Chapter 1216: A New Department
As soon as the old man mentioned discussing something, everyone put their chopsticks down on the table. Lin Tian was no exception. He knew that the teacher had a habit during classes of disliking people whispering to each other, or making any other small movements.
Although this dining table was not a classroom, he supposed the habit was similar.
"A while ago, Mr. Zhang came to the house for a meal and discussed some things with me, wanting me to gather my former students to establish a department of traditional medicine. Kanyue City would be the starting point, spreading the positive energy of ancient medicine across the country and encouraging more people to get involved in the ancient medicine profession."
The more Zhao Xuefeng spoke, the more excited he became, his face slightly flushed as he said, "The current reputation of ancient medicine among the public is really poor. You can tell just from looking at the patient visits for both Chinese and Western medicine. Besides increasing visibility, we should increase the proportion of insurance reimbursements for ancient medicine and gradually popularize some common knowledge about ancient medicine to the public. Only when everyone can use it will they appreciate the value of ancient medicine. Otherwise, no matter how much we promote it, it won’t have much effect."
Lin Tian quietly listened as he sat in the chair, already having a rough idea of what Zhao Xuefeng meant.
"Teacher, just say where you need my help. I’m part of the ancient medicine community too," Lin Tian said sincerely and earnestly.
Zhao Xuefeng glanced at Lin Tian, nodded, and said, "I knew you’d join, but right now there’s nothing that requires your involvement. This plan is just getting started, and there’s still plenty to do later. I’m just giving you a heads up so you’re prepared."
Lin Tian grinned and said, "Always ready."
"That’s good," Zhao Xuefeng nodded with satisfaction.
Sitting next to Lin Tian, Zhao Qingtang wasn’t happy after hearing this. She snorted lightly, "Grandpa, you’re only talking to Lin Tian at this table. You’re being biased!"
Zhao Xuefeng was momentarily taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter, pointing at Zhao Qingtang with good-natured humor, "Do you think you’d be left out of this? Right now Lin Tian doesn’t have any tasks, but you do, and it’s a big one."
Given a pulse of energy, Zhao Qingtang was eager to know and asked, "What is it?"
"Hehe, don’t rush. I’ll tell you in a bit," Zhao Xuefeng chuckled, keeping it mysterious.
"Hmph!" Zhao Qingtang snorted again, but couldn’t do anything about her grandfather, whose stubborn nature was like an ox and couldn’t be hurried.
"Lin Tian, let me introduce the two people in front of you," Zhao Xuefeng said.
Lin Tian, with a bright smile, said, "I know these two, they’re Qingtang’s parents."
Zhao Xuefeng widened his eyes, "Don’t interrupt."
"Got it." Lin Tian immediately sat up straight, his serious demeanor once again making Zhao Qingtang giggle. This guy pretending to be serious was really amusing.
"Ahem."
Clearing his throat, Zhao Xuefeng continued, "Both of them are also my students, to a certain extent, so they are your senior brother and sister, of course, you can’t call them that. Previously, they were at the Ancient Medical Science Academy in Nanhai, dedicated to researching a solution for cancer. For 23 years now, there’s been a significant breakthrough. Though we can’t completely conquer cancer cells, there’s been considerable improvement, serving a large part of the current domestic patients."
As Lin Tian listened, his eyes widened, and he looked at the two elders in front of him with renewed surprise. If this succeeded, it would truly be a monumental achievement for history.
Zhao Yushu looked at Lin Tian and chuckled, "I saw you on the news some time ago. I heard you have some unique views on people in vegetative states, and your contributions aren’t small either. It’s not easy to have that kind of ability at such a young age."
Being praised like this, Lin Tian modestly smiled, "Hehe, just good luck and coincidence, I haven’t really conquered the vegetative condition yet."
Zhang Youling, with a hint of a smile, said, "Not arrogant or impatient, that’s a good personality."
Lin Tian chuckled again and asked, "Both of you are seniors. Your contributions are definitely greater than mine as a youngster. Are you here for this new department?"
"Yes, more or less," Zhao Yushu nodded and said, "The research in Hainan has hit a bottleneck without breakthroughs for a long time. Just as help is needed here, we came over. Maybe we’ll find a breakthrough here. If there’s any progress in the studio, we’ll go back immediately."
Listening to their enthusiastic conversation, Zhao Qingtang couldn’t help but ask, "Grandpa, now you should tell me what my big task is, right?"
Zhao Xuefeng chuckled and said, "With your parents back in Kanyue City, naturally whatever they do, you do too, lending a hand so they don’t get so busy they forget to eat."
Xu Wan, looking at her thin son and daughter-in-law, empathetically said, "Alright, alright, don’t rush about work. Relax at home for a few days. Over the years, it’s been all work and they’ve gotten so thin. You just got off the plane, don’t talk about work yet, chat about something else."
"What are you disrupting for..." Zhao Xuefeng said, "We haven’t finished talking about official matters."
"Go, go, go, if you want to talk about work, do it in the study. Here at the dining table, it’s my say. Can’t we talk about something else?" Xu Wan retorted, undeterred.
These old spouses, having argued all their lives, exchange a few words is quite normal. But to stop them from continuing, everyone tried hard to mediate.
When the topic shifted, Xu Wan smiled as she picked some food for Lin Tian, saying, "I heard you were sick recently. Here, eat more meat to recover quickly."
"Thank you, madam."
"No need to thank me," Xu Wan said, her gaze sweeping between Lin Tian and Zhao Qingtang, curious, "If you must thank someone, thank Qingtang. It’s hard to find someone so thoughtful to take care of you; otherwise, you’d not recover this fast."
Zhao Yushu and Zhang Youling’s gaze also turned peculiar at this, as it sounded like a young couple.
"I understand..." Lin Tian nodded awkwardly.
"Qingtang took care of you quite well during this time, right?" Xu Wan asked in detail again.
"Yes, quite well..."
"Just quite well?" Zhao Qingtang looked at Lin Tian with discontent, pinching him gently at the waist.
Enduring the pain, Lin Tian quickly corrected, "She took care of me very thoroughly. If it weren’t for her, I’d still be lying in bed now."
Zhao Qingtang snorted lightly again, "Not sincere."
But Zhang Youling, sitting opposite, was delighted, quickly stepping in for Lin Tian, "Hey, gratitude isn’t something to keep stating. Besides, we’re all family; what’s the point in saying thank you? Lin Tian, don’t bicker with Qingtang because she’s typically willful."
Lin Tian sensed something odd in the words, and Zhang Youling’s look carried a lot of meaning. Lin Tian smiled and said, "I won’t, but I really appreciate Qingtang’s care through this period, no matter how willful she is, it’s not too much."