Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Naughty Child
Although Lin Guorui’s medical skills weren’t as masterful as Li Xu’s, as an attending physician in the internal medicine department of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he was still highly experienced and skilled.
He understood the essence of Li Xu’s prescription at a glance and provided a relatively accurate dosage.
After getting the precise formula, Hu Qiming treated it like a priceless treasure.
He immediately took the prescription to the hospital pharmacy to have it filled, then gave it to the decoction room to be brewed.
A little over half an hour later, the medicine was ready.
He drank one dose right away.
After drinking the medicine, he went back to work.
In the afternoon, he felt his throat was a bit clearer, and the burning sensation in his nasal passages had also eased. It seemed his breathing was a little smoother, too.
However, the symptoms hadn’t completely disappeared. His runny nose had lessened, but it was still there, and so was the nasal congestion.
When Lin Guorui finished his work in the afternoon, he came over to ask, "How is it? Are you feeling any better?"
Hu Qiming answered truthfully, "I do feel a bit more comfortable, but the symptoms haven’t gone away completely."
He told Lin Guorui what Li Xu had said: "If the dosage is prepared correctly, a single dose will be effective."
After hearing this, Lin Guorui couldn’t help but sigh. "Sigh, it seems I’m still not on par with Dr. Li. He said it would be effective in one dose if the amounts were right, but it looks like my measurements were just a little bit off. How about this? Ask Dr. Li for the exact dosages. That way, I can also identify my own shortcomings and learn something."
Hu Qiming nodded and posted the specific dosages in the alumni group chat: "@Li Xu, Divine Physician Li, I took the medicine this morning. Here are the specific amounts: 3g of Schisandra, 9g of raw gypsum, 9g of almond, 9g of Purified Pinellia, 9g of Yuan Shen, 9g of Poria Cocos, 9g of Knotweed, and 9g of ginger. How is it? Are these amounts correct?"
Li Xu quickly replied, "Hmm, those amounts... You’re short 1g of Schisandra, over by 1g of Yuan Shen, and short 2g of Poria Cocos. You’ll need to take at least two doses to get better."
Then, Li Xu added in the group, "But still, Old Hu, that’s not bad. Your skills have improved a lot. I honestly thought you would be way off."
The other alumni in the group were a little surprised when they saw Li Xu’s reply.
Miaoli sent a confused emoji: "@Hu Qiming, when did you start secretly working so hard? How did you manage to come up with such a close dosage?"
Li Baojie chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Hu, didn’t you say you weren’t any good at this? Looks like you’ve been hiding your true skills!"
Seeing that everyone had misunderstood, Hu Qiming quickly clarified in the group: "Hey, everyone, don’t get the wrong idea. My skills aren’t that advanced. Director Lin helped me with the dosage. I don’t have that kind of ability."
Only then did Miaoli and the others understand, and they all started teasing Hu Qiming: "So that’s how it is. No wonder you suddenly seemed so amazing today."
Immediately after, Miaoli sent a victory emoji: "Haha, I win! Hu Qiming really didn’t get the dosage right. @Jiang Peng, don’t forget you owe us a meal."
Jiang Peng replied, "Alright, I overestimated Hu Qiming. I admit defeat."
As everyone chatted in the group, Li Xu added a casual reminder: "There are a lot of willow catkins around lately. Everyone remember to wear a mask when you go out."
Miaoli: "Exactly. Spring is supposed to be a wonderful season for enjoying the sun, going on outings, and admiring the flowers. It’s great, but these willow catkins have ruined it all. You can’t even go outside."
Hu Qiming: "Sigh, why don’t they just cut down those trees?"
Jiang Peng: "There are so many trees, how could they cut them all down at once? I saw on the news that they’re gradually replacing the tree species year by year. Plus, the sanitation department is trying to find solutions, like spraying water to get rid of the willow fluff."
...
Holding the medicine prescribed by Li Xu, Aunt Li felt much more at ease.
She returned home and, following Li Xu’s instructions, placed the herbs in a clay pot, added five bowls of water, and began to brew the medicine.
The medicinal broth bubbled in the clay pot, BUBBLE BUBBLE, filling the air with the strong aroma of traditional Chinese medicine.
After the medicine was brewed, Aunt Li drank the first bowl while it was still hot.
The warm liquid flowed down her throat, and she felt her entire body warm up.
Before long, she felt the congestion in her nose lessen, and her nasal passages became a bit clearer.
By evening, she drank the second bowl. The clear fluid that had been running from her nose all day was significantly reduced, and her sneezing fits became much less frequent. She felt much more comfortable and slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, Aunt Li woke up to find her nose completely clear. The runny nose was gone, and her head was no longer dizzy.
Full of energy, she got dressed, picked up her broom, and returned to the streets.
This time, she made a point of wearing a mask.
Just as she started sweeping, a neighbor saw her.
"Sister Li, didn’t you have a cold? Why are you out working today? Shouldn’t you rest for a couple more days?"
the neighbor asked with concern.
Aunt Li smiled and waved her hand. "Oh, it wasn’t a cold. I’m allergic to the willow fluff, and my nose was killing me. I got some medicine from Xiao Xu, took it for one day, and I’m all better. That Xiao Xu’s medical skill is truly something else!"
She told everyone she met that she was allergic to the willow fluff and had been cured after getting a prescription from Li Xu. The people around her once again showered praise on Li Xu’s profound medical skills.
As Aunt Li swept, she marveled at the miraculous nature of Li Xu’s medical skills.
While she was sweeping, she noticed a nearby green belt covered in a layer of fluffy white willow fluff.
Suddenly, a small child holding a lighter curiously walked up and gently touched it to the willow fluff—
WHOOSH! The willow fluff instantly ignited, and flames shot up.
The white willow fluff rapidly turned to ash in the firelight.
The air filled with a burnt smell.
Aunt Li jumped in fright, hurriedly dropped her broom, and rushed over.
Several nearby passersby saw what happened and also ran over.
Fortunately, only a small patch of willow fluff had been lit. The fire wasn’t large and burned out quickly without causing a major blaze.
Still shaken, Aunt Li lectured the small child, warning him never to play with fire again, as the willow fluff catches fire very easily and is extremely dangerous.
Meanwhile, a passerby filmed the scene and posted it on TikTok.
Aunt Li looked at the willow fluff covering the ground and started to worry again.
This willow fluff not only makes people sick but is also a fire hazard.
She quickened her pace, determined to clean up all the willow fluff as fast as possible and eliminate the potential danger.
...
「Downtown.」
The editorial department of *Urban Life* magazine.
Lin Xiaoyu and her colleague, Han Yifang, were sitting in their office, racking their brains over the content for the next issue of the magazine.
They had been brainstorming for a long time but hadn’t come up with any good ideas.
"Ugh, the editor-in-chief has already bugged us several times, and you’re still just scrolling through videos."
Lin Xiaoyu couldn’t help but complain as she watched Han Yifang scroll through TikTok beside her.
Without looking up, Han Yifang said, "I’m not just messing around, I’m looking for inspiration. Maybe I’ll find some good material here."
Just as she said that, she came across a local video.
In the video, a child lit some willow fluff, and with a whoosh, it burst into flames. The fire was alarming, but thankfully it didn’t turn into a major blaze.
Han Yifang shot bolt upright and hurriedly called Lin Xiaoyu over to see the video. "Xiao Yu, quick, look at this video! These willow catkins are so annoying right now. Not only do they catch fire easily, but also..."
Lin Xiaoyu was startled by the scene in the video, but then her eyes lit up.
She recalled how annoying the willow catkins were during her commute, dancing everywhere, obscuring her vision, and often landing on her face and in her hair.
"You’re right! The willow catkins are a huge problem right now. We could do a special feature on them to remind people to take precautions."
