Chapter 12.2 - 白薇 Cynanchum atratum
After dinner, Shen Xifan took the remaining documents, glanced through them, and without a word, went to fetch a large bag. She pulled out a tiny laptop and started typing furiously. Her speed was astonishing, with letters and words eagerly jumping onto the screen.
He Suye was somewhat surprised and impressed. It was the first time he had seen Shen Xifan at work: her bangs clipped to one side, wearing glasses, and completely focused. Whoever said that men look the most handsome when concentrating on work had clearly never seen a woman at work; she was no less impressive.
After a while, Shen Xifan looked up, frowning, "He Suye, how should we handle the yin and yang terms? Use pinyin?"
He nodded, "Add a hyphen."
"And how about Muxiang (木香)?"
"Vladimiriasouliei, use pinyin first, then explain it."
The room was quiet except for the sound of their typing and brief exchanges. They worked together seamlessly, and soon a document was completed. Li Jie sent several emoticons in a row on QQ, which made Shen Xifan chuckle.
Feeling a bit sore in the shoulders, she looked up and shook her arms, inadvertently catching He Suye covering his mouth and laughing at the computer, his dimple showing sweetly on the right side, unbearably cute.
She couldn't help but lean over to take a look, and burst out laughing at the first line, "He Suye, these kids are too talented! And you, as their teacher, are quite the character too!"
A man posted online:
"Feeling quite depressed... corrected your herbal formulas...
Classmates, those of us studying traditional Chinese medicine all know about 'Baiwei' (白薇), but the Chinese language is so fascinating that alongside 'Baiwei' there's also 'Baiwei' (百威, a brand of beer). One comrade wrote, 'Modified Weirui uses Baiwei.'
Actually, if you had written 'Ziwei' (紫薇), I might have let it slide, or even 'Xili' (喜力, another beer brand), I might have considered it correct. But why write 'Drink Baiwei, win a BMW'? Probably thinking that studying traditional Chinese medicine has no future, hoping to scratch a lottery ticket and win a BMW.
This line, 'Scutellaria, Rehmannia, and Licorice enhance the power of sweating and dispelling wind,' how did someone write 'Sweating to invigorate yang and boost male vigor'?
Look at the students poisoned by small ads, kids, you can't just write anything. Good thing it was me who saw it; if it were the Exterminator, you'd really be exterminated.
And there's a comrade who wrote 'Biyu' (碧玉, green jade) as 'Bixue' (碧血, green blood). I'm really puzzled, did you read too much Jin Yong as a kid, never forgetting Yuan Chengzhi, Wen Qingqing, and the Golden Snake Swordsman?
And there's even more extreme, 'Universal Relief uses Arctium, Scutellaria, and Coptis, XX root, X X X'—I wonder if this student, when prescribing medicine in the future, can't remember what to use, will just substitute with XX, 'You figure it out yourself!'
In the process of correcting, the typos are endless. Comrades, don't rush, you have two hours, write slowly, use the thing on your neck...
There's a formula I think everyone studying Chinese medicine should know—Ephedra Decoction uses Cinnamon Twig, but why do so many people write 'Asarum, Licorice, and Akebia' for the second line? Didn't your teacher use Ephedra Decoction as an example when explaining the principles of prescription composition with monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy?
Overall, correcting herbal formulas is much more painful than dictation!
Two hours of mental fatigue, dozens of duck eggs (zeros), 4.5 credits, I guess someone will have to pay again!
Comrades, cherish your lives, stay away from retakes, take care of everything!"
The two of them covered their mouths and laughed. Shen Xifian pointed at the screen, still muttering, "Baiwei, Baiwei, I wonder what ailment that comrade thinks Baiwei beer can cure?"
He Suye told her very seriously, "Modified Weirui uses Baiwei, fermented soybean, scallion, and Platycodon root, along with licorice, jujube, and mint, eight ingredients in total, this formula nourishes yin and induces sweating. This comrade used Baiwei beer to nourish yin and cool the blood!"
Shen Xifian looked at him, dead serious, "He Suye, this is the first time I've found you can say something funny. Are you the secretly pervy type?"
Provoked by her words, He Suye pretended to be angry, rolled up a book, and tapped her head, "Little girl, starting to get cheeky, huh? Looking for a spanking?"
Shen Xifian quickly dodged, but as she moved, her fingers inadvertently caught the drawer. Taking another step back, her body slammed the drawer shut with a clatter, trapping most of her fingers.
They say all fingers are connected to the heart. She groaned softly, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
He Suye was startled, lifted her hand, and examined it carefully under the light. It was red and swollen. Shen Xifian, with tearful eyes, asked, "Will my fingers break?"
He Suye sighed, "Do you think they will? I'll get the medicine, stay still, don't move, and don't get your legs caught too."
Shen Xifian watched him apply the medicine, feeling very wronged, thinking, I'm just a bit of a scaredy-cat, He Suye, why do you always scold me, making me very depressed!
But she had no idea of He Suye's thoughts. When she got her fingers caught, he was more than just a little shocked. Seeing her tears streaming down, he began to blame himself, wishing he could take the pain for her instead.
And now, under the soft glow of the light, she bit her lip, softly whimpering in pain, and helplessly rolled her eyes at him—utterly adorable, the very picture of a delicate, feminine charm.
His face flushed slightly, and his hands holding hers felt somewhat unsteady. He realized how emotionally obtuse he had been—Qiu Tian once said, "Even a mule is better than you." But now, with Shen Xifan, it felt like something had clicked.
This might be the biggest challenge of his life, harder than memorizing herbal formulas, he thought.
Meanwhile, Shen Xifan remained completely unaware, her eyes darting around. "He Suye, do you have that Baiwei?"
He Suye snapped back to reality, "Are you sure you mean Baiwei, not Baiwei beer?"
She poked his head with her uninjured finger, "Old man, don't get cheeky. I mean Baiwei. Such a beautiful name, I wonder what it looks like?"
He Suye suddenly understood, "Oh, you want to see that? Let me warn you, don't be disappointed!"
As it turned out, Baiwei wasn't much to look at. Shen Xifan slumped in disappointment, "I thought it would be some stunning flower, but it's just a bunch of dried grass!"
He Suye pointed at the specimen and explained carefully, "This is the rhizome of Baiwei. It's thick, short, knotty, and often curved, with a brownish-yellow surface. It's brittle and breaks easily. The cross-section shows a yellowish-white bark and a yellow wood core. It has a faint smell and a slightly bitter taste. It's cold in nature and used to clear heat, cool the blood, promote urination, and treat sores and toxins."
Shen Xifan took it, "How can one herb treat so many illnesses? But Baiwei, it really is a beautiful name."
He Suye chuckled, "Little girl, why so superficial..." Before he could finish, seeing Shen Xifan glare at him, he quickly changed his tone, "Actually, there are many beautiful names in traditional Chinese medicine: Baishao, Banxia, Guixin, Houpo, Fuling, Lianqiao, Baizhu, Xiangfu, Yuzhu, Ziwan, Zhizi, Liancao, Zhuyu, Zihuadiding..."
He counted them carefully, his expression focused and serious. Shen Xifan watched him, thinking how gentle and refined this man seemed. Her heart stirred, "Su Ye... it sounds nice too..."
He Suye was caught off guard and laughed softly, "Yes, much better than He Ye..."
Outside, the snow fell heavily, piling up on the windowsill. Tomorrow, the world would surely be blanketed in white. The quiet winter night was serene, the warmth of the room, the soft glow of the desk lamp, and the gentle light from the computer screen illuminated the two people sitting face to face, surrounded by various herbal specimens on the floor.
Both of them were somewhat dazed, but mostly unaware. The warm orange light flowed from their eyes, blending into the boundless night.
This scene, this moment, felt warm and comforting.
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