novelraw Chapter 410 - 375: The Second Lu Jiu
Chapter 410 - 375: The Second Lu Jiu
8:00 AM.
The building next to Lu Jiu TCM Hospital was already filled with many parents and children.
Today is the first day of the Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge competition, and the children who signed up have arrived at the Youth Palace.
The stage and various equipment set up by the TV station were all in place.
Zuo Quan and others attended this competition as judges.
Of course, since the competition spans a long time and involves several rounds to decide the top sixteen, top eight, top four, and eventually the champion, runner-up, and third place, the judges couldn’t be fixed.
After all, Zuo Quan and the others also have their clinical duties.
But it must be said that Zuo Quan and the others were delighted to give TCM questions to kids.
Especially seeing so many children participate in the TCM knowledge competition, they couldn’t hide their smiles.
Their generation loves nothing more than seeing children interested in learning TCM.
The TCM knowledge competition hosted by Lu Jiu hit the spot for them.
"Xu, how many students from your class are here?" Zuo Quan, today’s judge, spotted a few students from their class among the crowd.
"About half, I guess. Many kids are probably brought here by their parents, and didn’t really pay attention in class, so who knows how they’ll do," said Xu Zhong.
"That’s normal. The ones who end up placing are likely from Lu Jiu’s class. The kids we teach are probably just here for show and to liven things up," said Fu Xingfa.
"That’s for sure. The kids in Lu Jiu’s class probably know more TCM knowledge than what’s in the textbooks. Since this is a competition, the question bank won’t be limited to the textbooks, so only his students might place," said Zuo Quan.
"I have to say, his Five Viscera comic is really good. I read it multiple times and even sent it to my son. Guess what? My four-year-old grandson thoroughly enjoyed it and remembered many points after just one read," said Fu Xingfa.
"Really? I read the Five Viscera comic too. It’s humorous but packed with knowledge points. If your grandson can remember it after one read, he might be a TCM prodigy," said Xu Zhong.
"If he’s indeed a prodigy, Fu, train him well. When he grows up, you can bring him here to apprentice under Lu Jiu. Maybe he’ll become the next Lu Jiu!" said Zuo Quan with a smile.
"We’ll see. What if my grandson’s interest is just a flash in the pan? TCM is tough after all," said Fu Xingfa, smiling bitterly.
Fu Xingfa’s son is also studying TCM.
However, their family isn’t a TCM family by tradition, so they don’t focus on passing down the knowledge.
His son chose to study TCM not because of any passion but due to a lack of hobbies before university. When it was time to choose a major, the family recommended TCM due to lack of knowledge.
After all, with a professional connection like his father’s, he could find a job after graduation.
Had he chosen another major, it wouldn’t be that straightforward.
Later, in university, his son gradually developed an interest in TCM. Besides school, he also studied TCM with Fu Xingfa at home.
Now in his early thirties, he is already a backbone in his hospital’s department.
Though father and son both know how tough the medical field is, they have a neutral attitude towards training the grandson as a TCM successor, neither opposing nor supporting.
Fu Xingfa found it amusing and sent Lu Jiu’s Five Viscera comic to his son as a fun read, but it ended up as an introduction to TCM for his grandson.
"Judges, the children have been assigned their numbers. Shall we start now?" Yan Sansi approached the three judges, including Zuo Quan.
"Alright, let’s begin," said Zuo Quan.
Then, the three took their seats at the judges’ table as the cameras were already in position.
The host also appeared on stage to recite the opening speech.
The participating children stood outside, nervously awaiting their turn to hear their number called to go in and answer questions.
"Xi Xi, make sure you perform well, okay?"
"Pengpeng, remember the mission mom gave you? If you advance, mom will buy you toys."
"Go for it, Yuanyuan. We participate to join, not for placing. Be brave, don’t be scared."
"Dad, stop playing with your phone. You said you came to accompany me in the competition. If you keep playing, I’ll tell mom!"
"..."
Parents encouraged their children in various ways.
Some hoped their child would get a position, some wanted their child to gain experience, and others were just there to accompany their willing child.
Shortly afterward, the host finished his speech and announced the first contestant to enter the assessment room.
A girl in a blue floral dress confidently walked in.
"Hello, host. Hello, teachers. I’m contestant number one, Shen Mengqi."
Whoa!
What a well-behaved little girl!
The three grandfatherly judges looked at Shen Mengqi with kind smiles.
"Little girl, have you learned any TCM knowledge?" Zuo Quan asked with a smile.
Shen Mengqi stood straight. "Just a little bit."
Fu Xingfa asked, "So you don’t have TCM classes in your school?"
Shen Mengqi nodded.
Xu Zhong asked, "When did you start learning it?"
Shen Mengqi replied, "Just recently."
Oh well.
She probably heard about the competition and started learning TCM.
Clearly, this wasn’t the child’s initiative, but the parent’s.
The three judges understood.
"Then let’s start the questions. Listen carefully, little girl. First question, who is the author of the Compendium of Materia Medica?" Zuo Quan asked.
Shen Mengqi seemed nervous. She thought she knew the answer but wasn’t very sure. In her hesitation, the silence made her heart race.
"It’s, Li, Li... Li Shizhen!"
Zuo Quan applauded, "Very good, you got it right."
"Next question, please name the five elements in Yin Yang Five Elements?"
After answering the first question correctly, the little girl visibly gained confidence.
Hearing the second question, she immediately answered, "Gold, wood, water, fire, earth."
Zuo Quan smiled, "Not bad, very good. You got it right again. The third question, who invented dumplings we often eat?"
This...
Hearing this question, the little girl finally looked troubled.
She really didn’t know this one.
Over ten seconds later, seeing Shen Mengqi not answer, Zuo Quan smiled, "You don’t know?"
Shen Mengqi timidly nodded.
Zuo Quan smiled, "The answer is Medical Saint Zhang Zhongjing. In his time, many people suffered from typhoid fever. So he made dumpling fillings with Chinese medicine for the public to eat in the winter, both to fill their bellies and to prevent disease."
"No problem, let’s move on to the next question..."
As time passed, the participating children finished their question rounds one after another.
According to the preliminary rules, there are ten questions. Answering five correctly advances to the next round.
Unfortunately, very few children answered five questions correctly. Many even struggled to answer one question correctly.
Clearly, without real TCM classes, it was challenging for most kids to complete the preliminary round.
However, most children and parents didn’t care much about getting through the preliminaries.
They were happy just to register and receive a prize.
Moreover, the Youth Palace offered many fun activities. After the competition, many parents and children wandered around exploring.
Teachers at the Youth Palace then showcased their talents.
Some practiced calligraphy, some played musical instruments, and others played chess. Of course, there were martial arts demonstrations.
Among them, the martial arts teachers were the most popular.
Some children, after competing, gathered around the martial arts teacher, watching him perform flips and punches.
Their eyes were shining bright, unwilling to leave despite their parents’ repeated calls.
In the following days, the TCM knowledge competition became the Youth Palace’s most successful advertisement, attracting countless children from Jianghan City.
Since Lu Jiu TCM Hospital is located next to the Youth Palace and many children’s health isn’t great, aside from the competition, many parents also took their kids to Lu Jiu TCM Hospital for check-ups, so although the competition was intended as an advertisement for the Youth Palace, Lu Jiu TCM Hospital also benefited.
This was something Lu Jiu hadn’t expected.
One advertisement, achieving the effect of two.
Worth it!
...