A Touching Story from Beijing’s Epidemic Days

Yesterday evening, I was out running errands on my e-bike, speeding along as usual, when a fellow on the street called out to me at the top of his lungs. It turned out he couldn’t manage to parallel-park his car.

In the biting wind, the man sat in what was clearly a brand-new commercial van, leaning out the window with the most earnest expression, asking if I could guide him in from behind. After a round of vigorous hand signals—”full lock left, full lock right”—I successfully talked him into the spot. Then, something unexpected happened.

“Bro, let me give you a box of Pudilan oral liquid! I’ve got Lianhua Qingwen too!” he offered enthusiastically.

“No, no need—it was nothing, really nothing~” I waved him off, twisted the throttle, and sped away.

I don’t know what kind of person he is in daily life. Maybe he’s meticulous—he kept anti-epidemic medicine in his car, after all. Maybe someone in his family had just tested positive, and he’d scrounged up these remedies from who-knows-where and was rushing home, only to be stymied by a parking spot. Or maybe he’d already recovered and had leftover medicine. Every Chinese person knows how precious these drugs were back then—he didn’t hoard them for later, didn’t try to sell them at a markup, but instead offered them as a gesture of gratitude. That tells you his sincerity was genuine.

Whatever the case, the world may be cold at times, but good people still outnumber the bad.

Inspired by that stranger’s kindness, I decided to share a herbal prescription for the early stage of a COVID infection, when fever first appears:

Raw Ephedra (生麻黄) 9g   White Peony Root (白芍) 12g   Honey-Fried Licorice (炙甘草) 9g   Scutellaria (黄芩) 9g   Poria (茯苓) 9g

Clear Pinellia (清半夏) 9g   Bupleurum (柴胡) 18g   Fresh Ginger (生姜) 10g   Platycodon (桔梗) 10g   Codonopsis (党参) 10g

Stir-Fried Atractylodes (炒白术) 9g   Jujube (大枣) 10g   Cinnamon Twig (桂枝) 10g   Kudzu Root (葛根) 15g   Apricot Seed (杏仁) 10g

Instructions: The above is one day’s dose. Have the herbs prepared in advance. As soon as you notice your temperature rising, add 2L of water and decoct over high heat for 40 minutes. Divide into two portions. Drink the first portion, then check your temperature after three hours. If it hasn’t dropped significantly, drink the second portion. Once your temperature returns to below 37.5°C, no further doses are needed.

After taking this formula, drink plenty of hot water—no less than 500ml, no more than 1500ml. Avoid wind and cold; you should sweat all over. This formula is not suitable for persistent low-grade fever.

After the fever breaks, conditions vary widely. Most people gradually return to normal, while a minority experience lingering discomfort and should consult a doctor. There is no universal formula for that stage.

Please, everyone—stock your medicine in advance, so you’re not caught scrambling when the time comes.

昨天傍晚，我出门去买东西，正在风驰电掣中突然被街边一位大哥高声叫住，原来他停不进去车。

在刺骨的寒风中，大哥坐在一看就是新买的商务车上，探出头来非常诚恳地希望我帮他看一下车屁股，一顿操作猛如虎，当我用往左打满往右打满的指令成功遥控大哥入位后，意想不到的事情发生了。

“哥们，给你拿盒蒲地蓝口服液吧，连花清瘟也有”大哥非常热情地说道。

“不用不用，举手之劳，举手之劳~”我连忙推脱，右手一拧把儿，绝尘而去。

不知道大哥在日常生活中是个怎样的人，可能很细心，毕竟连车上都放着防疫药品；可能家里有人阳了，刚刚从宇宙某处搞来了药品，正着急回家却又停不进去车；也可能已经阳过了，屯的药没吃完，中国人都知道现在这药的行情，大哥没有留着以后吃，也没有去高价卖掉，反而愿意拿来感谢我，可见是真心实意了。

不管怎么说，人间冷暖知多少，世上还是好人多。

受到大哥的感召，我决定贡献一个治疗阳性初期刚刚发热时要吃的处方：

生麻黄 9g   白芍 12g   炙甘草 9g   黄芩 9g   茯苓 9g

清半夏 9g   柴胡 18g   生姜 10g   桔梗 10g   党参 10g

炒白术 9g   大枣 10g   桂枝 10g   葛根 15g   杏仁 10g

用法：以上为一天的量，应当提前备好，当发现体温升高后立刻放2L水用大火煎煮40分钟，分成两份，先喝一份，过三小时后测量体温，若没有明显下降即把第二份喝下，体温恢复至37.5以下后不用再喝。

此方服用后应大量喝热水，不少于500ml，不多于1500ml，避风寒，全身会出汗。反复低烧不适合服用本方。

退烧后情况多变，大多数人逐渐恢复正常，少部分人群会有这样那样不适的感觉，需要找医生看病，没有通用方。

各位务必提前备药，以免到时抓瞎。