This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”Give me your hand, and I’ll take your pulse.”

The pulse was stringy and thin, the tongue red, and its coating yellow.

As Du Heng gently pressed his fingers, he asked softly, ”Have you been on your menstrual period these past few days?”

”Yes, how did you know?” The woman’s attention finally shifted from her husband to Du Heng.

Du Heng didn’t answer her question but continued, ”Is your period very light, and do blood clots sometimes appear?”

”You know that too? Doctor, this is amazing! How did you know?”

”I’m taking your pulse right now; of course, your pulse told me,” Du Heng replied quietly, afraid she would keep asking.

After finishing the pulse diagnosis, Du Heng asked the woman, ”Think carefully. Isn’t it true that every time you can’t control your anger, it’s always in the days leading up to your menstrual period? And once your period ends, does this tendency to get angry also disappear?”

The woman looked a bit dazed for a moment. ”I think so. I haven’t really paid attention.”

The man, however, interjected sharply, ”Doctor, you’re absolutely right! That’s exactly when it happens. In the past, whenever she had her period, she’d tell me she was in a bad mood and ask me not to provoke her. But back then, it was more like she was just being a bit petulant. Now, though, it’s not a matter of us not provoking her; we can’t even hide from her. She hunts people down to vent her anger on them!”

The woman glared at her husband again. ”Is it such a problem if I get a little irritable when I’m not feeling well during my period? You could handle it before, so why can’t you now? You just think that now I’ve given you a child, I’m old, and you can start openly showing your disdain for me!”

”You...” The man was so angry he was practically sputtering.

Just as he was about to retort, Du Heng gently shook his hand, stopping the man from speaking. Then, he addressed the woman, enunciating each word, ”Ma’am, you’re mistaken about that.”

The woman turned to Du Heng. ”What’s wrong?”

”It’s true that women can experience discomfort during their menstrual period. But to say you become easily angered, lose your temper, and your emotions become unstable—that’s not normal. That’s not a typical reaction during a menstrual period.”

The woman paused, stunned, then asked with some confusion, ”What do you mean? Are you saying I’m sick?”

Du Heng nodded gently. ”You could say that.”

”How is that possible? My body has always been very healthy.”

”Healthy my foot!” the man burst out, seeing the doctor supported his view, his face showing an ’I told you so’ expression. ”With your temper tantrums, insomnia, and chest tightness, how can you say you’re healthy? I told you that you have a mental illness, and you wouldn’t believe me.”

Du Heng quickly shook his head. ”Now, don’t talk nonsense. I never said your wife has a mental illness.”

”Huh?”

Seeing the man’s surprised and puzzled expression, Du Heng slowly explained, ”The liver governs emotions. Especially for women, emotional issues often stem from problems with the liver.”

”But it’s obviously a psychological problem! She yells at people for no reason and deliberately picks fights. How can that be related to the liver?” The woman didn’t believe her liver was the problem, and the man didn’t believe liver issues could manifest this way either.

Du Heng simply shook his head and said, ”It’s merely blood deficiency and hyperactive liver.”

The couple exchanged a look. ”What do you mean?”

”When I took your pulse just now, I found that you have a long-standing qi and blood deficiency.”

As soon as Du Heng finished, the woman immediately questioned, ”No way. I’ve always thought my body was quite healthy.”

Du Heng chuckled softly. ”Did you previously experience difficulty sleeping, waking easily, and frequent dreams?”

Hearing Du Heng’s question, the woman thought for a moment. ”Yes, somewhat. And I dream a lot. It’s better if I don’t dream, but when I do, it’s all night long, and I often startle myself awake.”

Then she looked at Du Heng with a puzzled expression. ”Is that what you mean by qi and blood deficiency?”

”Not entirely. There are other characteristics of qi and blood deficiency as well. These include symptoms like shortness of breath, a disinclination to speak, low spirits, fatigue, and rough, dull, sallow skin that is prone to spots.”

Once Du Heng finished, the man immediately nodded. ”Doctor, you’re absolutely right. She used to be extremely lazy. Whenever we talked about housework, she’d say she was tired. She’d be tired after work, and tired even after waking up in the morning. And look at the spots on her face; even thick foundation can’t cover them. And now she’s getting acne too!”

”Gao, you’d better shut your mouth!” the woman threatened her husband directly.

Before they could start arguing, Du Heng interjected, ”You see? You exhibit all the typical characteristics of qi and blood deficiency. I chose to mention two less obvious symptoms first, precisely because I was afraid you’d think I was just judging by your appearance. Do you believe me now?”

The woman slowly nodded.

”To return to our original point, you already had an underlying qi and blood deficiency. Now, during your menstrual period, this blood deficiency is inevitably aggravated. Severe blood deficiency inevitably generates internal heat. Furthermore, if there are aspects of your home life with your husband and child that are stressful or not well-managed, this can easily trigger liver fire, which in turn inevitably affects your emotions.”

Pausing for a moment, Du Heng continued, ”The liver is considered paramount for women’s health. Why? Because the liver stores blood. As long as your liver is healthy, your menstrual periods, complexion, sleep, essence, qi, and spirit will generally be fine. So, ma’am, protecting, nourishing, and caring for your liver is far more beneficial than all those cosmetics you put on your face.”

After addressing the woman, Du Heng turned back to the man. ”And you, don’t say your wife is lazy or has a mental illness. It’s not laziness, nor is it a mental illness. It’s qi and blood deficiency, a poorly functioning liver; her body is unwell. You need to be more mindful in the future and communicate properly. Your wife tends to let her thoughts run wild, and you’re not much better, constantly calling it a mental illness. If this goes on, even someone who doesn’t have a mental illness could end up developing one.”

The man, having been pushed to his limits by his wife, had been making a fool of himself that day. However, he was the type to admit his mistakes when he realized them, so he immediately turned and apologized to his wife.

The woman, after shooting her husband a glare, turned to Du Heng and asked, ”Doctor, how should this be treated then? Is it difficult?”

”Diagnosing your condition is a bit tricky, but the treatment itself isn’t difficult. We just need to nourish your blood and regulate your liver.”

Having spoken to the woman, Du Heng turned to the new doctor beside him. ”Prescribe Moutan and Gardenia Free Wanderer Powder. Ingredients: peony bark, gardenia, bupleurum...”

Watching the new doctor finish typing the prescription, Du Heng turned back to the woman. ”I’ll prescribe seven doses of medicine for now. Take one dose per day, divided into two administrations with warm water. Come back for a follow-up in a week, and we’ll assess the situation then.”

The couple took the payment receipt Du Heng handed them, offered a few words of thanks, and left. This allowed Du Heng to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as the patient stepped out, Secretary Huang walked in, sidestepping past the doorway.

”Dean, are you finished?” Secretary Huang asked with a smile.

Du Heng stretched and then sat up straight again. ”How could I be finished? There are still so many people queuing outside.”

Du Heng responded cheerfully to Secretary Huang, then asked with a smile, ”Secretary Huang, is there something you need? What brings you to the consultation room?”

”I’m here to get you for a meeting in the city.”

”A meeting?” Du Heng blinked, puzzled. ”What meeting?”

Secretary Huang also seemed taken aback. ”Weren’t you notified?”

”No one informed me.” Du Heng shook his head in confusion. ”Secretary Huang, please wait a moment. I’ll ask Xiao Kang; he should know.”

Secretary Huang quickly said, ”Oh, then perhaps I made a mistake. Section Chief Liu from the Supervision Department called me. I just assumed he was asking us all to go together.”

Hearing Secretary Huang mention the Supervision Department, a flicker of doubt crossed Du Heng’s eyes.

The Supervision Department, its full name is the ’Health Legal System and Supervision Department,’ primarily deals with legislative drafts, administrative reviews, administrative litigation, legal interpretations, and the supervision of major illegal cases, among other responsibilities. Whichever aspect one considered, it didn’t seem to have any connection with the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

Therefore, after hearing what Secretary Huang said, Du Heng decided not to concern himself with it. Whoever was supposed to attend the meeting could go; it wasn’t a major issue anyway.