Li Xu had just seen out a patient with a cold when the clinic door was pushed open again.
"Doctor Li!"
A booming voice called out. Li Xu looked up and imdiately broke into a smile—
Wang the Third!
The man, who was once at death’s door from a tick-borne disease, now had a healthy complexion and was full of energy. He was carrying bags of all sizes, followed by his wife, who was beaming.
"Uncle Wang? What brings you here?" Li Xu quickly stood up.
"Ah, Doctor Li, I ca especially to thank you!" Wang the Third strode in and placed the gifts on the table. "I was just discharged yesterday, so I rushed over today! If it weren’t for you, I’d be a goner!"
Li Xu smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "You’re too kind. It’s a doctor’s duty to heal the sick, and besides, all I did was offer a suggestion."
He gestured for the two of them to sit.
He asked Song Sisi to pour them so tea.
Wang the Third’s wife’s eyes were a little red as she said with deep emotion, "Doctor Li, you have no idea. When the n in the Wang Family heard he’d recovered, they all said he’d t a true savior!"
"And Doctor Miao from the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine said that if you hadn’t provided the treatnt thod, he wouldn’t have been cured even if we had transferred to the City People’s Hospital."
"You must accept these small gifts!"
Li Xu couldn’t refuse, so he accepted them with a smile.
He looked Wang the Third over and asked, "How are you feeling now? Is there any discomfort anywhere?"
Wang the Third patted his chest. "Great! The hospital tests said the virus is completely gone. My liver is still a little weak, so I just need to rest up for a while."
Li Xu nodded. "That’s good. Just make sure you get plenty of rest and don’t overwork yourself."
Wang the Third grinned. "Don’t you worry, Doctor Li. I’m the type who can’t sit still, but you saved my life, so I’ll definitely listen to you!"
「After chatting for a while.」
Li Xu asked, "Uncle Wang, I rember you live over by Tang Mountain, right?"
"That’s right!" Wang the Third nodded. "Wangjia Gou, southwest of Tang Mountain. That’s where I grow my Daqing Leaf!"
Li Xu said, "Perfect. I have an idea, and I was hoping you could help."
"Just say the word! If it’s sothing I can do, I won’t let you down!" Wang the Third promised, patting his chest.
Li Xu smiled. "I have a large plot of land southeast of Tang Mountain. In fact, Tang Mountain is mine now. I’m planning to grow so herbs there. However, since I have to be here at the clinic, I can’t go over there often. I was hoping you could keep an eye on things for . Don’t worry, I’ll pay you market-rate wages."
Upon hearing this, Wang the Third laughed heartily. "And here I was thinking it was sothing serious! Planting herbs is my specialty. What do you want to grow? I could even plant them for you! No, wait..."
It dawned on Wang the Third. "I rember so company from the city bought the land at the foot of Tang Mountain. How did you...?"
Li Xu explained, "It was bought by the Ding Group. They originally planned to develop a hot spring resort, but they later realized it wasn’t suitable. It just so happens I treated their boss, and he’s letting use the land to plant for ten years, free of charge."
"No wonder."
Wang the Third gave him a thumbs-up. "You’re amazing. You cure one patient and get to use Tang Mountain for ten years for free. It’s just that..."
His tone shifted, and he frowned. "There’s a lot of gravel at the foot of Tang Mountain, and the topsoil is thin. If you want to grow dicinal herbs properly, you’ll have to do so serious land preparation."
"No need."
Li Xu already had a plan. "I’m not looking for high yields, so there’s no need to prepare the land. We’ll just scatter the seeds and let them grow wild without any tending. You just need to keep an eye on the area and make sure no people or livestock like cattle and sheep wander in."
The four natures and five flavors of traditional Chinese dicinal herbs are closely related to their growing environnt.
Wild dicinal herbs undergo natural selection, so their environnt is considered the biological optimum.
In contrast, cultivated herbs may grow in different environnts, which directly affects their dicinal efficacy and quality.
Sotis, a difference in efficacy for the sa type of herb can greatly impact the effectiveness of an entire prescription.
This is also why many wild dicinal herbs are more prized than their cultivated counterparts.
Li Xu was planting herbs on Tang Mountain partly to conceal that special plot of land.
And partly to have a supply of herbs for his own use.
Wild was naturally better.
"Oh, that’s simple."
Wang the Third readily agreed. "Just scattering seeds? No weeding, watering, fertilizing, or pesticides? If all I have to do is keep watch, it’s no trouble at all. Doctor Li, you don’t even have to pay . It’s close by, so I can just take a few trips on my electric scooter every day."
"I can’t let you do that. We’ll do this by the book."
Li Xu insisted.
If it were just for a few days, he could let the matter of paynt slide.
But this was a long-term job.
He would be helping watch over it for a year, or even ten.
If he didn’t pay, even the best relationships would eventually sour with resentnt.
"Alright."
Wang the Third nodded and asked, "Doctor Li, what do you plan to plant?"
"So common herbs, like Solanum nigrum, motherwort, Huang Qin, dandelion, mugwort..."
These were all common wild Chinese herbs.
They were highly adaptable and not picky about their environnt.
And they grew easily.
Most importantly, they were common ingredients in many prescriptions.
Wang the Third was even happier. "These are all easy to grow. I have seeds for so of them at ho. I’ll bring them for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Uncle Wang. I’ll go with you tomorrow."
Even though it was ’free-range’ planting,
Li Xu wanted to be involved in the entire process.
This would give him a more comprehensive understanding of the herbs’ characteristics.
After they had agreed on a ti,
Wang the Third and his wife left.
Song Sisi was eager to go. "Boss, can I go with you tomorrow?"
"Did you finish revising your thesis?"
"I sent it to my professor yesterday. It basically passed."
"Alright, you can co along then."
...
「The next morning.」
Li Xu got up and washed his face, only then rembering he hadn’t checked the intelligence report.
The reports that had refreshed over the past two days were of average value, mostly treatnt plans for common illnesses.
[Today’s Intelligence: On a cliff near Bailingyu Village in the Northwest Remnant of Niuti Mountain, a small patch of mutated foxtail grass is growing. It can effectively relieve eye fatigue, has a prominent eye-brightening effect, and can effectively treat pseudomyopia.]
’...That far?’
Niuti Mountain was a mountain range on the eastern side of the Eight Hundred Li of Qin Chuan.
It was two hundred kiloters from Feng City.
Coupled with the difficult mountain roads, a round trip would take at least a full day.
’Should I go?’
Li Xu considered it.
Ordinary foxtail grass had an eye-brightening effect.
It was plausible that one growing in the mountains could have mutated due to the terrain, climate, or other factors, resulting in a stronger effect.
’I’ll go.’
He didn’t have anything else to do.
The clinic wasn’t busy.
Following the example of the ancients and gathering herbs in the mountains seed like a nice idea.
But there was no rush.
The mutated foxtail grass was deep in the mountains; it wouldn’t be picked by anyone whether he went a day sooner or later.
He’d deal with it after planting the herb field on Tang Mountain.
"Boss, when are we leaving?"
Song Sisi walked into the clinic enthusiastically, dressed in a tracksuit and carrying a backpack.
"I haven’t eaten yet. After breakfast, we need to go buy so more seeds..."
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