Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1998 The Disease of Losing One's Mind

The autumn rains have been continuous, and the number of pedestrians on the street is noticeably less than usual. The hustle and bustle that is typical of downtown areas has long since disappeared. The layers of autumn rain are penetrating and chilly. At this time, people with weak constitutions are most susceptible to catching a cold. However, if it were truly freezing cold, people would be fine.

Mu politely saw the two booksellers off, and before they left, he specially presented each of them with a can of "Yuanbao Can Tea," a top-grade tea worth at least 300 yuan. He also asked them to take a can of wild mountain tea from Northwest China worth 1,000 yuan to the so-called Vice President Yang. He said it was a top-grade tea, and drinking it in the autumn would be beneficial in every way.

I learned all of this from Qi Yuewei. As the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, friendship remains. Bian Mu had long intended to publish some easy-to-learn and easy-to-use popular science books on traditional Chinese medicine. There was no other reason than to decentralize academic knowledge, which could be considered as doing my part to popularize traditional Chinese medicine culture, and at least achieve the goal of correcting technical errors.

The publishing company where those two booksellers worked had a very good reputation. Bian Mu would occasionally browse through a few of their books. The content, paper, binding, and printing were all of excellent quality. He might actually be able to cooperate with them long-term in the future. Even if the deal didn't go through, he didn't need to worry. He just needed to maintain the relationship well for future use.

Turning back to the lobby on the first floor, Bian Mu opened the outdoor surveillance system, quickly edited the video footage of the two booksellers, downloaded it to his phone, and then forwarded it to Mrs. Mai. As a well-known writer, Mrs. Mai must be very familiar with that publishing company.

After changing into casual clothes, Bian Mu went upstairs and invited Painter Fang and Dr. Gong to grab a bite to eat on the street.

The painter, Fang, said that she had recently sold a few small works and had some spare cash on hand, so she was treating everyone to dinner at Yu Ji Private Kitchen.

The beautiful female chef happened to be on duty. When she saw Bian Mu and his two companions enter, she was delighted. She rushed out of the kitchen to exchange a few pleasantries. Since there were already guests at the table, she politely led them to another table with her colleagues, naturally giving them some instructions on discounts and gifts.

The female chef was very enthusiastic. After a short while, she brought a plate of "Lotus Flower Breaking the Formation Fried Beans" from their stall. It was a special delicacy made with a special process and was not sold on the street. After exchanging a few polite words, the female chef went back to her own stall to get busy.

After ordering, Bian Mu and his two companions chatted while sipping tea and enjoying the fragrant fried beans, while the three chefs began to fry "crispy-skinned fish stew" for them...

Painter Fang had published a personal art book before. Bian Mu inquired about details such as signing a contract, profit sharing, online and offline sales, etc. Painter Fang explained everything for a long time. She and Dr. Gong agreed that if Bian Mu had the energy, she could indeed publish a few monographs. It's good to become famous at a young age!

As the three were chatting, a very gentlemanly-looking man walked up to the table and stopped a short distance away.

"Excuse me for bothering you, but this must be Dr. Bian, the owner of the 'New Concept' Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic?" the man greeted him very politely.

"Oh! It is I. Hello! Is there something you need? Or are you just being polite and saying hello?" Bian Mu's reputation was growing, and he often ran into unfamiliar "acquaintances" when he was out. He was already used to it.

The man smiled very elegantly.

"My surname is Lu, and Lu Shiyuan is my cousin!" the man introduced himself.

"Oh! It's Dean Lu! My apologies! I heard your special report at Xiaobailou before, but I was a bit far away and didn't recognize you. No wonder it sounded so familiar. Please forgive me!" As she spoke, Bian Mu quickly stood up and introduced the two ladies beside her to Dean Lu.

“I have Ms. Fang’s oil paintings hanging in my home, school and office, but I have never had the chance to meet you. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” As he spoke, Dean Lu took a few steps forward and exchanged a few polite words with the painter, Ms. Fang.

The painter, Fang, was quick-witted. Seeing that the Dean Lu in front of her was at least fifty years old, she guessed that he had obtained those paintings from his ex-husband and ex-father-in-law. Unwilling to dwell on her dark past, she gave Dean Lu a slight nod with a cold expression and then ignored him.

Seeing this, Dr. Gong quickly stood up, stepped past the painter Fang, and politely greeted Dean Lu, using the manners of a junior, while also shielding the painter Fang behind her. Bian Mu gave Dr. Gong a slightly approving look, secretly praising her quick thinking and appropriate handling of the situation.

"I just came to say hello and hope I won't disturb your meal. I'll take my leave now. If a suitable opportunity arises in the future, I would appreciate it if the headmaster could come to our school to provide guidance on the teaching of traditional Chinese medicine." Dean Lu spoke very politely.

"How dare I! I will certainly pay you a visit!"

After exchanging a few polite words, Dean Lu turned and left. Not long after, several equally gentlemanly and dignified men and women walked over from a short distance away and then left with Dean Lu.

……

Painter Fang was accompanied by the beautiful female chef to the front desk to pay the bill, with Dr. Gong also by his side, while Bian Mu went out of the restaurant first to get some fresh air.

Just then, a man in his early thirties, dressed in a suit, walked towards Bian Mu's position, holding a high-end business umbrella.

"You're Director Bian, right? Our Dean Lu asked me to ask if it would be convenient for us to get in the car and chat for a bit?"

"Oh! Your Dean Lu hasn't left yet?!" Bian Mu replied casually.

"I don't want to keep you from having your meal. Dean Lu has been waiting in the car. Is this a convenient time for you?"

Thinking that Dean Lu must have suddenly decided to ask him something, Bian Mu smiled and replied, "What's the license plate number? I need to let my friend know before I go over for a chat."

The man quickly gave the license plate number, exchanged a few polite words, and then hurried away with his umbrella.

……

The van looked about 80% new, unlike what one would expect from an official vehicle belonging to a Traditional Chinese Medicine college.

According to people, this Dean Lu is the current president of the "Yu Hua" College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Lijin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is also a well-known local expert in the treatment of liver diseases using traditional Chinese medicine, a leader in multiple disciplines, and has always had a good reputation. Judging from his temperament, he is completely different from Lu Shiyuan.

The driver was nowhere to be found; he was probably taking shelter from the rain somewhere right now! The two of them were bathing in the car.

"I'm sorry to run into you here. I always hear A-Yuan praise your amazing medical skills. The weather is bad and you're so busy, so I'll get to the point. I have a patient who has been hospitalized with us for about two months now. He has liver qi stagnation and chronic hepatitis, along with chronic gastritis and unstable blood pressure. However, he hasn't taken any medication. So far, his main symptoms have indeed improved. But strangely, he has recently started experiencing temporary amnesia, which I initially thought was a side effect of the treatment. This has been on my mind for a while. Here is the electronic medical record. Would it be convenient for you to consult on this? The patient's situation is quite special, so we can't be careless!"

Hearing this, Bian Mu smiled and said nothing. He spent a long time carefully reviewing the relevant medical records on his tablet, and then talked with Dean Lu for more than ten minutes. Bian Mu made a preliminary judgment that the patient might have "loss of spirit in all seasons" syndrome, and the so-called liver disease might be a deficiency syndrome rather than a real disease.