In a short while, Lu Jiu sat down in a breakfast shop.
This was a congee shop that had been open for twenty or thirty years.
When he was a child, Lu Jiu didn't like eating here. He preferred shredded pork noodles or beef noodles.
Later, after becoming fond of traditional Chinese medicine, his diet gradually shifted towards lighter flavors.
Of course, "lighter" doesn't mean avoiding all fats; it's just that sometimes he'd indulge a little.
The essence of health maintenance in traditional Chinese medicine isn't to make everyone eat like monks; it's about taking care of your body regularly so that you can eat whatever you want, instead of indulging recklessly first and then regretting it later when your body falls ill, leaving you to only stare longingly at delicious foods.
"Auntie, business is good today," Lu Jiu greeted the lady boss as he walked into the shop.
The lady boss's surname was Zhao; she was from out of town. It's said she lived in a remote mountain village before coming to Jianghan City with her husband. Lacking other skills, she opened this congee shop.
Initially, it was just plain congee, three mao a bowl. Later, they learned to make many varieties, like century egg and lean pork congee, mushroom chicken congee, red bean and barley congee, etc.
With more varieties came more customers, and with enough income to sustain the shop, they kept it open for twenty or thirty years.
Later on, the lady boss's husband was diagnosed with liver cancer and, it's said, was already in a late stage when discovered. After two or three years of treatment, he unfortunately passed away.
Thus, the lady boss ran the shop alone, raising two children, and not only paid off the debts but also supported her children through college.
"Xiao Lu is here; still two bowls of plain congee?" Zhao Tingfang asked with a smile.
"Yes," Lu Jiu replied, taking a small plate and picking some side dishes cooked by Zhao Tingfang. "Auntie, you seem in a good mood today. Is there good news?"
Lu Jiu came every day, so he was quite familiar with Zhao Tingfang. Seeing her cheerful demeanor, he couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, it's Jiang Xue. That child got her teaching certificate and plans to come back and teach at Jianghan Experimental Primary School next year," Zhao Tingfang said with a smile.
Lu Jiu was surprised, "Jiang Xue is graduating already?"
"Yes, she keeps saying she wants to come back," Zhao Tingfang chuckled.
As they talked, Zhao Tingfang had already placed two bowls of plain congee in front of Lu Jiu.
Lu Jiu thanked her and continued, "That's great! How about Tao? He should be graduating soon too."
Zhao Tingfang nodded with a smile, "Yes, he's in his third year now."
Lu Jiu replied with a laugh, "That boy has been adventurous since he was young. I bet he wants to stay in the big city after graduating."
Zhao Tingfang laughed, "Let him be. It's good for boys to explore. If he gets tired and wants to come back, that's fine too. Xiao Lu, take your time eating; I'll go back to work."
Lu Jiu smiled, "Sure thing."
Lu Jiu took a sip of the plain congee, "slurping" it into his mouth. This might not be elegant, but congee without slurping lacks soul, just like noodles.
Of course, Lu Jiu was careful, slurping yet making sure it didn't sound like thunder.
Before long, he finished two bowls of plain congee, and after drinking a cup of soybean milk, seeing Zhao Tingfang getting busier, he didn't disturb her further, paid, and headed straight to Lu's Clinic.
By this time, Garden Street was already bustling, especially at the congested intersection where it joined with Yu Wang Lane.
On the left was a vegetable market, on the right was Garden Second Elementary School, with street vendors, breakfast carts, small electric scooters picking up kids for school, and elderly people buying vegetables...
Lu Jiu weaved through the crowd with difficulty, finally crossing the intersection that had been congested for twenty years and, after walking another ten or so minutes, reached his clinic.
By then, the clinic's doors were already open, and Lu Jiu's grandfather, Lu Mountain, was busy at the medicine cabinet, sorting herbs.
"Morning, Grandpa," Lu Jiu greeted as he stepped in and began boiling water.
But as soon as he picked up the kettle, he noticed a small gray and white cat lying under the consultation table.
Whose cat is this?
Hmm?
Cat ringworm!
Seeing Lu Jiu's actions, Lu Mountain explained, "This cat seems abandoned. I saw it lying next to a trash bin, so I brought it back."
Lu Jiu squatted down, poked the kitten's head with his index finger, but the kitten remained motionless, as if it stayed up all night, not even lifting its head to see who was touching it.
Then, Lu Jiu gently moved the kitten's body, noticing its eyes half-closed, gray scales all over, and patches of missing fur, revealing black spots.
Cat ringworm?
"With such extensive ringworm and several black spots, it's probably been treated with medicine; no wonder it was abandoned. Treating this won't be cheap," Lu Jiu commented.
The treatment plan for cat ringworm mainly depends on the severity. For minor cases, topical medication costing around a hundred or two might work, with recovery depending on luck.
If the condition is widespread, injections, medicinal baths, and topical medicine are needed, making the cost relatively high, potentially exceeding the cat's value.
"Go, boil this medicine, then bring a warm water bag," Lu Mountain instructed, handing Lu Jiu some herbs.
Lu Jiu examined the herbs in his hand, took a sniff, "Atractylodes, licorice, cinnamon bark, Poria, Alisma, Coptis... Grandpa, is this a modified Wei Ling Tang?"
Lu Mountain nodded, "Yes, the cat's tongue is white, with light red mucus in its mouth, weak pulse, no urination, cold extremities – typical Qi and Yin deficiency with cold limbs. It's so prolonged that the Yang is near exhaustion. For this, we could use Sheng Mai Drink, but first, it needs Wei Ling Tang to strengthen the spleen, promote urination, and stop the stomach from bleeding."
Lu Jiu couldn't completely follow the reasoning.
But seeing the kitten's condition was critical, he focused on brewing the medicine by the clinic's toilet, filling a pot with water to decoct the herbs.
Meanwhile, Lu Mountain left the clinic, bought a syringe at the pharmacy next door, and a hair trimmer at the supermarket.
With the equipment ready, Lu Mountain placed the syringe on the table and began trimming the kitten's fur.
Lu Mountain handled it gently, treating it like a fragile infant, observing the kitten's expression with each stroke to ensure it wasn't hurt inadvertently.
The kitten was small to begin with, and afflicted with this disease, it was naturally frail, yet its belly heaved heavily, as if each exhale drained its last bit of strength.
It was fighting to survive!
Lu Jiu didn't expect that his grandpa would actually treat small animals.
Logically, the difference between humans and animals is quite significant; whether it's the appearance of the tongue or the pulse, they can't be compared on the same scale.
Take eating as an example, humans would have a severe reaction from eating Croton seeds, while mice would get fat from eating them.
The same thing can have completely opposite effects.
This is where Lu Jiu's curiosity lies.
Indeed, there is a major in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine at the university, but Lu Jiu has never attended any classes and knows very little about it.
Now, seeing Lu Mountain treating a cat, he is naturally very curious.
Moreover, if these Chinese medicines really work on small animals, it proves one thing.
The theoretical basis of Chinese medicine is not just for humans, but for all life under the heavens.
More than half an hour passed, and once the medicine was ready, Lu Jiu poured it into a bowl and waited for it to cool down.
Once it cooled, Lu Jiu used the syringe that Lu Mountain bought to draw the medicine into the tube, then gently inserted it into the kitten's mouth, slowly pushing the herbal medicine in.
The kitten seemed to feel the warm current in its mouth and struggled to use its tongue to move the warmth to its throat.
Watching the kitten eagerly consume the herbal medicine, Lu Jiu also smiled happily.
Many people think Chinese medicine is bitter and hard to swallow, but when a person is seriously ill, if the prescription happens to be right for the condition, they actually find it palatable when drinking it, because at that moment, their body needs the medicine to save their life.
The fact that the kitten is not rejecting the Chinese medicine is an extremely good sign.
One syringe worth of medicine was finally consumed entirely by the little creature.
It shows that not only is this little creature seriously ill, but also quite hungry.
After drinking the herbal medicine, the kitten's breathing gradually eased, so Lu Jiu placed a hot water bottle filled with hot water in its arms and put it on an old cushion, slowly pushing it to a spot by the window.
This place gets sunlight, which will greatly aid in its recovery.
"Grandpa, let's disinfect," having done all this, and after both of them washed their hands, Lu Jiu brought out a spray bottle of alcohol.
"Why disinfect? With Righteous Qi inside, no evil can interfere; a bit of virus isn't going to affect me. Don't learn some Western medicine and fill your head with Westernized thinking," Lu Mountain shook his sleeves.
"You're not wrong, but given your age, you must view things dialectically; you taught me that. Spread your hands, come on!" Lu Jiu pointed the alcohol spray at Lu Mountain.
Seeing Lu Jiu's insistence, Lu Mountain didn't say more, obediently spread his hands, letting Lu Jiu spray him with alcohol all over.
"With Righteous Qi inside, no evil can interfere," this is the principle of treatment in Chinese medicine.
No matter what disease a person in this world gets, Chinese medicine's only method is to support the righteous and expel the evil!
Lu Mountain's words aren't wrong, but at over seventy years old, the Righteous Qi in his entire body is no match for a young person. Disinfecting to kill the virus externally, even if trace amounts enter the body, is still better than not disinfecting at all!
After a busy morning, having stabilized the kitten's condition, it was already past eight o'clock.
Just like yesterday, one of them supervised while the other attended to patients.
The small clinic, besides the sound of pages turning, was filled with the weak hum of the kitten, contrasting starkly with the bustling traffic on the street.
Soon, someone arrived.
The visitor was dressed fashionably, with delicate makeup, her tall figure stepped onto the steps and walked into Lu's Clinic.
Noticing the change at the door, Lu Jiu looked up and, seeing someone approach, smiled immediately, "Hello."
"I... I'm here to see a doctor," the young woman, appearing to be in her twenties, seemed a bit nervous.
Lu Jiu chuckled, why come here if not sick, "Then have a seat, what's bothering you?"
"Just a bit dizzy from time to time, with occasional pain," Qiao Ling frowned.
"Is it soreness, or pain?" Lu Jiu asked.
Qiao Ling was stunned, "Is there a difference?"
"Of course there's a difference. Soreness is hot, like burning, similar to eating chili, while pain is cold, more of a dull, aching tension. You should be able to distinguish between the two," Lu Jiu replied.
Oh, so that's how it is.
Qiao Ling realized for the first time that pain had these definitions.
Based on her own feelings, it must be pain.
"It's pain," Qiao Ling said.
"Okay, give me your hand, I'll check your pulse," Lu Jiu said.
At his words, Qiao Ling placed her hand on the hand rest on the table, while Lu Jiu placed his fingers on her Cunkou pulse.
Next moment, the familiar voice came again.
"Spleen Earth, there's blood on top of it, quickly get them down."
"I can't do all the work alone, if you don't start moving, how can I get them down? Besides, controlling the amount of blood is Liver Wood's responsibility, you need to make it work too!"
"It's already working, it's just that the Qi isn't flowing; at this speed, it's all the strength I have!"
"This is so frustrating, there's always a problem at this stage!"
"You said it, her body is already not in good condition, and she loves to eat things I can't process, that's one thing, but she's always worried about her figure, trying all means to lose weight, sigh, it's stressing me out!"
"She's begun to deplete my little energy reserves, aren't you guys going to do something? If this depletion continues, we're all gonna die..."
"..."