Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 286 A Mind with Deep Insight
The broadcast started promptly at 4 p.m.

Unlike the simple reminder this morning that it's market day, this notification is undoubtedly much more important.

Chen Fan sat at the table, calmly turned on the radio, adjusted the microphone height, glanced at the alarm clock on the corner of the table, and coughed twice.

The sound coming from the loudspeaker quickly attracted the attention of everyone in the entire brigade.

Whether they were sitting at home or had just returned from the market and were on their way, everyone turned their attention to the direction from which the sound came.

"Cough twice before turning on the computer. Is that Teacher Chen's voice? Does he have something to tell you again?"

"It must be a big deal. Now Teacher Chen has taken on a young apprentice, and he has entrusted many things to the apprentice. The morning reminder to go to the market was read by his apprentice."

"That little girl is really lucky. Not only is she learning to be a broadcaster from Teacher Chen, but I also heard she's learning electrical appliance repair. She even wrote an article the day before yesterday, and the commune's broadcasting station used it."

"That's true. Teacher Chen can get his articles published in provincial magazines, and it's a piece of cake for his apprentices to submit manuscripts to the commune..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan's voice came through the loudspeaker.

"Comrades, comrades, good afternoon. I am about to issue a notice. Please listen carefully."

According to a notice from the commune's cultural station, the cultural station's film projection team will be showing a movie at 6 p.m. on May 4th, which is the day after tomorrow, in the playground of the 10th team village primary school.

Regarding the precautions for showing movies, I want to inform everyone here. Please pay close attention, that is…

It's a ghost.

At this point, who would bother to listen to his announcements?

The members, who had been quite calm just moments before, were now spreading the news one after another.

"Oh my, after waiting for half a year, we can finally watch movies again."

"They're showing a movie the night after tomorrow, why are they calling us today? It's keeping me up at night!"

"I haven't heard of any other production team having a movie to watch this year. I'm afraid Lujiawan is the first one."

"What nonsense! Teacher Chen's articles have been published in provincial magazines. Is the cultural station not even going to give him this much face? Do they even want Teacher Chen to write articles in the future?"

……

Chen Fan read the notice twice, and only at 4 o'clock did he turn on the radio to broadcast the county radio station's program.

He then handed the broadcasting station over to Zhang Cuie and walked away with his bag.

After leaving the brigade headquarters, he didn't go to the livestock shed to get the horse first, but ran straight to Master Lu's place.

Master Lu was holding a book and practicing calligraphy diligently. Chen Fan took a closer look and saw that it was a book titled "Mr. Li's Poems and Lyrics," published in 63. It contained 37 of Mr. Li's poems and lyrics. It was unclear whether he was being cautious or genuinely liked Mr. Li's poems and lyrics.

Perhaps guessing Chen Fan's thoughts, Master Lu straightened up, placed a feather brush on a bamboo branch, which served as a "brush rest," and then smiled, "Mr. Li's poems are magnificent and unparalleled throughout history. Su Shi commented on Wang Wei's poems, saying, 'When tasting Wang Wei's poems, one finds paintings within the poems; when viewing Wang Wei's paintings, one finds poems within the paintings.' In fact, the same is true when reading Mr. Li's poems."

Painters could see the grandeur and inspiring spirit in Mr. Li's poems, and thus create magnificent landscape paintings. Artists such as Liu Haisu, Fu Baoshi, Li Keran, Wu Zuoren, and Guan Shanyue all created paintings inspired by Mr. Li's poems.

Chen Fan was listening intently when he saw Master Lu point to the feather brush on the corner of the table and laugh, "Didn't you say you've basically mastered the brushwork of traditional Chinese painting? Then try painting a poem inspired by Mr. Li."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Please spare me. I might be able to copy, but I don't have the ability to paint from thin air."

Master Lu, however, had no intention of letting him off the hook. He shook his head and said, "Whether it's calligraphy or painting, one must have enough imagination to express one's inner feelings. Otherwise, one can only be considered a craftsman and will never achieve great things."

Your calligraphy is very solid, and you've extended it to painting. You've also mastered all the basic techniques of traditional Chinese painting, but both your calligraphy and painting lack a certain spirit.

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice, "You don't need to save face for me. I'm not just lacking a bit of charm, I have absolutely no charm at all."

Master Lu smiled and shook his head, "It's not that it lacks charm, it's just that the charm isn't apparent."

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. Oh, you can praise me like that?!
Master Lu continued, “Your brushwork is already quite good; it’s impossible for it to lack spirit. It’s just that when you write or paint, you lack passion and spirit, so naturally, the spirit is not apparent.”

In terms of brushwork, calligraphy comes before painting; learning calligraphy first and then painting naturally yields twice the results with half the effort. However, in terms of artistic conception, the opposite is true: learn painting first, then practice calligraphy. By integrating calligraphy and painting in this way, one can achieve a state where writing is like painting, with boundless expressiveness, and painting is like writing, with meticulous composition.

After he finished speaking, he pointed to the feather pen and said, "Try it."

If Chen Fan still doesn't move after all this has been said, then he's being ungrateful.

He gritted his teeth, picked up the quill pen, put aside the words that Master Lu had just written, tore over a sheet of white paper, and began to conceive a picture.

Honestly, I shouldn't have come today!

However, since we're already here, it seems there's no way to avoid it.

Chen Fan's eyes darted around, and he turned to look at Master Lu, smiling, "Master Lu, there's a movie showing the night after tomorrow. Shall I come pick you up?"

Master Lu smiled slightly, raised the poetry collection in his hand, and softly recited: "The sky is high and the clouds are light, I gaze until the wild geese fly south. He who has not climbed the Great Wall is no true hero, the journey is twenty thousand li. On the peak of Liupan Mountain, the red flag flutters in the west wind. Today I hold the long spear in my hand, when will I bind the azure dragon?"

Then, looking at Chen Fan, he said, "Why don't you create a painting based on this poem, 'Qing Ping Le: Liupan Mountain'?"

Chen Fan frowned. Well, what was an open-ended essay had turned into a set topic essay, which was obviously more difficult.

Wouldn't you call this a case of trying to flatter someone but ending up hurting them?
There was no other way; since the Fourth Master had spoken, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go along with it.

Is it "Qing Ping Yue: Liupanshan"?
Ascending to the peak? A westerly wind?
Chen Fan raised his head, trying hard to conceive the scene, and after a moment, he finally began to write.

Since the sky is high and the clouds are light, the upper half should be left blank to represent the sky. Looking towards the southward-flying geese, should we draw a few?
As for the following sentences?
Chen Fan kept turning his brush on the paper, and after a long time, he finally painted his first traditional Chinese painting without any reference.

It could even be said to be the first "painting".

On the white paper, a diagonal line can almost be used as a dividing line to divide the paper into two parts. The upper part is left largely blank, with only a few strokes drawn at the corners, representing wild geese flying south.

The focus is on the lower half, with steep cliffs and a long slope nearby, covered with dense vegetation, where a group of people can be vaguely seen climbing up the slope.

Traditional Chinese painting focuses on conveying the artistic conception, so we won't go into realism. As long as you can see something in it, that's fine.

After finishing the painting, Chen Fan let out a long breath, put down the brush, and took two steps back to the side. "Please give me your guidance, Fourth Master."

Master Lu remained noncommittal, turned around and sat down on a chair next to him, picked up the teapot and took a sip, then looked at him and smiled, "I heard from Doctor Lu that you have already finished learning pulse diagnosis and acupuncture, and even Doctor Dong's massage and bone setting. All that's left is to accumulate more experience?"

Chen Fan was momentarily stunned by Master Lu's erratic behavior. After recovering, he quickly replied, "I wouldn't say I've learned everything. I can grasp what the two doctors taught me, but I'm still lacking in knowledge about cases I haven't encountered before." Master Lu almost laughed at his words. "Pulse diagnosis, acupuncture, massage, bone setting—all these techniques are just the basics. When treating patients, how to flexibly apply the four diagnostic methods (inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation), and how to determine the appropriate prescription and acupuncture point—you have to gradually explore these based on those basics yourself. Does that mean you'll never treat a disease you've never seen before? Where did all those medical books you memorized go?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly twice. "I've only been learning for a week, so I lack confidence. Have you ever seen a medical student who only studies for a week?"

Master Lu clicked his tongue and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "You're right about that. To be able to learn pulse diagnosis, acupuncture, massage, and bone setting in just a few days is truly unheard of from ancient times to the present."

Chen Fan clapped his hands and quickly said, "That's right. Right now, I've only learned what Doctor Lu and Doctor Dong taught me. But if they're not around, I'll still be completely clueless."

Master Lu looked at him and asked, "So you mean you want to continue learning from them?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, "It will take at least a few months to learn, right?"

Master Lu pondered for two seconds, "It's not that you can't learn from them, but the main problem is..."

He looked up at Chen Fan with a strange expression. "Dr. Lu told me that you should learn medicine by following them. All the nurses, big and small, from the health center would come to the clinic all the time. Even though one person would be enough, two or three of them would come at once."

Wherever you go, they follow. Also, you are quite well-known in Nanhu Commune. Even people who don't know you have heard of you. Many people who go to the health center come to see you.

In just a few days, Dr. Lu and Dr. Dong have been thoroughly exhausted. So, it's not that they don't want to take you along, but they're mainly worried about the negative impact. What if they're influenced and make a wrong judgment? Wouldn't that lead to a major disaster?!

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was at a loss for what to do.

What can someone do if they're too handsome?

He was only somewhat handsome; otherwise, why would he have worked so hard back then? Wouldn't it have been better to find a confidante?

The problem is that after transmigrating, she underwent a significant change. Her skin became fair and delicate, yet she didn't look effeminate at all. Later, after practicing martial arts with Captain Xiao, she gained even more heroic spirit.

By adding one more and one more, it becomes like this.

He doesn't want to either!
After a two-second pause, he could only say with a wry smile, "In that case, I won't go."

Master Lu waved his hand, "When I said you could graduate, it wasn't me who said it, but both Doctor Lu and Doctor Dong said it. It's not that they don't want to teach you anymore, but they suggest a different approach."

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback and asked, puzzled, "What method?"

What he lacks now is clinical experience. If he's not allowed to work with them, how can he be expected to make independent clinics?

Isn't that a joke?

Besides, I don't even have a medical license.

Then I heard Master Lu say, “What Doctor Lu means is that he has endorsed a document for you, saying that you have been learning medicine from him since December, and it has been more than three months now. Moreover, you already have a foundation in medicine, and with your intelligence, you have made rapid progress. Therefore, your medical skills have now reached the standard of a village barefoot doctor.”

You don't need to take an exam. He will issue you a barefoot doctor's certificate. In the future, when you have time, you can go out to make rounds and treat the farmers and commune members. If you encounter a special case and cannot make a diagnosis or are unsure of the diagnosis, you can go back to him to discuss it together.

Conversely, if he receives a case you haven't encountered before and the patient is hospitalized, he will send someone to notify you to come and learn from him.

After speaking, Master Lu looked at Chen Fan and asked with a smile, "This solution is a win-win situation. What do you think?"

Without hesitation, Chen Fan said, "Okay, let's do it that way."

Regardless of whether it's a win-win situation or not, does he have the right to say no?
Of course, he could refuse, but the barefoot doctor's certificate was given to him only to facilitate his legal practice of medicine, and there were no other restrictions.

He doesn't need to be like Dr. Zhang in his team, who is always busy treating the villagers, nor does he need to receive an extra salary from the team. He's just an idle person. So, this only has advantages for him and no disadvantages. Why wouldn't he accept it?
What if others find out he's a barefoot doctor?
It's simple. I'm not the team's doctor, I don't receive work points from the team, and I've only been learning for a few months. If you're not worried about my poor medical skills, you can come to me for treatment instead of going to the legitimate Dr. Zhang.

Just think of it as gaining experience points.

In short, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and there are no obvious downsides. It would be crazy for him not to agree.

Seeing that Chen Fan readily agreed, Master Lu simply smiled slightly, as if it were all within his expectations.

However, there were also things he didn't expect.

He looked at Chen Fan and asked, "I can understand that you can quickly learn pulse diagnosis and acupuncture, but when did you learn massage and bone setting? According to Doctor Dong, your technique is even better than his. Some old injuries, which have affected the tendons and meridians, are beyond his control. He can only barely straighten the bones, but you can greatly alleviate the situation. Is it really because you have studied martial arts, as you said?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan immediately understood which case Fourth Master was referring to, and laughed, "That's not entirely wrong, but my technique is indeed a bit special. The patient at the time had a broken arm, and the muscles and tendons were all twisted together. It was necessary to straighten out the tendons and muscles in order for a complete recovery."

Dr. Dong only knew how to set bones, so naturally he was helpless. I used a technique to separate the tendons and bones, repositioning the patient's arm, which greatly improved the situation.

He paused for a moment, then said with a look of regret, "It's a pity that the patient had an old injury and had missed the best time for treatment. Otherwise, we might have been able to help him recover completely and not affect his ability to work."

In a production team, if someone loses most of their labor force and has no special skills, they are practically no different from a useless person.

Pity.

Master Lu nodded in sudden realization, "I see."

He then asked curiously, "Did Xiao teach you this too?"

Chen Fan's smile faded slightly, and he shook his head. "No, it was Old Man Lin who taught me."

As he said this, he felt his bones start to ache again.

Who would have thought that this seemingly kind and gentle old man, Mr. Lin, would commit such a heinous act?

What "Yi Jin Duan Gu"? Bah! It's clearly "Fen Jin Lou Gu". He tortures me with "Fen Jin Lou Gu" every day. If I still can't learn it, I might as well just dismantle the skill board.

Master Lu, however, was full of admiration, saying, "I didn't expect that this Mr. Lin would also be a person with extraordinary skills. I underestimated him before."

Shaking his head, Chen Fan snapped out of his thoughts and said to Master Lu, "Master Lu, there's a movie showing the day after tomorrow, are you really not going?"

Master Lu laughed and said, "Let's skip the movie. I watched plenty of those back in Shanghai. It's nothing new. You guys go ahead and watch it."

Seeing that Fourth Master had moved out of Shanghai, Chen Fan could only say regretfully, "Alright then."

He chatted with Master Lu for a while longer before getting up to leave.

As for the painting he had just finished, Master Lu picked it up after he left and nodded slightly, "You have a deep understanding of things!"

(End of this chapter)