Chapter Thirteen: Goods Should Be Compared and Discarded
Lying in bed with a slight recovery of spirits due to the alleviation of illness, Mr. Cai took over the prescription and joked: "How come, Old Jin, you still know about prescriptions?"
Tsai, who was still lying in bed and extremely weak, suddenly sat up with a burst of energy from nowhere, staring at the prescription in shock for a long time without saying a word.
"What's wrong with Old Cai?"
"What's wrong with you, Old Cai? It's just a prescription, isn't it?" Teachers Mao and Bai also leaned in to take a closer look at Old Cai.
The two people who were smiling just a moment before also froze collectively the instant they saw the prescription, their mouths slightly agape as they stared at it motionlessly.
Although Cai Laoshi, Bai Laoshi and Mao Laoshi are not very strong in calligraphy skills, as nationally renowned appraisers, their level of appreciation for calligraphy is still extremely profound.
"A masterpiece, and one that only a top-notch master could produce!" If it weren't for the fact that the ink was still wet, and that they had written it in front of them, they would have thought for sure that it was that master who had taken up the brush.
"What a great character... what a great character!" After a while, Mr. Cai was the first to come back to his senses, and it seemed that he had exhausted all his energy just now, so he lay down on the bed again.
"Ah, yes!" sighed Teacher Bai and Teacher Mao with a sigh of emotion.
"Ah, the Yangtze River's rear waves push forward!" Standing on the side, Teacher Jin heard a few people's sighs and also let out a sigh with a gloomy face. He was different from the others; although Teachers Bai, Cai, and Mao had high levels of appreciation, their calligraphy was ordinary. They could only use it to fool outsiders, but insiders would know its quality at a glance. After all, their main profession wasn't in calligraphy, so when they saw a good piece of calligraphy, they just felt inexplicable admiration. Teacher Jin was different; as an expert in the appreciation of calligraphy and painting, he had studied calligraphy for over 40 years and had extremely high attainments. But when he saw Xiao Yu's calligraphy, he suddenly felt a sense of "people are better than people, goods are better than goods".
"Yes! The previous wave died on the beach." Upon hearing Mr. Jin say this, his friends couldn't help but speak out, despite knowing they shouldn't have said so.
"Dr. Xiao's handwriting is elegant and free-flowing, with a perfect balance of form and spirit. What's even more remarkable is that his writing embodies the elegance and integrity of a scholar, making him a master of his time! One can tell a person's character by their handwriting, and Dr. Xiao's handwriting reveals his noble personality!"
After hearing Mr. Cai's words, he seemed to have exhausted all his energy, lay down on the bed with his eyes closed, and after a while, opened them again, saying: "No need to look at the prescription anymore, go help me get the medicine! I trust Dr. Xiao, but this prescription is for my medication, so I want it."
"No way, Old Cai, you can't do this, it's not right!"
"Yes, Old Cai, I've been waiting on you for a whole evening, it should be mine by now!" As soon as Teacher Cai said he was leaving the prescription behind, Teachers Bai and Mao suddenly became anxious.
Director Huo didn't quite understand calligraphy, when Xiao Yu wrote the prescription, he just felt strange, how could someone still use such a large brush? His son was learning calligraphy at the Children's Palace, and he had seen his son write with ordinary small brushes. How could this big brush be written well? After Xiao Yu finished writing the prescription, he only felt that there was an inexplicable atmosphere in Xiao Yu's words, and the word shape was very beautiful. At this time, hearing the evaluation and scramble of several top experts, he realized that Xiao Yu's words were not simple.
Fang Yuan didn't think that much, he didn't understand the expert's comments, but when he saw several top experts fighting over Xiao Yu's calligraphy, and even Cai Lao who was seriously ill joined in, he realized how valuable Xiao Yu's calligraphy was. He had also spent some time in the antique city, and although he wasn't good at anything else, his cunning had been honed to a fine point.
"Xiao Xiao, Dr. Xiao, Mr. Xiao... are you going to prescribe some medicine for me?" Fang Yuan said with a smile as he walked up to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu is not stupid, actually Fang Yuan knows what's going on in Xiao Yu's heart today. It's nothing more than selling out Xiao Yu at critical moments. Now that Xiao Yu has value, just a moment ago they were calling him "little Xiao", but now they're even using honorific language, this is probably the mercantile nature of seeking profit, for the sake of which anything can be discarded.
Several experts who were arguing just now heard Fang Yuan's words, and they all suddenly realized that they had forgotten the person who wrote this prescription was standing next to them. They quickly put down Mr. Cai's prescription and lined up behind Fang Yuan, thinking that not only could they ask the doctor to check if they were ill, but also get an autograph, what a delightful coincidence!
It's not that they didn't want to ask Xiao Ye for a character, but by observing the characters, one can tell what kind of person he is. He has the demeanor of a literati and won't casually give away his calligraphic treasures just because he's a famous expert.
Director Huo saw several famous experts putting aside their dignity to line up for a consultation, and suddenly thought of his son who was studying medicine. But as a renowned figure in the domestic medical community and an authority on digestive systems in Shenhai City, Director Huo felt that if he were to be examined by a young doctor, not only would he lose face but also credibility. If word got out, people might start rumors saying that his reputation as a digestive system expert was undeserved, which would be a devastating blow to his reputation.
So Director Hu saw those experts all going to line up, but he was still there, hesitating and thinking for a while. After intense mental struggle, Director Hu gritted his teeth and also lined up at the back of the queue. In front of his son's future and his own reputation, he chose his son. This is perhaps China's characteristic! For the sake of their children, parents can give up everything, even their lives, let alone these external things.
Chen Jinghai saw that the situation had changed dramatically, not only did the experts let a young man who was always at the bottom of his class during school be deceived, but even Director Huo, whom he relied on, was also left behind. At this time, Chen Jinghai knew that Xiao Yu was not simple, and soon everyone in the room went to line up, leaving him standing there foolishly.
Xiao Yu saw Fang Yuan and the experts lining up, even Director Huo lined up at the back of the queue. He knew in his heart that they were there for the character, and couldn't help but reveal a wry smile: "Director Fang, esteemed experts, what's going on here...?" Although he said so with his mouth, in his heart, he felt a hint of helplessness, never expecting that his calligraphy would be more attractive than his medical skills.
"Xiao Xiao, no, Expert Xiao, I'm really sick. Can you help me take a look and prescribe some Chinese medicine for me? I love drinking Chinese medicine." Fang Yuan said with a flattering smile on his face.
"Yes, Dr. Xiao, we all have some minor ailments, so please help us out and take a look, prescribe some medicine!" Mr. Bai said with a serious face, but the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth when he mentioned prescribing medicine gave him away.
"Really!" "Yes, Dr. Xiao, just take a look..." As soon as Teacher Bai finished speaking, a chorus of agreement echoed through the air.
Hearing everyone say so, Xiao Yu helplessly shook his head and said: "Alright! Then I'll let you all take a look."
