Free Web NovelChapter 417: Chapter 417: Clearing Upper Wind Soup
"Clearing Upper Wind Soup?"
Sun Qing had never heard of this formula, of course, but that didn’t stop her curiosity.
Li Xu explained in detail, "In the formula, certain herbs work to ’expel wind.’ They can drive the wind-heat and dampness out from the surface of your skin, like opening up a detoxification channel for your body.
Forsythia Suspensa and Huang Qin are for ’clearing heat and detoxifying.’ They specifically target the inflammation of the red, swollen acne on your face, quickly reducing swelling and pain.
Fresh Rehmannia Glutinosa can ’cool the blood,’ clearing the ’fire toxin’ from your body and reducing the formation of acne at its source.
Raw gypsum is for ’clearing lung heat.’ In Chinese medicine, we believe ’the lungs govern the skin and hair.’ Once the heat in your lung meridian is cleared, the acne on your forehead will naturally decrease.
And licorice serves to harmonize all the other herbs, making the entire formula neither too cooling nor too warming. Its nature is balanced, so it will be more comfortable for you to drink."
As Li Xu spoke, he entered the prescription into the computer, printed it out, and handed it to Song Sisi, telling her to go fill it.
"One dose a day, taken in two parts, morning and night. Drink it warm half an hour after your meals.
Also, you must be very strict with your diet during this time. Don’t touch anything spicy, sweet, or greasy. No iced drinks or barbecue, either. Drink plenty of warm water every day, and be in bed before ten p.m. No more staying up late."
Sun Qing nodded repeatedly as she listened to Li Xu’s instructions.
Song Sisi finished preparing the herbs and handed them to her.
"Sisi, I have to go to work soon. Could you brew this afternoon’s dose for me?"
"No problem."
The clinic offered a decoction service for patients anyway, and she was a good friend on top of that.
Song Sisi expertly started brewing the medicine for her.
Half an hour later, the medicine was ready.
The decoction was dark brown and had the characteristic bitter scent of herbal medicine.
But when Sun Qing took a sip, she found it wasn’t so bitter that it was impossible to swallow.
Though bitter, it had a faintly sweet aftertaste.
She drank the first bowl of medicine, then left with the remaining packets of herbs, full of hope. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
For the next few days, Sun Qing strictly followed Li Xu’s orders, taking her medicine on time, watching her diet, and trying her best to adjust her sleep schedule.
After drinking the medicine each time, she would rinse her mouth with water to get rid of the lingering bitterness.
However, for the first three days, the acne on Sun Qing’s face remained the same—still red and swollen. A few new, small pimples even popped up.
She grew a little anxious and made a special trip to the clinic to ask Li Xu if the medicine wasn’t working.
"Don’t you always talk about getting immediate results? Why haven’t I seen any effect after several days?"
Seeing her anxious expression, Li Xu smiled and comforted her, "Don’t worry. ’Immediate results’ refers to the symptoms. The medicine I prescribed for you targets your body’s constitution. This is a form of TCM conditioning, and it takes time. It’s like fighting a war—the medicine first needs to ’marshal its troops’ inside your body. Once it gradually ’forces out’ the ’enemy,’ which is the heat and dampness, the acne will naturally subside. Just keep drinking it. You’ll see results."
Sure enough, Li Xu was right.
By the fifth day of drinking the medicine, Sun Qing noticed that the red, swollen acne on her cheeks didn’t seem as hard anymore. It felt soft to the touch, not painful like before.
The large pimples on her chin began to "deflate," and the whiteheads slowly surfaced. After she squeezed them, a bit of clear, watery fluid would come out.
After squeezing them, she followed Li Xu’s instructions and applied a bit of the anti-inflammatory ointment he had given her. It was a yellow paste that Li Xu said he had formulated himself. Applying it directly to the broken skin would reduce inflammation and pain, helping it heal faster.
The most noticeable change was that her face, which used to be puffy in the morning, was now significantly less red and swollen when she woke up. Even the dark circles she’d always had seemed to have faded. She felt like the "fire" in her body was going down.
By the tenth day, Sun Qing looked in the mirror and was thrilled to see that the large, red, swollen pimples on her face had mostly disappeared, leaving only some dark acne marks.
Her skin felt much smoother, too. The dense clusters of closed comedones were almost all flat, and her pores even seemed a little smaller.
「Two more days passed.」
Sun Qing looked at her foundation-free face in the mirror. Although there were still acne marks, her skin was no longer red or swollen. Her complexion looked much clearer overall.
She even felt that her eyes had become a little brighter. She no longer kept her gaze lowered with a hint of timidity as she used to.
The next morning, for the first time in ages, Sun Qing didn’t immediately reach for her foundation and concealer after getting out of bed.
She simply washed her face and applied a light moisturizing lotion.
Looking at her reflection, she took a deep breath. Though red marks remained on her face, her confidence and composure had returned. This was no longer the "ruined face" that had made her feel so ashamed and insecure.
She put on a beautiful dress she hadn’t worn in a long time, applied some light makeup, and breezed out the door.
When she arrived at the office and pushed open the door, she felt as if the very air had become fresher.
She smiled and greeted the colleagues she met.
The first person to notice the change was Xiao Li, who sat across from her.
Xiao Li was a gossipy but kind-hearted young woman. When Sun Qing’s acne had flared up last month, Xiao Li was always giving her various secret acne remedies.
"Qingqing!"
Xiao Li suddenly cried out, shot up from her seat, and strode over to Sun Qing’s desk to examine her face closely. "Oh my god, you... How did your face suddenly get so much better?"
Her tone was filled with disbelief, as if she were witnessing a miracle.
A warmth spread through Sun Qing’s heart.
Although she felt a bit embarrassed being stared at so openly by Xiao Li, she felt an even greater sense of joy from the recognition.
She smiled, pressing her lips together. "Much better, right? I’ve been seeing that TCM doctor, you know."
Xiao Li circled Sun Qing excitedly. "Much better? This is a total transformation! Where did all those big red pimples go? Wow, your skin is so smooth now! Even though there are still some marks, it’s not red or swollen at all. Quick, tell me, what kind of miracle method did you use? Which TCM clinic is it? I want to go too!"
Xiao Li’s rapid-fire questions drew the attention of other colleagues in the office.
Soon, a few colleagues she was on good terms with gathered around as well.
"Yeah, Qingqing, the change is huge."
"I thought you were just wearing some amazing concealer today. I can’t believe it’s real."
"I saw you wearing a mask every day and thought you had a cold. It turns out it was because..."
A colleague who was usually a bit of a gossip trailed off, but as she looked at Sun Qing’s face, she couldn’t help but show an expression of amazement.
The praise and curiosity from her colleagues made Sun Qing feel an unprecedented sense of relief and joy.
All her previous anxiety and low self-esteem vanished in that moment.
She could finally hold her head high with confidence, no longer worrying about strange looks from others.
She even proactively took out her phone and took a group photo with a few of her female colleagues.
That would have been unimaginable just a month ago.
Back then, she only dared to take photos using beauty filters, smoothing her skin to the point of being unrecognizable.
