When Li Xu's father was still alive, Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic was quite well-known.
It was known not just to the local residents, but also to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
So, it was perfectly normal for Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic to be on the list for assistance.
This was, in principle, a good policy.
But in practice, it often ended up being a mere formality.
After all, even major hospitals have strained medical resources.
Especially their specialists.
Each one was treasured by the hospital.
They couldn't possibly dedicate all their time and energy to helping a local clinic.
Take this time, for instance. The person the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine sent was none other than Hu Qiming.
Li Xu and Hu Qiming were classmates.
Their skill levels were more or less the same.
In fact, with his system's help, Li Xu was arguably the more skilled of the two.
With him coming over, who was really helping whom?
So, it was just a formality.
Li Xu understood how these things worked, so he didn't get his hopes up.
Still, with Hu Qiming coming over, it would be a chance for them to catch up.
"Welcome, Expert Hu from the big hospital, here to provide your esteemed guidance."
Li Xu asked with a smile, "So, when is Expert Hu coming?"
Hu Qiming laughed too. "Sometime in the next few days. They need to take pictures to upload, so when I, the 'great expert,' show up, make sure you give me a proper reception."
"Of course. But I've got a beautiful woman at my clinic, so you'd better not try anything."
He hung up.
Song Sisi looked up and asked, "Who was that?"
"A classmate from my university, Hu Qiming. The City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is sending him over in a couple of days to assist local clinics. The guy's a bit of a perv, so watch out."
"Don't worry, I won't let him get away with anything."
...
TRICKLE...
Aunt Li went to the bathroom again.
The medicine she'd gotten from the City People's Hospital hadn't worked, even after several days.
Even though she had one day's dose left, she decided she couldn't wait any longer.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
She arrived at Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.
"Xiao Xu, that medicine you offered to prescribe for me last time... could you write it for me now? I'm still having night sweats and frequent urination."
Aunt Li said, panting.
"Aunt Li, sit down. I'll take your pulse again."
"Alright."
Her pulse was superficial, and her tongue was coated in white.
Her symptoms were still severe.
Li Xu increased the dosage slightly, especially for the Five-Floral Dragon Bone. The original prescription called for 100 grams per dose; now he was using 120.
"Aunt Li, I've written you a prescription for three days. Go home, take the medicine, and come see me again in three days."
"You got it. How much?"
"1,300."
Aunt Li paid, wincing at the cost.
"You're making a pretty penny, Xiao Xu," she muttered.
She had seen Li Xu write a prescription for over 50,000 to that rich man with her own eyes just the day before yesterday.
"You're not getting any younger. Do you have a girlfriend?" Aunt Li asked, her eyes glinting with a new idea.
"Not yet."
"That's an easy fix. Leave it to Auntie."
"I'm not in a hurry, really."
"What do you mean, not in a hurry? Your father and I were very close. Now that he's gone, we old neighbors have to look out for you. Don't you worry. I have a relative whose daughter is gorgeous—looks just like a movie star. I'll introduce you."
Before Li Xu could refuse, she took the medicine and left.
When Aunt Li got home, she immediately started decocting the herbs as Li Xu had instructed.
The decoction bubbled away in the clay pot, releasing a faint, herbal aroma.
She picked up the bowl, blew on it carefully, and drank a mouthful with a frown—it was extremely bitter, almost impossible to swallow.
'Sigh...' she thought. She remembered her youth. Back then, most medicine was traditional Chinese medicine, and it was always just as bitter. But afterward, they would get to eat a piece of brown sugar.
'Eating the sugar became the only thing to look forward to about taking the medicine.'
'Now, there was no shortage of sugar at home.'
'But she no longer felt like eating it.'
After finishing the medicine, Aunt Li leaned back on the sofa to rest.
Later, she started cleaning the house.
Her husband had passed away a few years ago, and her child worked out of town.
She was the only one living there, so the house wasn't messy to begin with.
But she was bored with nothing to do.
She preferred to keep busy by cleaning.
After a flurry of chores.
She broke into a light sweat.
But this was different from the sweat she was used to.
Before, it was a cold sweat that left her breathless.
This sweat felt refreshing.
Her lower abdomen felt surprisingly settled, too, free of that familiar, dull, heavy sensation.
She rubbed her belly. "Is it actually working?"
That night, for the first time in ages, Aunt Li slept soundly until morning, only waking up once to use the bathroom.
When she woke up the next day, she felt much more refreshed, and her mood had lifted considerably as well.
"That Xiao Xu, he really knows his stuff!" she mused while making breakfast. 'A fine young man like him... can't let some stranger snap him up.'
At this thought, Aunt Li wiped her hands, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number.
"Hello, Xiulan!" Aunt Li cried enthusiastically the moment the call connected. "It's me, your cousin!"
"Well now, Cousin, to what do I owe the pleasure?" a middle-aged woman's voice replied from the other end.
"It's good news!" Aunt Li said, lowering her voice. "I've found a great match for your daughter!"
"Really?" Xiulan's voice jumped an octave. "Whose son is he? How old? What's his job?"
"It's Doctor Li from Li's Clinic down the street!" Aunt Li explained with gusto. "He's a sharp-looking young man, and his skills are amazing. The medicine he prescribed for me yesterday started working overnight!"
Xiulan hesitated. "A doctor at a clinic... Is the income steady?"
"Oh, don't you underestimate him!" Aunt Li said conspiratorially. "Just yesterday, I saw with my own two eyes as he wrote a prescription for over fifty thousand for some rich fellow, and the man paid without even batting an eye!"
"Over fifty thousand?" Xiulan gasped. "What kind of medicine could be so expensive?"
"I heard it was called... rosewood? Something like that. Anyway, it's an especially precious medicinal herb." Aunt Li was getting more and more worked up. "Plus, the boy is honest, both his parents have passed away, and he's all alone. If she marries him, she won't have to deal with any mother-in-law drama!"
Xiulan was clearly tempted. "Well... my Xiao Wen happens to be coming home this weekend. Should we arrange for them to meet?"
"Perfect! It's a date!" Aunt Li slapped her thigh. "I'll go talk to Xiao Xu tomorrow!"
Hanging up the phone, Aunt Li smiled with satisfaction.
'If Li Xu and Xiao Wen hit it off, they'd become family.'
'And in the future, when I go see Li Xu for a consultation, how could he have the nerve to charge me?'
"Hee hee..."
...
「A new day.」
Li Xu checked his intelligence briefing.
Yesterday's briefing had been mediocre—just a treatment plan for a patient with a common cold.
'Hopefully, today's intelligence is better.'
[Today's Intelligence: Within a 280-meter radius at the northeastern foot of Tang Mountain, geological shifts and crustal activity have caused a high concentration of iron, zinc, selenium, calcium... more than 34 types of minerals, numerous trace elements beneficial to the body, and twenty-one amino acids. Wild brown rice, now mature, has been growing in this area. The rice is enriched with these minerals and trace elements, making it highly effective for treating anorexia.]
'This intelligence... is amazing!'
Li Xu's eyes lit up.
'It's packed with minerals and trace elements. Even if I don't use it to treat anorexia, it would be incredibly healthy just to eat it myself.'
At the same time, a new idea sparked in Li Xu's mind.
'Today's intelligence is sustainable.'
'If I can, I should lease that plot of land.'
'I could plant rice there every year.'
'Wouldn't that mean I'd have a yearly supply of rice on par with Xiangshui Royal Rice?'