Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 173: Like the First Snow on Green Tiles
Two hours later, the preparation of the Aconite was complete.
Li Xu took them out to cool, then placed them in a mortar with the other medicinal herbs.
The sound of grinding was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard. The herbs gradually turned into a fine powder, releasing a complex aroma—a mixture of spiciness, bitterness, and a fresh fragrance.
"Time to prepare the base." Li Xu took out a copper pot and poured in sesame oil. "It has to be a copper pot. An iron one would affect the medicinal properties."
When the oil was about halfway heated, he carefully added the powdered herbs.
Instantly, fine bubbles appeared on the surface of the oil. A thick, medicinal fragrance billowed up, making Song Sisi sneeze several times in a row.
Thankfully, she had put on a mask beforehand.
Otherwise, the whole pot of medicine would have been ruined.
"Simmer on low heat until ’a drop forms a bead,’" Li Xu said, slowly stirring with a willow stick.
The ointment gradually thickened, its color changing from brownish-yellow to dark brown.
He periodically dripped a drop into cold water to check its consistency.
At three in the afternoon, the ointment finally reached the ideal state—a drop in water held its shape without dissolving or sinking, congealing like a pearl.
Li Xu quickly removed it from the heat and added the Yellow Pill.
Song Sisi stared, dumbfounded. She watched as the black paste gradually took on a metallic sheen as it was stirred, resembling black jade.
"Last, the Musk." Li Xu took out the Musk he had prepared earlier and added it in.
A marvelous change occurred—the once-thick paste suddenly became smooth, and the aroma transformed from intense to light and clear, hovering faintly at the tip of the nose.
"This is ’the fragrance guiding the medicinal properties,’" Li Xu explained while stirring. "The Musk guides the other herbs, allowing them to penetrate muscle and bone."
After the ointment was finished, Li Xu brought out special Mulberry Paper and spread the black, jade-like paste evenly across it.
Song Sisi helped cut it into uniform squares, each one shimmering with a moist luster.
"Let it air out overnight. It’ll be ready to use tomorrow." Li Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead.
On the workbench, thirty plasters of the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment were arranged in neat rows, gleaming brightly in the setting sun.
The next morning, Lin Xiaoyu arrived as scheduled.
She looked at the plasters in surprise. "They’re ready so soon?"
"I was busy all afternoon yesterday."
Li Xu took out a plaster of the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment and gently warmed it over an alcohol lamp. The black paste gradually softened, releasing its unique medicinal scent.
"Lift your shirt a little," Li Xu said without looking up, focused on adjusting the plaster’s temperature.
Lin Xiaoyu rolled up the hem of her knit sweater to just below her ribs.
As the fabric moved up, a sliver of her fair, slender waist was exposed to the air.
She spent her years working at a desk, yet there wasn’t a hint of fat on her waist.
But right now, a faint bruise was clearly visible on the right side of her lower back.
"Does it hurt here?" Li Xu’s fingertip lightly touched the edge of the bruise.
"Mm..." Lin Xiaoyu trembled slightly. "It was much better after yesterday’s massage, but when I turn over, it’s still a little..."
Li Xu said no more and precisely applied the warm plaster to the sore spot.
The black medicinal patch stood in stark contrast to her snow-white skin, like a piece of black jade on a field of snow.
"Ah..." Lin Xiaoyu let out a soft sigh.
The moment the plaster touched her skin, there was a slight coolness, followed by a warmth that seeped into her skin like a living thing, reaching deep inside. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The sensation was incredible—not burning, nor simply warm, but as if an invisible pair of hands were gently massaging the sore muscles.
"Musk has strong penetrating properties, guiding the medicine deep into the meridians," Li Xu explained, gently pressing the edges of the plaster to make it stick. "Change it for a new one after twenty-four hours."
Lin Xiaoyu tried to move her waist and was surprised to find that most of the sharp pain was already gone.
She carefully lowered her shirt and paid by scanning a QR code with her phone. "This is amazing! But are two plasters enough?"
Li Xu placed the other plaster in a special box and handed it to her. "The plasters I make are very effective. Two are enough. But you need to rest for the next few days. Don’t sit for too long."
After seeing Lin Xiaoyu off, the clinic returned to its usual quiet.
Song Sisi peeked out from behind a medicine cabinet, still holding the *Human Acupoints Atlas*. Its pages were covered in colorful sticky notes.
"Boss, I think I’ve mostly memorized it..." Her voice lacked confidence.
Li Xu washed his hands and gestured for her to sit on the examination bed. "Let’s start with the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang."
Song Sisi nervously flipped through her notes. "The Bladder Meridian starts at the inner canthus of the eye, goes up the forehead to the vertex... uh... and then..."
"And then down the nape, along the spine to the middle of the lower back." Li Xu finished for her, tracing the path of the meridian in the air with his finger. "What are the key acupoints?"
"Weizhong!" Song Sisi’s eyes lit up. "In the center of the popliteal fossa, used to treat lower back pain!"
She proudly patted the back of her own knee.
Li Xu was noncommittal, suddenly reaching out and pressing her calf. "What acupoint is this?"
"Ah!" Song Sisi was startled by the sudden touch, her calf muscle tensing reflexively. "Wait... is it... Chengshan? No, Chengshan is below the gastrocnemius... Is it Chengjin?"
"The Chengjin point." Li Xu’s finger pressed a little harder, creating an indentation on the bulge of the muscle. "It’s in the center of the belly of the gastrocnemius muscle, and it treats stiffness and pain in the lower back and legs."
Li Xu applied the perfect amount of pressure.
Song Sisi could clearly feel the unique sensation as each point was pressed—some a little sore and distended, others with a strange, radiating feeling.
This hands-on experience was far more effective than rote memorization.
"Next is Shenshu," Li Xu said, moving behind her. "Below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, 1.5 cun to the side."
His palms rested on Song Sisi’s lower back, his thumbs precisely finding the symmetrical indentations on both sides.
Song Sisi couldn’t help but straighten her spine. The sensation was clearer than she had imagined—not just simple skin contact, but a warm energy that seemed to pass through his fingertips, reaching deep into the acupoint.
"Remember this location," Li Xu’s voice came from behind her. "Nine times out of ten, patients with lower back pain will have tenderness here."
Song Sisi nodded, her face flushing, as she tried to focus and memorize the feeling.
"Alright, now use the acupoint atlas to review and solidify what you’ve learned."
After his hands-on lesson, Li Xu let Song Sisi continue memorizing on her own.
"Okay, Boss."
Song Sisi felt her skills had greatly improved and was filled with confidence.
「...」
「Meanwhile.」
Ding Kaifang arrived at the cooling shed once again.
He was ready to check on the crystallization of the Watermelon Frost.
The moment he pushed the door open, a clear, herbal fragrance washed over him—the unique aroma created by watermelon and Mangxiao aging over time.
Three hundred Zisha clay jars sat silently in rows on the shelves, like sleeping soldiers in the cool dimness.
Ding Kaifang subconsciously lightened his steps. As he drew closer to look, he suddenly held his breath. The originally dark brown bodies of the jars were now covered in a fine layer of white frost, like the first snow of winter quietly falling on dark tiles, or like moonlight condensed into gauze, gently shrouding each and every jar.
He leaned over carefully, his nose almost touching the side of a jar.
The frost was not spread evenly, but formed wonderful patterns:
Some were arranged in fine lines like pine needles, others bloomed in clusters like pear blossoms.
A light touch of his fingertip sent the frosty granules trickling down. They felt faintly cool, as if he were truly holding a handful of fresh snow.
"It worked! It worked!"
Ding Kaifang smiled.
He remembered what Li Xu had said—this white frost was the product of the reaction between the watermelon and Mangxiao, a miraculous work of nature that gathered the yang of midsummer and the cold of late autumn.
Truly, it was as the poem said:
Its form, like first snow on dark tiles;
Its spirit, a pale moon on green gauze.
