"What apprentice?"
Cheng Tao's face changed drastically. When did Cheng You become his apprentice?
"I'll host two tables soon to formally accept Cheng You as my apprentice. You all remember to come and eat."
Song Yulian's expression cracked. Cheng You could still become a doctor!
That brat can't do anything, why should she be a doctor?
"Uncle Li, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Uncle Li glared at her impatiently, "Am I mistaken or not, do you know better than me?"
"But Cheng You... Cheng You can't do anything, she can't be a doctor!"
Uncle Li said coldly, "If she can't, I'll teach her. Otherwise, why do you think I'm taking an apprentice? Alright, this is not for you to comment on. Go back."
Cheng Tao felt extremely embarrassed and pulled Song Yulian away.
When she turned back, she saw Cheng You smiling at them.
"Aunt Lian, are you satisfied?"
Song Yulian gritted her teeth at her, "You knew this would happen from the start, and you still let us come here to humiliate ourselves."
Cheng You said with a smile, tilting her head, "If you know it's self-humiliation, then you still have some shame."
Cheng Tao lowered her head and pulled Song Yulian along.
"Mom, ignore her!"
She still didn't believe that Cheng You could really learn anything from Uncle Li.
Uncle Li raised his hand and pointed at Cheng You, his expression serious.
"You little girl!"
Cheng You stuck out her tongue, "What can I do? They themselves mentioned to Dad that they wanted to come to you. I couldn't refuse, so I let them come and get rejected themselves."
After all, she knew Uncle Li would absolutely not agree.
Uncle Li also knew about her family situation and shook his head without saying anything more about her.
On the other side, Song Yulian returned home and eagerly complained to Cheng Tianhua.
"She did it on purpose. Clearly, Old Li was about to take her as an apprentice, and she deliberately said she would leave the work to us, deliberately making a fool of us."
Unexpectedly, Cheng Tianhua was not only not angry, but also looked pleasantly surprised.
"Brother Li wants to take her as an apprentice?"
Uncle Li had been a barefoot doctor for many years, and this was the first time he had ever said he wanted to take an apprentice.
And he was taking his own daughter as an apprentice, which was a matter of great honor!
"I'll go ask."
"Tianhua, what's there to ask!" Song Yulian shouted frantically.
Cheng Tianhua gave her a glare, "What do you know! In all ten villages and eight townships, Brother Li is the only barefoot doctor. If he really takes Cheng You as his apprentice, a master for life is like a father. Then, what Old Li's family has will also be Cheng You's!"
Uncle Li was the wealthiest family in Wujing Village. Forget about the house, his savings alone must be considerable.
Moreover, if Cheng You inherited his legacy, she would also be the only barefoot doctor in Wujing Village in the future.
He was her father, she would gain prestige, and he would also bask in the glory.
The more Cheng Tianhua thought about it, the more excited he became. This daughter truly surprised him repeatedly.
Song Yulian had a dark expression, wishing she could swallow Cheng You alive.
...
Two days later, Cheng You specifically chose the time when Cheng Wenyu was on vacation to set up two tables at Uncle Li's house.
Cheng Tianhua had wanted to do it at his own home, but Cheng You disagreed, and in the end, he had to compromise.
Although only a few respected elders from the village were invited as witnesses, it already made Cheng Tianhua feel honored.
Especially when Cheng You knelt down to offer tea to Uncle Li, he was already eagerly surveying the house, as if it were already his.
The apprenticeship ceremony concluded with everyone as witnesses, and different people had their own thoughts.
Some lamented the unpredictable nature of life, who would have thought that the formerly "spoiled, lazy, and greedy" Cheng You would have such great fortune today.
Others were so twisted with jealousy that they wished it were their own child.
After today, Cheng You had a new identity, and everyone called her Little Doctor Cheng.
Although she was just assisting Uncle Li, she looked quite capable.
But only Uncle Li knew that this girl's ambition lay elsewhere, and he had only taught her some basics.
She spent all her time here, mostly processing medicinal herbs.
For this, Uncle Li even specially spent money to order some tools that she could use.
Although it was just basic compounding, it was quite practical.
The Yinqiao Powder, which cleared heat and detoxified, had slowly spread throughout Wujing Village, and people bought it whether they were sick or not, saying it was good to have at home.
The process looked tedious, with repeated failures and attempts, but Cheng You found joy in it.
"Alright, alright, it's already dark. They've been waiting for you so eagerly outside." Uncle Li finally couldn't help but urge her to leave after watching her for so long.
Cheng You looked outside, "It's so late!"
She was so engrossed that she forgot the time.
"Uncle, you must be hungry. I'll go cook first."
"Go quickly, go quickly."
Cheng You handed him what she had just made, "You try it first!"
Uncle Li took the small porcelain bottle and walked out, opening it and sniffing.
"What is this thing?"
The things Cheng You tinkered with were all strange.
Cheng You didn't have time to pay attention to him. Qi Chengyan sat there properly, his expressionless face. She didn't know how long he had been waiting, so she had to appease him first.
"You've been waiting for a long time, I'm sorry I forgot the time again. I'll cook now, please wait for me."
Qi Chengyan's eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion, and he said, "Take your time, no rush."
He found it strange himself that he never felt impatient when waiting for Cheng You.
Looking at her busy back, he found it to be a kind of enjoyment.
During this time, Cheng You was often busy at Uncle Li's place until late. Qi Chengyan, worried about her going home alone, would wait for her here.
It was already winter, and the weather was getting colder and colder, but she seemed oblivious, immersed in the pharmacy.
Cheng You quickly made a few dishes in the kitchen. Uncle Li finally had a chance to ask her, "What is this?"
"Hair growth pill."
Uncle Li's expression froze, "Hair growth pill?"
He glanced at Qi Chengyan, "Is this for me?"
Cheng You said, "Who else would it be for if not you? Why are you looking at Qi Chengyan? His hair is so thick, he doesn't need this at all!"
Uncle Li was already in his forties. The hair around his head was fine, but the middle was bald, with only a few sparse strands stubbornly swaying.
"Hmph! When I was young, my hair was also this thick!"
At this age, he still went bald.
He secretly glanced at Qi Chengyan, thinking he would go bald sooner or later.
"He won't. I'm here for him! Forget it, if you don't want it, give it back to me."
Uncle Li dodged her hand and put it in his pocket like a treasure.
"Who says I don't want it? I do! If I don't try it for you, how will I know if it works well?"
He had started losing hair when he was young, and it had gotten to this point.
He had tried various methods and used medications, but none of them worked.
He had already given up, but at this moment, Cheng You had made this.
Although this girl had just entered the field, so far, the things she had concocted were not bad, and the quality was guaranteed.
He touched his receding hairline, hoping it would work.