Under the astonished gazes of everyone, a long and convoluted passage of classical Chinese flowed effortlessly from Jiang Fei’s mouth, as if he were a news anchor reading from a script. The rapid-fire delivery was even more exhilarating than a string of firecrackers going off.
Not only were the twenty-some master’s graduates in Chinese medicine seated in the room stunned, but even Pan Shuangquan, the secretary of the Chinese Medicine College, was momentarily speechless.
Memorizing the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders is no easy feat, but there are still quite a few who can manage it with some effort. For example, Gu Hao and Wang Xueyi, both of whom had achieved this.
However, to recite it as fluently as Jiang Fei did, to the point of being able to recite it backward, raised the difficulty level exponentially. It was on a completely different plane!
Gu Hao and Wang Xueyi tried their best to keep up with Jiang Fei’s pace, hoping to catch even a single mistake in his recitation. But alas, their goal remained unfulfilled.
After about seven or eight minutes, under the amazed eyes of everyone, Jiang Fei felt his throat getting dry and took a sip of water. He then turned to Wang Xueyi, who had earlier been skeptical of him, with a smile. Her expression shifted from shock to admiration, and he asked, “Do I need to continue proving myself?”
Wang Xueyi, still somewhat dazed, quickly shook her head.
She had initially suspected that Jiang Fei had prepared in advance, memorizing only the three chapters of the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders that he intended to test them on. But Jiang Fei’s flawless recitation had completely shattered her assumption.
Such smooth and rapid recitation couldn’t possibly be the result of last-minute cramming. It was clear that this young man, hailed as a “miracle doctor” by the Chuan Shu Metropolitan Daily and revered by many patients as the “King of Acupuncture,” had a terrifyingly solid foundation in these areas.
She had been judging him with a petty mindset.
Although Jiang Fei was just an ordinary undergraduate, his medical skills and foundational knowledge were light-years ahead of these master’s graduates.
“Clap, clap, clap…”
At the same time, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.
There was a reason he was called a miracle doctor.
His genuine talent was undeniable!
Jiang Fei’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Though it was a self-satisfied smile, the feeling of having impressed these master’s graduates was immensely gratifying. However, to Wang Xueyi, Gu Hao, and the others, Jiang Fei’s smile was a symbol of his charisma!
Think about it—top-tier doctors are usually arrogant and wouldn’t tolerate any slight or doubt.
If Wang Xueyi had dared to question one of those seasoned veterans from the Chinese Medicine Association, they would have likely exploded in anger. They wouldn’t have bothered to prove themselves, let alone smile at her with such gentlemanly grace!
If the master’s graduates from the Acupuncture and Tuina College had initially harbored some resistance and distrust toward Jiang Fei, they were now thoroughly convinced.
A skilled doctor isn’t all that rare.
But a skilled doctor who is also young, humble, good-tempered, and charismatic? That’s one in a million!
Such a person is practically an idol, a role model!
“Professor Tian, your Third Clinical College has truly produced an extraordinary talent!” Pan Shuangquan exclaimed with a sigh. He then added with a hint of regret, “With such profound knowledge of Chinese medicine, Dr. Jiang must have started learning it from a young age. Why did he choose the Third Clinical College instead of our Chinese Medicine College when he applied for university? What a… pity!”
By now, Tian Shanshan, who had a rough understanding of Jiang Fei’s background, was also puzzled.
Logically speaking, with Jiang Fei’s exceptional skills in Chinese medicine, he should have chosen the Chinese Medicine College.
After some thought, however, Tian Shanshan figured out the reason.
With a wry smile, he said, “I think… it’s probably because the admission score for the Chinese Medicine College was too high. The cutoff for the Chinese Medicine College, especially for the combined bachelor’s and master’s program, is always above the first-tier line. If I recall correctly, Jiang Fei’s college entrance exam score was just enough to get him into our Third Clinical College…”
Pan Shuangquan was so annoyed he almost shouted out loud, but he managed to restrain himself.
A student of Jiang Fei’s caliber had missed out on the Chinese Medicine College because of the admission score?
That was absurd!
Even so, he couldn’t hide his frustration and angrily said, “The current education system is truly flawed! Why do we need to excel in subjects like math and English to study Chinese medicine? Does a good doctor need to be good at other subjects? I used to think that having a high admission score was a point of pride for our college, but now it seems like it’s a mistake! I must bring this up with the school administration. Some rules need to be changed!”
This was putting the cart before the horse. Talented doctors couldn’t get into good medical schools because they had to study physics, chemistry, and other unrelated subjects. It was a disgrace to the medical field!
If this got out, people would laugh their heads off!
Tian Shanshan, both amused and proud—after all, Jiang Fei was his student—replied, “Lowering the admission score for the Chinese Medicine College is probably impossible. Besides, it’s not something the school can control. The cutoff is determined by the number of applicants, and only the top few are admitted. The score isn’t something we can manipulate…”
Although Tian Shanshan’s reasoning was sound, Pan Shuangquan still felt a deep sense of regret. He grumbled, “Even if we can’t lower the score, we should at least have a special admissions quota…” He glanced at Jiang Fei and added with regret, “Otherwise, the Chinese Medicine College might lose many talents like Dr. Jiang in the future!”
Secretary Pan was genuinely upset.
His love for talent was evident!
If the Chinese Medicine College had produced a miracle doctor like Jiang Fei, it would have been a great honor for the college. Pan Shuangquan would have had bragging rights in the medical community!
The first round of assessments was over.
Out of the twenty-some master’s graduates, only nine managed to barely pass—less than half. And this was after Jiang Fei had relaxed the criteria. Otherwise, as he had said earlier, only Gu Hao would have met his standards.
“For the second round, let’s test your acupuncture skills,” Jiang Fei announced. Since he ran a Chinese medicine hospital and these students specialized in acupuncture and tuina, assessing their acupuncture skills was the most appropriate way to gauge their true abilities.
However, Jiang Fei couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
Although the first round only tested their ability to recite passages from the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders, Jiang Fei could roughly infer that these master’s graduates’ medical skills weren’t as good as he had hoped. For the second round, he decided to lower his expectations a bit.
Otherwise, his visit to his alma mater might end in disappointment, and he might not even be able to recruit the five or six doctors he had hoped for.
Testing acupuncture skills couldn’t be done in the conference room. Methods like practicing finger strength on paper pads or techniques on dough, which are used to assess beginners, weren’t suitable for these master’s graduates.
While their skills were limited compared to Jiang Fei, a level-seven Chinese medicine expert, they weren’t exactly weak either.
Fortunately, Jin Cheng University had its own affiliated hospital on campus, which had plenty of patients. So Jiang Fei, along with Pan Shuangquan and Tian Shanshan, led the nine who had passed the first round—Gu Hao, Wang Xueyi, and the others—to the hospital.
After spending over an hour personally diagnosing nine patients, Jiang Fei had each of the nine students perform acupuncture while he observed.
Sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head, Jiang Fei finally gained a clear understanding of their skill levels.
In the end, Jiang Fei only recruited the top five performers: Gu Hao, Wang Xueyi, Yang Gang, Chen Zhihong, and Wang Lingling.
Three men and two women.
They weren’t exactly stunning in terms of looks, but their medical skills were solid. Hiring them for the Jiang Clinic wouldn’t tarnish his reputation.
However, what surprised Jiang Fei was that the best performer in the second round wasn’t Gu Hao, but Wang Xueyi, the girl with black-framed glasses who had questioned him in the first round!
Gu Hao’s performance was also commendable, far surpassing the others, but he was completely outshone by Wang Xueyi.
Whether it was the pre-needle preparation, the technique, or the post-needle care, Wang Xueyi outperformed Gu Hao in every aspect!
While the other eight students, including Gu Hao, all used techniques from the same school, clearly learned during their university studies, Wang Xueyi’s acupuncture technique was far more refined and belonged to a completely different school of thought!
“Could this strong-willed woman also come from a family of Chinese medicine practitioners?” Jiang Fei wondered to himself.
Wang Xueyi’s performance clearly indicated that her acupuncture skills were exceptional, likely honed from a young age under the guidance of a master.
After giving the five recruits the address of his clinic and instructing them to meet Lin Jasmine the next day to sign their contracts, Jiang Fei, Pan Shuangquan, and Tian Shanshan were left alone in the hospital.
“Secretary Pan, who did Wang Xueyi learn her acupuncture skills from?” Jiang Fei asked curiously.
In Jiang Fei’s eyes, Wang Xueyi’s acupuncture skills were so advanced that she could easily land a job at a top-tier hospital. Such talent was rare in a second-tier university like Jin Cheng Medical University.
Pan Shuangquan finally allowed himself a proud smile and said, “Actually, in a way, Wang Xueyi is my junior sister…”
Jiang Fei was momentarily stunned, his mind flashing to the name “Ge Fangping.” He pretended to be impressed and said, “She’s a disciple of the renowned Dr. Ge?”
Seeing Jiang Fei’s expression, Pan Shuangquan’s smile widened, thinking that Jiang Fei truly admired his teacher’s skills. He nodded and said, “Wang Xueyi is my master’s last disciple. I hope Dr. Jiang will guide and mentor her in the future.”
“Of course, of course…” Jiang Fei replied with a smile.
But in his heart, he was thinking, If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have recruited her!
He had little respect for the old-timers in the Chinese Medicine Association.