Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 147: Hu Qiming’s Old Habit

The barbecue plaza was situated in an open area, surrounded by lush green trees. Dozens of simple tables and chairs were set up beneath them.

Although the sky hadn’t completely darkened yet, quite a few customers had already taken their seats.

The air was filled with the aroma of charcoal and cumin, accompanied by waves of laughter and conversation.

"Let’s sit here." Li Xu chose a table off to the side, right next to a thick holly bush.

Hu Qiming rubbed his hands together. "I’ll go order. You guys wait here."

With that, he walked toward the barbecue grills.

Song Sisi took the premium Mugwort Bag Li Xu had given her out of her purse and placed it on the corner of the table. "Boss, is this okay?"

Li Xu nodded. "It’s fine."

He noticed that Song Sisi had deliberately hung the Mugwort Bag from her waist today. The red Brocade Bag, paired with her light blue dress, looked like a chic accessory.

As the sky gradually darkened, the lights of the barbecue plaza flickered on.

Hu Qiming returned carrying a tray piled high with food. "Here we go! Lamb skewers, chicken wings, chives, enoki mushrooms... we’ve got it all!"

The three of them were just about to dig in when they heard a sharp SMACK from the next table.

"Damn mosquitoes!" A shirtless, burly man slapped his own arm, leaving a bright red handprint.

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Sounds of slapping and complaining began to erupt all around them.

"There are way too many mosquitoes here!"

"Waiter! Do you have any mosquito coils?"

"I’ve already got three bites on my leg!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Hu Qiming subconsciously felt the Mugwort Bag in his pocket and looked around. "Strange, how come there isn’t a single mosquito at our table?"

Song Sisi’s eyes lit up. She lowered her voice, "Boss, is it the Mugwort Bag? Is it working?"

Li Xu calmly took a bite of a lamb skewer. "Should be."

Hu Qiming looked around in astonishment. It was true; there wasn’t even a shadow of a flying insect around their table, while the customers at the next table were constantly waving their hands to shoo away mosquitoes. Some were even standing up and pacing back and forth.

"This is just too amazing..." Hu Qiming muttered. "I thought it was just a placebo effect."

He glanced around.

Not far away, he saw a table with three girls.

Two of them were quite pretty.

Hu Qiming’s eyes lit up.

Grabbing his premium Mugwort Bag, he stood up and said, "I’m going to go check things out over there."

"Where’s he going?"

Song Sisi was eating a lamb skewer and didn’t immediately grasp the situation.

Li Xu picked up a chicken wing skewer and shook his head. "What else? His old habits are acting up. He’s helpless whenever he sees a pretty girl. Now that he has a premium Mugwort Bag, he’s just got to go show it off."

...

The three girls were sitting at a table in the corner. Under the dim yellow light, a few conspicuous red welts had already appeared on their fair skin.

"Ah! It bit me again!" One of the girls, who had big eyes, suddenly slapped her thigh with a crisp sound, leaving a red mark.

Another girl with long hair waved her hand in annoyance. "I can’t stand this place anymore. Let’s get our food to go."

The one with the best figure, wearing denim hot pants, kept shifting her long, slender legs, her brow furrowed. "I’ve already got five bites on my legs, and they’re so itchy..."

Just as they were about to call the waiter for the check, a man in a casual shirt sat down uninvited in the empty seat at their table.

"Who said you could—" The big-eyed girl was about to lose her temper but was cut off.

"I’m here to save you." Hu Qiming flashed a confident smile and gently placed the premium Mugwort Bag in the center of the table.

The long-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Another guy trying to pick us up. Could you be a little more original?"

The girl with the nice figure had already stood up, ready to leave. "Let’s go. Too many mosquitoes, and too many creeps."

Hu Qiming said unhurriedly, "Give me thirty seconds. If you still want to leave after that, I’ll disappear immediately."

The three girls glanced at each other. The long-haired one shrugged. "Fine. Thirty seconds. Let’s see what tricks you have up your sleeve."

Hu Qiming gave a mysterious smile and didn’t explain, simply pushing the Mugwort Bag a little closer to the middle of the table.

The Brocade Bag emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance, a unique blend of mugwort and rosewood.

Ten seconds passed. The big-eyed girl tapped on the table impatiently. "So? Where’s the show?"

At the twenty-second mark, the girl with the nice figure suddenly stopped scratching her arm and looked around in confusion. "Huh... it’s like..."

Just then, the long-haired girl also noticed something was off. "Wait... the mosquitoes... they’re not biting anymore?"

Hu Qiming leaned back in his chair, looking smug. "Now do you believe I’m here to save you?"

The three girls stared at each other. The big-eyed girl asked warily, "What did you do?"

"The secret is in this little thing." Hu Qiming pointed at the Brocade Bag on the table. "A premium Mugwort Bag. One hundred percent effective at repelling mosquitoes."

The girl with the nice figure curiously picked up the Brocade Bag and sniffed it. "What a unique scent. It’s not like normal mosquito repellents."

"Of course it’s different," Hu Qiming took the opportunity to sit up straight and launch into a lengthy explanation. "This one is made with lots of precious traditional Chinese medicinal herbs..."

Under the influence of the premium Mugwort Bag,

Hu Qiming successfully integrated himself into the three beauties’ dinner.

The three beauties were no longer hostile toward Hu Qiming.

With his silver tongue,

Hu Qiming soon had them roaring with laughter.

The atmosphere was fantastic.

The girl with the nice figure stared at the premium Mugwort Bag. "Hi, I’m Lin Xiaoyu, a fashion magazine editor."

Her eyes sparkled. "Did you make this Mugwort Bag yourself, or did you buy it?"

Hu Qiming said, "I made it myself. You can’t buy one this good anywhere else."

Lin Xiaoyu flashed a beautiful smile and winked, her voice full of allure. "Could you make one for me?"

Hu Qiming felt as refreshed as if he’d just eaten ice-cold watermelon on a summer day. He puffed out his chest and said, "Here, this one’s for you."

He deliberately handed the Brocade Bag to Lin Xiaoyu.

The other two beauties were not happy. "Hey, hey, we want one too!"

A rush of excitement went to Hu Qiming’s head. "You just wait."

He turned back and sidled up to Li Xu. "My good brother, give me two more premium Mugwort Bags. See those three beauties over there? I’ll introduce you to one later."

Before Li Xu could say anything,

Song Sisi kicked Hu Qiming. "Don’t even think about it. Do you know how precious these premium Mugwort Bags are? No."

Hu Qiming looked at Li Xu.

Li Xu shook his head. "No. And since you gave yours away, you’re not getting another one."

"No way."

Hu Qiming exclaimed dramatically, "But we’re such close classmates!"

Li Xu sighed. "The materials I use to make the premium Mugwort Bags are very precious. I’m reluctant to even sell them, let alone give them away carelessly."

"Alright."

Hu Qiming didn’t press the issue.

He eagerly trotted back to the girls’ table.

It’s unclear what he said to them,

but they started giggling again.