Chapter 183 Xiamen Trip Part 4: Mr. Xipo’s Unilateral
The next day, Mr. Xiong and Zhang Meizhu accompanied us to visit Gulangyu Island and Kinmen.
At dinner, some of Mr. Xiong's friends came over. During the meal, I performed a word-listening game. It was a real treat for both the host and the guests. Everyone asked to add me on WeChat, and I added five more people.
One of them suggested going singing together.
Mr. Xiong and Mr. Chen both said they were busy, so a group of young bosses suggested that Mr. Wan go. I had just met them, so I politely declined their offer.
Back at the hotel, Mr. Chen said, "You did the right thing. People should have principles and not just go wherever someone tells them to."
I thought to myself, fortunately I have some self-control.
After sitting for a while, Mr. Chen said, "Shanhong, we haven't been together for long, but I have a hunch that you're worth trusting. To be honest with you, I have a disease."
"Ah? What's wrong?"
"It's not a serious illness, but my skin has been itching for more than ten years, sometimes keeping me awake all night."
"Left leg or whole body?"
"It started with my calves, but now my whole body is itchy."
"Let me show you."
Mr. Chen rolled up his trouser legs, revealing the scales on his legs, which looked truly unsightly. He had come to Xiamen for a personal reason: medical treatment.
“Is there a great dermatologist here?”
"Yes, there's an old Chinese doctor named Liu. He lives not far away. I saw him once and the results were pretty good. But it's difficult to cure it completely. This time I came here and asked him to take another look."
"Go tomorrow?"
"No, I have an appointment with him. I'll go over now."
I really wanted to meet that old Chinese doctor, so I smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
The two went downstairs and took a taxi. When they reached an alley, the driver said, "The alley is too narrow. Let's get off here."
Mr. Chen and I walked into the alley. About three hundred meters in, we came to a courtyard with a few red lanterns hanging at the entrance. We entered the courtyard, the gate was open, the guard dog barked a few times, and a woman looked out and called out, "Dad, we have guests."
An old man with long flowing beard responded and came out. He stood at the door and clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Chen is here. Welcome." After that, he welcomed us into the study.
Mr. Chen deliberately concealed my identity and introduced me as "Xiao Wan, from our company."
I clasped my hands together and said, "Hello, Mr. Liu."
I looked at Mr. Liu, who must be around seventy, with a youthful face and white hair, and a spirited look. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Mr. Chen. His family brought him tea, water, and fruit.
Elder Liu was in no hurry to see Mr. Chen. The two seemed to be very familiar with each other, chatting about people and things that I couldn't understand. Then, Elder Liu picked up a bowl on the desk and said to Mr. Chen:
"I still have an old hobby, collecting antiques. This is a Ming Dynasty porcelain bowl that someone gave me yesterday. Do you think it's okay?"
Mr. Chen didn't understand. He took it in his hand, touched it, and said with a smile, "How much does the other party want?"
"One hundred thousand. He's in urgent need of money."
"One hundred thousand is not a small amount, but you are an expert, you won't make a mistake."
"Xiao Wan, take a look." Old Liu said with a smile.
It was a polite remark, simply a way of showing off his good fortune, a great bargain. I took it cautiously, pretending to admire it, and was about to compose a few words of praise when I turned over the bottom of the bowl and my eyes suddenly widened.
The six words "Made in the Xuande Period of the Ming Dynasty" are written on the bottom of the bowl.
If I had come across any other antique, I would have been like a mute meeting my mother—staring blankly, speechless. But my master also collected a blue and white bowl from the Xuande era.
I smiled unnaturally: "Good stuff." Then, I respectfully returned the bowl to Mr. Liu.
Old Liu began to take Mr. Chen's pulse, first on his left hand and then on his right hand. It took him half a day to write a prescription and give him some topical ointment. He gave the prescription to his family and asked them to get the medicine.
A little while later, the family brought a large plastic bag, saying it was for four courses of treatment. My goodness, I've only ever seen a veterinarian prescribe a bag of herbal medicine this big.
I don't know if I misheard or if his family misreported the price, but they said the Chinese medicine and topical medications would cost 17,000 yuan. Mr. Chen didn't even blink. He just paid.
On the way back, I remained silent. Mr. Chen explained that the herbal medicine was not expensive, and that the secret external application formula passed down from his family was effective, and that applying it would stop the itching.
Back at the hotel, Mr. Chen went straight into the room. He probably had an itch attack, so he took a shower first and then applied the topical medicine.
I called Mr. Xipo and described Mr. Chen's symptoms in detail.
Mr. Xipo smiled and said, "I'll teach you a recipe that couldn't be simpler. It's guaranteed to cure you."
"You say."
"He doesn't need any treatment. Just buy some Olive Smoothing Nourishing Body Lotion and apply it all over his body, rubbing it in vigorously. I guarantee he'll have a good night's sleep every night."
"Is it really that simple?"
"Shanhong, you still don't believe me?"
"No, why don't all those big hospitals treat it this way?"
Mr. Xipo laughed and said, "Then you should ask those professors. My neighbor next door has the same disease and I have been treating him for ten years but it has not been cured.
Later, I happened to see an article in the newspaper saying that olive oil can cure itching. I asked him to try it. It worked, and dozens of people around him were cured in the same way.
Having written this, I want to tell you that this isn't fiction. I'm not a relative of the manufacturer of "Olive Smooth Nourishing Body Lotion" and have no intention of advertising for them. If you have itching, give it a try.
I said, "Thank you."
After hanging up the phone with Mr. Xipo, I wondered if Mr. Chen might believe this simple prescription could cure him. I should keep it a secret from him. I shouldn't rush to tell him until he finishes Mr. Liu's four courses of treatment.
The bedside phone rang. I knew Mr. Chen wanted me to come over.
Sure enough, he had already bathed and applied the medicine, and was wearing the dressing gown he had brought with him.
I smiled and said, "After applying the medicine, you feel better, right?"
He nodded.
"I'm not too sure about Mr. Liu's medical skills, but his level of appreciation for antiques is quite good, haha."
"Do you know anything about this business?"
"I don't understand, but I do understand his bowl. My master's family has a bowl from the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. He taught me about it.
Mr. Liu's bowl is definitely a fake. First, collections from the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty generally cost over a million. Second, a genuine Xuande piece doesn't have a horizontal line above the heart in the character "德." His has one. The sun in the Ming Dynasty is lower than the moon, while his is level.
Mr. Chen frowned and thought for a moment: "Maybe everyone writes differently. Some write this way, some write that way."
I shook my head. "This inscription was created by the calligrapher Shen Du at the time. He only wrote it once."
Mr. Chen said, "Should we remind Mr. Liu about this?"
I laughed and said, "No need. He made his money back by treating patients six times."
Mr. Chen knew I was mocking Mr. Liu for charging too much, so he said, "He also relies on technology to make a living."
I said, "Mr. Chen, I'm just kidding. When I get back, I'll go to the mountains to look for some herbs. You can try them. I can't guarantee their effectiveness."
"Ah, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I'm not sure, I just said give it a try. Now, I'm going to hypnotize you."
I told him that rubbing his big toe every night would help him sleep.
After rubbing him for a while, he gradually fell asleep.
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