Chapter 574: Purpose of the Visit
Chapter 574: Chapter 574: Purpose of the Visit
Two people had arrived. One was Cao Zhengming, the dean of Beijing First Hospital. Su Qing had met him before when he came to visit Li Wan during her hospitalization.
"Dean Cao," Su Qing said with a smile, greeting him first.
"Ah, Qingqing." Cao Zhengming smiled and nodded at Su Qing, then turned to Mr. and Mrs. Li with a laugh. "My esteemed Chiefs, I seem to have arrived right at dinnertime. I hope you won’t mind the intrusion."
Mr. Li laughed. "Mind you? Not at all. We’ve made plenty of food today. Come, eat with us."
Cao Zhengming chuckled. "Alright then, we’ll take you up on that."
Su Qing could see that Cao Zhengming was quite agitated, though he was clearly trying his best to suppress his excitement.
The man with Cao Zhengming also greeted Mr. and Mrs. Li with a smile, his gaze fixed intently on Mrs. Li as he sat down at the table beside the dean.
Su Qing soon learned that the man with Cao Zhengming was the director of cardiology and neurology at Beijing First Hospital. She was rather curious. ’Why would a dean and a department director show up at our house on a weekend?’ she wondered. ’And why are they both so worked up? Just look at them, their faces are flushed with excitement.’
After a moment of thought, Su Qing began to understand. ’Could these two be here because of the shrapnel in Grandma’s head?’ She knew that after a year of careful recuperation, Mrs. Li’s condition was no longer a major problem. This was especially true after she’d given Mr. Li those pills from A Tai, which had restored both of her grandparents to excellent health.
She had considered this possibility before. Mrs. Li’s condition was monitored very closely, with a routine physical exam every year. It was only a matter of time before her complete recovery was discovered, which would surely cause a huge stir. After all, with the current state of Western medicine, it was impossible to surgically remove the shrapnel in her brain; doctors could only try to mitigate the symptoms.
Su Qing had shared this concern with Mr. Li, but he had told her he would take care of it and that she shouldn’t worry. Knowing her grandfather was a capable man, she had left the matter in his hands.
Once the meal was over, Cao Zhengming eagerly addressed Mr. and Mrs. Li. "Honored Chiefs," he began, "we came today regarding Chief Yu’s condition."
Chief Yu was Su Qing’s grandmother, Mrs. Li. Her surname was Yu, her full name Yu Huilan.
"Yes," Mr. Li said after a sip of tea. "Didn’t I already give you our dietary records for the entire past year, including everything we ate and used? As for her medication, it’s always been prescribed by your hospital, so you should have all the records. Is there some kind of problem?"
Cao Zhengming wrung his hands and smiled at Mr. Li. "Chief, I know. The truth is, I came today to ask a favor."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Mr. Li inquired.
"It’s... it’s about the ginseng you used for the ginseng wine. I was wondering if you have any more," Cao Zhengming said quickly, a hopeful smile on his face. "If you do, the hospital would like to purchase it. Our research indicates that the most likely cause of Chief Yu’s complete recovery is that very ginseng wine. We’ve detected a previously unknown compound in it. We don’t know what it is yet, but it can destroy necrotic cells and stimulate new cell growth. Most importantly, it seems to have the ability to devour abnormal cells."
"Oh?" Mr. Li said, showing the perfect amount of surprise. "So, you’re saying it’s all thanks to this ginseng wine that my wife’s condition was cured?"
"It’s highly likely," Cao Zhengming said hurriedly. "Our current working theory is that the shrapnel was in Chief Yu’s head for so long that it bonded with surrounding blood cells and tissues. It’s very possible that this compound mistook the entire mass for an abnormal growth, devoured it, and then it was expelled from the body through some unknown mechanism. If that’s the case, it would explain why the shrapnel has vanished."
This was the most plausible explanation they had. The hospital had held meetings for several days to discuss the ginseng’s ability to devour abnormal cells, and they had finally reached a unanimous conclusion: the key to Mrs. Li’s recovery was the ginseng in that ginseng wine.
Yet, no ginseng they had ever encountered before had this effect. This was a completely new discovery. No one had ever imagined ginseng could have such a property.
Su Qing remained silent, listening quietly from the side. She was the one who had infused the ginseng for the wine with a bit of her Green Liquid. ’The cell-devouring compound Cao Zhengming is talking about,’ she thought, ’must be the Green Liquid.’
"I never imagined this ginseng could have such a miraculous effect," Mr. Li remarked with feeling. "The two of us just thought drinking a little ginseng wine would be good for our health. We never expected it to turn out to be a happy accident."
Mrs. Li laughed as well. "Isn’t that the truth? I thought I’d be stuck with this condition for the rest of my life. I never dreamed it would be cured in my old age."
"My sincerest congratulations, Chief Yu," Cao Zhengming said with a broad smile, before asking again, "I just don’t suppose... there’s any more of that ginseng left?"
The medicinal properties of the ginseng that had already been steeped in wine were now all infused into the alcohol. What they wanted most was the raw ginseng, before it had been used. If they could extract that compound, it could lead to a major medical breakthrough. So many illnesses might be curable with it.
What a blessing that would be for countless patients!
"There was only that one stalk of ginseng," Mr. Li said, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Then, Chief, where did you get it?" Cao Zhengming grew anxious. "Chief, to be perfectly honest, our hospital is desperate to obtain a stalk of this ginseng before it’s been steeped in wine. This compound within it could potentially lead to the development of new medicines. If we could successfully develop a drug, countless patients might get the chance to be cured. So..."
Cao Zhengming gave an embarrassed smile. "That’s why I rushed over with Director Kang today. I hope you can forgive our abruptness, Chief."
Mr. Li had been planning to say he’d gotten the ginseng years ago from a Daoist he’d encountered and had simply stored it away. That would place the event far in the past, during the chaotic years of the war, making it impossible to find the person now. After all, decades had passed; it was doubtful the man was even still alive. It’s hard enough finding a real person from that long ago, let alone a fictional Daoist.
But before Mr. Li could speak, Su Qing interjected, "I found that ginseng in the mountains. There was only the one stalk, and we’ve already used it to make wine."
Hearing this, Mr. Li shot Su Qing a subtle glance. ’This girl,’ he thought, ’what is she doing? Didn’t we agree that I would handle this?’