Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

"Alright!" Liu Dong nodded. "Leave it to me!"

He pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Viktor. The two looked at each other and smiled.

Victor extended his hand, saying, "The miracle doctor is indeed young and promising!"

Liu Dong didn't reply, only saying, "Give me your hand."

He took her pulse and released her in less than three seconds.

"Mr. Victor," Liu Dong began, "I have some bad news for you."

Viktor grinned. "I know."

"You may not know everything." Liu Dong raised an eyebrow. "First, the tremor in your hand is Parkinson's disease, but it's just starting. A few doses of medicine and a few acupuncture treatments can bring it back down."

Viktor's eyes lit up immediately: "Amazing!"

Liu Dong continued, "Secondly, you fought in a war before you were twenty, right? Your lungs were injured by an explosion. You received a simple bandage and went to the front lines—the area under your right lung is now half blocked by fibrosis. You don't feel anything now, but if it's left untreated for three years, you'll be unable to breathe until your last day."

Viktor froze, his pupils shrinking sharply: "You...how could you..."

Even the way they address each other has changed, jumping directly from "miracle doctor" to "you" (formal).

Liu Dong nodded: "The lung meridian is damaged too deeply; ordinary methods can't save it. Acupuncture and massage won't work, and surgery won't work either."

"Then... what else can we do?"

"I'll prepare some medicinal wine for you," Liu Dong said decisively. "In a month, I guarantee you'll come back as a lively, energetic young man."

"Please come in!" He gestured towards the inner room.

"Oh, oh!" Without saying a word, Viktor quickly slipped into the IV room, "click," lay down on the hospital bed, put his hands on his stomach, and behaved as obediently as a kindergarten child.

Liu Dong turned around and went out to get the needle.

Ding Qiunan sidled up to her, lowering her voice: "Hey, are you reliable? I heard from Aunt Wang across the hall that last time you diagnosed someone with liver cancer, but the patient turned out to have gastritis; and another time you predicted lung cancer, but the scans came back normal!"

Liu Dong glanced at her sideways: "Why don't you do it?"

Ding Qiunan's face flushed red instantly: "I'm not doubting you! This is a foreign guest! If your hand slips even slightly, our factory will be on the front page!"

"I know what I'm doing." Liu Dong held out his hand. "Light the alcohol lamp."

"So what exactly happened that Aunt Wang was talking about?"

"Two false alarms," ​​he shrugged. "This time, it will definitely not be a misdiagnosis."

"Pfft—" Ding Qiunan almost fainted. "You can make a mistake when treating a patient?!"

She opened her mouth to try and persuade him, but when she looked up, Liu Dong had already slipped into the inner room. She quickly followed, and as soon as she lifted the curtain, she saw:

Silver needles fly, golden needles flash, so fast that only afterimages remain!

A dozen needles, like rain, were hammered into Viktor's head, neck, and back, densely packed like a hedgehog.

Want to call a halt? Too late.

Ding Qiunan covered her mouth, shook her head and sighed, "Never mind... I accept my fate."

Three minutes passed, and the last needle fell steadily.

"Alright!" Liu Dong clapped his hands. "Dr. Ding, please keep a close eye on him—make sure Mr. Victor doesn't bump his head, and don't let him move around too much!"

At this moment, Viktor's head was covered in a shimmering silver light, making him look like he was wearing a metal dandelion.

Ding Qiunan could only squat by the side with a bitter face and keep watch.

Half an hour later, Liu Dong came in to start the acupuncture.

As soon as the needle was removed, Viktor sat up with a start, shook his hand, and then raised his arm to try again—

My hands aren't shaking anymore!

No need to prepare your hand anymore!

Take a deep breath, filling your chest to the brim!

"I...I'm really all better?!" He jumped up and down, excitedly hugging Liu Dong tightly. "My dear friend! You saved my life before I even got your full name!!"

Liu Dong frowned at the strong smell of stubble and slowly pushed him away: "My name is Liu Dong, you can just call me Dr. Liu from now on."

"Dr. Liu! Dr. Liu!" Victor called out repeatedly, excitedly pulling a thick stack of blue-green banknotes from his pocket—printed with an unfamiliar image of a king. "This is a small token of my appreciation! Please accept it!"

Liu Dong was taken aback, but the high-ranking leader immediately interjected, "Brother Viktor, no, no, no! We are brotherly countries, how can we charge for medical treatment?!"

"It's not for medical expenses!" Victor exclaimed urgently, "It's a tip! Where I'm from, you have to give a tip for a big favor! Dr. Liu, please don't refuse!"

The senior leader had no choice but to stuff the money back into Liu Dong's hand, explaining in a low voice, "It's Western etiquette, keep it, otherwise we'll look stingy."

"Alright!" Liu Dong weighed it in his hand and casually stuffed it into his pocket. "Mr. Victor!" Liu Dong called out to him, "Your hand tremors are under control, but that old wound in your lungs isn't completely cleared yet—I'll make you a jar of medicinal wine; just come pick it up around this time next week!"

"Thanks……"

Viktor bowed deeply and turned to leave.

"Wow, you're quite capable for your small frame!" Ding Qiunan's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but praise him.

Liu Dong waved his hand: "Oh, it was just a lucky guess, pure blind luck! By the way, Xiao Ding, from now on you're in charge of the infirmary—headaches, fevers, cuts, diarrhea, you're in charge of everything; if you encounter any tough cases like shortness of breath or persistent high fever, call me immediately!"

Two hours later—

Liu Dong sat on the long, worn-out bench in the factory's conference room.

A group of people surrounded him, looking at him as if he were a rare sight: Director Yang Hongbing, Deputy Director Li, and Secretary Luo were all there.

With a clatter, he spread a whole stack of bright green banknotes on the table.

"Have you counted them?" Factory Director Yang rubbed his hands together, his voice hoarse with anxiety. "How many are there in total?"

"They're all 100-yuan bills, twenty in total, two thousand yuan," Liu Dong answered crisply.

"However—" he paused, then grinned, "this isn't US dollars."

He had actually seen US dollars. Back then, he carried hundreds of thousands of US dollars and personally flew to the United States to exchange them for gold, his arms aching from carrying the suitcase so much.

But these people in front of me have never even touched what a US dollar looks like.

"Then what is this?" Secretary Luo leaned closer to take a look.

"I'm clueless too!" Liu Dong shrugged. "I just remember the foreigner's name was Viktor, and judging from his accent, he was probably Norwegian, so I guess it was Norwegian kroner. I just don't know how much a kroner is worth now."

"I'll call the Foreign Exchange Commission Office right away!" Secretary Luo jumped up.

Ten minutes later, he burst through the door, his face flushed: "Factory Manager! It's done! It really is foreign exchange! The exchange rate is almost nine to one with the US dollar! The higher-ups said that these two thousand crowns will be converted into 220 US dollars and credited to our account! Hahaha, Old Yang, our factory's first foreign exchange payment has arrived!"

"Really?"

Everyone was so excited they almost jumped for joy.

"Liu Dong—" Factory Director Yang put his arm around his shoulder, "We're really counting on you this time! You secured over two hundred dollars in foreign exchange in one go, that's equivalent to three months of our hard work!"

"etc!"

Yang Hongbing suddenly sat up straight, casually gathered the stack of crowns into his hand, and smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits: "Little Liu, to be honest, this stuff is just a piece of waste paper in your hands—we have to take it back."