Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 130: Selling Aconite

The second dose of medicine was quickly prepared.

A nurse administered the medicine. This time, Chen Xiaoyan’s swallowing reflex seemed to have recovered somewhat, and she managed to drink more of the liquid.

"The next few hours will be even more critical," Li Xu said to everyone. "If she can make it through tonight, her chances will be much greater."

Dean Sun checked his watch. "It’s already ten o’clock at night. Advisor Li, you need to rest."

"I’ll keep watch," Li Xu said simply. "I can’t leave at a time like this."

Feng Qiang was overcome with gratitude. "Dr. Li, your immense kindness..."

Li Xu waved his hand. "It’s a doctor’s duty. You need to rest now, too. Take your child to the next room and get some sleep. I’ll notify you immediately if anything changes."

The night deepened. Only Li Xu, the nurse on duty, and the unconscious Chen Xiaoyan remained in the emergency room.

Li Xu also told Song Sisi to go home.

"Hey, old classmate. I’m here."

Miaoli walked over.

"Aren’t you off duty?"

"Director Guo told me to stay and relieve you."

"There’s no need. You can go home."

"I’d love to..." Miaoli pouted. "If I go home, Director Guo will definitely chew me out tomorrow."

Seeing that Li Xu was about to say more, she waved her hand. "Alright, don’t try to convince me. It’s worth it to stay if it means helping you save a life. I’m happy to do it."

"Alright, then."

Li Xu nodded.

...

As the first rays of dawn filtered through the blinds of the hospital room, Li Xu had a nurse moisten Chen Xiaoyan’s chapped lips with a water-soaked cotton swab.

He and Miaoli had each kept watch for half the night.

He still felt reasonably alert.

"Where... am I...?" A voice, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, suddenly sounded.

Li Xu’s head snapped up. He met Chen Xiaoyan’s half-open eyes—though cloudy and lifeless, they were unmistakably focused on him.

He immediately held down the hand she was trying to raise. "Don’t move. You just passed the critical period."

The numbers on the monitor had stabilized: blood oxygen 98%, heart rate 76 bpm, blood pressure 110/70 mmHg.

Most astonishing of all was Chen Xiaoyan’s face. Previously swollen and shiny, the edema had now subsided by more than half, revealing her original delicate features.

"Nurse! Record her urine output!" Li Xu shouted toward the door.

The on-duty nurse quickly checked the urine bag. "From last night until now, her urine output has already reached 2,500 milliliters!"

Hearing the commotion, Feng Qiang rushed in carrying his child. When he saw his wife’s eyes move slightly, the tall man dropped directly to his knees, his forehead hitting the tile floor with a heavy THUD. "Dr. Li! You’re our family’s savior!"

Li Xu hurried to help him up. "Get up! Your wife is very strong. The medicine and her own life force worked together to create this miracle."

Xiao Rui wriggled free from her father’s arms and rushed to the bedside, carefully touching her mother’s face. "Mommy... are you really awake?"

The corners of Chen Xiaoyan’s mouth turned up faintly, and a single tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.

Dean Sun and Guo Yu, having heard the news, rushed over and stood stunned at the doorway when they saw the scene.

Dean Sun strode to the monitor, repeatedly checking the data. "This... This completely defies medical logic! How could a patient with multiple organ failure recover to this extent in just twelve hours?"

"Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on restoring the body’s own functions."

Li Xu gently pressed the Taiyuan Acupoint on Chen Xiaoyan’s wrist. "Her organs had no structural damage; their functions were simply suppressed. The Aconite invigorates the kidney-yang, the Red Ginseng greatly replenishes Primordial Qi, and the Cornelian Cherry astringes the upright qi... These herbs worked in synergy to awaken her body’s self-healing capabilities."

Guo Yu remarked with emotion, "Thirty grams of Aconite... In normal circumstances, that dose would be practically suicidal."

"That’s why it’s not enough to just have good Aconite; you also need a more refined processing method." Li Xu took the remaining Aconite slices from his bag and handed them to Dean Sun. "This batch of wild Aconite grew in the unique environment of Qianyuan Mountain and was processed using ancient methods, greatly reducing its toxicity while multiplying its medicinal effect."

Dean Sun held an Aconite slice up to the light. The slice, as thin as a cicada’s wing, glowed with an amber luster.

After a moment of admiration, he became even more determined in his idea to purchase Aconite from Li Xu.

By noon, the patient’s condition was stable.

Li Xu prepared to leave.

"Advisor Li..."

Director Han from the pharmacy department came running, out of breath and holding a contract. "Advisor Li, the dean gave special approval, and we’ve completed the procedures. Our Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine would like to purchase 1,000 pounds of premium Aconite from you. What are you thinking in terms of price?"

Li Xu already had a price in mind. "One hundred yuan per pound."

Ordinary Aconite on the market sold for thirty to fifty yuan per pound, with better quality ones going for sixty to seventy.

One hundred yuan per pound was comparatively expensive.

But it was, without a doubt, premium quality.

It wasn’t soaked in Daban Liquid, and its medicinal effects were guaranteed.

Director Han didn’t hesitate at all and nodded in agreement. "Alright."

On his way over, the dean had personally instructed him to acquire the premium Aconite, no matter how expensive it was.

This wasn’t just about whether they could cure patients; it was also tied to the hospital’s performance metrics.

If the cure rate increased, their hospital would have more standing in the city.

They would also have more money to pay doctors performance bonuses.

After this incident, Director Han was completely convinced and no longer held any of his previous dissatisfaction.

After signing the contract, Li Xu and Song Sisi took a car back.

On the way, he thought about the twenty plots of Aconite fields that Village Chief Ma from Anchi Village had given him.

One plot of land yielded about 1,500 pounds of fresh Aconite.

With a 5-to-1 fresh-to-processed ratio, 1,000 pounds of processed Aconite required 5,000 pounds of fresh Aconite, which was the yield of about three plots.

’That leaves seventeen plots...’

His clinic would only need the Aconite from about one plot.

’I need to find buyers for the remaining sixteen plots.’

Li Xu planned to visit a few hospitals to promote his Aconite.

After he told Song Sisi about his plan...

"Let me go!" Song Sisi’s eyes sparkled. "You didn’t sleep last night, so you should rest today. Besides, if people from other hospitals see how worn out you look, they’ll think the doctor at our clinic is sick himself!"

Her teasing made Li Xu laugh. "Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Focus on promoting the Aconite’s origin, its unique characteristics, and the ancient processing method. Our Aconite is high-quality and high-cost, so the price can’t be lower than 100 yuan per pound..."

"Got it."

Song Sisi noted it down carefully.

Before she had even finished speaking, his phone suddenly vibrated.

In his university classmates’ group chat, Miaoli had sent a message:

"[Our superstar Li Xu has worked another miracle! A patient with multiple organ failure, basically given a death sentence by City First Hospital, was saved by him with a single dose of Chinese medicine!!!]"

Hu Qiming was the first to reply: "[For real? Do you have the case file?]"

Li Baojie sent a skeptical emoji: "[He can even save someone from multiple organ failure? That doesn’t align with the principles of pathology!]"

Jiang Peng tagged Li Xu directly: "[Bro, you’re getting more and more mysterious. Spill it, what happened?]"

His phone kept vibrating.

Li Xu looked at the stream of messages and had an idea. ’This is the perfect opportunity to promote the Aconite.’

"[The patient’s condition was indeed very serious... A few days ago, I went to Shanghai for an award ceremony... Professor Wang Tao mentioned that Aconite is being soaked in Daban Liquid... I went to Jiangyou and bought twenty plots of Aconite...]"

Li Xu briefly explained the situation, then added, "[The Aconite deserves most of the credit for saving the patient this time. I still have sixteen plots of premium Aconite left, none of it soaked in Daban Liquid. Do any of your hospitals need some?]"