Taoist Doctor - Chapter 4

Zhou Jinyuan stood at the entrance of Haizhou Traditional Chinese Medicine University, where today’s military training had officially ended. He was here to pick up Xiaoxue.

 

Standing under the shade of the trees, patches of sunlight fell on his face. His long eyelashes partially covered his eyes, and the fragmented sunlight brought out a touch of radiance. People passing by couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. With his handsome yet slightly youthful appearance, they mistook him for a new student this year.

 

“Hi, hello, which college are you from?” After standing for a while, a female student came to strike up a conversation with Zhou Jinyuan.

 

Zhou Jinyuan was already numb to this. After all, he was mistaken for a younger brother every day. “I’m not from Haizhou University. I’m here waiting for someone.”

 

“Can I add you on WeChat?”

 

“Thank you, but I’m sorry.” Zhou Jinyuan glanced at his phone. Xiaoxue had sent a WeChat message asking where he was and saying she was coming out. He replied, “Xiaoxue, I’m under the tree at the entrance. You’ll see me when you come out.”

 

Xiaoxue? It seems he’s waiting for a girl.

 

The female student felt a bit disappointed and asked, “Are you waiting for your girlfriend or your sister?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: …

 

A little annoyed, couldn’t it be his younger sister?

 

Before Zhou Jinyuan could speak, a figure had already rushed over and pushed the female student aside. It was the person he was waiting for.

 

Rong Xue seemed completely unaware that the others were here for Zhou Jinyuan. She hugged him tightly. “Brother, have you been waiting long? Let’s go.”

 

She seemed in a hurry and had already started walking, pulling Zhou Jinyuan’s hand toward the subway station. She was at least half a head taller than Zhou Jinyuan, her skin tanned by the intense sun during military training.

 

“Xiaoxue?” Zhou Jinyuan didn’t even have a chance to look back at the girl who struck up a conversation with him earlier. Just keeping up with Rong Xue’s pace was already a bit challenging for him.

 

The remaining girl stood in place with a frustrated expression. This handsome guy almost sent her flying just now!

 

Moreover, he had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and long legs. Handsome as he was, but… is he really “Xiaoxue”? It’s so absurd!

 

…

 

“How come you’re more impatient after half a month of military training?” After walking for a while, Rong Xue finally noticed that her brother was having a bit of trouble keeping up with her pace. She slowed down, and Zhou Jinyuan chuckled as he looked at her, “Let me see… you got tanned.”

 

Two years ago, Rong Xue had already surpassed him in height. After military training, she became a bit darker and thinner. Her exquisite features appeared sharper. Seeing her after half a month, it was as if she suddenly had the aura of an adult.

 

Zhou Jinyuan felt a bit impressed and reached up to ruffle Rong Xue’s hair.

 

Fortunately, Rong Xue was still as obedient as she was in his memory, bowing her head slightly to facilitate his actions. Zhou Jinyuan felt moved and thought to himself, even though his sister had grown taller than him, she was still so cute.

 

The next moment, Rong Xue followed this posture and pounced forward, hanging directly on Zhou Jinyuan’s body. “So let’s go home quickly. It’s so hot outside.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan felt a sudden weight on his body, like Mount Tai pressing down. This weight wasn’t cute at all.

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “…Get off me. Do you know how big you are now?”

 

Rong Xue continued hanging onto him. “Brother, have I gotten a lot darker? Am I ugly?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “Stop talking nonsense. Do you want to exhaust me?”

 

Rong Xue: “Which floor is our new home on? Is the lighting good?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: … No wonder they say discipline children early.

 

…

 

Rong Xue toured their new home in Haizhou City, touching here and there. She sat back on the sofa next to Zhou Jinyuan. Despite being in this place, he still felt a bit unreal.

His two long legs were spread apart, appearing relaxed, but his hands were fidgeting with Zhou Jinyuan’s fingers like a child reluctant to let go of a toy. “… You really came to Haizhou with me. Thank you.”

 

Rong Xue majored in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which had nothing to do with Zhou Jinyuan. The Rong family had inherited the tradition of Chinese medicine. Although his parents were not in the field, going back a few generations, they were involved in the production of Chinese medicinal materials and had unique expertise in the preparation of Chinese herbal medicine.

 

Before this, choosing which school to attend had been a point of contention between him and Zhou Jinyuan. However, Zhou Jinyuan didn’t expect Rong Xue to be so stubborn. He would rather choose a slightly inferior school than leave Yingzhou and be separated from Zhou Jinyuan.

 

Thinking about this, Rong Xue still felt soft inside. Zhou Jinyuan really came to Haizhou for him. He couldn’t imagine having a rift with Zhou Jinyuan because of their choice of schools, or living in a city without him…

 

“What else can I do? There’s still a child at home who hasn’t been weaned.” Zhou Jinyuan joked.

 

Rong Xue shyly smiled, burying her head on his shoulder. She could smell the familiar faint scent of Chinese herbs, mixed with Zhou Jinyuan’s own scent. Although his room had the same sachets, she felt that her brother’s scent was different, probably because it mixed with everyone’s scent, giving it a subtle difference.

 

“Brother, are you doing well at the hospital?” Rong Xue remembered this and asked with concern. In her opinion, Zhou Jinyuan was so capable, how could he encounter difficulties at work?

 

“It’s alright, just meditating every day, no patients.” Zhou Jinyuan lazily replied. “I’m planning to find a way to attract patients.”

 

“Then I’ll advertise for you at school.” Rong Xue continued to play with his fingers. Zhou Jinyuan’s hands were delicate and tender. When he was needling, Rong Xue could feel the most subtle sensations, which made her reluctant to let go.

 

—

 

During lunch today, there was a department meeting in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department of the Third Hospital.

 

After the director of the department, Xie Min, finished speaking, she, as usual, asked about the newly arrived Zhou Jinyuan, “Xiao Zhou, how are you adapting these days?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan swallowed his food and said, “It’s fine. Dr. Liu has been guiding me and introducing me to our hospital.”

 

After pondering for a moment, Xie Min added, “That’s good. If you encounter any difficulties, come to me. Also, if you’re unsure about prescribing medication, you can consult the experienced TCM doctors in our department. Passing down knowledge from old to new has always been a good tradition in our department.”

 

Without any patients, there was no need to prescribe medication. Xie Min said this knowing about Zhou Jinyuan’s reputation.

 

— 

 

How could she not know? It’s already spread throughout the hospital that the new addition to the TCM department is a “Taoist priest coming down from the mountain”, a little quack. He spends his days meditating in the office and even gives out talismans he draws himself to colleagues. With such a background, the rumors have become more and more exaggerated.

 

Just yesterday, a colleague from the Rehabilitation department even jokingly asked Xie Min if their department’s Taoist priest knows how to read feng shui, as her family’s new home needed some advice.

 

Xie Min couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Normally, a young person like Liu Qi, even though he didn’t have many patients, was still proactive and eager to learn. He often sought advice from senior doctors, volunteered to help, and studied medical cases in his spare time.

 

As for Zhou Jinyuan, he just sat in the clinic meditating. Even though he was a special case, Xie Min initially liked him because he was cute. However, after seeing his lack of ambition, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed and had to remind him.

 

Zhou Jinyuan seemed oblivious to her implied meaning and said, “Okay, thank you, Director. But I haven’t had any patients recently. When I do, if I’m unsure, I’ll definitely consult the senior doctors.”

 

He had already made up his mind to take the initiative to change the situation. Unlike in his hometown of Yingzhou, in Haizhou Province, he couldn’t afford to lose face. If he didn’t take the initiative to attract patients, he would be at a disadvantage here.

 

Rong Xue would also help advertise for him among her classmates. Of course, at Haizhou Traditional Chinese Medicine University, they would probably prefer to go to the affiliated hospital of their own school, but you never know.

 

After hearing Zhou Jinyuan’s words, Xie Min frowned, lowered her head, and fell silent, thinking that Zhou Jinyuan was just being perfunctory. Sigh, she couldn’t persuade him. But he was not only a contract worker but also a special case. It had only been a few days, and he hadn’t made any major mistakes, so she couldn’t say anything.

 

During the lunch break, while Zhou Jinyuan was chatting with his colleagues, Rong Xue called again, saying she finished class early in the afternoon and wanted to go home to make soup for him, asking what he wanted to drink.

 

“Hey, Xiaoxue, if you have nothing to do, go out with your classmates. As a good university student, why are you making soup for me at home after class?” Zhou Jinyuan advised.

 

After Zhou Jinyuan hung up, he saw everyone looking at him strangely. “?”

 

Liu Qi raised his eyebrows teasingly. “Xiaoxue, still a university student, wow, Xiao Zhou, can your Taoist priest still pick up girls?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan chuckled. “Xiaoxue is my little sister. Besides, if a Taoist priest can’t pick up girls, how did my dad get me? Our family practices the Huoju Taoist tradition, and we can get married.”

 

“Amazing, you’re balancing cultivation and dating, not bad at all!” A resident physician joked, “Yesterday, someone from another department asked me if you had successfully built your foundation. It cracked me up.”

 

Although Zhou Jinyuan entered through the back door and spent his work time slacking off and meditating, his childish and attractive appearance made it hard for anyone to harbor ill feelings towards him. 

 

Moreover, they found Zhou Jinyuan particularly eccentric and unique. You wouldn’t normally see someone like him around. These past few days, everyone’s been talking about him.

 

Some even speculated about whose connections he used to get in and why he was so arrogant.

 

“So, you really meditate in the clinic?” Someone still didn’t believe the rumor and asked for confirmation from Zhou Jinyuan himself.

 

Zhou Jinyuan knew it must have been Liu Qi spreading rumors and explained, “I didn’t meditate for long. I just did a few big circulations.”

 

Everyone burst out laughing.

 

Liu Qi patted Zhou Jinyuan on the shoulder and gave him a new nickname on the spot, “I think we should call you ‘Great God’ from now on.”

 

This nickname spread throughout the various departments of the Third Hospital in a very short time.

 

At this moment, the two words “Great God” still carried a teasing meaning.

 

—

 

—

 

Liu Jilong supported Liu Meilan as they registered at the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.

 

In fact, they had just finished a follow-up appointment in the gynecology department. For the past few months, Liu Meilan had been experiencing abnormal menstrual bleeding, with her periods being intermittent and basically never stopping. She also experienced dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, and discomfort from time to time.

 

They initially thought it was getting better a few days ago, so Liu Jilong took Liu Meilan to Mount Xianglu for a trip, but it recurred that day.

 

The doctor said it was abnormal uterine bleeding. They had been to the hospital several times, spent a long time investigating the cause, and tried various treatments, both injectable and oral, but it would improve and then worsen, never fully healing.

 

Today, during their follow-up appointment, they met a patient who chatted with them for a while and suggested they try seeing a Chinese medicine doctor.

 

However, neither Liu Jilong nor Liu Meilan were interested in Chinese medicine. The patient was very enthusiastic and even escorted them to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. They came to get a registration number without much hope.

 

Originally, they wanted to get an appointment with the chief physician, but there were quite a few people today, and all the slots were taken. The patient suggested they come back another day, so they left.

 

However, Liu Jilong thought, since they were here, he really wanted to hear what the Chinese medicine doctor had to say about this illness. So, he decided to try getting an appointment without having to wait in line.

 

“This illness is really uncomfortable. Honestly, whenever I pass by a telephone pole now, I can’t help but check if there are any ads for treating menstrual irregularities.” Liu Meilan said.

 

“Then we should go to Mount Xianglu. Remember that little Taoist priest?” Liu Jilong added.

 

At that time, a young man told them about some family secret remedies, and they rolled their eyes at the time.

 

Charlatans and Taoist priests, as staunch believers in science, they would never believe it. Now, they were just joking.

 

A Taoist priest wanting to treat them?

 

Only a fool would believe that.

 

“Alright, Room 6, here it is.” Liu Jilong glanced at the door plaque and pushed open the half-closed door.

 

Inside, it was very quiet, with only one person sitting with their back to them, wearing a white coat.

 

Oh, their hair is all black.

 

The doctor Liu Jilong registered with on his phone had no picture, and he hadn’t expected them to be so young.

 

…Well, whatever, it’s just a trial anyway.

 

“Hello, Doctor?” Liu Jilong greeted.

 

The person in the white coat immediately stood up and turned around. “Are you here for treatment? Please take a seat over here.”

 

They saw a baby-faced person, quite good-looking, and precisely because of that, they found him memorable. Liu Jilong and Liu Meilan kept thinking, wait a minute, this person looks familiar, but… no way…

 

Zhou Jinyuan took a closer look and cheerfully exclaimed, “Hey, what a coincidence, it’s you guys!”

 

Liu Jilong and Liu Meilan: “…”

 

...It’s really him! That little Taoist priest!

 

Hello? Why are you in a Taoist temple and also in a hospital??