Chapter 6 Chen Family's Medical Diagnosis

  Old Chen quickly loaded all the discs onto the tricycle, patted the dust off his hands and turned around to beckon: "Young Wu Rui, my home is just up ahead, hop on and I'll give you a ride!"

  Wu Rui didn't mind, shouldered his Taoist bag and stepped onto the tricycle, casually sitting down on the railing beside him. Only then did he say to Old Man Chen in front of him: "Old Man Chen, let's go!"

  "Good!" Wu Rui's performance made Old Man Chen feel exceptionally close, and with a smile, he pedaled hard, propelling the tricycle several steps forward. The market was still crowded with people, but the massive three-wheeler moved like a snake, weaving through the gaps, nimbly navigating the throngs of people on the main street without showing any signs of slowing down.

  Chen Lao Tou was getting more and more excited, but Wu Rui's eyes were twitching with anxiety. He had originally wanted to remind him to be careful, but seeing the urgent look on his face, he opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to speak. Chen Lao Tou had been searching for a doctor for many years, and his heart had always been filled with sorrow. Now that he suddenly had hope, how could he not be anxious?

  Fortunately, Old Man Chen's tricycle skills were good, and the vehicle quickly drove out of the central market safely. A few minutes later, they arrived at a simple and shabby residential area for ordinary people, and finally stopped in front of a tile-roofed house. Apparently, this was the destination of their trip, where Old Man Chen's home was located.

  This is an old red-brick house, the gate is covered with crimson paint, and the red bricks on the wall have fallen off severely due to their age, making the entire wall look precarious. It's really worrying that it might suddenly collapse. Moreover, there isn't even a small courtyard in front of the door, and the road seems extremely narrow. A three-wheeled cart has already blocked the entire passageway, but fortunately, there aren't many pedestrians here, especially at night, so it doesn't matter much.

  "That... Wu Rui's family, the house is a bit old and simple, don't mind it!" Seeing Wu Rui's face with a hint of disdain as he looked at his own house, Lao Chen's face turned red in the light, and he could only scratch the back of his head awkwardly. After all, in modern society, especially in this big city of Shancheng, living in such a place is indeed embarrassing.

  It's not that Old Man Chen is poor and incompetent, after all, he sells pirated and pornographic discs every day, even during holidays, and makes around 100,000 to 800,000 yuan a year, which is more than what many white-collar workers earn. However, his money is being sucked away by various bloodsuckers, leaving him barely scraping by in this place.

  "Haha, as long as it can block the wind and rain, that's enough. I used to live in the woods all the time, and when it was windy or rainy, I could only take shelter in a cliff or cave. This place is already quite good." Wu Rui couldn't help but notice Chen Lao's embarrassment, so he quickly spoke up with a laugh. Of course, Wu Rui wasn't lying either - he had grown up deep in the forest and was a doctor who often had to go out searching for medicine, so he hadn't had many days without wind or rain.

  But Old Man Chen didn't think so, he just felt that Wu Rui was being considerate of his feelings. He casually waved his hand and stopped pursuing the matter, then invited Wu Rui to come in: "Brother Wu Rui, don't stand there, come on inside!"

  Before Old Man Chen could even stretch out his hand to push the door open, the large front door suddenly swung open by itself, and a hazy beam of light instantly shot out from inside. Next, a beautiful figure appeared in the doorway, looking at Old Man Chen with a puzzled expression, asking: "Dad, why did you close up shop so early today?"

  Wu Rui looked back and saw that it was a young woman of about twenty years old, wearing very simple clothes, a white dress that had been washed to a faded green. From the partial green fabric, it's not hard to imagine that the skirt should have been green originally. Her face had a melon-seed-shaped face, her hair naturally curled down, looking like she should be a beautiful young woman, but this outfit made her look extremely simple and unadorned, obviously due to family circumstances.

  "Hehe, I'll tell you later. Wu Rui, brother, let me introduce you to my daughter Bingxuan, just call her by name. Chen Lao Tou first introduced his daughter to Wu Rui, then turned to his daughter and said: "Bingxuan, this is Wu Rui Shen Yi, who I invited to treat your mother's illness... Girl, why don't you hurry up and greet him?"

  Because the outside light was dim, Chen Bingxuan didn't see Wu Rui earlier. Now hearing her father's words, she just realized that there was another person standing in front of her. The man looked to be around twenty years old, roughly the same age as herself, but he had long hair and wore a Taoist robe, which seemed out of place in modern society.

  Was he a swindler? This was the first thought that came to Chen Bingxuan's mind. It wasn't strange that she would think this way, Wu Rui's age had nothing to do with being a divine doctor, and his attire was very similar to those who had scammed people in the past. If he wasn't scamming people, what else could it be? A deep sense of vigilance flashed through Chen Bingxuan's eyes.

  "Hello, Ice Spinner Girl." Seeing the doubt and vigilance in her eyes, Wu Rui smiled wryly but didn't get angry, still greeting her politely. After all, during this period of time, Wu Rui had already gotten used to such gazes, so naturally he wouldn't take offense at a girl.

  "Hello!" Seeing Wu Rui greeting her, Chen Bingxuan only responded with a bland sentence, but her body never moved away from the door, and she didn't show any intention of inviting Wu Rui into the house.

  At this time, Old Man Chen also sensed that the atmosphere was not right. When he saw the evil expression in his daughter's eyes, he was worried that Wu Rui would get angry and leave. So he hastily scolded the two girls: "Yingxuan, what are you doing? Wu Rui is a divine doctor I invited back, you can't be rude to him, hurry up and let go!"

  Chen Bingxuan felt wronged in her heart, but seeing her father really get angry, she could only pout and let him have his way, but her gaze never left Wu Rui's body, as if she wanted to stare at him to death, not letting Wu Rui make any move that would deceive her father.

  Old Chen's face turned red with anxiety, and he immediately pulled his old face again, saying: "You..."

  "Never mind, Old Man Chen, let's focus on treating the illness!" But before he could finish speaking, Wu Rui casually waved his hand to interrupt him, cutting off his next rebuke, and appeared extremely magnanimous, with a hint of an otherworldly doctor's demeanor.

  But who would have thought that his kindness did not receive a good return, and as soon as his voice fell, Chen Bingxuan in front of him glared at her nose and inserted her waist: "What? Old Man Chen is also someone you can call..."

  "Ice spinning in my mouth, Wu Rui is actually your father's brother, calling Chen Lao that is to give me face. Your dad and I are a bit older, but not to the point of being old and confused!" Chen Lao saw his daughter repeatedly speaking out of turn, and his old face also fell instantly, Wu Rui was a doctor he had finally managed to invite, and he really worried that Wu Rui would leave in anger.

  "Dad... I didn't mean it that way." Chen Bing's eyes were gloomy as she muttered to herself, not saying another word. She continued to stare at Wu Rui with her eyes, trying to scrutinize his every move, not giving him any chance to swindle their family out of money. The reason she was being so vigilant wasn't entirely groundless, after all, Old Man Chen had been cheated before, more than once. Plus, their family was poor, so she naturally wanted to be careful.

  "You... hehe, Wu Rui brothers, Bing Xuan doesn't quite understand things, don't take it to heart." Seeing his daughter's behavior, Old Man Chen was sweating bullets in his heart and hurriedly bowed his head to apologize to Wu Rui, his dry eyes looking pitiful, making people feel heartache just by looking at him.

  "Hmm... let's go in and take a look at the patient's situation!" Wu Rui, although not angry, had been treated as a swindler all along, and his heart was somewhat depressed. How could he, who was also considered to be elegant and refined, not be better than that Liu Dehua guy on TV?

  "Mr. Wu Rui, I'm really sorry, my daughter is being too unreasonable today. Let's just ignore her, come on, please go inside!" Old Man Chen apologized again and hurriedly invited Wu Rui into the house. As he passed by Chen Bingxuan, he didn't forget to glare at her sternly, trying to tell her not to stir up more trouble.

  After entering the house, Wu Rui found that it was a typical one-hall-two-room red-brick-tiled house with an internal structure. Although it was also very old, it was arranged very neatly and cleanly, with all four sides being swept spotless. The floor tiles were even cleaner, looking like ceramic tiles, giving off a somewhat shiny feeling. This was because the long period of trampling had smoothed out the originally rough floor tiles.

  "Wu Rui brothers, please sit down. Isn't Ice Xuan hurrying to pour water?" Old Man Chen invited Wu Rui to the most decent chair in the hall, which was a high-legged armchair with some remaining new charm. The other places in the hall were all short and old wooden chairs, all of which had been nailed and repaired, making this unremarkable armchair in the outside world seem somewhat outstanding here.

  Wu Rui felt a pang of sadness at this scene, so without waiting for Chen Bingxuan to pour water, he hastily waved his hand and refused: "It's getting late, let's go see the patient first!"

  "Alright, Wu Rui's brother is in the room next door." Old Man Chen was also eager to have Wu Rui examine his wife and was worried about whether she could be treated. He didn't hesitate and immediately led him to the side room after hearing Wu Rui's words.

  Under the leadership of Old Man Chen, Wu Rui came to the room next to the house. The room was narrow and cluttered with miscellaneous items, but possibly due to frequent sweeping and cleaning, there was no musty smell, and the floor was spotless.

  Seeing Wu Rui sizing up the room, Old Man Chen's face turned slightly red. He felt embarrassed to have Wu Rui treat his illness in such an environment and could only smile apologetically: "Our home is simple, Wu Rui, don't..."

  "Old Chen, stop saying these things and take me to see the patient's condition right away!" Wu Rui cut off Old Chen's words with a decisive wave of his hand. As a doctor, he was here to treat illnesses, not to examine the patient's family environment or living conditions. He wasn't here to arrange marriages or practice medicine for fame or fortune, so he wouldn't get bogged down in such trivial matters.

  "Alright, Wu Rui, please come in." Old Man Chen didn't delay any further and hastily led the way to a bed with white mosquito netting in front. However, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion deep down, as over the years he had lost count of how many cold shoulders and snubs he had received; Wu Rui's medical ethics earned his respect!

  "Old fellow, why did you come back so early tonight?" A woman lying on the bed felt strange when she saw Old Chen coming back.

  The woman's hair was flecked with gray, her skin pale and wan, with deep wrinkles that made her look older. But Wu Rui could see that she was probably only in her thirties or forties. The reason for her haggard appearance must be due to the illness that had plagued her body. After all, lying ill for several years, coupled with poverty and hardship at home, it was impossible to replenish much nutrition, and it was no wonder she looked like this now.

  Seeing his wife in this state, Old Man Chen's eyes were filled with guilt, but thinking that there might be a chance to cure his partner's illness, he couldn't help but reveal a joyful expression and introduced: "My partner, listen to me, I found a divine doctor tonight, so I specially invited him to treat your illness, it's this Wu Rui brother, don't look at his young age, his medical skills are really amazing!"

  The woman suddenly raised her head and glanced at Wu Rui behind her, her eyes very complicated. She forced a smile and said to Old Man Chen: "Old buddy, my illness is a difficult and miscellaneous disease, it's not that easy to treat. It's so late, why don't you send this young brother back?"

  Wu Rui could see that the woman did not trust herself, but he was already used to it and just smiled faintly as he waited for Old Man Chen's response.

  "What's the big deal about difficult and complicated diseases? Wu Rui brothers treat exactly that, today I saw him cure a little girl's dysmenorrhea, just a few needles and she was immediately cured, it's really amazing!" Old Man Chen exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement.

  However, the words that came out of his mouth not only made the lady on the bed look strange, but also made Chen Bingxuan's face turn bright red with pain.

  Good heavens...

  “Cough, cough...” Wu Rui cleared his throat and stepped forward, saying: “Don’t worry, big sister. As Old Man Chen said, I came down the mountain to test my medical skills. Cases like yours are a great opportunity for me to learn more. When I heard Old Man Chen mention your condition, I rushed over to take a look at you for free. I hope this will be a chance for me to gain some experience. If I was too abrupt, please forgive me.”

  "...Next to him, Old Chen's mouth was agape in disbelief. Was this the same young man who had just been brutally beaten? At that moment, he didn't dare to let Wu Rui do all the work, but rather smiled and cooperated with her play-acting, all for the sake of getting his wife to cooperate with treatment."

  Chen Bingxuan, who was standing behind, saw her father's reaction and also looked surprised. Had she really misunderstood this young man?

  The woman on the bed heard Wu Rui's words, although she still didn't hold much hope, after all, she had been to many big hospitals for her illness, and Wu Rui was so young, really not matching the two words "divine doctor", however, since it was free, let him take a look, how about that? So she said somewhat embarrassedly: "Then trouble you, little brother, coming over so late at night."

  The woman was not originally a stingy person, but since she got this illness, the family's economy has been dragged down by herself, and with a heart full of guilt, how could she not be frugal? Whatever can be saved, she must save for her family.

  "Elder sister, don't say that. As a doctor, this is what I should do." Wu Rui comforted her and then, with the help of Old Man Chen, examined the woman's injured leg and even took her pulse seriously.

  Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

  "Wu Rui... brother, is my wife alright?" Seeing Wu Rui frowning, Old Man Chen hastily and anxiously asked. Chen Bingxuan's heart was also tense, fearing that Wu Rui would say something serious about her condition, and even more hoping that he could cure the illness.

  The woman on the bed, though not very hopeful, was quite anxious at this moment. After all, the pain of lying in bed and being unable to get up was really unbearable, and it would also affect her husband and daughter. How could she not wish for her own recovery?

  "Hmm..." Wu Rui didn't answer him directly, but instead sank into thought for a moment before slowly opening his mouth to say: "If I'm not mistaken, this illness originated from an injury a long time ago. Because the injury affected the tendons and meridians of the calf, and didn't receive timely treatment, it started to act up over time, causing blockages in the tendons and meridians. Although it's not a serious disease, ordinary medical techniques find it difficult to cure."

  After pausing for a moment, Wu Rui continued: "In addition to the treatment you received, you also had several types of chemical injections, which stimulated the wound and caused temporary relief. However, this also triggered an attack and wound reaction, which is why it suddenly became so severe that you couldn't even walk."

  "Quack doctors harm people!" Old Man Chen was heartbroken and indignant upon hearing this.

  Chen Bingxuan also clenched her fists, with a resentful look on her face.

  "Doctor Wu, can my foot still be treated?" The woman had unknowingly used a respectful title, at least to say that Wu Rui's analysis was flawless, and having been ill for a long time, the woman understood her own physical condition better than anyone else. What Wu Rui said just now was completely correct.

  Feeling the three hot gazes, Wu Rui deeply felt the importance of being a doctor, saving lives and relieving patients' troubles, especially for the suffering ordinary people, he should have the heart of a doctor...

  Thinking of this, Wu Rui nodded heavily and said: "It can be cured, but..."

  "But what?" The three of them almost asked in unison.

  "Hmm..." Wu Rui hadn't expected their reaction to be so big, but thinking about it, he could understand, so he didn't hide the truth: "However, one treatment may not completely cure this stubborn disease. At least two injections are needed to restore the injured tendons and blood vessels. Plus, the body needs medicine to recover afterwards. If you want to walk on the ground, even if it's just half a month, at least ten days will be needed."

  Actually, with just one acupuncture treatment, Wu Rui was confident that he could eradicate the disease, but considering that it couldn't be too sensational, he extended the treatment time by several times.