"When I was young, I fell seriously ill, and my family abandoned me outside an old temple gate, leaving only a few coins and my birth chart by my side. It was then that doctor Li happened to pass by and adopted me. He never married in his life, devoting himself entirely to raising me and teaching me medicine. Although we were master and disciple in name, in reality, our relationship was like father and son. At that time, my master was already the imperial physician, renowned for his extraordinary skills in acupuncture. I followed him and worked at the imperial hospital.
Thirty-five years ago, when the Empress Dowager faced difficulties in childbirth, the blame fell on the imperial physicians, including my master, as scapegoats.
It happened suddenly, and my master received the news first. Without explaining much, he hastily arranged for our family to leave the palace overnight. He also had the family of his attendant, Li Shang, and the caretaker of Shan Er, Little Li, change their surnames to mine to escape the disaster. After that incident, many people in the palace died, and notices seeking the fleeing imperial physicians were posted for a long time.
We wandered and endured hardships, finally settling in this mountainous area and living off the land for many years, until the new emperor ascended the throne and we began to trade salt and sugar in town with the hunters from the mountains.
I thought my master had probably passed away long ago, so I could only offer sacrifices to his spirit tablet at home, wishing to have a place to converse with him in spirit." Tong Medicine Master almost finished speaking, tears streaming down his face, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Grandfather, please don't get too excited. Our great grandmaster is still alive, you should be happy. We can bring him to live with us and fulfill our filial duties before him, right?"After listening to the stories between her grandfather and his disciples, XiangBei had already developed a sense of respect and a desire to feel close to this elderly man whom she had not yet met.
"Yes, yes, you're right!" Tong Medicine Master suddenly turned around, knelt in front of Cheng Mo, who was sitting on a low couch in the carriage, and pleaded, "Prince Mo, Prince Mo, you are the noble Lord of Dongbin. Could I implore you to grant Li YiZheng, my father master, his freedom and give me the opportunity to serve him in his old age?"
Cheng Mo quickly supported Tong Medicine Master's arm, exerting force to help him up and sit back down. "Grandfather, in your eyes, I will always be Ah Mo, who loves you just like XiaoBei does. Li YiZheng has long retired. Whether he stays by my side, how long he stays, and when he comes and goes, it's entirely up to him. We will see him soon, so don't worry. You can bring him home anytime."
The carriage stopped in Zebei Town, and everyone boarded a boat, heading straight for the Dongbin Prince's Mansion.
The sunlight was just right, and the evening glow filled the sky. Under the wisteria pergola in the courtyard, Li YiZheng, with his white hair and youthful appearance, was leisurely reclining on a couch. The delicacies of Dongbin were truly irresistible. He sipped the pearl milk tea, recently replicated by uncle Zhong, while counting how many new flavors of the Fuhai Tower he had yet to try. Lost in his thoughts of how long he would stay this time to taste them all, he saw Cheng Mo leading a group of people in.
Before he could get up to greet them, an old man rushed forward, knelt down with a thud, and burst into tears, unable to articulate clearly. He cried a few times and knocked his head on the ground, leaving Li YiZheng puzzled by the sight of his tear-stained, gray-haired head. What was happening?
This might be the most beautiful story XiangBei had heard recently. Compared to Grandfather's decades of longing and self-blame, Li YiZheng, though traveling around to visit his disciples' families over the years, had realized his dream of tasting gourmet food first. It was said that after traveling through Yunmeng, he found the most abundant and newest delicacies in Dongbin's Fuhai Building. Therefore, he planned to go to Zebei Town and wait for each new product to be released.
"All right, Little Decoction, stop knocking your head. Get up. You're getting old, and you're crying and sniffling like a baby. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the younger generation?" When Tong Medicine Master was a child and suffered from a strange illness, Li YiZheng was also helpless but unwilling to give up. He tried various herbal medical treatments and jokingly called himself Little Decoction, saying he was here just to try out medicines, and perhaps one dose would work. Later, when they found the right prescription to cure him, Li YiZheng always affectionately called him Little Decoction in private.
"Father—! You are Little Decoction master father in this life, Master, please allow Little Decoction to continue using your surname Li, I beg you."
"Little Decoction, in Master's heart, you have always been the only beloved son, what does it matter what surname you have? You have the blood of the Tong family flowing in your veins, and Shan'er will also carry on the Tong family line. Between us, master and disciple, father and son, the bond in our hearts is already good enough." Li YiZheng was deeply shaken in his heart.
He had been alone all these years, with only this disciple in his heart. After searching for him for so many years, today, knowing that he also longed for him in this way, even wanted to recognize him as a father, how could he not be pleased and excited? However, he couldn't allow the confusion of family lineage to be taken so lightly.