Rebirth 1979: Hunting wild boars and saving educated youth

At this time, a faint medicinal fragrance filled the pharmacy.

Sunlight streamed through the half-open windows onto the neatly arranged rows of medicine cabinets.

Chen Feng stood in a backlit corner, his eyes fixed on his apprentice Xiao Li.

Today, the pharmacy is extremely busy, with patients coming in one after another, and Xiao Li is busy preparing medicine...

There was a hint of anxiety on everyone's face.

He noticed that Xiao Li took out a medicine from the medicine drawer and was about to add it to the prescription he was preparing.

It was a small packet of asarum, and based on Chen Feng's many years of experience in dealing with herbs, this medicine and another medicinal ingredient in the prescription - Veratrum - must not be used together.

His heart suddenly tightened, and without hesitation, he hurried forward and said, "Master Li, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to put Asarum and Veratrum together."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li paused what he was doing, frowned, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes. "Hey, where are you from? Do you know anything about this? Although we're just a Chinese medicine shop, we're also a legitimate state-owned enterprise. We have our own rules for dispensing medicine. You can't just interrupt me!"

As he spoke, he did not stop what he was doing, and it was obvious that he did not take Chen Feng's words seriously.

Seeing this, Chen Feng was anxious but remained patient. He slowly explained, "Master Li, don't misunderstand me. I'm just reminding you..."

"Asarum is warm in nature and can dispel cold and relieve pain, while Veratrum is cold in nature and can induce vomiting of wind and phlegm. According to ancient records and later research, using the two together can easily lead to a conflict of medicinal properties, which may not only affect the efficacy of the drugs but also be harmful to the patient."

"This is mentioned in the Compendium of Materia Medica and later medical books. Although it may not have received widespread attention now, it is indeed an issue that needs attention."

After hearing this, Xiao Li's disdain grew even stronger. "Humph, what about the Compendium of Materia Medica? Do you think you're the reincarnation of Hua Tuo? We dispense medicine every day, so what problems have ever occurred? Stop messing around here!"

The patients' attention was also attracted by the movement here, and they all cast curious glances.

One of the old men, holding a medical record book, frowned slightly, and seemed to be interested in what Chen Feng said.

Just then, Director Kong came over after hearing the noise. He was wearing a white coat and had a serious expression. He walked up to the two of them in a few steps.

"What's going on?" Director Kong's eyes swept back and forth between the two of them.

As soon as Xiao Li saw Director Kong, he immediately put on an aggrieved expression: "Director Kong, this person is so weird. He said we made a mistake in dispensing the medicine. This is outrageous!"

Seeing this, Chen Feng didn't wait for Xiao Li to finish speaking before briefly stating his concerns about the medicinal properties, and pointed out the potential risks of using asarum and Veratrum together.

After hearing this, Director Kong frowned. He pondered for a moment, then turned around and pulled out a yellowed medical book from the bookshelf. After quickly flipping through a few pages, his expression became solemn.

"Chen Feng is right. Asarum and Veratrum should not be used together. This is an issue that the Chinese medicine community has gradually paid attention to in recent years. Although our pharmacy has not yet made explicit regulations, there are indeed risks. Xiao Li, you were too careless this time and almost made a big mistake!" Director Kong's tone was stern, but fair.

Xiao Li's face turned red and white, and he finally lowered his head and apologized quietly: "I'm sorry, Director Kong, I was too impulsive. I will be more careful next time."

Director Kong nodded, then turned to Chen Feng, his tone filled with gratitude: "Chen Feng, thanks to your timely discovery, otherwise it could have been a serious problem. Your knowledge of herbal medicine is indeed profound. Have you studied Chinese medicine before?"

Chen Feng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Director Kong, you're too kind. How could I possibly know anything about Chinese medicine? I just read a few books before, and I happened to see this so I just wanted to remind you. We're all doing this for the patient's own good, so it's only natural."

Seeing that the situation had calmed down, the patients around also cast approving glances.

The old man nodded and praised: "Young man, good job! We seek medical treatment to get peace of mind."

Director Kong glanced at Chen Feng meaningfully, and without saying anything more, he just waved to call two apprentices to assist him.

Director Kong personally took over the matsutake mushrooms brought by Chen Feng and began to weigh them carefully.

Each of those matsutake mushrooms was plump and thick, exuding a natural aroma, and one could tell at a glance that they were carefully selected. Chen Feng did not bring some of the small and scattered matsutake mushrooms with him, but left them at home for his mother to cook.

As the weight moved, the number gradually stabilized - 38 jin 2 liang.

The protagonist readily decided to calculate it as 38 kilograms.

Director Kong took out an abacus, clattered a few times, and quickly came up with the answer: "The total is 133 yuan." As he said that, he counted out a neat stack of banknotes from the drawer and handed it to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng took the money and was overjoyed.

He didn't expect that the matsutake mushrooms he had collected with great effort could be sold at such a good price, even more than the income from selling tiger skins before.

He secretly sighed that as long as people are willing to put in the effort, there are indeed treasures everywhere in the mountains.

Director Kong saw Chen Feng's happy face and asked, "Chen Feng, you are a good young man. Are you interested in working for me? I will offer you a salary of 100 yuan a month. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng quickly shook his head and smiled, "Director Kong, I appreciate your kindness. Although I have some knowledge of herbal medicine, I wouldn't dare treat patients casually."

He is not in the mood to come to the hospital to get a salary of 100 yuan.

These 100 yuan are far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

Now he only wants to make more money and let his family live a good life, instead of working in a certain unit. He won't do it even if it means working for the country.

After hearing this, Director Kong laughed and stopped insisting.

He patted Chen Feng's shoulder and said with some regret: "Then I won't force you. If you need any help in the future, just come to me."

Chen Feng returned home with more than 100 yuan in his pocket.

As soon as he got home, he gave all the money to his mother Chen Yufen.

Chen Yufen looked at the stack of banknotes in her hand, as if she couldn't believe it was real.

These days, it’s not easy to earn that much money, and many families can’t save that much in a whole year.

"Feng'er, this... this money is what you earned from selling those matsutake mushrooms?" Chen Yufen's voice trembled slightly. She was both surprised and nervous. "You won't say we are rich peasants and then...?"

Chen Feng quickly comforted his mother, "Don't worry, Mom. I earned this money honestly by selling matsutake mushrooms to a state-owned enterprise. It's already 1979, and the country is brewing reforms. Better days are coming. As long as we work hard, our lives will naturally get better and better."

After hearing what her son said, Chen Yufen's doubts gradually dissipated.

He has little education, so he can only trust his son in this matter.

She held the money tightly, her eyes moist.

Yes, as long as the family works together, nothing is impossible.