Chapter 36.2

As Guan Yue was heading up the mountain, Robert was pestering Deng Baishu, who was coming up to deliver medicine, asking him questions left and right. Deng Baishu, feeling irritated, snapped: “I told you, you wouldn’t understand. Why are you asking so many questions?”

Robert felt wronged. He was only asking because he didn’t understand.

Guan Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

Robert now reminded her of herself from a while ago—when she had no foundation and had forced herself to study virology.

She knew all the words in the book but had no idea what they meant. Robert, on the other hand, understood the words, but he had no idea what Deng Baishu was saying.

Seeing Guan Yue approaching, Deng Baishu sought help: “Teacher, go to the medical school below and bring someone up to teach him. Just pick anyone from the group that compiled the basics of Chinese medicine.”

Robert wasn’t qualified for Deng Baishu to be his teacher, but it might be acceptable for someone teaching the basics of Chinese medicine.

Guan Yue replied: “We didn’t charge him tuition. Why are you so concerned?”

“Oh, right, why does it matter to me?” Deng Baishu pushed Robert aside: “Let go of me!”

Robert understood what they were saying even more clearly now and refused to let go, saying: “Teach me, I’ll pay for the tuition, or you teach me Chinese medicine, and I’ll teach you Western medicine.”

Deng Baishu scoffed: “I’m not learning Western medicine. I haven’t even figured out Chinese medicine, why would I study Western medicine? Now, let go!”

Guan Yue ignored the noisy exchange between the two and went into the room to see Professor John.

By now, he had finished his breakfast, taken his medicine, and was lying in bed waiting for Guan Yue to arrive.

“Good morning.”

After greeting him, Guan Yue began today’s acupuncture treatment.

Professor John couldn’t help but tell Guan Yue: “I can feel my toes now, I can barely move them.”

Guan Yue replied: “That’s a good thing.”

Professor John smiled, saying: “I don’t think it will take two months. I’ll be back to health soon.”

Guan Yue chuckled softly. He was thinking too far ahead. Right now, he had only regained feeling in his toes, and the most severely affected part of his body—the cause of his paralysis—had only just improved a little bit.

However, treating the illness could take time, but learning had to be approached with more urgency.

In the past few days, Professor John had regained his energy and learned about Guan Yue’s progress in her studies. Starting from today, he was going to systematically teach her.

In the morning, Professor John would have acupuncture, and then take a rest at noon. The daily class time was set for 3:00 PM, and they would have two hours of lessons each day.

Guan Yue attended the lessons every afternoon, and Gu Sui also tried to find time to attend the classes. In the evening, they would discuss the lessons together.

This routine continued for over two months, and the entire summer passed. Professor John’s health gradually improved, and through his teaching, Guan Yue entered the field of virology, thoroughly studying all the related materials she had.

In fact, about half a month ago, Professor John had stopped using textbooks and materials in his lessons. What he taught Guan Yue were the latest research findings from himself and his colleagues in the field.

At this point, Guan Yue was already able to discuss relevant topics with him and express her own opinions.

Both Professor John and Robert, who had witnessed the entire process, were astonished by Guan Yue’s learning ability. They never expected that such a genius existed in the world.

Guan Yue was indeed a genius, but she was also incredibly hardworking. Aside from her Monday consultations, she attended class every afternoon. In the evenings, she returned to the mountain villa to try some simple experiments, and the next morning, after performing acupuncture on Professor John, she would review and prepare for the next lesson.

Guan Yue felt that since Professor John would eventually leave, she should learn as much as she could in the short time she had.

One morning, after giving Professor John an acupuncture treatment and checking his pulse, Guan Yue told him: “You’ve fully recovered now. You can leave at any time.”

Professor John’s health had completely recovered, and he didn’t even need rehabilitation anymore. He was now just like any other normal person.

Professor John smiled and said: “It’s really time to leave. There’s nothing more I can teach you. Have you really not considered coming with me to the UK? I can introduce you to other scholars in the field of virology research.”

Guan Yue shook her head: “I won’t leave here, but if you have any new research findings that can be made public, please send them to me if it’s convenient. I would really appreciate it.”

Professor John agreed: “I’d be very happy to.”

Professor John trusted Guan Yue’s medical skills very much, and he wanted to introduce his friends to her for treatment. He wasn’t sure if it would be convenient for her.

Guan Yue replied: “The only reason you found me was because I needed a virology teacher. If others want to see me for treatment, the process is more complicated. After you return to Hong Kong, you can ask Zhang Mingrui.”

Guan Yue thought to herself that Professor John’s friends were probably not lacking in money, so if they wanted to see her, they could participate in an auction.

John nodded. “Once again, thank you!”

Guan Yue smiled, though it was simply a matter of mutual benefit.

During this time, they had stayed on the mountain, with their activities confined to the area within a few dozen meters of the house. Even though they were there to treat illnesses, both John and Robert were beginning to feel restless.

---

The next day was Monday, and they were leaving. Guan Yue specifically took some time off to see them off.

Xiao Ma said: “Ah, those foreigners have finally left.”

Guan Yue smiled. “You all were waiting for them to leave?”

“Of course. With more foreigners around, everyone had to be more alert. What if they were spies? Luckily, they’re gone now.”

Guan Yue replied: “You never know, more foreigners may come in the future.”

“What? More foreigners?”

John would not have casually asked her how to find her for treatment the day before. 

But that was all in the future; there was no need to discuss it now.

Guan Yue lost track of time in the mountains, unaware that the outside world was already busy with the autumn harvest. A few days later, Zhou Baohe and the others brought the grain they had prepared for Guan Yue and asked her for some medicine to prepare for the winter.

Guan Yue didn’t know about any of this; recently, she had been staying in the mountain villa, while Gu Sui took care of matters at the wooden house.

Guan Yue had been focusing on her research and studies, and several months passed. The Chinese Medicine Academy at the foot of the mountain had also made progress, publishing several books.

Recently, their most important task was to gather together every day to hold meetings to discuss the newly compiled textbooks, checking them word by word for any errors in knowledge.

A week later, Guan Yue came down from the mountain and went to work at the sanatorium. Deng Weimin handed her two books that had already been reviewed. “You’ve read more medical books than I have, and your medical skills are also more advanced. Take them back and see if there are any errors.”

There were only a few minutes left before work started. Guan Yue flipped through the books briefly. “Alright, I’ll take them back and check.”

Deng Baishu knocked on the door. “Teacher, there’s a patient.”

Guan Yue put down the book. “Please come in.”

There were quite a few new patients today, and both Gu Sui and Guan Yue were busy. They had only managed to eat a few bites in the dining hall before returning to their consultations.

After a long day, they were too exhausted to even think about dinner in the evening.

When they got home, Gu Sui, feeling sorry for her, said: “You haven’t been eating well in the villa these past few days, and lunch today was barely enough. I’ll cook you a big meal tonight.”

Guan Yue lay in the chair, holding onto Gu Sui’s hand to keep him from leaving. “You’re tired too. Let’s just eat something simple tonight. We can have a big meal tomorrow.”

Gu Sui smiled. “You’ve got a heart, knowing to feel sorry for me.”

Guan Yue grinned mischievously. “Let’s have noodles tonight. Tomorrow, I want to have hotpot fish for lunch.”

Thinking about the spicy, flavorful hotpot fish, Guan Yue couldn’t help but swallow. She had been alone in the villa for the past week, making do with porridge and pickles or just eggs and bread. She had grown tired of the bland food.

“If you’re not busy tomorrow morning, I’ll come back early to make it.” Gu Sui added.

Guan Yue hummed and then pouted, saying: “Gu Sui, you’re so good.”

Gu Sui playfully rubbed her soft cheek. “It’s only when you need something from me that you remember how good I am.”

“Who said that? I always remember how good you are.” Guan Yue replied.

Gu Sui grunted, unsure whether he should believe her.

He went to the kitchen to cook, and Guan Yue held his hand and followed him to help.

That evening, they had tomato egg noodles, with her handling the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.

Gu Sui said: “Don’t put too much.”

Guan Yue replied: “Got it!”

Gu Sui was worried about anyone else coming up the mountain and finding anything out of place. In fact, during this period, Li Dingbang had returned to the military district, and Xiao Ma was busy with the mundane tasks of the sanatorium, so no one else had come up.

The mountain was very safe.

The next day was Tuesday. Since Guan Yue didn’t have work, she went to the small stream on the mountain early in the morning, caught a big fish, and threw it into the kitchen’s water bucket. Then she found a comfortable spot to sit and started looking at the two books that Deng Weimin had given her the day before.

Guan Yue read quickly. After finishing both books, she found that there were generally no errors, but there were two or three points she disagreed with. She marked them with a red pen.

It wasn’t yet noon, so Guan Yue took the books and went to walk around the family building.

The doctors in the family building saw her and greeted her warmly. “Doctor Guan, what brings you here? Please, come in!”

Guan Yue smiled and raised the books in her hand. “I read the books you compiled. They’re really well done.”

Everyone laughed heartily. “The pediatrics and internal medicine sections, right? We’ve already had a meeting to review them.”

Guan Yue then asked: “Are you all free right now? If so, let’s sit down and chat. There are a few places where I have a different opinion.”

“Sure, let’s talk.”

Everyone here knew that the reason Mr. Deng had managed to pull them out of their initial predicament was largely due to the significant amount of money Guan Yue had invested. They were all grateful and showed great respect toward her.

Moreover, regarding Guan Yue’s medical skills, even the Deng family had to bow to her expertise, and they too had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Guan Yue handed the books to them, and after they had finished reading, she spoke. “A few points here are not quite right. For example, the first one, regarding the treatment methods for pediatric palpitations…”

Guan Yue explained her opinions logically and provided relevant references from medical books and prescriptions for similar cases, leaving no room for rebuttal.

After she finished speaking, she waited for them to respond, but after some discussion, they directly agreed with her viewpoint.

Guan Yue raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I was expecting a challenge, but no one is arguing today?”

She continued: “Then let me move on to the next point…”

While Guan Yue was holding a meeting to discuss the traditional Chinese medicine textbooks, in Hong Kong, a small meeting was taking place to discuss Professor John’s condition.

Professor John had seen many doctors, and he carried the diagnostic reports and certificates from various hospitals with him. After returning from the mainland, Robert took him to the hospital immediately for an examination. All the indicators showed that Professor John was as healthy as could be.

The comparison between this latest medical examination report and the previous ones was like comparing heaven and earth.

Professor John, as the one experiencing it, also felt that being cured of his paralysis seemed like a miracle.

At that moment, Robert’s friends were sitting in the room—doctors from various departments. After discussing and researching, they all agreed that with current Western medical technology, it was impossible to cure Professor John’s condition.

However, traditional Chinese medicine had done it!

Wasn’t that miraculous?

Now, they wanted to know if this miracle was something that any skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctor could achieve, or if it was only something Guan Yue could do.

Mu Liyan, who had been specially invited by Robert to attend, told them: “Indeed, some skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctors can cure paralysis. But for a paralysis case like Professor John’s, there might not be many doctors capable of curing him.”

At least, he himself couldn’t do it.

As the only traditional Chinese medicine practitioner present, Mu Liyan felt proud that the field of Chinese medicine had a talent like Guan Yue.

Robert smiled and said: “This country truly is a magical place.”

Professor John nodded in agreement.

They hadn’t fully understood how Guan Yue had cured the disease, but the only conclusion from this research meeting was clear: Guan Yue was truly a miraculous doctor!

Professor John was returning to the UK, and before he left, he paid a visit to the Zhang family. After leaving the Zhang family, he was convinced that he would be back soon.

In early November, as winter began to set in, the twelve-volume Chinese medicine textbook compiled by the medical school had passed all reviews and was ready for publication.

They now wanted to make the name of the medical school a reality, not just something mentioned casually.

This matter didn’t need to involve Guan Yue. Deng Weimin had gone back to Qingchuan to visit Li Dingbang, and by the end of November, the sign for the Southwest Medical College of the PLA was officially established.

The medical school would not be enrolling students for the time being. Just as Guan Yue had originally envisioned, the few people responsible for compiling the textbooks were now the teachers of the school, and the younger doctors were now the students.

The doctors here were mostly specialists, with fewer general practitioners. So, those who taught in a specific department might also attend classes in other departments to learn. 

Although classes would officially begin after the New Year, everyone’s enthusiasm for learning was already high.

Moreover, since they were now a legitimate medical school, the teachers were paid salaries, and the students received living allowances. Finally, they no longer needed to rely on Guan Yue’s money.

Li Dingbang, committed to doing things properly, decided that since the medical school had been established under their name, the families of the faculty members who wished to move could do so. 

Of course, the families couldn’t live inside Qingxi Village, but they could find land outside the valley to build houses.

With this policy in place, everyone happily went back to their hometowns to bring their wives and children over. Even if they had to live in a makeshift hut, it didn’t matter as long as they weren’t being mistreated.

The medical school had been built from the ground up, and Deng Weimin had been involved throughout. The school’s regulations were mostly drafted by Deng Weimin and Deng Weijia. Everyone assumed that the two of them, being so involved, would naturally be the first principals.

However, when the announcement was posted, everyone was surprised to find that Deng Weijia was the vice principal, and the principal was Guan Yue.

Deng Weimin and Deng Weijia, fearing that Guan Yue might object, rushed to meet with her. “We all know how the medical school came about. Come on, the first principal should be you.”

Guan Yue tried to refuse, but Deng Weimin quickly said: “You’ll be a figurehead principal. You won’t have to manage anything there.”

Deng Weijia added: “Exactly, before coming here, I resigned from my position at the military hospital. Now that I have time, I’ll take care of everything as vice principal.”

Guan Yue thought for a moment. “Alright, as long as you don’t give me too much work. But I can contribute financially.”

Deng Weimin chuckled. “Everyone knows you’re the big financial backer of the school.”

Aside from persuading Guan Yue to accept the position of principal, they also wanted to discuss another matter with her.

“Since we’ve officially established the PLA Southwest Medical College, we were thinking of holding an opening ceremony after the New Year. We want to promote the school in the newspapers so that people know we now have a legitimate Chinese medicine school. This could raise the status of traditional Chinese medicine and improve the lives of those Chinese medicine practitioners who can’t attend here. What do you think?”

Guan Yue nodded. “I think this is a good idea.”

Deng Weimin was excited. “Great! We’ll do it this way, and you just need to attend the event.”

Their goal was simple: to spread the word and let people see that traditional Chinese medicine now had a legitimate school. This would help improve the lives of those unfairly labeled as remnants of feudalism, even if just a little.

When Gu Sui returned home from work, he listened to Guan Yue talk about the school matters. “When will school start?”

Guan Yue replied: “They only said after the New Year, but I guess it’ll probably be after the Lantern Festival.”

Gu Sui handed a letter to Guan Yue. “My brother managed to get time off this year. My parents want us to go back to Beijing for the New Year.”

Guan Yue opened the letter, which was from Gu Sui’s mother. From the words, it was clear that she was a gentle person.

Guan Yue said: “Your mom invited me.”

“Yeah, do you want to go?” Gu Sui sat down beside her.

Guan Yue thought for a moment. “Sure, I’ve never been to Beijing. Besides, you’ve already met my teacher, so I should go meet your parents.”

Gu Sui squeezed her hand. “What do you mean, ‘your parents’? You can call them Uncle and Aunt, but it’s better to call them ‘Father-in-law’ and ‘Mother-in-law’.”

Guan Yue pulled her hand away. “Hmph, we’re not even married yet.”

Gu Sui laughed. “It’s coming soon. After the New Year, it will be the year ’69. Next New Year will be ’70.”

Guan Yue was shocked. “You can’t be that eager, right? Are you planning to get married right after New Year’s Day?”

“Isn’t New Year’s Day good? Didn’t you say so yourself? In ’70, it’ll be easy to remember our wedding anniversary. Tell me, what day is better to remember than New Year’s Day?”

Guan Yue tried to think of a way to argue with him, then suddenly had an idea and slapped his thigh. “I got it! The Dragon Boat Festival, it’s the day we met for the first time! How meaningful is that?”

Gu Sui sneered. “Guan Yue, you can’t always get your way. You said we should get married in ’70, and I agreed. But when in ’70 we get married, don’t you think you’ll have to listen to me?”

“Aiya, don’t be so calculative with me.” Guan Yue clung to him, acting coquettishly, trying to get away with it.

Gu Sui lifted her and placed her on his lap, gritting his teeth. “You’re always so generous to everyone else, but all you do is bully me.”

Guan Yue rested her head on his shoulder, laughing out loud.

She propped herself up on his shoulder, their noses touching, and pinched his ear. “Oh, poor you.”

Gu Sui lightly pecked her lips. “As long as you know.”

She kissed him back, her fingers sliding along his sensitive Adam’s apple, whispering in his ear: “So, how do you want me to apologize?”

Her voice was sweet enough to squeeze out a few spoonfuls of honey.

Gu Sui’s breath hitched, and in a sudden motion, he stood up, tossing her onto the chair before turning to walk away.

Guan Yue burst into laughter.

Somewhere along the way, Guan Yue had developed a habit of teasing him. Watching him fume with frustration, unable to do anything to her, made her little inner troublemaker-self very pleased.

Gu Sui walked a few steps before turning around to glare at her. “You wait, one day…”

“One day what? Are you going to eat me? I’m waiting.” Guan Yue teased.

She was already mentally picturing herself tying him up with a vine, holding a small whip, and feeling triumphant!

Gu Sui… There were many words on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say them.

“One more year!” he finally muttered.

Guan Yue wasn’t scared. She grinned mischievously, then ran over and jumped onto his back. “Carry me!”

What could Gu Sui do? He couldn’t afford to offend his little “Ancestor”—so he carried her!