Chapter 674: Come, Drink It

Chapter 674: Chapter 674: Come, Drink It

A girl with a ponytail and a capable air about her looked around and pursed her lips. "It looks a little small, and isn’t it a bit too old? Compared to our university’s affiliated hospital, this place looks like it’s from the last century."

A young man immediately shot back, "Wang Yue, you just don’t get it, do you? It’s obvious you didn’t do your homework. The City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is using the old campus of the City First People’s Hospital, so of course it’s old. But that’s called heritage, it’s called having an antique charm. Don’t you think an environment like this gives off that profound sense of history unique to traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Hmph!" Wang Yue rolled her eyes. "Li Lin, you’ve really got a silver tongue. You could talk the dead back to life."

Li Lin chuckled slyly and puckered his lips. "Of course. My lips are super sweet. Want a taste?"

"Get lost! The bottom of my foot is sweet too, wanna taste it?" Wang Yue feigned a kick at him.

"Hahahaha..."

The other young people around them were amused by the pair’s banter and started whooping and cheering.

These students, fresh out of their ivory towers, were freely unleashing the excitement and energy that came with their new arrival.

Just then, a more mature-looking young man stepped forward. He was Guo Weilin, the intern group’s temporary leader.

"Alright, alright, stop messing around. Let’s be professional."

Guo Weilin clapped his hands. "Let’s go check in first. Professor Xue, who’s leading our group, has a last-minute meeting and won’t be here for another two hours. He told us to go to the administration office and get our paperwork done first."

Everyone nodded and toned it down a bit.

As they walked, Wang Yue nudged Li Lin with her elbow and said teasingly, "Hey, Li Lin, you spent the whole ride here bragging about how you know Senior Li Xu, that you two are thick as thieves. Well, we’re here now, so it’s your time to shine. It’s going to be pretty awkward if we run into Senior Li and he has no idea who you are."

The others all looked at Li Lin, their eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

Li Lin immediately puffed out his chest, a defiant look on his face. "Of course we are! I know Senior Li Xu really well. Back in school, we used to play basketball together all the time. We haven’t seen each other as much since he graduated a couple of years ago, but just last month, I went to his clinic to ask for his advice on something. He even praised me for being a quick study."

"For real?"

Wang Yue looked skeptical.

"Believe it or not. You’ll see when we run into him."

Li Lin guiltily touched his nose. In reality, they had only met a few times on the basketball court and exchanged a few words.

Guo Weilin cut them off. "Alright, that’s enough from both of you. Getting to intern at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is an extremely rare opportunity for all of us. I heard people were fighting tooth and nail to get in this year, and only the twelve of us were selected. Everyone needs to make the most of it."

"Once we’re inside, you all need to be more humble and respectful. Professor Xue specifically told us that the doctors here are all highly skilled—it’s a place of hidden masters. There are even experts from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the Capital City stationed here. So, you can fool around out here, but once you’re inside, you have to be on your best behavior. Don’t embarrass our university."

"Okay, we got it, Group Leader."

Everyone readily agreed.

After all, the reputation of an expert from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital was quite intimidating.

Guo Weilin led everyone toward the outpatient lobby.

The moment they stepped into the lobby, a rich and unique aroma of traditional Chinese medicine washed over them.

It was different from the usual smell of disinfectant in a hospital, carrying instead the fragrance of herbs and a hint of a roasted aroma.

"It smells so good. Are they decocting herbs?"

They were especially sensitive to this kind of smell, and also found it the most familiar and comforting.

The pharmacy was just a short distance away.

"Come on, let’s go check it out!"

A few of the more curious boys immediately ignored their orders, following the scent and heading toward the pharmacy.

"Hey, don’t wander off."

Guo Weilin shouted, but he couldn’t stop them. He could only watch helplessly as his team members went over to "tour" the area.

"Move, move! Get out of the way!"

Just as they reached the pharmacy entrance, they saw several young doctors in white coats burst out with panicked expressions. They scurried away as if a ghost were hot on their heels, moving so fast they didn’t even have time to say hello.

The group of new interns was completely baffled, looking at each other in confusion.

"What’s going on? Did the pharmacy blow up?"

Immediately after, an old man came running out of the pharmacy.

The old man was holding a steaming porcelain bowl, looking left and right with a dissatisfied expression. "Hey? Where did everyone go? Where are those little rascals from just now? How did they all disappear in the blink of an eye?"

The group of interns was also sizing up the old man.

They saw that although he wore a white coat, its buttons were undone, revealing a faded old shirt underneath. On his feet was a pair of cloth shoes.

He looked unkempt, but his eyes were bright and piercing.

A single thought arose in everyone’s mind: ’Could this... could he be one of those legendary, unassuming old masters?’

Everyone immediately put on respectful expressions and straightened their postures.

Li Lin, wanting to make a good impression, took a step forward and greeted him very politely, "Hello, Sir. We’re the new interns. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The old man was none other than Gao Yuan, the newly appointed honorary consultant.

In the pharmacy, he wasn’t just a figurehead going through the motions.

Since he had agreed to the position,

he intended to do some real work.

Gao Yuan looked Li Lin up and down and asked, "Who are you?"

Li Lin immediately puffed out his chest and introduced himself. "I’m Li Lin, a graduate student from the affiliated medical school and an intern who just started today."

Gao Yuan nodded. "Oh, a graduate student. That means you understand a bit of medical theory. I see. Here, drink this."

As he spoke, he held out the steaming bowl to Li Lin.

"Huh?"

Li Lin froze, staring at the murky black decoction in the bowl, unable to process what was happening.

Gao Yuan frowned and urged him, "I told you to drink it, so drink it. What’s with all the nonsense? Aren’t interns here to learn? This is a tradition in Chinese medicine. Come on, drink it."

"Oh..."

Li Lin dazedly took the medicinal bowl from Gao Yuan’s hands.

He looked back at his classmates, who all looked equally bewildered.

Guo Weilin braced himself and asked, "Sir, may I ask... what kind of medicine is in there?"

Gao Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t ask so many questions. Hurry up, its effects will diminish if it gets cold. Drink it first, we can talk later."

Li Lin pressed his lips together. Staring into the old man’s gaze, which brooked no argument, he thought, ’We’re in a hospital, and he’s a senior doctor. It’s not like he’s trying to poison me, right? Maybe it’s some kind of welcome gift, or a health tonic?’

And so, he steeled himself, closed his eyes, raised the bowl, and in one go, GULP GULP, drank it all down.

The concoction went down his throat, bitter and astringent, with an indescribable, strange flavor that burned.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

After he finished, Li Lin grimaced and handed the empty bowl back.

Gao Yuan took the bowl and nodded in satisfaction. "Mm, not bad. This young man is straightforward."

Then, his gaze swept over the group behind him, who were all watching with wide, expectant eyes.