“I want you to see if I have a talent for acupuncture,” Winnie repeated sincerely. “If possible, I would like to learn acupuncture from you, Old Mr. Xander.”
“You want to learn acupuncture?” The shock in Sebastian’s eyes was quickly replaced by calmness as he explained patiently, “Young lady, acupuncture isn’t as easy as you think it is. It isn’t like how you see it on television. You can’t just randomly inject acupuncture needles. You have to be familiar with all the acupoints in the body, and you have to know them by heart. You also need a lot of practice. Prior to that, you also have to study traditional medicine. Acupuncture is a part of traditional medicine. It does not exist independently outside of traditional medicine.”
He went on, “You must know that most of the doctors you see now, be it in traditional or modern medicine, gained their medical knowledge when they were in university. Generally, they have to study for five consecutive years for their master’s, and if they wish to continue to get a Ph.D., the housemanship at hospitals would take a few years at least. It is definitely not an easy task. If it really is as easy as you think it is, then my grandchildren wouldn’t be so against me. Isn’t that right?”
Sebastian advised her earnestly. Winnie also listened to him sincerely.
“Old Mr. Xander, I understand everything that you just said. However, there is no limit to learning, and I’m not that old yet. If you’re willing to teach me, I’m sure that with my diligence, time won’t be an issue. I understand your concerns, but we’ve just met. We don’t know much about each other, so you might think that I’m just being impulsive, but I don’t usually make decisions in the spur of the moment, and this definitely isn’t a joke. You do have a point though. It takes a great effort, a huge amount of resources, and time to nurture an outstanding traditional medicine practitioner. As someone who has no experience in the field of traditional medicine, I don’t wish to waste your time and effort either. That’s why I want you to test me to see if I have talent in this field. If it’s proven that I’m not cut out for this, then I won’t have to waste my efforts.”
Winnie was extremely eloquent, concise, and sincere when she said that. It genuinely seemed that she wasn’t making this decision rashly.
When Sebastian noted the sincerity in her eyes, he was reminded of his talented but reluctant granddaughter.
All of a sudden, he had a slight change of heart. He asked solemnly, “Then, why do you want to learn acupuncture from me? Is it because of your husband?”
Winnie nodded. She admitted, “Yes. I want to save my husband, but that is not the only reason why I want to learn acupuncture from you. My husband is in his current state only because he tried to save me. Now, he’s going through something that he shouldn’t have to go through at all. There are many others like him in the world. Perhaps they are even more kindhearted than him, and maybe they lead tougher lives. To be frank, I have sufficient economic means myself, and I’m definitely not learning acupuncture from you to feed my family. I hope that one day in the future, I can apply my knowledge when it’s truly needed to save lives, just like those who have saved and helped me when I needed it the most back then. I once went to look for them, but they told me that they didn’t need me to repay them. If I could help the kind and needy, it would be considered a way of repaying them. I remembered their words.”
“Saving lives and helping the kind and needy!” Sebastian nodded his head in approval. When he looked at Winnie again, he was already quite impressed.
“In modern society, many young people are stressed out. There aren’t many like you who yearn for spiritual advancement. It’s rare that you even want to repay others for their kindness. People like you are truly hard to find!”
“Then, are you willing to give me a chance?” Winnie wasn’t proud after Sebastian praised her. Instead, she maintained a sincere attitude toward him.
“Well, we have to see if you have the talent. When your husband comes over later, you can observe by the side while I perform a check-up on him. Now, I have to see my granddaughter.”
“Thank you for the opportunity, Old Mr. Xander. Go ahead and meet Ms. Xenhall. I’ll wait in the courtyard.”
Sebastian nodded. “All right.”
After watching Sebastian enter the room, Winnie immediately whipped out her phone and searched for the basics of traditional medicine.
She was a fast reader and had an almost photographic memory. In less than an hour, she had completely memorized the entire “Basics of Contemporary Traditional Medicine.”
Because she was extremely focused on her task, she was completely unaware of how much time had passed. She didn’t even notice when Sebastian stood right behind her.
Sebastian was surprised by Winnie’s actions.
He thought that she would be playing mobile games, watching videos, or reading novels on her phone.
He did not expect that she would be reading the “Basics of Contemporary Traditional Medicine.”
“How is it? Can you understand it?”
Winnie was shocked when she suddenly heard Sebastian’s voice.
However, she quickly regained her composure, stood up, and answered honestly, “It’s all right. The version that I found was one that was easiest to comprehend, so it’s not too difficult to understand it.”
“Is that so?” A smile finally appeared on Sebastian’s face. “Then, why don’t I test you?”
“Please do.”
“Okay. Let me ask you: how would you summarize the basic theories of traditional medicine?”
Before Sebastian began, Winnie had already put her phone away. At that moment, she gave him the correct answer without hesitation.
“The basic theories of traditional medicine include the theoretical generalization of the changing patterns of life activities and diseases. These include yin and yang energy, the five elements, evolutive and climatic factors, visceral manifestations, meridians, and others…”
“Very good. It seems that you have a thorough understanding. It is precisely this that you’re able to memorize it easily. However, this is just the surface level. You’re not even considered a beginner. Now, let me ask you: what are evolutive and climatic factors?”
“The theory of evolutive and climatic factors is also known as the doctrine of the five evolutive phases and six climatic factors. It is the study of the natural world, including how astrology, meteorology, and climatic changes affect one’s health and diseases. The five evolutive phases include… The six climatic factors include…”
“Very good!” Winnie’s answer was spot-on. Sebastian was impressed and astonished by her good memory. “How much of the book have you read? Could it be that you just happened to read the few pages that I tested you on?”
“I was already on the last page by the time you came here.”
Sebastian was taken aback. “You finished the entire book?”
“Yes. I have a decent memory, so I have already memorized most of the content.”
“You aren’t bragging, are you?” Sebastian was in disbelief.
“You can pick any portion to test me,” Winnie replied. She then opened the e-book on her phone and passed it to Sebastian.
Sebastian selected a random page to test her on. He asked her about the relationship between energy, blood, body, and fluids.
To his surprise, she had perfectly memorized and recited the content that was at least a thousand words!
“My goodness!” Sebastian exclaimed. “My child, you really have a photographic memory.”
Sebastian was extremely fascinated by Winnie. “Come with me. Let me—”
However, before Sebastian could finish his words, the sound of a car braking to a halt could be heard coming from outside.
Soon after, Josiah’s voice sounded.
Sebastian still remembered Josiah’s voice. “Your friend must have brought your husband over. Why don’t you open the door for them?”
“Sure. I’ll do that right away,” Winnie responded. Then, she quickly headed to the door.
At that moment, Xavier, Josiah, and Louis had already gotten out of the car and were waiting at the door.
From the moment Winnie walked toward the door, Xavier’s gaze hadn’t left her face for even one second.
The moment the door was opened, Xavier immediately embraced her. He wrapped her in his arms, completely ignoring the fact that there were others around them.
“My Dumbo, I missed you!”
Winnie was torn between amusement and exasperation. “Hasn’t it only been a few hours since we last met? Hurry up. Let go of me. This is Old Mr. Xander’s house.”
“I won’t. I don’t care whose house this is. You will always be my woman!”
Winnie was rendered speechless. She stepped on his foot.
She did that so forcefully that Xavier relented and heeded her words. It was just a short walk, but he still insisted on holding Winnie’s hand.
Since Winnie couldn’t shrug him off, she had no choice but to let him hold her hand as they approached Sebastian.
“Old Mr. Xander, this is my husband, Xavier Fairchild.”
Sebastian glanced at Xavier before smiling at the couple. “What a fine, young man. He seems to be the perfect fit for you.”
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