Chapter 101: A Pillow for a Nap Brings a Surprise

Great Tang, Imperial Medical Bureau. Reading novels daily offers a great experience, ttks. tw is awesome.

The scent of medicine lingers.

The Medicine King, Sun Simiao, sat kneeling before the desk, muttering to himself:

"No need for herbs or stones... no need for acupuncture..."

Treating qi ailments in the Great Tang emphasizes quiet rest.

At the slightest wheeze, heavy medicine is used to suppress it.

The more it is treated, the weaker it becomes, until one is bedridden and unable to rise.

"A sick heart needs a heart-medicine to cure it; a weak body needs movement to strengthen it."

Sun Simiao tossed aside the ink-stained waste paper and spread out a fresh sheet of white rattan paper.

He wrote with extreme speed, his characters flying across the page.

"Methods of modern exercise rehabilitation intervention. Use rules and rhythm to guide the qi, use speech to break the demons in the heart."

"Great movement generates yang qi; when the qi mechanism flows smoothly, the illness will vanish on its own."

This is the first record in the history of Great Tang medicine of modern exercise rehabilitation treatment methods.

Taiji Palace, Liangyi Hall.

Li Shimin shouted, "Where is the Minister of War!"

Li Ji stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"Your subject is here!"

"Even the princesses of the Great Tang can defy heaven and change their fate, rushing about under the scorching sun!"

Li Shimin pointed at the track on the Sky Screen, "How can my great army seek comfort and ease!"

"Issue an order to the entire army! Starting tomorrow, every morning, the great armies of each guard must run long distances around the camp for training."

"Set distance rules, follow the method of 'one breath every three steps' from later generations, and train my army's physical fitness."

The last fifty meters.

Xiao Sizi's breathing became extremely heavy, and sweat soaked through the back of her school uniform.

Her thigh muscles ached unbearably.

Every step required immense willpower.

The barbed wire had reached its end.

Lin Xuan had to stop.

He cupped his hands into the shape of a megaphone and shouted loudly at the track:

"Charge, Mingda!"

"You can do it, don't give up, rush past it!"

Xiao Sizi gritted her teeth, squeezing out the last bit of strength from her body.

After crossing the white painted line of the finish line.

Xiao Sizi walked two steps forward with her momentum, placed both hands on her knees, and bent over.

"Hah... hah..."

Fresh air poured into her lungs in great gulps, and her heart beat wildly.

She truly felt every powerful beat of her own heart.

Physical Education Teacher Wang pressed the stopwatch.

He walked over and patted her back.

"Walk a few steps, don't sit down immediately."

"Congratulations, you have passed."

The teacher's tone was filled with praise.

Xiao Ya ran behind, panting as she crossed the finish line.

She sat down directly on the plastic track.

Xiao Sizi walked over, grabbed Xiao Ya's arm, and pulled her up.

"Don't sit." Xiao Sizi's voice still carried the sound of panting.

She turned her head to look at the perimeter of the playground.

Lin Xuan had already gone around the school gate.

He strode across the playground, walking toward her.

Lin Xuan twisted open a bottle of blue electrolyte water and handed it over.

Xiao Sizi took the bottle and took a large gulp.

The lukewarm liquid slid down her throat, replenishing the lost water and salt.

She put down the water bottle and wiped the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand.

"I finished the run." Xiao Sizi curved her eyes.

She smiled brilliantly, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.

"Mm."

Lin Xuan rubbed her hair, which was soaked with sweat.

After accompanying Xiao Sizi to finish her physical education class, Lin Xuan returned to his studio.

After opening the door, a file folder on the floor was very eye-catching.

It seemed that during the gap while he was out, someone had come and slipped it in through the crack under the door.

Opening the kraft paper envelope, inside was a notice for the review of adoption qualifications issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Lin Xuan picked up the document, his gaze sweeping over the bolded lead type in the middle.

"Applicant Lin Xuan, former profession nurse, now switched to freelance work; income flow shows instability."

"Must submit a single large-value business contract with legal validity and proof of tax payment within this month to demonstrate long-term economic foundation for raising a young girl."

Lin Xuan put down the document and rubbed the center of his brow.

He wasn't short of money; the child support Li Shimin had sent earlier was still substantial, and if he lived a normal person's life, it would never be enough to spend in this lifetime.

It's just... this tax proof is very hard to get.

Just then, the wind chime hanging outside the door rang.

The copper bells collided, emitting a crisp sound.

Two men pushed the door open and entered.

The man walking in front was pot-bellied.

He wore a floral shirt and a gold chain one finger thick around his neck.

On his fingers, he wore two huge jade thumb rings.

A local nouveau riche collector, Boss Qian.

Behind him followed a bodyguard in a black suit, carrying a long red sandalwood box in his hand.

"Boss Lin, I heard your eyes can determine age, and your hands can bring back spring."

"Not that magical; I just take on odd jobs and appraise items for pricing."

Lin Xuan walked over, poured a cup of plain boiled water, and pushed it in front of Boss Qian.

Boss Qian didn't even look at the water and waved his hand.

The bodyguard placed the red sandalwood box on the tea table.

He unfastened the copper clasps and lifted the box lid.

A pungent musty smell mixed with the scent of aged paper and ink spread out.

Inside the box lay a scroll of painting, broken and tattered beyond repair.

Lin Xuan immediately put away his emotions, entered work mode, and put on white pure cotton gloves.

With both hands, he lifted out the scroll and laid it flat on the workbench.

This was a painting on silk.

The painting core was damaged extremely severely.

The silk threads were broken, and the surface was covered with mold spots and water stains.

The mineral pigments had peeled off over a large area.

The edges of the painting were blackened and curled.

Lin Xuan bent down.

He brought his nose close to the painting and sniffed.

His fingers gently touched the warp and weft texture of the silk cloth edge.

"This is Tang Dynasty cooked silk, single-thread plain weave, right?"

Boss Qian clapped his hands.

"Boss Lin has excellent eyesight; I spent a huge price to collect this Tang Dynasty fragment."

"Then let's not beat around the bush; let's get straight to the point."

"I want you to remount it, replace the backing paper behind it, and re-mount and retouch the colors."

"One week; I give you one week."

"If you fix it, I will give you a restoration fee of five hundred thousand."

Hearing this, Lin Xuan's eyelid twitched.

Wasn't this like getting a pillow the moment he started feeling sleepy?

A single contract for five hundred thousand, plus proof of tax payment.

Enough to pass the Civil Affairs Bureau's audit threshold for stable high income.

"Ahem... then what are the conditions?"

In the antiques trade, high returns always come with high risks.

"A smart person; Boss Lin looks young, but already has the demeanor of an old master; I knew I didn't come to the wrong place."

Speaking thus, Boss Qian took out a folded contract from his inner suit pocket and slapped it onto the table.

"This painting is too brittle; if it gets ruined during repair, or if your skills are poor and cause secondary damage, you must compensate me for the principal amount I paid to buy the painting."

Boss Qian pointed to the breach of contract clause at the bottom of the contract and tapped it.

"Don't blame me for not reminding you; there is a penalty of two million."

Lin Xuan picked up the contract and examined the Tang Dynasty fragment on the workbench again.

Although the image was broken, the pattern of the mold spots was natural.

The degree of silk aging matched the characteristics of oxidation over a thousand years.

Using the ancient method of remounting, steaming with warm water, assisted by wheat paste, peeling off the backing paper is not an incurable disease.

With some mental effort, one week is enough.

He needed this contract too much to exchange for Xiao Sizi's legal custody rights.

After making up his mind, Lin Xuan pulled a fountain pen from the pen holder.

He signed his name at the end of the contract and pressed his fingerprint.

Boss Qian took back his copy of the contract, smiling until the flesh on his cheeks squeezed together.

"In one week, I will bring experts to inspect the goods."

Having spoken, he turned and walked out of the studio, with bodyguards following closely behind.

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