The fish was indeed quite large. Pan Xiaolian spent a long time cleaning it before putting it into the pot.
To celebrate Li Qingfeng's recovery, Pan Xiaolian painstakingly prepared a table full of dishes, almost overwhelming the square table in the clinic.
Looking at Li Qingfeng, who was staring at her, Pan Xiaolian couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier, her face flushing crimson.
She hadn't felt this relaxed since Li Qingfeng's grandfather passed away. The worry that had been weighing on her heart was finally gone.
Li Qingfeng opened the jar of medicinal wine, releasing a faint, pleasant aroma.
As he sniffed it, the ingredients of the medicinal wine materialized in his mind.
"Poria cocos, Polygonatum, Ginseng, Psoralea corylifolia..."
This was the terrifying power of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing—identifying herbs by scent!
*Cough, cough*, this was actually a tonic. The old man was quite eccentric, Li Qingfeng mused.
Li Qingfeng poured a full bowl of wine for Pan Xiaolian and then for himself.
"Aunt Pan, I'll toast you!"
Raising his wine bowl, Li Qingfeng drank it down in one gulp. A warm current flowed from his throat straight to his stomach.
"As expected of medicinal wine!" he exclaimed.
Seeing him finish his drink in one go, Pan Xiaolian also emulated him and drained her bowl.
"Cough, cough!"
She had drunk too quickly and choked. Li Qingfeng, startled, quickly patted her back.
After that, Li Qingfeng didn't pour as much wine for her. They both sipped and ate their food slowly.
"Qingfeng, eat more fish, it's good for you!"
Pan Xiaolian served Li Qingfeng a piece of fish. They were getting along very harmoniously.
During the meal, Li Qingfeng asked many questions about what had happened when he was foolish. Pan Xiaolian answered them one by one, and Li Qingfeng finally understood the origin of their debt to Wang Xiaohu.
Years ago, to treat Li Qingfeng, his grandfather had borrowed ten thousand yuan from Wang Xiaohu, a considerable sum in the village.
After the old man's death, Wang Xiaohu had increased the interest rate to 22%, and with the compounded interest, Pan Xiaolian couldn't afford to pay it back.
She had been paying only the interest for two years, yet the principal kept increasing.
When she was left with nothing and couldn't afford to pay, Wang Xiaohu set his sights on the clinic.
Hearing this, Li Qingfeng's eyes turned red with anger.
"We shouldn't have let him go just now! We should have beaten him again!"
Li Qingfeng said furiously.
"Forget it. He's a notorious troublemaker in the village, and even the village chief is in cahoots with him. We can't afford to offend them,"
Pan Xiaolian said helplessly. If Wang Xiaohu didn't have the village chief backing him, she wouldn't have given him any money.
As he listened to Pan Xiaolian, a chubby figure suddenly appeared in Li Qingfeng's mind—the village chief of Mopan Gou Village, the biggest bully in the entire village.
When Li Qingfeng had been admitted to Tsinghua University, the village chief had flattered him endlessly. But after Li Qingfeng was expelled and became foolish, he was the first to bully him.
Pan Xiaolian took another sip of wine. Suddenly, the bowl slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. Pan Xiaolian's body tilted.
Seeing this, Li Qingfeng rushed forward, catching Pan Xiaolian as she was about to fall, and carried her to the bed in the inner room of the clinic.
He checked her and found she had fainted, her brow furrowed.
Li Qingfeng quickly took her pulse and found it to be very chaotic, slow, and somewhat weak.
"Something's wrong!"
Li Qingfeng hurried to the second floor of the clinic and retrieved a cowhide scroll from his grandfather's old medical kit.
He spread the cowhide scroll on the square table downstairs, and a row of silver needles appeared.
Li Qingfeng counted them—twelve silver needles, not one missing.
He laid Pan Xiaolian flat, lifted her clothes to expose her smooth back, and with steady hands, inserted the first needle.
As if by instinct, the needle landed precisely on the Jingmen acupoint!
"Mmm..."
At Li Qingfeng's needle insertion, the unconscious Pan Xiaolian let out a sound.
He then inserted the subsequent needles at the Tianzong acupoint, on the back of the shoulder, the Xinshu acupoint, the Lingtai acupoint...
As Li Qingfeng continued to insert needles, Pan Xiaolian's furrowed brow gradually relaxed. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the bed, her back feeling cool.
As soon as Aunt Pan woke up, Li Qingfeng realized how close their bodies were. The warmth beneath his hands made him feel elated.
As Aunt Pan tried to turn her head, she heard Li Qingfeng say, "Aunt Pan, don't move, the silver needles will fall out."
"Sil-silver needles? You know acupuncture?"
Pan Xiaolian was very surprised. She had never seen Li Qingfeng practice medicine.
"Ah, my grandfather taught me when I was little. You didn't know!"
Li Qingfeng thought for a moment before telling a white lie. After all, his grandfather had taught him some medical skills, so it wasn't entirely false.
"Then, what happened to me? Why did I suddenly faint?"
"Haha!"
Hearing Pan Xiaolian's question, Li Qingfeng laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Aunt Pan, you just have some irregular menstruation, combined with recent mental fatigue and external cold entering your body, which clashed with the Yang energy of the medicinal wine, causing you to faint."
"What do you mean?"
Pan Xiaolian was confused. Although she knew some medicine, Li Qingfeng's explanation was rather vague.
"It means you're too weak and need to nourish your body! Take better care of yourself in the future!"
Li Qingfeng's direct words made Pan Xiaolian blush, and she lowered her head shyly, burying it like an ostrich.
Fortunately, they were on the bed. If they were on the ground, she would be completely invisible.
Li Qingfeng inserted the final needle. Pan Xiaolian immediately felt a surge of warmth throughout her body, a pleasant sensation.
"Qingfeng, I didn't realize your medical skills were so good. It's working already."
Pan Xiaolian turned to look at Li Qingfeng in amazement. This acupuncture was miraculous.
"Aunt Pan, you've only ever seen me when I was foolish. This is the first time I've performed acupuncture in front of you!"
Li Qingfeng said as he began to remove the silver needles one by one. Pan Xiaolian's back was covered in sweat, significantly slowing his movements.
After disinfecting the silver needles with alcohol, Li Qingfeng casually put them back into the cowhide scroll and placed the scroll on the square table.
Pan Xiaolian got up and stretched, feeling much lighter and more refreshed.
"Aunt Pan, I'll give you acupuncture every three days. In about five more sessions, you'll be completely fine."
"Really!"
Pan Xiaolian was overjoyed. To be honest, the acupuncture was very effective.
"Aunt Pan, you should rest well. I'll clean up the dining table."
Li Qingfeng helped Pan Xiaolian lie down and covered her with a quilt. Having just recovered from illness, she needed plenty of rest.
Li Qingfeng felt a soft object under his hand and even pinched it.
"Mmm!"
Aunt Pan's soft sound sent a warm current through his entire body, and he leaned closer.
Just then, a voice from outside suddenly broke the silence.
Judging by the footsteps, there were several people.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Dr. Pan, are you there? Someone's been bitten by a snake!"
Hearing the shouts from outside, Aunt Pan pushed Li Qingfeng off the bed, tidied her clothes, and hurried out.
However, her rapid breathing indicated her agitation.
At this moment, Li Qingfeng caught a faint scent on Pan Xiaolian, like osmanthus.
He raised his hand, and indeed, the fragrance was strong.
"Qingfeng, come quickly!"
"Coming!"
Hearing Aunt Pan's call, Li Qingfeng hurried over.