Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 139: Becoming a Disciple

Sugar was a rarity these days and hard to find on the market. She had specifically asked someone to procure some from the supply and marketing co-op, just so it could come in handy at this critical moment.

She hoped this gesture of goodwill would help smooth the way for Song Qingya to become his apprentice.

She took the old woman’s arm, her smile broadening as she made the enthusiastic introduction. "Grandma Yuan, this is my younger sister, Qingya. She’s married to an old comrade-in-arms of my husband. Our two families have always been very close, so she’s like a real sister to me. Don’t let her youth fool you. Qingya is sharp, has been through a lot, and is a steady, meticulous person. I’m sure you’ll love her!"

"Hello, Grandma Yuan."

Song Qingya took a step forward and gave a proper, respectful bow. Her voice was clear, yet gentle.

Then, holding the gifts she had brought with both hands, she respectfully presented them. "I heard Mr. Wen enjoys tea, so I prepared some from the south. The quality is decent, just a small token of my respect. I also hand-sewed these two pairs of knee warmers. I used thick cotton and stitched them tightly, so they should be very warm. Sister Yingzi mentioned that you often feel the cold, so I thought you could use them as the weather turns cool."

By the time she finished, the smile on Grandma Yuan’s face had deepened.

Looking at the young woman before her, she already felt a certain fondness for her.

Grandma Yuan reached out, took Song Qingya’s hand, and said warmly, "My surname is Yuan. From now on, just call me Grandma Yuan. You’re Xiao Ya, is that right? That’s a lovely name. But I’m just an old woman. I can’t possibly accept so many gifts on our first meeting. It’s far too much. Please, take them back, and don’t bring so many things next time."

She paused, then added with a smile, "Come on, let’s go inside and sit. I just steamed a pot of rice cakes, and they’re still piping hot. You should all come in and have some."

"Oh, Grandma Yuan, please don’t refuse such a small gift. Just accept it!"

Yang Yingzi quickly chimed in, her face all smiles, as she gently pushed the gifts back into Grandma Yuan’s hands.

She shot a discreet, knowing wink at Wen Xinglu, who was standing nearby.

Wen Xinglu immediately stepped forward, also smiling. "Grandma Yuan," she said earnestly, "Xiao Ya came from so far away. It was a long trip. It wouldn’t be right to make a guest take back a gift they brought with such care. That’s just not proper."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Besides, these aren’t truly valuable items. The tea was a gift from her own relatives, and Xiao Ya sewed the knee warmers one stitch at a time. It’s the thought that counts. If you refuse, you’ll just make them feel bad. Please, accept them, so they can feel at ease."

"Not much?" Grandma Yuan responded. "Xinglu, that’s not quite true. Just look at this tea. You can tell at a glance it’s not cheap. The packaging is exquisite, the leaves are tightly rolled and have a rich, glossy color. When brewed, the liquor will be clear and the aroma long-lasting. Tea like this doesn’t come cheap on the market."

Yuan Juan’s hair was streaked with gray. She spoke in a soft, quiet voice and had a gentle demeanor.

More than anything, she disliked taking advantage of others.

When she taught in the village as a young woman, she would refuse time and again, even if a student’s parents offered her something as simple as an egg.

She and her husband, Wen Junyi, had been frugal their entire lives. They would use a bar of soap until it was a sliver too small to hold before replacing it.

’If they were truly after money, she and her husband would have moved to the city to enjoy a comfortable life long ago. Why would they still be living in this mountain backwater?’

Their son worked in the provincial capital and had offered many times to have them move in with him to retire, but they always politely declined.

They were familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here and couldn’t bear to leave.

Song Qingya took another step forward, her voice soft. "Grandma Yuan, the truth is, I’ve come to ask to become a disciple. These items are my apprenticeship offering. Accepting them would be like giving me a chance. I know this is a sudden request, and I understand that becoming a disciple is no small matter. But I have been considering this for a long time and have prepared extensively. I brought these gifts today to show my sincerity."

"Become a disciple? You want to become his disciple?"

Yuan Juan had married Wen Junyi when she was twenty. Over the years, she had watched her husband treat patients and, through osmosis, had come to understand some medical principles herself.

She often helped him measure herbs and decoct medicines, and she had memorized many prescriptions.

She could even explain the differences between various herbs to patients who couldn’t tell them apart. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Song Qingya’s clothes were loose-fitting, but Yuan Juan could tell at a glance that she was pregnant.

Her belly was slightly rounded, her gait was a little slow, and her breathing was deeper than normal.

Many people had come seeking to study medicine under Wen Junyi over the years, but she had never seen a pregnant young woman come to ask to be his disciple.

Some came with letters of recommendation, others pulled strings, and some brought extravagant gifts, but none had ever been like her—so respectful, yet so straightforward.

’How unusual,’ she thought, her fondness for the young woman growing a little more.

Song Qingya’s gaze was clear, she spoke calmly and without haste, and her every gesture exuded a steady composure.

But she knew her husband was stubborn. Once he made up his mind, wild horses couldn’t change it. And if he decided against something, no amount of persuasion would ever work.

She said hesitantly, "Xiao Ya, are you serious? Do you truly intend to become my husband’s disciple? Learning medicine isn’t something that happens overnight. It requires enduring hardship and loneliness. And in your condition, you have to be especially careful. My husband won’t lower his standards just because you’re pregnant."

"Yes, Grandma Yuan. I’m not joking in the slightest."

Song Qingya nodded, her voice steady and without a trace of hesitation.

She took several thick books and a set of silver needles from her bag, laying them out neatly with deliberate care.

The edges of the pages were worn, clear evidence of frequent reading.

The silver needles, arranged neatly in a wooden box, glinted with a cold light.

Her tone was firm. "I have memorized all of these books, every single word. I know I haven’t practiced acupuncture nearly enough, but I practice on a model every day. I’ve performed over a thousand insertions, and I practice for no less than two hours daily. Grandma Yuan, please tell Mr. Wen for me that I truly want to learn medicine and that I have the utmost respect for him. I know his medical skills are brilliant and that he is a man of integrity. He is the kind of physician I have always admired."

"So many books? And you’ve memorized them all?"

Wen Junyi had taken on many disciples, but not a single one had ever claimed to have mastered all of these medical texts.

She recognized the books: the *Inner Canon of Huangdi*, the *Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases*, the *Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet*, and the *Acupuncture Classics*. All of them were foundational texts of traditional Chinese medicine.

Each volume was as thick as a brick, filled with archaic and obscure text. Just to comprehend them would require years of dedicated study.

’These are tough nuts to crack, not books you can understand by simply flipping through the pages!’

Let alone memorizing them.

Some of his disciples had studied for years and still hadn’t fully grasped a single one.

Yet this young woman had not only brought the books but claimed to have memorized them. For a moment, Yuan Juan found it difficult to tell whether she was telling the truth.

But when she looked into Song Qingya’s eyes, she saw no frivolity or vanity.

Initially, she had found the young woman quite likable, with her delicate features and well-mannered speech.

But after hearing such a claim, she began to think the girl was exaggerating. Her own tone took on a probing, skeptical edge.

She narrowed her eyes, sizing Song Qingya up. ’A young girl like her,’ she thought, ’even if she’s spent a few days memorizing medical texts, couldn’t possibly know them so thoroughly.’

So she said,

"Then let me test you. You’ve read the *Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases*, I assume? ’There are Taiyang Yangming diseases, Zhengyang Yangming diseases, and Shaoyang Yangming diseases. What is the meaning of these?’ What is the next line?"

Song Qingya didn’t panic. She stood up straight, her expression composed.