"Old Master Song has already taken his pulse. The pulse should be slippery and slow. You've also examined his mouth. His tongue should be reddish with a white, greasy coating at the root, and his gums are bleeding."
Lin Yu spoke calmly and confidently.
Song Minghui was utterly astonished. Lin Yu hadn't even examined the patient, yet he could describe the symptoms so accurately.
"This condition is known as 'upper excess and lower deficiency' syndrome, also called 'upper heat and lower cold' syndrome. But nowadays, many doctors only understand the surface, not the essence. Very few truly grasp this illness," Lin Yu continued.
"Exactly!" Song Minghui nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with excitement. "Then tell me, how should this illness be treated?"
"Since Old Master Song has already seen through this illness, the prescription should be: Scutellaria baicalensis 6g, Coptis chinensis 6g, Rhubarb 3g, Prepared Aconite 12g. The rhubarb should be soaked in boiling water for ten minutes before removing the dregs. The prepared aconite needs to be decocted over low heat for forty minutes. Then mix it with the previous three herbal decoctions, warm it up, and take it together."
As Lin Yu spoke fluently, the excitement in Song Minghui's eyes grew even stronger. He was utterly amazed. "Heroes emerge from the young! Heroes indeed emerge from the young!"
Song Zheng, standing nearby, looked at the prescription his grandfather had written and couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise—Lin Yu's words matched it exactly!
"As far as I know, this is the only prescription that can cure this illness. Xiao He, what is the method you mentioned that can show quick results?" Song Minghui asked curiously.
"Acupuncture. The effect is immediate. May I borrow your fine needles, Old Master Song?"
"Of course!"
Song Minghui quickly instructed others to bring the needle pouch.
After the needle case was brought, Lin Yu asked the man to remove his outer clothes and lie face down on the sickbed. Then, holding three fine needles in each hand, he swiftly inserted them into points on the man's back and lower back.
"Six Harmony Divine Needle Technique?"
Song Minghui couldn't help but exclaim. This needle technique was said to place high demands on the practitioner and carried great risks. It was almost lost to time. He never expected the young Lin Yu to perform it so skillfully.
The onlookers also marveled. Although they didn't understand Lin Yu's needle technique, watching him use six needles simultaneously with both hands was highly impressive.
After about ten minutes following the needle treatment, the pain in the man's back and the cold sensation in his lower body had significantly reduced. His complexion gradually became rosy.
"A miracle doctor! The Jishi Hall truly has miracle doctors!"
The man, who had been tormented by this illness for so long, now felt as if his ailments had vanished completely. He even felt cured.
Hearing this, Song Minghui sighed and shook his head with shame. The outcome of today's contest was clear.
By the time the man stood up, he felt no discomfort whatsoever. His body seemed filled with energy, vibrant and full of vitality. His mental state had completely transformed, as if reborn.
With a thud, the man's wife knelt before Lin Yu, choking up, "Miracle doctor, thank you for saving my husband's life!"
She then pulled her husband down to kowtow to Lin Yu.
"This won't do, this won't do," Lin Yu quickly helped the couple up. He then took Song Lao's prescription and handed it to them, instructing, "To be safe, take one dose of this prescription as written by Old Master Song. That will ensure a full recovery."
Song Minghui smiled wryly. He knew the patient was already cured and didn't need any medicine. Lin Yu said this only to save face for him.
His admiration for Lin Yu grew even more.
The onlookers were thoroughly impressed by Lin Yu and纷纷 asked for his contact information for future reference.
After everyone had left, Song Minghui took Lin Yu's hand and said, "Xiao He, in my old age, I've never admired anyone, but today, I am in awe of you. Tonight, I'm treating you to dinner—you must give me this honor."
"Old Master Song, you flatter me. Your medical skills are also divine. I still have much to learn from you," Lin Yu said humbly.
In the end, Lin Yu couldn't resist Song Minghui's insistence and stayed for dinner.
Wei Gongxun, anxious to go home and prepare medicine for his wife, left after getting the herbs.
During the meal, Song Minghui kept praising Lin Yu, while Song Zheng looked on with a dark expression.
He felt as if Lin Yu were Song Minghui's grandson, and he himself were an outsider.
After three rounds of drinks, Song Minghui finally said, "Xiao He, to be frank, I have a favor to ask."
"Please speak, Old Master Song."
"I'd like to ask you to treat my niece—my eldest daughter's daughter," Song Minghui sighed.
Lin Yu was surprised. With Song Minghui's exceptional medical skills, why would he need Lin Yu's help?
"Old Master Song, you jest. If you can't cure her illness, I'm afraid I won't be able to either," Lin Yu said with a bitter smile.
"My sister is sick? Grandpa, are you joking? My sister is perfectly fine. What illness could she have?" Song Zheng exclaimed. He knew his older sister well—aside from her cold demeanor, she had no illnesses.
"Xiao He, you must help me with this," Song Minghui completely ignored Song Zheng.
"Then could you describe her symptoms, Old Master Song?" Lin Yu asked, puzzled.
"Ah, it's hard to explain. It's better for you to see for yourself when you meet her," Song Minghui said, his face clouded with worry. He didn't seem to be joking.
"Alright, since you've asked, I won't refuse. When would your niece be available?" Lin Yu became interested, seeing Song Minghui's hesitation to describe his niece's condition.
"She's not in Qinghai right now. Once she has some free time, I'll ask her to come. My niece is strong-willed, just like her mother—she started her own company," Song Minghui said with a hint of pride. "She's planning to open a branch in Qinghai soon."
"Good. Just notify me when the time comes," Lin Yu said.
As the saying goes, "When drinking with a close friend, a thousand cups are too few." Lin Yu, meeting a medical master like Song Minghui whom he admired, couldn't help but drink a few more cups. By the time he returned home, Jiang Yan was already asleep, but the bedside lamp was still on for him.
Lin Yu glanced at the bedding on the floor, then lay down on the bed instead.
"So fragrant," Lin Yu chuckled softly. This was the first time he had lain on this double bed.
"You're back. Why did you drink so much?" Jiang Yan on the bed woke up and looked at him.
"Tonight, I'm sleeping on the bed!" Lin Yu declared with bravado, pointing at the ceiling.
"Okay," Jiang Yan agreed. She got up, fetched a glass of water from the living room, placed it by the bedside, then took her pillow and slept on the floor bedding.
Lin Yu was suddenly angered by her action. The pent-up emotions of the past days burst forth in that moment. He rolled onto the floor bedding and pinned Jiang Yan beneath him.
"Do you hate me that much?"
"Ah!" Jiang Yan let out a short cry. She looked at Lin Yu, then turned away, her hands clutching the bedding tightly, as if digging into her palms.
Feeling Lin Yu's warm, alcohol-scented breath, she panicked. She wanted to push him away and call him shameless, but she couldn't.
She was his wife. Whatever he did was within his rights.
She had known this day would come eventually and had tried to prepare herself mentally, but she still couldn't accept Lin Yu in her heart.
Not hating him was the best she could manage.
"If you're so wronged, why did you marry me? Why make us both endure this torment?" Lin Yu laughed self-deprecatingly. Fueled by alcohol, he finally voiced what he had suppressed all along.
If Jiang Yan hadn't married He Jiarong, he would have much more freedom now. He was a man too, with needs, attracted to the opposite sex, wanting to experience passionate love.
But he couldn't. He already had a wife.
What made it painful was that this marriage was in name only. Even more painful was that this wife was breathtakingly beautiful.
Although the alcohol made his body somewhat numb, he could still feel the woman beneath him—long, firm, warm, and full, her fragrance intoxicating.
Seeing her face up close, it was still exquisitely perfect, flawless even to the most critical eye.
He didn't know what he felt for this woman.
Hate?
But she was his wife.
Love?
But she hadn't even called him once, despite him coming home so late, as if he meant nothing to her.
Jiang Yan remained silent, her head turned away. Two clear tears silently slid down, dripping onto the pillow. She seemed to have anticipated what would happen next. She closed her eyes, silently awaiting the moment.
"You must be beautiful when you smile. It's a pity I've never seen you smile."
But in the end, Lin Yu only chuckled softly, wiped the tears from her face, and got up to return to the bed.
"You have the right to do anything. I... I can cooperate," Jiang Yan's voice trembled, even fearful, but she had to say it. She knew the current situation was unfair to He Jiarong.
"I won't do anything. Not until you let go of him," Lin Yu said nonchalantly, though his heart ached inexplicably.
Had he fallen for this woman?
Impossible. It was just the desire to conquer, he told himself vehemently.
Hearing this, Jiang Yan's heart shuddered. She looked at Lin Yu on the bed in surprise, astonished. She had never told him about someone else in her heart. How did he know?
She wanted to ask how he knew, but Lin Yu was already snoring softly.
She didn't know that if someone held another in their heart, no matter how well hidden, it couldn't be completely concealed.
Two days later, persuaded by his daughter and wife, Jiang Jingren reluctantly donated the Mingqie Tie to the Qinghai Museum, known as half of the cultural relic world.
After appraisal by top domestic experts, the Mingqie Tie was highly likely to be Wang Xizhi's authentic work. Even if not, it was at least a pre-Sui Dynasty copy, unparalleled in its fidelity and preservation.
The entire nation was stirred. Countless people wanted to see this绝世 treasure.
Under immense pressure, the Qinghai Museum claimed they would not display it publicly for three months, using the excuse of building a separate exhibition hall for the Mingqie Tie to calm the fervor.
But the donor, Jiang Jingren, received special privileges. The Qinghai Museum awarded him a medal and gave him five museum passes, allowing him and his friends and family to visit and view the Mingqie Tie and other collections anytime, free for life.
Jiang Jingren instantly became a celebrity in Qinghai's antique circle, even overshadowing Tang Zongyun. Visitors flocked to his door daily until he finally closed his door to guests out of frustration.
For his outstanding contribution, the municipal government specially approved a two-level promotion, raising him from deputy division level to deputy department level.
Jiang Jingren, flushed with success, knew it was all thanks to his son-in-law. He changed his previous attitude, showing great concern for Lin Yu and strongly urging Lin Yu and Jiang Yan to hurry up and give them a grandson.
But after that night, both Jiang Yan and Lin Yu felt somewhat awkward around each other, rarely communicating.
Lin Yu even somewhat regretted it. If he hadn't drunk so much, he wouldn't have said those things.
One morning, Lin Yu was awakened by a phone call before he had fully slept. It was Shen Yuxuan.
"Hey, Jiarong, where are you? I have something important to tell you!" Shen Yuxuan's voice on the phone was urgent.
"I'm at home," Lin Yu said lazily, then suddenly remembered that when they met, Shen Yuxuan's forehead had been dark, indicating possible bloodshed. Had it come true?
He sat up quickly and asked urgently, "Did something happen to you?"
"I'm fine, but the Guanyin you gave me—that Guanyin actually...唉, it's hard to explain over the phone. Let's meet and talk," Shen Yuxuan said, panicked.