This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

There was also a female doctor, one of the earliest to follow Du Heng. Because of her initial support, Du Heng couldn’t ignore her. However, she was pregnant and willingly cooperated with Doctor Ma’s work, not wanting to take on any major responsibilities. In her own words, her greatest satisfaction came from diligently treating patients, performing her job well, and caring for her family. Becoming an official was not her ambition; power was not what she desired. Du Heng had no choice but to respect her wishes.

So, after Xiao Li left with the treatment plan Du Heng had prepared, Du Heng also prepared to leave. But the cries of the elder twin in the mother’s arms once again captured Du Heng’s full attention, causing him to stop involuntarily.

He turned and approached the elder twin. ”Put the child down; let me take a look.”

The mother looked bewildered.

Having twins was a joyous occasion. Fraternal twins, one boy and one girl, made a perfect pair—a symbol of good fortune—and brought immense happiness to the entire family. But now that their younger twin, the son, was at risk of cerebral palsy, a silence had fallen over their once-joyful household. The new mother, who should have been recuperating, was instead fraught with anxiety.

The Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital had recommended that the younger twin be transferred to the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital for treatment, while the mother continued her own treatment at the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital. But as a first-time mother, she couldn’t bear to be separated from her child, especially not to a different hospital, and she had become emotionally agitated. Ultimately, after discussions with the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital, both the mother and the younger twin were transferred there together, along with the healthy elder twin.

Du Heng’s sudden action made the already nervous mother even more tense. Following his request, she placed the baby she was holding onto the bed and asked anxiously, ”Doctor, what’s wrong?”

Du Heng pursed his lips and said softly, ”I’m going to examine the child first.”

The mother stepped back slightly, tightly gripping her husband’s hand, and watched nervously as Du Heng conducted the examination. Her husband, meanwhile, stared blankly at Du Heng like a wooden statue. They were new, young parents, and the news that one child might have problems had already left them feeling overwhelmed and helpless. Now, Du Heng’s expression hinted that the twin they believed to be healthy, the elder one, might also have issues. This new fear made them tremble, their bodies shaking with anxiety.

Fortunately, they had just been admitted to the hospital. The husband’s mother, the wife’s mother, and the husband’s sister had all come with them, offering the young couple some much-needed support.

After the examination, Du Heng frowned and paused.

Unable to bear the suspense any longer, the husband’s mother, who had been waiting anxiously, asked, ”Doctor, what’s wrong with the baby?”

Du Heng didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he asked, ”Has the baby been crying like this for the past three days, ever since birth?”

The husband’s mother sighed. ”Yes, this child is quite a handful, crying off and on. Cries even after being fed, cries even when held.”

As they spoke, the baby on the bed began to cry again. Hearing the cries, the baby’s mother instinctively moved to pick the child up, but Du Heng gestured for her to stop. ”Don’t rush to pick the baby up. Give me the baby bottle.”

The mother, stopped so suddenly, became flustered and unsure what to do. Meanwhile, her husband’s sister quickly handed Du Heng the baby bottle as requested.

Du Heng took the baby bottle, placed the nipple near the baby’s mouth, and let a drop of milk slowly fall into the baby’s mouth. But the child made no corresponding sucking motion and continued to wail.

Du Heng returned the baby bottle to the husband’s sister, then checked the baby’s diaper, finding no sign of a bowel movement. He then picked up the baby and gently rocked the infant in his arms, but the crying persisted.

At this, the husband’s mother said, ”See? That’s just how this little one is—cries for no apparent reason. We don’t know why. But the baby will stop after a while, won’t cry endlessly.”

Du Heng’s brow furrowed even more, deep vertical lines forming between his eyebrows. Listening to the baby’s loud cries and feeling the distinct, strong heartbeat under his fingers, Du Heng paused in thought. He then placed the baby back on the bed and unwrapped the swaddling blanket, fully exposing the infant.

The husband’s mother couldn’t hold back any longer and asked once more, ”Doctor, is there something wrong with the baby?”

Du Heng let out a soft breath.

Examining children was always like this. Their pulse, vital signs, tongue coating, and other indicators weren’t as pronounced as in adults. Sometimes, the pulse he felt and the tongue coating he observed seemed to tell entirely different stories. And since babies are too young to speak or articulate their discomfort, finding the source of the problem was incredibly challenging.

”The crying of a normal child,” Du Heng began, ”can generally be divided into three categories. First, physiological needs, such as hunger or an uncomfortable diaper.

”Second, a desire for psychological comfort—wanting to be patted, held, sung to softly, or spoken to.

”Third, crying due to pain or physical discomfort.”

He gestured towards the baby on the bed. ”Look at this child. The baby refuses to feed and hasn’t had a bowel movement. In the roughly twenty minutes since I entered the room, the baby has cried four times already, with less than five minutes of quiet between each episode.”