This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”Doctor Du, you’re here.”

”Yes, I’m here to treat you.”

Du Heng responded with a smile and began to examine the patient’s condition.

At this moment, seeing the patient’s almost fully recovered face, Du Heng felt a sense of accomplishment for the first time. This patient, in a sense, was the first one he had successfully treated. As for the previous cases of colds, coughs, and indigestion, there wasn’t much sense of accomplishment to speak of, looking back. To put it bluntly, for those illnesses, it made little difference whether he, as a doctor, prescribed medicine or not. The patients could have solved those issues themselves by simply buying some appropriate medication at the Pharmacy. So, while Wu Buwei felt a sense of accomplishment just by performing a treatment without mistakes, Du Heng managed to remain calm. His current goal was for the patients he treated to suffer less from their illnesses and pain. Only such treatment results could give him a true sense of accomplishment and pride.

”Your recovery is good. You can be discharged after today’s treatment; the rest is to convalesce at home.”

”Thank you, Doctor Du.” A grateful smile appeared on the patient’s face.

To be honest, when he first developed facial paralysis, he was quite panicked. Not to mention his own village, but in the surrounding villages as well, there were quite a few people who ended up with one side of their face drooping and skewed due to facial paralysis. Seeing those people—their eyes unable to close, food leaking from their mouths when they ate, and air escaping when they spoke—sent shivers down his spine. Moreover, some of them had gone to Big Hospitals for treatment but still suffered from lingering facial paralysis; their faces never completely recovered. This made him extremely worried that Du Heng’s skills wouldn’t be sufficient and he’d end up like them. His initial plan was to let Du Heng perform the first treatment and then go to a Big Hospital. However, to his surprise, Du Heng’s medical skills were excellent. He felt the effects right after the first treatment. His originally drooping and tense left cheek felt much better after the acupuncture, cupping glass, moxibustion, and massage. Most importantly, he no longer drooled, and his lower eyelid could close. This solidified his determination to stay and continue treatment with Du Heng. Sure enough, his decision was correct. Looking at his almost completely recovered face in the mirror, he was thrilled. And one thing excited him even more: those who went to Big Hospitals for treatment had spent thousands of yuan and still had some lingering effects. But for him, the total cost would absolutely not exceed 400 yuan. If those people knew about this, they would probably be furious enough to die.

”What are you thinking about that’s making you so happy? Stop smiling and lie down quickly, I’m going to insert the needles.”

Du Heng looked at the inexplicably happy patient and urged him. With you laughing and twitching like that, if I misplace a needle, it’ll be a real joke, he thought.

The patient quickly composed himself and sat still, waiting for Du Heng to insert the needles.

Du Heng’s hand was steady, and he inserted the needles swiftly. While adjusting them, he said, ”If you feel any discomfort or pain, tell me immediately. Don’t try to endure it.”

”Alright, I understand, Doctor Du.”

Wang Lili walked in, holding the moxa sticks Du Heng had prepared. Seeing Du Heng engrossed in performing the acupuncture, she said with a smile, ”Doctor Du, you’re truly amazing.”

She didn’t specify what was amazing, but it seemed both Du Heng and Wang Lili understood she was referring to how Du Heng had confronted Zhang Jinlian earlier. The Health Clinic was small, and news like this spread quickly throughout the entire facility. If people had merely disliked Zhang Jinlian before, their feelings had now intensified to disgust. Regardless of anything else, Du Heng was her colleague, and they had worked together for five years. In the incident just now, Zhang Jinlian had shown no mercy, going straight for the kill. It was just a single sentence, but if mishandled, it could have destroyed Du Heng in minutes.

Li Nating followed them in, her hands clasped behind her back. She leaned forward, appearing to watch Du Heng perform the treatment.

But Du Heng felt very uncomfortable and quietly shifted forward a bit; it felt like Li Nating was almost leaning on his back.

”Doctor Du, what about the milk tea you promised me?” Li Nating suddenly asked from behind him.

Du Heng was a bit bewildered. Where could he possibly get milk tea for her in this heavy snow? And doesn’t this girl have any sense of propriety? Can’t she see I’m in the middle of a treatment?

”Never mind, I won’t trouble you in this snowstorm,” Li Nating suddenly said, sounding very considerate.

Just as Du Heng was about to offer a polite remark, Li Nating immediately added, ”Then let’s change it to you treating me to dinner. Tonight. There’s a new hot pot restaurant in the city. Every time I pass by it after work, I can smell how delicious it is. It’s so fragrant!”

The shift was too abrupt, and Du Heng, who had never dealt with a girlfriend’s theatrics, felt utterly at a loss.

Wang Lili saw things clearly. Li Nating’s behavior was a step further than it had been a few days ago. This meant Du Heng’s ranking as her backup option had risen considerably. This was understandable. With Du Heng’s performance today, as long as he continued at this level, the Health Clinic’s small Temple would definitely not be enough to hold him. He might even enter the clinic’s leadership early, then start rotating through departments to improve the medical standards of each. Would the leaders really turn a blind eye to such talent?

”I can’t make it tonight. I’ve already made plans with someone else.”

”Then tomorrow night. It’s a deal, okay?”

Feeling he had no choice, especially with the patient present and the hospital room not being a place for arguments, Du Heng could only nod in agreement.

However, the atmosphere felt a bit off, mainly because Li Nating was being too forward while Du Heng remained too aloof.

Wang Lili chuckled, stepping in to defuse the potentially awkward silence. ”Doctor Du, here are the moxa sticks you wanted. By the way, do we not need fire cupping today?”

”His recovery is good; we can stop the fire cupping.”

”That’s good. I thought you might have forgotten. You carry on with the treatment. Tingting and I will go next door to check on the child who was just admitted.”

Du Heng paid them no mind and continued treating the patient.

Since the patient’s condition had improved, Du Heng’s treatment time was correspondingly much shorter.

What would normally have been an hour-long treatment process, Du Heng completed in just half an hour today.

”After you drink your medicine, I’ll check on you again this afternoon. If there are no problems, you can be discharged.”

As Du Heng packed his things, he began giving instructions to the patient.

”Doctor Du, do I still need to take medicine? What should I pay attention to when I go home?”

”You need to continue taking the medicine. I’ll change your prescription; you can pick it up directly from the Pharmacy when you’re discharged. After you go home, apply hot compresses with a warm towel. You should also massage the area yourself or have a family member help. Maintain the same diet: no alcohol and no spicy or stimulating food. Come back for a follow-up on Friday.”

”Okay, thank you, Doctor Du.”

”Alright, you get some rest.”

Du Heng gathered his things and went to the next hospital room.

In his five years of practice, he had never been as busy as he was today. But this feeling of being needed, it was truly wonderful! Especially the sense of presence and fulfillment that welled up from deep within him.