Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 233: Cooling Down

Inside the ICU, time seemed to stand still.

Sun Qingshuang and his wife were pressed against the cold viewing window, their eyes fixed on their daughter in the hospital bed.

On the monitor screen, a red numerical curve stubbornly remained at the high of "41.2°C," a glaring sight.

It was like a red-hot branding iron, searing the couple's hearts day and night.

The medicinal liquid had already been administered into Sun Haiqing's body through a feeding tube.

But the numbers on the monitor showed no change.

Sun Haiqing's face was still flushed, and her body would occasionally twitch slightly from the high fever.

Sun Qingshuang's wife could no longer hold back. She covered her mouth and cried silently.

Sun Qingshuang's heart also sank bit by bit into the abyss.

'Could it be... that even this last shred of hope is about to be shattered?'

Half an hour passed without them realizing it.

The head nurse, who had been standing by, suddenly let out a small "Huh?" Pointing at the monitor screen, her voice held a trace of uncertainty. "Mr. Sun, look! The temperature... it seems to have moved!"

Sun Qingshuang rubbed his eyes.

He had been staring at the monitor for so long.

He'd gone numb.

He thought it must be a hallucination.

The stubborn "41.2" flickered a few times before jumping to "41.1".

It was a change of only 0.1 degrees, but it struck them like a bolt of lightning!

"It's dropping! It's really dropping!"

Sun Qingshuang's wife excitedly grabbed her husband's arm.

"Is it real?"

Sun Qingshuang didn't dare to believe it.

But he didn't dare to celebrate too soon.

A change of 0.1 degrees was too small.

There had been changes like this before.

But it had always shot back up again quickly.

But,

this was just the beginning.

As if a crack had opened in a dam, the indestructible wall of high temperature began to crumble at a visible rate.

41.0°C...

40.8°C...

40.5°C...

The numbers on the monitor continued to fall, steadily and surely.

For the couple,

it was no longer a set of cold, indifferent numbers, but the most beautiful symphony of life. Each falling digit was a note signifying the return of hope.

Changes were happening to Sun Haiqing as well.

The fiery flush on her face began to slowly recede, replaced by a fine layer of sweat beads.

They seeped out from her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her neck.

In traditional Chinese medicine, this was the best sign of "heat evil" being expelled from the body through perspiration.

Her rapid breathing, caused by the high fever, also gradually became calm and even.

Professor Gao rushed over when he heard the news.

When he saw "38.0°C" displayed on the monitor, this authoritative expert, who was accustomed to matters of life and death, couldn't help but gasp. His eyes filled with shock.

"Incredible! This is a medical miracle!"

Professor Gao strode into the room and carefully performed a series of examinations on Sun Haiqing.

Pupils, eyelids, heart and lungs... the more thorough his examination, the more pronounced the look of delighted surprise on his face became.

"Professor Gao, my daughter... how is she?"

Sun Qingshuang and his wife followed behind him, asking nervously.

Professor Gao removed his stethoscope, turned around, and said happily, "Mr. Sun, Lady Sun, I have good news for you! The patient's temperature has dropped to a relatively safe range. The internal toxic heat has been suppressed! You could say that for now... the patient is out of mortal danger!"

"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!" Overcome with joy, Sun Qingshuang's wife burst into tears and collapsed into her husband's arms.

Sun Qingshuang's eyes also filled with tears as he thanked the professor profusely.

However, after the brief moment of excitement,

Professor Gao's tone turned serious. "But we can't celebrate just yet. Although the high fever has temporarily subsided, we need to observe her closely to see if her temperature will rebound. After all, her body's foundation has been severely damaged. The An Gong Bezoar Pill is miraculous, but we still need time to verify if its effects are lasting."

Professor Gao's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing Sun Qingshuang's spirits.

Apprehension and unease resurfaced.

'That's right, the previous medications also managed to lower her temperature for a short time, but every single one of them failed when it rebounded.'

'Will this time be different? Will it break the curse?'

"Professor Gao, when can we be sure it won't rebound?"

"At least three days. That is, by the time she takes the next dose of the An Gong Bezoar Pill. If her temperature hasn't rebounded by then, the patient will be saved."

... 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Meanwhile, in a conference room in the Feng City Government building, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

A symposium for entrepreneurs, led by the municipal government, was underway.

Mayor Lin was presiding personally. Ding Aiguo and his son Ding Kaifang, along with Chairman Zhao, President Qian, and several other heavyweight local entrepreneurs, were all in attendance.

There was only one topic on the agenda: the future development of the Shanyang County mining area.

Mayor Lin surveyed the business leaders seated around the table and spoke with a sincere tone, "I've invited you all here today to hear your valuable insights on the development of the Shanyang County mining area. Everyone present is a top entrepreneur in our Feng City and a pillar of our community. I hope you can all demonstrate a greater sense of social responsibility and contribute ideas for the development of Feng City, especially for the livelihoods of the tens of thousands of people in Shanyang County."

The room fell silent. Everyone knew that the city was "testing the waters," trying to get them to take on this hot potato.

After a moment of silence, Ding Kaifang took the initiative and stood up.

As a representative of the younger generation of entrepreneurs, he was more driven and dared to speak more bluntly.

"Mayor Lin, esteemed seniors," Ding Kaifang began with a polite nod before getting straight to the point. "Regarding the Shanyang County mining area, the Ding Group sent a dedicated team to conduct a detailed investigation some time ago. Our conclusion is that the place is not suitable for developing a high-end retirement and tourism resort."

He turned on the projector, and a series of shocking photos and data appeared on the screen.

"Everyone, please take a look. This is the current state of the mining area. The mountains have been scarred by countless pits, and the vegetation coverage is less than 5%."

This is the geological survey report. There are numerous mined-out areas underground, creating a risk of geological subsidence.

This is the traffic assessment. It's over seventy kilometers from the city, and there's only a single two-lane county road, which means transport capacity is severely lacking... All things considered, investing in tourism here would mean a bottomless pit of upfront investment for nearly zero returns later on.

We are a business, and our goal is to make a profit. For a project like this, with all due respect, we can't take it on."

After Ding Kaifang finished speaking, Chairman Zhao and President Qian also nodded in agreement.

"Kaifang is right. Our company also went to take a look, and the situation is indeed not optimistic."

"Yes, Mayor Lin, it's not that we don't want to shoulder our social responsibility, but this project simply isn't feasible. If we were to take this on, our companies would be dragged down to the point where we couldn't even pay our employees. That would affect employment..."

Listening to everyone's comments, Mayor Lin let out a long sigh, the worry on his face deepening.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said helplessly, "I understand everyone's difficulties. But... what can be done? Even if we ignore environmental regulations and reopen the quarries, according to the geological department's report, the local high-quality bluestone resources are almost completely depleted. Besides developing tourism and retirement communities, are there any other options?"

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of pressure. "Presidents, you are all perceptive people. In the past, Shanyang County's quarrying industry contributed hundreds of millions in tax revenue to the city each year. Now that the mining area has been shut down, that income has vanished. A sharp decline in tax revenue and regressing economic data not only affects our city's overall development, but it also affects..."

Mayor Lin didn't finish that last sentence.

But everyone present was sharp enough to understand the hidden meaning in his words.

Reduced tax revenue and economic decline would affect the political achievements of the city's leadership.