"What? Rap?"
"Are you sure there's no typo? Tingyu playing rap?"
"Damn, a classical talent playing rap, that's too big a leap!"
"Haha, is this intentional? Qin Shousheng is in the foreign rap scene, and MC Yindao is deliberately mimicking rap. Is Tingyu going to teach them both what rap is?"
"I think Tingyu is a bit arrogant. His classical music is indeed good, but rap and classical music have nothing to do with each other. Where does he get the confidence to outshine Qin Shousheng and MC Yindao?"
"Traditional Chinese Medicine rap, how can these two things be put together..."
"Although I'm looking forward to it, I also think Tingyu is too confident. His classical music is divine, but that doesn't mean his rap is good."
"Online, netizens and music critics are analyzing."
"But most of them are not optimistic."
"If Tingyu released another classical song, no one would doubt the quality of the song."
"But the Chinese Medicine Association revealed that it's rap."
"This makes netizens somewhat confused."
"Chinese medicine, rap, Tingyu, these three things cannot be linked together."
"But in reality, it happened."
"For a time."
"Everyone began to guess whether Tingyu truly had the ability to combine traditional Chinese medicine and rap, or if he was forcing them together."
"The latter is possible, while the former is of hellish difficulty."
"If they fuse perfectly, the rap world might change drastically."
...
The news from the Chinese Medicine Association brought more than just discussions about Tingyu.
It also brought up another topic, the "Chinese Medicine is Useless Theory," which had already quieted down.
Online, many people suddenly started digging up old grievances.
"Are there still people who believe in Chinese medicine?"
"Give it up, the Qing Dynasty has long been gone."
"The so-called Chinese medicine, isn't it just a group of charlatans fooling idiots with some herbs?"
"A friend of my friend listened to a quack doctor and drank Chinese medicine, which worsened his condition and almost killed him."
"We emphasize science now, and the Yin-Yang and Five Elements of Chinese medicine are metaphysics."
"Tingyu actually wrote a song for these scammers. I'm unfollowing him forever!"
"Exactly, I'm actually thinking of supporting Qin Shousheng!"
"Haha, medically speaking, foreign medicine is indeed more advanced, at least they talk about science."
"..."
The overwhelming curses drowned out the Chinese Medicine Association's Weibo.
Helpless, the Chinese Medicine Association had to close the comments.
Inside the association, everyone's faces were grim.
"It seems there's no turning back now."
"Alas, I wonder if this decision was right or wrong."
"Don't be too pessimistic. We've all heard the song, and with this attention, if netizens watch the documentary and understand real Chinese medicine, our reputation should improve."
"Let's hope so. This is a gamble."
"If we don't try, we'll really have no chance."
"In a few more years, when we old guys are gone, Chinese medicine will truly have no successors..."
Compared to before, although everyone's spirits were not high, they had more confidence.
Because that song, "Ben Cao Gang Mu," gave them a glimmer of hope.
Cultural confidence, this is what young people lack the most.
If this song can make them watch the documentary and truly understand Chinese medicine, even if it can't make young people interested in it, it will at least reduce a lot of criticism.
...
Bai Shu is a sophomore student in the Chinese Medicine department.
After the winter break, he took a train for a day and a night, then transferred to several buses.
Finally, he returned to his hometown.
Bai Shu's hometown is in a remote rural village.
He is the only university student in the village.
However, on the way home, the villagers did not come forward to greet him.
Instead, they seemed to be avoiding him.
Bai Shu was already used to this.
He dragged his luggage, his steps light.
Before long, he arrived at his own home.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
After entering the house, his parents were cooking in the kitchen.
"Wash your hands when you get back. Dinner is almost ready."
His parents did not show the joy of a long-awaited reunion; instead, they seemed preoccupied.
The food was served.
Bai Shu ate silently.
His silent parents finally spoke.
"Xiao Shu, you know about transferring to the Western Medicine department that we talked about earlier. Did you ask the school?"
His mother, holding a bowl, asked softly.
His father continued to eat his meal without looking up.
"Mom, I don't want to transfer."
Bai Shu frowned.
Ever since he chose the Chinese Medicine department in university, his mother had been asking him to change his major.
His grades were excellent, and he was among the top students in the school. With such grades, he could apply for a major transfer.
However, on this matter, he, who had always listened to his mother since childhood, was disobeying her for the first time.
"Whether you want to or not, you have to transfer!"
Unexpectedly, Bai Shu's words directly angered his mother. She slammed her chopsticks down and said sternly.
Bai Shu's brows furrowed. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
He followed his father's example and lowered his head to eat.
The originally warm family dinner fell into silence after this outburst.
"Hmph, father and son are all the same!"
His mother snorted coldly upon seeing this.
She got up and left the dining table.
Leaving father and son, they exchanged a look, both revealing bitter smiles.
After his mother left, Bai Shu's father finally spoke for the first time: "Shu, are your studies at school going well?"
Bai Shu nodded: "It's okay, but some of the knowledge is different from what Grandpa taught me."
"Hehe, Chinese medicine emphasizes dialectical treatment, and experience is the most precious knowledge. Don't go astray."
When his father spoke of Chinese medicine, a faint light flickered in his cloudy eyes.
"I know. The concepts of Chinese medicine and Western medicine are completely different. Chinese medicine focuses on nourishment, so treatment varies from person to person. Western medicine focuses on treatment, so it's relatively standardized for conditions."
Bai Shu said seriously.
Hearing this, his father nodded with relief.
"Don't blame your mother. She's not really angry with you; she's just scared..."
Saying this, Bai Shu's father sighed.
"I know. Because of what happened before, she opposes me studying Chinese medicine. I understand, but Grandpa taught me since I was young that Chinese medicine is the treasure of our China, and its inheritance cannot be broken."
Bai Shu nodded and said with a smile.
"We and your grandfather are very gratified that you think this way."
His father's eyes were a little moist upon hearing this.
"Hehe, don't worry. I've learned medicine from you and Grandpa since I was little, and I've learned your skills. The inheritance will not be broken."
Bai Shu winked at his father.
"You brat, your skills are still far from it!"
His father was stunned for a moment, then scolded him with a smile.
"I'm done eating. Tell Mom that I'm going to see Grandpa and Grandma!"
Bai Shu grinned, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and ran out.
His father stared blankly at his son's back, then nodded in relief after a long while.
...
Bai Shu's grandfather lived not far from his home.
He arrived in a few minutes.
From a distance, Bai Shu saw his grandfather, Bai Hengsheng, sitting on a stool, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.
Bai Shu's grandfather was an old Chinese medicine doctor in the village.
He studied medicine from a young age and healed the sick.
He was now over eighty years old.
He was once highly respected in the village.
However, a few years ago, while treating a patient with avascular necrosis of the femoral head, Bai Hengsheng discovered that the patient had severe liver disease and advised him to get checked at a large hospital. However, the patient strongly insisted on only treating the bone condition.
Later, after his condition improved, the patient stopped coming for medication. Not long after, that person died of advanced liver cancer while undergoing rescue.
The family directly confronted him and caused trouble.
They spread rumors everywhere, saying that Bai Hengsheng was an incompetent doctor who caused death.
Coincidentally, this occurred when the "Chinese Medicine is Useless Theory" was prevalent.
Everyone believed he was a fraud.
Ultimately, to resolve the matter peacefully, Bai Shu's father paid tens of thousands of yuan to the patient's family, and only then did they calm down.
From then on.
Bai Hengsheng stopped practicing medicine and never spoke again.
"Grandpa, I'm back."
He waved at his grandfather.
However, Bai Hengsheng ignored him and continued to look forward.
Bai Shu didn't mind. He squatted down beside Bai Hengsheng.
He tilted his head and looked at him with a smile.
Then, he began to talk about what had happened at school.
The sky gradually darkened.
The cooking smoke had dispersed.
It was only seven o'clock in the evening, and night had already enveloped the small village.
Bai Shu, like a child, told his grandfather about the Chinese medicine knowledge he had learned at school.
However, Bai Hengsheng remained unresponsive, just staring blankly ahead.
"Grandpa, the Chinese Medicine Association has a documentary about Chinese medicine airing live tonight. I'll watch it with you."
Bai Shu took out his phone and opened the live streaming app.