Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 162: Another Silk Banner

Li Xu’s technique was deft and professional. His thumbs traced the Bladder meridian, pressing down and pausing at acupoints like Qihai Shu and Dachang Shu.

With each acupoint he pressed, Lin Xiaoyu felt a warm current spread from the point of contact, and the soreness began to subside.

"Next is the important part." Li Xu’s hands moved to the stiffest area. "The muscles here have formed knots. I need to slowly work them out."

He pressed the heel of his palm against her back and began a circular kneading motion.

Lin Xiaoyu bit her lip at first, but as Li Xu’s perfectly applied pressure deepened, she suddenly cried out, "AH... th-that feels so good..."

The moan made her entire face flush red.

It also made Hu Qiming, who was watching, burn with jealousy.

Especially when Li Xu adjusted his angle, his hand brushing against the small, exposed part of Lin Xiaoyu’s lower back. Hu Qiming almost rushed forward to pull them apart.

"This is an ashi point," Li Xu explained, completely oblivious to his friend’s strange behavior. He was focused on his work. "It’s the most painful spot. In Chinese medicine, the principle is ’where there’s pain, there’s a point.’"

His technique suddenly shifted. He used the pad of his thumb to quickly strum the tense muscle fibers. "You have to break up these knotted muscles."

Lin Xiaoyu buried her face in the crook of her arm, letting out soft, broken hums.

Under Li Xu’s hands, the muscles in her waist gradually relaxed. Her once-pale skin took on a faint pinkish hue as blood circulation improved.

"Last, a general relaxation." Li Xu placed his entire palm on her lower back and performed an upward pushing stroke.

The movement caused Lin Xiaoyu’s dress to ride up slightly, revealing more of her fair skin.

There were a few details that Li Xu adjusted in time, referencing the video in his mind. Fortunately, he made no mistakes.

"Alright." Li Xu stretched his arms. Massages were physically demanding.

If they massaged for too long, the therapist themselves could end up with muscle strain.

"Get up and try moving around a bit."

Lin Xiaoyu slowly pushed herself up. She cautiously twisted her waist, and her eyes suddenly lit up. "It really doesn’t hurt anymore!"

She moved her waist, pleasantly surprised. "It feels so much looser, and it’s comfortable too!"

Li Xu washed his hands and said with a smile, "This is just temporary relief. For a complete cure, you’ll still need..."

"...more massages, right?" Hu Qiming suddenly interjected, sidling up to Lin Xiaoyu with a fawning expression. "Actually, I was planning on learning massage, too!"

Lin Xiaoyu gave him a polite smile, but her eyes remained fixed on Li Xu. "Dr. Li, how many sessions will I need?"

"Let’s start with ten sessions and see how it goes," Li Xu said, drying his hands. "It’ll be more effective if you combine it with some lower back exercises."

"In that case..." Lin Xiaoyu asked, "can I come back tomorrow at the same time?"

"No problem."

...

The clinic door was pushed open, and two men in military-style uniforms walked in.

The man in front was about forty years old and carried an exquisite mahogany box.

The younger man following him, in his twenties, held a manila envelope with a solemn expression.

"Excuse me, are you Dr. Li Xu?" the older man asked, his voice steady and powerful.

Li Xu put down the patient file he was holding and nodded. "I am. And you are...?"

"We’re from the Municipal Armed Forces Department," the man said, pulling identification from an inside pocket. "I’m Deputy Director Zhou Heng, and this is Mr. Wang."

Li Xu was taken aback.

’The Municipal Armed Forces Department? What are they doing here?’

He couldn’t figure it out.

His only association with that department was military recruitment.

He glanced at their identification; it didn’t look fake.

Zhou Heng glanced around the clinic, his eyes lingering for a moment on the various certificates hanging on the wall. He then solemnly opened the mahogany box. "We’ve been sent on behalf of the North Bay Border Defense company to express our gratitude."

Inside was a neatly rolled silk pennant.

Zhou Heng and Mr. Wang each took a corner and slowly unfurled it. On the bright red satin, eleven large, golden words glittered: "Army-Civilian Kinship, Like Fish and Water; A Healing Hand That Drives Off Mosquitoes."

"This is..." Li Xu was momentarily stunned.

Mr. Wang handed him the manila envelope. "There’s a letter of thanks as well. It’s signed by all the officers and soldiers of the border defense company."

Li Xu accepted the envelope. The paper was thick and felt substantial in his hand.

When he opened it, the first thing he saw was a group photo. Over twenty border defense soldiers stood in front of a guard post, each holding an exquisite Mugwort Bag and grinning brightly under the sun.

The back of the photo was covered in a dense collection of signatures. At the very bottom, in Captain Li Yuewei’s flamboyant calligraphy, was an inscription: "Thank you, Dr. Li, for your masterful skill and kind heart. You’ve allowed the officers and men of our company to finally bid farewell to their mosquito troubles!"

The letter of thanks was written with a fountain pen, the handwriting neat and strong:

"Dear Dr. Li Xu,

Our company is stationed at North Bay, a place long known as the ’Mosquito Kingdom.’ For years, our officers and soldiers have suffered from constant mosquito bites... Since we started using the premium Mugwort Bags specially made by your clinic, we have not been bothered by a single mosquito while on guard duty... This small item has immensely improved our company’s combat readiness... We offer our sincerest gratitude. May the bond between the army and the people last forever..."

After reading the letter, it all clicked for Li Xu.

’So this is all because of those 50 premium Mugwort Bags I sold them.’

’And they even went out of their way to send a pennant.’

"They’re being too kind. It was the least I could do."

Zhou Heng said, "Dr. Li, you may think it’s a small thing, but for the border defense company, it’s a heaven-and-earth difference. Now, during patrols and training, they no longer need to wear thick protective gear..."

After another round of thanks,

Zhou Heng asked curiously, "Dr. Li, are these Mugwort Bags really that amazing?"

Li Xu took a premium Mugwort Bag from a medicine cabinet and handed it to him. "Thank you for coming all this way to deliver the pennant. Please, take this to try for yourself."

Zhou Heng accepted the Mugwort Bag and brought it to his nose, taking a light sniff. "This scent... it certainly is unique. We have mosquitoes at our training grounds, too. I’ll take it and give it a try."

He turned to Mr. Wang. "Pay the man, as per regulations. We can’t take things from civilians for free."

Mr. Wang immediately pulled out his wallet.

Li Xu tried to refuse,

but they were adamant about following regulations and paid him.

While they were politely arguing over the payment, Lin Xiaoyu had already snapped several photos from the side.

She had not only taken pictures of the pennant and the letter of thanks, but had also captured this heartwarming scene.

’She keenly realized that this was an excellent story—a local Chinese medicine practitioner’s masterstroke solving a military problem. It had both human interest and gravitas.’

’The next feature could be on ’Army-Civilian Cooperation’.’

Of course, she would have to ask Zhou Heng if she could even publish it.

"Director Zhou, I’m an editor with *Urban Life* magazine," Lin Xiaoyu asked. "I was wondering if I could publish the material I’ve gathered here?"

After asking for a few more details, Zhou Heng gave his answer. "You can, but the final draft will need to be reviewed and approved by our department."

"No problem. I’ll deliver it to your office myself when it’s ready."

Zhou Heng and Mr. Wang took a few photos as well, wanting to send them back to the border defense soldiers.

They left after that.

Lin Xiaoyu glanced at her watch. "I have to get back to the office and report this story idea!"

She said a hasty goodbye, but not before winking at Li Xu. "See you tomorrow for the massage, same time!~"

It had all happened so suddenly.

Hu Qiming, standing off to the side, was completely dumbstruck.

He looked from the pennant to Lin Xiaoyu’s departing figure, utterly at a loss for words.

"Dr. Hu, your next patient is here. We need to take their blood pressure," the nurse sitting outside the door reminded him.

"Oh, right. Coming."