Chapter 20 - Does Covering Yourself with a Blanket Require Expertise?
Chapter 20: Does Covering Yourself with a Blanket Require Expertise?
Wang Jieqiong had recently graduated and decided to stay in the city where she attended university in search of job opportunities rather than returning to her underdeveloped hometown. However, in a society where recent college graduates faced challenging job prospects, finding a decent job was extremely difficult.
Before graduating from college, Wang Jieqiong wondered who would accept a job that paid less than 10,000 RMB per month. But after graduating, she found herself considering job offers of 5,000 RMB per month, which included meals and accommodation. It was a stark reality that most fresh graduates’ actual take-home salaries were less than 3,000 RMB per month, even lower than what skilled laborers earned on construction sites.
Wang Jieqiong attended interviews at various companies, and the internship pay was often no better than the city’s minimum wage. As a full-time employee, she only received a base salary of 3,000 RMB. Unsatisfied with her income, she continued her job search, but her lack of connections and experience made it challenging to secure higher-paying positions. Just being accepted was considered fortunate.
As she watched her savings dwindle and realized she could no longer afford her rent, she panicked. She even contemplated returning to the previous companies that had offered her positions, only to discover that they had already filled those roles. This left Wang Jieqiong in a state of distress. The stress led to frequent bouts of insomnia. She struggled to fall asleep and would often wake up from nightmares, with her sleep deprivation becoming a serious issue.
Fortunately, she had a supportive roommate who constantly encouraged her. It was this friend, Li Xuejing, who finally persuaded Wang Jieqiong to try traditional Chinese medicine to address her insomnia.
“Doctor, I’ve been experiencing frequent insomnia,” Wang Jieqiong said as she sat on a small stool, her dark circles under her eyes making her appear as if she had panda eyes. “Oh, wait, should I address you as ‘Doctor’ instead?” She corrected herself.
“It’s just a title,” Lu Ming waved his hand, then turned to look at Li Xuejing, who was behind Wang Jieqiong, holding a stand with a mobile phone attached for live streaming.
“What’s this?” Faced with Lu Ming’s curiosity, Li Xuejing explained, “This? I’m live-streaming. I didn’t capture your face, so it should be fine.”
Li Xuejing was a streamer with over 30,000 followers, and her live streams typically had four to five hundred viewers, giving her a modest level of fame. Due to her career as a livestreamer, Li Xuejing had a monthly income of tens of thousands of yuan, which allowed her to provide some financial support to Wang Jieqiong.
“Oh, it’s alright. You can show your face,” Lu Ming responded without much objection. As long as Li Xuejing wasn’t harming anyone’s reputation, Lu Ming welcomed her filming as an opportunity to promote traditional Chinese medicine to her viewers.
Upon hearing this, Li Xuejing was excited. She could finally reveal her face without worry. That sounded much more convenient. She wouldn’t have to constantly fret about adjusting the camera angle.
In the live stream chat at that moment:
“This Chinese herbalist looks quite young, don’t you think? Seems like he’s in his early twenties.”
“Is he dependable? Could he be an apprentice or something?”
“In Chinese herbal medicine, you typically consult experienced mentors. Young practitioners without experience can be questionable.”
“Indeed, with all the scams in Chinese herbal medicine these days, this young doctor doesn’t inspire confidence.”
Many of Li Xuejing’s followers had doubts about Lu Ming.
Li Xuejing noticed the comments in the chat but chose not to respond. Instead, she changed the live stream title to: “Taking on Chinese Medicine Diagnosis – Could It Go Wrong?”
Chinese medicine has been a subject of significant debate in recent years. Due to the unethical practices of some “fraudulent Chinese medicine practitioners,” traditional Chinese medicine had gradually lost trust among the general public. Furthermore, there was pressure from financial interests, as many traditional Chinese remedies were cost-effective and could substitute for some expensive Western medications. For the sake of profit, some entities aimed to tarnish the reputation of Chinese medicine.
As a result, the provocative title of this livestream was quite captivating and drew many viewers. The number of people in the live stream quickly approached one thousand!
Li Xuejing was pleased with the turnout, hoping to gain several hundred more followers after this livestream.
Meanwhile, Lu Ming started to assess Wang Jieqiong’s physical condition. He had already noticed her unhealthy complexion, indicating her overall health was likely poor. However, he hadn’t anticipated her condition to be this severe. Her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all showed issues, and her gastrointestinal function was also subpar.
Furthermore, there was a particularly concerning issue: the potential for Wang Jieqiong to lose her eyesight.
Lu Ming decided to proceed methodically. He asked, “Do you sleep without a blanket at night?”
“Do you sleep on your side? Do you place the blanket between your legs?”
Upon hearing these questions, Wang Jieqiong was momentarily surprised because Lu Ming had hit the mark with his observations!
It was summertime, and she slept with the air conditioning on at night. She liked to sleep with the blanket between her legs and didn’t prefer covering herself with it.
“How did you know?” Wang Jieqiong had initially looked down on Lu Ming due to his young age, but now she had put that aside.
There was no way Lu Ming could have installed surveillance in her room, right? He had accurately described her sleeping habits just by taking her pulse. This was truly incredible!
In the Livestream chat:
“Wow, is this guy diagnosing or predicting the future? How could he know this?”
“This young doctor is quite impressive!”
“I admit, I doubted him a bit too loudly earlier!”
With confirmation, Lu Ming continued, “The first step to improving sleep quality is to start by covering yourself with a blanket.”
Wang Jieqiong was surprised. “Covering with a blanket?”
“You can’t sleep well without covering yourself?” Lu Ming shook his head.
“People with good sleep quality can fall asleep whether they cover themselves. But for those with poor sleep quality, learning to use a blanket can enhance it.”
Wang Jieqiong hastily asked, “So, how should I use the blanket when sleeping?” Li Xuejing, who was nearby, also listened attentively because she had been experiencing some insomnia lately and didn’t like covering herself with a blanket.
“First, you should consider the weight of the blanket,” Lu Ming explained. “In the winter, it’s best to choose a blanket that weighs around 7 kilograms.”
“In the summer, if you’re not using air conditioning, a blanket weighing around 3 kilograms should suffice. If you’re using air conditioning, you can still choose one weighing around 7 kilograms,” Lu Ming continued. “Heavier blankets can increase the secretion of melatonin during sleep.”
“Melatonin promotes sleep, regulates immune function, and has anti-aging properties. Many people who have insufficient melatonin secretion may experience insomnia and may even need to supplement it from external sources.”
Wang Jieqiong was taken aback. She had no idea that using a blanket could involve so much science!