Chapter 47: A New Source of Wealth

Chen Xie's method to deal with the Zhou family was simple: a mechanical clock made by Wu Qi. Quartz clocks are very cheap in modern society, but they violate the time travel regulations. To produce Mini Bullets, Chen Xie had to pay another five million (on credit). After carefully reading the regulations on the transportation of travel supplies, Chen Xie found that the clock was a good business, but it needed to be miniaturized. Since he had already paid, he could do whatever he wanted within a month, and Wu Qi had to agree. It seemed to be the rule of the game!

Following the material list provided by Wu Qi, Chen Xie prepared the corresponding raw materials. While producing Mini Bullets, he also had to produce miniaturized clocks. The external craftsmanship of the clock produced by Wu Qi was very rough, with no careful polishing, much like the machines produced by the former Soviet Union—accurate and durable, but ugly, without even a glass face.

This problem was not difficult for the skilled craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty. With just a file, a glass cutter, and some sandpaper, they could make the clock's appearance look brand new. The clock presented to the Zhou family had a very traditional design, with no visible traces of the fish glue and glass, demonstrating the exquisite craftsmanship.

The clock had a key at the back for winding, and it chimed every half hour. At this time, Western clocks had already been introduced to China by missionaries, but they were large and only found in the imperial palace (or possibly in the hands of missionaries).

After a brief explanation, the Zhou family quickly fell in love with the clock, so much so that they forgot to scold Chen Xie. Chen Xie managed to escape the Zhou family's clutches and went to Zhang Yao's study, where the old man was practicing calligraphy.

Seeing Chen Xie, he put down his brush and asked with a satisfied expression, "How are the characters?"

Chen Xie came over to take a look. The four characters read: "Harmony and Dust!" After a while, Chen Xie couldn't see much and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "I can't tell if the characters are good or bad, but Uncle Zhang's calligraphy is definitely excellent. As for the meaning, I don't understand it. It feels like there's more to it."

This response made Zhang Yao laugh heartily. After laughing, he took out a cigarette box, put one in his mouth, and lit it skillfully. "Si Hua is a straightforward person! Your feeling is right. There are four more characters: 'Endure for the Country.'" He sighed. "With the new emperor on the throne, the eunuch party has been swept away, and the political situation has been refreshed. This should be a time to work hard and reverse the decline. But never mind, you wouldn't understand. Let's talk about something else. Xin said you asked him to find famous calligraphy and paintings from our dynasty?"

Chen Xie was startled, thinking that Zhang Xin's mouth was too loose. He wondered if he had revealed more. After a moment, he smiled apologetically. "I'm just a俗人 (commoner), so I wanted to find some calligraphy and paintings to be influenced by the elegance of famous scholars."

Zhang Yao scolded, "Not honest!" Chen Xie was secretly alarmed, thinking that his secret was indeed exposed. He would have to settle accounts with Zhang Xin and get some interest back to ease his anger.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yao changed the subject and said earnestly, "If only life could be like the first meeting, such a famous line, how could a俗人 (commoner) write it? How old is that little girl at Chun Xiang Lou? How much life experience could she have? The past is gone, and the dead cannot be brought back. Remember it in your heart, and don't make it hard on yourself. Whether you can let go or not, it's all part of the suffering of life. Look forward, Si Hua."

Chen Xie was stunned, his expression like someone whose secret had been revealed. In fact, at that moment, Chen Xie was completely at a loss. Oh, you old man think I'm stuck in old feelings, so I wrote "If only life could be like the first meeting"? Yes, that line was written by Nalan for his deceased wife.

At the time, to create a gimmick for the exhibition, he had to deceive people. There weren't many good lyricists in the Qing Dynasty, so he thought of Nalan Xingde after a long time. Actually, Cao Xueqin had many lyrics in "Dream of the Red Chamber," but after reading it, Chen Xie only remembered Ping'er, who pushed Xue Pan's buttocks, and Duo'er, who became weak like cotton when she touched a man. He couldn't remember any of the poems or lyrics.

Others were out of ideas, but Chen Xie was out of ideas for copying. He only knew one song, and he couldn't teach a ** woman in the Ming Dynasty to sing "You are a little apple..." or "Dharma Hai, you don't understand love."

If he did that, not only would the guests beat him up, but even Wan Yu would give him a good beating.

"Ah, this, hahaha, I just wrote it randomly, and I didn't want to cause trouble. You know, don't tell others," Chen Xie explained, making things worse. Zhang Yao was convinced that he had a memorable past relationship, which was probably why he refused to arrange a marriage.

No matter what, Chen Xie managed to get through it. Since he had settled in the Ming Dynasty, he had to return home for the New Year. After lunch, Chen Xie left and went to Huichun Hall to see Yu Zongguan and confirm the enrollment for the next year. The divine doctor's disciples were not just anyone; they had to pass an exam before they could enroll.

For this school, Liu Gaoming would not have much time to see patients after the New Year. He had to teach apprentices and Chinese medical theory. The textbooks were provided by Chen Xie, downloaded from the internet in modern society, converted to traditional characters, and some time-specific elements removed before being printed. Chen Xie didn't do this himself; he paid Wu Qi to do it. She didn't oppose it or threaten him but calmly finished the job. Then she took the textbooks to a printing factory and had them printed, although they were in horizontal format.

Liu Gaoming praised the textbooks. In the Ming Dynasty, there were many medical theories, but no one had systematically organized them. The biggest feature of Chinese medicine was that each doctor worked independently, and whether they could become talented mainly depended on their personal insight and experience. This led to many mediocre doctors becoming quacks.

According to Chen Xie's idea, they would first study systematic theories. During the learning period, they would be apprentices at Huichun Hall, mastering pharmacology and pharmacodynamics before being allowed to practice and gradually accumulate experience. Using this more scientific method to train apprentices, they could produce a batch of doctors with practical skills in three to five years.

Treating diseases is a complex matter. Even in Western medicine, with the help of modern technology, misdiagnoses and difficult-to-diagnose cases still occur. Therefore, a doctor who can treat common diseases is already a good doctor. A doctor who can cure all diseases is a mythical figure, not a human.

After chatting for a while, Yu Zongguan took out several calligraphy and paintings and placed them on the table, smiling flatteringly. "Divine Doctor, I heard you like calligraphy and paintings. I have a running horse by Zhao Ziang, a painting and calligraphy by Dong Xiangguang of our dynasty. I tried to find an eagle painting by Emperor Huizong, but I couldn't, I'm very sorry."

Yu Zongguan wouldn't flatter Chen Xie for no reason. The business at Huichun Hall was not enough to make him go to such lengths. Chen Xie wasn't stupid; he knew there was a plot.

"Mr. Yu, you're too polite. When someone is polite, they must have a request. I won't refuse good things, but I need to take them with peace of mind," Chen Xie said politely, but his hands were busy. He opened a piece of calligraphy and examined it carefully. He couldn't really tell much, just that it was Jia Yi's "On the Fall of Qin." He opened the paintings and saw that one was a horse and the other was a landscape. Chen Xie was a complete layman; he could understand the poses and learn a few moves, but these paintings left him clueless.

"Divine Doctor, my son has made some progress. Could you give him the authority to prescribe medicine? Could Huichun Hall stock some of your divine medicines? I promise to pay in silver," Yu Zongguan revealed his true intentions. Chen Xie shook his head disdainfully. "I understand, a parent's love is great. However, I can't agree to everything. Yu Lian is very talented and has made rapid progress, but I don't think he's ready to use Western medicine independently. I can, however, allow some over-the-counter drugs to be sold at Huichun Hall, such as aspirin, cold capsules, Huoxiang Zhengqi Water, and deworming medicine."

At first, Yu Zongguan almost cried, but the latter part of the statement made him very happy. Deworming medicine was in high demand, especially for children. Children don't like taking medicine, but they have no problem eating candy.

Yu Lian had over a hundred pieces of deworming candy, which he treasured and wouldn't give to anyone. He only gave one to a child when they came to see a doctor to keep them from being fussy. According to Chen Xie, people in the Ming Dynasty had parasites in their stomachs, especially children. Why? Because they didn't pay attention to hygiene, and their parents didn't take it seriously.

Indeed, some children from wealthy families, after being treated, not only got better but also got rid of their parasites. Yu Lian's reputation grew, and the title of "disciple of the divine doctor" became more prominent. However, his main treatment was still based on traditional Chinese medicine, and he didn't have many Western medicines. For common illnesses, he could give some ready-made medicines. Antibiotics like penicillin, Chen Xie kept a tight grip on.

Before Yu Zongguan could finish being happy, Chen Xie slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Mr. Yu, your words remind me of something."

Why was he happy? It was simple. Chen Xie had brought some targeted special medicines that hadn't been used yet. For example, ** (quinine) had no use in Shandong because there were no mosquitoes that spread malaria. However, just because Shandong didn't have them didn't mean other places didn't. Chen Xie thought about whether he could open the market for ready-made medicines in the south. Just selling ** could make a lot of money, as it could save lives.

When he shared his idea with Yu Zongguan, he was also happy. Why? Because Dengzhou was by the sea, and many southern merchants landed there and transported goods back to the north. Selling ** to these merchants would open a new source of wealth.