Because Qin Jiang had mentioned reporting drugs when he called the police, two of the six officers who arrived were narcotics detectives.
They opened the takeout container and found what looked like a perfectly normal hot pot inside.
Officer Lao Xing frowned immediately.
“Young man, you said there were drugs in this bag. Where are they?”
Before Qin Jiang could answer, the middle-aged man started shouting.
“I told you, I run a legitimate business! How could I possibly be involved with drugs?”
“You’ve got the wrong person, let me go now!”
Qin Jiang couldn’t help but glance at Lao Xing.
Were these officers really this unprofessional?
He took out the disposable chopsticks from the bag, used them to pick out a specific seedpod, and held it in front of the middle-aged man.
“Tell me, what is this?”
The middle-aged man’s face changed color, and he stammered, “It’s… it’s a Chinese prickly ash fruit. We use this spice when stir-frying the hot pot base. What’s the problem?”
As soon as the man finished speaking, the narcotics officers standing nearby immediately understood.
“That’s not a Chinese prickly ash fruit; that’s a poppy pod!”
Earlier, when they heard Qin Jiang’s report about drugs, they had instinctively assumed it was either powder or pills, and hadn’t considered poppies at all.
But now that Qin Jiang had specifically picked out the poppy pod, they recognized it instantly.
The middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly in denial.
“No, it’s not! This is a Chinese prickly ash fruit. I bought it at the market.”
Qin Jiang smiled slightly.
“Is there any point in still lying at this stage?”
“I’m a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and they are narcotics officers. Do you really think we can’t tell the difference between a Chinese prickly ash fruit and a poppy pod?”
Qin Jiang pointed to the top of the seedpod.
“To tell if it’s a Chinese prickly ash fruit or a poppy pod, you just need to look at the head.”
“If the head is round with no protrusions, it’s a Chinese prickly ash fruit.”
“But if the head has a crown with serrated edges, it’s a poppy pod. That’s the biggest difference.”
Hearing this, the narcotics officers nodded in agreement.
While this method of distinction was somewhat basic, it was indeed effective for quick identification.
Viewers in the live stream showered Qin Jiang with praise.
“This is why Brother Qin is the best! A professional really is different, explaining it so clearly and simply!”
“This boss was truly showing off his slight skill in front of an expert. Could he really not know that poppy pods are also used in TCM? With Dr. Qin’s medical expertise, how could he not recognize a medicinal ingredient?”
“Whoa, seriously? Poppy pods are used in Chinese medicine? Is TCM that incredible?”
“Bro, if you check the ‘Compendium of Materia Medica,’ you’ll find that everything under the sun can be a Chinese medicine ingredient, including your sweat, your feces, and even menstrual pads.”
With the evidence conclusive, the criminal police officers handcuffed the middle-aged man on the spot. They planned to take him back to his restaurant for a surprise inspection to see if there were any more poppy pods in stock.
Before leaving, Lao Xing looked at Qin Jiang and said with satisfaction, “Thank you for your contribution to drug enforcement in our country. Goodbye.”
After saying this, Lao Xing left with the group of officers.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Qin Jiang returned to his clinic.
He glanced at the stunned Liu Jinhai and said calmly, “Now do you understand why you felt compelled to go to that hot pot restaurant every day?”
Liu Jinhai swallowed hard.
“Dr. Qin, are you saying that boss put poppy pods in the hot pot base?”
“Correct.”
“Precisely because this additive was included, it made you feel intensely addicted. You felt uncomfortable all over if you didn’t eat it for a day, and even going upstairs lost its appeal.”
Liu Jinhai, scratching an itch, agreed, “Yes, yes! I was wondering why, if I went a while without eating that hot pot, I felt like ants were crawling all over my body. So the problem really was with that restaurant!”
Old Mrs. Liu became frantic with worry.
“Dr. Qin, my son has been eating there every day! Could he be addicted now?”
“That damned man! How could he do such an unscrupulous, evil thing!”
Everyone knows how difficult it is to quit drug addiction, so the others present looked at Liu Jinhai with deep sympathy, fearing his life might be ruined.
Qin Jiang quickly clarified, “It’s not that exaggerated. These were just untreated poppy pods. While they do have addictive properties, they aren’t as terrifying as you might think.”
“Besides, I have medicine for it right here.”
Qin Jiang took out ten pre-prepared “Golden Bull Detoxification Pills” and placed them in Liu Jinhai’s hand.
“Take one pill daily. Don’t take more or less. After ten days, you’ll be fine.”
Liu Jinhai eagerly swallowed one pill right away.
Sure enough!
Just after taking one Golden Bull Detoxification Pill, Liu Jinhai felt the itching all over his body subside, and his whole spirit felt refreshed.
“This medicine really works!”
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Liu immediately pressed her palms together respectfully and apologized to Qin Jiang.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Qin. I actually doubted you earlier. My old eyes are failing, and I’m not useful anymore. Please, Dr. Qin, don’t take it to heart.”
“Dr. Qin, I’ll kneel to thank you.”
As Old Mrs. Liu began to kneel down, Qin Jiang hurried forward to support her.
“Madam, this is absolutely unnecessary. Healing the sick and saving lives is my duty. I do not deserve such a gesture from you.”
Witnessing this scene, the live stream viewers were deeply moved.
“Grandma Liu looks like she’s almost seventy, right? At her age, she’s still so worried about her son. It’s really touching.”
“No matter who you are in the eyes of others, in the eyes of your parents, you will always be a child.”
“Actually, you can understand the old lady’s feelings. If her son had really gotten hooked on that stuff, his life would probably be ruined. Qin Jiang essentially saved his life; kneeling seems almost appropriate.”
“Dr. Qin is truly a good person. Aside from being blunt and straightforward, he doesn’t really have any other flaws.”
Liu Yan, looking at the live stream data, was suddenly surprised.
In just this short period, the viewership had exploded once again, skyrocketing to 450,000 concurrent viewers!
Viewership is different from follower count.
Many big streamers with millions of followers don’t have concurrent viewer numbers as astonishing as Qin Jiang’s.
Liu Yan couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Qin Jiang.
Could it be that Qin Jiang possesses some unique charm that’s making everyone so interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Just as Qin Jiang saw the Liu family out, a panicked woman’s voice came from the clinic entrance.
“Second Brother, is this the place?”
“Yes, this is it. I heard the doctor at this clinic, Dr. Qin, is very skilled. He’ll definitely be able to cure Xiao Ao’s illness.”
Qin Jiang knew immediately that patients had arrived.
But when he got a clear look at the group entering from outside, he got a fright.
Two men and a woman were carrying a child into the clinic.
The child was dressed in official robes from a bygone era, wearing an official’s hat, with a yellow paper talisman pasted on its forehead.
Qin Jiang was utterly bewildered.
What is this? A Xiangxi Corpse Drive?
