This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”This concludes the special report on ’The Emergency Rescue with Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoctions and Acupuncture for Sudden Cerebral Hemorrhage, and Post-operative Rehabilitation Therapy for Hemiplegia and Paralysis.’ Thank you all for your patient participation.”

When the words ’Thank You’ appeared on the large screen, Du Heng concluded his special report for the day. A moment of silence from the audience followed, then scattered applause, which gradually grew into a unified ovation. This prompted Du Heng, on stage, to bow once more in gratitude.

At the appropriate moment, Li Jianwei, the host for this special report, stepped forward. He tapped the microphone, testing it with a soft ’hello, hello,’ then, on behalf of Du Heng, he once again thanked everyone for attending.

”’The presentation phase of this special report has now concluded. We will now open the floor for questions,’ Li Jianwei announced. Dressed in a sharp suit, he gazed at the attendees with a mixture of pride and humility. He fought the urge to lift his chin arrogantly, consciously striving to project an air of modesty.”

However, after waiting for some time, no one raised a question. As the host, Li Jianwei was not at all surprised by this.

Du Heng’s special report had lasted three hours and twenty minutes, with two breaks. He had meticulously explained the content—covering the traditional Chinese medicine classifications of cerebral hemorrhage, its etiology and pathogenesis, the selection of decoction and medicinal materials, the characteristics of acupuncture points, and more—all using fundamental TCM theory. He had thoroughly analyzed all conceivable questions, emphasizing and repeatedly explaining what he considered key concepts and difficult points from various angles. A significant portion of the attendees were mainstays of the traditional Chinese medicine field; it was highly unlikely they would misunderstand. Du Heng had anticipated and already addressed the questions they might have had, providing detailed explanations. Consequently, there were genuinely no questions left to ask.

Du Heng credited his teaching experience from the past semester for enabling him to achieve this level of clarity. To be honest, he had approached the audience as if they were students in his classroom, and this report as his meticulously prepared lesson plan. If, after all this, someone still didn’t understand and had questions, it would suggest one of three things: either Du Heng’s teaching was subpar, his professional expertise was lacking, or the questioner’s foundational knowledge was too weak—perhaps even nonexistent.

Just as Li Jianwei was preparing to move on to the next segment, he suddenly spotted someone raising a hand. A closer look revealed it to be Deputy Director Liu Shengnan from the Neurosurgery Department of Provincial First Hospital, who was also the wife of Xu Pinglin from Digestion Department 1.

This was a traditional Chinese medicine conference; why would a practitioner of Western medicine like her attend? Actually, it wasn’t surprising. Several other directors and deputy directors from neurosurgery departments were also in attendance.

Cerebral hemorrhage, also known as cerebral bleeding, is a prevalent disease in modern society. Thanks to modern medicine, the mortality rate from cerebral hemorrhage has been significantly reduced. Barring cases of extreme misfortune, prolonged bleeding, or excessive blood loss, most patients can be saved. Even in cases of rapid, significant bleeding, timely medical intervention through surgery can stop the hemorrhage, reduce intracranial pressure, and remove blood clots. However, the rate of resulting disabilities—including motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and speech and swallowing disorders—is exceptionally high, approaching nearly one hundred percent. Consequently, almost every patient discharged after a cerebral hemorrhage suffers from varying degrees of hemiplegia, Paralysis, or even epilepsy.

This is not just a challenge that Du Heng’s stroke team is striving to overcome, but also a critical problem that practitioners of Western medicine are eager to solve. In this area, Du Heng and his stroke team are pioneers. Furthermore, they have been open about their achievements, making it easy for anyone to learn the details. Now that Du Heng was about to give a special report on this very subject, how could they possibly miss it? Although they were practitioners of Western medicine, the principle that ’stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade’ applied. With hundreds, even thousands, of successful cases already documented, they were certainly keen to absorb some of this experience.

”Hello, President Du.”

”Hello, Deputy Director Liu.”

”As you know, I practice Western medicine, so frankly, I didn’t understand much of what you presented earlier.”

The moment Liu Shengnan finished speaking, soft chuckles rippled through her vicinity, and even Du Heng on stage couldn’t suppress a smile.

Hearing the chuckles around her, Liu Shengnan smiled herself and continued, ”However, given the many successful cases, I firmly believe that what you’ve said, President Du, is true. I’ve never doubted that for a moment; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. My question, however, isn’t strictly a professional one. It pertains to other matters. Is it alright to ask?”

Du Heng gestured slightly. ”Of course. Please ask.”

”It’s like this, President Du. In your report, you mentioned that when a cerebral hemorrhage occurs suddenly, using pills combined with acupuncture can help the patient quickly regain consciousness and clear their mind, and also reduce the impact of sequelae.”

Du Heng nodded. ”That’s correct. It is indeed possible. In fact, last September, our stroke team treated a patient using this very method...”

Before Du Heng could elaborate, Liu Shengnan quickly interjected, ”President Du, there’s no need to explain further. I’m not questioning that aspect at all. My question concerns the selection of acupuncture points you mentioned. One of them was the Baihui (GV20) acupoint on the crown of the head, correct?”

Du Heng nodded. ”Yes, that’s the one.”

”The Baihui (GV20) acupoint is located on the crown of the head. You also mentioned that the needle insertion depth should be between 0.5 and 1 inch. If we convert that, one inch is more than two centimeters, approaching three centimeters, isn’t it?”