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墨書 Inktalez
Another legendary version that has been widely exaggerated is about Mr. Zhao, a business tycoon from Jiangcheng. His mother suddenly fell ill and was sent to the Funeral Home, where a young man with the surname Lin saved her with a silver needle, bringing her back to life and extending Madam Zhao's life by three months.
My boss, Chen Senran, had mixed feelings about this. Such rumors significantly boosted the Funeral Home's visibility but also attracted many uninvited guests: internet celebrities and self-media influencers gathered at the company's entrance every day to gather stories or even livestream.
While this brought us business, it also affected our operations. No family of the deceased wants to become fodder for unscrupulous bloggers.
Boss Chen made a tough decision and gave me a break: "This is 2000 yuan as a reward from the company; you should take some time off." When would I return to work? Would I still get paid during my leave? He didn't say anything about that.
I never expected that saving someone would jeopardize my own job. On the day I saved Mr. Zhao's mother, he gave me an envelope containing 10,000 yuan, but before I could even warm it in my pocket, Fat Boss Chen took it from me: "You are an employee of the company; the reward from the client should go to the company. Of course, the company will calculate your bonus."
The 2,000 yuan he gave me today was probably that "bonus." A colleague I was close with, Brother Biao, quietly told me that after deducting funeral expenses, Mr. Zhao had separately rewarded Fat Boss with another 10,000 yuan. He admonished me in frustration: "That 10,000 yuan was clearly a tip for you; why did you give it to Chen?"
At this point, what could I do?
Taking the bus back to my home in Lin Family Village, Laogu Ying Township, Anbei County, my return did not bring joy to my family. My grandfather, over seventy years old, sat solemnly in an armchair at the entrance of our old house. The ancestral tablets were placed out, and my father Lin Qihua and uncle Lin Zhenhua stood beside him.
"Kneel!" My father shouted as I entered.
I dared not disobey and knelt before the ancestral tablets with a thud.
Grandfather Lin Shouzong asked sternly, "Do you know why you're kneeling?"
I did not dare to look up: "I violated the Ancestral Instruction!"
His goat beard trembled in anger: "You still remember? Violating the Ancestral Instruction!"
I lowered my head even further and muttered: "...All descendants of the Lin family may only practice medicine in rural areas and must not save people in towns; all descendants of the Lin family may only treat commoners and must not save nobles; all descendants of the Lin family may only use needles in extreme circumstances; all descendants of the Lin family may only practice martial arts for strength and must not engage in violence; all descendants of the Lin family may only practice martial arts for strength and must not bully the weak..."
With a loud bang, Grandfather's cane struck heavily on the table leg: "You recite the Ancestral Instruction quite fluently!"
I argued back: "Wasn't it an emergency since she was already in a coffin?"
Grandfather choked on his tea and turned to my father and uncle standing nearby: "He's eighteen now; you should explain to him why our ancestors left behind such Ancestral Instructions!" Then he sat there angrily smoking his pipe.
"Fifteen years of the Republic of China..." Uncle Lin Zhenhua began.
I rubbed my sore legs and thought, "My dear Uncle, it's already 2023. When will you finish this old tale from over a hundred years ago?"
The ancestors of the Lin family studied under Master Ye during the Qianlong era, a medical enthusiast featured in February River's book "Emperor Qianlong." He once used his own nosebleed mixed with turtle blood to attract mosquitoes and save the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan, who later became Emperor Jiaqing.
In 1915, Yuan Shikai announced his acceptance of the throne, overthrowing the republic and restoring the imperial system, renaming the Republic of China to the Zhonghua Empire. He ordered the abolition of the Republic of China era, changing the fifth year of the Republic to the Hongxian Era, which is historically referred to as the Hongxian Empire System.
The Lin family's ancestor was summoned to treat Yuan Shikai's fourth son, Yuan Keduan. During Yuan Shikai's establishment of the Hongxian Empire System, Yuan Keduan carved a seal reading "Fourth Son of the Emperor," comparing himself to Yongzheng.
Yuan Keduan's illness was cured by the Lin family ancestor, but this led to jealousy from Yuan Shikai's other three sons. The "Third Son of the Emperor," Yuan Keliang, who was appointed by Yuan Shikai to oversee the investigation team, ordered the destruction of the medical clinic. The ancestor was brutally beaten, and the entire family was expelled from Beijing. The elderly, women, and children—over thirty people—wandered aimlessly along their journey, with many dying far from home.
After finally returning to Jiangbei Province Anbei Hometown, the ancestor was on his last breath and left behind a final instruction: "All descendants of the Lin family may only practice medicine in the mountains and fields; they must not heal in the marketplace; they may only treat common folk and not save nobles!"
After liberation, when people became masters of their own fate, my grandfather's father opened a clinic in Anbei County Town. Relying on his knowledge of Qihuang Technique for survival, he supported the whole family.
Due to certain events, the ancestral instruction became an ironclad rule: "All descendants of the Lin family may only practice medicine in the mountains and fields; they must not heal in the marketplace; they may only treat common folk and not save nobles!"
At four years old, I was taught by my grandfather to identify traditional Chinese herbs. By five, I could recite "Song of Decoction." As soon as I learned to read in elementary school, I was introduced to books like "Huangdi Neijing," "Treatise on Typhoid and Miscellaneous Diseases," "Shennong Bencao Jing," as well as "Lingshu," "Suwen," "Pulse Classic," "Nanjing," "Pulse Technique," "Acupoint," "Warmth Theory," "Blood Syndrome Theory," "Pharmacological Properties," "Differentiation Record," "Spleen and Stomach Theory," "Formulary Studies," "Traditional Chinese Medicine," "Acupuncture," "Medical Classics Reader," and "Three Elimination Theory."
At two years old, I began practicing horse stance and breathing techniques with my grandfather. By three, I was running with sandbags tied to my legs and jumping out of a sand pit he dug in our yard. As I grew older, the sandbags on my legs became heavier and the pit deeper; I could swing around a fifty-pound sandbag hanging from a crooked jujube tree with punches and kicks.
Despite being academically challenged, I had an obsession with Traditional Chinese Medicine and our family's martial arts—though I rarely put it into practice and had no idea how skilled I truly was.
Last year, after graduating high school and seeing no hope for further education, my father arranged for me to work at Wangji Funeral Company under Boss Chen in Jiangcheng. But shortly after I left, my grandfather Lin Shouzong discovered that a box of silver needles passed down through our family had gone missing.
Hehe... I secretly took it.
Now that information is so accessible, everyone in my family saw news about a young man named Lin performing acupuncture at Wangji Funeral Company. They were too afraid to mention it to my grandfather until my cousin Mei Feng returned from county town and quickly spilled the beans. She showed him her new smartphone: “Grandpa, look! My little brother saved someone and made it into the news…”
For decades, our family lived in Lin Family Village in Anbei Old Guying just treating nearby villagers. However, with Western medicine becoming popular over recent years, my grandfather had mostly retired. My father and uncle lacked talent in this field; my cousin Lin Shuangyun had no interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine at all and was studying forensic medicine at Jiangbei University School of Medicine.
Little did my grandfather know that his youngest male descendant had gained fame for treating patients.
He felt anxious: Please don't let anything happen because of practicing medicine again!
I knelt for over two hours listening to Uncle recount our family history until I felt dizzy. Suddenly, my grandfather sitting in his armchair sipped tea and asked sharply: “If you encounter such a situation again, will you still intervene?”
Without raising my head, I instinctively replied: “Yes!”
Father Lin Qihua stepped forward with a kick: “You brat! Your uncle has been talking for ages!”
But Grandfather chuckled from his chair: “Get up!”
Looking at the bewildered Father and Uncle, Grandpa shook his white beard and said, "From today on, that Ancestral Instruction is abolished! Practitioner, there is no distinction of high or low status among patients! Just remember: the admonition to 'only practice martial arts to strengthen the body, not to commit violence or bully the weak' must still be followed."
I quickly got up and ran to the backyard to ask Grandma and Aunt if they had found any good food.
The owner of Wangji Funeral Company, Chen Senran, really didn't want to use me anymore: Mr. Zhao's mother was saved last time; if she hadn't been saved, Mr. Zhao would definitely not let it go easily. — It would be a joke if someone was taken out of the coffin just to have a needle inserted.
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