Chapter 22 Luo Tianyi

In 1243 AD, Li Dongyuan left Shandong, bid farewell to Fan Zunshi and Yuan Haowen, and returned to his hometown Zhending. At this time, he was already sixty-two years old. The land of my hometown has long been barren. There are not many acquaintances left. A bleak scene. Li Dongyuan, who had just returned to his hometown, was rather exhausted. According to the literature, he "but leaned on the futon, called the boy to warm the wine, and watched thousands of miles of water dyed." In fact, I would rather believe that this is the life Li Dongyuan yearns for, his dream, because he has no time left.

In the eight years between his return to his hometown and his death, he did a great deal: 1. He treated a large number of patients. Judging from the chronology of medical records with time records, almost all the medical records in "Dongyuan Shixiaofang" come from this period; 2. He sorted out his own theories and experiences, and rearranged the already written "Distinguishing Puzzles from Internal and External Injuries" into a book. Most of the contents of books such as "Medical Inventions" have also been sorted out; 3. To impart knowledge, he began to look for his successors to pass on his knowledge.

Among them, imparting knowledge is the most difficult task, because good disciples are hard to come by. When Wang Haogu was studying with Li Dongyuan, many of Li Dongyuan's thoughts had not yet been fully formed.Therefore, it is very important to find a suitable successor at this time. But where to find it? Li Dongyuan told his friend Zhou Defu about his thoughts. Coincidentally, as if it had been arranged by God, Zhou Defu said: I know such a person, Luo Tianyi from Liantai, he is honest and simple, and he once hated his lack of knowledge and ambition. Yu continued to study, "If the king wants to preach, the Sri Lankan can do it."

Li Dongyuan was very happy, so he asked Zhou Defu to arrange Luo Tianyi to meet him. Luo Tianyi is a poor young man with a very good character. In order to meet him, he wrote a letter expressing his admiration for Li Dongyuan and his desire to be a teacher. This letter can still be seen now. In the preface of Luo Tianyi's later book "Health Treasure Book", the full text is included, and only a few words are missing. If you are interested, you can take a look. However, unexpectedly, when they met, Li Dongyuan didn't say anything after reading the letter, but just asked Luo Tianyi a question.

The question is: "Do you want to learn to be a doctor who earns money? Or do you want to learn to be a doctor who spreads medicine?" This is an interesting question. I don’t know how you would answer it if your mentors asked you this question, because it’s not easy to answer. If you say that earning money is probably out of the question, and you say that you want to learn preaching, it is easy to be regarded as saying Big talk. Although student Luo Tianyi is simple and honest, but his mind is quite quick, he immediately replied: "I also preach the word". It’s really high. Luo Tianyi’s wife and children already have a family and children. If you say that you don’t make money just for preaching, who would believe it? So I said “also preaching” to show that it is still necessary to support the family, but for your The dissemination of knowledge is indispensable to you.

What a smart student!Li Dongyuan was very satisfied with what he heard, and immediately decided to accept the student. The admission conditions are very favorable, and the teacher Li Dongyuan is responsible for all board and lodging. There is such a good thing?Of course, because Li Dongyuan took a fancy to Luo Tianyi's character and knew that his family was very poor, so in order to allow him to study with peace of mind, he provided a bursary. Not only bursaries, but also scholarships. When Luo Tianyi studied with Li Dongyuan for three years, Li Dongyuan saw that this is indeed a rare talent. In order to reward Luo Tianyi for being able to persist in studying so firmly, Li Dongyuan took out "Platinum Twenty Taels" and put it on the table. Then I called Luo Tianyi and said to him, "I know that life in your family is difficult. I am afraid that you will shake your confidence in studying medicine and give up halfway. Now I will give you the money. Take it home to support your wife and children!"

Luo Tianyi was taken aback. How could there be such a teacher who just didn't pay the tuition fee, and lived for free, and then gave money? So Luo Tianyi hastily tried his best to refuse. Li Dongyuan categorically said a very famous sentence, to the effect: "I have given you knowledge that is more valuable than this little money, do you still care about this little money? Don't refuse!" (I don't hesitate, why? Are you stingy? Don’t resign!) This is the story of one of the more famous teachers and students in history. Unusual teachers met unusual students. With Li Dongyuan's support, Luo Tianyi studied hard with his teacher for eight years, until Li Dongyuan's death, and he was passed on to the best of his ability.