There’s a saying: "Nine out of ten men have hemorrhoids."

Men have a high probability of developing hemorrhoids.

But there’s another saying: "Ten out of ten women have hemorrhoids." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Due to their physiology, as well as pregnancy and childbirth, women are even more prone to them.

Lin Xiaoyu spent her days sitting in an office and loved staying up late, placing her in a high-risk group for hemorrhoids.

"I went to the hospital before, and the doctor said my case was pretty serious and required surgery. But the thought of going to the hospital, for *that* area... it’s just so embarrassing and awful. I’ve been putting it off ever since..."

Lin Xiaoyu was beside herself with worry.

Yang Qing helped Lin Xiaoyu out of the restroom and back to the dining table.

Seeing Lin Xiaoyu in so much pain, Yang Tian was also at a loss for what to do.

"Xiao Yu, don’t worry. Go see Dr. Li Xu tomorrow. He might have a solution."

Yang Qing comforted her.

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu was still uncertain.

She knew about Li Xu’s medical skills and that he had cured many difficult and complicated cases.

’But these are hemorrhoids, and I’m at the point where I need surgery. Can Chinese medicine really help?’

...

「A new day.」

Li Xu opened his eyes. The weather was nice today.

The snow from a while ago had completely melted.

The ground was dry as well.

He habitually checked his daily intelligence.

[Today’s Intelligence: Next to Sun Villa in the suburbs, there is a ditch piled high with a large quantity of eggplant stalks. The roots of most of these stalks are highly effective for treating frostbite...]

Li Xu’s interest was piqued.

’Eggplant root?’

It was a medicinal ingredient that was somewhat familiar, yet not commonly used in daily practice.

Eggplant root is the dried rhizome of the eggplant plant, a member of the nightshade family.

Every year from September to October, when the eggplant plants wither, their rhizomes are harvested and dried to be used as medicine.

In many places, it was regarded as an underrated folk remedy.

Records of eggplant root were also not uncommon in ancient texts.

The *Kai Bao Bencao* clearly stated that eggplant root "primarily treats frostbite; boiling it into a soup for soaking is beneficial."

This highlighted the remarkable efficacy of eggplant root in treating frostbite.

Through warm soaks, it could promote local blood circulation, reduce swelling, and alleviate pain, thereby treating and relieving the symptoms of frostbite.

The *Compendium of Materia Medica* recorded its use to "disperse blood and reduce swelling, and to treat bloody urination, bloody stools, and toothaches."

Besides treating frostbite, eggplant root also played a role in invigorating blood circulation to remove stasis, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. It could even be used to treat certain bleeding disorders and toothaches.

Based on past experience, the intelligence provided by the system was never useless.

Since it mentioned eggplant root today and specifically pointed out its effectiveness against frostbite, he would definitely have a use for it in the coming days.

There weren’t many patients lately, so it was a good time to make a trip to Sun Villa.

After breakfast, Li Xu headed to the clinic.

Song Sisi also arrived, carrying steamed buns.

"Sisi, I’m going out to collect some medicinal herbs today," Li Xu said. "You hold down the fort at the clinic. If there’s an emergency or a particularly unusual patient, give me a call."

Song Sisi nodded and gave a playful salute. "Don’t worry, I’ve got the clinic covered."

Li Xu smiled, gave her a few more instructions, and left in a taxi.

...

Sun Villa was located in the suburbs of Feng City, about a half-hour drive away.

Upon arrival, Li Xu got out of the car.

Just as the intelligence had said, he saw a ditch piled high with a massive amount of plant stalks.

This ditch was likely used for irrigation and drainage, but at the moment, dense plant stalks clogged more than half of the waterway.

Most of the stalks were a withered, brownish-yellow color. They were thick and tough, still bearing traces of soil.

Li Xu recognized them at a glance—they were eggplant stalks.

Fortunately, it was winter and there was little water in the ditch. Otherwise, such a large pile of stalks would have caused a serious blockage.

Even so, the sight was rather appalling and had a considerable impact on the environment.

Li Xu walked to the edge of the ditch.

He carefully observed the eggplant stalks.

The roots of most of them were relatively intact, making them perfect for harvesting as medicinal ingredients.

However, although these eggplant stalks looked like they had been casually discarded, Li Xu couldn’t be sure. ’What if they belong to someone?’

He didn’t want to be extorted.

He decided to first ask around to see if anyone knew where the stalks came from. He would only start harvesting after confirming they were either unowned or after contacting the owner.

Li Xu climbed up from the ditch and happened to see a man harvesting Chinese cabbage in a nearby field.

Li Xu walked over and asked, "Hello, sir. I was just wondering, were these eggplant stalks in the ditch deliberately piled here? Are they still wanted?"

The man was stunned for a moment when he heard Li Xu’s question, then he sized him up carefully.

He suddenly became agitated. "Well now, young man, are you from the Environmental Protection Bureau? I’ve been waiting for you guys! I’ve reported this so many times, but you never come to deal with it. Look at this ditch! It’s almost completely clogged with this trash."

The man pointed at the mountain of eggplant stalks in the ditch, his face filled with anger.

’A misunderstanding?’

Li Xu quickly explained, "Sir, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not from the Environmental Protection Bureau. I’m a Chinese medicine doctor. I was just passing by and saw all these eggplant stalks, so I thought I might collect some."

Hearing this, the man’s hope instantly turned to disappointment.

"Ah, so you’re not from the Bureau... I really thought someone had finally come to deal with this shameless business."

The man began to complain bitterly. "These eggplant stalks were all thrown here by that unscrupulous scoundrel from our village, Sun Weiguang."

The man pointed to an empty plot of land not far away and said indignantly, "His land is right over there. Every year after harvesting his eggplants, he just dumps all this stuff directly into the ditch. He has no sense of public decency at all."

"Just look at this pile. It’s blocked more than half of the waterway."

Li Xu didn’t quite understand. In winter, the waterway was dry, so there was no risk of flooding. Even if it was blocked, it didn’t seem like something to get so angry about.

’Could it be that this man is just a passionate environmentalist?’

He voiced his confusion.

The man said angrily, "How is it not my business? It’s winter break now, and a lot of the village kids are running around setting fires everywhere. There are so many dried stalks piled up here. If I weren’t here watching it every day, those little brats would have set it all on fire by now."

"Oh..."

Li Xu understood.

’So that’s why.’

When he was a child in the countryside, he also loved to set fires everywhere in the winter.

The dry grass in the ditches was a favorite target.

One spark could burn a huge patch.

The man’s cabbage patch was right next to it. If the eggplant stalks caught fire, it would likely burn down his Chinese cabbage.

"I went to find Sun Weiguang and told him to get rid of this stuff. But what did he do? Not only did he refuse, he cursed me out for being nosy. I got so mad I reported him to the Environmental Protection Bureau. But they’re no better. Every time they say they’ll come handle it, but to this day, not a single person has shown up."

Just as he was speaking,

a green SUV suddenly drove over from a distance. The words "Environmental Protection" were printed on its side, and a light was flashing on its roof.

"Hey, isn’t that a vehicle from the Environmental Protection Bureau?"

The man’s eyes lit up, his face filled with pleasant surprise. "They... they’re finally here?"

...

PS: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.