Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1831 Preserving the Value of 50

As I exited the west gate of the "Qushangqiao" antique market, the sunset was illuminating the evening sky, and it was time for dinner.

Mr. Wu hosted the meal, and the three of them ate casually at a nearby restaurant called "Shaoyunzhao". Mr. Wu was a particular person, so he chose a private room on the second floor. It was a street-facing room with a gentle evening breeze, and sitting by the window, there was no need to turn on the air conditioning.

The Shandong cuisine was a new choice by Mr. Wu, with no chili added at all. It seems he knew that Sima Kui was not feeling well recently and should avoid spicy food, as he was quite careful when ordering.

Bian Mu casually ordered two very light vegetarian dishes, while Sima Kui only ordered a cold duck slice platter. The three of them chatted and laughed, and ate quite well.

Bian Mu understood that Sima Kui was using this opportunity to get to know Mr. Wu better, so that if Mr. Wu or his relatives were ever unwell and came to the clinic, he could take better care of them.

"Master Bian, according to the order of the Heavenly Stems, is the 'Kui Jia' medicine cauldron the most potent and has the most unique shape?" Mr. Wu asked with a smile.

"Don't be so formal, call me Master! Just call me Xiao Bian! I use traditional medicine-making tools like the medicine cauldron myself. Its true efficacy is far less miraculous than people say. In my humble opinion, the seven Heavenly Stems (甲, 乙, 丙, 丁, 戊, 己, 庚) should be parallel, subtly corresponding to the seven key points of traditional Chinese medicine preparation. Logically, each point should be parallel and indispensable. The creator, for the sake of secrecy, artificially divided it into seven parts, selected seven outstanding individuals from a specific group, personally instructed them, and finally gave each of them a medicine cauldron." Without thinking, Bian Mu spoke whatever came to mind.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wu raised his eyebrows a few times, his expression quite varied.

"Oh...so...does that mean, like those martial arts manuals, only when all seven cauldrons are combined can they exert a certain effect?!" Mr. Wu asked naturally.

"Hahaha... With Teacher Sima here, how could I, as a junior, presume to make such a guess? In this regard, we should consult Teacher Sima!" Well then! Bian Mu politely passed the question to Sima Kui.

Sima Kui smiled and chatted for a few more minutes, following Bian Mu's lead.

"If the seven cauldrons were numbered according to the Earthly Branches, or by analogy to the Big Dipper, they might actually be able to combine together to form a complete system and maximize their effectiveness. Since the creator used the Heavenly Stems as the order, it should be a design that is independent of each other and forms a complete system. Of course, if the seven cauldrons were really combined, their effectiveness would certainly be greatly improved simply by adding them together."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wu nodded slightly, feeling that what the two said made some sense.

"Well... since it's a family heirloom passed down for over a hundred years, and the Yu family has kept it for generations, even if the talent is mediocre, with a history of over a hundred years, surely they can't even find a decent successor?! Besides, seeing how thriving the Yu family's business is, they must be incredibly talented people, so why haven't they been able to figure it out all these years?!" That Mr. Wu was quite stubborn; he wasn't even in the medical field, yet he loved to overthink things.

"Hehe... Although traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are usually discussed together, they are actually two completely different systems. To put it simply, the *Shennong Bencao Jing* and the *Huangdi Neijing* are two medical systems that are somewhat related but completely independent. Traditional pharmacology contains a lot of Taoist teachings that emphasize chemistry, Yin-Yang and Five Elements that emphasize physics, and traditional divination that emphasizes advanced mathematics. Therefore, just knowing general pharmacology is not enough. At the very least, one must know ancient traditional divination. In addition, this kind of medicine cauldron may also involve some things from overseas, so... successors will also need to know foreign languages, such as the fire medicine language of the Western Regions. All these aspects combined make it difficult for the descendants of the Yu family to catch up, no matter how smart they are. Over the years, it has not affected the Yu family's wealth, and the matter of completely deciphering it has gradually been forgotten." Saying this, Bian Mu was a little thirsty, so he picked up a soup spoon and ladled himself a bowl of seafood soup and took a few sips.

Upon hearing this, Sima Kui took over the conversation and chatted for a few minutes.

“Absolutely! Many new pharmaceutical concepts in modern times are also an important factor. The Yu family has always been conservative, unlike Master Bian who keeps up with the times and closely combines traditional pharmacology with new emerging pharmacology, forming his own school of thought. There are many things that they probably can’t understand.” As he spoke, Sima Kui casually ladled himself a bowl of soup and took a few sips with relish.

"How mysterious! I'm really drawn to it! No, I have to find a way to get my hands on that cauldron, at least to have a look at it, otherwise I'll be really preoccupied with it!" Mr. Wu said with a smile.

Hahaha……

Bian Mu and Sima Kui were thoroughly amused by Mr. Wu. The meal was very lively, filled with laughter and conversation.

Bian Mu believed that he had basically mastered the key points of preparing traditional Chinese medicine, so whether or not he had the so-called traditional medicine cauldron to enhance his knowledge was irrelevant. He didn't care about finding the medicine cauldron at all.

After dinner, Bian Mu took his leave first, went downstairs, hailed a taxi, and visited the homes of several important patients according to the pre-planned route. By the time he returned to the Wu family's old residence, it was nearly 11 p.m.

……

The next morning, around ten o'clock, the newly arrived pharmacist surnamed Mei hurriedly entered Bian Mu's clinic.

"Dr. Bian! A deliveryman has arrived outside, claiming that you must sign for the package yourself," Dr. Mei said in a low voice.

Which freight company?

Chengbang Express!

"Sent from out of town? Same-city delivery?" Bian Mu casually asked, slamming his pen on the table.

"Sent from Los Angeles."

"Really? I'll go take a look." With that, Bian Mu explained to the young female patient in front of him and followed Dr. Mei out of the consultation room.

The package was large, and it was even specially placed on a pine wood frame. The seal on the package stated that the value of the package was 50 yuan.

"Wow! 50 in coverage! Only your company would be willing to take on this kind of order, haha... Young man, you've worked hard!" After saying that, Bian Mu signed for and accepted the large package.

"The person who shipped the goods also purchased an additional 1 yuan worth of cargo damage insurance. Interestingly, the insurance company actually accepted the order. This is the first time I've ever seen an order like this!" the deliveryman replied with a smile.

"Really? That's quite valuable. Should I open the box and inspect the goods in front of you?" Bian Mu seemed to realize something at the last moment.

"Yes, valuable items must go through this process," the deliveryman replied with a smile.

With a smile, Bian Mu took a crowbar from the deliveryman and quickly dismantled the outermost layer of pine wood frame. The packaging became increasingly professional with each layer, until finally, a well-made aluminum alloy box appeared before everyone.

At this moment, Nurse Ye and others also gathered around to see what was so strange.

The aluminum alloy box was about the size of a microwave oven's outer packaging, and people standing not far away were guessing what kind of treasure was inside!