Taoist Doctor - Chapter 9
Third Hospital = San Hospital
Liu Qi pleaded repeatedly for forgiveness. Wasn’t it enough that he admitted his mistake? He reiterated a thousand times that he wasn’t the one who spread the rumors to such an extent!
“Spread more rumors, and we’ll ascend together,” Zhou Jinyuan said to Liu Qi with a smile that seemed ambiguous.
“…,” Liu Qi nodded vigorously. “I won’t spread rumors, but I need to clear things up one last time, or else I’ll suffocate!”
After witnessing such an exciting turnaround, how could one resist the urge to talk about it?Â
Thanks to Liu Qi’s presence on the scene, along with several other medical staff from different departments, within the span of a meal, many people, including those from other departments, learned about the incident where a young Taoist priest consulted and successfully treated a patient with a prescription for hiccups.
This completely overturned everyone’s impression of Zhou Jinyuan!
For other colleagues, perhaps they weren’t as surprised, but for him, who was supposed to be a well-connected figure in the workplace, wasn’t this a revelation?
So, it wasn’t that he lacked ambition before, but rather, he had hidden his talents in plain sight?
Initially, those unfamiliar with Chinese medicine might have speculated that it was just luck. However, with a little understanding, coupled with Zhou Jinyuan’s diagnostic reasoning, one would never think so.
And from Liu Qi’s account, his use of the “burning mountain fire needle” technique to induce sweating in a patient was even more impressive.
Furthermore, knowing that Director Xie Min recognized him was sufficient validation.
Whenever the words “great deity” were brought up, the tone of their colleagues was noticeably different.
Although they didn’t witness it firsthand, with so many people testifying to Zhou Jinyuan’s healing abilities, it couldn’t be false.
It made people even more curious about why it wasn’t them who accompanied him for consultations, so they could witness firsthand the scene described by Dr. Liu.
Especially for young interns, for whom “one dose knows, two doses masters” was still an aspirational level, encountering such an event would undoubtedly be a topic of enthusiastic discussion, especially since it came from the hands of the “great deity.”
During lunch break, they were too excited to sleep, longing to pay a visit to Zhou Jinyuan and pay their respects.
But when they opened the door, they saw Zhou Jinyuan meditating: “…”
Zhou Jinyuan’s way of taking a break was different from everyone else’s; he would lay out a mat in the consultation room and meditate right there.
His ethereal appearance extinguished much of their gossip desires; they didn’t dare disturb his meditation. They retreated, closed the door, and exchanged glances, feeling awkward.
After all, this image was more like that of a deity than a divine healer.
As they walked and talked:
“I didn’t expect the ‘great deity’ to be so miraculous; one dose and the patient is healed. When will I reach that level?”
“I wonder when we’ll be able to see his medical records; I’m very curious.”
“The ‘great deity’ is only twenty-one, right? How many years has he been studying medicine? I heard it’s a family tradition; maybe he started learning in his mother’s womb, which is why he’s so talented?”
“That would mean he’s only been studying for ten years, spending the other half practicing Taoism.”
“Haha, you make a good point.”
“Didn’t Dr. Liu say he also knows how to use the burning mountain fire technique? It sounds so exciting.”
“Shh, Dr. Mao is here…”
Seeing Dr. Mao coming out of the duty room, the interns dispersed.
Well, previously only Dr. Mao could “burn fire,” but now, Zhou the Great can too. Of course, they couldn’t discuss this in front of Dr. Mao; what if he felt awkward or even upset?
Dr. Mao rolled his eyes. Did he not know what these people were thinking?
Heh, Zhou was born into a medical family, so he must have been practicing the burning mountain fire technique since childhood. Perhaps he’s more adept at digestive system diseases because of his previous performance, which made everyone take notice, adding to the drama.
But would Mao Zhenyi allow himself to be surpassed by a young rookie? That kid is still very green!
He himself has steadily improved, excelling in gynecology, pediatrics, and difficult cases. Even without mentioning the recent advancements in burning mountain fire techniques, his adept use of herbal medicine has been praised by even the renowned Dr. Huang at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital!
On this point, Zhou still has a lot to learn.
Furthermore, Dr. Mao patted his sparse head. He still has something young people can’t compare to: these graying hairs. Hehehe.
…
After Zhou Jinyuan successfully treated a patient with a single dose, his colleagues knew about it, but the patients who came for treatment didn’t, so his consultation room remained empty. He spent his free time teaching Liu Qi the “burning mountain fire” technique.
Mr. Huang’s father, after recovering from hiccups without any other complications, gradually regained his strength and was able to get out of bed and move around. His condition was improving, so they prepared for his discharge and return home for recuperation.
Before discharge, Mr. Huang invited Zhou Jinyuan to the hospital room again. He had a high regard for Zhou Jinyuan now and wanted him to take the pulse once more for reassurance.
Last time, Mr. Huang’s father was weak and in pain, only managing to thank Zhou Jinyuan. Today, he was in much better condition, rolling up his sleeves and smiling, saying, “Doctor Zhou, I’m counting on you.”
“No problem, you’re recovering well,” Zhou Jinyuan said after examining Mr. Huang’s father’s complexion and pulse. After two minutes, he said, “You’re doing quite well. Just pay attention to your diet after discharge, gradually increase your physical activity, and consider practicing Tai Chi in the long run.”
“Tai Chi has many versions. Do you have any recommendations?” Mr. Huang’s father, being quite meticulous, asked.
“In fact, the Xianglu Temple Tai Chi in our city is quite famous, and the environment there is good. You can learn there,” Zhou Jinyuan immediately replied.
“Is Xianglu Temple Tai Chi famous? I don’t think I’ve heard of it,” Mr. Huang interjected.
Zhou Jinyuan wasn’t just making empty recommendations; he said confidently, “You might not have paid much attention to this kind of news before, but Xianglu Temple Tai Chi is well-known in our entire Taoist community!”
Mr. Huang and his father exchanged looks.
“Our Taoist community…?”
If they didn’t already know Zhou Jinyuan’s identity and skill level, Mr. Huang wouldn’t believe he was a doctor.
Mr. Huang’s father found it quite unusual. “Dr. Zhou, I heard you practice Taoism. Can you do fortune-telling? Could you do one for us?”
“Of course, and we have a saying, ‘Learn the Book of Changes before studying medicine,'” Zhou Jinyuan said. “But… I can’t do it.”
Medicine and fortune-telling are interconnected. For Taoist physicians, they must understand both traditional Chinese medicine and the principles of Yin and Yang and destiny.
And Zhou Jinyuan had his own style. Sometimes he used his identity as a Taoist priest for psychological therapy, and sometimes he used medical skills to aid in divination. He even debunked some superstitions, such as encountering a grandfather and grandson near Mount Xianglu.
Zhou Jinyuan felt he still had a long way to go in understanding the world, but he had just begun to glimpse the path!
Mr. Huang’s father, upon hearing that Zhou couldn’t do fortune-telling, asked seriously, “Is it because the heavenly secrets cannot be revealed?”
“It’s not that. Our director doesn’t allow me to do these things in the workplace,” Zhou Jinyuan replied.
Mr. Huang’s father was speechless.
Although Zhou Jinyuan was a temporary worker, he still followed the local customs and listened to Director Xie’s instructions. He didn’t draw talismans or do fortune-telling during working hours.
But sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder, while everyone mocked his faith, weren’t some colleagues in certain departments even more superstitious than him when they worshipped the night-shift “great deity”??
Mr. Huang’s father said helplessly, “Well… I just asked casually. I wanted to know when I could have grandchildren.”
Zhou Jinyuan immediately looked at Mr. Huang. Oh, Mr. Huang was almost forty and still didn’t have a son. He didn’t look like he had kidney deficiency…
Mr. Huang, feeling the weight of Zhou’s gaze, immediately panicked, “… I don’t have one!”
Mr. Huang explained awkwardly that he didn’t have kidney deficiency; it’s just that he and his wife hadn’t thought about having children due to focusing on their careers. Later, when they remembered this matter and deliberately tried for a child, they still hadn’t succeeded after several years.
Mr. Huang’s father, originally in favor of them taking it slowly, became a bit anxious after his recent heart attack, hence couldn’t help but ask a Taoist when he encountered one.
After carefully observing Mr. Huang’s complexion and condition, which were both very good, despite his children coming a bit late, Zhou Jinyuan believed it would happen soon. However, he only said, “I believe good things are coming.”
Mr. Huang smiled and didn’t take it too seriously. He believed in Zhou’s medical skills, but as for fortune-telling, he wasn’t superstitious. He had already decided to take a laissez-faire approach to having children, letting nature take its course. “Then I’ll take your good words as a blessing.”
After leaving the hospital room, Zhou Jinyuan was stopped by Mr. Huang, who handed him an envelope. “Dr. Zhou, I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly before. This is a little something.”
“No need, Mr. Huang. It’s just a routine consultation; it’s what I should do,” Zhou Jinyuan immediately declined.
“Don’t be so polite!” Mr. Huang firmly pushed the envelope into Zhou’s arms.
Who knew that Zhou Jinyuan’s attitude was even firmer than his. He didn’t know where Zhou tapped him, but suddenly he felt powerless. This refusal was as intense as getting into a fight.
Mr. Huang was particularly surprised. “Whoa, Dr. Zhou, do you really need to be so serious? Aren’t you afraid I’ll be embarrassed by your rejection?”
Zhou Jinyuan didn’t care. “I didn’t have many patients anyway, and I’d rather you urgently introduce patients to me because you didn’t give me a red envelope.”
Mr. Huang burst into laughter. “Okay, okay, I’ll remember to advertise for you!”
As soon as Zhou Jinyuan returned to the office, he saw his consultation room door open, and it seemed quite lively inside, crowded with many colleagues.
A resident physician spotted him and shouted, “Dr. Zhou, you’re back! We were just looking for you!”
Everyone was in high spirits. Patients were peeking in curiously, and even the publicity officer was there with a camera.
Among the crowd, Zhou Jinyuan saw the Liu family, still holding something rolled up in their arms.
“Dr. Zhou, Dr. Zhou, we’re here to present you with a banner!” Mrs. Liu exclaimed excitedly when she saw him.
Ah, so it was to present a banner. No wonder even the publicity department came—patients presenting banners were definitely worth sending a text message about on the hospital’s publicity platform.
“Just to let you know, this is the first patient treated by the great doctor since he joined!” Liu Qi continued to promote Zhou Jinyuan. “He had a rectal prolapse. Look, it’s all better now, so we’re presenting this banner.”
Xie Min also came out, smiling. She knew that with Zhou’s medical skills, there would definitely be more and more cases like this.
“Dr. Zhou, thank you. You cured me with your family secret formula. My body has completely recovered now, and… everything is back to normal without any discomfort,” Mrs. Liu shook hands with Zhou Jinyuan.
The publicity officer snapped away with the camera, capturing the scene.
Zhou Jinyuan looked at her rosy complexion and said, “I can see that.”
“I didn’t believe in you before, but I also want to thank you. A few days ago, when my husband went to our partner company to collect the final payment, they said they couldn’t pay temporarily. His colleague was initially reluctant to grant an extension, but my husband remembered your words and said everyone was in a tough spot, so he gave them a few more days. It turned out later that there were internal problems in their company, and that person was ready to drag everyone down if they couldn’t get through that day. But because of those few extra days, things turned around, they received a sum of money, and everything turned out fine. Thanks to you!” Mrs. Liu’s eyes welled up with emotion as she spoke.
As Mrs. Liu recounted her story, the colleagues surrounding them felt a bit awkward. Wait, what? Something doesn’t seem right…
As Mrs. Liu became more emotional, she unfolded the banner. To her, Zhou Jinyuan not only cured her illness, but also helped her in other aspects. So she hastily got this banner from her friends and came to thank Zhou Jinyuan in person with great excitement.
The red-bordered banner unfolded, with the hospital’s name and the doctor’s name at the top, and the names of the Liu family at the bottom, with eight big characters in the middle: “Exquisite medical skills; decisive diagnosis!”
Everyone: “…”
Zhou Jinyuan: “…”
The publicity officer’s expression was complex. Damn, how am I supposed to send this text message now?
Only now did Zhou Jinyuan realize why Mrs. Liu was so excited, and it seemed she had gotten a little too carried away. She had forgotten that her attending physician already seemed enough like a charlatan…
“Director, I really didn’t do this while I was on duty!”　
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For anyone else who was confused about why the banner implied that MC was a quack, I looked up the raw of the phrase translated as “decisive diagnosis” and according to Baidu it’s an idiom typically used to describe fortune tellers who make accurate predictions.
Thanks for the translation!