Before Li Xu left for the provincial capital, he gave Song Sisi some time off.

He had assumed she’d gone on a trip somewhere.

Song Sisi took a sip of water, pouted, and said pitifully, "I wanted to go on a trip, but the day after you left, Aunt Li called me. Her back was bothering her, so she asked me to give her a massage. I came to the clinic, and before I could even finish with Aunt Li, Granny Zhang showed up... After that, more and more people kept coming..."

Under his tutelage,

Song Sisi had certainly improved.

Her skills were on par with some professional blind masseuses.

So, Song Sisi had been completely swamped during this time.

Seeing her pitiable expression, Li Xu felt a little bad. He smiled and consoled her, "Alright, alright, my mistake. To make it up to you, how about I treat you to a big dinner tonight?"

"Really?" Song Sisi’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"

"In that case... I want to eat the best of the best."

Song Sisi was pushing her luck.

"No problem."

Li Xu readily agreed with a smile. "Take off your work uniform, change your clothes, and wash your hands. We’ll head out right now. You can pick any restaurant in Feng City."

Just then, Li Xu’s phone rang.

It was a call from Elder Li.

"Haha, Doctor Li, you’re back?"

"Elder Li, how did you know I was back?"

"Old Wu gave me a call. He was singing your praises to the high heavens! He said you not only cured his asthma of several decades but practically gave him a new lease on life. He asked me to thank you properly on his behalf."

Elder Li extended an invitation. "To show my gratitude, I’ve decided to cook a fine meal myself tomorrow. You must come."

Li Xu happily accepted.

Suddenly,

he felt someone tugging on his clothes.

He turned to see Song Sisi looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Song Sisi knew of Elder Li as well.

Li Xu had eaten at his place twice before and came back raving about Elder Li’s cooking.

She had long been wanting to try Elder Li’s food.

However, Elder Li was a man of high status, and without his explicit permission, Li Xu hadn’t felt it was appropriate to bring Song Sisi along before.

This was the perfect opportunity.

Li Xu nodded at Song Sisi, then said into the phone, "Elder Li, let’s invite Chairman Ding tomorrow. And would it be alright if I brought a friend along?"

"No problem! The more, the merrier."

Elder Li readily agreed.

Li Xu didn’t hang up right away. He added mysteriously, "Oh, right, Elder Li. On my trip, I brought back a special ’ingredient’ for you. I guarantee it’s a rare delicacy, the likes of which you’ve seldom tasted in your life."

"Oh? What is this fine thing that you’re boasting so much about?"

This piqued Elder Li’s interest.

"Golden Leopard-Striped Loach."

Li Xu had brought back three Golden Leopard-Striped Loaches from Central Asia. They had been specially processed and kept chilled for the entire journey.

"Golden Leopard-Striped Loach?"

Elder Li was clearly a connoisseur; he sounded thrilled. "An excellent find! You absolutely must bring it tomorrow. I’m curious to see if my old skills are worthy of such a top-tier ingredient."

Even though they had made plans to eat tomorrow,

tonight’s dinner couldn’t be skipped.

Li Xu and Song Sisi changed their clothes and were just about to lock up and leave.

A neighbor who lived nearby, Brother Wang, came running over, panting.

"Doctor Li, you’re finally back!"

Brother Wang said anxiously, "Please, come to my house quickly. My grandfather is acting up again, and we don’t know what’s wrong with him."

Hearing this, Li Xu didn’t dare to delay and immediately followed Brother Wang to his home.

Brother Wang’s family lived in a building in the old residential area next door.

The apartment was old, having been lived in for decades. The furnishings were all old items, filled with the air of times past.

As soon as they entered, they heard a clamor coming from the inner room.

"I want to eat it! If you don’t buy it for me, I won’t eat or take my medicine!"

Li Xu walked into the inner room and saw an overweight old man lying on the bed, throwing a tantrum like a child.

Brother Wang’s parents were also in the room, their faces etched with worry.

"I don’t know what’s gotten into my grandfather. Since this afternoon, he’s been clamoring for a popsicle. It’s almost winter now, and the weather is so chilly. My parents were worried that something so cold would upset his stomach, so they didn’t buy him one. As a result, he’s been throwing a fit like this ever since and hasn’t even eaten dinner."

Li Xu nodded, walked over to the bed, and said to Old Wang, "Uncle Wang, would it be alright if I took a look?"

Old Wang glanced at him but didn’t object.

Li Xu reached out and took Old Wang’s pulse.

A moment later, he stood up and called Brother Wang and his parents into the outer room.

Looking at their worried expressions, Li Xu spoke slowly. "Uncle Wang isn’t just throwing a tantrum. In traditional Chinese medicine, we have a specific term for his condition: ’Hall of Burning Fire’."

"Hall of Burning Fire? What does that mean?"

Brother Wang asked, confused.

Li Xu sighed and explained, "Many critically ill patients exhibit an unusual phenomenon in the final moments of their lives, right before passing. They suddenly feel as if a fire is burning inside them. They experience a dry mouth and tongue, restlessness, and an intense craving for something ice-cold to quench their thirst. This is actually a sign that their internal organs are failing completely. The yin and yang are about to separate. It’s a phenomenon of false heat caused by the last trace of Yang Qi in the body flaring up violently, like the final flicker of a lamp before the oil runs out."

"Wh-what?!"

After hearing Li Xu’s explanation, Brother Wang’s entire family was stunned.

They were completely unprepared.

Although Old Wang had always been in poor health,

they didn’t think it would be this sudden.

"Doctor Li, are you saying... my father... he’s about to pass away?"

Brother Wang’s father asked in disbelief.

Li Xu was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"Ah?"

The cruel reality was more than Brother Wang’s family could accept.

Brother Wang’s father, in particular, kept questioning him. "My dad has been doing fine recently! How could he just... be at his end, just like that? Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"

"We’re taking Dad to the hospital right now."

The family descended into chaos.

They prepared to rush Old Wang to the hospital for emergency treatment.

"Wait a minute."

Brother Wang stopped his parents. "Let’s not tell Grandpa yet. We don’t want to scare him."

Li Xu stood to the side, saying nothing.

’Right now, Old Wang wants a popsicle, but if they take him to the hospital, the doctors will absolutely forbid it.’

’In his condition, the Yang Qi of his middle burner—the spleen and stomach—is already extremely weak.’

’If he eats something cold like a popsicle now, it will only cause a more severe blockage in his middle burner. The blood vessels throughout his body will constrict from the cold, and the blood supply to his heart will become even more insufficient.’

’It would be like pouring salt on a wound.’

’No hospital doctor would take that risk.’

Brother Wang dialed 120 for an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived quickly.

Meanwhile, Li Xu left with Song Sisi and found a restaurant to have dinner.

Just as they finished eating,

he received another call from Brother Wang.