She brought an aluminum kettle from the water room at the end of the corridor and set up a small earthenware pot on the coal stove in the corner of the office.
The process of preparing, weighing, and soaking the medicine was carried out with a steady and deliberate manner.
As the aroma of medicine mingled with coal smoke filled the room, Professor Wang unconsciously moved closer.
"Watch the heat." Lin Li gently stirred the medicinal soup with bamboo chopsticks. "Bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer it over low heat. It's like treating an illness by first expelling the pathogens and then supporting the body's resistance."
She turned to Professor Li and said, “Treating an illness is like governing a country; in urgent cases, treat the symptoms, and in less urgent cases, treat the root cause.”
As the medicinal soup was filtered into the enamel mug, an eerie silence fell over the conference room.
"To the lab!" Professor Zhang smelled the aroma of the medicine, picked it up, and prepared to leave.
So the group quickly went to the laboratory, found the animal models, and began testing.
Slowly pour in the medicinal decoction.
As time went on, the body temperature values shown in the animal models began to decrease.
Professor Wang pushed up his glasses, leaned closer to examine the data records, his Adam's apple bobbed but he couldn't speak.
"Excellent! Excellent!" Professor Zhang slammed his hand on the table excitedly, his cane tapping loudly on the wooden floor. "This is not just about healing; it's clearly the great principle of yin and yang harmony!"
Professor Li finally put down his pen, a rare smile appearing on his face: "Xiao Wang, you see, this theory of traditional Chinese medicine is not unscientific; it's just that we haven't found a suitable research method yet."
He turned to Lin Li, "Would you be willing to join my research group on the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine?"
"But I'm just an auditor!"
Lin Li smiled as she put the things away, then stood up and looked at Professor Li with a smile.
She was just an auditor? Professor Zhang and Professor Wang both looked surprised when they heard this!
Professor Li frowned, his eyes filled with regret: "Your status is not important; what matters is your talent and your passion for medicine. Your insights just now are something even we old folks are ashamed of. How can you say you'll hold us back?"
"Yes, yes!" Professor Zhang nodded repeatedly. "Medicine should not be bound by identity. As long as you have real talent, you should have a stage to show it."
Lin Li bit her lip and said in a steady voice, "I understand the teachers' good intentions, and I am truly grateful. But I am also well aware that I am not qualified yet."
She took a deep breath and looked firmly at the professors. "Instead of feeling uneasy in the research group, I should first lay a solid foundation. Once I have the ability and confidence, I will contribute my strength to the research on the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine."
silence!
"Alright! We respect your opinion!" Professor Li looked at Lin Li's determined eyes and finally nodded.
"Here's your auditor's card and your class schedule. You can come and attend classes anytime!"
Lin Li took the observer's pass from Professor Li and bowed deeply to the three of them.
"Thank you, teacher!"
Then he turned around and prepared to leave the office building to go to the teaching building to attend a class!
"Young lady!" Footsteps sounded behind her; it was Professor Li chasing after her.
He was panting as he stuffed a slip of paper into her hand. “This is the address of the traditional Chinese medicine clinic I frequent. There’s an old doctor there with superb medical skills. If you’d like, you can go there to learn and practice.”
Lin Li looked at the strong handwriting on the note, her throat tightened, and she thanked him repeatedly.
For the next month, Lin Li kept herself very busy every day!
Learning, practicing, decorating...
Bai Zifang's house has been renovated, and she asked Chen Dashan to install a toilet and shower room on this side of the courtyard.
By the time she had sorted everything out in Beijing, it was already November!
The restaurant will be at its busiest before the end of the year, but from now on, she'll have to stay in Shenzhen more often.
Fortunately, she now has GPS locations in both Beijing and Shenzhen, making it very convenient and quick for her to travel between the two cities, so it won't interfere with her business or courses.
"Mom, I'm home!"
Lin Li had just returned home from the traditional Chinese medicine clinic and was preparing to cook when she heard Lin Laosan's voice.
"I'm back!"
"Auntie, we're here too!"
Hearing Zhao Dachuan's familiar Sichuan accent, Lin Li's smile deepened!
"You guys are here too? Great! Let's have hot pot tonight!"
"hot pot?"
When Zhao Dachuan heard the word "pot," his first thought was hot pot.
God knows! Ever since he came to Beijing to study, what he missed most was the smell of hot pot, that irresistible aroma of hot pot!
With a slurp, Zhao Dachuan's mention of hot pot also whetted Lin Li's appetite.
But after glancing at Chen Yongming from Shanghai and Zhou Jianguo from Hebei, her eyes lit up.
"Then let's have a hot pot with two broths, since Chen Yongming and Zhou Jianguo probably can't handle spicy food!"
"Alright!"
When Zhao Dachuan heard that there would really be hot pot tonight, his eyes lit up with a wide smile.
"Third brother, go buy some meat. We have some vegetables at home, and I'll cook the base sauce!"
"good!"
Lin Laosan took the money and grain coupons from Lin Li and ran outside.
"Third brother, let's go together! We can also buy some of our favorite ingredients to eat!"
After saying that, the four boys walked towards the market, their arms around each other's shoulders.
Lin Li watched their retreating figures, shook her head with a smile, closed the door, and returned to her spatial dimension.
After taking out chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice powder, and a bunch of other seasonings, I set up the honeycomb briquette stove in the yard.
The metal bellows rattled and roared, and flames licked the bottom of the black iron pot.
She wore a blue apron with white flowers, took out butter from an aluminum lunchbox, and watched the chunks of fat slowly melt in the pot, creating fine oil droplets.
Star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves were added together, and they slowly released their rich aroma in the hot oil.
Lin Li carefully stirred it with bamboo chopsticks, afraid of burning it. The coal smoke mixed with the aroma of spices swirled in the air above the courtyard.
The moment the coarse chili powder was poured in, a strong, spicy smell hit Lin Li's nostrils, causing her to cough and tears to well up in her eyes.
This spiciness is enough!!!
She smiled and wiped her face with the back of her hand, then continued to sprinkle in Sichuan peppercorns and dried ginger.
The homemade fermented soybean paste had a dark red sheen, and when she put it into the pot to stir-fry, the whole yard was filled with a rich aroma of the paste.
Just then, Zhao Dachuan's voice came from outside the door: "It smells so good, just the right smell!"
Then the gate opened slightly, and Lin Laosan and the others returned to the courtyard together.
After putting the ingredients aside, Zhao Dachuan couldn't wait to get to the iron pot.
He brought his nose close to the pot and took a deep breath. "This is the smell! It smells amazing!"
Lin Li pushed his face away with her hand and scolded him with a laugh, "Don't try to slack off. Go help them prepare the ingredients. We still need to make a clear soup pot here!"
"Yes, sir!"
Zhao Dachuan ran off with a grin, and soon the sounds of several boys laughing and joking came from the kitchen.
As Lin Li listened to their energetic voices, her smile deepened.
Lin Laosan's roommates would come to stay at his house every weekend.
They went from being shy at first to now being able to laugh and play freely in the courtyard, gradually integrating into their lives!
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