This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”If we go by the explanation of you doctors, wouldn’t this little girl have a bit too much lung fire?”

Du Heng frowned at Jin Zan. ”And normally, the lungs are associated with the metal element and don’t have fire. But this little girl has been experiencing nosebleeds for years, so this lung fire is enough to cause lung heat, potentially turning into carbuncles. Jin, did you guys take a chest X-ray for the child?”

Jin Zan laughed awkwardly. ”We did.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a disdainful look from Du Heng.

Jin Zan explained with a grin, ”What are you glaring at me for? That’s the process in our hospital. Whether the doctor looks at the X-ray or not, all the necessary exams for the patient have to be done. Otherwise, some patients don’t believe the diagnoses our TCM doctors give and even say we’re talking nonsense.”

Seeing that Jin Zan was about to continue explaining, Du Heng shook his head. ”Alright, stop explaining. If you’re doing it to make money, just say so. It’s not shameful.”

”You’re really annoying when you talk.”

”Then let it make you angry! You do these things, yet I’m not allowed to point them out?” Du Heng rolled his eyes and retorted. ”Let’s get back to this little girl. Since you guys already took a chest X-ray, can you tell me if you found any pulmonary nodules in her?”

Jin Zan raised his eyebrows. ”We didn’t find any.”

Du Heng immediately gave Jin Zan a look that said, ’You figure it out.’

Jin Zan scratched his chin and slowly said, ”Are you saying that our doctor’s diagnosis was wrong?”

Du Heng smiled gently. ”Isn’t it obvious?”

”Then what’s going on?”

”There’s no heat in the lungs, yet lung-fire constantly invades the contrary. Since the lungs themselves are without fire, where does this fire come from?” Du Heng’s hand on the table started tapping involuntarily.

Jin Zan crossed his arms, constantly stroking his chin. After a while, he simply gave up. ”Forget it. I’ve returned everything I learned to my teacher. Just hurry up and tell me.”

Du Heng’s mouth twitched slightly. ”The lungs are the mother of the kidney, and the lung meridian has no fire. If there is fire, it must come from the kidney.”

Hearing Du Heng’s explanation, Jin Zan immediately knitted his brows. He pondered for a moment before saying, ”That’s not right either. Even if it comes from the kidney, it should be kidney water, not kidney fire flaring up.”

”But now, it is the kidney fire flaring up. Why?” Du Heng tapped the table again unconsciously.

Jin Zan put on a dissatisfied expression. ”Just hurry up and tell me. I already said I returned everything to my teacher, and you’re still putting on airs.”

Seeing that Jin Zan was genuinely getting impatient, Du Heng chuckled. ”If the kidney fire flares up, there’s only one reason: kidney water insufficiency. So why is there kidney water insufficiency? And why does kidney fire flare up? The reason is simple: heart fire invading the lungs, and the lung is the mother of the kidney. Therefore, kidney water must rush up to save its mother. But if there’s insufficient kidney water, then only kidney fire can flare up—to fight fire with fire. When fire battles fire, it becomes too dry, causing blood to flow backward. When blood flows backward, where does it go? It can only be expelled through the nose.”

Listening to Du Heng’s rhetorical questions and answers, Jin Zan blinked at him. ”Heart fire invading the lungs? You mean the little girl has an overabundance of heart fire and heart yin deficiency?”

Du Heng wagged a finger. ”Not only that. Don’t forget what I just said: the kidney fire flares up because of kidney water insufficiency.”

”Heart-kidney yin deficiency?” Jin Zan uttered doubtfully. ”Impossible, right? This is just an eight- or nine-year-old child. How could she have heart-kidney yin deficiency?”

Shaking his head like a rattle drum, Jin Zan said, ”Impossible, that’s simply impossible. An eight- or nine-year-old child with both heart and kidney deficiency? You must be joking.”

Jin Zan’s disbelief didn’t make Du Heng feel he had erred. Instead, he quietly added, ”You may not have asked thoroughly. This little girl was a preterm birth; she has a congenital insufficiency.”

As Du Heng finished his supplementary explanation, Jin Zan suddenly froze, his eyes staring straight at Du Heng. ”Are you serious?”

”Of course, I am. The little girl’s uncle told me.” Du Heng looked at Jin Zan and shook his head. ”Jin, you guys aren’t rigorous. You’ve made the typical mistake of treating the head when the head aches and the foot when the foot aches. With all the issues this little girl has, you didn’t even ask properly and just went ahead and prescribed medicine. For lung fire flaring up, you guys just cleared the lung fire—a symptomatic treatment. It can temporarily stop her nosebleeds, sure, but it doesn’t treat the root cause. Once the medication is stopped and its effects wear off, the little girl will continue to have nosebleeds. And for a child so young to have both heart and kidney deficiencies, if the fire becomes too strong one day and the nosebleeds can’t be stopped, it could be life-threatening.”

Jin Zan suddenly sighed. ”So, heart fire invading the lungs is the symptom, and heart-kidney yin deficiency is the root cause? Du, are you sure?”

”I’d love to say I’m very sure. However, for now, this is just what I’ve deduced based on your doctors’ diagnosis and the little girl’s specific condition. So, to be more rigorous, I hope we can conduct a comprehensive analysis of pulse and symptoms. I’d also like to take the little girl’s pulse for a more specific examination.”

Du Heng addressed Jin Zan’s question and also sincerely expressed his own thoughts, then looked at Jin Zan seriously.

After all, Jin Zan was currently the attending doctor for this little girl. If Jin Zan didn’t agree, Du Heng couldn’t force the issue.

However, Jin Zan was still hesitant. He didn’t readily agree to Du Heng just because they were classmates. He had to be responsible not only for himself but, more importantly, for his patient. This time it was different from the previous situation. Last time, they had communicated with the patient and invited Du Heng for treatment. But this time, Du Heng himself had come to the door, and the patient wasn’t informed. This was an entirely different matter, so he couldn’t casually agree.

After a moment of contemplation, Jin Zan looked at Du Heng again and asked, ”But the symptoms of heart-kidney yin deficiency are quite obvious, such as palpitations, insomnia, and difficulty falling asleep. Why didn’t the girl’s parents mention these? Why didn’t the girl mention them?”

With a soft laugh, Du Heng replied, ”You said it yourself just now. She’s just an eight- or nine-year-old girl, and an energetic elementary school student at that. Do you think she can accurately express these conditions? After a day of studying and playing at school, do you think she’d have difficulty falling asleep?”

Jin Zan pursed his lips. ”Alright, I’ll go with you to see the little girl. But if you want to take her pulse and diagnose her, you must get her father’s consent. Otherwise, nothing you say will make a difference.”

Seeing Jin Zan agree, Du Heng placed his hand on the table and tried to stand up. However, the apparent discomfort in his waist made him struggle a bit.

Jin Zan stepped forward to help, but Du Heng, insisting on appearing strong, brushed his hand away. ”Nonsense, I just sat for too long. And by the way, why use a chair with wheels if you don’t have to? It’s not convenient at all. Stop dawdling, lead the way.”

Looking at the stubborn Du Heng, Jin Zan decisively withdrew his hand. ”Fine, let’s see how long you can keep up this act.”

Ignoring Du Heng, Jin Zan strode out of the office and headed for the little girl’s ward. He didn’t care whether Du Heng could keep up.