Chapter 12: Intelligence: Dragon Bone
Not only was Han Weimin prescribing traditional Chinese prescription medicine without a proper license, but he was also using counterfeit drugs.
He was shut down on the spot by staff from the Health Bureau and ordered to suspend operations for rectification.
A follow-up inspection would be conducted in a month, and he would only be allowed to reopen if he passed.
Han Weimin was furious, but he didn’t dare resist.
The Health Bureau had discretionary power.
The most severe penalty was the revocation of his business license.
As for Li Xu...
Han Weimin was regretting everything.
’If I’d known this would happen, I never should have dragged Li Xu into it.’
At the same time, he lamented how those goddamn medicine dealers had screwed him over.
’No wonder traditional Chinese medicine can’t cure anything. The medicine is all fake. Not even Sun Simiao himself could do anything about it.’
Section Chief Song from the Health Bureau led his staff in an inspection of Li Xu’s clinic.
They found no violations whatsoever.
They left, taking the confiscated medicinal materials and equipment from the Weimin Clinic with them.
The crowd of onlookers dispersed.
Aunt Li excitedly found Li Xu. "Xiao Xu, your clinic is going to be booming! If I come for a check-up in the future, remember to give me a discount."
Li Xu smiled and replied, "No problem."
The Weimin Clinic was suspended for a month.
When it reopened a month later, its business would be a shadow of its former self.
Moreover, after this incident, the reputation of Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic soared.
He had also earned the recognition of the local residents.
From now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of patients.
Sure enough, the number of patients clearly increased in the afternoon.
Most of them had the flu.
However, Li Xu estimated that this wave of flu was almost over.
He still had over 770 pounds of Daqing Leaf left.
’As long as I store it properly, it can last for two years.’
By then, his medical skills would have definitely improved.
Even without that special Daqing Leaf, Li Xu was confident he could rely on his true abilities to write effective prescriptions for his patients.
The afternoon was a blur of activity.
Li Xu didn’t even have a moment to drink a sip of water.
Luckily, his clinic didn’t do IV drips.
Patients came and went quickly.
Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to handle it all by himself.
He was busy until well after eight in the evening, when the last patient finally left.
Li Xu stretched his weary body, planning to go out for a bite to eat.
"Doctor Li..."
A pretty young woman was peeking her head in, seemingly hesitant to enter.
"Song Sisi?"
Li Xu beckoned her inside. "What is it? Did the medicine I prescribed last time not work?"
"No, no."
Song Sisi waved her hands frantically. "The medicine you gave me was great. My cold is already gone."
"Then why are you looking for me?"
Li Xu asked.
Song Sisi was a nurse Han Weimin had temporarily hired to help prepare medicine and administer IV drips.
Now that the Weimin Clinic was suspended, Song Sisi had nowhere to go.
"...I have to go back to school in half a month to submit my internship report, and it’s not easy to find another internship now. Doctor Li, please take me in."
Song Sisi looked at Li Xu with pleading eyes, looking as pitiful as a little kitten. "I can come and help you every day. Although I don’t know how to prepare medicine, I can clean up and maintain order. Don’t worry, I don’t want a salary, and you don’t need to provide meals. I just need you to stamp my internship report when the time comes..."
"Is that so..."
Li Xu thought for a moment.
’With the growing trust people have in me, the clinic will only get busier.’
’I really can’t handle it all on my own.’
’Having Song Sisi help out wouldn’t be a bad idea.’
"No problem."
Li Xu agreed. Then he added, "However, I don’t exploit people here. For every day you work, I’ll pay you a day’s wages. How about 100 yuan a day?"
The current internship system for nurses was warped.
Forget about small clinics.
Even for internships at top-tier hospitals, not only was there no salary, but students often had to pay the hospital a fee.
They were literally paying to work.
Therefore, Li Xu’s offer of 100 yuan a day was quite generous.
Song Sisi couldn’t believe her ears. "Doctor Li, are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Yes, yes!"
Song Sisi nodded repeatedly.
It wasn’t that she was desperate for the money.
But getting a salary was a form of recognition for her work.
Besides, with 100 a day, she wouldn’t have to ask her family for meal money.
"Let’s go. To celebrate you joining Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, dinner’s on me tonight."
With a grand gesture, Li Xu led Song Sisi to a commercial street on Construction Road.
The street was lined with all kinds of restaurants.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Hot pot."
"No way. Hot pot causes internal heat, and you consume too much salt, which is bad for your blood pressure and cardiovascular system. The high cholesterol also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke."
"Wow, Doctor Li, you’re so particular for someone so young! It’s fine to have it just once in a while, right?"
"Er, I guess having it once in a while is fine."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s have hot pot."
"Alright, but we have to choose a clear broth to reduce the risk of internal heat. And eat lots of vegetables; they’re nutritious and can help dispel the heat..."
"Doctor Li, you really are a TCM doctor through and through. I’m impressed."
"Haha..."
Li Xu was a young man, after all.
Over a hot pot meal, he and Song Sisi quickly grew comfortable with each other.
Song Sisi was pretty, with a straightforward and cheerful personality.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been bold enough to show up at his door and ask for an internship.
After they finished eating, they both went their separate ways home.
’I reek of hot pot...’
Li Xu shook his head.
He threw all his clothes into the washing machine and took out a clean set to wear tomorrow.
...
[Today’s Intelligence: Hengchang Stone Co., Ltd. of Shanyang County has excavated a piece of Five-Floral Dragon Bone while quarrying on Mopan Mountain. The owner, Guo Hengchang, doesn’t recognize its value. On the contrary, he thinks the stone’s texture is poor and has tossed it aside, planning to dispose of it as scrap material next month.]
"Holy shit!"
Li Xu was instantly wide awake, bolting upright in bed.
The intelligence from the past few days had all been about treatment plans for ordinary patients. It wasn’t very valuable.
But today’s intelligence was incredibly valuable.
That was Dragon Bone!
Dragon Bone is an extremely rare medicinal ingredient, as it consists of the fossilized bones of large ancient mammals like elephants, three-toed horses, rhinoceroses, deer, and oxen.
This meant it was a non-renewable resource.
Every piece used was a piece gone forever.
And from ancient times to the present, Dragon Bone has been used for over 2,000 years.
The truly high-quality Dragon Bone had long been excavated and used up by people in ancient times.
Nowadays, the amount of Dragon Bone on the market is extremely small.
Furthermore, counterfeiting is rampant.
Most of it is just cow or sheep bones passed off as the real thing.
The forgery techniques are so sophisticated that even a phenolphthalein solution test can’t detect them.
As a result, even if they came across genuine Dragon Bone, many old TCM doctors wouldn’t dare use it.
If you can’t tell the real from the fake, how can you possibly use it?
However, with the quarrying of mountains, some Dragon Bone with a confirmed origin is still collected. It has miraculous effects in treating restlessness, epilepsy and mania, vertigo from ascendant liver yang, and itchy eczema.
’And it’s Five-Floral Dragon Bone...’
Li Xu’s eyes shone even brighter.
Ordinary Dragon Bone comes from the fossilized bones of ancient mammals. While it also has a sedative effect, it’s not particularly potent.
Five-Floral Dragon Bone, however, comes from the fossilized bones of large, precious mammals like elephants and rhinoceroses. Its medicinal effects are stronger, and it is far more valuable.
’I have to get that Five-Floral Dragon Bone.’
Li Xu splashed some water on his face.
He began planning his day.