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

There's not much work to do in the steel rolling mill; it's just wiping down the machines, sharpening the tools, and tightening the screws—just a way to "warm up."

Liu Dong was extremely busy: documents were piled up like mountains, and he had to read them one after another.

There was a New Year's greeting from the factory director, an official document from higher authorities, and one particularly eye-catching notice—

The selection process for this year's "Outstanding Individuals" and "Outstanding Managers" has officially begun!

The whole factory was immediately in an uproar.

Why?

Because as long as you hang these two signs, you'll immediately get three free bicycle tickets!

—That's a rare item; you can't even get it with food coupons!

At 10 a.m., Liu Dong had just finished reading the last notice and slumped into his chair, intending to doze off for a couple of minutes, when Yu Liansheng's phone rang: "Quick! Factory Director Yang wants to see you! It's extremely urgent!"

Liu Dong jumped up and went straight to the third floor.

Pushing open the door, I saw two people already sitting inside.

One was a cadre from the city, and the other was Tian Xiuhua.

The moment she saw Liu Dong, she broke into a smile, as sweet as freshly made honey.

The senior leader also stood up, beaming, and said, "Little Liu, we meet again!"

Liu Dong's heart skipped a beat—

Well, people came here specifically for the "miracle doctor," they've come knocking on his door.

Why not wait until the clinic opens?

I'm in a hurry. "Director Yang and that guy upstairs used to be old partners, scooping rice from the same pot."

The person above him was Yang Hongbing's immediate superior, a senior colleague who had worked under him for several years.

The senior official has come to your door in person, shouldn't you hurry up and make things easier?

"Ouch—" Liu Dong quickly stood up straight, grinned, and said, "Hello, Miss Tian! Hello, Factory Director Yang!"

"Hmm." Factory Director Yang raised his hand and nodded, his voice quite amiable. "Xiao Liu, there are no outsiders here, don't be so formal. This is my former squad leader, just call him 'Big Boss'!"

"Hey—hello, big boss!" Liu Dong immediately changed his address, his voice becoming three points brighter.

Factory Director Yang then patted him on the shoulder: "I don't need to say much, you already know what's going on—the big boss asked me to call you here, saying you know traditional Chinese medicine and can treat Xiao Tian. But I have to warn you first: this matter can't be taken lightly! Whether you can handle it or not, you decide for yourself, don't force yourself!"

He dared not confidently assert that Liu Dongzhen could cure diseases, nor did he dare to pour cold water on his hopes—what if he really could?

You can only hint at something with your words, and subtly suggest it from the sidelines!

"You guys chat, I'm going out for a walk!"

After saying that, Director Yang turned around and left, locking the door shut with a "click".

There were only three people left in the room: Liu Dong, the big boss, and Tian Xiuhua.

The high-ranking leader adjusted his glasses, his tone heavy: "Little Liu, this child's illness has dragged on for almost ten years... I'm going to risk my reputation today—if you can truly cure her, I'll give you my life and my loyalty!"

"You're too kind!" Liu Dong waved his hand. "I can cure Tian Xiuhua's illness. You can choose one of the three options."

"First, surgery—you need to find a top-tier hospital and a top-notch operating room. Craniotomy is high-risk and has a slow recovery."

"Second, take medicine—use traditional Chinese medicine to slowly recuperate. However, you need to find a few old mountain products that are old enough and of good quality. They are not easy to find on the market. If you can gather them all, take two courses of treatment and you'll be fine."

"Third," he held up three fingers, "acupuncture—the fastest way to see results, it can be done today. It's just... the process is a bit painful, it really hurts, you have to grit your teeth and bear it."

"All three methods have the same effect and can cure the problem completely. The decision is yours!"

The high-ranking leader turned to look at his daughter.

Tian Xiuhua shook her head: "I won't use a knife... it's too scary. Take your medicine."

"Okay!" Liu Dong took out a pen and quickly wrote down the names of several herbs. "I can't get these myself, so I'll have to trouble you to make the trip."

The top leader glanced down at the bill and his brow furrowed: "Wow... that price is enough to buy half a room!"

He paused, then sighed, "Fine, acupuncture it is!"

Liu Dong nodded and made another list: silver needles, alcohol swabs, clean towels, two basins of charcoal fire...

The factory does have a clinic, but it's been empty for a while—no one is on duty. However, the room, equipment, and even the small cubicle inside used for IV drips are all still there, and you can open it with a key.

The three of them carried their belongings into the infirmary.

Push open the door—

Stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, sterilizer—it has everything.

Pulling open the cubicle door, you'll find a medical bed inside, the white sheets are clean, and the IV stand still has hooks hanging from it.

"Big boss, I'll take the things—please go back to the factory director's office and rest for a while!" Liu Dong moved all the things into the cubicle.

"Huh? I'm leaving now?"

"Yes, please step aside for a moment." Liu Dong smiled. "It'll be over in an hour at most. With you here, she won't be able to relax, and neither will I."

"...Okay." The big boss didn't ask any more questions, just gave his daughter a deep look, and turned to leave.

"Snapped!"

Once the door is closed, the outside world is completely cut off.

Liu Dong casually drew all the curtains closed, and the room instantly became warm and quiet.

"Is the temperature alright?" He pointed to two burning charcoal braziers on the ground.

"It's not cold...it's quite warm." Tian Xiuhua clutched the hem of her clothes, her ears turning red, her voice soft.

"Alright!" Liu Dong clapped his hands. "Take off all your clothes, lie down on the bed, flat on your back, relax!"

"Huh?!" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't panic!" he hurriedly explained, "You need to insert thirty-six needles into your head and seventy-two into your body—if you move around and the needles are misaligned, crooked, or inserted too deeply or too shallowly, no one can bear the responsibility."

She bit her lip and pondered for two minutes before slowly lying down.

A blush spread from her neck all the way to the base of her ears.

Liu Dong glanced at it only once, then immediately lowered his head to organize his needle case, no longer looking around.

He shook out several red ribbons from the cloth bag; they were about the width of a palm and soft.

"What is this?" She covered her chest with one hand and clutched a corner of the ribbon with the other, her face turning even redder.

"For pulse diagnosis," he answered readily.

"A pressure point?" She blinked, her voice as soft as a cat's scratch.

...Liu Dong's Adam's apple bobbed as he thought to himself: Sis, I'm so easily put on guard when she uses technical terms right now!

"Yes, pressure point." He held out his hand. "Give me your hand."

"What are you doing?"

"I'll tie you up," he said frankly. "I'm afraid you'll flinch and twist in pain, and if I shake my hand, the needle will be ruined."

"Oh..." She obediently stretched out her hand.

Before long, four red ribbons were firmly tied to the bed railing. She lay on her back with her limbs slightly outstretched, like a flower just blooming on a branch in early spring.

Next, it's time for the acupuncture.

……

An hour later, Liu Dong brought Tian Xiuhua back to the factory director's office.

She kept her head down, her cheeks still flushed, and walked more briskly than when she came, her back straighter.

"That's... all done?" The big boss was sipping his tea and almost choked.

"Okay, all done." Liu Dong plopped down and gulped down a large mouthful of water.

"Dad!" Tian Xiuhua suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling. "My mind is clear! That buzzing, heavy, foggy feeling... is gone!"

"Is that amazing?" Factory Director Yang forgot to put down his teacup.

It's only been a few minutes? Not even half a cup of tea has cooled down!

Liu Dong smiled but didn't reply.

For a good ten seconds, no one made a sound.