The Martial Doctor-Chapter 114 - 110: Deep Integration

"Pig bile has the effects of clearing heat, moistening dryness, and detoxifying, particularly in treating coughs caused by lung heat."

"Stewed licorice with vinegar can strengthen the spleen and vital energy, clear heat, and detoxify. It is very effective for asthma patients and can alleviate their symptoms."

"I see!" Guan Biyun exclaimed in admiration after listening.

...

"Mr. Lin, I bought the medicine. Could you take a look?"

"Anning Hall indeed sold you roasted licorice. My prescription uses raw licorice. Although both are called licorice, roasted licorice has been processed and its medicinal properties have changed."

"What should we do?" The mother of the child became anxious upon hearing this, as she spent a significant amount of money on the medicine.

"Just remove the roasted licorice and replace it with raw licorice," suggested Lin Miao. "Master Guan, you should have raw licorice, right?"

"Yes, I’ll get some for this lady," Guan Biyun nodded, went to the backyard, fetched a suitable amount of raw licorice, and then helped to remove all the roasted licorice.

"Mr. Lin, did you anticipate that the prescription would give this lady roasted licorice?"

"Ordinarily, a pharmacy wouldn’t make a mistake. But if my presence affects some people’s future business, they might resort to tricks. They won’t poison anyone, but neither would the patients get cured. That would ruin my reputation for medical skills," Lin Miao explained.

"What do you plan to do?"

"I prefer to start with a friendly warning before resorting to tougher measures. If it happens again and I catch them, I will revoke their qualification to set up a pharmacy," Lin Miao stated.

"Have you thought about opening your own pharmacy?"

"I have thought about it. I actually wanted to buy Anning Hall, and I offered a good price, but they refused. I can’t force them. If they honestly follow the prescription, I don’t mind letting them handle the business. Fairly priced herbs only earn hard money, which I don’t really care about," said Lin Miao.

"Then how do you sustain yourself and make money?"

"I have other businesses and don’t need to rely on diagnosing and treating patients to make a living. Lin’s Tofu Workshop controls thirty percent of the tofu products in Dongshan City. Although it’s not a big business, it’s sustainable. As long as I don’t mess up, I won’t lack money, even if it’s not a fortune," Lin Miao explained, "I’ve also bought most of the shops on this street. In the future, it will become a food street."

"Food—Mr. Lin, you know culinary skills as well?"

"Disease enters through the mouth; many illnesses rely on nutrition for recovery. Taking medicine is necessary only when corrections are urgently needed. By understanding one’s body and paying attention to health, especially diet, eating what’s appropriate and avoiding what’s conflicting with one’s constitution can reduce or prevent illness," Lin Miao explained. "Minor ailments can sometimes be cured through food therapy without the need for medicine."

"Food therapy—you mentioned this, and I’ve also seen it in a medical book. But ordinary people can’t identify or use medicinal ingredients correctly. Eating the wrong thing can worsen illness or even be life-threatening."

"Hence, it’s still up to us physicians to advise them on what and how much they can eat," Lin Miao said. "Some patients only have minor ailments. I don’t always prescribe medicine; I might suggest medicinal drinks. For example, those with mild heat can drink herbal tea without needing medicine. Those with indigestion can have snacks made of hawthorn and chicken gizzard lining to resolve the issue. People understanding these minor issues can avoid visiting a physician every time."

"What is chicken gizzard lining?" asked Guan Biyun.

"The chicken gizzard lining is obtained by drying or roasting the inner lining of chicken gizzards after slaughter. It’s sweet, neutral, and attributed to the spleen, stomach, small intestine, and bladder meridians. It aids in digestion, stops seminal emission, and resolves urinary stones," Lin Miao explained.

"The ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ doesn’t seem to record this," Guan Biyun expressed surprise, echoing the query of his disciple, Lien Yurou.

"Indeed, Le’s ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ doesn’t mention chicken gizzard lining. But the ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ doesn’t exhaust all medicinal items. Le himself stated that the scripture merely records the known and seen; unrecorded medicinal items abound worldwide. He only selected and documented some, leaving room for future additions and revisions," Lin Miao smiled casually.

"Mr. Lin seems to have thoroughly studied Le’s ’Hundred Herbs Scripture,’ even remembering the preface so clearly," Guan Biyun praised.

"Master Guan, you’re too kind."

"Keep up the good work; I have high hopes for you," Guan Biyun sighed, realizing that compared to Lin Miao, her disciple Lien Yurou seemed less accomplished.

"Thank you, Master Guan!"

...

At noon, Lin Miao took Sun Youwei home for lunch. It’s just a few steps away, and having Yu Zhu carry a heavy meal box back and forth daily isn’t convenient.

This isn’t a place for meals.

As for the backyard, he needs to maintain a certain distance from Guan Biyun to avoid gossip.

Unless there’s a special situation, Yun also goes home for lunch. The tofu workshop is in the western part of the city, and a carriage ride home takes just a tea break’s time.

Though the workshop has a dining hall, the food isn’t as good as home-cooked meals.

"Young Master, the New Year is approaching, and every household is preparing holiday goods. Shouldn’t our family also prepare some?" Yun asked during lunch.

"Yes, we should prepare, but this year, let’s keep it simple. My mentor and sister’s father just passed away, so we shouldn’t have too much celebration. By tradition, we won’t put up peach charms or red lanterns. We don’t need to prepare those," Lin Miao nodded, "For New Year’s food, let’s prepare more rice, flour, meat, and vegetables. I doubt many people will visit us, and we can make sweets and pastries ourselves."