At the very least, not many children would have any knowledge in this field.” Lu Shimiao’s eyes lit up as she smiled. “Why don’t you open a TCM Youth Class to teach children. Even martial arts, calligraphy, and opera starts from a young age, so TCM should do the same!”

Inspirations for innovations often came from casual chats.

In the past, Su Tao had also never thought of such an idea to promote the culture of TCM.

Su Tao thought back to his extraordinary life when he was young, when he started learning TCM from a young age. If one could create a good TCM ambiance from young with a decent memory, children would have an advantage when it comes to learning TCM compared to adults.

Nodding his head, Su Tao replied, “I will get Xiao Jingjing to plan an activity to organise the very first TCM Youth Class in Hanzhou City, directed at children that are below the age of 12. Since parents would always think that their children have too much time and they should learn something, they can hand their children to us and let their children experience one of the four greatest national studies of China.”

“Actually, some experienced physicians tried it, but it wasn’t as effective as calligraphy and opera.” Lu Shimiao smiled.

Holding onto his chin, Su Tao pondered before he said, “We have to let the parents know that learning TCM will be good for the kids. Not only is there worth in treating patients, but it also requires children to have a certain practical display.”

“Practical display?” Lu Shimiao was baffled.

Nodding his head, Su Tao smiled. “If a child learns calligraphy well, it will result in art, and parents can use it to determine their children’s progress to find a worth in the tuition class. For opera, children can sing on the stage to display what they’ve learned so that parents can be proud of their kids. So if we want children to learn TCM, we will need to show the parents the worth and effect in it. What do you think we can do to pander this mentality for parents?”

“I can’t think of any!” Lu Shimiao shook her head.

“TCM is a comprehensive knowledge. Aside from teaching them medical knowledge, we will also teach them calligraphy. Furthermore, children are required to nurture Qi in order to learn acupuncture, so we can teach the children some cultivation techniques on health maintenance, such as the Five Animals Form, Taichi, and the Three Flavour Hall’s exclusive Pulse Art.” Su Tao smiled.

Lu Shimiao was briefly stunned before she smiled as well. “Listening to your words, even I’m interested in it.”

“I have decided that the first TCM Youth Class class will be free and open to all as an experiment. Regardless of the program or books, they will have to be constantly improved.” Su Tao faintly replied.

“I’m sure that many people will definitely sign up for it!” Lu Shimiao firmly said.

Giving an encouraging smile to Little Yuan, Su Tao smiled. “It’s all thanks to Little Yuan or I wouldn’t be able to come up with this idea!”

“You're welcome!” Little Yuan swiftly responded with manners.

“But if it’s a TCM Youth Class, there’s actually no need for the Three Flavour Hall to be responsible for it. Wouldn’t it be better for the Qihuang Charity Funds to handle it?” Lu Shimiao smiled as she added, “Since it’s a public welfare organisation, we have to constantly ensure the popularity and plan things that can pique the interest of others. Since TCM is the foundation for the Qihuang Charity Funds, we naturally have a duty to promote the culture of TCM as well.”

“Then let the Qihuang Charity Funds plan it! We can also increase the scale. I will communicate with Master Song and Master Dou about this matter. We will start with Huainan, Xiangnan, and Xiangbei Provinces for it to have a greater influence.” Su Tao also felt that Lu Shimiao’s idea was pretty good.

After leaving Lu Shimiao and Little Yuan, Su Tao returned to his vehicle and gave a call to Yue Zun about his intention. Hearing about it, Yue Zun sighed, “The incident in Yundian Province’s Seven Mountain Village has caused a pretty huge commotion. It was even reported to the Health Ministry for assistance. They’re still thinking of how to deal with this matter as it might be related to a virus.”

“The Qihuang Charity Funds is willing to provide medical assistance.” Su Tao solemnly said.

Letting out a sigh, Yue Zun replied, “This is an unknown disease, and generally speaking, it’s equivalent to a disaster. Right now, that little village is deserted and completely sealed up. No one can casually come and go, so you have to think this through. If you go, there’s a chance that you might never return.”

Su Tao knew about Yue Zun’s reminder. It’s akin to the retribution from mother nature to humanity. Every few years, there would be infectious diseases or viruses to instill terror in people, such as pneumonia and Ebola. Whenever it appears, it would reap countless lives.

Every single time a virus breaks out, the healthcare workers who were on the frontlines would have the greatest risk of being infected.

The news coming from Yue Zun was way more serious than Lu Shimiao had described.

That’s because it was practically determined that this was a virus, and they’ve not found the cause for the time being.

It’s not hard to determine if it’s a virus when a large number of people were showing the same symptoms in the same area.

“You’re not intending on leading a team, right?” Yue Zun asked after a brief pondering.

“Certainly?” Su Tao smiled.

Locking his brows together, Yue Zun snapped, “You have many more important things to do, and it’s best for you not to get involved with something so dangerous! I can help you clear up the connections for Qihuang Charity Funds to be responsible for this medical assistance, but on the prerequisite that you have to stay behind!”

“I am the person behind the Qihuang Charity Funds. If I don’t dare to go, who would be willing to go?” Su Tao shook his head.

Letting out a sigh, Yue Zun bitterly smiled. “You’re practically going up the mountain despite knowing the presence of tigers!”

Shaking his head, Su Tao responded, “How can I obtain the tiger’s cub without going into a tiger’s den? Since I’m a physician, then combating diseases is my natural calling. Since ancient times, viruses have appeared countless times, but humanity has come up with a solution every single time. I believe that I can find the key in resolving this issue.”

“I feel that I’ve been too narrow-minded after listening to you. You’re still young, so you shouldn’t take the frontlines. With so many seniors above you in the National Healer Specialist Team, we should be the ones walking before the youngsters in face of a disaster. Why don’t you stay behind and let me lead the Qihuang Charity Funds’ team instead?” Yue Zun replied after a long silence.

Impressed by Yue Zun’s courage, Su Tao smiled. “Martial Uncle, don’t over complicate things. Who knows, it might not even be that terrifying. We’re still not able to determine if it’s a virus right now, so why don’t I take the vanguard and investigate the situation? If it’s really dangerous, we’ll immediately retreat and find a solution together.”

“Do you think that I’m easy to dupe?” Yue Zun bitterly smiled.

“The Qihuang Charity Funds’ medical team will all be youngsters. If it’s really a virus, we will also be able to resist it with our immunity.” Su Tao seriously replied.

Yue Zun briefly froze before he sighed, “We’ll talk about it again. I will communicate with the leaders to hand the medical assistance to your Qihuang Charity Funds. Actually, most of the organisations will typically consider the danger, and this incident is being rated S-rank, so you can imagine how difficult it will be.”

“If it’s not rated S-rank, how can we prove that our Qihuang Charity Funds isn’t an organisation that’s fishing for reputation? We’ve created this medical charity organisation for the benefit of the citizens, and we want to promote TCM to prove our national essence.” Su Tao casually replied.

Sighing once more, Yue Zun responded, “Your tone is exactly the same as your master, Dou Fanggang.”

“This proves that TCM is a continued tradition!” Su Tao smiled.