Chapter 6 - I Shouldn't Have Asked Too Much!
Chapter 6: I Shouldn’t Have Asked Too Much!
Ye Mengqi turned out to have no illness, just a minor issue. She inquired, “So, should I replace the filling material in my tooth?”
Lu Ming nodded and suggested, “If you can afford it, consider replacing them all with porcelain crowns.”
The distinction between porcelain and baked porcelain crowns lies in the metal inner crown, which is metal-free ceramic restorations. Baked porcelain crowns, in contrast, encase metal with porcelain.
Furthermore, Ye Mengqi’s baked porcelain crowns had subpar quality, leading to the initial problem.
Ye Mengqi agreed, “I understand. I’ll get porcelain crowns soon.”
Bao Hongwei, in celebration, remarked, “That’s great! No more pricks when I kiss you,” but Ye Mengqi pinched him in response.
Seeing this, Lu Ming shook his head, leaving the rest to Chen Zhanbo, and left the examination room. Checking the time, it was already 3 p.m. In another hour, he’d be off work.
The next day was Saturday, which meant he’d go home. On weekends, he worked at his family’s clinic. From Monday to Friday, Lu Ming’s primary role was in Mingren Hospital’s emergency department, treating critically ill patients and guiding medical interns. He also assisted interns facing challenging medical cases.
Typically, the head of an emergency department couldn’t leave during work hours, but Lu Ming was an exception due to his varied responsibilities throughout the hospital. On weekends, he returned to his family’s clinic.
After work, changing into his casual attire, and tidying up, he drove home, not far from the hospital.
The “Jimin Clinic” was laid out like a traditional Chinese courtyard house, with Lu Ming’s family living on either side of the main building facing the entrance gate. An open courtyard in the center allowed for various activities.
The family included Lu Ming’s grandparents, parents, and several staff members, including attending physicians, apprentices, and general laborers.
“Welcome back, Young Master,” greeted the apprentices who were sun-drying herbs as Lu Ming entered the courtyard.
Acknowledging their greetings, Lu Ming proceeded into the clinic. The entrance led to an area for herb preparation and storage. Long corridors on either side housed doctors’ consultation rooms.
“Uncle Hui,” Lu Ming greeted an old gentleman behind the counter.
Lin Zhenghui handled the clinic’s finances and sometimes assisted with herb preparation, serving a role akin to a modern-day accountant.
“Little Lu, you’re back,” Lin Zhenghui nodded. He had been an apprentice at the clinic since he was three years old, learning from Lu Ming’s grandfather. Even after Lu Ming’s grandfather’s passing, Lin Zhenghui treated the clinic as his home.
Lu Ming greatly respected this loyal old man.
“Where are my parents?” Lu Ming asked.
“The Master and Madam went out. They mentioned finding rare medicinal herbs near Changbai Mountain and expect to return in about two weeks,” Lin Zhenghui replied.
Lu Ming was surprised that his parents hadn’t informed him before embarking on such a long journey. However, given the whole family’s involvement, it must be for something exceptional.
Due to environmental changes, many medicinal herbs have lost some of their original effectiveness, resulting in traditional formulas becoming less potent—a sort of diluted version. While traditional Chinese medicine has tried to adapt and enhance, the outcomes haven’t always been ideal. Some formulas have been refined over thousands of years, making alterations a complex task.
As a result, rare medicinal herbs were highly valuable because they offered a chance to revive the ancient remedies’ efficacy.
After opening the windows in his room to allow fresh air in, Lu Ming returned to the clinic. Observing many patients still waiting, he participated in the consultation process to reduce their wait times. He entered an empty consultation room and started calling in patients. Despite being a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, the patient intake process incorporated modern procedures.
A few patients initially hesitated to let Lu Ming, who appeared quite young, examine them. However, when Lu Ming accurately described their ailments, they began to admire his skills.
Time passed quickly, and it was already six o’clock in the evening. After seeing the last patient, Lu Ming stood up, stretched, and sighed in relief. However, at that moment, the last patient returned to the consultation room.
“What’s the issue?” Lu Ming inquired with some confusion.
“Doctor, the person who usually fetches the herbs isn’t here,” Huang Lingjia said.
“Uncle Hui isn’t here?” Lu Ming speculated, thinking he might have gone to the restroom. Well, he would collect the herbs for the patient himself.
“Come with me,” Lu Ming said, leading Huang Lingjia to the herb cabinet. Then, he began to gather the herbs as per the prescription. Lu Ming started by laying out reed paper on the table. These days, many traditional Chinese medicine shops used plastic bags for herb collection. However, their family clinic had always used reed paper and occasionally mulberry bark paper.
“Doctor, what’s ‘Bai Dingxiang’ in your prescription? The name sounds so lovely,” Huang Lingjia, who had some free time, began to investigate the herb names on the prescription.
“Bai Dingxiang, Dingxiang… Could it be a variety of clove, a type of clove flower?” She guessed.
“A flower?” Lu Ming replied. “Who told you it’s a flower?”
“This is sparrow droppings,” Lu Ming explained as he continued to gather the herbs.
“Ah?” Huang Lingjia was surprised to learn that it was sparrow droppings. Can sparrow droppings truly be used as medicine?
“White Dingxiang has the effect of dispelling accumulations and improving vision. It can treat conditions like corneal opacity, abscesses, and tonsillitis,” Lu Ming explained, but Huang Lingjia struggled to accept this idea.
“Wait a minute! What are you adding now?” At that moment, Huang Lingjia saw Lu Ming take a square object from the drawer and include it with the collected herbs.
“This? It’s a brick,” Lu Ming stated matter-of-factly.
“Ah? A brick?!”
Huang Lingjia was utterly bewildered. She had suspected it was a brick, but she couldn’t believe it was genuinely a brick!
Goodness! What kind of herbs are these? Are sparrow droppings and bricks being added directly to them? Are you serious this is for treating illnesses? Huang Lingjia regretted asking about other herbs. She even regretted asking about White Dingxiang and the brick. She shouldn’t have asked that extra question!
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