Therefore, as a practitioner of traditional Chinese dicine, Du Heng didn’t reject the use of advanced dical instrunts. Especially for certain specific diseases, he even considered them necessary, such as reduction of fractures in orthopedics and tumor chemotherapies. However, this only applied to certain special diseases. At other tis, he believed that if traditional Chinese dicine could avoid using instrunts, it should do so as much as possible. This was particularly true for Traditional Chinese dicine Internal dicine Departnt; its approach to differential diagnosis was entirely different from instrunt-based examinations. Treating only the presenting symptoms of a disease was, for Traditional Chinese dicine Doctors, the greatest mistake and a source of humiliation.
So, at the Health Clinic now, Du Heng’s requirent for Traditional Chinese dicine Doctors was to avoid the standard three tests—blood, urine, and stool—as much as possible unless absolutely necessary. As for what these three tests represented in Western dicine, Du Heng didn’t want to comnt. But he knew that these three tests were of no use to Traditional Chinese dicine Doctors, except to earn a bit more from check-up fees. If they were useful, then he would consider himself a Western dicine Doctor in Traditional Chinese dicine Doctor’s clothing. If a doctor still prescribed Chinese herbal dicine to patients based on the inspection sheet, Du Heng had posted a notice in the clinic’s Hall: patients could directly complain about such doctors.
Having looked through the inspection sheet in his hand and finding it no different from what Wu Buwei had said, he stopped paying attention to it and got up to go directly to Liu Ai’s Hospital room.
Another week had passed. Liu Ai’s cheeks had filled out a bit, no longer looking as gaunt and tinged with a deathly pallor as before. She was full of vitality.
"Have you experienced any more pain these past few days?"
Upon seeing Du Heng arrive, Liu Ai was overjoyed. She already knew the check-up result from her afternoon session with Wu Buwei.
Hearing Du Heng’s question, her face lit up with happiness. She nodded and said cheerfully, "I’m not in pain anymore. I feel so much more relaxed now. I eat half a bowl more at every al than before, and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night anymore. I sleep straight through until morning."
Du Heng responded with a smile. "If you feel any discomfort, you must tell our doctors imdiately, or co find directly. You mustn’t delay, understand?"
"Yes, I certainly will."
"Let’s go. I’ve already made an appointnt for you at the Municipal First Hospital. Let’s go for a check-up."
Liu Ai didn’t understand why there was suddenly an additional check-up, and at the Municipal First Hospital no less. This made her slightly tense. She cautiously asked Du Heng, "Doctor Du, what kind of check-up is it? Can’t it be done here?"
Seeing Liu Ai’s cautious deanor, Du Heng realized his previous words had been too abrupt and had caused a misunderstanding. He quickly explained, "It’s a check-up related to your ovaries and uterus. Our machine here is old and lacks those functions. Plus, it’s not accurate enough in other aspects, so I booked an appointnt for you at the Municipal First Hospital."
Liu Ai heaved a sigh of relief, tidied her appearance a little in a mirror, then, like a happy little girl, she walked lightly to Du Heng’s side. "Doctor Du, let’s go."
Du Heng paused for a mont. The nurses at the Health Clinic were very thoughtful. During Liu Ai’s hospital stay, they had helped her buy a new cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and so spare undergarnts. But they had forgotten to get her an outer coat. She was still wearing the sa coat she had on when she first ca to the Health Clinic.
Looking at the radiant smile on Liu Ai’s face, Du Heng then realized that this woman, who had narrowly escaped death, was only a 23-year-old girl.
Silently chiding himself for his oversight, he promptly led Liu Ai to the Municipal First Hospital.
Du Heng had previously contacted Zhou Yixian about the examination at the Municipal First Hospital. As it was already nearing the end of afternoon work hours, there weren’t many people waiting for gynecological examinations. With Zhou Yixian accompanying them, Liu Ai quickly completed the scheduled check-up.
After studying the inspection sheet for a long while, Du Heng heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
His efforts had not been in vain; his assessnt had been correct. A minuscule amount of function remained in Liu Ai’s ovaries. Her uterus had not been completely destroyed by the disease. She still possessed an incredibly faint chance of fertility. If things were left to take their natural course, this ability would be as good as non-existent. Yet in Du Heng’s eyes, this was infinite potential. He was confident, certain he could nurture this tiny spark and ensure Liu Ai had no regrets.
After explaining the situation to Liu Ai, she first smiled. Then, she covered her face and began to sob. Her sobs gradually grew into loud crying, until she finally burst into wails. She needed to cry out all the grievances, bitterness, sorrow, and loneliness she had endured for over a year.
Liu Ai wailed, her cries heart-wrenching and cathartic. She cried until she slumped to the ground, her body wracked with sobs, drawing the stares and whispers of everyone in the examination hall.
Watching Liu Ai, Du Heng felt even more helpless than she did at that mont, especially with the curious gazes that had gathered on him. He could only manage a helpless smile.
Zhou Yixian, who had accompanied them, lightly patted Du Heng’s shoulder.
He knew about Liu Ai’s case and had been keeping an eye on her. Now, hearing Liu Ai’s wails, as the Director of the Ergency Departnt, he deeply understood such an emotional outburst. However, Liu Ai’s unrestrained, cathartic sobbing was sothing he had never heard in the Ergency Departnt before. What he heard most often were cries of helplessness, despair, and the sorrowful reluctance to let go.
Du Heng and Zhou Yixian did not disturb Liu Ai. No doctors or nurses from the Inspection Departnt ca over either. Liu Ai’s continuous, powerful wailing made anyone who considered consoling her hesitate, fearing their words might cause her to cry herself into a faint.
Eventually, her emotions found their release. Her wailing gradually subsided into gentle sobs, then soft whimpers, as if a cycle had completed.
As Liu Ai’s sobbing gradually eased and her strength slowly returned, just when everyone thought her emotions had stabilized, she deftly turned from where she sat on the ground and knelt before Du Heng. Before Du Heng could react, and to everyone’s astonishnt, she kowtowed heavily, her forehead striking the floor with a resonant thud.
This kowtow caught Du Heng completely off guard. His heart clenched violently, and a shiver ran through his entire body.
Seeing Liu Ai’s lowered head, he hastily reached out, grabbed Liu Ai’s arm, and pulled the woman, who was all skin and bones, to her feet. "What are you doing?"
Liu Ai didn’t seem to mind Du Heng’s tone. She said with heartfelt sincerity, "Thank you, Doctor Du. You’ve given a new life. My very life was given by you, and you paid for my treatnt. I have nothing with which to repay you."
Du Heng was moved but also flustered. Her kowtowing to him in such a public place instantly made him the absolute center of attention. He would undoubtedly beco fodder for local gossip, and who knew how many legendary or lodramatic tales this kowtow would inspire.
This was the second ti he had received such a profound gesture of gratitude. The first was from Wang Shiyuan, who had kowtowed after Du Heng cured his wife, allowing them to return to their normal life. This kowtow from Liu Ai, after he saved her life, was the second. Even though it was the second ti, he still couldn’t accept such gratitude; it felt like it would shorten his own life! But, just like Wang Shiyuan back then, it seed Liu Ai now had no other way to express her gratitude to Du Heng. They shared a commonality: apart from their lives and their dignity, they seed to have nothing left. In fact, before their treatnt, they had arguably lost even their dignity.
Zhou Yixian felt a touch of lancholy. In the Ergency Departnt, he was all too familiar with life and death, with the impermanence of life itself. He had also seen patients’ family mbers kowtow to doctors.
Seeing Du Heng’s uncomfortable state, he once again patted Du Heng’s arm. "Alright, let’s not stand here. If there’s anything, we can discuss it back at the departnt."
With Zhou Yixian’s reminder, the three of them left the Inspection Departnt. However, Du Heng didn’t return to the Ergency Departnt with Zhou Yixian. Instead, he took Liu Ai directly back to the Health Clinic.
He had plans with Dong Yuezhang and the others that evening, after all.
User Comments
0 comments from readers