Chapter 29 Neem Bark and Pagoda Candy
"There are several chinaberry trees by the Lengshui River. Go and scrape some bark off the trees. Remember not to use too much force, or you might injure or kill the tree. Take it home and boil the water to drink. Drink a small bowl of it each time. Don't drink too much, because it's poisonous."
If it weren't poisonous, it wouldn't be able to kill such a powerful roundworm.
"Will it really work?" Director Qin was skeptical. He had never witnessed the magic of Chinese medicine with his own eyes and always felt it was a bit mysterious.
"It has been proven effective through countless experiments conducted over two thousand years by ancient people."
Director Qian frowned but didn't say anything.
Qin Ju was not in a hurry to refute. There were so many people who did not believe in traditional Chinese medicine. It was not the first time she had met such people. Compared with those TCM haters who always attacked it, Director Qian was actually a very qualified "neutral person". Even if he did not believe in it, he did not condemn it outright. Normally, if his TCM department needed anything, as long as it was within the policy, he would find a way to provide it.
Even during the initial period, she didn't have any patients and didn't create any "value".
"In fact, both Western and Chinese medicines use the same principle to treat insects. At first glance, pagoda candy sounds like sugar, but in fact, it is just a lot of sucrose added to increase the taste so that children are more willing to accept it. In fact, its scientific name is 'piperazine phosphate pagoda candy'."
Others didn't know and called it "pagoda candy" and "pagoda candy", thinking it was a kind of candy. But Qian Fusheng was the general manager in charge of purchasing medicines, so how could he not know? It's just that he didn't expect Qin Jue to know.
In his opinion, Qin Ju is just a young person who has learned some basic Chinese medicine from her master and can recite a few lines of classical medical texts. To put it nicely, she is a disciple of his master, but to put it bluntly, she is just a quack doctor. Does she also know the names of Western medicine drugs?
No, Qinji not only knows the names of Western medicines, but also knows pharmacology.
"The active ingredient of this medicine is actually the piperazine phosphate in it, which can paralyze roundworms, preventing them from attaching to the intestines, and thus expelling them from the body through intestinal peristalsis and defecation... The principle of Chinese medicine for expelling worms is the same, which is to anesthetize the worms, so that the body's own functions can expel the pests from the body."
Qian Fusheng raised his eyebrows. If someone showed off their knowledge and talked about Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Qi, and Spirit, he would think it was pure nonsense, but he could understand it when it was said this way.
But Qin Jue's next sentence surprised him even more - "But our Chinese herbal anthelmintics are actually more effective, and there are also special ones for different parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, nematodes, pinworms, and tapeworms. If they are combined with Chinese herbal medicines that moisturize the intestines and promote bowel movements, the effect will be even better."
"really?"
Qin Ju nodded. She would have a chance to prove the profoundness of Chinese medicine in the future. The point she wanted to make now was not this. "Come to think of it, this pagoda candy is actually extracted from plants just like our Chinese medicine. Am I right?"
Qian Fusheng was still focusing on the fact that Chinese medicine could specifically eliminate so many types of parasites. He was a little stunned by her question and asked back, "What do you mean?"
"The key to making piperazine phosphate is extracted from a plant called Artemisia scoparia that lives in the Arctic Circle. More than a decade ago, Dragon Country did not have this technology or the seeds of this plant. Later, with the cooperation with the Soviet Union in the north, we introduced the technology and Artemisia scoparia seeds from the Soviet Union, and then we gradually learned how to extract it."
Qian Fusheng was no longer surprised that she knew so much, he just nodded and motioned for her to continue.
"A few years ago, the Soviet experts and equipment withdrew, and our own production technology couldn't keep up. The output of pagoda candy dropped significantly, and it is very popular in rural areas. This is beyond our control, but you can wait and see, Director. Without Western medicine, Chinese medicine can also stand out." Qin Ju said confidently.
Director Qian was still skeptical. On one hand, there was the sought-after "joint-invested medicine", and on the other hand, there was the native neem tree. He was really curious: would it really be effective?
“Director, you see, for Zhang Zhenhua’s condition, using neem bark is only a last resort. This thing is slightly toxic, but fortunately taking a small amount in the short term will not cause any effects.” Rather than letting everyone shout “Chinese medicine is poisonous” or “Chinese doctors are liars” when they find out later, it is better to tell everyone clearly now that the medicine is indeed poisonous.
Director Qian also knew that this was a stopgap measure. "It is foolish to talk about toxicity without considering the dosage."
"By the way, you said using neem bark is the worst option, then what is the best option?"
"There are many insect repellent medicines passed down by our ancestors. In addition to neem bark, there are also quisqualis, betel nut, pumpkin seeds, thunder balls, quisqualis, and scutellaria. The first three are non-toxic. The key is that quisqualis tastes very sweet. It tastes great after being fried. What a pity..."
"It's a pity we don't have it here." Director Qian sighed. If these Chinese medicines were really effective, would we still need foreign technology?
He was frustrated that even a small insecticide was blocked. Every time he went to the pharmaceutical factory, he treated himself to a meal, but the factory only gave him some fly legs, which were used up within a few days. Take the pagoda candy for example. It's not that he didn't know that the medicine was out, but he couldn't get it even if he went there. Because the pharmaceutical factory saw that the medicine was in short supply, it gave priority to those with connections. Even the leaders of the pharmaceutical company resold it at a high price. What could he do? He couldn't buy expensive medicine on the black market!
Qin Ju also knew that Western medicine was in short supply now, and it was a seller's market, and pharmaceutical companies could give it to whomever they wanted and in what amount at a matter of words. It was not like later generations, when all public hospitals, even as small as community hospitals, went through the government procurement channel and had a guaranteed supply.
"Director, how about we be self-sufficient?" she suddenly said.
Director Qian was stunned. "How can we be self-sufficient? We don't have the production technology and equipment."
"We can't make Western medicine, but we can consider Chinese medicine."
Director Qian touched his nose and felt a little uncomfortable. He still hadn't seen the effectiveness of the Chinese medicine.
"How about we make a bet? If the bark of neem can cure the child's roundworm disease, we will grow Chinese medicine ourselves and try to be self-sufficient. If it can't cure it, I won't mention it in the future. What do you think? You don't know that the child of Political Commissar Liu went all the way to the provincial capital to get medicine. There are so many family members and children in our 412 factory who don't have cars, and so many ordinary people in Lenghe Town. It's impossible for them to go to the provincial capital when they are sick, right?"
She looked at Qian Fusheng with sparkling eyes. She knew that Qian Fusheng was a good leader. Although he did not believe in traditional Chinese medicine, he had a sense of responsibility and would do anything that was beneficial to the people.
Sure enough, Qian Fusheng agreed readily, "Okay, I'll ask the military reclamation corps to help you get some land." The nearby corps had plenty of fertile land, and as long as some of the ready-made land could be allocated to them, it should not be difficult to be self-sufficient.
Qin Jue didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. "That's great!"
This area was a desert ten years ago, not because it was saline and alkaline land and could not grow crops, but because of its remote geographical location and the fact that it was almost uninhabited. It was only after liberation that the people's soldiers came here with guns in one hand and hoes and shovels in the other, and started by digging holes in the ground, reclaiming the land inch by inch. Only in the past few years have wheat and grass been grown here gradually.
Wheat is the staple food that can not only supply this area, but can also be transferred to other famine-stricken areas.
Green grass is the staple food of cattle and sheep. It can raise fat cattle and sheep and produce fragrant cow and goat milk. Every summer, standing on a high place and looking around, you can see the endless green pasture.
Otherwise, why do they say that soldiers from the People's Liberation Army are welcomed wherever they go? Only they can endure such hardships. Qin Ju admires them from the bottom of his heart.
After saying a few more words, Qin Ju hurried back to his hometown and told the mother and son that they should drink neem bark water every night before going to bed and on an empty stomach in the morning, so as to paralyze the insects to the greatest extent.
As a result, just as I reached the door of my house, I heard my grandmother's hearty laughter from inside. I looked up and saw, hey, Xiao He is back!
I haven't seen Xiao He for nearly 20 days, and he hasn't changed much. After all, Haicheng is a big city, and I'm not on a business trip to the countryside. I didn't get tanned, and I didn't lose weight. He was the same as he was before he left.
The young couple looked at each other deeply and smiled faintly, and everything was said without words.
Xiao Qinpan held the rabbit that had been raised as a pet, and her big eyes kept turning around her third sister and her husband. Why did she feel that her third sister and her husband were getting more and more in sync? But they had just started living together, so where did this tacit understanding come from?
I have to say that little Qin Pan is very sensitive enough. Even Qin Guihua didn't notice such subtle changes.
For dinner, because He Liansheng came back, the old lady made dumplings, which was a rare occasion for her. There weren't many leafy vegetables, so she used cabbage and chopped mutton that was half fat and half lean. The dumplings were plump, with thin skin and big fillings. When you took a bite, your mouth would be filled with juicy oil. They were so delicious!
The factory leaders hosted a banquet for Mr. Chen in the small cafeteria, and Ailan came back to eat on her own. The whole family sat around the table, eating and praising the food.
Qin Guihua looked very proud. Her ancestors were chefs in Jiaodong, but they lost their skills during the war. However, she definitely has the chef gene in her blood. "We didn't have the conditions before, but when our lives get better in the future, I will make dumplings for you every day."
Everyone is so happy, they can eat mutton dumplings every meal. What a wonderful life it is!
After dinner, Qin Pan took the initiative to help with the washing. Qin Ju was tired after a day's work and had just had a fight with someone, so he needed to conserve his energy, so he gave this opportunity to Xiao Lao Si.
Qin Guihua pulled Ailan to the kang in the inner room and talked in private. The old ladies in the family area knew that she had such a beautiful and capable granddaughter who was single, and they were very active in their minds. She just wanted to ask Ailan what she thought.
The couple was about to say something when they heard Zhao Haiyan crying like a pig being slaughtered next door, mumbling "I want some popsicles" and "My brother stole my cream popsicles."
……Subconsciously, Qin Ju looked at He Liansheng, and seeing that he looked very disapproving, he felt happy in his heart.
“Having a baby is really hard.”
Oh, you're so disgusted with your child? Qin Ju thought to himself, you were not like this in your previous life.
"Did your outing go smoothly this time?"
"Um."
Qin Jue saw that he was unwilling to say more, guessing that it was a confidential matter, so he didn't ask any more questions and turned to talk about family matters. "Why don't we not build a kitchen here? We have to eat at grandma's house anyway. How about we use the space for the kitchen to build a bathroom?"
"Um."
"When will the cabinet be ready?"
"I was in a hurry today. I'll find time to ask at noon tomorrow."
"You've been running around so much, so I'm sure you haven't massaged your legs properly, right?"
The man paused. Because he could drive, speak foreign languages, and had a basic knowledge of radio theory, he could easily translate many professional terms and look up literature. In name, he was assigned to the Equipment Department, but in reality, he was just a brick that could be moved wherever needed. Just as he was thinking, a pair of soft hands came to the place where he had been injured and began to massage at a moderate speed.
He had done it himself before and it was nothing special, but under her hands, he felt extremely comfortable.
It was as if a warm current was flowing from the injured area into the meridians, and then flowing along the meridians to the entire body, over and over again.
Ordinary massage is certainly not so magical. Qin Ju used Mr. He’s unique secret and specially found several meridians and acupoints that were beneficial to his leg injury. The effect was immediate - He Liansheng was so comfortable that he almost fell asleep!
Qin Ju found it funny. She turned off the lights and couldn't see his features anymore. She just smelled his breath and felt at peace.
However, as she pressed the button, she discovered that... Xiao Xiao He was not only not asleep, but was awake!
The man's originally even and steady breathing gradually lost its normal rhythm, and became heavier and more rapid, like the beat of a drum.
Qin Ju quickly withdrew her hand. She didn't want to be a female hooligan.
For a moment, the room was eerily quiet.
Finally, the man couldn't help himself and cleared his throat. "I don't speak Bulgarian, but I know a little English. They brought an English translator with them, and the factory asked me to help translate it."
He could not say much about the reason for his business trip and escorting Mr. Chen, but it was no secret that he was going to meet the Bulgarian experts.
Bulgaria established diplomatic relations with Rwanda in 1949, and the relations between the two countries have always been good. Currently, some televisions and radios in the country are imported from Bulgaria, and these electronic products all require integrated circuits and radio technology. The products of Factory 412 are not all for military use, but also a small part for civilian use. Especially after the policy is relaxed and the production of civilian products can generate income, the welfare benefits of employees will be greatly improved.
This time, we discussed the production issues of black and white picture tubes.
"The cathode ray tube is an important part of the television. If we can improve the imaging and display technology, we will be able to greatly improve the image quality and viewing experience, while reducing the failure rate..."
Even though she couldn't see his expression, Qin Jue could feel that his eyes must be very bright.
She didn't know about other aspects, but when it came to black-and-white picture tubes, Lao He was a true expert. He discovered and repaired many faults that TV manufacturers could not solve. Later in the mid-1980s, several well-known TV manufacturers wanted to hire him as an expert, but he refused with an annual salary of $100,000.
Qin Ju didn't know what an annual salary of 100,000 yuan meant in the 1980s. She only knew that in the late 1980s, a large courtyard house in Beijing only cost 30,000 yuan!
One year's salary can earn you three sets of courtyard houses. This is an irresistible temptation for anyone, but Lao He still refused. She was very puzzled at that time, but later she could vaguely understand that this guy didn't want to leave Lenghe Town, even if he was just a neighbor, as long as he could see her.
Thinking of this, Qin Ju couldn't help it anymore and hooked her arms around the man's neck.
Someone who is talking nonstop: "..." Is this something that can be done before nine o'clock?
He could feel the girl's heat, and there was also a faint, refreshing fragrance. He didn't know if it was toothpaste or soap, but no matter which one it was, it came from a place he dared not imagine.
In the dark night, the man's breathing became heavier. He pressed her into his arms when she wanted to retreat, "Stop making trouble." He remembered that he seemed to have no new tools.
Qin Ju didn't care and bit his Adam's apple directly. As if afraid that he would feel pain, she soothed him gently, which made him like a thirsty old cow. He gasped and snorted through his nose. He turned over and pinned the man down... As for the tools, he could find them if he looked for them.
However, just as I was about to open the door to the new world, there was a rapid knock on the door from the outer room.
He wanted to open the door, but Qin Ju wouldn't let him and held him tightly.
So, the two of them kept silent, hoping that the ignorant guy outside the door would leave on his own.
However, there was another knock on the door. "Xiao He, are you back? This is Zhao Qingsong."
Qin Ju really wanted to strangle this bastard to death. Why did he come at this time instead of earlier? He has no tact at all!
He Liansheng was worried about something important, so he coughed and said, "Yes, wait a moment."
He put on his clothes, got off the bed, put on his slippers, and whispered, "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."
So, Qin Ju watched helplessly as the key to her new world was taken away. Waiting for him? Dream on!
Xiao He did not return until after seven the next morning. His originally dark blue stubble seemed to have grown a lot longer. Qin Ju guessed that he had stayed up late doing something, but did not have time to ask him. They were both busy at work, so they went next door to have a bowl of rice porridge with some salted vegetables, thinking that they would "interrogate" him thoroughly in the evening.
Who knew that when she met him at noon when she returned home for lunch, he said that he had to go on a business trip again and didn't know how many days it would take to come back, which made Qin Guihua sigh.
It's a good thing that the grandson-in-law is valued by the leader, but he is always on business trips. When will he be able to give her a big fat boy?
Qin Ju didn't have time to worry, she had more important things to do now.
*
In the next few days, not only Qin Ju, but also Qian Fusheng was absent-minded, waiting to see the child's reaction.
Fortunately, the child was thin, and the roundworms had nothing to eat. The treatment took effect on the morning of the third day. The woman ran to the clinic with a tile in her hand, "Director Qian!"
"What's going on?" Qian Fusheng bent down consciously and took two steps forward.
The woman smiled happily, as if she had received an extra half month's salary for the Chinese New Year. "Director Qian, I'm here to tell you the good news. Look..."
On the tile, there were actually two white thread-like things, which were slowly wriggling. This was something... Qian Fusheng almost vomited.
The woman chuckled, "This is what came out of my son's fart...fart...hehe, it's about seven or eight centimeters long! It's like noodles, long and thin..."
"Okay, okay, I...know...I, you can...take it away." Damn it, he eats noodles for breakfast!
The woman took two steps happily and said, "Director Qian, you must keep your promise. Doctor Qin is a skilled doctor. He can pull out such a big worm with herbs. You must not forget what you promised that day."
"From now on, the doctor in Lenghe Town will be Dr. Xiao Qin. Don't forget him." When they reached the door, the woman turned around and said, holding the tile.
The two wriggling white worms reappeared in Qian Fusheng's mind, "Go quickly, I will never forget it in my life." He gritted his teeth.
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