Taoist Doctor - Chapter 2

In Daoism, there are five arts: mountain, medicine, destiny, physiognomy, and divination, which are used to spread the Dao.

 

Many famous doctors in history, such as Tao Hongjing and Sun Simiao, were actually Daoist by origin.

 

In modern times, these two professions have long been disconnected, but there are still some exceptions, such as Zhou Jinyuan. The Zhou family Taoists still inherit medical skills.

 

As fire-residing Taoists, they are different from the ordinary concept of Taoists and can establish families, get married, and have children, belonging to the practice at home.

 

Since childhood, Zhou Jinyuan has been studying medical texts and reading the Book of Changes and Eight Trigrams.

 

In the eyes of others, calling him a Taoist, he lives in the secular world; calling him a traditional Chinese doctor makes him seem even more mysterious than the “old Chinese doctors” in psoriasis advertisements.

 

Especially in this unfamiliar Haizhou Province, he had to deceive and coax just now when treating the child!

 

However, he still stubbornly practices spreading the Dao through skills – all sorts of madness are diseases that need to be popularized, but he also invited two young people to come to the Taoist temple next time and listen to the Daoist lessons with the old lady. Both of them agreed.

 

Zhou Jinyuan is from Yingzhou Province, but since the two provinces are adjacent, there have been large-scale migrations in history, and the accents are similar, so no one had noticed before that he was not a local.

 

Both being religious figures, the Qin Guan, the master of Xiangluo Temple, and Zhou’s father are old acquaintances, so when Zhou Jinyuan came to Haizhou Province, he naturally went to visit the mountain.

 

After the small incident with Grandma Yang, which only delayed about half an hour, under the guidance of Daoist Zhao, the two continued up the mountain.

 

“Brother Zhou, the master said you came to work in Haizhou? Why did you want to leave your hometown?” After the previous performance, Daoist Zhao now felt that Zhou Jinyuan was even more mysterious, and couldn’t help but be more curious about his intentions.

 

The Zhou family has always been in Yingzhou Province, and leaving one’s homeland is difficult. Traveling and seeking the Dao is one thing, but settling down is another matter. Zhou Jinyuan’s actions really puzzled people.

 

“It was only two months ago that I decided to come…” Zhou Jinyuan said helplessly.

 

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang. Daoist Zhao saw him answering, and after listening for a while, he relaxed his tone and said to the other end, “Xiaoxue, I’ve arrived, I’m on Xiangluo Mountain. You behave well with your new classmates at school, and we’ll see each other again in a few days.”

 

He gave some life advice, which was quite different from the playful and teasing attitude he had shown before.

 

Daoist Zhao couldn’t hear the voice on the other end clearly, but when Zhou Jinyuan hung up, he chuckled and said, “Brother, is this ‘Xiaoxue’ your girlfriend? You’re not here for ‘Xiaoxue,’ are you?”

 

If that were the case, it would be quite passionate for a younger brother.

 

As a result, Zhou Jinyuan also laughed heartily, “What’s up, ‘Xiaoxue’ is a boy, I treat him like a little brother. But, if you say I came for Xiaoxue, it’s almost the same. He was admitted to the university in Haizhou this year and is currently undergoing military training. I arrived late.”

 

Daoist Zhao made a mistake, chuckled awkwardly, and said, “Brother, you and Xiaoxue’s brother are closer than brothers, it’s rare to see a university student still needing tutoring.”

 

Coming all the way to Haizhou, it turned out to be for tutoring a teenager?

 

Zhou Jinyuan simply said, “Xiaoxue’s brother and I are close friends. After his brother left, I have been taking care of him on behalf of his brother. Xiaoxue… got into a good university, but he’s not very willing to leave home.”

 

…Poor kid!

 

Daoist Zhao also caught a glimpse of something. Zhou Jinyuan didn’t say it, but where did Xiaoxue’s parents and other relatives go? After his brother had an accident, instead of letting a relative take care of him, they let an outsider do it. It seems that this is a child with a pitiful background.

 

In this way, it’s no wonder the child relies on Brother Zhou, and it also shows that Brother Zhou is truly compassionate. Daoist Zhao admired him and said, “Brother, you are so selfless in taking care of your friend’s brother. It’s truly noble.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan sighed, “I am unworthy of such praise. Xiaoxue’s brother still sends me money every month. I am compensated for my labor, compensated for my labor.”

 

Daoist Zhao: “Huh? Isn’t Xiaoxue’s brother…”

 

“Oh,” Zhou Jinyuan also realized the misunderstanding, “His parents are earning money on the other side of the earth, and his brother saw through the world and became a monk.”

 

Daoist Zhao: “…………”

 

Daoist Zhao felt complicated, “I misunderstood, when you said that I thought… and also… it’s a bit…”

 

Are they all so irresponsible?

 

“Right, I feel the same!” Zhou Jinyuan clicked his tongue, “We’re so close, why didn’t he come to our Daoist sect after becoming a monk? Does he think we Taoists are less popular than monks?”

 

Daoist Zhao: “……”

 

…

 

When Zhou Jinyuan arrived at Xiangluo Temple, he was warmly received by Master Qin – Master Qin and Zhou’s father were not only good friends, but Zhou’s father also treated him for a stubborn illness in the past.

 

“This is San Shan’s only son, Jin Yuan. San Shan has praised you to me more than once, saying you’re well-versed in classics and very intelligent!” Master Qin introduced Zhou Jinyuan to the other Daoists at Xiangluo Temple.

 

An elderly Daoist with white hair chuckled, “Jin Yuan, you probably don’t remember me, but I held you sixteen years ago! Your appearance hasn’t changed at all, just grown up and become even more delicate. I recognized you at a glance.”

 

“Isn’t it Daoist Xie Zhongyu? You look exactly the same as sixteen years ago,” Zhou Jinyuan looked at him closely and said, “Sixteen years ago, you and Master Qin came to Yingzhou, and you read a passage from the ‘Book of Zhuangzi’ to me.”

 

This Daoist looked at Master Qin, thinking that Master Qin had introduced him in advance without him noticing. Sixteen years ago, Zhou Jinyuan was only five years old, so it’s not strange that he recognized Zhou Jinyuan, but it was unexpected that Zhou Jinyuan remembered him.

 

Master Qin shook his head, “I didn’t say a word.”

 

“The memory is relatively early, and it’s also quite good.” Zhou Jinyuan nodded to himself.

 

Master Qin secretly nodded in agreement. San Shan didn’t brag. He heard that Jin Yuan had started his apprenticeship a few years ago and was exploring his own path. It turns out he’s been so bright from an early age. No wonder. I just don’t know how much he compares to his father.

 

After the introduction, Master Qin talked to Zhou Jinyuan alone.

 

“Really not planning to stay on the mountain?” Master Qin asked.

 

Zhou Jinyuan came to visit him not only because of the friendship between the two families, but also because as an elder, Master Qin felt obliged to arrange things for Zhou Jinyuan. If Zhou Jinyuan was willing, Xiangluo Temple could provide accommodation.

 

“Thank you, Master, but first, my younger brother is coming to school here, so I plan to live closer to the school, and he will apply for off-campus housing. Secondly, I still have to go to work afterwards – I haven’t thanked Master yet.”

 

“It’s nothing, just temporary staff. You’ve passed the exam, so it’s not difficult to find a job.” Master Qin smiled and didn’t take credit.

 

Master Qin and the deputy director of the Third Hospital of Haizhou City are both calligraphy enthusiasts and have a close relationship.

 

When he mentioned that his nephew was looking for a job, the deputy director said that although there was no vacancy in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department at the Third Hospital, he could work as a temporary worker if he didn’t mind.

 

Zhou Jinyuan has been studying medicine for several years. He used to accompany his father on medical visits, and later went on visits alone. He has never worked in a hospital before, so being unfamiliar with Haizhou, he could only find a unit to work in for now.

 

Actually, after getting his credentials, he had the qualifications to start his own traditional Chinese medicine clinic. However, he hasn’t been able to do so temporarily because his family lacks funds and he’s still saving up money.

 

He hopes to save enough money one day to realize his goal.

 

Speaking of which… he doesn’t know how the performance level of this unit is?

 

—

 

Haizhou City Third Hospital Staff Quarters

 

Master Qin brought Zhou Jinyuan to visit Vice President Xiao of the Third Hospital. Zhou Jinyuan will start working in a few days, so he wants to express his gratitude in person.

 

Vice President Xiao, nearly fifty years old, has an elegant temperament and is the only one in his family. He had just returned from a meeting at a higher-level unit and hadn’t even taken off his coat. After welcoming the two inside, Vice President Xiao exchanged pleasantries with Master Qin and couldn’t help but size up Zhou Jinyuan.

 

Zhou Jinyuan wasn’t wearing Daoist robes today, but a T-shirt and jeans, making him look even more youthful.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be twenty-one, right? Why do you look so young?” Vice President Xiao wasn’t the first to express this question, and Zhou Jinyuan was used to it.

 

“If I didn’t see you grow up, I would think you were lying about your age.” Master Qin joked.

 

“Come, have some fruit.” After chatting with Zhou Jinyuan for a while, Vice President Xiao, who studied Western medicine himself and now works in management, still has some understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. So, he was more interested in Zhou Jinyuan’s identity as a Daoist.

 

“We have quite a few colleagues in our hospital’s Traditional Chinese Medicine department, but it seems like none of them have faith,” Vice President Xiao said with interest. “You both practice Daoism and medicine, so which one is your true love?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan quickly replied, “Before attaining Dao, one must cultivate longevity. To cultivate longevity, one must first dispel illness.”

 

Vice President Xiao laughed heartily. Although he and Master Qin were close, he actually had some knowledge of Daoism, including the practices of mountain, medicine, fate, and physiognomy. As a Western doctor, he couldn’t have not heard of Sun Simiao, the Medicine King who was originally a Daoist. However, he didn’t expect Zhou Jinyuan to give such an interesting answer to his question, which he asked like a child.

 

“Then you must study hard and improve your medical skills!” Vice President Xiao quite liked this kid and encouraged him.

 

“It’s already this late, why haven’t my wife and the others returned?” Vice President Xiao glanced at the time and felt somewhat worried.

 

But before he could finish, the front door rang.

 

“Old Xiao, you need to see what to do quickly, Mom is still not well!” Mrs. Xiao entered with a worried expression.

 

Zhou Jinyuan turned his head when he heard the voice, and upon seeing Mrs. Xiao supporting an elderly woman, he took a closer look. The elderly woman’s face was pale, her expression was bitter, one hand was on her abdomen, and she kept hiccuping, causing her body to tremble, emitting a burping sound.

 

“What’s wrong with Auntie?” Master Qin exclaimed in surprise.

 

He wasn’t the first to come to Vice President Xiao’s house, and he had seen Mrs. Xiao before, but her complexion had never been as poor as it was now.

 

Vice President Xiao said in a dull tone, “Hiccup.”

 

Master Qin became even more puzzled. He had never seen hiccups torture someone like this before.

 

This, isn’t it just a minor ailment? Who wouldn’t hiccup a few times after eating?

 

Vice President Xiao went forward to support his mother on the other side, and they both sat down on the sofa. “What did Dr. Zhang say?”

 

“Dr. Zhang’s diagnosis was similar to ours, and he prescribed medication, but it didn’t work at all,” Mrs. Xiao said with disappointment. “My mother can’t stand the smell of the medicine, so I brought her back.”

 

The couple briefly explained to Master Qin. It turned out that Mrs. Xiao had been suffering from incessant hiccups for almost half a month. At first, they didn’t take it seriously and even went to their son’s unit for treatment. However, there were no abnormalities in the digestive system, and all other tests came back normal. The final diagnosis was neurogenic hiccups.

 

Hiccups and belching are the same thing, caused by diaphragmatic spasms. Therefore, several medications for muscle spasms were tried at first, but none of them had any effect. Moreover, in addition to the persistent hiccups, Mrs. Xiao also experienced symptoms of abdominal distension and flatulence, which led to poor appetite and sleep, causing her great suffering, and gradually, her spirits plummeted.

 

“Hiccups may sound trivial, but think about it, my mother has been hiccupping day and night for the past half month. She can’t sleep for a few hours a day. Isn’t it unbearable?” Vice President Xiao sighed. Because he didn’t manage to cure her in his own unit, he sought consultation from experts from outside, thinking it would stabilize the situation, but even the experts couldn’t do anything.

 

Difficult cases don’t discriminate. Despite being a hospital worker himself, if his mother’s illness couldn’t be cured, it couldn’t be cured.

 

Master Qin understood the situation only now. So, indeed, it’s quite uncomfortable. Mrs. Xiao is also getting older, and with hiccupping day and night like this, who could bear it? No wonder she’s weakened suddenly. This is really a deadly minor ailment.

 

“I’ll think about it again and look for other experts.” Vice President Xiao began to ponder about the authorities in this field in Haizhou City.

 

“Vice President Xiao, have you tried traditional Chinese medicine?” Zhou Jinyuan asked.

 

“How could we not have tried?” Mrs. Xiao had something to say when it came to this. She complained, “Before, we couldn’t cure it, so we had a doctor from Dr. Lao’s unit, who is in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, to consult. He arrogantly prescribed some Xuanfu Daizhe Tang, but my mother’s condition didn’t improve. On the contrary, it worsened. I told them at the time, my mother’s condition was getting worse day by day. Why is she still drinking Chinese medicine!”

 

“Tsk, stop it.” Vice President Xiao gave her a glance, but deep down, he also somewhat agreed.

 

With his mother’s condition worsening every day, it’s better to quickly alleviate the situation at this time. Where’s the time to slowly take Chinese medicine, especially if it hasn’t worked yet.

 

“Is it Xuanfu Daizhe Tang? This is a classic prescription from the ‘Treatise on Cold Damage,’ with long-standing verification. It has the effect of benefiting qi and stomach, and can treat hiccups and nausea. If the symptoms worsen instead, it’s probably because the differentiation wasn’t clear…” Zhou Jinyuan pondered. “Can I check Mrs. Xiao’s pulse?”

 

The couple exchanged a glance, and Mrs. Xiao realized why her husband had told her to stop talking earlier. It seems that this young man has also studied traditional Chinese medicine. She had belittled him with her words just now.

 

Vice President Xiao knew that this young Zhou probably wanted to show concern for future leadership family members. But for this illness, whether it was experienced doctors from their hospital, both Chinese and Western, or outside experts, they were all helpless. Zhou Jinyuan was only armed with a doctor’s certificate.

 

Could it be that you’re even better than those old experts?

 

“No need for the trouble.” Vice President Xiao was thinking about who to continue looking for, to deal with this issue.

 

“Let me try, maybe I can cure her,” Zhou Jinyuan persisted.

 

Vice President Xiao felt a bit annoyed. His mother was suffering, and this young kid kept insisting. Didn’t he see the situation? Didn’t he know how to read the room?

 

It was only because Master Qin was present and Zhou Jinyuan was young that Vice President Xiao didn’t explode in anger.

 

Master Qin even hesitated, saying, “Jinyuan comes from a distinguished medical family. His father is a skilled doctor. Let him try.”

 

Master Qin wasn’t entirely confident, but he remembered what Master Zhao had told him about Zhou Jinyuan’s background, and he felt that Zhou Jinyuan probably wouldn’t disgrace his father’s legacy. Besides, if he took the pulse incorrectly, they wouldn’t follow his advice anyway.

 

Since Zhou Jinyuan seemed determined, it was best to humor him.

 

“Alright then,” Vice President Xiao said with a slightly furrowed brow. He clearly had the same thought. They would let Zhou Jinyuan take the pulse, but they wouldn’t let him treat her.

 

Mrs. Xiao opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately didn’t say anything. She just stared at Zhou Jinyuan’s actions.

 

At this moment, Mrs. Xiao was leaning against the sofa, her eyes half-closed, still hiccupping intermittently, occasionally clutching her abdomen and making sounds of discomfort.

 

Zhou Jinyuan held Mrs. Xiao’s pulse for over a minute with both hands before releasing it. He then examined her tongue coating. Originally, he wanted to ask a few questions, but seeing Vice President Xiao and his wife looking impatient, he decided to scan the room and ask, “May I ask, before Mrs. Xiao fell ill, did she experience a slight cold due to exposure to cold air conditioning, but nothing serious?”

 

Vice President Xiao was too busy to remember clearly, but Mrs. Xiao immediately exclaimed, “How did you know?”

 

With the autumn heat raging outside, they only used fans at home, considering Mrs. Xiao’s weak condition. However, before Mrs. Xiao fell ill, she did experience a slight cold due to the increasingly hot weather, and she enjoyed two days of air conditioning.

 

But Mrs. Xiao quickly stopped her mother-in-law from being exposed to the cold air. As a doctor’s family member, they had strong health awareness, so she immediately took some medicine when she had mild cold symptoms. Therefore, the cold didn’t exacerbate. It was only a few days later that the symptoms of incessant hiccupping appeared.

 

That was over half a month ago, before Zhou Jinyuan even came to Haizhou.

 

Vice President Xiao was also surprised. Did he guess it right? How did this young Zhou know? Even if he was guessing, their house didn’t have air conditioning on, so most people wouldn’t think of that. If it wasn’t a guess, what did air conditioning and his mother’s illness have to do with each other?

 

“Son, can you tell me what’s going on with me?” Mrs. Xiao asked weakly, intermittently.

 

The others also watched him nervously. Unconsciously, their attitudes had changed because of Zhou Jinyuan’s pulse diagnosis. They all knew about the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine. Even though Zhou Jinyuan hadn’t finished his analysis, he had already accurately guessed something that Vice President Xiao didn’t even know.

 

Now, everyone no longer thought his opinion was dispensable.

 

“When you caught a cold, you recovered quickly, but the cold air actually entered your body. I deduced from this. It’s so hot outside, either you went to the north or you were exposed to cold air,” Zhou Jinyuan explained.

 

“This directly caused disharmony of yin and yang in your stomach, with stomach qi rising up through the throat, causing hiccups. Western medicine treatments failed because the root of the illness lies in the cold air. If the spleen and stomach are not adjusted properly, the hiccups won’t stop.”

 

“As for why Xuanfu Daizhe Tang didn’t work, it’s because the previous doctor misjudged the disease mechanism and didn’t know that cold air had already affected your body. And while Daizhe stone can suppress the hiccup, it’s bitter and cold in nature. Even for ordinary people with incessant hiccups, it shouldn’t be overused. Instead, ginger and other warming herbs should be used more. Warm the spleen and stomach primarily, and suppress the hiccup secondarily. This way, the illness can be treated effectively.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan knew that no one present understood traditional Chinese medicine, so he tried to explain it as simply as possible.

 

After his explanation, this stubborn hiccups seemed to be dissected clearly. Even Mrs. Xiao, who had previously been very distrustful of Chinese medicine, felt that there was some logic to it.

 

Hot and cold, yin and yang are terms from traditional Chinese medicine. If you accept the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, changing Xuanfu Daizhe stone decoction to dry ginger and white atractylodes decoction to treat Mrs. Xiao’s cold spleen and stomach, to descend stomach qi, thereby calming the hiccup, seemed to make logical sense.

 

Actually, it was mainly because Zhou Jinyuan accurately diagnosed Mrs. Xiao’s condition from the beginning, which made them trust him and willing to listen to his theory.

 

Hope flickered in Mrs. Xiao’s cloudy eyes. The illness that had troubled her for many days seemed to have a good chance of being cured in Zhou Jinyuan’s words. She had been suffering for so long without proper sleep. Hearing him mention dried ginger, Codonopsis, and other herbs, which were familiar to her, and didn’t sound harmful, she immediately turned to her son and said, “Let me try.”

 

Vice President Xiao still had some hesitation. He asked Zhou Jinyuan, “How many days until it takes effect?”

 

If possible, he still wanted to consult other experts. If Zhou Jinyuan’s diagnosis could quickly relieve his mother’s discomfort, that would be best.

 

After a moment of thought, Zhou Jinyuan confidently said, “For the symptoms of hiccupping, one dose of medicine can stop it. Afterwards, she can eat more spleen-strengthening foods.”

 

Vice President Xiao almost thought he misheard, “One dose can stop it?”

 

If one dose could stop it, why was he in such a hurry? But wasn’t this a difficult illness to treat? Usually, his colleagues in the Chinese medicine department prescribed medication for cold patients for three or four days.

 

“One dose?” Mrs. Xiao also doubted. Wasn’t this as effective as Western medicine? The guy who prescribed Xuanfu Daizhe Tang before said it would take six doses to take effect—of course, Mrs. Xiao didn’t finish the course, and her condition worsened.

 

Zhou Jinyuan remained calm. Chinese medicine treatments are usually slow, but that’s just the perspective of those who don’t understand. “One dose for one pattern; use a boat if the pattern is wrong. It’s just hiccupping. As long as the pattern is identified correctly and the right medicine is used, one dose is enough!”

 

“In that case, write down the prescription, Xiao Zhou, and I’ll have someone get the medicine!” Vice President Xiao showed some courage at this moment.

 

Zhou Jinyuan immediately took paper and pen and wrote down the medication, dosage, and decoction method clearly.

 

However, because it was his own mother, Vice President Xiao also showed a meticulous side. Before calling for the medicine, he had the Chinese medicine department confirm the properties of these herbs and whether the combination and dosage were safe.

 

After confirming everything was correct, they obtained the medicine from the Chinese medicine department of San Hospital and brought it over after decocting.

 

The Xiao family lived in the hospital’s family area, adjacent to the hospital. Within a little over an hour, the medicine was already on the table.

 

Mrs. Xiao supported her mother and divided the bowl of Chinese medicine soup into several servings, slowly drinking it.

 

As the medicine went down her throat, Mrs. Xiao felt as if a warm stream was gently soothing her. The discomfort in her abdomen that had lasted for days was greatly relieved. She expressed her feelings.

 

Vice President Xiao smiled when he heard this. It seemed that the medicine was indeed not used wrongly. The fact that it had this effect already satisfied him. Zhou Jinyuan still had some skills after all.

 

“Thank you, Xiao Zhou,” Vice President Xiao began to reflect on his previous attitude, which wasn’t very good. Although it was because he was worried about the illness, fortunately, Zhou Jinyuan didn’t mind, which made him appreciate him even more.

 

“You’re welcome, it’s not healed yet,” Zhou Jinyuan said casually. It was already time for dinner, so he let Mrs. Xiao eat something.

 

Because of the hiccups and abdominal discomfort, Mrs. Xiao hadn’t had a good appetite. Now that her stomach was somewhat comfortable, she could eat.

 

As a result, after eating half a bowl of hot rice, Mrs. Xiao found that the hiccups that had troubled her for many days had gradually stopped. Unconsciously, when she finished her meal, the hiccuping had completely disappeared!

 

Mrs. Xiao couldn’t believe it and said, “It stopped, it really stopped.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan said one dose would take effect, and after so many twists and turns, the disease that hadn’t improved had been cured with just one dose?

 

Master Qin nodded with relief. He thought that the claim of one dose taking effect was just to boost the patient’s confidence. It would be good if the condition improved slightly after taking it. He believed the Xiao family would be very grateful. Who knew it would actually cure the illness.

 

Mrs. Xiao had been to many places for treatment without improvement, but under Zhou Jinyuan’s hands, it was cured with just one dose.

 

Master Qin was originally guessing how much of his father’s ability Zhou Jinyuan had. Now it seemed that despite his young age, his decisive diagnosis and treatment were truly remarkable. He was indeed superior to his father.