Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor Gao-Yuan

Uncle Zhou was utterly stunned. His own wife wasn’t willing to help him, but this young man, who had no familial connection to him, was. The sheer willingness of this stranger left him speechless.

Gao-Yuan, however, knew that Li Shengli was truly capable of doing such a thing.

Li Shengli's medical skills weren’t great—at best, he was only at the apprentice level. But in the entire joint clinic, he was the most enthusiastic person. His background was also the best among the clinic members: he came from a family of poor peasants and had served in the military, making him ideologically very dedicated.

He treated the masses with the warmth of spring. He wasn’t afraid of hardship, exhaustion, or even filth when treating patients, and he was genuinely willing to get his hands dirty.

However, he did have his shortcomings.

Firstly, his educational level was very low. His full name was even selected by the political commissar in his military unit. He learned how to read in the military’s literacy classes, which was barely enough for daily life, but when When it came to complex medical texts, he struggled.

Secondly, he was quite proud and carried a sense of arrogance, looking down on the wealthy class in the clinic. As a result, he chose to follow Liu Sanquan, who himself wasn’t very knowledgeable. In essence, the least capable person was learning from someone only marginally better—what could come of that?

Uncle Zhou quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, it's okay."

But Li Shengli rolled up his sleeves high and said, "It's alright; I truly don't mind."

Uncle Zhou, clearly nervous, covered his rear, "But I do mind!"

Gao-Yuan listened with a sense of exhaustion and remarked, "You can't keep doing this forever. Are you really going to help him every day?"

Li Shengli nodded earnestly, "Yes, I can."

Gao-Yuan asked, "And how much can you do?"

Li Shengli replied, "As much as needed, I'll handle it."

Gao-Yuan was left speechless.

This unexpected chat scared Uncle Zhou so much that he clutched his bottom tightly and made a sound like a frightened sheep. "Baa..."

Li Shengli grabbed Uncle Zhou’s hand with enthusiasm: "Don't worry, I don't fear filth."

Uncle Zhou clung to the table, his eyes filled with desperation, looking toward Gao-Yuan for help.

Gao-Yuan quickly intervened, "He's ill. No matter how much you help him, the problem won't be solved, and he still won't feel well."

"Really?" Li Shengli turned to look at Uncle Zhou.

Uncle Zhou nodded vigorously, like a pecking chick.

Gao-Yuan asked, "Are you truly planning to let him stay sick?"

"I…" Li Shengli was momentarily speechless.

Uncle Zhou quickly turned to Gao-Yuan, "Young man, can you cure this?"

Liu Sanquan chimed in, "Oh dear, how can you ask that? You know Zhang Yuancai's elderly mother, right? She was in a terrible state, barely clinging to life. Even the top specialists in the city had no solutions, but after Doctor Gao came over, she was fine just after one dose of his medicine!"

Uncle Zhou was stunned. "He's that amazing!"

Even Li Shengli appeared surprised.

Liu Sanquan pointed outside, "If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself. That old lady is probably sunbathing at the door right now."

Uncle Zhou quickly turned to Gao-Yuan, "Doctor, please take a look at me. I can't go on like this."

"Alright," Gao-Yuan agreed and first turned his attention to Li Shengli.

Li Shengli with a sour expression turned his back.

Gao-Yuan observed Uncle Zhou’s complexion. His dark face was tinged with an unnatural redness. Gao-Yuan asked Liu Sanquan, "Doctor Liu, can you tell me about the patient's previous treatment?"

"Sure," Liu Sanquan responded. "Initially, the patient reported dizziness and constipation, so Dr. Li Shengli prescribed him some medicine. He started with 'Ji Bei Pills,' which worked once but made the dizziness worse, and he also felt numbness in his body."

"Then he took 'Cheng Qi Tang.' After three doses, he passed a large amount, but then he felt chills, cold sweats, and couldn’t lie down comfortably. Afterward, he became constipated again. I took over and prescribed 'Dihuang Tang,' but the dizziness worsened, and he still couldn’t pass anything."

Uncle Zhou sighed deeply at the recounting of his unfortunate journey.

Li Shangli rubbed his hands together anxiously.

Gao-Yuan shook his head slightly and asked Li Shengli, "The 'Three Ingredient Ji Bei Pills' consist of croton seed, dried ginger, and rhubarb—highly potent purgatives for severe cold stagnation. Then you used 'Cheng Qi Tang,' a cold purgative. Was the patient suffering from cold or heat, or was it neither?"

Liu Sanquan discreetly took a deep breath and even tightened his lower abdomen, startled by how directly Gao-Yuan spoke to Li Shengli.

Li Shengli’s lips tightened, but he said nothing in the end.

Gao-Yuan continued, "Constipation often results from irregular diet, emotional disturbances, old age, or even surgical intervention. This patient clearly shows signs of being elderly and frail, suffering from malnutrition and lacking the strength to evacuate. The initial treatment didn’t consider this and instead used harsh purgatives."

Both Li Shengli and Liu Sanquan frozen. Was he lecturing them?

Gao-Yuan went on: "Li Dongyuan wrote in 'Lan Shi Mi Cang—Constipation' that 'treating illness must trace its origin; one cannot indiscriminately use strong purgatives like croton or morning glory. It damages body fluids, intensifying dryness and constipation, making it harder to evacuate until the person becomes beyond saving.'"

"Huh?" Uncle Zhou couldn’t understand a word.

Liu Sanquan also looked puzzled.

Gao-Yuan explained, "It means that for such constipation, you cannot use potent purgatives recklessly. Doing so will damage body fluids, worsening constipation to the point that no method will work, and the person won’t survive."

"What?" Uncle Zhou jumped up, "Am I going to die?"

Li Shengli hastily said, "Don't say such things!"

Gao-Yuan replied, "Not right now, but if you continue using the wrong treatment, who knows?"

Uncle Zhou looked increasingly panicked, glaring at Li Shengli.

Li Shengli’s face turned bright red.

Gao-Yuan pressed on Uncle Zhou’s upper abdomen, then turned to the others and asked, "Do you feel this hardness in the upper abdomen?"

Liu Sanquan pressed down and nodded, but Li Shengli didn’t move.

"This is due to the damage done to the already weak spleen and stomach from the excessive purgatives. According to the 163rd clause of 'Treatize on Cold Damage,' 'persistent purging results in hardness below the heart.' What does this mean?" Gao-Yuan asked.

Liu Sanquan responded bluntly, "If you keep purging, there'll be hardness below the heart."

Gao-Yuan nodded, "The area below the heart refers to the stomach. Hardness here indicates a weak stomach. The treatment outlined in the 163rd clause is Cinnamon Twig Decoction with Ginseng, which targets this stomach deficiency."

"Oh, so that's what it means!" Liu Sanquan finally understood.

Gao-Yuan continued, "This patient now shows signs of imbalance between the protective and nutritive energy, with reversed qi in the Penetrating Vessel—a case needing Cinnamon Twig Decoction."

"But the patient's pulse isn't floating; it's deep and slow." Liu Sanquan interjected.

Gao-Yuan explained, "In clause 62 of the 'Treatise on Cold Damage,' 'post-sweating, if pain persists with a deep and slow pulse, Cinnamon Twig Decoction with Peony, Ginger and Ginseng are indicated.'"

Eventually, Gao-Yuan prescribed the medicine, and Li Shengli grumbled, "What’s with that traitor acting so high and mighty?"

Comrade He Yu, who was dispensing medicine nearby, reminded him, "Don't forget, he's covering your mess."

Li Shengli fell silent, his expression stiffening.

Liu Sanquan quickly shrank back, avoiding eye contact.