This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Wei Kaida's clinic was called "Perilla Clinic," named after a traditional Chinese medicine.

Perilla, also known as perilla leaves, Su leaves, and red perilla, belongs to the category of surface-relieving medicines. It can treat ailments such as colds, fever, chest tightness, coughs, and food poisoning from fish or shrimp. Its mature stems also had the effects of soothing qi and securing a fetus. Its seeds, called black perilla seeds, had a moistening effect on the intestines.

Essentially, every part of the plant could be used as medicine.

After the decision he made yesterday, Du Heng hadn't planned on coming. However, he remembered he had already made arrangements with Wei Kaida's father, and not showing up would be very impolite. So, he came as promised.

There were two doctors at the Perilla Clinic. One was Wei Kaida's father, who practiced an integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. The other was Wei Kaida, who also worked part-time dispensing herbal prescriptions. The nurse was his sister.

The clinic was quite large and well-equipped.

Upon entering, there were two consultation desks on the left, and farther inside was the Western medicine cabinet. Opposite the entrance stood a large row of cabinets filled with Traditional Chinese medicinal materials. On the right side were several benches for patients to rest or sit while receiving infusions.

There was also an inner room with eight sickbeds, where patients could lie down for treatment. Next to this smaller room was a Physiotherapy Room, where traditional Chinese massage therapy was performed.

Although Du Heng was also wearing a white gown that day, he could only watch and not assist.

Wei Kaida sat on a stool, yawning, his hands propped on the table. His head would nod, and sometimes he would even lean on Du Heng for a moment as he dozed off.

There weren't many people that morning. By 10:00 AM, only five people had arrived: three to pick up medicine, one for an infusion, and one with a lumbar disc herniation for a lumbar massage.

Wei Kaida's sister was behind the counter, occasionally checking her mobile phone and keeping an eye on the infusion.

Du Heng was also bored.

He nudged Wei Kaida, who asked drowsily, "What's up?"

"Wake up a bit. I want to ask you something."

Wei Kaida shook his still-fuzzy head. He'd been drowsy all morning, and the sleepiness hadn't worn off; instead, he felt even worse. "Go ahead, ask," he mumbled.

"Is the clinic always this quiet?"

Wei Kaida glanced towards the front of the clinic. "It's alright. More people come in the afternoon, mostly residents from the nearby housing complexes, looking for My Dad to get a massage."

"So, you don't make much money then, huh?"

"That's where you're wrong," Wei Kaida said. "A clinic makes money by selling medicine and providing massages. We have a stable customer base of long-term patients. You can't earn much just from consultations."

Long-term patients?

Du Heng suddenly felt that opening a clinic would be quite unrewarding for him.

His goal was the sheer volume of pathogens he could treat, ensuring effective treatment across a diverse range of diseases, rather than getting bogged down with chronic conditions.

Of course, selling medicine wasn't his aim either.

But selling medicine was definitely profitable.

Of the three people who came for medicine that morning, one bought a bottle of calcium tablets for 98 yuan. Another got a collection of anti-cold medicine, diarrhea medication, and anti-inflammatory drugs, totaling 247 yuan. The last one was picking up Chinese herbal medicine for an elderly family member: five sets of prescribed herbs for 3,980 yuan.

Du Heng had looked at that bottle of calcium tablets; it was a health product, not actual medicine. The difference between it and the one-yuan pack of 100 calcium tablets was minimal. Essentially, you'd take one tablet of the ninety-eight-yuan kind versus two of the one-yuan kind.

As for that bundle of common household medicines, honestly, if they were obtained from the Health Clinic, they would only cost about fifty or sixty yuan.

And as for the Chinese herbal medicine, Du Heng was now seeing firsthand how expensive private clinics charged—truly pricey!

He had checked the prescription; all the Traditional Chinese medicinal materials were common ones. At the Health Clinic, it would cost 500 yuan at most.

Overall, prices at clinics and pharmacies were more than fifty percent higher than at the Health Clinic. What was even more profitable were those health products on the counter; their profit margins were easily seven to eight times the cost.

However, Du Heng also noticed that when Wei Kaida's sister recommended medications, she primarily pushed those in the mid-to-high price range. She didn't suggest anything too expensive or too cheap.

The extremely expensive ones probably scared people off.

Cheaper medicines with the same efficacy, like the one-yuan rapid-relief cold capsules, were kept at the very bottom of the medicine cabinet in a blue container. Unless specifically asked, she wouldn't mention them, instead recommending more expensive brands like 999, Day & Night, Kuaike, or Xin Kangtaike.

As for the patient getting an infusion, Du Heng was speechless. It was just a simple cold. Instead of taking oral medicine for a few days, the patient was getting an IV drip. Did it really save that much time?

Taking medicine might make one feel uncomfortable for a bit, but it would be over in three or four days, and it could even enhance one's natural resistance.

Infusions, being intravenous, worked quickly. One bag of IV fluid, and the patient would basically recover; if not, three bags at most would do the trick. It was convenient and saved trouble, sure. But the next time they caught a cold, they probably wouldn't get better without another infusion.

The most important thing was that it was expensive.

Buying two boxes of anti-cold medicine to take would only cost a little over thirty yuan.

But the IV fluid Wei Kaida's father had just prescribed cost 180 yuan!

Indeed, according to statistics, China's per capita use of IV fluids was the highest in the world, and by a wide margin.

Getting an infusion for a common cold really wasn't a good choice.

However, people's time was precious these days. They valued their comfort, had money, and were unwilling to endure the discomfort of taking medicine, so they opted for infusions.

Besides, the clinic was a private business. The owners had to make a living, pay rent, and cover labor costs, so it was understandable that their prices were a bit higher.

However, this wasn't what Du Heng wanted.

If things didn't change significantly, he probably wouldn't come back in the afternoon.

This clinic was a place for making money, for doing business, not for treating patients.

Du Heng didn't ask any more questions. Since no new patients came in for consultations, he joined Wei Kaida in dozing off.

Suddenly, the sound of a man and a woman arguing at the entrance caught their attention. Both Du Heng and Wei Kaida curiously peered through the glass door.

The man's voice came first, "Why are you always such a handful? We barely stepped out the door, and now you're complaining about a stomachache."

The woman replied, "But I really am in pain."

The man retorted, "Hurry up and get going. Everyone is waiting for you."

The woman insisted, "Husband, I really am in pain."

The man complained, "You're fine at home, but the moment we go out, you're in pain. I think you just don't want to go. Is having a meal with my family that unbearable for you?"

The woman said, "Husband, I'm not lying to you."

The man sighed. "Forget it. There's a clinic right here. Let's go in and have them take a look at you. You're so troublesome."

Du Heng and Wei Kaida exchanged glances, both thinking the man was rather unreasonable.

Wei Kaida sighed. "Women need to be coaxed, you know? I have no idea how a fellow like him managed to get a wife."

Just as he finished speaking, the man walked in, carefully supporting the woman.

Despite his harsh words, the careful way he supported his wife showed he wasn't entirely without merit.

"Doctor," the man said, "please take a look at my wife. She says her stomach hurts."

"Come, sit down and tell me what happened. Give me your hand," Wei Kaida replied, assuming a professional air.

Wei Kaida gently took the woman's hand, adjusted its position for pulse diagnosis, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The woman's face was contorted in pain, her left hand pressed to her lower abdomen. "I don't know why," she said, "we were walking just fine, but when we reached the intersection up ahead, it suddenly started hurting. Now it hurts so much I can't even walk."

"Have you had this kind of pain before?"

"Yes, but never this severe."

"Is the pain constant, or does it come in waves?"

"It comes in waves. It's especially bad during my period."

"I see."

Wei Kaida asked no more questions and focused intently on her pulse diagnosis.