"Dr. Lin!" Fang Wenwen interrupted her. "This is a secret recipe, it's very valuable. Don't just tell anyone."
Lin Zijun: "..."
"You make me sound like some random person. I'm Teacher Lin's student."
Fang Wenwen started arguing with him without even opening her eyes. "Students can only learn skills, not secret recipes!"
"You..."
"Alright, alright, no fighting," Lin Zhilan said, feeling exhausted. She turned to Lin Zijun, "Let me ask you, what are the effects of Centella asiatica?"
Lin Zijun scratched his head. "Centella is cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste. It can clear heat and detoxify, and also..."
His shoulders slumped. "I forgot."
"If you forgot, go memorize it."
"Yes, Teacher."
Lin Zijun made a face at Fang Wenwen and walked out.
Fang Wenwen opened her eyes, meeting Lin Zhilan's breathtakingly beautiful face.
She gulped. "Dr. Lin, do you hate me too?"
"Hmm?" Lin Zhilan filled in the spots she had missed with the ointment, asking in confusion, "Why would you think that?"
Fang Wenwen blinked. "I know the things I say can be pretty annoying..."
Lin Zhilan couldn't help but laugh. "Well, at least you're self-aware."
Despite her words, Fang Wenwen didn't sense any hostility. Instead, she sounded like a tolerant older sister, teasing her with a bit of affection.
Fang Wenwen's imagination ran wild, and her smile was so wide that even the ointment couldn't hide it. "I'm serious, you can't just casually tell people your secret recipes."
Accepting her good intentions, Lin Zhilan patiently explained, "The effects of these herbs are all in the books. Anyone who has studied them knows they are good for the skin. The ratio is what's most important. If Lin Zijun could figure that out on his own, I'd truly be impressed."
Traditional Chinese Medicine was currently in decline. The knowledge in Lin Zhilan's head was a gold mine, it just wasn't the right time to show it off.
Besides, her primary job was treating patients, not manufacturing medicine.
Fang Wenwen realized she had made another blunder and felt a bit gloomy.
Lin Zhilan looked at her watch. "The longer you leave this ointment on, the better. We're about to get off work. Do you want to wash it off now, or go back just like this?"
Fang Wenwen only thought about it for a second. "I'll go back like this!"
Before leaving, Fang Wenwen asked how much the ointment cost.
Lin Zhilan smiled. "The ointment isn't for sale. It's your payment for helping me tutor the kids."
Fang Wenwen felt like she was taking advantage of her. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then I'll help them with their homework every day from now on."
The fish had taken the bait. Lin Zhilan nodded in silent agreement.
...
Du Hongmei came home humming a song. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a giant green face sitting on the sofa.
She jumped in fright, almost throwing the things in her hands.
"Mom, it's me."
Hearing her daughter's voice, Du Hongmei patted her chest. Taking a closer look, she immediately grew anxious again. "Oh, my ancestors, what on earth did you put on your face this time? It's all green and gross, you scared me to death!"
"This is an ointment prescribed by Dr. Lin to treat my acne." Fang Wenwen tilted her face up, not daring to make any big expressions for fear of ruining the ointment.
"Dr. Lin? That Dr. Lin from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department?" Du Hongmei's voice rose. "Why did you go to her again? She's so young, what kind of medical skills could she possibly have?"
She put down the things in her hands and went to pull her daughter. "Go wash it off right now! Do you hear me? Can you just randomly smear medicine on your face? If something goes wrong, your face will be completely ruined!"
Fang Wenwen dodged her mother's hand. "Mom, I'm not washing it off. This medicine is really different. It feels cool when applied, and my acne doesn't even hurt anymore. Dr. Lin said the longer I leave it on, the better the effect."
"You believe whatever she says?" Du Hongmei tried to grab her again.
This time, Fang Wenwen didn't dodge, but her feet were rooted to the spot, unmoving. "Mom, just let me try it. My face is already like this anyway, how much worse could it get?"
Seeing her stubbornness, Du Hongmei's temper flared, and she spoke without thinking. "You're not going to listen, right? Fine! When your face rots, leaves scars, and you turn into an ugly pockmarked monster, we'll see if I ever care about you again!"
Hearing her own mother say such things, Fang Wenwen's eyes instantly turned red.
She shook off her mother's hand, didn't say a word, turned around, ran into her room, and locked the door.
The scolding outside continued. Fang Wenwen tried desperately to hold back her tears.
She couldn't cry!
If she cried, the tears would wash away the ointment.
Fang Wenwen didn't even eat dinner that day, eventually falling asleep while staring at the ceiling.
In her dream, her face was covered in red patches oozing pus, and people around her were pointing and whispering.
Fang Wenwen ran back to find her mother crying, but Du Hongmei called her an ugly monster and said she wasn't her daughter.
Fang Wenwen was startled awake by the nightmare. She snapped her eyes open, only to realize that it was already dawn.
She walked out of her room. Du Hongmei was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, not even glancing at her. It was obvious she was still angry about yesterday.
Feeling a bit dejected, Fang Wenwen walked into the bathroom to wash up.
She wiped the ointment off her face and then washed it with cold water.
Raising her head, Fang Wenwen froze for a few seconds before screaming at the mirror:
"How is my face healed?!"
Du Hongmei hurriedly ran over, cupping her face to look closely.
Actually, it wasn't completely healed.
The acne was still there, but the red patches had disappeared. The broken, pus-oozing spots had formed thin scabs, and it didn't look disgusting at all anymore.
Compared to her face yesterday, it was so much better!
"It really is better," Du Hongmei murmured.
Fang Wenwen excitedly looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, as if meeting herself for the first time.
Du Hongmei pinched her daughter's face and examined it carefully, also taken aback.
"This Dr. Lin really knows her stuff."
"Of course," Fang Wenwen couldn't bear to tear her eyes away from the mirror. "I told you Dr. Lin is amazing."
Left speechless, Du Hongmei could only ask her daughter, "How much was that ointment? Just buy more and cure it all at once."
Fang Wenwen pouted. "Dr. Lin didn't even charge me, but I did help her kids with their homework."
"Wait here."
Du Hongmei rummaged through the cabinets and drawers. Malted milk extract, fruit candies, pastries... she filled a whole table.
"Doesn't Dr. Lin have kids? Take all these things over and cater to what they like. I'm counting on her to fix your face."
"Mom, what are you doing?" Fang Wenwen said in displeasure. "Dr. Lin isn't that kind of person."
Dr. Lin and her two kids dressed well; at a glance, one could tell their family was well-off and didn't lack food or drink.
Moreover, Fang Wenwen was just a student fresh out of school, and she felt a bit resistant to the idea of giving gifts.
It just felt like some sort of underhanded tactic.
"You're so foolish!" Du Hongmei glared at her. "Never mind what kind of person she is, you just need to show the right attitude. Even if she doesn't accept it, she'll still be happy."
Fang Wenwen curled her lips, firmly rejecting this kind of material bribery.
She casually took a few bites of her breakfast and got ready to leave. "Mom, I'm heading to the hospital."
Du Hongmei chased after her. "You haven't taken the things yet!"
"I won't take it," Fang Wenwen's voice called out from the staircase. "I know how to repay Dr. Lin!"
