Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor Gao-Yuan

Upon seeing the expression on Shen Congyun's face, Li Shengli’s demeanor instantly shifted, his face darker.

Shen Congyun ignored him and glanced at the child's finger veins, which were red and visible up to the Wind Gate. He then opened the child's mouth, examined the tongue—thin white coating—and leaned closer to smell. There was no noticeable bad breath.

"It's just an external wind-cold invasion, nothing serious," Shen Congyun stated.

The woman, still uncertain, asked, "No need for medicine?"

Shen Congyun nodded. He then stood before the child, placing both hands on the child’s head and thumbs on the forehead between the eyebrows, and slowly pushed upward toward the hairline.

Li Shengli, utterly confused, asked, "What is he doing?"

Gao-Yuan explained, "This is called 'Opening the Heavenly Gate.'"

"Huh?" Li Shengli was taken aback.

Gao-Yuan elaborated, "You push from the Yintang acupoint up to the Shenting acupoint at the hairline. It promotes sweating to dispel exterior pathogens and awakens the mind."

Li Shengli listened in awe and then glanced at Shen Congyun again, bewildered.

Liu Sanquan, who had quietly approached, asked, "Dr. Gao, is this pediatric massage therapy?"

Gao-Yuan nodded.

Liu Sanquan was amazed. "Dr. Shen has hidden his skills well! Not many people practice these external treatment methods anymore."

Li Shengli, confused, asked, "Why is that? Is it hard to learn?"

Gao-Yuan shook his head. "Not really. One reason is that these external treatments are usually passed down within families, and they’re reluctant to teach outsiders. Another reason is the abolition of traditional Chinese medicine. Since the Republican era, traditional Chinese medicine has faced heavy criticism and discrimination, labeled as unscientific or supernatural."

"Many traditional Chinese medical practices, especially external treatments, have been attacked. Even acupuncture was forced to adapt to neurological theories in order to survive."

"Acupuncture barely made it, so it’s even harder for more niche external treatments like massage therapy to be passed down," Gao-Yuan sighed.

Li Shengli’s expression grew regretful. "This kind of skill is so useful. It saves patients money on medicine and helps reduce the country’s healthcare costs. Our nation is still struggling economically."

Liu Sanquan turned to look at Li Shengli, acknowledging his high level of awareness.

Gao-Yuan reassured him, "Don’t worry. We’re not like those impractical intellectuals of the old society. We prioritize usefulness. As long as it works and benefits the people, it will be promoted. This year, a massage therapy department was established at the Shanghai Medical College. In the future, there will even be massage therapy schools. It’ll only get better."

"Really? That’s fantastic! I’d love to learn it if I get the chance—it could save both the country and patients a lot of money." Li Shengli beamed with a smile.

Gao-Yuan smiled and nodded.

Li Shengli then asked, "Is massage therapy really that powerful? Can it cure all kinds of illnesses?"

Gao-Yuan explained, "Massage therapy works by applying specific techniques to areas and acupoints on the body to regulate qi and blood, balance yin and yang, and restore the body to a healthy state of equilibrium. For a master practitioner, massage therapy can be extremely effective."

"Pediatric massage, in particular, is recommended for children because they don’t respond well to strong medication. As the ancient saying goes, ‘Children are not suited for heavy medicine, so massage is most appropriate.’ A skilled physician can even replace medicine with these manual techniques."

"For example, the 'Push Three Gates' technique can substitute for ephedra and cinnamon bark; 'Lower the Six Bowels' can replace talcum and antelope horn; and 'Fishing for the Moon from the Sea' mimics the effects of coptis and rhinoceros horn. These techniques are especially effective for young children with delicate organs and underdeveloped energy."

Both Li Shengli and Liu Sanquan nodded repeatedly, soaking in the new knowledge.

The two men were mesmerized as they watched Shen Congyun continue his technique, performing maneuvers like 'Pushing the Kan Palace,' 'Rubbing the Taiyang,' 'Clearing the Heavenly River,' 'Clearing the Lung Meridian,' 'Rotating the Inner Eight Trigrams,' and 'Rubbing Fenglong.' As Shen moved from point to point, the once fussy and uncomfortable child gradually calmed down, broke out in a light sweat, and even stopped coughing.

When Shen Congyun finally finished, the child had fallen into a deep sleep.

Shen took the child's temperature with a thermometer, waited a moment, and said, "The fever’s gone. You can take him home now, but be sure to avoid cold drafts in the next few days."

Everyone in the clinic was stunned.

Even the child’s mother, the woman who had been so anxious, was left in disbelief, standing frozen in place, too shocked to pick up her child.

Gao-Yuan began clapping for Shen Congyun.

Li Shengli almost instinctively followed with a couple of claps before realizing it and quickly putting his hands down.

Seeing Li Shengli stop, Liu Sanquan hesitated for a moment before awkwardly deciding whether or not to clap as well.

The woman finally moved forward and scooped up her child, realizing that her child was now peacefully asleep. Overcome with emotion, she teared up. The child’s illness had been wearing her down emotionally, and the thought of him taking medicine had terrified her—just imagining him vomiting and crying was unbearable.

Yet here, a doctor had simply applied a few massage techniques, and her child was already better. No medicine, no suffering.

The woman was overwhelmed with gratitude, her tears flowing freely. She grabbed Shen Congyun’s hand and said, "Thank you, Dr. Shen, thank you so much."

Shen, uncomfortable, quickly pulled his hand away and wiped it on his clothes. "Alright, alright, it’s fine. If you’re done, you can leave."

The woman asked, "What do I owe you for this?"

Shen waved her off, clearly impatient. "Forget it, just go."

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" she said, continuing to bow and express her thanks as she left.

What should have been a heartwarming scene was marred by Shen Congyun’s curt attitude, making Li Shengli frown again. He muttered under his breath, "What kind of attitude is that?"

After the woman left, Shen washed his hands, then tucked them back into his sleeves, leaning lazily against the doorframe again, giving Gao-Yuan and the others a sidelong glance.

Gao-Yuan smiled. "Today was truly eye-opening. I’d heard that the Shen family’s massage techniques were renowned among the Three Character Classic School in Shandong. Seeing it firsthand today I’m impressed. It seems Dr. Shen hasn’t let his skills rust over the years."

Shen glanced at Gao-Yuan and sneered, "Dr. Gao, you’ve always had something to say about our family’s practices. How about you give it a try? Let me see those'miracle hands' of yours."

Gao-Yuan waved his hand. "I wouldn’t dare compare myself to you, Dr. Shen."

Shen let out two cold laughs. "You don’t dare now? Last night, you were quite bold in your comments."

Li Shengli, irritated, said, "Hey, why are you acting like this?"

Gao-Yuan quickly held him back.

Just then, an elderly woman entered the clinic with her grandson. As soon as she stepped inside, she sensed the strange tension in the room. She glanced around, skipping over Liu Sanquan and Li Shengli, and went straight to Shen Congyun.

"Dr. Shen, are you free now? Could you take a look at my grandson? He’s not feeling well."

Shen, still slouched against the doorframe with his indifferent demeanor, merely chuckled coldly.

Li Shengli, his face growing darker by the second, was on the verge of losing his temper.

Shen said casually, "There are other doctors here. Why bother me?"

The elderly woman looked at Li Shengli and Liu Sanquan, but despite Shen's bad attitude, she had no other choice and continued to plead. "Dr. Shen, please help. My grandson was vomiting all day yesterday."

Shen pointed his chin toward Gao-Yuan. "Go to him; go to that doctor."

The grandmother looked at Gao-Yuan, finding him unfamiliar and too young to trust. She hesitated.

Shen continued, "Don’t underestimate him because of his age. He’s got real skills. He doesn’t even need to prescribe medicine—just a few massages, and your grandson will be fine."

"What?" the grandmother was taken aback.

"Shen Congyun, I dare you to keep talking like that!" Li Shengli was now seething with anger.

Shen lazily kept his half-lidded eyes and drawled, "I’m not being sarcastic. Dr. Gao here is very capable—after all, anyone who can criticize others so freely must have real skills, right?"

"You!" Li Shengli roared in fury.

By now, Liu Sanquan, who hated confrontation, had quietly slipped away.

Gao-Yuan calmly reassured the grandmother, "Ma'am, please bring your grandson in. I'll take care of him. Don’t worry, I won’t prescribe any medicine—just a massage. And it won’t cost you a thing."

The grandmother still seemed unsure. "A few massages can really cure him?"

Seeing that Gao-Yuan had really agreed, Shen Congyun was quite surprised. He looked Gao-Yuan up and down with some suspicion.

Li Shengli leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Seriously? You know how to do massage?"

Gao-Yuan quietly replied, "Not much, just a little."