Just one packet of medicine, and I can already smell?
Returning to Mingxintang, the connected phone’s time instantly jumped from 5:00 PM back to 5:00 in the morning.
Shen Jiang’s eyelids twitched—the same time as last time?
She seemed to vaguely grasp some patterns of the Golden Gate.
This time, the herbs she brought back filled three large bags. In addition to the herbs needed for Zining and Grandma, she had also gathered many others that were currently in their harvesting season: Sichuan qiong, red peony, Mahuang (Ephedra), Aconite, Xixin, and Bai Zhu. Taking advantage of the early hour, Shen Jiang sorted them one by one into bamboo-woven trays, waiting for Little Uncle to come and help her process them.
From the batch, Shen Jiang picked out the herbs needed to treat Zining’s rhinitis.
Zining’s rhinitis was due to insufficient yang energy and weak spleen and stomach. She had prescribed a combination of Mahuang Aconite Xixin Soup, Guizhi Soup, and Yupingfeng Powder. The Mahuang Aconite Xixin Soup could assist yang and relieve external symptoms, Guizhi Soup harmonized nutrient and defense systems, and Yupingfeng Powder boosted energy and fortified the exterior. Together, they perfectly targeted Zining’s condition.
Considering the potency of the herbs from Dragon Mountain, Shen Jiang was unsure about the dosage. She decided to test the medicinal effect by lightly tasting a piece of Aconite.
After just a slight lick, her mouth went numb, and even her cheeks felt slightly numb.
It was far more potent than the raw Aconite she had tasted before.
Now having a clear idea, Shen Jiang immediately adjusted the dosage.
Based on the potency of these herbs, she prescribed three doses of medicine for Zining.
By the time she finished, it was already 7:30.
Eagerly, Shen Jiang called several herb merchants who had previously collaborated with Mingxintang, hoping to sell this batch of remarkably effective herbs to cover Grandma’s recent medical expenses.
Unexpectedly, the first call was hung up immediately, and so was the second.
The third herb merchant listened to Shen Jiang but then yelled at her over the phone: “Damn it! You can’t keep your clinic running, so you want to sell your herbs to me? Do you think I collect trash? Do you have any idea how much my business has suffered because of you? No Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop in Nanze City will buy your herbs. Give up on this idea! What a lousy way to start the morning!”
Shen Jiang stared at the hung-up phone, feeling a headache coming on.
She had underestimated the impact of the recent medical disturbance. It had directly affected the businesses of these Traditional Chinese Medicine Shops. Having offended so many peers, not only would selling herbs to them be impossible, but even sourcing herbs from them in the future would likely be difficult.
There were plenty of herbal medicines at the entrance of the Giant Dragon’s Home, but Traditional Chinese Medicine required a wide variety of herbs. There were no animals there, let alone animal-based or mineral-based medicines.
If she didn’t act quickly to clear up the misunderstandings about Grandma, she wouldn’t be able to protect Mingxintang’s reputation, and the clinic would likely have to close.
With the herb-selling path blocked, Shen Jiang suddenly had a premonition: the predetermined trajectory of fate was already set, leaving no room for resistance. An invisible force seemed to be pushing her toward the same choices she had made in her dream.
This inexplicable sixth sense sent shivers down her spine.
No, she couldn’t admit defeat!
She had to find a way to save herself.
In addition to Grandma’s medical expenses, she also needed funds to hire an Internet Water Army.
Sometimes, online public opinion wasn’t about the truth but about who was willing to spend money on marketing to guide netizens’ judgments.
Shen Jiang had already suffered a silent loss once before, but this time she had the upper hand. If she were to stumble in the same place again, she would only be fit to play the role of cannon fodder.
Once more, Shen Jiang pinned her hopes on borrowing money from a bank.
Two banks had already rejected her in a row, as they only offered mortgage loans to mortgagors up to the age of 70. Grandma had just turned 71 this year, which did not meet the banks’ policy requirements.
Shen Jiang had no choice but to call the banks one by one using the phone numbers she found online, hoping to find one willing to grant a loan under their circumstances.
Finally, after making calls until her mouth was dry and her lips parched, she found a small bank willing to lend to them under such conditions.
The terms, however, were harsh: a principal of two million with an interest rate of 9.8%. This meant that if she borrowed two million from the bank, she would need to repay nearly fifty thousand per month, clearing the debt within five years.
The total repayment, including principal and interest, would amount to 2.5 million.
With a do-or-die resolve, Shen Jiang took the property deed and the power of attorney and headed straight to that small bank.
It was better to act sooner rather than later. Shen Jiang, as if afraid the bank would change its mind, rushed into the bank so hastily that she startled the staff inside.
“Miss Shen, I must remind you that the bank reserves the right to recall the loan at any time. Although the probability is extremely low, if the loan is recalled and you are unable to repay the remaining amount, the bank will auction the shop on Mingzhu Road to recover the funds. Can you accept this?”
Shen Jiang’s eyelids twitched, and a sense of unease crept into her heart. “You’re not going to lend me the money and then immediately demand it back, are you?”
The bank manager was a woman around thirty-five, gentle in appearance and wearing appropriate makeup. Seeing the client’s anxiety, she quickly smiled reassuringly. “You can rest assured. The current economic environment is thriving, and the likelihood of such an event is extremely low. I’m merely reminding you as part of standard procedure. Moreover, our bank has never had such a precedent before, and I doubt it will happen in the future.”
Shen Jiang silently thought to herself: That’s not necessarily true. After all, this is a melodramatic novel world.
Her expression turned serious. “Manager Xu, you must guarantee that you won’t recall the loan for at least a year. Otherwise, it would be completely unreasonable.”
Manager Xu thought for a moment and readily agreed to the client’s request. After all, for their bank, a high-quality client like this was hard to come by. If it weren’t for the client’s age exceeding the requirements of many larger banks, she likely wouldn’t have ended up with them.
Shen Jiang said, “Alright, then write this into the contract.”
Manager Xu looked somewhat troubled. She hadn’t expected this young-looking client to be so stubborn.
Despite her repeated assurances that the loan would not be recalled within a year, the seemingly gentle and easygoing client insisted on having this clause explicitly stated in the contract.
“Actually, Miss Shen, the probability of a loan recall is truly very low. You really don’t need to worry about it,” she tried to persuade the young client not to make such a fuss. If they were to include this clause in the contract, it would require approval and a signature from higher management, and she privately did not want to involve her superiors.
Shen Jiang thought to herself, the more Manager Xu said this, the more necessary it felt to have it written into the contract.
She studied the female manager in front of her. Despite her makeup, the manager’s eyes revealed a deep sense of exhaustion.
This Manager Xu seemed to breathe heavily after speaking just a few words, with a faint, barely noticeable wheezing sound in her breath.
Shen Jiang carefully observed and confirmed it was difficulty in inhalation.
The problem lay with the kidneys.
Shen Jiang casually complained as if by accident: “Now that the weather is getting hotter, sometimes when tinnitus comes on, it’s really uncomfortable.”
Manager Xu, hearing her suddenly say such a strange thing, wasn’t surprised but instead found common ground, “Is it too stuffy? But this season the temperature is neither here nor there, the weather changes too quickly. Our industry generally doesn’t turn on the air conditioning.”
Shen Jiang smiled, “It’s fine. Have you been experiencing tinnitus these days too, Manager Xu?”
The female manager surnamed Xu, thinking she was just making small talk, agreed: “Exactly, I thought it was just me with this problem. I didn’t expect someone as young as you to have it too.”
“Do you feel particularly exhausted around dusk?”
“Yes, but after all, it’s after a full day of work. Who wouldn’t be tired? You don’t need to worry about such things – everyone’s the same.” It was clear Manager Xu was a very gentle person. She had gradually grown accustomed to this suffering and even tried to comfort this young client in return.
Shen Jiang now understood – even without taking her pulse, she knew this was asthma caused by typical Kidney Qi Deficiency.
And the Mahuang she had recently sourced from Great Dragon was quite suitable for this Manager Xu. The other herbs were already available at the medical clinic. While the effects might not be particularly outstanding, they certainly wouldn’t hold back the treatment.
“Manager Xu, I know a place that can treat your asthma. Would you like to check it out?”
Manager Xu looked up in surprise: “How did you know I have asthma?”
Then, suddenly understanding, she said: “You’re a fellow sufferer too.”
When Shen Jiang left the bank, she had a brand new card in her hand. In a few days when the bank loan came through, this card would contain two million.
At least it’s better than borrowing from usury, Shen Jiang comforted herself.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Shen Jiang subconsciously accepted the minuscule probability of the loan being called in after one year. One year later would be the deadline for this loan repayment.
But one year was just perfect.
According to the development in her dreams, the time of her suicide would be about one year later. If she couldn’t successfully reverse her and Grandma’s cannon fodder fate during this period, then she would have to turn this melodramatic novel world upside down.
Speaking of which, this Manager Xu was quite interesting. After thinking Shen Jiang was also an asthma sufferer, she became much more friendly and straightforwardly offered to help speak with the manager. And she actually succeeded in negotiating the loan, though with another 0.5 percentage point increase in the interest rate.
Looking at the freshly signed loan contract in her hand, Shen Jiang couldn’t help but think of Manager Xu’s apologetic expression.
She wondered what Manager Xu’s reaction would be when she came to Mingxintang for treatment next time.
When Zining returned to school from the hospital, she happened to see a same-day express delivery package for her at the dormitory building. When she opened it, she discovered it contained 6 packets of pre-prepared herbal decoction along with a prescription.
“Oh my, Doctor Shen is so thoughtful! She actually prepared the herbal decoction and sent it directly to me,” Zining murmured to herself. “But why only three doses? Shouldn’t it be seven doses?”
The Chinese medicine she usually got was always seven doses at a time.
Zining had returned with a long face, but now she was absolutely beaming. Her fingers quickly tapped on her phone: “Thank you Doctor Shen! I’ve received the medicine, but why only three doses? (cute emoji)”
Shen Jiang replied quickly: “You’re still young with a good constitution. These three doses of medicine should be enough to fix you up.”
That miraculous?
Zining looked at the six packets of medicine with skepticism, eager to test whether they would actually work.
Without hesitation, Zining transferred the payment to Doctor Shen, then borrowed hot water from her roommate. After steeping the medicine for a while, she prepared to down it in one heroic gulp.
But after just one sip, her face instantly scrunched up like a bitter melon.
Good heavens, this medicine was absolutely dreadful—both numbing and bitter, as if it had concentrated the most terrible flavors in the world.
Zining had to pinch her nose to force the medicine down, tears nearly springing to her eyes.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Zining felt that her perpetually stuffy nose suddenly cleared up considerably from the stimulation.
“Lu Lu, did someone in the dorm eat that stinky river snail rice noodle?” Zining turned to look at her roommate next door, whose curtain was tightly drawn, making it impossible to tell what she was doing inside.
“…No… slurp.”
Zining walked over and slightly lifted her roommate’s curtain, only to find Lu Lu secretly enjoying a bowl of enticing white thick rice noodles.
The two stared at each other, and Lu Lu gave an embarrassed smile, speaking first: “Want a bite?”
“You enjoy it. I’m going out for some fresh air.” Zining opened the dormitory door with a thoughtful expression, wanting to go outside and test other scents.
Her sense of smell had been impaired by rhinitis for a long time. Normally, when Lu Lu ate river snail rice noodles in the dorm and other roommates complained, Zining remained unaffected because she simply couldn’t smell anything at all.
After just one packet of medicine, she could already start detecting smells?
Miracle medicine.
Oh no, it’s the Miracle Doctor.
Snapping back to reality, Zining immediately sat down at her desk. Even if she had to stay up all night, she was determined to post the video today—she had to let everyone know the true caliber of Mingxintang!