Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 92: Generous Treatment

Guo Yu hurried to Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, full of excitement. When he pushed the door open, Li Xu was taking a patient’s pulse.

"Keeping busy, Doctor Li?" Guo Yu asked with a smile.

Li Xu looked up and saw it was Guo Yu. He nodded. "Just a moment, Director Guo. I’ll be right with you."

Guo Yu was in no rush, so he took a seat to the side and waited patiently.

He glanced around the clinic. Though small, it was clean and tidy. The medicinal herbs in the cabinets were arranged in perfect order, and a few simple, antique-style scrolls depicting medical cases hung on the walls, giving the space an air of profound TCM heritage.

A few moments later, the patient left. Li Xu got up and poured Guo Yu a cup of tea. "What brings you here today, Director Guo?"

’Actually, he already knew why Guo Yu was here from the group chat.’

’But he couldn’t let on, or it would put Miaoli in an awkward position.’

Guo Yu smiled and took a gilt-lettered certificate of appointment and a contract from his briefcase. He pushed them ceremoniously across to Li Xu. "Doctor Li, Dean Sun has given his approval. We’d like to formally invite you to be a special consultant for our Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine!"

Li Xu froze, glancing down at the certificate. It clearly stated:

This is to certify the appointment of Doctor Li Xu as a Special Consultant for the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Responsibilities include consulting on complex and difficult cases and providing guidance on TCM diagnosis and treatment. The position includes a private consultation room and a generous compensation package.

Under the compensation section, the terms were striking: a monthly salary of 20,000 plus performance bonuses, seven days of consultations per week, and no night shifts.

For any young TCM doctor, an offer like this was a godsend.

However, Li Xu simply smiled and gently pushed the certificate back. "Director Guo, please thank Dean Sun for me for his kind offer, but... I can’t accept this."

"Huh?" Guo Yu’s face was a picture of disbelief. "Doctor Li, this is the most generous offer our hospital can make. If there’s any part you’re not satisfied with, we can discuss it further!"

Li Xu shook his head. "It’s not about the compensation."

"Then what is it...?"

"I’m not suited for a hospital," Li Xu said calmly. "I’m used to my freedom. I enjoy running my own clinic, and sometimes I need to travel to gather herbs or research prescriptions. Working a fixed schedule at the hospital wouldn’t give me the flexibility I need."

Guo Yu grew anxious. "We can be flexible on that! The special consultant role is meant to have a flexible schedule. If you feel it’s too restrictive, you could come in for fewer days each week. The rest of the time is yours to do as you please. We absolutely won’t interfere!"

Li Xu shook his head again. "Director Guo, I truly appreciate the offer, but I’d prefer to focus on my own clinic."

Seeing his firm stance, Guo Yu felt a pang of disappointment but wasn’t ready to give up. "Doctor Li, won’t you reconsider? Our hospital is well-resourced and has a large volume of patients. If you join us, you’ll encounter a wider variety of complex cases. It would be a great opportunity to further enhance your medical skills!"

Li Xu smiled. "Director Guo, if you have any difficult cases, feel free to contact me at any time. I’d be happy to help. But if I were to officially join the staff, I’d be bound by all sorts of rules and regulations. It’s better this way, where I have my freedom."

Guo Yu opened his mouth, about to try persuading him again, but seeing the unwavering look on Li Xu’s face, he could only let out a sigh. "Alright... I’ll go back and let Dean Sun know."

Li Xu nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."

Guo Yu dejectedly put the certificate and contract away. As he was about to leave, he couldn’t resist asking one last time, "Doctor Li, are you sure you won’t reconsider?"

Li Xu smiled. "I won’t be reconsidering."

’His main concern was still the time commitment.’

’He never knew what information he would receive each day.’

’What if it was about a rare medicinal herb that needed to be harvested immediately?’

’He would have to leave at a moment’s notice.’

’If he worked at the hospital, he wouldn’t have that freedom.’

’And as for improving his medical skills at the hospital—he could do that just as well with the help of his system.’

...

Back at the hospital, Guo Yu went straight to Dean Sun’s office.

"Dean, Li Xu turned us down," Guo Yu said, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.

Dean Sun frowned. "Was the offer too low?"

"No." Guo Yu shook his head. "He said he values his freedom and doesn’t want to be tied down by a hospital job."

Dean Sun mulled it over for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. "This kid’s got character."

Guo Yu sighed. "So, what’s the plan, Dean? Li Xu’s skills are truly remarkable. It would be a huge asset to our hospital if we could bring him on board."

Dean Sun thought for a moment, then clapped his hand on the desk. "Since he doesn’t want a full-time position, we’ll compromise—make him an honorary advisor!"

"An honorary advisor?" Guo Yu repeated, stunned.

"That’s right!" Dean Sun explained. "We won’t require him to keep regular hours, but we’ll give him an official title. That way, when we have difficult cases, we can request his help through official channels. Plus, the hospital can pay him a proper advisor’s fee, unlike this last time where we had to thank him under the table."

Guo Yu’s eyes lit up. "That’s a brilliant idea! It gives Li Xu the freedom he wants while keeping him in close collaboration with the hospital!"

Dean Sun nodded. "Go see him again. Tell him that as an advisor, he won’t be required to keep regular hours. He’ll only need to provide his opinion on difficult and complex cases. He’ll be compensated per consultation, and at the end of the year, he’ll receive a retainer based on his contributions."

Guo Yu shot to his feet. "Right, I’ll go at once!"

...

When Guo Yu arrived at the clinic for the second time, Li Xu was sorting medicinal herbs.

"Doctor Li, I’m back," Guo Yu said with a grin.

Li Xu looked up and saw it was Guo Yu, a little surprised. ’Didn’t I already turn him down?’

This time, Guo Yu didn’t beat around the bush. "Doctor Li, Dean Sun has a new proposal. Since you don’t want a full-time position, he’d like to offer you a role as an honorary advisor. You wouldn’t need to keep regular hours—just provide your opinion on major cases. You’d be paid per consultation, with a retainer settled at the end of the year."

Li Xu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Dean Sun to be so persistent.

’He considered it for a moment. The terms were actually quite good—it wouldn’t compromise his freedom, it would provide an additional stream of income, and it would allow him to maintain a good relationship with the hospital.’

And so, he nodded in agreement. "Alright, I can accept that."

Guo Yu was overjoyed. "That’s fantastic! I’ll head back and get the advisor’s contract ready right now!"

Li Xu smiled. "Thank you for your trouble, Director Guo."

Guo Yu waved his hand dismissively. "No trouble at all! We’ll be official colleagues from now on. Even though you won’t be at the hospital much, don’t hesitate to look me up if you need anything!"

...

The contract was formally signed that afternoon.

Li Xu was now the specially appointed TCM advisor for the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Miaoli snapped a photo of the signing and posted it in the group chat: "@Li Xu, Advisor Li, please take good care of us from now on! (jk)"

Hu Qiming: "Holy shit! An honorary advisor? No fixed hours and you still get a retainer? Li Xu, what kind of divine treatment is that?!"

Jiang Peng: "I’m crying with envy... I’m still stuck filling prescriptions in the pharmacy, and Li Xu is already a hospital advisor..."

Li Baojie: "@Li Xu Brother Li, take me under your wing!"

Li Xu saw the messages in the group, smiled, and typed back, "I’ll treat everyone to dinner when I get a chance."

Meanwhile, Gao Jiandong, an attending physician in the respiratory department at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stormed into Dean Sun’s office. "Dean, this is an absolute farce!"

"What’s the matter?"

Dean Sun had been expecting this.

It would have been strange if the hospital’s hiring of Li Xu *hadn’t* caused some discontent among the other doctors.