Li Xu led Aunt Li into the clinic.
He skillfully took out a Pulse Pillow and gestured for Aunt Li to place her hand on it.
"Aunt Li, how long have you had this cold?" Li Xu asked as he took her pulse.
"For about two or three days. At first, my throat was just a little itchy, but then I started running a fever. It was a low-grade fever initially, but yesterday it spiked. I took some fever reducers, but it's still high today."
Aunt Li's voice was a bit hoarse.
Li Xu nodded, his fingers resting lightly on Aunt Li's wrist, carefully feeling the changes in her pulse.
'Her pulse is floating and tight. This is a sign of an external pathogenic factor.'
Then he had Aunt Li stick out her tongue. Its coating was a pale yellow.
'Combining these signs, it's a classic case of wind-heat invading the exterior and disharmony of lung qi.'
In layman's terms, it was the flu.
'The Daqing Leaf and Huang Qin I just acquired will be perfect for this.'
Li Xu turned and walked to the medicine cabinet, taking out the Daqing Leaf and Huang Qin, then added a few other supplementary herbs.
As he measured out the herbs, he explained, "The Daqing Leaf clears heat and detoxifies, while the Huang Qin purges fire and stops coughing. These two are the main ingredients. I'll also add some Dried Tangerine Peel and licorice to harmonize the properties of the medicine and help break up phlegm."
Aunt Li was completely lost. "You do what you think is best. Just remember, if it doesn't work, you're giving me a refund."
Li Xu quickly prepared three doses of medicine, wrapped them in paper, and handed them to Aunt Li. "One dose a day. Brew it once in the morning and once in the evening, and drink it after meals. Remember, when you brew it, don't use too much water—just enough to cover the herbs. Drink it when it has been reduced to a single bowl of liquid."
After giving her a few more instructions, Li Xu added, "Aunt Li, go home and take the medicine for now. If you don't feel better after three days, come back, and I won't charge you."
Aunt Li nodded and left with the medicine.
The clinic fell silent again.
Li Xu didn't try to pull in any more customers.
Although the intel made it sound amazing, he still needed to see the actual effects of that specific Daqing Leaf.
If Aunt Li recovered, he wouldn't have to pull in customers.
Aunt Li would promote his clinic for him.
Li Xu was confident that with Aunt Li's 'combat power,' the entire neighborhood would know about it in less than a day.
「In the afternoon.」
Wang the Third showed up at Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, pulling a cart full of Daqing Leaf.
Li Xu took a look. Just like the batch from the morning, it was all bug-bitten.
After weighing it, the total came to 911 jin.
"Seven yuan per jin. For 911 jin, that's 6,377 yuan in total. Do you have WeChat?"
"Yes, yes."
"I've transferred the money to you."
"Thank you, thank you."
Wang the Third stared at the 6,377 yuan on his phone and thanked him profusely. "Boss, you're a good man. Your business will definitely prosper in the future."
He had suffered a lot selling herbs over the years. Those herb dealers always tried to find ways to lowball him, sometimes even deliberately finding fault with his product to dock the weight.
This was the first time he had met a boss as straightforward as Li Xu.
"Boss, when I harvest my herbs next year, will you still want them? Don't worry, I'll take good care of next year's crop and won't let any bugs get to them."
Wang the Third said, slapping his chest.
Li Xu muttered inwardly, 'If they're not bug-bitten, I won't want them.'
"We'll see how things are next year. As long as the quality is good, I'll buy them," Li Xu replied ambiguously.
Wang the Third smiled and said, "The quality will definitely be good. Boss Li, it's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer. I'll get going so you can get back to work."
"Take care."
After seeing Wang the Third off, Li Xu moved the nine hundred-plus jin of Daqing Leaf to the storeroom in the back.
He only took out a small amount and placed it in the little drawer labeled "Daqing Leaf" in the medicine cabinet.
...
「The Weimin Clinic in the west of the city.」
Due to the recent flu outbreak, the clinic was packed with people, and the air reeked of disinfectant.
Rows of chairs were filled with patients on IV drips.
And that wasn't all. Because there weren't enough seats, they had brought in some folding stools for patients to sit on while receiving their infusions.
A single IV stand held the bags for several different patients.
Han Weimin was so busy he was practically running off his feet.
He was constantly administering infusions, changing medications, and removing needles...
His wife, Wang Xiulan, was also swamped, having to both care for patients and organize the medicine.
Fortunately, most of the patients had the flu, so he didn't have to put much thought into diagnosis.
Regardless of the severity of their condition, their gender, or their age, he put them all on an IV drip.
"Old Han, some patients got tired of waiting in line and went somewhere else. We can't have that. Why don't we hire someone to help?" Wang Xiulan said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Han Weimin frowned. He looked around at the packed room, feeling a bit worried himself.
But where could they find temporary help on such short notice?
An ordinary person wouldn't know medicine and would be useless.
And if they made a mistake, it would be a huge problem.
"Hey, I've got it!"
Han Weimin thought of Li Xu.
'Li Xu is a proper medical school graduate. Besides, that TCM clinic of his is always empty. He's just sitting around idle, losing money every day. He might as well come help me and earn a little cash.'
Han Weimin also had a petty, ulterior motive he couldn't tell anyone.
Six months ago, before Li Xu's father passed away, Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic had been famous.
Everyone went there.
His own clinic had been deserted.
He was on the verge of going out of business.
But who would have thought things would change so drastically?
Li Xu's father suddenly passed away, and Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic fell into decline.
Now, all the patients came to his clinic.
'Making my 'arch-rival's' son work for me... that would feel pretty damn good.'
Han Weimin said, "I'll go talk to Li Xu."
「In the evening」, Han Weimin took advantage of a lull in patients, freed up some time, and went straight to Li Xu's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.
The clinic was quiet and empty. Li Xu was sitting at his desk reading a book. When he saw Han Weimin walk in, he looked up and smiled. "Uncle Han, what brings you here so late?"
Han Weimin cleared his throat and adopted a superior air. "Li Xu, this flu has been hitting everyone hard lately, and our clinic is completely swamped. I see you don't have much business here. Why don't you come over and help out? I'll pay you a salary. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Li Xu's brows furrowed slightly. He was not pleased.
'Their line of work isn't like others. In other jobs, people can help each other out. But not in theirs. Especially when one is a TCM clinic and the other is a Western medicine clinic. If the neighbors found out I went to work at Han Weimin's clinic... what would they think? They'd definitely look down on Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic. It would be even harder for me to get patients in the future. Besides, if I go help at the Weimin Clinic, what happens to Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic? It would have to close, of course. This move kills two birds with one stone. How brilliant!'
Whether Han Weimin had calculated it this way or not, the suggestion itself showed he had no respect for him.
But Li Xu couldn't say much in response. After all, Han Weimin had come under the pretext of 'doing him a favor.'
"I appreciate the kind offer, Dr. Han," Li Xu said, rejecting him. "But while my clinic may not be busy, it's still getting by. Besides, I have my own patients here. I can't just close up shop."
Han Weimin hadn't expected to be rejected, and his expression turned ugly. "Li Xu, we're on the same street. You think I don't know what business is like for you? The only patient you saw all day was that cleaning lady, Sister Li, right? I'm not trying to criticize you, but Sister Li is getting on in years. Instead of sending her to my clinic for an IV drip, you gave her useless Chinese medicine. If you delay her treatment, can you bear that responsibility?"
"Did you think I came here to beg you?"
"I was only doing this out of respect for your father, trying to help you make a living. If you're not interested, then forget it."
He turned and left without waiting for Li Xu's reply.
"Er..."
'Wow... he's got quite a temper! Maybe it's because he's so busy. His mood might improve in a couple of days when things quiet down.'
Li Xu just shook his head and smiled.