Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 136: Field Inspection
Li Xu had Zhou Xiaolin unload the watermelons from his truck into the clinic courtyard.
"Oh, you’re a doctor."
Zhou Xiaolin looked surprised. "Are you buying all these watermelons for medicinal purposes?"
Li Xu nodded. "Watermelons are wonderful. They’re rich in water, vitamins, and antioxidants. They can clear heat, relieve summer sunstroke, rehydrate the body, and boost metabolism."
Zhou Xiaolin nodded, though he didn’t seem to fully understand.
He offered a kind reminder. "Doctor Li, watermelons will keep for a few days, but they’ll spoil if you wait too long. Will you be able to use all of them?"
Li Xu replied, "Of course, I won’t just let them sit here. I’m going to make them into medicine."
"What kind of medicine?"
Li Xu just smiled without answering. "It’s a secret for now. Let’s wait and see how effective it is."
"Whoa, Boss, what are you going to do with all these watermelons?"
Song Sisi arrived at the clinic carrying a few steamed buns and was stunned to see the courtyard overflowing with watermelons.
"We’re going to eat them,"
Li Xu said with a smile.
"Can we really eat them all?"
Song Sisi set down the buns and walked over curiously. She patted one of the watermelons. "Can I try a piece?"
"Of course."
Li Xu gave her an instruction. "You hold down the fort here. I’m going to his farm to take a look. If they’re all this quality, I’m buying the whole lot."
Zhou Xiaolin drove his three-wheeler, taking Li Xu out of the city.
Li Xu asked about the details of his watermelon cultivation.
Zhou Xiaolin had been growing watermelons for decades; his father had started the tradition.
They always grew this traditional, black-skinned variety, which used to be very popular in the neighboring counties.
But with the introduction of new varieties, this old type was gradually pushed out of the market.
"Last year, I managed to sell about half of them. This year..." Zhou Xiaolin gripped the handlebars and shook his head. "I’m planning to switch to ’Early Spring Red Jade’ next year. The seeds are more expensive, but at least they sell."
Li Xu didn’t promise anything.
’Next year is a long way off. If the Watermelon Frost I make this year is effective, I can contact him then and have him continue growing these large, black-skinned watermelons.’
On the way, Li Xu called Ding Kaifang.
He asked if the pharmaceutical factory had any vacant warehouses.
"We do. We have two warehouses sitting empty."
"How is the ventilation?"
"I just had them cleaned out. They’re dry and well-ventilated, perfect for storing medicinal herbs. Doctor Li, what do you need to store?"
"I bought some watermelons that I plan to send over. Also, I purchased twenty mu’s worth of Aconite from Jiangyou, and they should be shipping it in the next day or two."
"The Aconite is no problem, but... why did you buy watermelons?"
"Are you free today?"
"I’m free."
"Let’s talk in person."
"No problem."
...
By the time he finished the call, Zhou Xiaolin had driven the three-wheeler near Tang Mountain, skirted a canal, and arrived in Zhouzhuang.
Vast watermelon fields stretched out on both sides of the road.
Unlike the other fields, Zhou Xiaolin’s patches were filled with enormous, black-skinned watermelons glistening under the sun. They looked like dark green gems set amongst emerald vines.
"This is the place." Zhou Xiaolin stopped the three-wheeler and pointed at the fields before them, his eyes a mixture of pride and anxiety. "See? Look how well they’ve grown..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Li Xu walked into the field, squatted, and gently thumped a watermelon. ’The quality is good, not much different from the last load.’
He nodded, satisfied. "Excellent. Just as we agreed, I’ll take them all."
Zhou Xiaolin wrung his hands, a long-absent smile finally breaking across his sun-darkened face. "Boss, you’re a lifesaver! I’ll get people to start picking them right away!"
"Alright. I’ll send you the location. Once they’re picked, have them all delivered to the warehouse at Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory."
"You got it."
Zhou Xiaolin got busy harvesting the watermelons.
Li Xu decided to call Wang the Third.
He had some land at Tang Mountain where he was growing rice and a few other medicinal herbs.
He had entrusted its care to Wang the Third and hadn’t visited in a while.
Now seemed like a good time to check on it.
He called Wang the Third.
In less than ten minutes, a BUZZING sound came from the distance.
Wang the Third appeared on a dirt path, riding a red electric three-wheeler with fresh mud caked on its rear cargo bed.
"Doctor Li!" Wang the Third waved from a distance.
The three-wheeler pulled to a stop in front of Li Xu. Wang the Third grinned, revealing a few crooked teeth. "What brings you all the way out to Zhouzhuang? I’ve been checking on the fields every day, just like you told me. It’s just... those medicinal herbs..."
He rubbed his coarse palms together, looking a bit sheepish. "They aren’t doing so well."
"It’s fine. Let’s go take a look first." Li Xu hopped onto the back of the three-wheeler.
The vehicle bumped along the rural dirt road, the poplar trees lining its sides rustling in the breeze.
The July sun beat down on the earth, filling the air with the scent of soil and fresh grass.
"Doctor Li, what’re you gonna do with so many watermelons?" Wang the Third asked curiously as he drove. "I just passed by Zhou Xiaolin’s fields and saw his whole family busy picking. Said you bought the entire harvest?"
Li Xu smiled. "I have a use for them. By the way, how’s your health these days?"
"Heh! Good as new! I’m completely recovered, same as before. I can do any kind of work!" Wang the Third’s voice jumped an octave. "Doctor Li, I really have to thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be laid up in bed somewhere."
The three-wheeler rounded a bend, and the silhouette of Tang Mountain gradually became clear.
At the foot of the mountain, the ground was uneven and covered in loose rock.
It had no agricultural value whatsoever.
Of the medicinal herb seeds sown a few months ago, only a portion had sprouted.
Li Xu wasn’t concerned. ’I never expected to grow high-quality herbs here anyway. Their main purpose was to conceal the uniqueness of the rice paddy.’
From a distance, Li Xu saw a patch of rice paddy that was particularly lush and green.
The rice stalks stood tall and straight, their leaves broad and glossy, gleaming with a healthy sheen under the sun.
Wang the Third came closer. "Although this rice paddy was planted late, it’s growing better than all the other rice in the village."
Li Xu gave a subtle nod, but he knew exactly why—’This is it, the treasured plot of land with special minerals and hot spring water underground.’
He squatted down, pushed aside the rice stalks to check the roots.
The roots were thick and robust, and the soil was slightly damp. He could faintly smell a hint of sulfur.
"It’s the strangest thing. I haven’t even come over to water them, but they’re growing so well. There are hardly any pests, either. We’ve had to spray the village paddies twice already, but this patch barely has an aphid on it," Wang the Third said, following behind him.
Li Xu stood up, satisfied, and revealed a little. "This place used to have a hot spring. Although it’s not flowing anymore, who knows if there’s still something underground."
There was nothing else worth looking at.
Li Xu gave Wang the Third a few instructions, telling him to take good care of the rice paddy on this piece of land.
Afterward, he caught a taxi back.
He didn’t return to the clinic, but instead headed to the Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory on the outskirts of the city.
Ding Kaifang was already waiting there.
Inside the warehouse were some of the large, black-skinned watermelons that had just been delivered.
"President Ding," Li Xu said, getting straight to the point, "I plan to make Watermelon Frost."
...
P.S. We’re at 977 monthly passes, just 23 shy of 1,000.
According to Qidian’s rules, 1,000 monthly passes gets one entry into a prize draw for 100 yuan.
I’m begging all of you, please vote with your monthly passes—I won’t ask for any in the coming months, just a few for this one.
