This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Could he say he didn’t have time? Of course not. Du Heng immediately got up and followed Zheng Yuancheng as they began to tour the research institute.

What was there to see in the research institute? It was basically no different from a regular workplace, and since it was not very big, they quickly went from the top floor to the bottom floor.

During the tour, the variations in everyone’s attitude towards Du Heng were quite revealing. Those who worked on the same floor as Zheng Yuancheng were very enthusiastic towards Du Heng; even if they weren’t enthusiastic, they didn’t give him the cold shoulder. However, the lower they went, the colder everyone’s attitude towards Du Heng became. A very small number of people even displayed clear hostility towards him. According to Zheng Yuancheng’s introduction, these people were all middle-level managers of the research institute.

Watching the changes in these people’s expressions, Du Heng’s eyebrows twitched slightly. This situation was exactly the same as when he first became the Director of the Jinzhou City Women and Children’s Hospital. The only difference was that the people at the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital, although deeply upset, still maintained a superficial politeness. The people at the research institute, on the other hand, were more direct. They made their dissatisfaction with Du Heng very clear, making no attempt to hide their feelings.

Du Heng just smiled and let it pass. He simply didn’t care what these people thought, nor was he here to struggle for power and profit. He had only one purpose for being here: to get gilded and gain experience.

As the two continued downstairs, people’s attitudes gradually warmed up again, and their gazes held a bit more curiosity. The bottom two floors were where the institute provided medical services to the public. If one were to make a comparison, it was akin to a slightly larger clinic.

Du Heng had assumed that with so many good hospitals in the Capital, a small place like this, especially one focused mainly on acupuncture treatment, wouldn’t have many patients. However, to Du Heng’s surprise, there were quite a few patients. Almost every consultation room was occupied by someone receiving treatment.

”Xiao Du, this is where we provide treatment. We see a constant stream of patients every day, and the treatments are well-received,” Zheng Yuancheng said, leading Du Heng into a consultation room with a proud expression. ”Xiao Du, I’ve seen your stroke treatment process. It involves a lot of acupuncture and has been very effective. So, it’s clear you’re also an expert in acupuncture. Come, take a look at their treatment. What do you think?”

Du Heng’s expression stiffened slightly. He didn’t really want to comment on the treatment before him, feeling no desire to evaluate it at all. After another glance, he smiled and asked, ”Is this for treating spleen and stomach weakness?”

The acupuncturist glanced coolly at Du Heng. ”This patient has spleen deficiency, accompanied by bowel sounds and indigestion.”

Du Heng nodded slightly. ”The acupoints chosen are correct, the needle insertion is accurate, and the angle and depth are handled well. By the way, does the patient take any decoction medicine?”

”No, pure acupuncture treatment.”

”Very good, very impressive.”

After this light critique, Du Heng said no more. Frankly, if Zheng Yuancheng hadn’t been by his side, he wouldn’t have wanted to speak at all. Judging from the acupoints used on the patient, the acupuncturist had chosen the spleen meridian. The spleen meridian is one of the twelve meridians of the human body, belonging to the Foot’s Three Yin Channels, with 21 acupoints on each side. It originates at the inner side of the big toe (SP-01) and disperses under the tongue, mainly treating spleen and stomach disorders. This matched the patient’s stated condition.

However, the spleen meridian is most active between nine and eleven o’clock in the morning. Applying acupuncture at this time yields a more efficient therapeutic effect. Moreover, by performing the treatment in harmony with the meridian’s natural cycle, it wouldn’t cause any additional side effects for the patient. But now it was past four o’clock in the afternoon. Applying acupuncture to the spleen meridian at this time would not only diminish the effect but also cause some side effects.

Generally, the purpose of acupuncture is to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. In emergency situations, acupoints are used to stimulate the meridians, boost the patient’s original qi, and invigorate certain organs. However, regardless of the situation, acupuncture also has another function: ’draining.’ Whether promoting blood circulation or invigorating original qi, applying needles to meridians and acupoints inevitably causes a small amount of original qi to be lost from the acupoints. If needling is done during the meridian’s active time, one only needs to gently clear the channel, which reduces original qi loss and minimizes side effects. If it’s not during the meridian’s active time, it’s best to use a corresponding decoction medicine to relieve pressure on the meridians from the inside out.

Given the current situation, Du Heng was sure that while the patient’s spleen and stomach function might improve with this treatment, the effect would be very slight. If she perceived it as effective and persisted with it long-term, she would definitely develop other problems, such as hiccups and acid reflux. So, upon hearing the acupuncturist, Du Heng truly didn’t want to make any comments.

However, Zheng Yuancheng didn’t see it that way, and neither did the acupuncturist beside him. In fact, the acupuncturist thought his superb needling technique had thoroughly impressed the young man before him.

Zheng Yuancheng led Du Heng out of the consultation room, speaking softly about the research institute’s achievements and honors, then continued the tour of the consultation area with him.

When they reached the next consultation room, the corner of Du Heng’s eye twitched fiercely. The patient in the treatment room lay prone on the treatment bed, his upper body bare. Along both sides of his spine were two dense rows of fine needles. These needles extended all the way down to the upper edge of his buttocks.

Seeing this, Du Heng guessed it was a treatment for soreness and fatigue caused by lumbar muscle strain, or perhaps for discomfort from a lumbar disc herniation. Was the method wrong? No. So why did the corner of Du Heng’s eye twitch so violently? Because the needling technique was wrong. With the previous patient, problems might arise; with this patient, other problems were absolutely guaranteed to arise.

Firstly, when needling the lumbar vertebra, oblique needle insertion is mostly used, not direct perpendicular puncture. Secondly, as mentioned before, besides relaxing tendons and activating blood circulation, acupuncture also has a ’draining’ function. If this ’draining’ function is used correctly, it treats disease; if used incorrectly, it causes side effects. This patient had at least thirty needles inserted from his back to his buttocks, counting both rows. Even if each needle drained only a minuscule amount of original qi, thirty needles would drain a significant amount. And how much original qi can a person afford to lose?

At this point, Zheng Yuancheng proactively asked the patient, ”Sir, I believe I saw you last time. How many treatments have you had?”

The patient on the bed muttered, ”This is the fifth time.”

”Is it effective?”

”It’s alright, I guess.”

”Well, as long as it’s effective, that’s good.” Zheng Yuancheng asked no more and took a satisfied step back.

But Du Heng looked sideways at Zheng Yuancheng—was that all he was going to ask? Didn’t he notice the problem?

Zheng Yuancheng smiled at Du Heng. ”Xiao Du, do you have a question?”

Du Heng hesitated for a moment. ”May I ask?”

”Of course,” Zheng Yuancheng agreed immediately.

Du Heng didn’t waste time and turned directly to the patient. ”Can you feel the needles in your back?”

”Yes.”

”What do you feel?”

”What do I feel?” The patient paused. ”It’s like the spark from a lighter’s igniter, a bit numb.”

Du Heng frowned immediately. ”Does it hurt?”

”A little, but it’s not a big deal. I can bear it.”

Upon hearing this, Du Heng immediately turned his gaze to Zheng Yuancheng.

Zheng Yuancheng finally seemed to realize there was a problem. He looked at the doctor performing the acupuncture, took a deep breath, and said calmly, ”Please remove the needles first.”

The doctor hesitated for a moment, but seeing Zheng Yuancheng’s furrowed eyebrows, he didn’t dare to delay any longer.