Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 38: Rebellious Teenager
Li Xu still had Wang the Third’s number in his phone.
He found the number and dialed.
"Doctor Li?"
Wang the Third also had Li Xu’s phone number.
"Hello, Uncle Wang. Are you at home?"
"Ah, I’m not. What’s up?"
"You grow medicinal herbs, right? I was hoping to take a look at your fields. When will you be back?"
"Oh, what terrible timing. I’m at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for a check-up. I’m not sure when I’ll be heading back."
"What’s wrong?"
"A fever. I don’t know what’s going on this time. I was on an IV drip for two days back in the village, but the fever didn’t break. The village doctor told me to come to the city to get it checked out today."
On the other end of the line, Elder Wang sighed.
He was usually a very healthy man who rarely even caught a cold all year.
He never expected that one cold would hit him so hard.
Since he grew Chinese medicinal herbs, he trusted traditional medicine.
That was why he had gone to the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for his examination.
"Oh, well, get a thorough check-up then. I’ll come find you after you’ve recovered."
"Alright, alright."
Just as he hung up, his phone rang again.
It was a call from Ding Aiguo.
"Chairman Ding, hello."
"Doctor Li, hello. I just heard from Kaifang about the Tang Mountain matter. That piece of land has no commercial development value, so it’s perfectly suited for you to grow herbs."
"Thank you for your support."
"Don’t be so polite, Doctor Li. You saved two lives in my family. A piece of land is nothing. By the way, when will you be back?"
"Is there something you need, Chairman Ding?"
"I have a friend whose son has a qi and blood deficiency and gets sick all the time. He heard that rosewood can boost a person’s immune system, so I told him you have high-quality rosewood, and he wants to buy some."
"A qi and blood deficiency?"
Li Xu’s heart skipped a beat. ’Could this be the patient from today’s intel?’
"Wearing rosewood accessories long-term can indeed boost the immune system, but it doesn’t have an immediate effect. Besides, if the body is too weak, rosewood alone won’t be effective. Have your friend bring his son to my clinic. I should be back in about an hour."
"Okay, I’ll bring them over in an hour."
...
Li Xu took a leisurely bus ride and got off at the Construction Road stop.
When he arrived at the clinic, Ding Aiguo was already there.
With him were a middle-aged man and a teenage boy.
"Doctor Li, this is my friend, Wang Jun, and this is his son, Wang Zhibao."
Ding Aiguo made the introductions.
"Hello, Doctor Li."
"Hello."
They exchanged simple pleasantries.
Li Xu unlocked the clinic door and welcomed them inside.
Meanwhile, based on the introduction, Li Xu had already confirmed that the teenager was the patient from today’s intel.
The boy’s qi and blood deficiency, which allowed pathogenic qi to invade his body, was caused by frequently browsing inappropriate websites and staying up late.
The treatment was simple and didn’t require rosewood at all.
He just needed to give up his bad habits and rest for a while to recover.
However...
He glanced back at the silent teenager. ’Should I spare his feelings?’
"Tell me what’s going on."
"Doctor, it’s like this..."
Wang Jun had just started to speak when Li Xu stopped him. "Let the patient speak for himself."
"Er..."
Wang Jun swallowed the words he was about to say and nudged his son. "Xiao Bao, tell the doctor. How did you get sick?"
Wang Zhibao said unhappily, "How should I know why I’m sick? Isn’t he the doctor? What kind of doctor is he if he can’t figure it out?"
Wang Jun quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, Doctor Li. My son is young and doesn’t know how to speak politely."
Li Xu waved his hand. "It’s fine."
He looked at Wang Zhibao. "How about I ask, you answer?"
Wang Zhibao kept his head down and said nothing.
Li Xu continued, "Do you feel dizzy?
"No."
"Do you get short of breath when you walk?"
"No."
"How often do you catch a cold?"
"I never catch colds."
"..."
Li Xu looked at the stubborn teenager before him, realizing that a normal conversation wouldn’t lead to a cure.
He said to Wang Jun and Ding Aiguo, "Gentlemen, could you please wait outside for a moment? I’d like to talk to the boy alone."
Wang Jun hesitated, but Ding Aiguo tugged his sleeve. "Doctor Li has his methods. Let’s step outside."
After the two men left, Li Xu closed the door, turned, and looked straight at Wang Zhibao. "There’s no one else here now. Let’s be frank."
Wang Zhibao sneered. "What’s there to talk about?"
Li Xu suddenly lowered his voice. "You wouldn’t want your parents to find out what you do under the covers at night, would you?"
Wang Zhibao’s head snapped up, his face instantly turning beet red. "I... I didn’t do anything!"
"Is that so?" Li Xu sneered. "Then let me list your symptoms: dizziness, weakness in your lower back and knees, memory loss, feeling dazed during the day... These are all classic signs of overindulging in inappropriate websites and... taking matters into your own hands."
The teenager’s hands began to tremble slightly.
Li Xu pressed his advantage. "Should I check your phone right now?"
As he spoke, he gestured as if to grab the phone on the table.
"Don’t!" Wang Zhibao slammed his hand down on the phone, his voice cracking.
Li Xu sat back in his chair, his tone serious. "Do you realize? If you keep this up, your body will get weaker and weaker. When you’re an adult, forget about the men in those videos—you won’t even be able to compare to a normal person. No woman will respect you."
Wang Zhibao lowered his head, nervously twisting his fingers together.
"I... I know it’s bad, but at night... I just can’t control myself..." the boy finally said, his voice barely a whisper.
Li Xu nodded. "That’s a sign of excessive heart and liver fire. I can prescribe you Sour Jujube Seeds Soup to regulate it, but the most important thing is for you to break this habit yourself."
He took out a prescription pad and began to write. "Normally, if you drink Sour Jujube Seeds Soup every day and quit your bad habits, your qi and blood will recover quickly since you’re young. Your body will show significant improvement after a week. When you come back for a follow-up, if I find that your condition hasn’t improved..."
Li Xu paused. "I will personally tell your parents what you’ve been doing."
Wang Zhibao looked up in terror. "Don’t! I promise I’ll change!"
Sour Jujube Seeds Soup is composed of several Chinese herbs, including Sour Jujube Seeds, Poria Cocos, Chuan Xiong, Zhimu, and licorice. It can be used to treat conditions of physical exhaustion and inner turmoil.
Sour Jujube Seeds in particular are sweet in taste and neutral in nature. They can enter the heart and liver meridians and have the powerful effects of nourishing the heart to calm the spirit and tonifying the liver to boost qi.
Since Wang Zhibao was a young man, his qi and blood would recover quickly.
Therefore, there was no need to specifically supplement his qi and blood.
He only needed to resolve his restlessness and racing thoughts, then quit his bad habits, and he would recover naturally.
If he were an adult whose body had been weakened by years of bad habits, this method wouldn’t work.
He would have to nourish the kidneys and cultivate qi to recover slowly.
"Take this prescription before bed. It will help calm your mind and allow you to sleep," Li Xu explained. "But remember, the medicine is just an aid. The key is to change your lifestyle."
He handed the prescription to Wang Zhibao. "Go get your father."
After Wang Jun and Ding Aiguo returned to the clinic, Li Xu explained simply, "The boy has insomnia and vivid dreams caused by excessive heart and liver fire. I’ve prescribed Sour Jujube Seeds Soup to regulate it. Usually, you should pay attention to..."
He gave Wang Zhibao a pointed look. "He must be in bed before 10 PM, the phone can’t be taken into the bedroom, and he needs a moderate amount of exercise every day."
"Doctor, will this really work?"
Wang Jun frowned.
It wasn’t much different from the prescriptions other doctors had given.
It didn’t even include tonics like Ginseng.
"It will definitely work. Remember to come back for a follow-up next week."
Li Xu looked at Wang Zhibao and mouthed the words, "Remember our deal."
