Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 28 Air Intake

This kid is far too seasoned. It’s unnatural. Can someone so young really be this experienced?

Deng Xianhua couldn’t help but feel skeptical. Watching Wang Jian’s technique was like watching a seasoned master at work. He glanced at Niu Deyuan beside him and saw that the old man wore the exact same expression.

Wang Jian had already figured out Grandpa Wang’s condition, and it wasn’t anything particularly serious. Seeing the old man’s hearty smile, Wang Jian felt a wave of relief. If there had been a major issue, he wouldn’t have known how to break the news.

After the diagnosis, Wang Jian said to the grandfather and grandson with a smile, "Don’t worry, there’s nothing serious. I’ll prescribe two sets of medicine for you, and then use Acupuncture to relieve the chest tightness."

"Ah, Acupuncture too?" Grandpa Wang suddenly looked troubled and asked quietly, "Where do the needles go?"

"Just several points on your chest and a few on your hands."

Wang Jian explained cheerfully, "In Chinese medicine, we have a concept of ’qi pathways.’ Stagnant qi in the chest leads to that feeling of tightness. We can address this by smoothing out the flow through the body’s meridians. Initially, I was concerned it might be an organ-related issue, but your pulse didn’t suggest that. Then, after observing your limbs and tongue, I saw no symptoms of heart or lung disease either. That led me to consider the problem as internal qi accumulation caused by poor circulation in the meridians. A final check of your pulse confirmed it."

"I will need to insert three needles in your chest and two on each hand. Don’t worry, these aren’t critical acupoints; even a beginner couldn’t mess them up. Besides, just look at these two senior doctors here."

At these words, Deng Xianhua’s expression changed subtly, and Niu Deyuan frowned. Wang Jian’s diagnosis seemed fine at first glance. However, Niu Deyuan and Deng Xianhua were different from the others; they sensed an issue with his explanation.

Qi pathways... This kid is still too green. Reading a lot of books is a good thing, but it’s reckless to apply something without verifying if it’s even practical. Still, this is normal. It’s one thing to act seasoned in front of a patient, but if he were flawless in every aspect, that would be terrifying. Would he even be human?

While speaking, Wang Jian kept a close eye on Grandpa Wang’s expression. He knew the old man was only humoring him and didn’t truly trust his skills. So, he gestured to the two senior physicians. "This is Niu Deyuan, a chief expert from the provincial Chinese Hospital, and this is Deng Xianhua, also an expert from the provincial Chinese Hospital." Their names immediately caught the attention of both grandfather and grandson. Wang Jian continued, "If you’re unsure about my diagnosis, why not let them take a look? Both of these expert doctors are with Cai’s Clinic now, so you can rest assured."

Just as Wang Jian guessed, Grandpa Wang’s interest was piqued. Even though his grandson, Wang Li, had dragged him here, he was still wary of such a young doctor. This was his health on the line, and even if the consultation was free, he was afraid of being treated poorly. But since Wang Jian was one of the village kids, Grandpa Wang didn’t want to be too blunt. "Doctor Wang," he began, "it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I see these two experts have been observing for a while. Why not let them have a go?"

Despite his words to Wang Jian, he didn’t beat around the bush, turning directly to the two senior physicians. "Doctors, would you mind taking a look?" he asked.

Wang Li, being more polite, shot Wang Jian an apologetic glance.

But Wang Jian didn’t mind. As long as the patient was willing to get treated, nothing else mattered. He even took the initiative, asking, "Doctor Deng, Doctor Niu, who would like to go?"

Wang Jian’s invitation was exactly what the two had been waiting for. They were there to lend their authority to the event, and now that a patient was openly distrusting Wang Jian, they had to step in. Though neither looked particularly pleased, they didn’t refuse. Deng Xianhua spoke up directly, "We’ll both take a look. I’ll start by taking the pulse."

"Please," Niu Deyuan said with an inviting gesture, and Wang Jian readily gave up his seat.

After sitting down, Deng Xianhua gave Wang Jian another look. He was willing to step up for another reason. The ’qi pathways’ Wang Jian mentioned didn’t align with modern Chinese medicine. Deng Xianhua had read about them in ancient texts, but contemporary Chinese medicine had no techniques or medical rationale for using Acupuncture that way. In short, the lineage of that knowledge was broken, and modern practitioners simply lacked the skill. So, his first reason for stepping in was to back Wang Jian up, and his second was to see if the young man had misread the pulse.

Niu Deyuan felt much the same. Not many young people these days were willing to read the ancient texts. Ancient Medicine certainly had its merits, but because the lineage of knowledge had been broken, very few of its techniques were still usable. This was why they both had a love-hate relationship with Wang Jian’s dedication to these old books. After all, if Chinese medicine is used incorrectly, it can kill a person without leaving a trace.

After concentrating for a moment, Deng Xianhua thoughtfully assessed the subtleties of the pulse. He slowly asked, "Mr. Wang, have you engaged in any strenuous physical activity recently?"

"Strenuous activity, let me think," Grandpa Wang pondered before exclaiming, "Half a month ago, I helped a neighbor carry a few dozen bags of rice. Does that count?"

Good grief. A man in his sixties carrying dozens of bags of rice. Everyone who heard was left speechless. The old man’s constitution was no joke.

Deng Xianhua’s mouth twitched. He said frankly, "Old buddy, you’d be better off taking it easy in the future. If you keep working your body like this, it’ll give out in a few years."

"What?" Wang Li, the grandson, was startled. "Doctor Deng, what’s wrong with my grandpa? Is it..."

"No, no, that’s not what I mean," Deng Xianhua said with a wry smile. "Your grandpa doesn’t have a serious problem. Even a young man could get strained or injured from that kind of work, let alone someone his age. Judging from the pulse, Wang Jian’s diagnosis was correct. You might not understand his talk of ’qi pathways,’ so let me use a simpler term. You’ve probably heard of ’getting a stitch’? It’s a kind of displaced qi. The only difference is that your qi is displaced in an unusual area. For most people, it’s near the spleen, but yours is a bit higher up, which is what’s causing the chest tightness."

"Oh, so that’s what it is." Wang Jian’s previous explanation had been too technical for Wang Li and his grandpa to follow, but Doctor Deng’s analogy made everything clear. Relieved that it wasn’t a major problem, they both relaxed.

Deng Xianhua then stood up. "Doctor Niu has a divine touch when it comes to diagnosis. Let’s have him take a look as well."

Niu Deyuan sat down, and after less than a minute, he also spoke. "I agree with Wang Jian and Lao Deng. It’s just displaced qi, so you don’t need to worry. As for the treatment, however..."

As Niu Deyuan spoke, Deng Xianhua leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Hold on. Since it’s just displaced qi, I think we should let Wang Jian try the Acupuncture. He’s so confident, maybe he really does know some technique for guiding qi. Even if he messes up, given the acupoints he mentioned, the worst it will do is enhance the patient’s metabolism. It won’t cause any harm."

Deng Xianhua was a titan in the world of Acupuncture, so Niu Deyuan naturally trusted his judgment. He immediately addressed the patient, "Lao Deng and I have discussed it, and we both endorse Wang Jian’s proposed treatment. Think of it this way: even if left untreated, this condition will likely heal on its own over time. The decision to proceed with treatment is entirely up to you."

Hearing this, Grandpa Wang’s mind was put at ease. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Treat it! Of course, we’ll treat it! This chest tightness has been killing me the last couple of days. The slightest bit of effort makes it uncomfortable. Doctor Wang, hurry up and fix me so I can get some relief!"

A moment ago, he’d been downplaying his discomfort, but now that he knew it wasn’t serious, he was telling the truth and urging Wang Jian to start.

Wang Jian didn’t stand on ceremony. He didn’t even lead them to a separate treatment room, starting the procedure right then and there. His movements were swift. He located the acupoints on the hands with a single glance, pressing and inserting the needles in quick succession. He became much more cautious when he moved to the chest, but even then, inserting one needle per second was still remarkably fast.

The technique left Niu Deyuan stunned. His mouth fell open as if to say something, but in the end, he just turned to look at Deng Xianhua. To his surprise, Deng Xianhua’s expression was even more astonished. As the saying goes, experts see the technique while laymen just watch the show. Deng Xianhua was already at the forefront of the Acupuncture world, so how could he not be shocked to see Wang Jian’s skill nearly matching his own? What’s more, the kid’s eye for locating acupoints was even sharper than his—a terrifying thought.

But Deng Xianhua’s shock wasn’t over. He suddenly blurted out, "Holy shit! Is this... actual qi-guiding Acupuncture?"

Under his stunned gaze, Wang Jian lightly tapped the silver needles he had placed, causing them to tremble faintly. At first, it didn’t seem like much, but then all the silver needles began to vibrate in sync. A change was happening. Wang Jian began to apply massage, and within a minute, Grandpa Wang let out a loud burp, followed by a long fart.

The smell... it was like a durian that had gone bad in the summer mixed with stinky tofu.

The stench sent some people running right out of the room. Deng Xianhua’s expletive came a second too late; only he, the tough old bird, remained. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Cai Wenji gasped in alarm as he fled, "Holy shit, that stinks..."

But it didn’t end there. As the people ran out, they created a draft that carried some of the odor outside. The people waiting in line were fine one moment, but the instant they caught a whiff, they started cursing, wondering who had set off a stink bomb.

As a result, when Grandpa Wang and Wang Li finally left, they got teased by some of their old neighbors.