Chapter 97: 097 You are B-ultrasound
Wei Kaida meticulously took the woman's pulse. He also examined her palm and tongue coating, presenting a very professional demeanor.
After a moment of contemplation, Wei Kaida stated confidently, "It's nothing serious. Just irregular menstruation and some dysmenorrhea. I'll prescribe some motherwort for you."
The moment Wei Kaida finished, Du Heng wanted to bury his face in his hands.
Why didn't he ask if she was on her period? Jumping to conclusions and spouting nonsense without even asking!
Where does that confidence come from?
Quack!
I've been cursing quacks and scammers all this time, and the biggest quack turned out to be my own brother.
He didn't even need to take her pulse. While the woman's makeup concealed her complexion, a mere glance at her yellowish, slightly dark tongue coating and cyanotic fingertips told him the pain couldn't be from irregular menstruation.
The woman's expression darkened. "Doctor, my period ended five days ago."
Wei Kaida was dumbstruck. He was about to try and salvage the situation when the woman's husband erupted, cutting him off, "Are you even a doctor? How could you misdiagnose this?"
Listening to the couple's earlier exchange, it was clear the man had a fiery temper. Now, he was even more enraged, pointing at Wei Kaida and yelling, "What kind of incompetent quack are you? Just because she has stomach pain, it must be irregular menstruation? Do you take us for fools? You dare prescribe medicine without a proper diagnosis? You better give me an explanation today, or I'll wreck your clinic!"
Wei Kaida had barely opened his mouth when his mistake was pounced upon. Now, he didn't dare utter another word, fearing he'd only make things worse.
Du Heng stepped in to mediate. "Sir, please calm down. The lady's condition is rather complex. Dr. Wei was just momentarily careless and made an error in judgment..."
"Momentarily careless? You make it sound so trivial! He was about to prescribe medication. If we were naive enough to believe him, and something happened to my wife, could you bear the responsibility?"
Seeing Du Heng speak, the man immediately turned on him. "You two are in this together! Stop making excuses. If you don't give us a proper explanation today, this isn't over!"
"There's no need to get so worked up over a consultation," Du Heng said. "Anger isn't good for your health. How about we just ensure she gets the right diagnosis?"
"The right diagnosis? Fine, you do it then! If you can't figure it out, you'll face the consequences!"
Looking at this man, who was acting like a rabid dog, the faint trace of goodwill Du Heng had felt for him when he supported his wife earlier completely vanished. Besides, after his reflections the previous day, he felt much more liberated, no longer as hesitant and cautious as before.
Perhaps he was a little too liberated now; he suddenly had an urge to show off.
"If you want me to make the diagnosis, fine," Du Heng said. "But my fees are steep, not like Dr. Wei's. His consultation fee wouldn't be enough to hire me."
The man was practically seething. It's clearly your mistake, yet you're acting as if I'm the one who can't afford treatment! "Fine! Name your price. You *will* diagnose her today."
"Two hundred."
"Two hundred? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
"If you're not willing to pay, then let Dr. Wei continue. He was just a bit careless earlier; it's not like he can't diagnose it. All this shouting is unseemly."
Wei Kaida flinched. It wasn't that he was careless; he genuinely couldn't figure it out. "Ma Ti'er?"
"Shut up," Du Heng muttered under his breath, stopping Wei Kaida from saying more.
The man's shouting drew a crowd of onlookers.
Perilla Clinic was well-known in the neighborhood, the go-to place for common ailments. So, people gathered around curiously, many of them speaking up in defense of the Weis, father and son.
However, their words only fueled the man's anger.
Wei Kaida's sister had already gone inside to fetch their father, leaving no one at the counter to take the payment.
The man pulled out his phone and directly transferred 200 yuan. "There. Diagnose her now. If you can't figure this out, just you wait!"
Wei Kaida's father was summoned by his daughter. He knew his son's capabilities—or lack thereof—all too well.
But just as he hurried out, flustered, he saw Du Heng already seated and taking the woman's pulse.
He knew Du Heng well; he was his son's classmate and he'd always treated him like a nephew. However, he had no idea about Du Heng's actual medical skills.
Still, seeing Du Heng had already begun, he composed himself, straightened his clothes, and slowly approached the consultation desk, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
The man's fury was palpable, his face flushed crimson. Watching Du Heng reach out, he snarled, "Get on with it! If you can't figure out what's wrong today, I'll end you!"
Du Heng began taking the woman's pulse. Hearing the man's threat, he shot him an indifferent glance. "Keep shouting, and if I misdiagnose because of it, it'll be your fault."
"You...!"
"Young man, calm down," an onlooker advised. "Let the doctor finish the pulse diagnosis. Perilla Clinic has been here for over twenty years; their skills are reputable."
"That's right," another added. "The doctor is examining your wife. If he makes a mistake, she's the one who suffers."
The man felt choked with anger, his breathing shallow, a tightness constricting his chest.
However, he had already made up his mind: if this doctor couldn't pinpoint the issue, he wouldn't let these two charlatans off the hook.
With the man finally silent, Du Heng focused on the pulse diagnosis, but his expression grew increasingly grim.
Looking at the woman opposite him, who was clearly in considerable pain, Du Heng asked softly, "I need to ask you a few questions. Please answer them truthfully."
The woman clutched her lower abdomen, visibly struggling to endure the pain. Du Heng continued, "When you have your period, does it last for a long time? Is the flow heavy, accompanied by painful cramps?"
"Yes."
"Do you also experience bleeding at times when you're not menstruating?"
The woman's eyes lit up. "Yes."
"Do you have excessive vaginal discharge, and does it have a foul odor?"
"Mm-hm."
The husband scoffed. "Why are you asking all this? Isn't that normal for women?"
Du Heng shot him a cold look. "You talk too much. Why don't you diagnose her?"
"You...!" The husband suddenly smirked. "I won't stoop to arguing with you; it's beneath me. Just tell us, what have you found?"
"The Cun pulse is weak, the Chi pulse is hollow. One pulse, two conditions."
The husband frowned. "Stop with the jargon. Spit it out."
Du Heng shook his head. He looked at the woman and said gravely, "Binhu Sphygmology states: 'For the Hollow pulse, fire assails the Yang channels, and blood overflows; heat invades the Yin collaterals, causing a downward flow of red. For the Weak pulse, Yang sinks into Yin, essence and blood are debilitated.' You also have blood deficiency and an imbalance of Yin and Yang. Combined with your symptoms, you most likely have uterine fibroids, and they've already ulcerated. Don't delay. Go to the Provincial Women and Children's Hospital immediately."
The woman was aghast, her head snapping towards her husband.
At some point, her husband had taken out his phone and was recording. "Keep talking," he said, "I'm getting all of this as evidence."
Du Heng shook his head again. "Stop recording. You need to get your wife to the hospital for surgery right away."
The husband shoved his phone almost into Du Heng's face, then panned it over to Wei Kaida.
Wei Kaida was utterly panicked. He whispered to Du Heng, "Brother, you can't be bluffing."
Du Heng sighed. "Don't worry, I'm certain."
Wei Kaida's father also drew near. "Xiao Heng, are you sure?" he asked quietly.
"One hundred percent confident."
"Then that's settled." Wei Kaida's father straightened his back. Du Heng is stepping up for my son. Even if his diagnosis is wrong, I can't blame him.
The husband panned his phone around, recording the entire clinic, then sneered, "Liars! Scammers! A bunch of quacks! Do you think you're a goddamn B-ultrasound machine? Diagnose a tumor just by looking? Why don't you just fly to the moon while you're at it? I'm calling to report you right now! I'll sue you bastards for everything you've got!"
Du Heng sighed once more. "Our clinic isn't going anywhere, and you have your video. You can come back and make trouble anytime you like. But your wife's condition can't wait. Why don't you get her treated first, and then come back?"