This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Wu Buwei no longer dwelled on the use of aconite and continued with his previous question, "Why use Ephedra, Aconite, and Asarum Decoction?"

"Ephedra promotes sweating and relieves the outer symptoms; aconite warms the meridians and supports yang, allowing the evil to be expelled. These two act as the primary herbs; their combination warms and dispels cold evil and restores yang qi. Asarum then assists by unblocking the superficial aspects of the sun and dissipating the cold of the lesser Yin. It can help ephedra promote sweating and relieve the exterior, and it also assists aconite in warming the meridians and dispersing cold. When these three medicines are used together, they supplement and disperse at the same time."

Du Heng explained this not only for Wu Buwei but also for himself. "However, I should probably add a few more herbs."

Wu Buwei asked in confusion, "What herbs will you add?"

"We'll see. We'll wait for the patient to recover a bit before deciding."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, a stomach rumbled.

Du Heng glanced at the time and realized it was almost noon. He had a meeting in Shang Ling Village at 10:00 AM, arrived at the Health Clinic at 10:30 AM, and had been busy ever since, completely forgetting about lunch.

Since it was a holiday, the logistics staff were off, and no one was working in the Canteen. Instant noodles? He considered it for a moment but decided against it. Moreover, since everyone had been called in to work because of him, he felt he should show some appreciation.

Du Heng counted the people currently at work, including the logistics staff member on duty, making a total of seven. He picked up the phone and called the only restaurant in Town, ordering seven dishes and ten servings of noodles.

As for the patient's family, they would have to figure something out themselves. With more than ten of them, big and small, it's just too difficult to manage, he thought.

"Buwei, could you please go pick up the food?"

"Sure, Senior Brother."

Once Wu Buwei left, Du Heng sent a message in the work group chat, telling everyone to wait a bit as the food would arrive soon.

Then, noticing several missed calls, he was just about to return them when he sensed someone in front of him.

Looking up, he saw Wang Shuqiu and Du Xuejing standing prettily before him.

"What are you two doing here?" Du Heng was pleasantly surprised.

"Little Uncle, we brought you lunch," Du Xuejing said, placing the lunchbox she was holding on the table.

"How did you know I was at the Health Clinic?"

As Du Xuejing started to unpack the lunchbox, she explained, "You weren't answering your phone, so My Dad called Uncle Fei, and that's how we found out you came to work."

Du Heng stopped Du Xuejing from unpacking. "I just ordered food; I'm having lunch with everyone here. Don't take this out yet; we can have it later when we eat." Turning to Wang Shuqiu, he asked, "How come you came along too?"

"I had nothing to do at home, so I thought I'd come over and see what's going on."

"That's good too. By the way, Zhen is also working today. Did you see her? She's in the registration office, to the left as you enter."

"I'll go see her then."

With that, she pulled Du Xuejing along to find Wang Zhenzhen and chat.

Not long after, the three of them returned together. Du Xuejing held out her hand. "Little Uncle, give me the car keys; we're going shopping."

"Here you go. Have fun."

After saying their goodbyes, the three women left, chatting and laughing.

Du Heng couldn't understand how the three of them, with age differences of over ten years between each, could get along and chat so happily. However, this thought quickly vanished as he took out his mobile phone and transferred 5,000 yuan to Wang Shuqiu, asking her to buy something for herself and Du Xuejing. Especially Du Xuejing; the girl had been studying quite hard these past two months and deserved some encouragement.

The arrival of his niece and girlfriend was just a minor interlude; his main focus remained on Li Qiuhua.

For patients with heart failure and respiratory failure, there weren't usually many particularly dangerous moments. It all came down to that one breath, which was intermittent. If it continued, they lived. If it stopped, then it stopped for good.

「By around four in the afternoon」

A dose of the Decoction medicine had been consumed, and half of the Ginseng-Gecko Powder was gone.

However, the patient's intermittent breathing finally became even and steady, no longer stopping and starting.

But she was still unconscious, merely in a daze.

「At this time, the busy leaders had finally finished their meeting.」

Hearing that Du Heng had actually managed to save the person, they were all utterly astonished.

What surprised them wasn't that Li Qiuhua had been saved, but that Du Heng was the person capable of saving her.

Du Heng could save a patient whom a third-class hospital like the Municipal First Hospital had given up on? What did that imply? It implied that cultivating a good relationship with Du Heng might one day save their own lives. This thought made the hearts of those with elderly family members pound even harder. In the provincial capital, they were considered minor officials at best. Famous and great doctors were beyond their reach, and they couldn't command them. But now there was Du Heng, a doctor at a small Health Clinic; he was someone they could still try to befriend. Moreover, given their status, their willingness to befriend Du Heng would be seen as condescending to associate with talent, which would be giving him face.

The Big Leader was also happy. Du Heng actually saving the patient reflected well on his on-site command and greatly boosted his prestige. He immediately proposed that they all go to the Hospital to visit the patient and her family.

The suggestion received unanimous agreement.

Quite a few people came. Seeing that the patient had not yet regained consciousness, they all consoled the family, telling them to relax and to trust the doctor, trust the Hospital, trust...

Before leaving, they even left 3,000 yuan as a consolation payment, a gesture full of sincerity.

Only, Song wasn't with the group for some reason; perhaps he was busy elsewhere.

As the attending doctor, Du Heng had no choice but to repeatedly explain the rescue process and treatment plan to the various leaders. He also briefly acted as a hospital leader, introducing the Health Clinic's development and future plans to the Big Leader. Du Heng had Li Qingde to thank for all of this. Without Li Qingde's explanation to the evaluation group one month ago, Du Heng would not have had a template to use.

The Big Leader was very pleased and satisfied with all aspects. Before leaving, he said to Du Heng, "Young man, you are very good. You must continue to hone your skills and make even greater contributions to the people."

An Chunhui was also delighted, his smile so wide it showed his teeth. "Xiao Du, you did a great job. Dean Song has been a bit busy these past few days and couldn't make it. You'll have to take on a bit more responsibility and keep up the hard work for the next couple of days." Before leaving, he even gave Du Heng an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

After that, each leader would say a few words to Du Heng, as if they had a very close relationship. It made Du Heng, who usually had a good sense of his own standing, feel quite elated.

This group of people was like a whirlwind: they arrived quickly and departed just as fast.

The whirlwind was a bit intense, though, leaving Du Heng feeling mentally drained. Dealing with leaders felt much more tiring than saving Li Qiuhua.

「After everyone had been seen off」

The people who had come to work at the Health Clinic today looked at Du Heng with strange expressions.

Given what had just transpired, those who knew the situation understood that Du Heng, as the attending doctor, had saved a "hopeless" patient and received encouragement from the leadership. Those who didn't know might have mistaken Du Heng for the Dean.

Du Heng also felt it was a bit strange, and slightly awkward. He cleared his throat with a cough and said, "Thank you all for your trouble today. I'm so sorry for interrupting your holidays. I'll be on duty tonight, so everyone else can go rest."

Of the seven people—oh, now six, as Wang Zhenzhen had gone out to have fun and didn't count—the logistics staff member on duty had it easiest, saying a quick goodbye and leaving immediately.

Wu Buwei thought for a moment and decided to stay in the Dormitory. As a protégé and apprentice, going home at a time like this felt inappropriate.

The Pharmacy Doctor rolled his eyes at Du Heng and returned to his own Dormitory. He was going back to rest; who else would dispense medicine for patients in the middle of the night? Especially a medicine like aconite, with such a large dosage, it had to be put into a medicine pot for decocting immediately after being dispensed. If someone were to take such a large dose out of the clinic, it could lead to serious trouble.

Of the two nurses, Wang Lili, thinking her home was nearby, offered to stay on duty so Li Nating could go home and rest. But unexpectedly, Li Nating insisted on staying on duty herself, demonstrating a strong sense of commitment, and told Wang Lili to go rest instead.

Unable to persuade Li Nating, Wang Lili accepted her suggestion and prepared to come in the next morning to take over her shift.