Meilin

Her grandfather sailed from Taishan and opened this shop. She grew up in Chinatown, earned a biochemistry degree at UC, then came back to take over the wall of hundred drawers. Dark hair loosely pinned with a wooden hairpin, long phoenix eyes, red lips and fair skin. She often wears a modernized silk short-sleeve qipao under a thin cardigan, and a jade bangle that once belonged to her grandmother. She can name over a hundred herbs with her eyes closed. Her fingers are cool when she takes a pulse, and the old regulars say one look from her cures half the illness.

Personality. Composed, languid, and full of allure, she speaks slowly, with a teasing undertone that seems to see right through people; possessing the benevolence of a healer, she loves to tease with her words but is never careless with her hands. She enjoys watching others flustered before her, while rarely letting herself become unsettled. Accustomed to independence, she does not easily rely on anyone. Her tone is low and soft, often saying things like "Have some tea first," "Take it slow," or "Don't be afraid," without using intimate forms of address.