Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 96: The Old House

"Doctor Li, it’s like this..."

Guo Yu explained the patient’s situation in detail, then added persuasively, "This is an extremely complex case. It’s not just you; even the special experts from City First Hospital couldn’t cure him. If you don’t feel it’s a good fit, you have every right to refuse..."

Li Xu fell silent.

’So it’s a patient from the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.’

’And the family has no intention of transferring him to another hospital.’

’Should I take the case or not?’

Li Xu quickly made up his mind. "I’d like to give it a try."

He had a piece of intelligence suggesting that it would be unjustifiable to give up without even trying.

Besides, this was about whether he could establish himself at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Although, he didn’t really care about the advisor position there.

But since he had signed the employment contract,

he had to do his duty—and shut a few people up in the process.

"Sisi, close up shop. We’re going to the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

...

News spread through the hospital quickly.

At the nurses’ station, a few nurses were whispering, "Did you hear? The patient who’s always yelling ’Where do I need to go?’ is being handed over to the new advisor."

"You mean that really young Doctor Li?" a young nurse asked, shaking her head. "Can he actually handle it?"

In the inpatient department hallway, Gao Jiandong was gathered with a few other doctors.

"Director Gao, we’re in for a good show this time," the deputy director of the respiratory department said with a laugh. "I’ve seen that patient. He’s past the point of no return. Completely incurable."

Gao Jiandong snorted. "The point is for him to fail. Let’s see how he plans to stay at this hospital then."

Meanwhile, Guo Yu was in the patient’s room, explaining the situation to Bai Qingqing.

"Miss Bai, our hospital has decided to ask a specially-appointed expert to treat your father. This Advisor Li may be young, but his medical skills are superb..."

Bai Qingqing was indifferent. As long as her father’s suffering could be eased, that was enough. As for a cure... she had already given up hope.

Li Xu and Song Sisi arrived at the hospital and saw the patient.

He was an emaciated old man, shouting loudly, "Where do I need to go?"

Li Xu put on a mask and stepped forward, asking gently, "Sir, where is it you need to go?"

The old man’s gaze was vacant. He just kept repeating, "Where do I need to go? Where do I need to go?"

Communication was impossible.

Li Xu frowned slightly and placed his hand on the old man’s gaunt wrist.

Beneath his fingertips, the pulse was faint and erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, as unsteady and unpredictable as a candle flickering in the wind.

"A taut, fine, and rapid pulse. Liver qi stagnation, disharmony between the heart and kidneys..."

Li Xu muttered to himself, then had a nurse carefully hold the old man still while he guided him to stick out his tongue, observing his complexion and tongue coating.

His complexion was dull and lackluster, the tongue itself was dark purple, and its coating was thin, white, and dry.

These physical signs all pointed to one thing—long-term emotional distress leading to visceral dysfunction.

Li Xu turned to Bai Qingqing and asked, "Was there anything unusual before the patient’s illness began? For example, did he experience some kind of shock?"

Bai Qingqing shook her head. "There was no sudden shock. It’s just that after my mother passed away, my dad was always depressed. Then, a year ago, the illness suddenly started."

Li Xu pondered for a moment before asking, "Miss Bai, would it be possible for you to take me to the places where your father lived?"

Bai Qingqing was taken aback. "Does... that have anything to do with his treatment?"

"Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes ’observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.’ Understanding a patient’s living environment is a crucial part of the diagnosis," Li Xu explained. "This is especially true for mental illnesses, which are often related to one’s environment and experiences."

Bai Qingqing hesitated for a moment. "Before he got sick, my dad was living alone in our old family home. After it started, aside from the time he spent at the City People’s First Hospital and the City Mental Hospital, he’s been living with me. I can take you to see my place."

"Alright." Li Xu turned to Guo Yu. "Director Guo, I need to conduct a field investigation of the places where the patient lived. It’s crucial for his treatment."

Although Guo Yu was puzzled, he nodded in agreement. "Okay, I’ll have Dr. Miao accompany you."

"That won’t be necessary."

Li Xu said, "The patient’s family member will be leaving with me. Have Miaoli help look after the patient."

From around the corner of the hallway, Gao Jiandong watched with a cold eye and sneered. "Just trying to be mysterious! Who needs to visit someone’s home to diagnose them? Is he a doctor or a feng shui master?"

Li Xu paid no mind to the gossip.

He had a faint feeling that the "cure for a sickness of the heart must come from the heart itself," as mentioned in the intelligence, might be hidden within the traces of the patient’s past life.

...

Bai Qingqing lived nearby in a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.

The apartment was filled with things.

Mostly children’s toys.

Li Xu and Song Sisi looked around the apartment but found nothing of note.

"My dad’s things are all at the old house."

Bai Qingqing explained, "There’s a lot of stuff there, especially photos and video recordings."

"Video recordings?"

"That’s right. My dad loved videography. I even brought some of them here."

As she spoke, Bai Qingqing pulled open a drawer.

She took out a photo album.

It was filled with pictures.

There were photos of her with her father, Bai Han, but most were of Bai Han and his wife.

In the photos, the two of them held hands. The man was gentle and refined, the woman graceful and poised. They looked deeply in love.

There was also a photo of a white watchtower.

The watchtower stood tall in a forest,

beautifully photographed.

The photos also featured many paper rabbits and a platypus toy.

"How come there are no photos of you as a child?"

Li Xu asked curiously.

’Normally,’

’wouldn’t parents take more pictures of their daughter?’

But there weren’t many photos of Bai Qingqing.

And most of them were from after she was ten.

Bai Qingqing was silent for a moment, then said, "I’m their adopted daughter... They adopted me when I was twelve."

"What was your relationship like?" Li Xu asked.

Bai Qingqing understood what Li Xu was implying. She shook her head. "They loved me very much, and I loved them. We had a great relationship. My father’s mental breakdown has nothing to do with me."

"I see."

Unable to find any more clues here, Li Xu suggested they go see the old family home.

"I’m sorry, the old house is in the countryside, which is quite a distance away. And I have to pick up my child from school this evening," Bai Qingqing said apologetically.

"That’s fine. Just give us the address, and we can go by ourselves."

"Thank you so much."

Bai Qingqing took out a set of keys, handed them to Li Xu, and gave him the address.

It was indeed very far.

It was in the mountainous region of Shanyang County, which was under the jurisdiction of Feng City.

Part of the Qinling mountain range.

Li Xu hailed a taxi, and it took them over an hour to get there.

Because of its remote location,

the villagers had all moved away long ago, leaving it a ghost village.

They found one of the houses.

Pushing open the mottled iron gate, a gentle breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees washed over them.

The weeds in the courtyard were already knee-high, but they could still faintly make out traces of meticulous care—a few resilient Chinese roses bloomed amidst the weeds, and next to them stood a crooked wooden trellis, entwined with withered grapevines.

Li Xu bent down and parted the weeds, revealing a small path paved with cobblestones that meandered toward the main house.

The stones were covered in moss, but they were arranged neatly, and one could imagine how the owner had once painstakingly selected and placed each one.

"Look over there."

Song Sisi pointed to a corner of the courtyard where there was a handmade wooden gazebo. Although half of its roof had collapsed, the carvings on its pillars were still clearly visible.

Next to the gazebo lay a rusty watering can with a small, wild chrysanthemum stuck in its spout.

Treading on the creaking wooden steps, the two of them arrived at the front door of the main house.

As the key turned in the lock, a musty smell seeped out from the crack in the door.

They pushed the door open. Sunlight slanted in through the dusty windows, illuminating floating specks of dust.

The inside of the house was surprisingly tidy.

The furniture was all covered with white cloths, and there was no clutter on the floor, only a thin layer of dust.

Several landscape oil paintings hung on the living room wall. The brushwork was delicate, suggesting they were the owner’s own creations.

One depicted a white watchtower in a forest.

Another showed a woman holding something yellow and blue.

There was one of a platypus.

And a sketch that looked like a doodle of three people.

"I didn’t realize the patient not only loved photography but also enjoyed painting," Li Xu remarked.

"Yeah," Song Sisi nodded, looking curiously at the oil paintings on the wall. "They’re very well done."