“Teacher, was that just Lu Jiu?”

An Xianda was preparing materials for tomorrow’s meeting when he overheard Huang Fusheng answering a call, during which cancer was mentioned, sparking his curiosity.

“Yes, that kid has guts. A patient with late-stage lung cancer who has gone through radiotherapy and chemotherapy came to his clinic, and he accepted the case,” Huang Fusheng replied with a smile.

An Xianda said, “Tsk, isn’t he afraid of not curing the patient, and if something happens at his clinic, the family will cause trouble for him?”

Huang Fusheng laughed, “Lu Jiu must have his own considerations. Though young, he knows quite a bit. Plus, if he understands The Book of Changes, combined with TCM’s observation diagnosis, he should be able to assess the temperament of the patient and their family to some extent.”

“You forget, Elder Wei from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association always checks one’s Ba Zi before treating them. If he finds their nature poor and they don’t learn from mistakes, he simply refuses to treat them. Didn’t he refuse a patient who was later treated by another director at their clinic, only for the patient to not take the medication, leaving their illness unresolved for months, resulting in them coming back and attacking the director who ended up hospitalized? With people like that, where can you find justice?”

“After that incident, Elder Wei’s clinic made an unwritten rule: any patient refused by him would henceforth be blacklisted by their clinic. Not truly a blacklist, just courteously acknowledging their limited ability to treat and suggesting the patient go elsewhere.”

An Xianda said, “Are you saying Lu Jiu has reached that level? Impossible, right? Elder Wei had both talent and a renowned teacher, and he only gained fame in his sixties. If Lu Jiu is already at the entry-level in his twenties, in twenty years he’d be invincible?”

The top few TCM practitioners in the field are generally also experts in The Book of Changes.

The Wei they mentioned is none other than Wei Zhengxian of Jinling’s Wei Medical Hall, an exceptional TCM doctor skilled in mathematical calculations.

In 2018, they held an internal meeting discussing the Five Elements and Six Qi for the following year, to plan the clinic’s focus.

At that meeting, Elder Wei accurately predicted the appearance of cold-dampness in winter around the end of 2019.

A video of that meeting circulated within the TCM community a year after the cold-dampness outbreak.

However, such predictions are attainable by those versed in the Five Elements and Six Qi, so they weren’t too surprising.

What truly impressed many in TCM was his consultation method.

In his clinic, patients first report their Ba Zi, and after clarifying it, he examines their facial features and palms.

Then, without a word, he can accurately describe their current health condition, even pinpoint illnesses they had in childhood, when they recovered, and every other detail. The most crucial part is he can predict future health issues.

This is the frightening aspect.

It’s as if Wei Zhengxian transcended TCM, reaching the pinnacle of a top doctor, treating diseases before they manifest by foreseeing future ailments.

This ability seems amazing to outsiders; to insiders, even more so.

Though it indeed feels incredible, this is precisely the reality.

An Xianda once had his Ba Zi read by Wei Zhengxian, who accurately stated that he lost his vitality at fifteen, leaving An Xianda in total awe.

For An Xianda, Huang Fusheng had always been a mentor and friend worthy of respect, whereas Wei Zhengxian was revered as a divine figure.

This old gentleman is genuinely terrifying!

“I’m just speculating, not saying he will necessarily face such an issue. But at his age, taking some hits isn’t a bad thing. A doctor needs high medical ethics, but ethics without vigilance is also not acceptable,” noted Huang Fusheng.

His teaching approach has always been a hands-off one.

He only teaches “feeling” and “perception,” meaning basic TCM knowledge should be self-taught, and when issues arise during practice, he gives guidance, but ultimately, solutions must be self-derived.

Only when you invest fully and truly experience challenges in treating patients will the knowledge gained be beneficial for life.

Rather than just sitting in a classroom, reading books, memorizing prescriptions, and referencing a few cases, assuming proficiency in treatment.

This is true for acquiring skills, as well as how to be a person.

Why do we often fall into the same pitfalls despite being warned by the wisdom of our elders?

Clearly, without experience, one never gains that particular feeling, and naturally, can’t learn from mistakes, often scoffing at those who offer advice.

“Should I take some time to visit his clinic? If he does encounter such trouble, it will definitely be a headache going forward. It’s fine to make mistakes, but if he can’t recover from this one, it becomes problematic, and I have some experience in handling such issues,” An Xianda proposed.

“Yes, but handle the herbal base affairs first. Research meetings are already scheduled for the next two days, so you can’t leave, maybe you can visit in a few days,” Huang Fusheng replied.

“Okay,” agreed An Xianda.

…

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

In the hotel room, Shi Zixiong was awakened after just four or five hours of sleep by his mother’s vomiting.

“I’m… fine… ugh…” Rao He sat on the toilet, experiencing both vomiting and diarrhea.

Hearing the commotion, Shi Zixiong basically understood what was happening.

Yesterday, Lu Jiu had told him that after taking the medicine, his mother would experience vomiting and diarrhea, and that it was normal.

“Brother, what’s wrong with Mom?” Shiyu, hearing the noise, came out of her room and saw Shi Zixiong standing at the bathroom door, approached him immediately.

“It’s nothing, just some vomiting and diarrhea, a reaction to the medicine, nothing major,” said Shi Zixiong.

At the same time, Shi Zixiong’s wife, Su Shu, also arrived.

“Honey, will this medicine, causing Mom to vomit and have diarrhea, really cure her?” Su Shu asked.

Shi Zixiong shook his head, “I don’t know, I’ve never seen such a treatment method, but we have no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it’s alive. We’ll see what happens after three days. If there’s no change, Dr. Lu has connections with a National Master of Chinese Medicine, that level of doctor should have a way.”

Shiyu looked at the bathroom door, listening to the painful sounds of vomiting inside, and muttered, “Will Mom… get better this time?”

Shi Zixiong fell silent.

Will she get better?

Over the years, these three words have appeared in his mind countless times.

When each treatment proved unsatisfactory, each time he heard news of the illness worsening, and every time hope turned into disappointment, Shi Zixiong gradually didn’t want to face these three words anymore.

He wanted to escape, to keep looking for doctors, to reassure himself that his mom didn’t have a terminal illness, that she could still be saved!

Only in this way did Shi Zixiong feel that each day was more fulfilling.

Su Shu noticed Shi Zixiong’s distress. She said nothing, merely linked her arm with his, as if wanting to quietly tell him, through her presence, that she was there.

No matter the outcome, they would face it together.

Shi Zixiong understood all of this and gently patted Su Shu’s hand, giving her a resilient smile.

Over these years, the changes in his family and the debt he had to bear had long made his father-in-law very dissatisfied.

A few years ago, his father-in-law had arranged a private meeting to advise him to let Su Shu go.

Both their families were workers from work units, and although conditions weren’t bad, Shi Zixiong himself was also a civil servant, but supporting a family with a cancer patient was still too much.

This was obviously a bottomless pit, and Shi Zixiong understood his father-in-law’s thoughts. Who would want their daughter to bear such a heavy burden immediately after getting married?

Moreover, with a cancer patient in the family, who could guarantee that the children wouldn’t inherit it?

Shi Zixiong didn’t blame his father-in-law because when his mom’s chemotherapy treatment had no more funds, his father-in-law still gave him fifty thousand yuan and said he didn’t need to pay it back. It was only in the hopeless situation that he made this request, which was reasonable and expected. His father-in-law had done his best.

After agreeing with his father-in-law, Shi Zixiong even prepared the divorce papers, but when Su Shu saw the divorce papers, this always gentle woman, who had never lost her temper, gave him a solid slap on that day. Then, with all her strength, she tore the divorce papers to shreds.

Then, without saying a word, she slammed the door and left.

When Su Shu returned home the next day, she greeted him with the same gentle smile as usual and then said, “Let’s have a child.”

At that moment, Shi Zixiong understood that he could never be separated from this woman in his life.

Click!

The bathroom door was pushed open.

A foul smell wafted out.

“Mom.” Shiyu held her breath and quickly went forward to support Rao He.

Shi Zixiong said, “Honey, go help Shiyu, I’ll clean up here.”

Su Shu nodded and helped Shiyu support Rao He back to the bed.

Soon, Shi Zixiong had cleaned up the bathroom.

After finishing, Shi Zixiong came to the two of them and saw that Rao He was getting weaker. He couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy it for you.”

Rao He didn’t speak; she shook her head.

Shi Zixiong’s eyes dimmed, but soon he regained his composure. “Then you guys stay here, and I’ll go get you breakfast.”

“Okay.” Su Shu said.

“Brother, bring mom some soy milk.” Shiyu said.

“Sure,” Shi Zixiong replied.

After speaking, Shi Zixiong left the hotel.

After buying breakfast and having everyone eat, Shi Zixiong went to Lu Jiu’s clinic.

There was no facility to brew medicine in the hotel, so Lu Jiu took on the task of preparing the medicine, and Shi Zixiong only needed to come by regularly to pick it up each day.

Since the hotel was nearby, he had to make the trip three times a day.

And so, two days passed.

After drinking the medicine, Rao He kept vomiting and having diarrhea.

She hadn’t eaten much, so she was mostly expelling water.

After two days of continuous vomiting, her voice became hoarse, and she couldn’t speak at all.

She also looked more haggard than before, and each time after taking the medicine, she felt dizzy, only able to communicate with nods and shakes of her head to respond to Shi Zixiong.

Seeing her in this state, Shi Zixiong and the other two were extremely worried.

How could anyone endure such vomiting and diarrhea?

But on the second night at one o’clock, just as Shi Zixiong was feeling a bit sleepy, he suddenly heard Rao He, lying on the bed, utter a barely audible word, “…hungry…”

Just that one word instantly drove away all of Shi Zixiong’s drowsiness. He immediately got up, leaned close to Rao He, and softly asked, “Mom, what did you say?”

Rao He, with a hoarse voice, struggled to continue, “…I’m hungry.”

Shi Zixiong was overjoyed. He immediately said, “Good! Great! I’ll go buy something right now!!”

In the room, Su Shu opened the door, “Honey…”

Shi Zixiong grabbed Su Shu by the shoulders, “Mom is hungry! Mom is hungry! Hahaha, wait, I’ll go buy some porridge.”

And with that, he turned around and ran off, disappearing in the blink of an eye…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep