Du Heng had a guess: the patient's condition might be due to a brain disease. The primary reason for this conclusion was that the onset occurred after the patient drank alcohol at noon and then took a nap. However, the patient's current situation was quite peculiar, making it impossible to confirm his guess through syndrome differentiation.
Du Heng folded his arms across his chest and stared at the patient, lost in thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Do you have any other medical conditions, such as hypertension or arteriosclerosis?"
The patient's mouth seemed unable to hold liquid well; even when lying down to drink the medicine, a considerable amount of it trickled from the corner of his lips.
After wiping it away with a tissue, he took out his phone and typed a message: "I just had a physical exam last week, and they found nothing wrong."
Just finished a physical exam?
Du Heng frowned slightly, still suspecting something was amiss. But with no other diagnostic tools at his disposal, he could only suppress the doubts in his heart for now.
"I have already issued the medical advice for the next two days. The nurse will bring you the medicine on time. Don't go out tomorrow morning; just wait for me in the ward. I will continue acupuncture and massage therapy for you."
The patient grunted an affirmation and nodded, indicating he understood.
Du Heng then said to Wu Buwei, who was standing nearby, "Work an extra shift tomorrow morning. We'll treat the patient together."
"I know, Senior Brother. Do you want me to pick you up from the mountain?"
"No need. There's a passenger minibus; I'll just take one down."
He then instructed the patient, "For the next few days, avoid greasy or spicy food, and absolutely no alcohol. Stick to liquid food. Do you understand?"
The patient nodded again.
Du Heng still felt uneasy, so he turned to Li Nating and said, "Tingting, I'm counting on you for the next couple of days. Please keep a close eye on him."
"Okay, Doctor Du, I'll watch him carefully. He'll be fine."
Li Nating nodded lightly and readily agreed.
Feeling this was all he could do for now, Du Heng left the ward.
Back in the office, he spent over three hours reading and organizing the knowledge in his mind. By the time his shift ended, no other patients had come seeking help.
And that was another fulfilling yet tedious day at the Health Clinic.
Du Heng tidied up, placing his needle tool kit and a book into his bag. "Buwei, shift's over. Let's go."
Wu Buwei had already packed up. Hearing Du Heng, he grabbed his car keys and headed out. "Let's go, Senior Brother. I'll drive you home."
"No need. You're heading to the city, and I'm going up the mountain. It's too much trouble with one going up and the other down. I'll just catch a ride."
"Alright, Senior Brother, I'll head off then." After saying goodbye, Wu Buwei went to the backyard to get his car.
Du Heng, carrying his bag, wanted to say goodbye to Wang Zhenzhen, but he was surprised to find she had already closed the registration office window and disappeared.
Du Heng smiled wryly and walked out the door. In less than two minutes, he flagged down a car heading towards his village. About half an hour later, Du Heng arrived at his doorstep.
Looking at the brand-new, small two-story building before him, Du Heng felt a mix of pride and a touch of melancholy.
He had built this small two-story building just last year, through scrimping and saving, along with help from his older brother and sister-in-law. Yet, such a fine house hadn't helped him find a wife, a truly frustrating reality.
What pained him more was that his older brother's house next door was merely a large, five-room bungalow.
Fortunately, he now had the system, so he no longer had to worry about his meager salary.
Once he completed the 1,000 treatments and started receiving the 50,000 yuan monthly basic salary, he could help his older brother build a similar small two-story building in just three months.
The tightly closed iron gate creaked open with a CLANG.
Entering his small courtyard, he found it deserted yet impeccably clean.
At the end of February, the temperature was still very low.
Du Heng disliked lighting fires in the house and was often too lazy to bother, but the nights were genuinely cold. Consequently, he stayed in the Health Clinic's dormitory on weekdays, only returning home on weekends.
The house, uninhabited for a week, was surprisingly warm. The stove in the living room radiated waves of heat, and the kettle on top was puffing steam, making soft PUFF PUFF sounds.
It must have been his sister-in-law and niece who tidied up for him. Du Heng didn't even have to guess.
As for his older brother, Du Ping—a man ten years his senior—he was also a "lazy person." Apart from earning money from work, he avoided housework whenever possible. Growing up, if it weren't for my good fortune and a kind sister-in-law, I might have starved under his care, Du Heng mused.
He filled the thermos with hot water from the kettle, added more charcoal to the stove to keep it going, and then sank comfortably onto the sofa.
"Uncle, you're back?"
A clear, bright voice called out from outside the house. Moments later, a tall figure bounded in through the door curtain, followed by a little boy with a rosy face and a runny nose.
"Du Xuejing, can't you walk in properly? There's a threshold, you know. Aren't you afraid of tripping, jumping in like that?"
Du Heng watched his boisterous niece and nephew, his face lighting up with a smile as bright as a flower.
"I was watching where I was going!" Du Xuejing said cheerfully, already busy lifting the teapot and tending to the stove.
Du Heng smiled at the bustling Du Xuejing, then turned his gaze to the "snot-bug" trailing her.
"Du Yi, can't you wipe that runny nose of yours?"
Du Heng took a pack of tissues from his pocket and tossed it to Du Yi.
Even though the kid was only six, he had been surprisingly quiet since entering the house. Once outside, however, his mischievousness was on a level Du Heng and his brother couldn't have matched in their own childhoods.
"Heh-heh," Du Yi chuckled, taking the tissues. He wiped his nose and then casually tossed the used tissue beside the stove.
"Du Yi!" Du Xuejing, by the stove, roared, glaring at him fiercely with the fire tongs in her hand.
Hearing his sister's roar, Du Yi quickly snatched up the tissue. With an apologetic grin, he threw it into the stove.
"Du Yi, if you litter again, I won't let you off the hook!"
Du Xuejing brandished the tongs threateningly, while Du Yi just wore a sheepish grin.
Du Heng watched with amusement. The mischievous boy adored clinging to his sister. He'd get scolded, cry for a bit, and then, forgetting everything, sidle up to her again.
The dynamic between these two siblings is so much like how my brother and I were back then.
Always a gap of about ten years, and the younger one always sticking close to the older.
"Uncle, Mom's finished making dinner! Let's go!" Du Xuejing said, closing the damper on the stove. She then pulled Du Heng towards her house next door.
Du Heng grabbed his coat from nearby and followed them out. "What did your mom make?"
"Dumplings! And they're your favorite—cream filling!"
"You're just teasing me! Cream filling is *your* favorite, isn't it?"
Du Heng chatted with his older niece as they walked, the little nephew bouncing along behind them. The boy even thoughtfully closed the courtyard gate after them.