The Human Heart and the Pennant

As the saying went, medicine could cure any illness that was not fatal, and Buddha delivered those fated to be saved.

Su Ziyang saw that the person standing at the door was Sun Hua.

Su Ziyang hurriedly invited Sun Hua in.

"Auntie! Was there something else?" Su Ziyang asked.

Sun Hua's son had just left. Judging by how furtive and sneaky she looked, she had probably come without telling her son and daughter-in-law.

"Doctor..." Sun Hua still spoke with a Northeast China accent.

"Auntie, please sit down and tell me all about it!" Su Ziyang motioned for Sun Hua to sit.

"Young doctor, please give me the honest truth. How much time do I have left?"

Seeing that Sun Hua had also come secretly to ask him that, Su Ziyang chuckled. "Auntie, didn't I just tell you? This isn't cancer. A few doses of medicine and you'll be better!"

"Oh, Doctor, child... I'm old enough to call you that. Just tell me the truth! I can accept it, whatever it is. Sigh! If I don't have much time left, I won't stay here. I'll go back to my hometown in Northeast China. One way or another, I have to be buried with my old man!" Sun Hua's eyes reddened a little as she spoke.

"To tell you the truth, my son's father has been gone since he was little. I raised him all by myself. We're country folk, and it's hard for country folk to put down roots in a big city. After all that struggle, he finally has a proper job and a girlfriend, and they're about to get married. Now I've suddenly come down with this illness. I can't hold him back! I never gave him a good environment growing up, and now that he can stand on his own, I can't be a burden to him anymore! Don't you agree? Please, just tell me the truth! I'm begging you!"

Even now, Sun Hua was thinking of her son in everything she did! She didn't feel in the least that he had treated her badly. She even thought she was a burden.

"Auntie!" Recalling the face Yongdi had just shown him, Su Ziyang couldn't help feeling a little angry, as well as feeling sorry for the woman, who was about the same age as his own mother. "What I told you is the truth! I reckon there's an eighty percent chance this isn't cancer. Take these few doses of medicine I prescribed, then see how you feel and whether you can get food down! All right?"

Seeing how sincere Su Ziyang sounded, Sun Hua felt that he really didn't seem to be lying to her. A little hope returned to her eyes. "Really???"

"Really!" Su Ziyang nodded.

Sun Hua stared into Su Ziyang's eyes for a long while, then hurriedly nodded. "All right, all right! I'll go home and brew the medicine and take it. Oh, if this illness can be cured, I can help my son again. Even cooking for him would be good! Maybe I'll even get to hold a grandson! Thank you, Doctor! Thank you!"

With that, Sun Hua strained to straighten her back, which the years had bent, and walked unsteadily out of the consulting room.

Su Ziyang watched Sun Hua slowly leave the room, feeling uneasy for a moment.

"That's the human heart." Mr. Mengfei patted Su Ziyang on the shoulder. "You still have a long road ahead of you on this path. You'll have to get used to taking human feelings less to heart. Of course, I still hope you can gain great wisdom. Then you'll understand what cause and effect are, and what karma is!"

Su Ziyang looked at his master and nodded thoughtfully.

He had only just seen Sun Hua off.

The clinic suddenly grew lively.

Su Ziyang recognized the newcomers.

One was Li Hui, the patient he had treated with Pinellia Decoction to Drain the Heart two days ago.

The other was Liu Li, the patient who had previously had a cough.

He was surprised to see the two of them.

He had prescribed Li Hui seven days' worth of Chinese medicine, but it had only been a little over two days, not even three. Why was she back already?

Su Ziyang invited the two women into the room.

Before Su Ziyang could ask, Li Hui took a red scroll from the backpack behind her and unfurled it in front of Su Ziyang with a swish!

The large gilded characters on it dazzled Su Ziyang for a moment.

"Miraculous hands restore health. Respectfully presented by patients: Li Hui and Liu Li."

Su Ziyang stared at the gilded characters in confusion for a while, then pointed at himself. "For me!?"

Li Hui nodded and said happily, "Of course! Doctor Su, you're amazing! Three doses cured the illness I'd had for so long without getting better! It's incredible! And before that, you cured Liu Li's cough with just three doses too. We brought you a pennant!"

Su Ziyang had never imagined anyone would give him a pennant.

For a moment, he didn't know what to do, and his face grew a little hot.

He turned to look at his master. Mr. Mengfei smiled. "If they gave it to you, go on and accept it! Take it, take it!"

Su Ziyang nodded and accepted the pennant from Li Hui.

Only then did Su Ziyang remember the question on his mind. "I remember prescribing you seven doses of Chinese medicine. At one dose a day, this should only be the third day. Didn't you finish taking it all?"

Hearing Su Ziyang's question, Li Hui smiled. "Haha, Doctor, don't even mention it. That medicine was spicy and bitter. I forced myself to drink the first dose. And guess what? I hadn't had much appetite for a long time, and I'd only been managing a couple of bites at meals. After I took that first dose, I suddenly felt whatever had been blocking my stomach go clang and drop right down! Then my stomach started gurgling. You have no idea how much better I felt!"

The more Li Hui spoke, the happier she became. "Oh, I got hungry that very evening! It had been so many days since I'd felt hungry. Once I was hungry, I didn't dare eat much, so I just had a little porridge. The next day, I took another dose, and once it was down, my stomach felt warm and comfortable! That blocked-up feeling was completely gone! It was amazing. Today, after taking the third dose, I felt completely fine! I still wanted to ask you whether I should take the rest of the medicine. It tastes pretty awful!"

Liu Li rolled her eyes at Li Hui. "Honestly! Good medicine tastes bitter but helps the illness. Don't you know that? Just finish taking it! It'll reinforce the effect. Isn't that right, Doctor Su?"

Su Ziyang shook his head. "Since the illness is already cured, there's naturally no need to reinforce the effect. As the saying goes, every medicine has three parts poison. When we practice Chinese medicine, we usually stop the medicine once it has hit the illness! Now that you've recovered, you only need to watch your diet for a while and avoid binge eating and drinking, so you don't hurt your spleen and stomach again!"

Liu Li nodded, looking as though she had learned something. "Oh! You're different from every Chinese medicine practitioner I've met before! The ones I met all said they were slow doctors and needed to treat people gradually. Some patients had to take their Chinese medicine for a month at a time. I've never heard of your method of stopping once the medicine has hit the illness!"

Su Ziyang chuckled. "Haha, that actually comes from most people's misunderstanding of Chinese medicine. Western medicine is dominant now, and Chinese medicine has mostly become a backup, used to treat illnesses that Western medicine can't cure. To put it plainly, Chinese medicine has become Western medicine's spare tire, brought out when needed and tossed aside when it isn't. But in genuine ancient Chinese medicine, it was very common to see an effect after one dose, improvement after two, and a cure after three. The response was often as immediate as a drum sounding when struck!"

Li Hui nodded again and again at Su Ziyang's words, like a chick pecking at rice. "Doctor Su is absolutely right! You may be young, but you truly have miraculous hands and a compassionate heart. That's remarkable. You'll surely become a pillar of Chinese medicine one day! Its future glory depends on you!"

"You're too kind! Haha. In truth, Chinese medicine and these other parts of traditional culture can't be brought to glory by one talented person, or even two or three outstanding people. Everyone has to take up an oar!" Su Ziyang spoke sincerely and gained two "fangirls" in their forties on the spot!

"That was so well said, Doctor Su. My second child is preparing for the college entrance exam this year. I'll have him study Chinese medicine. When the time comes, he can become your disciple and learn from you!" Liu Li said with great certainty.

Su Ziyang shook his head. "My skills are still shallow. How could I be qualified to take a disciple? This is actually my master!"

Su Ziyang pointed to Mr. Mengfei, who was sitting beside him.

The two women looked at Mr. Mengfei and hurriedly greeted him. "Oh! I saw you sitting here last time, and I thought you were also here to see Doctor Su. I had no idea you were his master. Forgive our disrespect! Sorry."

Mr. Mengfei waved a hand. "It's all right, it's all right! I was just passing by and came to see Xiao Su! You carry on talking!"

Li Hui hurriedly asked, "Master, you must be very happy to have taught such a skilled disciple as Doctor Su. Seeing your disciple do so well... I used to be a teacher too, and I was always delighted when my students got good results!"

Mr. Mengfei smiled. "Haha, of course I'm happy! But Xiao Su is exceptionally quick to understand things! I've barely taught him anything. He learned most of it himself. I only give him an occasional pointer, and from one thing he understands a hundred!"

Mr. Mengfei's words gave Su Ziyang plenty of face.

"It's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching!" Su Ziyang hurriedly nodded.

"Oh, right, Doctor Su, are you getting off work soon? A friend of mine has a bit of a problem too and wants you to take a look! Can I have her come over now?" At that point, Li Hui asked as though she had just remembered the important matter.

Hearing this, Mr. Mengfei went and sat at the back of the room again.

"Yes, have her come over. We don't get off until eleven thirty!"

"Okay, okay!"

With that, Li Hui took out her phone and made a call. "Hello? Are you coming or not? I've spoken to the doctor, and we've been waiting here for you this whole time!!!"

An urgent voice came from the other end. "I know, I know. I'm coming right over. I just finished up. I'm too busy every day, aren't I? I'll drive over now. Wait for me a little while!"

"Doctor Su, she'll be here in a bit." Li Hui hung up.

Su Ziyang gestured that it was all right.

Before long, a woman came bustling through the door. She had short hair, a slightly plump figure, and a pretty face. She was dressed very stylishly and looked younger than both Li Hui and Liu Li.

"What took you so long!" Li Hui looked at the short-haired woman with a smile. "Doctor Su, this is the friend I told you about. Her name is Wang Jiahui. Jiahui, this is Doctor Su!"

"Hello, Doctor Su!" Wang Jiahui sat down beside the consultation table.

"Hello. Rest for a moment first. Then I'll check your pulse!"

Su Ziyang was deliberately practicing his pulse diagnosis now, taking the pulse before asking about the patient's condition. This was also what Mr. Mengfei had instructed him to do!