Chapter 136: Chapter 111: A Silhouette Called Father

As soon as she opened her eyes, Wang Mengfei glanced to both sides. In just a moment of closing her eyes, she felt her head was much lighter. That feeling of nausea and dizziness that had been lingering seemed to have diminished quite a bit.

“I’m sorry, doctor. I suddenly felt so drowsy just now and took a little nap.” Wang Mengfei apologized.

Lu Jiu was in the middle of a consultation. Hearing Wang Mengfei’s voice, he turned his head and smiled, “You didn’t just nap for a little while; it’s already four or five in the afternoon now.”

Huh?

Wang Mengfei looked at the clock on the wall and found that it was indeed four or five o’clock, but wasn’t it just after one o’clock when she came?

She clearly felt she just dozed off briefly, waking up not long after closing her eyes. How did so much time pass?

In the past, when she tried to sleep, she would toss and turn in bed for hours, sometimes even the whole night without being able to sleep. Only after taking medicine would it be slightly better, but after taking it, she would feel terrible during the day.

That kind of discomfort was indescribable; it was simply uncomfortable in every way.

It resulted in her frequently making mistakes at work, either being complained about by colleagues or criticized by her superiors, which increased her pain and helplessness from external pressures and internal anxiety.

Wang Mengfei could no longer remember when she last fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow, but this feeling of being able to sleep just by wanting to sleep felt so good.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry. I didn’t expect to sleep for so long. I’m really sorry.” Wang Mengfei kept apologizing.

“No need to apologize. Look, here’s your medicine.” Lu Jiu gestured with his eyes towards the table where the traditional Chinese medicine was already packed.

Lu Jiu prescribed Wang Mengfei the Four Reversals Decoction. This classic formula is not primarily for treating depression. It’s used for symptoms like yang deficiency and extremities feeling cold, often applied in acute and severe cases to restore yang and save from collapse.

But why did Lu Jiu use this formula?

It’s simple: a person with enough yang cannot be depressed.

Many people use the method of soothing the liver to relieve depression when treating it, prescribing something like Carefree Powder.

Indeed, this prescription can have an effect, but when actually applied to patients, the effect is quite weak. Many patients with moderate or severe depression find these medicines barely helpful.

This is because the treatment is trapped by the diagnosis name. You can either treat the disease or treat the symptoms, but depression is a comprehensive emotional disorder. Just soothing the liver isn’t effective, especially for severe cases where the patient has already been on antidepressants for a while; it’s like a drop in the bucket.

Insomnia cannot be solved by just soothing the liver; it must take into account the Five Viscera.

So how do you take care of the Five Viscera? By replenishing yang, thoroughly changing the environment in which her internal organs survive.

A long-term depressed patient’s body is akin to autumn and winter among the four seasons—desolate, lifeless, cold, and lonely…

Treating a single organ in such an environment is like throwing in a fire to warm it temporarily. Once the fire extinguishes, it returns to its original state.

Only by allowing the sun to rise, letting the seasons cycle to spring and summer, will the snow melt, the winds rise, and the withered be blown away, making all things grow and naturally improving the mood.

It’s like a person who is very depressed but when they see a naïve child smiling at them, in that moment, they will also show the most genuine smile.

That’s the power of life!

And yang replenishing is about making the body’s sun rise, warming the entire internal system so they can possess abundant vitality on their own.

Lu Jiu had just adjusted Wang Mengfei’s heart and kidneys, establishing a new bridge between them. Although it’s not very strong yet, treating a few more times will be fine. On this basis, the Four Reversals Decoction can replenish yang and promote the circulation of the Five Viscera, allowing the Heart Yang to continue strengthening in this cycle, naturally keeping the restless mind from escaping its grasp.

If it weren’t for Lu Jiu’s improved medical skill, he might still use the soothe liver and relieve depression medicine when encountering Wang Mengfei. But now, Lu Jiu, when treating patients, no longer confines himself to disease names and symptoms. He values the overall state of the patient’s body more.

Lu Jiu discovered that by broadening his perspective, many of the previous unsolvable conditions could now be easily addressed.

According to the three levels—lower, middle, and upper—in Chinese medicine, Lu Jiu probably now just touched the threshold of Chinese medicine, barely considered stepping into a halfway to the realm of Chinese medicine.

Wang Mengfei put on her shoes and socks, took the traditional medicine from the table, and Lu Jiu carefully advised, “This medication is three doses, one dose a day. If you have no appetite after returning home, buy some seeds to snack on. Try not to lock yourself at home every day, go outside when you have time. In the morning, you can go for a run, and in the evening after dinner, go for a walk in the park.”

For others, Lu Jiu definitely wouldn’t advise running, but Wang Mengfei could. Sweating helps with stress relief, though excessive sweating is certainly not good.

However, with the winter temperatures, it’s hard for Wang Mengfei to sweat excessively even if she wanted to.

“Mm-hmm, thank you for today, doctor,” Wang Mengfei said.

“Go home.” Lu Jiu smiled.

“I haven’t paid yet,” Wang Mengfei said.

“Your dad already did.” Lu Jiu replied.

Wang Mengfei looked at Wang Dingxu, said nothing, and after giving Lu Jiu a smile, walked out of the clinic with her medicine in hand.

Wang Dingxu was indifferent; he gratefully put his palms together and bowed to Lu Jiu, then quickly caught up. This body, which wasn’t quite aged, reminded Lu Jiu of a text he learned back in middle school.

Silhouette.

…

Wang Dingxu watched the sleeping Wang Mengfei. Her face enlarged by medication reminded him of when she was a baby, that chubby, tender face, especially delightful.

But those days are gone.

“Dr. Lu, you said earlier that I’m the one who’s sick. Could you take a look at me too?” Wang Dingxu asked.

“Sure, sit down.” Lu Jiu replied.

Before Lu Jiu could speak, Wang Dingxu reached out his hand.

Lu Jiu placed his fingertips on Wang Dingxu’s pulse at the inch, gate, and foot positions, listening to the dialogue of the Five Viscera while asking about Wang Dingxu.

“Have you always been particularly strict with her since she was a child?”

“I didn’t have much to give her. Only if she excelled in her studies could she have a good life, so yes, I was indeed a bit harsh on her when she was young,” Wang Dingxu said.

“May I ask, what work do you do?” Lu Jiu asked.

“I collect junk,” Wang Dingxu replied.

“Did her mother have the same attitude as you?” Lu Jiu asked.

“She left. She ran away when the girl was three years old, and it’s been just the two of us all these years,” Wang Dingxu said calmly.

Lu Jiu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Why are you so intent on having her stay in the big city?”

Wang Dingxu said, “I don’t want her to live in a small town. She’s very talented, always among the top in her class since she was young. She belongs in a big city, where she can make a life for herself. Unlike me, spending a lifetime collecting junk.”

Lu Jiu asked, “Have you ever considered whether she wants that?”

Wang Dingxu said, “She mentioned it before, but at least in a big city, she can earn more money. Her life doesn’t have to depend on me. She can do whatever she wants, marry whoever she likes. Isn’t that good?”

Seeing Wang Dingxu’s angry demeanor, Lu Jiu couldn’t help but say, “It seems like you’re not talking about her, but rather indulging in some self-pity…”

Wang Dingxu froze on the spot, slowly lowering his eyes. After a long while, he laughed self-mockingly, “Self-pity… Haha, I had a child arranged marriage. My parents arranged for me to marry a girl from the next village. After middle school, they stopped me from studying, had me learn masonry to get ready for marriage.”

“I didn’t want that and ran away, but I didn’t know anything, so I came back. The day I returned, the villagers pointed fingers at me, and my parents became a laughingstock in the village. Out of helplessness, I ended up getting married.”

“I didn’t learn masonry. I wanted to try my luck in the city. I took her with me, left the village for the city, and started as a laborer. Initially, it went well. The wages were enough for living with some savings. Later, she got pregnant, and somehow we started arguing more, even contemplating splitting up.”

“But everything changed when my daughter was born. The house felt different. I became a father and was very happy. I felt willing to do anything for my daughter. Those good days lasted for over two years, then she changed, often arguing with me in front of the child, saying I worked myself to death but still didn’t earn as much as others in a day.”

“We continued to fight for another year until one day I came home to find my daughter crying with a note on the table. The note said she left and would never come back, haha, who cares anyway?”

“I made my daughter study hard to show her that destiny should be in her hands. No one can be relied upon, not even me, and certainly not that woman. Haha, I want to prove to her that the daughter she abandoned so heartlessly is extraordinary now.”

Lu Jiu listened to Wang Dingxu’s monologue and finally understood why Wang Mengfei turned out the way she did.

Lacking maternal love from an early age and facing a father’s stringent demands, Wang Mengfei’s introverted nature was inevitable. Keeping things to herself and not good at expression, she ventured alone into the big city, feeling anxious and somewhat inferior, unable to adapt to life there. Anxiety was inevitable.

Staring at Lu Jiu, Wang Dingxu sincerely asked, “Dr. Lu, where do you think I went wrong?”

“You’re still living in the past, hoping her mom will come back, right?” Lu Jiu said.

These words were like a lightning strike, hitting the inner core of Wang Dingxu.

He instinctively shook his head, “No, I’m not.”

“Then why are you so fixated on having her see how outstanding Wang Mengfei is? Maybe she doesn’t care anymore,” Lu Jiu said.

“…” Wang Dingxu was speechless.

“In the past, didn’t you also experience insomnia like Wang Mengfei, and even had thoughts of ending it all?” Lu Jiu asked.

Wang Dingxu looked up, staring blankly at Lu Jiu, “How… how do you know?”

Lu Jiu pointed to Wang Dingxu’s chest, “Your body told me. And the reason you could get through it was because of Wang Mengfei, wasn’t it?”

Back in those days, if a wife ran away, the village would blame her, but they would also mock the man.

A man who couldn’t hold onto his woman was seen as a failure.

Wang Dingxu was surprised. He didn’t expect Lu Jiu to perceive things from over twenty years ago. It was incredible.

But Lu Jiu was right. He got through it because of Wang Mengfei.

Actually, Wang Mengfei was originally named Wang Pingping, symbolizing peace and safety.

However, the events that transpired afterward changed Wang Dingxu’s mentality, prompting him to rename her to Wang Mengfei, symbolizing dreams soaring high and free.

Yet, who would have imagined that under the heavy pressure, Wang Mengfei not only didn’t fly but rather had her wings broken?

“Dr. Lu, I understand now. From now on, I won’t pressure her anymore. She can choose whatever life she wants,” letting go of his obsessions, Wang Dingxu felt a bit lost, like his heart was empty, very uncomfortable.

But if his pressure caused Wang Mengfei to follow his old path, Wang Dingxu would never forgive himself, even to death.

Hearing this, Lu Jiu released his hand, “It’s good that you think this way. However, you have many old health problems. There’s some liver qi stagnation, and your cervical spine isn’t in good shape. You also have a bit of Yang deficiency in the Spleen and Stomach. I’ll give you some acupuncture for your cervical spine, and prescribe you some medicine for the other issues.”

Wang Dingxu smiled, “Thank you, Dr. Lu.”

“You’re welcome.” Lu Jiu waved his hand, then looked at Wang Mengfei, lying on the small bed, “She’ll probably sleep for a while. You can wait here beside her.”

Wang Dingxu smiled, “Mm-hmm, I’ll wait, I’ll wait…”

…

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