Wang Wenlong spoke with sincerity, and his wife beside him also expressed immense gratitude to Du Heng.

However, this display of gratitude made Han Yujian and the two others accompanying Du Heng blush with embarrassment.

Du Heng’s treatment of six doses of medicine over three days had allowed the patient to regain his health.

In contrast, the three of them had spent five days treating the patient without any improvement. In fact, his condition had worsened, and they couldn’t even find the cause, which made them feel extremely awkward.

So now, every additional word of praise from Wang Wenlong and his wife for Du Heng made their faces burn.

Listening to Wang Wenlong and his wife’s incessant praise, Du Heng quickly intervened, "Stay in the hospital for one more day. Drink two more doses of medicine for observation. We’ll also try to remove the hardened skin on your hand, and you can be discharged tomorrow.

However, remember one thing: after going home, don’t drink alcohol and eat less spicy and stimulating food. If it flares up again, you’ll have to go through this suffering once more."

Wang Wenlong nodded repeatedly. "Don’t worry, Doctor Du. As soon as I go back this time, I’ll quit drinking for good. I wouldn’t drink even if my life depended on it."

Du Heng also smiled. "That’s for the best. Don’t believe that nonsense about ’a little drink is pleasing, heavy drinking is harmful.’ As long as it’s alcohol, it can’t be good for your body."

"I’ll remember that." Wang Wenlong was genuinely happy and cheerfully continued, "I’ll have my wife go home today. Tomorrow, when I’m discharged, the silk banner and thank you letter I promised will definitely be delivered."

Upon hearing this, Du Heng quickly said, "Please don’t. That was just a joke; don’t take it seriously."

"No, no, no. When I say something, I must do it. Besides, a few days ago, I even complained to Director Li. If I don’t fulfill my promise, I’ll be too embarrassed to face Director Li again."

Wang Wenlong had his reasons.

After speaking, he left directly with his wife, giving Du Heng no chance to refute or refuse.

Watching Wang Wenlong and his wife leave, Du Heng glanced at Han Yujian and the other two, their faces still flushed, and then he also got up and left.

At that moment, he didn’t know what to say.

During these three days, the medicine Wang Wenlong drank was still based on the original prescription; Du Heng had only added six more medicine ingredients to it. And Han Yujian and the other two were still the ones looking after him, issuing medical advice, and conducting daily ward rounds.

However, from beginning to end, Wang Wenlong and his wife hadn’t spared Han Yujian and the other two so much as a glance, nor had they even mentioned them. It was an extremely awkward situation.

As the saying goes, "If not for meritorious service, then for hard work." But with Wang Wenlong, forget acknowledging their hard work; the fact he hadn’t flown into a rage and hit them was already him being extremely considerate and showing great self-control.

So Du Heng could only leave silently and go to other hospital rooms.

With the New Year approaching, a number of patients being treated for stroke had chosen to go home, and the Health Clinic grew quieter by the day.

This was much more comfortable compared to other hospitals that admitted inpatients.

At least this way, their hospital could let everyone have a proper New Year.

Du Heng took a stroll around the hospital and found there was nothing much to do. As for the car accident cases, he had no intention of getting involved, so he packed his things and drove into the city.

His first stop was the Third Hospital, the psychiatric hospital not far from their own.

Now, he stood quietly outside a hospital room door, staring intently at the situation inside through the glass window of the closed door.

What held his gaze was a woman with disheveled hair, a sallow complexion, one sunken eye, and a hunched figure.

The woman was terrified, her one visible eye filled with panic. She was curled up in a corner, trembling as she looked at the closed door.

Whenever there was the slightest sound from outside the door, she would curl up even tighter, sometimes even shivering.

But when the sound disappeared, she would murmur ceaselessly to herself, her words unintelligible.

Standing beside Du Heng was a doctor in a white gown, who spoke softly to him, "The patient’s mental world has completely collapsed, and she’s in a state of high anxiety. However, she isn’t dangerous and shows no self-harming tendencies, so we haven’t resorted to restraints."

As he spoke, he looked carefully at Du Heng’s back. "Doctor Du, this patient’s missing eye is showing signs of infection. And because her liver was repaired and her stomach removed, her nutrition is inadequate, and her physical condition is very poor. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Do you think we should contact her family to take her back home?"

Du Heng turned to look at this doctor, then turned back to look into the hospital room. "If you want someone to pick her up, you can contact her family yourselves."

Seeing Du Heng didn’t take the bait, a trace of embarrassment flashed across the doctor’s face. "Doctor Du, you must be her relative, right? Could you help us contact her family? We got a phone number from her home village, but no one answers when we call."

Du Heng’s eyes remained fixed on the window, his lips twitching slightly. "Was it that no one answered the phone, or that they refused to come and get her? Also, I am not her relative. We have no relationship."

Du Heng directly called out the doctor’s implication, making his expression even more awkward.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to stop beating around the bush and said directly, "This patient’s eye is showing signs of infection. Coupled with her liver repair and gastrectomy, her physical condition is extremely poor, and she requires a lot of medication.

Doctor Du, when the patient was admitted, you helped pay a sum of money. Could you perhaps help pay again so we can continue her medication?"

Initially, Du Heng truly wanted this woman to live out her worldly retribution, which is why he had paid the money.

But now, seeing her again after a little over two months, Du Heng no longer harbored those thoughts; he felt not even a flicker of emotion.

Du Heng turned to look at the doctor and said flatly, "I don’t know her, and I don’t have money to pay for her. If you can’t manage, then just discharge her."

Having said that, Du Heng lost the desire to continue watching and turned to leave.

The doctor was dumbfounded. Could they discharge people? Could they discharge someone with an obvious mental illness?

They’d have to be tired of living!

If someone paid, they would happily keep the patient for continued treatment.

If no one paid, and the patient had no family, they still had to keep "treating" them. Their nature was different from ordinary public hospitals; they had a social aid responsibility.

Even if it meant spending the hospital’s dedicated funds, and even if the feeling was akin to "eating shit," they still had to provide assistance.

When Du Heng left the hospital, the streets were filled with red couplets and "Fu" characters. As the festive New Year atmosphere washed over him, his heart felt neither joy nor sorrow, only tranquility.

Let this matter be, then. Let her fend for herself.

His second stop was Liao Quansheng’s house.

He wasn’t there to see his classmate, but his sister, Liao Yuzhu.

Seeing Liao Yuzhu again, the girl had become much more composed. Her clean, fair face radiated a touch of maternal glow. When she spoke and walked, her hands would unconsciously rest on her already protruding lower abdomen.

When she saw Du Heng, her "Heng" also brought a smile to Du Heng’s face.

The New Year was almost upon them, so Liao Quansheng and the others, aside from those on duty, had already started their holiday leave early.

However, Du Heng didn’t know what Liao Quansheng was busy with in his study room. He didn’t emerge until Liao Yuzhu had called him many times.

"Du, what brings you here?"

"The New Year is almost here. I came to see my godson."

Liao Quansheng rolled his eyes, then stretched luxuriously before walking over. "If it were a daughter, you wouldn’t acknowledge this godparent relationship?"

Du Heng smiled. "I’d acknowledge a goddaughter too, but I can tell you quite clearly, this one is a godson."

Liao Quansheng sat down, giving him a look that said, "I’ll watch you bluff." "I found a contact, even paid money, and the doctor didn’t tell us if it’s a boy or a girl. You can tell just by looking?"

Saying that, Liao Quansheng pursed his lips disdainfully. "Don’t try to pull that nonsense on me, like ’craving sour means a boy, spicy a girl,’ or ’a round belly is a daughter, a pointed one a son.’ I’m not falling for that."

Du Heng looked at Liao Quansheng mockingly, making Liao Quansheng’s skin crawl. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you still remember how to take a pregnancy pulse?"

"Nonsense, I did study traditional Chinese medicine for five years in my undergrad. ’The slippery pulse, like pearls rolling smoothly...’ How about that? I even remember the mnemonic verses."

Talk was cheap; Liao Quansheng was still rather unsure.

A pregnancy pulse is a slippery pulse, but a slippery pulse isn’t necessarily a pregnancy pulse.

This thing really tested the diagnosing doctor’s experience. Not just anyone who had learned traditional Chinese medicine and pulse diagnosis could identify a pregnancy pulse.

Du Heng knew Liao Quansheng’s level but didn’t press him for details. He just smiled and said, "Then today, I’ll tell you a little trick. When we take a pulse, not only can we determine pregnancy, but we can also determine the sex."

As soon as Du Heng finished speaking, Liao Quansheng rolled his eyes dramatically twice.

He had studied traditional Chinese medicine. Although he didn’t become a doctor after graduation, his job involved interacting with doctors. He considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about what traditional Chinese medicine truly entailed. "Go on, brag. Don’t think you’re some Divine Doctor just because you can cure a few illnesses."

Du Heng smiled nonchalantly. "I’m telling you, so don’t tell anyone else. I haven’t even shared this technique with anyone at our Health Clinic."

"Just spit it out. Acting all mysterious won’t make it true, will it?"

"Alright, listen closely. After a woman is pregnant, when you take her pulse, pay close attention. You’ll be able to determine if the expectant mother has a kidney yang pulse or a kidney yin pulse. If it’s a kidney yang pulse, it’s a boy. If it’s a kidney yin pulse, it’s definitely a girl."

Liao Quansheng pursed his lips. "How come I just don’t believe that?"

Du Heng laughed, leaning back slightly. "How about a bet?"

Hearing the word "bet," Liao Quansheng immediately perked up.

He wasn’t a complete novice in traditional Chinese medicine, so he truly didn’t believe that pulse diagnosis could determine the sex of a baby.

"Fine, what’s the wager?"

"If it’s a boy, you buy your nephew a house. If it’s a daughter, I buy my goddaughter a house."

Liao Quansheng was about to agree but then suddenly realized—wasn’t this just a fifty-fifty chance?

Besides, win or lose, wouldn’t he prepare a gift for his own nephew anyway?

So, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed he wasn’t getting the better end of this deal.