“Haha, my child, I completely trust your medical skills. I’ve already learned about how you treated those two professors. They were my patients, so how could I not trust you? Besides, with my status in the medical field, who would dare to accuse you of practicing medicine without a license while I’m receiving your treatment?” the professor said in an old, condescending tone.
“Then, I’ll proceed with the treatment using acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine method. I hope you won’t be afraid,” Mu Lin replied, taking out a needle case and moxa sticks and placing them in front of the professor.
He continued, “Professor, I’m now using traditional Chinese moxibustion and acupuncture. This treatment begins by lighting the moxa sticks and applying them to your acupoints. Acupoints are unique locations used in traditional Chinese medicine that help regulate the meridians and dispel wind and cold. Then, I will insert golden needles into these acupoints. After some time, this should relieve your symptoms. A full recovery will require repeated treatments over a week.”
After speaking, Mu Lin lit the moxa sticks with an alcohol lamp and began applying them in a spiral motion five centimeters above the professor’s skin, targeting the Dingchuan, Tian Tu, Neiguan, and Zusanli acupoints. The old man grimaced in pain. After ten minutes of moxibustion, Mu Lin quickly took out the needles and inserted them into the four acupoints.
Mu Lin could have used his self-made Baoyuan Dan to replenish the old man’s vital energy, but considering the increasing number of patients and the limited availability of herbs, he decided against using the precious pills on those who discriminated against traditional Chinese medicine. Instead, he chose to stimulate the Zusanli acupoint with needles to preserve the old man’s vital energy, making him Mu Lin’s first “victim.”
Additionally, he could have used his own inner energy instead of moxibustion, but since he wanted to follow the standard procedures of traditional Chinese medicine, he opted for moxibustion to regulate the meridians. Thus, the old man became his first “victim” again. The old man anxiously worried about being burned, and the process was extremely painful.
After enduring the moxibustion, the acupuncture began. The sensations of soreness, numbness, and distension overwhelmed the old man. After the entire session, he was drenched in sweat but felt relaxed and especially refreshed in his breathing.
After removing the needles, the old man couldn’t wait to talk to Mu Lin. He rushed to the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and began experiencing diarrhea, coughing, flatulence, and expectoration all at once.
Mu Lin chuckled to himself outside, thinking, “If it weren’t for you so-called medical authorities blocking traditional Chinese medicine’s access to the Western market and using Western scientific, economic, and military dominance to suppress it, would traditional Chinese medicine have declined to this state? I had to make you Westerners suffer a bit to realize that traditional Chinese medicine isn’t witchcraft.”
Half an hour later, the old man emerged, refreshed and full of energy, and said to Mu Lin, “My child, traditional Chinese medicine is indeed amazing! The effects came so quickly!”
Mu Lin smiled and replied, “Professor, next I will prescribe a traditional Chinese herbal formula for you. If you take it continuously for a week while undergoing the same acupuncture treatment, your condition will be cured.” He picked up a brush and wrote out the prescription in Chinese characters: Ephedra, Winterflower, Ginkgo Seed, Perilla Seed, Schisandra Berry, White Mustard Seed, each three qian; Pinellia, Apricot Seed, Belamcanda Chinensis, Tangerine Peel, Poria, Dried Ginger, Walnut Kernel, Psoralea Fructus, each four qian; Cinnamon one qian; and Asarum five fen. He handed the prescription to the professor.
The professor immediately became anxious, “Daniel Mu! My child, is this really your prescription? I can’t recognize a single character! Why didn’t you write it in English? How can I purchase these herbs? Can I buy them at a hospital or pharmacy?”
Mu Lin smiled again and said, “Professor, these are traditional Chinese herbs. I don’t know if they even have English names. Even if they do, I wouldn’t know how to write them. I’m not sure whether they can be purchased at hospitals or pharmacies either. However, based on my current medical knowledge, only these herbs grown in Asia can cure your illness. I hope you can start taking them today. Since I’ve only been here for less than a year, I don’t know where to buy traditional Chinese herbs. But you could try going to Chinatown in New York.” With that, Mu Lin left with the lawyer duo.
Professor Chris Land quickly sought to purchase the herbs through his connections. However, since mainland China’s foreign trade was not yet well-developed at the time, the export of traditional Chinese herbs was restricted by the U.S., and their sale was also suppressed.
Therefore, when Professor Chris Land sent people to buy the herbs in New York’s Chinatown, no pharmacy dared to sell them. Eventually, the professor had to ask his disciples for help and finally purchased the herbs from a small shop owned by Xiao Han and Xiao Ri.
Since even a renowned medical figure like Professor Chris Land needed to purchase traditional Chinese herbs, the U.S. relaxed its import policies for them. At the time, due to China’s limited access to information, Xiao Ri Han took advantage of the situation. China missed a golden opportunity to expand its export of traditional Chinese herbs and develop traditional Chinese medicine.
A week later, the news of Professor Chris Land’s chronic bronchial asthma complicated with chronic heart failure being completely cured by a teenage traditional Chinese medicine practitioner spread rapidly among his friends and students. Mu Lin’s reputation in the upper echelons of the country’s medical community grew significantly.
By then, Mu Lin had returned home, spending time with his younger sister and waiting for college acceptance letters. In late July, Mu Lin received an letter of admission from MIT, along with several other universities’ letters. The most generous offer among the other universities was a waiver of out-of-state tuition fees, while MIT offered a generous scholarship.
Financial aid for students in the U.S. is divided into several categories:
1. **Grants**: The most competitive and highest-value non-service financial aid. Usually, receiving a grant is equivalent to a full scholarship, covering tuition, accommodation, insurance, and living expenses, with additional personal spending money.
2. **Scholarships**: These can be a fixed amount or a tuition fee waiver. The chances of receiving them are higher than grants, but the amounts are smaller. They are typically honorific rewards.
3. **Tuition Waivers**: U.S. universities have three types of tuition: in-state, out-of-state, and international. Usually, outstanding international students can be charged in-state tuition rates, effectively waiving the out-of-state portion.
4. **Research and Teaching Assistantships**: These are service-based financial supports. Students must perform research or teaching assistance to receive them.
5. **On-campus and Off-campus Housing Benefits**: On-campus housing benefits provide free accommodation, while off-campus benefits involve the university arranging relatively affordable housing to reduce costs.
6. **On-campus Employment**: Another form of service-based financial aid, where students earn income by working on campus.
Although Mu Lin no longer cared much about the money, it represented Professor Chris Land’s respect for him, so he chose to go to the professor’s lab.
Since he had not received a systematic education, he needed to thoroughly understand the U.S. university system to prepare for a serious college education.
Firstly, U.S. universities have a unique approach to undergraduate admissions. Students usually apply to a specific university rather than a specific major.
Students don’t have to decide on their major before enrollment. Instead, they choose after completing a year of general education. This decision is based entirely on the student’s strengths, interests, and future career needs, which is a reasonable approach.
Interest is the best teacher. Only by studying a subject you like can you truly engage with it, ignite your passion for learning, delve deeper, and achieve results. Moreover, after graduation, it’s rare for students to work in fields unrelated to their major.
Another difference from China is that American universities do not assign fixed classes. Students choose their majors and courses based on required credits and preferred instructors, making class composition fluid. A class may include students from different grades, and each class has a unique mix of students. Compared to the static class system in Chinese universities, this system lacks stable connections and opportunities for deep interpersonal relationships among classmates.
However, from another perspective, this aligns with society’s demand for individuality, allowing students to take full control of their learning. This fosters independence and autonomy, even though it has some drawbacks. It provides students with a space for free development, which is beneficial for those with self-control.
As the time to start school approached, Meizi and Mefang felt extremely reluctant to part with Mu Lin. Since their father had died early and their mother had suddenly fallen into misfortune, they had become orphans and regarded Mu Lin as their only family.
Especially Meizi, whose feelings for him blended those of father and brother, felt that Mu Lin was abandoning them when she heard he was going away to school. She refused to let him go and insisted on following him.
Mefang, being older and more reserved, did not express her feelings outwardly but still looked worried. Mu Lin explained that he was only going to school and would return during winter and summer breaks, but they still refused to let him go. Helplessly, Mu Lin called the professor to apply for transferring his sisters to a new school.
Meizi and Mefang had already passed the language barrier. Initially, Mu Lin placed them in this English-speaking environment to earn money and familiarize himself with the surroundings. They were forced to learn quickly. Fortunately, the workers Mu Lin hired were of good character and did not mistreat the two girls. By the time Mu Lin returned, they were already fluent in English.
It seems the environment shapes people, Mu Lin mused. In fact, Mu Lin had never neglected his sisters’ education. They were quite gifted and had already completed the curriculum from elementary school to the first year of junior high. When he decided to sell the house, the two sisters refused, saying it was their hometown. Reluctantly, Mu Lin decided to keep it, as he was not short of money and had a servant to maintain the house. Once all the procedures were completed, Mu Lin took his sisters and set off for school registration.
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