Li's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.
Li Xu was taking a photo of a pennant.
His photography skills were average, though.
He took one shot, wasn't satisfied, and started adjusting the angle to try again.
Song Sisi watched from the side, curious. "Doctor Li, are you planning to post that on your social media to show off?"
Li Xu was a little speechless. "I'm not that vain."
"Then why are you taking a picture?"
"The patient may have used the Five-Floral Dragon Bone from our clinic, but Professor Gao wrote the prescription. I feel I don't fully deserve this pennant, so I'm taking a picture to send to Professor Gao and thank him on the patient's behalf."
Li Xu finally found a good angle, took a photo he was happy with, and sent it.
Gao Guanghui happened to be free and replied quickly, "Fellow Friend Li, you've got it wrong. While the prescription is important, the medicinal ingredients are even more crucial. The credit for this pennant belongs mainly to you."
Li Xu exchanged a few more pleasantries, took the opportunity to ask a few questions, and after another round of thanks, he closed the messaging app.
He then noticed that Song Sisi, who was usually glued to her phone, was being surprisingly well-behaved, hunched over a nearby table and writing something.
"What are you up to?"
"What else could I be doing? I have to go back to school soon, so I'm writing my graduation thesis."
Song Sisi was a nursing major.
Some schools didn't require a thesis, but hers did.
"What's your topic?"
Li Xu leaned in for a look: *Psychological Stress and Countermeasures for Nurses in Nurse-Patient Disputes*.
"Huh? You're just making it all up?"
"Sigh. What else can I do *but* make it up? It's so quiet here, I have no opportunity to put my skills to use," Song Sisi said helplessly.
Her classmates had topics like *Analysis of Stress Factors for Full-Time Hospital Caregivers*, *Analysis and Countermeasures for Issues in the Application of Scalp Vein Indwelling Needles in Newborns*, and *Analysis of Reasons and Countermeasures for Non-Adherence to Prescribed Diets in Hypertensive Patients*...
Stuck in a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, she had been able to maintain order among the patients for the first couple of days, but now that fewer people had colds, the clinic was even emptier.
No one was getting an IV drip.
They all just picked up their medicine and left.
She had absolutely no practical experience, so she could only invent a topic out of thin air.
"Fair enough."
There was nothing Li Xu could do to help with that.
"When are you leaving?"
"Next week at the earliest, or the week after if things go slowly."
...
4:00 PM.
In a quiet villa on the outskirts of the city, Ding Aiguo kept watch in the bedroom, utterly exhausted.
But he didn't dare make any sudden movements, afraid of making a sound that might wake his wife.
Just as he was about to doze off from boredom, Xue Mei slowly woke up.
Because she had been sleeping so deeply, she was disoriented for a moment.
It wasn't until she saw the burnt-out rosewood incense in the censer on the nightstand that she fully came to her senses.
"Aiguo..." Xue Mei called out softly.
"Ah..."
Ding Aiguo jolted, instantly wide awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Very comfortable, and very clear-headed. Not tired at all."
Usually, she'd be startled awake after just ten minutes or so.
If she slept for too long, she would feel incredibly tired.
But this time was completely different.
It was as if she had experienced a period of high-quality, deep sleep.
Her mental state was excellent.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Since 11 in the morning. It's 4 in the afternoon now, so over four hours."
Ding Aiguo said excitedly, "You haven't slept this long in two years! I can't believe it. Doctor Li looks so young, but the medicine he prescribed was a perfect match for your condition."
Xue Mei sat up in bed.
Ding Aiguo quickly had the nanny bring a glass of warm water.
Xue Mei drank it. "I feel great. If I'm really cured, we must thank Doctor Li properly."
"Of course."
Ding Aiguo nodded. "Are you hungry? I can ask Sister Li to make you a bowl of porridge."
"I am a little hungry."
"Sister Li, make two bowls of millet porridge."
Ding Aiguo instructed the nanny, then stood up excitedly. "I'll call Kaifang and tell him the good news. Then I'll have him bring Duoduo over, and we can all have dinner together tonight."
"Okay."
Xue Mei smiled and nodded. "I haven't seen Duoduo for a week. I wonder if she's gotten any taller."
"She's not just taller, she's even prettier," Ding Aiguo said with a smile.
Duoduo was their little granddaughter. She was six years old and absolutely adorable.
She was the apple of their eye.
...
That evening, the villa's dining room was brightly lit.
The table was laden with a sumptuous feast—steamed sea bass, braised spare ribs, chicken soup with Mountain Yam, stir-fried seasonal vegetables... Sister Li had intentionally made a few extra dishes that Xue Mei usually enjoyed.
Their son, Ding Kaifang, arrived on time with his daughter, Ding Duoduo.
"Mom!" As soon as he entered, Ding Kaifang hurried to Xue Mei's side and studied her complexion. "Dad said you slept for over four hours today? Is that for real?"
Xue Mei smiled and caressed her son's face. "It's true. Doctor Li's medicine is very effective. I feel so much more energetic now."
Ding Kaifang let out a sigh of relief and turned to his father. "Dad, what's the story with this Dr. Li? How is he so skilled?"
Ding Aiguo shook his head. "He looks young, but his medical skills are truly remarkable. Especially the ingredients he uses..."
He paused, sighing with admiration. "That rosewood and Five-Floral Dragon Bone... they're top-grade materials you just can't find on the market."
As they were speaking, Ding Duoduo ambled slowly to the dining table, her little face listless and completely lacking in energy.
"Duoduo, come sit with Grandma," Xue Mei called to her granddaughter gently.
Duoduo shook her head and sat sullenly in her booster seat, showing no interest in the feast spread across the table.
"Duoduo, we have your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs today," Ding Kaifang said, placing a piece in her bowl.
Duoduo stared at the rib in her bowl, wrinkled her little nose, and in the end, just poked it with her chopsticks without taking a single bite.
Xue Mei watched her granddaughter, her heart aching. "Duoduo still can't eat?"
Ding Kaifang sighed. "It's getting worse. She used to be able to manage a few bites, but now she won't even touch her favorite foods."
Ding Aiguo frowned. "Didn't you take her to the municipal hospital?"
"The doctor still says it's pediatric anorexia. I'm planning to take her to the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine tomorrow."
Ding Duoduo's anorexia had been going on for over half a year.
At first, the family thought she was just being a picky eater or had a poor appetite, but gradually, she stopped touching even her favorite snacks.
Her weight dropped, her complexion turned sallow, and she became listless, completely lacking the lively energy of other children her age.
Ding Kaifang had taken her to several hospitals. After examinations, the Western-style doctors diagnosed her with "anorexia nervosa" and prescribed some digestive aids, but they were completely ineffective.
Later, they saw a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who said she had a "weak spleen and stomach." She drank a few courses of herbal medicine, but the effect was negligible.
Xue Mei reached out and touched Duoduo's forehead. "This child... she's so thin it breaks my heart."
Duoduo slumped listlessly on the table and mumbled, "I don't want to eat..."
Watching his granddaughter, Ding Aiguo felt a pang of sadness.
He changed the subject. "How are things at the company?"
Ding Kaifang shook his head. "Not going well. We might have to give up on the hot spring project at Tang Mountain."