Chapter 93: An Adversary on a Different Level!

Qin Luo finished washing up and hurried to the hotel restaurant, only to find Ming Hao already waiting at the entrance.

As the personal secretary to the Deputy Minister, Ming Hao wielded considerable influence. Even provincial education department directors coming to the capital would seek him out for meals and favors.

Yet today, he had to wait at the restaurant entrance for a young upstart. It left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth.

Still, he knew how highly the Minister regarded this young man. So even if he harbored some resentment, he wouldn't let it show on his face.

On the contrary, he needed to make an effort to build a good relationship with him.

"Brother Ming, how could I trouble you to come and receive me personally? I could have found my own way." Qin Luo was taken aback to see Ming Hao waiting at the door.

At any time, one should never underestimate the secretaries beside leaders. They sometimes serve as the leader's voice—offend them, and you might as well have offended the leader himself. One couldn't afford to be careless.

Besides, Ming Hao was older than Qin Luo. Having him stand at the door to welcome him made Qin Luo feel genuinely uneasy.

Seeing that Qin Luo's attitude seemed genuine—indeed appearing flattered and honored—Ming Hao's lingering displeasure vanished in an instant. He instead felt that Qin Luo was neither arrogant nor rash, and was someone worth befriending.

He reached out and patted Qin Luo on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "I'm a few years older than you, so it's only fitting that you call me 'Big Brother.' Since we're brothers, there's no need for such formality. The Minister was worried you might not find your way, so he specifically asked me to wait at the door for you. Come, I'll take you to see Minister Cai. The leader's schedule is packed today, so he can only find time to talk with you over breakfast."

"The Minister has already arrived?" Qin Luo was taken aback.

"Yes. He's inside having tea. But it's fine. The Minister is used to rising early." Ming Hao said with a smile.

Qin Luo smiled awkwardly, thinking to himself that he had been terribly rude today. He really shouldn't waste so much time staring at himself in the mirror in the future—five minutes at most.

Cai Gongmin was still dressed in his gray long robe, sitting on the open-air terrace of the restaurant, sipping tea.

The dense fog had not yet fully dispersed, and the morning sun was just rising. Beyond lay distant mountains layered one upon another and an endless expanse of forest.

Nearby were pavilions and towers, rockeries and ponds. Enjoying morning tea in such an environment on such a morning was truly a delightful experience.

Seeing Qin Luo approach, Cai Gongmin set down the newspaper in his hand and said with a smile, "Qin Luo. Good morning. I hope I haven't disturbed your sweet dreams?"

"Minister, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Qin Luo said apologetically.

"Old fellows like us can't sleep in the morning anyway. It's become a habit." Cai Gongmin said with a chuckle.

Ming Hao pulled out a chair for Qin Luo, then called over a waiter to order breakfast before sitting down at a nearby table to eat on his own.

Cai Gongmin personally poured Qin Luo a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Originally, I wanted to talk with you last night. But I had a few too many drinks yesterday and went to bed early. Today's schedule is quite packed, so I could only ask you to come over for breakfast."

"The Minister has been working hard."

"A little hard work is nothing. But seeing the current state of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I feel anxious inside. We want to tilt policy toward TCM and help prop it up. Only when Western medicine and TCM advance side by side can TCM develop well. But every time, it ends up being futile effort. TCM gives the impression of mud that can't be plastered onto a wall—we're simply at our wit's end." Minister Cai said with a worried expression.

"However, after hearing your speech yesterday, I suddenly felt that TCM is not beyond saving. I asked you to come today because I want to discuss the matter of the TCM Guild with you. What's the difference between the TCM Guild and the TCM Association?"

Qin Luo looked at Cai Gongmin and asked with a smile, "Minister Cai, what kind of nature do you think the TCM Association has?"

"Hmm. It's a TCM organization led by the government." Cai Gongmin summarized succinctly.

"Yes. That's exactly where the problem lies. The TCM Association is led by the government. And among those government leaders, how many actually understand TCM or are passionate about it? If one has no interest in TCM, wouldn't attending such meetings be a form of torture?"

Cai Gongmin smiled wryly. Under the current system, it was common for laymen to lead experts. He couldn't change that overnight.

"In my vision, the TCM Guild would be an organization for all TCM practitioners across the entire country. As long as one is a physician, or a beginner who loves TCM, they would be qualified to apply for membership. The Guild would have one President and three Directors. This President and the three Directors would all be elected by the members themselves. And elections would be held once every three years."

"The purpose of the Guild is to promote TCM and advance together. Therefore, there would be none of those tedious conferences to attend. If meetings were held, they would be to brainstorm and discuss specific issues together. Not like the various medical conferences now, which merely go through the motions and talk in vague generalities. In reality, those conferences solve nothing."

"In addition, the Guild could receive sponsorship from enterprises. If the Guild developed new products or proprietary Chinese medicines, under equal conditions, the sponsoring enterprises would have priority purchasing rights. That way, the financial and sustainability issues of the Guild would be solved—not just relying on annual government appropriations. Otherwise, given enough time, it would only become another 'TCM Association.'"

"The TCM Guild should have its own independent thinking and life, free from the constraints of any organization. Of course, the state can supervise the Guild, to prevent the Guild or any of its members from going astray. This is only my rough conception; the specific implementation would still require discussion with everyone."

Cai Gongmin nodded with a thoughtful expression and said, "You want to break the current mechanism and start from scratch. Using the TCM Guild as a starting point, gather the strength of TCM practitioners across the country to push the cause of TCM forward?"

"That's exactly right." Qin Luo nodded. He thought to himself, no wonder he's in politics—he catches on immediately.

"Your thinking is very clear, and I personally approve of it wholeheartedly. However, some conditions may be difficult to realize. Take what you said about the TCM Guild being free from the constraints of any organization—that problem alone will be hard to solve. But don't worry. I'll do my best to fight for you. A serious illness requires strong medicine. For the sake of TCM's development, I don't mind shouldering a bit of responsibility." Cai Gongmin didn't mince words and immediately expressed his support to Qin Luo.

"Thank you, Minister Cai." Qin Luo said with heartfelt gratitude.

"Let's work together." Minister Cai reached out and shook Qin Luo's hand. "If we lose TCM, that would be a crime against our nation. Our descendants would jump up and curse us."

"Let's work together." Qin Luo said.

The conference concluded, and the famous physicians and teachers who had come from all directions returned to their respective homes.

Qin Luo accompanied his master Wang Xiushen to see off his old friends, and then He Jitian, the chief editor of Chinese Traditional Medicine, personally invited him and requested an exclusive interview with Qin Luo.

Because he now had a goal in mind, Qin Luo didn't decline the interview this time. The two went back and forth with questions and answers until He Jitian left satisfied.

He was busy until six o'clock in the evening, when Wang Jiujiu called. Only then did Qin Luo remember what he had promised yesterday: attending the birthday banquet for Wang Jiujiu's mother.

"Teacher Qin, where are you?" Wang Jiujiu's voice came through the phone, a little soft and husky, slightly different from her usual brisk and carefree tone.

However, Qin Luo didn't notice these details.

"I'm at Yan Garden attending a conference." Qin Luo said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jiujiu. I've been so busy today that I almost forgot about this."

"It's fine. It's not too late now. I'll send a car to pick you up at Yan Garden." Wang Jiujiu said.

"But I haven't had time to prepare a gift." Qin Luo said.

"No need to prepare one. Just come over for a casual meal." Wang Jiujiu said with a laugh.

"How could that be appropriate?" Qin Luo said with a smile. He thought it over seriously and actually came up with a unique birthday gift. "Have the others arrived?"

"The others?" Wang Jiujiu was momentarily taken aback. Then, quick-witted as she was, she immediately understood what Qin Luo meant and said with a smile, "Everyone's here now."

"Alright then. I'll wait at the Yan Garden gate. When your car arrives, have the driver call my phone directly." Qin Luo said.

"Got it, Teacher Qin. See you in a little while." Wang Jiujiu hung up with a face full of joy.

"Sweetie! Sweetie! Come upstairs quick!" Zhang Yiyi's voice came down from the upper floor.

"What is it?" Wang Jiujiu called back.

"Come up here! Your old mother has something of utmost urgency to discuss with you."

Wang Jiujiu had no choice but to run upstairs in her slippers.

Zhang Yiyi, with a face mask on, was in front of the fitting mirror, holding up a powder-blue, low-cut V-neck long dress.

"What's so urgently important?" Wang Jiujiu asked, standing at the door.

"Sweetie, do you think I look good in this dress?"

"Sure. That's your urgent matter? Real urgent indeed." Wang Jiujiu pursed her lips.

Although her mother's age was a bit 'old,' her skin was still delicate and smooth, like that of a young girl in the prime of her youth.

She looked good in any color she wore.

"Do my black leather shoes match this dress?"

"They match."

"What about my hairstyle? I just had it done today."

"Not bad either."

"Is there anything wrong with my face?"

"I can't see your face." Wang Jiujiu said, pointing at the layer of face mask covering it.

"Oh. It'll be off in a moment. Just a moment." Zhang Yiyi said.

Wang Jiujiu felt a bit exasperated and said, "I'm the one who invited Teacher Qin over. Why are you dressing up so prettily?"

"Well, today is my birthday. The birthday girl naturally has to dress up nicely." Zhang Yiyi said, displeased.

"Who said the birthday girl has to dress up nicely? Besides, Teacher Qin isn't here to see you. If you dress up so prettily and steal my spotlight, what am I supposed to do?"

"Hehe, then you can dress up as much as you like and steal my spotlight. You're so young—are you afraid you can't outshine me?"

"Hmph. Of course I can outshine you." Wang Jiujiu snorted coldly and ran back to her room to get ready.

Zhang Yiyi watched her daughter's retreating figure in the mirror and thought to herself, "Little girl, have you forgotten who gave birth to you? Trying to steal the spotlight from your old mother. No chest, no backside—"

Zhang Yiyi cupped her ample bosom with both hands, gave it an upward lift, and said with a proud expression, "She's not even in the same league."