Dr. Xu: A Chinese Medicine Novel

After a day at the hospital, Evan finally finds time to eat. Back at Mingxin, the workday is not quite over.

It was almost evening when Evan left the Chinese medicine hospital. He had spent nearly the whole day there.

Before leaving, he prescribed a few more batches of medicine for the little girl.

A modified Houpo Shengjiang Banxia Gancao Renshen Tang, and Erchen Tang with baiqian, suzi, loquat leaf, and fresh ginger added. Two batches of each formula.[1]

He told the hospital staff to call him immediately if her condition worsened again, whatever the time. He would come straight back.

Only after leaving the hospital did Evan truly relax. As soon as he did, exhaustion and hunger swept over him.

He had eaten nothing all day.

While treating the child, he had been too tense to notice either fatigue or hunger. Now that he could relax, he was starving.

Fortunately, the hospital was in the old part of town, where small shops lined the streets. Evan found a congee shop and ordered a bowl of hot rice porridge.

It arrived quickly. He took several mouthfuls. The gnawing discomfort in his stomach eased at once, and he felt a pleasant warmth.

Congee is made by simmering cereal grains. It has a warming effect, nourishes the Spleen and Stomach, and warms the middle to dispel cold. People often argue about whether congee or milk makes a better breakfast.[2]

There is really no need. Milk is neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, a nourishing food that generates body fluids and moistens the intestines. If you are healthy, have whichever you like in the morning.

But if you are not so healthy—if you have diarrhea from deficiency and cold in the Spleen and Stomach, or phlegm-dampness and retained fluid in the middle—you should avoid milk. Put simply, that means people with Spleen–Stomach deficiency-cold and diarrhea, and people with too much dampness.[3]

Because milk generates fluids and moistens the intestines, it will worsen diarrhea and the phlegm-dampness encumbering the Spleen. In those two situations, treat the illness first and drink milk afterward. Rice congee, on the other hand, can be quite helpful.

Almost anyone can have plain congee, though people with diabetes should have less. The same principle applies: treat the illness first, have congee afterward.[4]

The argument over plain congee and milk is not really a clash between traditional and modern culture. It is about looking after your health.

Both are nourishing foods. Milk in particular can replenish weakness and depletion. People suffering from deficiency and exhaustion can benefit from it, and it can be taken over the long term.

But if something is wrong with your health, treat that first.

From the perspective of Chinese medicine, breakfast is best made up of warming foods that dispel cold and nourish the Spleen and Stomach.

Some older Chinese medicine doctors, for instance, eat a few slices of ginger soaked in vinegar every morning. Fresh ginger also warms the middle and dispels cold. Soaking it in vinegar makes the two complement each other, improving both flavor and effect.[5]

The Spleen and Stomach are the foundation of life after birth, the source from which qi and blood are generated. They have to be looked after. Once they become deficient, all manner of illness follows. Whatever you do, do not copy Evan’s habit of skipping meals.[6]

Of course, some parents might worry that congee would not give their children enough nutrition.

Oh, come on.

Evan took another mouthful and called to the owner, “Are my tea eggs and pan-fried dumplings ready yet?”

Who the hell feeds their kids nothing but congee? What are you, their wicked stepparent?

By the time Evan returned to Mingxin Clinic, it was evening, almost closing time.

“Where have you been? Didn’t you say you only needed half a day off?” Clara looked unhappy.

Evan was a little embarrassed. “Something else came up.”

“Is it all taken care of?” she asked.

“It’s fine now.”

“Good.” Clara nodded, then pouted. “Every patient who came today made the trip for nothing. I sent them all home. Oh, my money!”

Evan felt guilty. He really had held up business at the clinic.

Ben, meanwhile, sat miserably in his chair, pounding his aching lower back.

With Evan away, there had naturally been no one to see patients. He was the only person at the clinic who could actually treat illness.

But Clara had not simply taken the day off. She had told the patients who came that, by way of apology, all the clinic’s wellness treatments were twenty percent off that day.

Which had made Ben’s day miserable.

Massage, tuina, moxibustion, fire cupping—the day’s work had worn him out.[7]

Clara had even made him post the good news on his WeChat Moments feed. Ben had his own regular wellness clients. They all came when they saw how cheap it was that day.

With Evan away, no one had treated illness. But the clinic had still made plenty of money.

Two weeks earlier, Ben would have refused to work and started cursing. To hell with this! Now he did not dare. Times had changed. These days, he was worried he might be fired.

Hello from the author’s actual platform, NovelPhoenix: this chapter was copied onto this site without permission.

Clara sighed and consoled Evan. “It’s all right. Don’t feel bad. The clinic’s having a hard time, and we’re losing out on a lot of income, but what you have to do is more important than the clinic. It’s fine. Just let me know in advance.”

Ben rolled his eyes. Lost income? What the hell was she talking about?

Evan was actually a little touched.

Still pounding his lower back, Ben hurried to add, “Well… well, it’s best if you don’t take time off. If you need to next time, tell me first, okay?”

“What are you planning?” Clara looked at him with a smile, a sharp gleam in her eyes.

Ben drew in a sharp breath and forced a smile. “So I can cover Evan’s shift.”

“I’m very pleased to hear it.” Clara smiled so broadly that her eyes almost disappeared.

Evan could not make sense of the exchange.

“Dr. Xu.” A timid voice came from the doorway.

They all turned.

Clara nearly dropped dead on the spot.

Shit. Little Octopus!

Evan was startled too. What was she doing here? He looked at Clara. Had she actually sorted things out or not?

Little Octopus came in with her brows drawn tight and her small face tense. Head lowered, she stopped in front of Evan. Short and petite, she looked rather cute.

Clara was turning green.

“What’s wrong?” Evan asked.

Little Octopus kept her head down, her little fists clenched. “I don’t quite get it, but I can understand people like you. I can accept it.

“Sure, I like gossiping about which male stars might be a couple. But… but… they’re all good-looking! Two good-looking boys together still look good!

“You’re so good-looking, Dr. Xu. Even if you feel that way, why would you choose a middle-aged man? Didn’t you say you hated him?”

She sighed, looking defeated. “Never mind. I suppose it must be true love.”

“What?” Evan was completely bewildered.

Clara really was about to drop dead this time.

“I saw it all, and you still won’t admit it!” Little Octopus declared. “I’m not happy about it, but I still wish you both happiness.”

She raised her head and pointed at Ben. “You’d better be good to Dr. Xu. Don’t you bully him!”

“Huh?” Ben was just as bewildered.[8]

“I’m leaving.” Little Octopus ran out, looking hurt.

“What does she mean?” Ben asked, baffled.

“CLARA! ZHANG!” Evan turned furiously toward her, but she was nowhere to be found.

The woman had already slipped away!

Reader Notes

Reader Notes

↩︎ The follow-up prescriptions. Tang denotes a decoction formula. The first name lists magnolia bark, fresh ginger, pinellia, licorice, and ginseng; the novel specifies additions without naming them. Erchen Tang is a separate formula traditionally used for damp-phlegm. Baiqian is a medicinal root-and-rhizome material, and suzi is the perilla material commonly called perilla seed; loquat leaf and fresh ginger complete the additions named here. “Two batches of each” preserves the prescription count, rather than specifying two mouthfuls or two days. No ingredient quantities, administration order, or further response to these medicines is given. Sources: CUHK — Shanghan Fuyi, section 2.23 (in Chinese); HKBU — Er Chen Tang; HKBU — Baiqian; HKBU — Perilla, medicinal parts (in Chinese).↩︎ Food “nature” and flavor. This passage uses Chinese medicine’s dietary framework. “Warm,” “cold,” and “neutral” describe attributed effects, while “sweet” is both a taste category and a functional classification. They are distinct from serving temperature or measured sugar content. “The middle” refers to the digestive sphere associated with the Spleen and Stomach. The government overview below explains the framework but distinguishes different grains; it does not establish that every kind of congee has the same warming action. The particular claims about congee and milk are retained from the novel. Source: Hong Kong Department of Health — Health preservation by food in Chinese medicine.↩︎ Deficiency-cold, dampness, and retained fluid. These are traditional pattern terms, continuing the digestive framework explained in earlier chapters. Spleen–Stomach deficiency-cold combines weakened digestive function with cold features. “Dampness,” “phlegm,” and “retained fluid” describe related forms of impaired fluid transformation or accumulation in this system. Phlegm need not mean mucus that can be coughed up; the “middle” is not simply a measured pool of liquid in the abdomen. The passage applies these categories to food choices. It is not identifying lactose intolerance or another single biomedical disorder. Source: WHO — Traditional Chinese Medicine Terminologies, entries 342–345, 347, 359, 1066 and 1225.↩︎ The dietary claims in context. The advice to stop milk in the named patterns, the near-universal claim for plain congee, and “treat the illness first” belong to the novel’s discussion. Current nutrition guidance considers the cause of symptoms, individual tolerance, and the overall diet. NIDDK notes that many people with lactose intolerance can tolerate some lactose; it does not equate that condition with traditional “dampness.” Its diabetes guidance includes carbohydrate amount and portion size in ongoing meal planning. These sources do not establish that diabetes must be cured before rice can be eaten. Sources: NIDDK — Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Lactose Intolerance; NIDDK — Healthy Living with Diabetes.↩︎ Vinegar-soaked ginger. This is ginger prepared as food, not a new prescription for the child. Chinese dietary theory traditionally assigns fresh ginger a warming action in the digestive sphere, which explains its place in this breakfast discussion. The claim that vinegar soaking improves the therapeutic effect is the novel’s own statement. The general dietary reference below supports ginger’s traditional warming description; it does not establish that this preparation works better. Source: Hong Kong Department of Health — Health preservation by food, vegetables section.↩︎ The “foundation of life after birth.” This traditional expression emphasizes nourishment obtained from food after birth. Within the theory, the Stomach receives food and the Spleen transforms and distributes nourishment, contributing to the generation of qi and blood. Capitalization marks these functional systems in this edition, rather than only the anatomical organs. The passage uses that framework to stress regular meals, then turns the criticism on Evan himself. The broad claim that deficiency brings many illnesses remains the narrator’s traditional formulation. Source: The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong — Zang-xiang, Spleen and Stomach paragraph.↩︎ The treatments that kept Ben busy. Tuina is a Chinese manual therapy using massage techniques. Moxibustion applies warmth from smoldering moxa; cupping uses suction inside cups placed on the body, with fire cupping using heat to create the pressure difference. These are distinct procedures, not synonyms for acupuncture. Earlier chapters introduced them in more detail. Here, the distinction that matters is the clinic’s business: Clara sells these wellness services while Evan, its only practitioner able to diagnose and treat illness in the story, is away. Sources: Hong Kong Health Bureau — Chinese medicine interventions; WHO — Traditional Chinese Medicine Terminologies, entries 3138–3142 and 3170.↩︎ Male celebrity pairings. The original uses CP, a fandom term for a romantic pairing, often called a “ship” in English. It can concern fictional characters or real celebrities and does not itself establish that two people are partners. Little Octopus describes gossip about male stars as imagined or possible couples. Her distinction between attractive young men and a middle-aged man belongs to her disappointed, confused speech. The exchange does not confirm a romance between Evan and Ben, nor does it supply either man’s sexual orientation. Source: Zhou et al. — The Mechanism of CP Fandom Behaviors among Chinese Young Adults, introduction.