Aunt Li returned home carrying the packet of medicine. She rubbed her sore lower back and sighed, "This flu is really taking a toll. I have no energy, and my head feels so groggy."
She walked into the kitchen, took out an old clay pot, and rinsed it clean with water.
Li Xu had instructed her that it was best to brew the medicine in a clay pot, as it would allow the medicinal properties to be fully released.
She poured the medicinal herbs into the pot and added a suitable amount of water.
She lit the gas stove. Blue flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the water gradually grew hot.
After a short while, steam began to rise from the pot, and the aroma of the medicinal herbs slowly filled the air.
Aunt Li gently stirred it with a pair of chopsticks. The color of the medicinal decoction gradually deepened, giving off a bitter aroma.
She wrinkled her nose and muttered, "Still as bitter as ever."
Before Li Xu's father passed away, she would go get a few prescriptions filled whenever she felt unwell, so she had grown accustomed to the taste.
So, once the medicine was brewed, she poured the dark brown decoction into a bowl, let it cool slightly, and drank it all in one go.
Since the fever had left her groggy, Aunt Li lay down on her bed after drinking the medicine and drifted off into a hazy sleep.
In her sleep, she felt herself break out in such a sweat that her blanket was soaked through.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but when she woke up, the sky was not yet light.
She felt thirsty, so she threw on some clothes to get a drink of water. After taking a sip and using the bathroom, she found her mind was clear and she wasn't sleepy at all.
She touched her forehead.
It wasn't hot at all.
'My fever's gone down?'
Aunt Li muttered to herself, but still took out a thermometer.
Five minutes later, her temperature was 37.2°C.
It had gone down completely.
"Huh?"
Aunt Li was taken aback.
She had originally just decided to give it a try.
After all, if it didn't work, she wouldn't have to pay Li Xu.
She never expected it to actually be effective.
Her mood lifted immensely.
She even felt hungry.
She'd had a fever all day yesterday and had only drunk a little water, not eating a single bite of food.
So, Aunt Li made herself a bowl of noodles and ate it.
Since it wasn't light out yet, she decided she might as well do some housework.
After another two hours, the sun finally came up.
She added more water to the clay pot and brewed the medicine a second time.
After drinking it, she hurriedly pushed her cart out to sweep the section of road she was responsible for.
"Sister Li, didn't you call in sick with the flu? What are you doing here?"
"I took some medicine yesterday and I'm pretty much all better now. Guess what kind of medicine I took?"
"I can't guess."
"The Li family's boy prescribed me some Chinese medicine. I didn't expect it to be so effective! I only drank one dose and my fever broke. I even ate a bowl of noodles this morning."
"For real?"
"Would I lie about my health? It's the absolute truth."
"My daughter-in-law caught the flu too. She's been taking medicine, but she's not getting consistently better, and she doesn't want to get an IV drip. I'll have her go get a few doses of that medicine too."
"Go on. The Li family's clinic has been passed down through generations, after all. The Li boy might be young, but he has the formulas his ancestors left behind. He can still treat people."
...
The surrounding area was an old residential neighborhood.
Aunt Li had lived here for decades and knew a lot of people.
In the span of a single morning, many people had heard the news.
Not long after Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic opened for the day, a patient arrived.
Today's intelligence was very ordinary.
[Sun Qing, infected with an epidemic virus, persistent fever, swollen and sore throat, white-coated tongue. Can be treated with Daqing Leaf combined with Huang Qin.]
And the first patient to arrive was none other than Sun Qing.
She had rarely taken traditional Chinese medicine before.
"Will just these few leaves actually work?"
"They'll work. Take this Daqing Leaf, for example. It's a common antiviral herb. I've prescribed you three doses. If it doesn't work, come back and I'll give you a refund."
"You're the one who said it."
After seeing Sun Qing out, another patient arrived not long after. It was another familiar face from the neighborhood.
After chatting with them for a bit, Li Xu learned that Aunt Li had sent them.
He prescribed the same medicine.
However, Li Xu also added his own modifications.
For example, the patient before him also had the flu, but they also suffered from rhinitis.
This caused nasal obstruction and a yellow nasal discharge.
So, Li Xu added Cang'erzi to the prescription to eliminate the nasal inflammation.
'At this stage, I only get one piece of intelligence per day. I can't rely entirely on the intelligence system. I have to have real skills of my own. Otherwise, I'll be exposed sooner or later. This is a good opportunity. The Daqing Leaf I bought is a highly effective herb for the flu. During this process, I can add appropriate herbs based on the patient's condition and accumulate experience.'
After seeing the two patients, the clinic grew quiet again.
Although Aunt Li was enthusiastically promoting him, most people's first choice after developing a fever was still to get an IV drip.
Li Xu wasn't in a hurry.
He believed that once word-of-mouth started to spread, more and more patients would come.
DING...
Someone was chatting in the medical school alumni group chat.
He opened it to take a look.
It was Hu Qiming from the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, who had posted a message.
"Hey classmates, next Wednesday, Professor Gao Guanghui from the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is coming to our City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to give a lecture. Anyone who's interested should come and listen."
This message quickly sparked a discussion among the others.
"Wow, Professor Gao is coming? I'm definitely going."
"@Hu Qiming, remember to save me a seat."
"This is a great opportunity to network."
"That's right. We haven't seen each other in a long time since graduation. We can use this as a chance to get together."
...
Li Xu's interest was piqued.
Professor Gao Guanghui was a nationally renowned expert in traditional Chinese medicine. He had not only published many specialized books on TCM but also had numerous classic case studies to his name. It could be said that he had saved countless lives.
When Li Xu was in school, many of the case studies he learned from were Professor Gao Guanghui's.
Now that there was a chance to hear him lecture, Li Xu didn't want to miss it.
He quickly asked in the group chat, "Are there any restrictions on attending the lecture?"
Hu Qiming replied, "The lecture is in the main auditorium. It can seat several thousand people, so there are no restrictions. Just come on over."
"Okay."
Li Xu set a reminder on his phone to attend the lecture next Wednesday.
...
「Weimin Clinic.」
It was still packed with people.
However, Han Weimin and his wife were much more relaxed.
This was because they had found a young woman who had just graduated from nursing school to help out.
The young woman had majored in nursing and was worried about not being able to find an internship. When she heard that Weimin Clinic needed help, she proactively came to offer her assistance.
Han Weimin was grinning from ear to ear.
'Free labor, and I don't even have to provide meals. This is just perfect.'
"It's a good thing we didn't let Li Xu come over," Wang Xiulan said with a look of relief.
Han Weimin looked smug as well. "Heh, you just watch. His family's clinic won't last much longer."
"By the way, I saw a few patients go to his place to get medicine today," Wang Xiulan said.
Han Weimin scoffed, "Heh, getting medicine is great. The patients will spend money and take the medicine, but when it doesn't cure them, they'll ruin his reputation everywhere. He'll go under even faster."
...
That evening, when Aunt Li returned home, she drank another bowl of the medicine. Her temperature returned completely to normal, her throat was no longer itchy, and her cough had noticeably subsided.
"It really works,"
Aunt Li muttered, "I still haven't paid the Li boy for the medicine. I have to remember to bring him the money tomorrow."