Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Gang Jo-hang began choosing what they needed.

He didn't buy any books, because Gang Gye could borrow Daejang's.

It was a little harsh to say, but Gang Jo-hang already knew that Daejang probably wouldn't be studying for much longer.

Once Daejang stopped, those books would naturally be passed down to the next child in the family who studied.

And Gang Jo-hang was certain that child would be his son.

After all, Gang Gye's talent couldn't stay hidden forever.

A single book usually cost more than three hundred copper coins, so they had to save wherever they could.

However, Gang Jo-hang did pick out two practice brushes.

If one wore out or broke, Gang Gye would need a replacement.

He also bought quite a lot of paper.

By the time they finished choosing everything, the total had already exceeded nine hundred copper coins.

The shopkeeper calculated the price and said,

"Nine hundred and seventeen copper coins. I'll waive the extra seventeen and charge you nine hundred."

"Thank you."

Gang Jo-hang took out some broken silver from inside his clothes and handed it over.

Gang Gye was inwardly stunned.

He had known studying was expensive in this era, but...

Just this much costs that much?

And they hadn't even bought any books.

If they had needed to buy books as well, the price would have been even higher.

Worse yet, most of these things were consumables.

Even brushes had to be replaced after being used for some time.

Now Gang Gye finally understood why people said that if a farming family wanted to educate a child, the entire household had to support that one student.

Without the whole family working together, sending a child to study really was almost impossible.

Gang Jo-hang carefully packed everything away before leading Gang Gye out of the bookstore.

"All right. Now we need to buy the cord for your slingshots. Is there anything you want to eat?"

Gang Gye shook his head.

He couldn't bring himself to spend any more money.

"I think we just need to buy tanghulu for my brothers and sisters."

They had promised to do that before coming, so they couldn't go back on their word.

"All right."

Gang Jo-hang happened to spot someone selling tanghulu nearby.

He bought one skewer and handed it to Gang Gye.

"You eat this one first. We'll buy the others before we head home."

Before Gang Gye could refuse, the tanghulu was already in his hand.

Gang Jo-hang had paid for it, so Gang Gye could only accept it.

After Gang Jo-hang finished paying and turned back, a piece of tanghulu suddenly appeared in front of his mouth.

He lowered his head and saw Gang Gye stretching his little arm up as high as he could.

"Father, have one."

As Gang Gye spoke, his fair, tender cheek bulged slightly.

He clearly already had a hawthorn berry in his mouth.

Snacks of any kind were difficult to come by in this era.

For the current Gang Gye, practically anything tasted delicious.

Gang Jo-hang's heart softened until it felt sweet as honey.

He lowered his head and bit one berry off the skewer.

"That's enough. You eat the rest. It's too sweet for me."

The father and son ate tanghulu while buying the cord and other materials needed to make the slingshots.

After finishing their errands, Gang Jo-hang still held Gang Gye's hand and walked around the streets for a while.

Since his son had gone through the trouble of coming all the way to town, he wanted him to see a little more of the outside world.

Gang Gye, however, kept thinking about his father's leg.

"Father, do you know which medical hall has the best physician in town?"

"Huichun Hall."

Gang Jo-hang answered immediately.

"Why do you ask?"

Gang Gye pulled a sheet of paper from inside his clothes.

"A few days ago, a physician came to our village to gather medicinal herbs. I remembered that you sometimes said your leg hurt, so I asked him about it. He wrote down a massage method for me and said it would be good if you massaged your leg like this often."

Gang Gye continued,

"But I can't understand what it says, and that physician was busy gathering herbs, so he didn't explain it properly. Since we're here, let's go to the medical hall and ask a physician to look at it."

The most important thing was to find out whether this method actually suited his father's condition.

The prescription extracted from the system hadn't specifically stated that it was meant to treat Gang Jo-hang's leg.

Gang Gye knew nothing about medicine.

Just because the system had given him something related to leg massage didn't mean he could safely assume it was suitable for his father.

Still, judging from how the system had rewarded him so far, there was a good chance it was connected.

But precisely because this involved his father's injured leg, Gang Gye wanted to be cautious.

It wouldn't take much time to ask a physician to check it.

Gang Jo-hang looked down at the crumpled sheet of paper in his hand.

His feelings were complicated.

However, he could clearly feel the sincere, pure concern in his son's words.

For a moment, his eyes even grew warm.

Only after a long pause did he look into Gang Gye's sparkling eyes and smile gently.

"All right. Then let's go ask a physician."

Gang Jo-hang had given up hope for his leg long ago.

Sometimes, when he looked at the crippled limb, he even felt intense disgust.

If other people mocked him, there was nothing he could do but endure it and move on.

Ever since he became lame, he had often felt as though he were worth less than dust.

He usually hated talking about his leg.

But now, for some reason, it suddenly didn't feel like such a terrible thing.

No amount of pain could outweigh the pure affection his son was showing him right now.

When the father and son arrived in front of Huichun Hall, there was already a long line.

Gang Jo-hang joined the queue with Gang Gye and began explaining.

"Huichun Hall is the largest medical hall in town. I've heard that it also has branches in the prefectural city and several other prosperous places."

He continued,

"All the physicians here are disciples of Old Master Song. The medicine here isn't always the cheapest, but their prices are fair. They don't tamper with medicinal ingredients or cheat patients, so people trust them."

Then he told Gang Gye about Old Master Song.

Old Master Song was a plain and unassuming old man, but his life was anything but ordinary.

When he was young, he traveled widely, treating patients and exchanging medical knowledge with other physicians.

After reaching his forties, he was summoned to the imperial palace and became an imperial physician.

Even after entering the palace, he never stopped studying.

He devoted himself to researching the medical texts stored there.

More than ten years later, he petitioned the emperor for permission to leave the palace.

He wanted to travel the country, treat ordinary people who couldn't afford to see physicians, and study difficult illnesses.

Even before becoming an imperial physician, he had already discovered treatments for several diseases that were considered extremely difficult to cure.

That was why he had already become highly famous among the common people.

By then, he was over sixty years old, and both his hair and beard had turned completely white.

Even the emperor found it difficult to reject such a request.

In the end, permission was granted.

After leaving the palace, Old Master Song did exactly what he had promised.

He traveled throughout the country.

He accepted many disciples and founded Huichun Hall.

Every so often, he personally visited the different branches.

Thanks to his reputation as a former imperial physician, Huichun Hall prospered and earned the trust of ordinary people.

Most importantly, the physicians there were genuinely skilled.

Gang Gye listened with wide eyes.

Old Master Song really is an incredible person.

Hearing about his life reminded Gang Gye of Hua Tuo, the famous physician from the Han Dynasty.

Before long, it was finally their turn.

Gang Jo-hang sat opposite the physician and handed him the prescription.

"Physician, could you please check whether this method would be useful for my leg? I injured it several years ago while working as an armed escort. I've walked with a limp ever since, and it still hurts from time to time."

He asked,

"Would this massage method help reduce the pain?"

The physician sitting opposite him was no longer young.

He looked to be over forty.

His serious expression gave patients a natural sense of confidence.

The physician accepted the prescription and examined it for a moment.

A pleased look appeared in his eyes as he stroked his beard.

However, instead of commenting on the prescription immediately, he looked at Gang Jo-hang and said,

"May this old man examine the injured leg?"

Gang Jo-hang rolled up his trouser leg, revealing the somewhat deformed limb.

The physician slowly pressed different areas with his fingers while asking how each spot felt.

He also questioned Gang Jo-hang about the symptoms he usually experienced.

At the same time, the physician began massaging the leg.

Gang Jo-hang soon realized that the massage technique being used was exactly the same as the one written on the prescription.

By the time the physician finished, warmth had spread throughout Gang Jo-hang's body.

Apparently, this massage method didn't only involve the leg. It also worked with other pressure points throughout the body.

Afterward, Gang Jo-hang felt considerably more comfortable.

Even the pain in his leg had eased.

After listening to his response, the physician nodded.

"I see. This massage method is indeed quite effective. After you return home, have someone massage you using this method once every day. It will be very beneficial for your leg."

However, now that the leg had already become like this, no amount of massage could return it to its original condition.

At best, it could reduce the pain, maintain the current condition, and prevent further muscle atrophy.

The physician didn't state this too bluntly.

Still, Gang Jo-hang understood.

He had never expected his leg to fully recover anyway.

The only reason he had come to see a physician was because he wanted to respond to his son's sincere concern.

There was no need for medicine in his case.

Gang Jo-hang stood up and asked,

"How much do I owe you for the consultation?"

He assumed he needed to pay before leaving.

However, the physician shook his head.

After hesitating briefly, he said,

"There is no need for silver. Instead, there is something I would like to discuss with you..."

Gang Jo-hang asked,

"What is it?"

The physician said,

"Would you be willing to sell this massage method to our medical hall?"

Gang Jo-hang immediately looked at Gang Gye.

The prescription had come from Gang Gye, so whether they sold it should be his decision.

Gang Gye was delighted by the unexpected proposal and immediately nodded.

"Sure!"

The physician thought for a moment.

"Five taels... No, how about eight taels?"

After saying that, he seemed worried they might think the offer was too low, so he hurriedly explained.

"To be honest, our medical hall already has quite a few similar prescriptions for massaging muscles. Their overall effectiveness isn't very different."

He pointed at the paper.

"However, the reasoning behind this method is quite ingenious, and it is specifically designed for massaging the legs. Nowadays, there aren't many people who specialize in treating leg injuries, so..."

The physician continued speaking somewhat awkwardly, clearly worried that they might think he was trying to take advantage of them.

It was, after all, a very good prescription.

Gang Jo-hang answered readily,

"Let's do as you suggest, Physician. Huichun Hall has always been known for being fair. Everyone trusts you."

Old Master Song's reputation was known far and wide, and Huichun Hall benefited greatly from that trust.

Besides, the physician had even increased his own offer.

It seemed he had originally intended to pay only five taels.

The physician finally relaxed and smiled.

"Thank you. That makes things much easier."

He instructed one of his disciples to bring the silver.

Then he turned back to Gang Jo-hang.

"You need to massage this leg every day. After you return home, send someone here. The medical hall will teach them the massage method free of charge."

At that moment, Gang Gye spoke up.

"I already memorized everything. When we get home, I'll teach Mother."

Gang Gye was still too small and physically weak to massage Gang Jo-hang properly.

In the end, his mother would have to do it.

Gang Jo-hang knew how extraordinary his son's memory was, so he believed him.

The physician, however, looked surprised.

"You really remembered all of it?"

Gang Gye nodded.

With his round, dumpling-like face wearing such a serious expression, he somehow looked quite convincing.

Earlier, while massaging Gang Jo-hang, the physician had also explained the technique aloud.

Gang Gye had remembered everything.

He pointed to different parts of his father's body and repeated, in his soft childish voice, every step the physician had described.

He even explained how much pressure to use at each stage.

The physician looked increasingly astonished.

After Gang Gye finished, he turned to Gang Jo-hang.

"Your son is truly remarkable. To remember all of that after hearing it once... What excellent material."

Then he looked at Gang Gye and smiled.

"How about it, little one? Would you like to come here and learn medicine from this uncle?"

Gang Gye smiled shyly.

Gang Jo-hang, however, was practically overflowing with pride.

"Actually, I'm thinking of having him study the classics."

"So you want him to become a scholar."

The physician nodded approvingly.

"That's excellent too!"

He looked at Gang Gye again.

"The child has a natural gift. With talent like this, you absolutely must let him study."

Learning medicine was certainly respectable.

However, in terms of social standing, physicians couldn't compare with scholar-officials.

Even if a physician became highly successful, the highest position he might reach was imperial physician.

Even someone as famous as Old Master Song would still have limited power when dealing with officials or influential noble families.

So if the child had the opportunity, studying the classics and pursuing the Imperial Examination offered a much broader future.

After confirming that Gang Gye truly remembered everything, the physician explained several additional details that he hadn't mentioned earlier.

Then he tested Gang Gye once more to make sure he had remembered them correctly.

The father and son finally left the medical hall carrying the newly acquired silver.