Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 574: Chapter 574: The Match

Advertise at the beer festival?

Li Xu listened and couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "President Ding, that’s a brilliant move. This is ’pain point marketing.’ What are drinkers most afraid of? Isn’t it making a fool of themselves or feeling awful when they get drunk? We’re going to show them the effects of the antidote directly. Who could possibly resist that?"

"That’s for sure."

Ding Kaifang said smugly, "And what’s more, I’ve already signed you up. We’ll enter as a ’duo,’ with the boss leading the charge. The effect will definitely be better. So, Doctor Li, what do you say? Dare to take a trip to Qingdao?"

Li Xu thought for a moment, then smiled and agreed. "Sure. We get to promote the product and have some fun at the beer festival. Why not? I’ve always heard how lively the Qingdao Beer Festival is but never had the chance to go. This is the perfect opportunity to make up for it."

The two were on the same page instantly and agreed to leave the day after tomorrow.

...

Back at the clinic, Li Xu told Song Sisi the news about going to Qingdao.

When Song Sisi heard they were going to Qingdao, and to the beer festival no less, she was so happy she nearly jumped for joy. "That’s great! Beer, barbecue... I want to go! I want to go!"

Then, she eagerly shared the news with her best friend, Lin Xiaoyu.

"What? The Qingdao Beer Festival?"

On the other end of the line, Lin Xiaoyu’s shriek nearly burst Song Sisi’s eardrum. "AHHHH, I want to go too! I heard it’s crawling with handsome guys, and the nightlife is insane."

"But... I just used up my annual leave..."

Lin Xiaoyu hesitated.

But after wrestling with it for just three seconds, she made her decision. "Screw it. Worst case, I’ll take personal leave and get my pay docked. How could I miss out on this kind of fun? I’m buying my ticket right now. See you in Qingdao!"

...

「Time flew by, and soon it was the day of their departure.」

Li Xu, Song Sisi, plus Ding Kaifang and Lin Xiaoyu—the group of four—flew into Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport.

As soon as they got off the plane, they could feel the unique mix of warmth and cool air characteristic of the coastal city.

The air itself seemed to be filled with the faint aroma of malt.

This year’s Qingdao International Beer Festival was once again held at the famous Golden Sand Beach Beer City.

Located in the West Coast New Area, this beer city is the largest beer-themed plaza in Asia.

Its history dates back to 1991. Having been around for over thirty years, it has become one of the most brilliant calling cards for the city of Qingdao.

Every year in July and August, this place transforms into an ocean of joy that lasts for a whole month.

When the group arrived at Golden Sand Beach Beer City by car, it wasn’t yet the peak evening hours, but the scene before them was already stunning enough.

A giant "Cheers" sculpture stood in the center of the plaza, and rows of colorful beer tents stretched on endlessly, like a series of castles.

Beer brands from all over the world gathered here: German dark beers, Belgian white beers, American craft brews... And of course, the one thing you couldn’t miss was the authentic, fresh Qingdao unfiltered lager.

In the evening, the setting sun dyed the entire Golden Sand Beach gold.

As night fell and the festive lights came on, the entire beer city instantly came to life.

Multicolored neon lights flickered, and the dynamic music was deafening.

Countless tourists poured in from all directions. The crowd was a surging tide of people, shoulder to shoulder.

Everyone held up huge mugs of draft beer, their faces flushed with excitement as they laughed loudly and drank heartily.

The air was a mixture of cumin from grilled meat, the fresh scent of seafood, and the rich aroma of hops, a fragrance intoxicating in itself.

On stage, a rock band was performing passionately while the audience below waved their arms to the beat. The atmosphere was electric.

"Wow, this is so lively!"

Lin Xiaoyu and Song Sisi were like kids in a candy store, their eyes wide and unable to take everything in.

"You haven’t seen anything yet."

Ding Kaifang had been here a few times before and was already very familiar with the place.

He led the group further inside. "Come on, I’ll take you to the main venue. Our ’main event’ for tonight is there."

Passing through the noisy crowd, they arrived at the main stage area in the central plaza.

It was even more packed with people here, and all eyes were focused on the huge stage.

The big screen was scrolling through the preview for tonight’s competition: "The 33rd Qingdao International Beer Festival Drinking King Championship."

And after the traditional events like "Beer Chugging" and "Big Mug Speed Drinking," there was a new, strangely named event listed—

"The Drunk but Not Down · Extreme Challenge."

Ding Kaifang pointed at the big screen and winked at Li Xu. "Doctor Li, are you ready? Tonight, right here, we’re going to show everyone what a ’miracle hangover cure’ really is."

Li Xu looked at the enthusiastic scene, took a deep breath, and said, "Ready when you are."

...

In the crowd, two guys in sailor-striped shirts with protruding beer bellies were squeezing their way to the registration table.

Wang Yong and Xiao Haoping. These two were local Qingdao drinking veterans.

Every year at the beer festival, they showed up right on time like migratory birds, and they were always keen on entering all sorts of drinking competitions.

Although they’d never won any major prizes, for them, it was all about participating and having fun.

"Hey! Old Xiao, look at that."

Wang Yong’s eyes lit up as he pointed at the new sign for the "Drunk but Not Down Extreme Challenge." "Now this is interesting. It’s not about speed, and it’s not about volume. It’s about who can still stand after they’re done drinking."

Xiao Haoping leaned in to read the rules and slapped his thigh. "Now this is a real test of drinking capacity! Those old competitions were just about who could chug the fastest. Drinking fast doesn’t mean you can hold a lot, and holding a lot doesn’t mean you won’t get drunk. This is great. You drink, then you have to rest for a bit to let the alcohol hit you, and then you have to walk a balance beam. Who would dare try this without some real skill?"

"Let’s go, sign up. We brothers have to show them what we’ve got today."

The two excitedly filled out the forms.

Meanwhile, Ding Kaifang had already made arrangements. Not only did he and Li Xu sign up, but Song Sisi and Lin Xiaoyu—two girls who usually seemed so delicate—were also swept up by the fervent atmosphere and eager to try.

"Let’s sign up too. We have the kudzu root drink, what’s there to be afraid of?"

Lin Xiaoyu urged.

Song Sisi looked at Li Xu. Seeing him nod, she felt a surge of bravado. "Alright, let’s do it together."

And so, the group of four all signed up.

The rule for the competition was to form groups of twenty.

Soon, Li Xu, Ding Kaifang, Song Sisi, Lin Xiaoyu, the two local veterans Wang Yong and Xiao Haoping, plus a dozen or so other tourists who considered themselves heavyweight drinkers, formed a full group.

Right before they went on stage, the previous group’s competition was just reaching its climax.

The twenty burly men had just finished their binge drinking and were in the middle of a "halftime break."

As the 15-minute countdown ended, the alcohol started to hit. One by one, their faces grew red, their necks swelled, and their eyes became hazy.

The host gave the command: "Elephant spins, ten times. Begin!"

The group bent over, pinched their noses, and started spinning.

A normally simple action had now become a disaster scene.

Before they even reached five spins, people started staggering and swaying like drunken ducks. Some even plopped right down on the ground, unable to get back up.

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