The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

Hearing Qiao Xinxin enter, he looked up, took off his reading glasses, pointed to the chair opposite him, and said, "You're here? Have a seat. How much of the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' I gave you yesterday have you read?"

Qiao Xinxin sat down properly in the chair, unzipped the canvas bag, and carefully took out the book and placed it on the table: "I've read part of it, there are probably... over a hundred kinds."

Lin Zhengping paused slightly as he poured water, his eyebrows raised high, clearly incredulous: "Over a hundred kinds? You only used one night yesterday?"

When he looked at her like that, Qiao Xinxin pursed her lips shyly, her fingers twisting together nervously, and explained in a soft voice, "Um... Teacher Lin, actually I have a pretty good memory, I can basically remember it after reading it once, so I read it a little faster."

Lin Zhengping took the book with some skepticism, flipped through it casually, then closed it and set it aside. He opened a drawer, took out a stack of papers filled with the names of medicines, pulled out a few sheets, and held them in his hand, his tone serious and scrutinizing: "Studying medicine can't be about speed; if you can't remember them accurately, it'll cause big problems. I won't test you on all of them; I'll randomly pick thirty. If you can name them, describe their basic properties, and their meridian tropism, you'll pass."

Qiao Xinxin took a deep breath, sat up straight, and looked at him intently with her clear almond-shaped eyes, waiting for him to give her a question.

Lin Zhengping flipped open the first sheet of paper, glanced at it casually, and pointed to a line: "The first ingredient is Coptis chinensis. What are its properties and effects?"

Qiao Xinxin answered without hesitation, her voice clear and crisp like pearls falling onto a plate: "Coptis chinensis is cold in nature and bitter in taste, and it enters the heart, spleen, stomach, liver, gallbladder, and large intestine meridians. Its main functions are to clear heat and dry dampness, purge fire and detoxify."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Zhengping's eyes. He nodded, moved his pen down, and pointed to the second line: "The second ingredient, Bupleurum chinense?"

Bupleurum, slightly cold in nature and bitter in taste, enters the liver and gallbladder meridians. Its functions are to harmonize the exterior and interior, soothe the liver and promote yang.

Lin Zhengping lightly tapped the paper with his pen, signifying his complete approval. Without pausing, he spoke faster and faster, pointing to several more slightly obscure medicinal herbs.

Qiao Xinxin sat there, her posture slender and upright, without the slightest hesitation or stumble. She could accurately name each ingredient, its properties, meridians, and main effects, and even casually mention some easily confused contraindications.

Lin Zhengping asked questions all the way up to the thirtieth one in a row. After she answered the last question perfectly, the office fell into a brief silence.

Lin Zhengping took off his reading glasses, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and astonishment, and asked, "You told me yesterday that you really had no formal medical training before?"

Qiao Xinxin shook her head honestly: "No. The reason I know a little is because when I was a child, my elders were barefoot doctors, and I learned about some mountain herbs from them. But systematically memorizing the properties and meridians of each herb like this is something I only started yesterday after I got the book."

Lin Zhengping looked deeply at Qiao Xinxin, let out a long breath, and sighed, "In my life, I've only seen cases like yours in two or three students. Without exception, all of them later became top figures in our military region's medical system. They could also have photographic memories, but like you, it's a gift from God, a talent they had from childhood. While training can improve memory, very few can reach your level of perfect accuracy."

He paused, his eyes growing increasingly fervent and pleased, and continued, "At your current terrifying pace, you'll soon have a complete grasp of the fundamentals. What others need six months or even a year to memorize, you can probably go through in one or two months, and memorize it to the core!"

Qiao Xinxin blushed slightly at the praise and nodded earnestly, assuring him, "Don't worry, I'll make the most of my time to read it."

"No, don't rush it, and don't push yourself too hard." Lin Zhengping waved his hand with a smile. "You're already ahead of most people. You still need to rest when you need to. Health is the foundation of everything."

As he spoke, he took out two more handwritten booklets from the bottom of the drawer and handed them over as if they were precious treasures: "If you keep up your current pace, in about six months you will be able to independently compose some simple external application formulas. As for more complex internal formulas, that will depend on your future practical experience. Take these two books back and study them step by step."

Qiao Xinxin felt reassured, took the booklet with both hands, thanked it as if it were a precious treasure, and then turned and walked out.

When she stepped out of the small building housing the military medical department, the sun had already broken through the clouds, drying most of the dampness on the bluestone pavement. Standing on the steps, she took a deep breath of the earthy air and felt that the road ahead was gradually becoming clearer.

In the evening, before the bathhouse opened, she went to help out at her family's restaurant.

Bai's mother was busy behind the stove. Seeing that Bai's eyes and brows were full of smiles, indicating she was in a good mood, she asked while stirring the vegetables in the pan, "How did it go with what you learned from Minister Lin today? You're grinning from ear to ear, are you having a good time?"

Qiao Xinxin leaned over to help hand over the plates, her voice soft and cheerful as she said, "Everything's great! Teacher Lin praised me for learning quickly and even gave me two of his treasured new books to read when I got home."

Hearing this, Bai's mother was also pleased. She wiped her hands with her apron, came out from behind the stove, and looked at her with loving eyes: "That's good. You've always been clever, child. You must study hard and not let Minister Lin down."

At 7 p.m., Qiao Xinxin arrived at the bathhouse on time.

As usual, she skillfully lit the stove in the corner of the room, watching the bright red flames leap up. Once the room gradually warmed up, she took off her somewhat heavy coat and hung it on the iron nails on the wall. Afterward, she sat on the wooden chair behind the window, took out the two new booklets Lin Zhengping had given her that day from her cloth bag, and opened them, spreading them out on the table.

There weren't many people at the bathhouse tonight; only a few people were queuing at the entrance. She was looking at the pharmacology booklet while skillfully collecting tickets and issuing wooden tags, managing to do both without any delay.

About half an hour later, the people queuing at the entrance gradually dispersed, and only the occasional footsteps could be heard outside the bathhouse, and the surroundings became quiet.

Just then, a series of steady and powerful footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a tall and upright figure who blocked the moonlight streaming in through the window and walked in.