Visceral Agitation

Aunt Tong's sudden change in mood caught Su Ziyang's father, who had originally intended to mediate the situation, off guard.

In the end, the problem wasn't resolved; instead, it left everyone feeling frustrated. After dinner, Su Ziyang's mother, with a forced smile, went back to the living room with Aunt Tong to have tea and chat.

Qiangzi helped Su Ziyang's father clean up the leftover food on the table with an apologetic look. Su Ziyang especially loved braised pork, but he was a little annoyed and didn't eat much in the end.

It took nearly half an hour for the three men to finish cleaning up the dishes, and then they all came to the living room.

As soon as she entered, Aunt Tong said to Su Ziyang, "Ziyang, come quick! Let me take Aunt Tong's pulse!"

Su Ziyang nodded, took out the pulse pillow that his father had specially made for him from his bedroom, and placed it under Aunt Tong's wrist.

Su Ziyang placed his index and ring fingers on the cunchi (寸尺) point, calmed his mind, and gently tapped with the three fingers.

Logically speaking, Aunt Tong's hysterical emotional outburst should have been accompanied by a very strong and powerful pulse.

However, after taking her pulse, Su Ziyang discovered that her pulse was not only different from what he had predicted, but quite the opposite.

Aunt Tong's pulse was very weak; it required some effort to feel it. Not only was the pulse weak, but it was also deep in the pulse. Although deep, the pulse was not soft; it was a wiry and deep pulse.

"Aunt Tong, open your mouth, let me see your tongue!" After taking her pulse, Su Ziyang gestured for him to look at her tongue.

"Ah!~" Aunt Tong stuck out her tongue.

Although the pulse did not quite match Su Ziyang's prediction, the tongue coating was as expected: the edges and tip of the tongue were red, while the middle of the tongue was white.

Red represents heat, while white represents coldness.

The tip of the tongue corresponds to the heart, the sides to the liver and gallbladder, and the center to the spleen and stomach.

A weak and cold spleen and stomach cannot digest grains; a red tip of the tongue indicates heart fire, and red edges of the tongue indicate liver and gallbladder fire. Fire is a yang evil, which can cause madness. That's why Aunt Tong's temper has become so bad.

Therefore, the most important treatment for Aunt Tong's illness is to clear away liver, gallbladder, and heart fire, and to warm the yang and strengthen the spleen.

These are actually two very contradictory treatment methods, because clearing heat requires cooling medicines, while warming yang requires hot medicines. This is a common contradiction in treating diseases, which puts a great test of a doctor's medication skills.

In fact, such contradictions often occur in all aspects of life; that is, there are contradictions in everything and at all times.

However, Su Ziyang did not intend to use this conventional treatment method to treat Aunt Tong's illness today. He thought of a better one, a prescription passed down from his late master Zhongsheng, called Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction.

This recipe is very simple, containing only three ingredients: licorice root, wheat, and jujube.

Although the prescription is simple, the disease it treats is not simple at all. The original words of the medical sage Zhongjing are as follows. "Women with visceral agitation, who are prone to sadness and want to cry, as if they are being acted upon by spirits, and who frequently yawn and stretch, should be treated with Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction."

The medical sage called this disease "Zangzao disease," and said that women who like to cry and grieve are capricious, as if they are haunted by spirits. He prescribed Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction.

This prescription is ingenious. Unlike some conventional methods in later generations, which use methods to soothe the liver and relieve depression when people are depressed or sad, and prescribe herbs such as Bupleurum, Curcuma, and Rose to soothe the liver and regulate Qi.

The entire formula is based on sweet flavors. Sweetness can harmonize and soothe, so using sweet flavors to regulate this kind of irritability is very appropriate.

Sweetness enters the spleen, so it can be said that it treats directly from the Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach. Since the rotation of the Five Elements depends entirely on the gentleness of the earth element, since there are problems with emotions and qi, it is better to calm the earth element in the center and let everything follow its natural course. In this way, the body's functions will all calm down and return to tranquility.

When the spleen (earth element) is at peace, everything else will be at peace.

Just like when we read the book "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong Zhu Bajie's abilities are quite obvious, Sha Seng is honest and loyal. He is not as rebellious as Sun Wukong, nor as gluttonous, lazy, and lustful as Zhu Bajie.

This is because Sha Seng Five Elements's element is earth, and he is meant to guard the center. Therefore, he must be quiet and able to act as a peacemaker. Hence, Sha Seng's Dharma name is Wujing, because earth must be pure in order to guard the four directions.

"Aunt Tong, I'll write you a simple prescription to help you recover. It's very simple, with only three herbs. You can just go to our No. 1 Pharmacy to get the medicine. There are no dietary restrictions! The method of decocting the medicine is also not special; just decoct it normally!" After Su Ziyang finished speaking, he took out a small piece of paper and wrote down the three herbs on it.

15g of raw licorice

Wheat 50g

5 jujubes

21 pay

Take three times a day.

"Aunt Tong, this medicine is simple, but it might be a bit troublesome to take. You need to take it three times a day, one dose each time, after meals! Three meals a day, so you need to take the medicine three times a day. Do I understand?" Su Ziyang instructed.

"Understood, three meals a day, understood!"

Aunt Tong carefully put away the prescription and nodded.

The secret of medicine lies in the dosage, Su Ziyang used a large dose and high frequency this time. Because Aunt Tong's illness was far more serious than Su Ziyang had imagined, he had to take a lot of medicine quickly and then see if he could alleviate her emotional problem. It was like fighting a war: one effort, then a decline, and finally exhaustion.

After carefully putting away the prescription, Aunt Tong didn't stay long; she got up and hurriedly went to get the medicine.

Qiangzi originally wanted to go with her, but after Aunt Tong scolded him a few times, he gave up.

Aunt Tong rode away on her bicycle. Qiangzi, his face full of apology, said to Su Ziyang's parents, "Brother, sister-in-law, I'm so sorry to have troubled you. Please understand, given her mental state, don't take it to heart. I apologize on her behalf!"

"Oh, it's alright, Qiangzi. We've known each other for so many years, I understand. You should go home quickly and make sure she takes her medicine! Don't let anything happen!" Su Ziyang's mother waved her hand at Qiangzi, signaling Qiangzi to relax.

Qiangzi apologized profusely for a while, then finally drove away.

"Sigh, this..." After the two left, Su Ziyang's father sat wearily on the sofa and sighed.

"Son, are you sure you can cure her? If you ask me, let's not try treatment. She's quite frightening. She can cry on cue, yell on cue, and be fine on cue. Her mood changes faster than turning the pages of a book. I've known her for so many years, and only today did I discover that she has the potential for mental illness!" Su Ziyang's mother looked at Su Ziyang with some concern.

"Give it a try, this kind of illness is not easy to cure! Mom, your classmate's family has an elderly relative who has mental illness! This kind of thing usually has a strong hereditary tendency." Su Ziyang was also a little irritated, and said after taking a sip of tea.

"Yes, what about her second aunt? It seems her second aunt committed suicide by drinking pesticide after suffering from mental illness. But her parents are fine!" Hearing Su Ziyang's question, Su Ziyang's mother sat up straight on the sofa. "Does her second aunt count?"

"My second aunt! She's Aunt Tong's mother's younger sister!" Su Ziyang asked.

"Right!"

"That's settled!" Su Ziyang nodded.

"Son, why don't we just ignore her? If she comes looking for me again tomorrow, I'll just say I'm not home. We don't want her to fail to cure her illness and then try to extort money from you! Even mental hospitals can't really cure mental illness!" Although she was her good friend of many years, Su Ziyang's mother, as a mother, still considered her son's safety first. This wasn't selfishness; it was maternal love.

"If you ask me, none of your girlfriends are good people. What kind of trash are they all!" Su Ziyang's dad had actually wanted to say this for a long time, but he was afraid that Su Ziyang's mom would explode, so he didn't say it. Now that Su Ziyang's mom was scared herself, Su Ziyang's dad had no need to hide it anymore.

"Your classmate is a good person! He's just a bunch of scoundrels, all he does is drink all day! Tch~" Su Ziyang's mother stood up, rolled her eyes at Su Ziyang's father, and went back to her bedroom to rest.

"Son, your mother is right. If we can't guarantee a cure, then we'll just let it go. Good friends are good friends, but this isn't an ordinary illness. Don't keep thinking about your ideal of the Great Physician's Sincerity; sincerity must be built upon skill! You still need to study hard; the road ahead is long and arduous."

Su Ziyang's father sipped his tea, staring at his son.

"I know, Dad. I know what I'm doing! You should rest for a while. You've been busy all morning, and you still have to go to the store this afternoon!" Su Ziyang nodded.

"Alright, you're all grown up now, Dad can't always nag you. Make up your own decision!"

Su Ziyang's father put down his teacup and went back to his room to rest. Looking at his father's thin figure, Su Ziyang seemed lost in thought.

Surprisingly, more than a week has passed, and Aunt Tong has not contacted us at all. The situation that Su Ziyang's mother expected—coming to her house every day to complain—has not occurred.

Su Ziyang wasn't in a hurry. Since there was no news from the patient, he would just go about his business.

That morning, Su Ziyang was practicing his martial arts in the yard. After brushing his teeth, Su Ziyang's father watched his son gesturing in the yard out of curiosity for a while.

"Son, I didn't even ask you! Ever since you came back, you've been gesturing like this every day. What kind of kung fu are you practicing? What's the effect?" Su Ziyang's father asked after Su Ziyang finished practicing.

"Haha, a master I met at that clinic taught me. Of course, it's for strengthening the body and prolonging life!" Su Ziyang was actually quite puzzled as to why his father never asked him about it, so he could show off his new skills to him.

"Haha, prolonging life, great! Very good! Let me tell you, can you break bricks with that? I remember when I was young, I saw a group of acrobats on the street once, and the leader picked up a brick from the roadside, put it on the ground, and slapped it with his hand—the brick shattered into four pieces. Does what you're practicing have that effect?" Su Ziyang's father began telling Su Ziyang a story.

"Later on, a martial arts practitioner came to our old village. He said he could also use qi to heal. Your sixth grandfather knew this person. At the time, your sixth grandfather had a backache, so the man had him sit on Xiao Ma and placed his palm on his waist, but not directly on it, just about 20 centimeters away. In less than five minutes, a large area of your sixth grandfather's waist was burned red!"

Su Ziyang listened to his father's story, his eyes widening. "Huh? There's such a thing? How come I've never heard you mention it before?"

"Hey! That was so many years ago, you weren't even born then! Seeing you gesturing like this reminds me of all that!" Su Ziyang's dad said. "You're just practicing for fun, you probably don't have any real skill. Who would just teach you real kung fu? It's good to practice, you can teach your mother sometime, so she can take care of her health."

It would have been fine if someone else had said that, but Su Ziyang's competitive spirit flared up when he heard his father say it, "Who do you think you are? I can even use this brick-breaking technique to cure diseases!"

Su Ziyang's father also enjoys playing around. Little Su Ziyang was little, his father has taken Su Ziyang out to play, and they always end up playing together. As a result, the father and son have a very harmonious relationship, and Su Ziyang Su Ziyang not experienced the so-called teenage rebellion.

Seeing his son say that, Su Ziyang's father perked up. "You show me one!"

"One at a time!" Su Ziyang started looking for bricks in the yard. His eyes scanned the area and he found a few bricks behind the screen wall.

The weather was already very cold, and the bricks had long since frozen to the ground, but Su Ziyang still managed to pull them up from the ground with tremendous force.

"You just wait and see, Dad!"

With Su Ziyang's current skill level, breaking a brick is as easy as drinking water. Last time he competed with Bai Pengyu, he could even shatter a glass bottle, let alone break a brick.

As soon as Su Ziyang finished speaking, his palm swiftly slashed at the brick in his hand. The brick, frozen solid like a diamond in the winter, shattered instantly like tofu the moment Su Ziyang's palm touched it.

"Huh???" Su Ziyang's father was stunned! It really shattered!!!

"I told you it was possible!" Su Ziyang looked at his father Yangyang.

"Let me see!" Su Ziyang's father didn't look at the broken brick, but instead picked up Su Ziyang's hand and examined it repeatedly. Su Ziyang's hand was delicate and smooth, showing no signs of training.

Seeing that his son's hand was unharmed, Su Ziyang's father said happily, "It really is qigong! This year wasn't wasted! Good job, you've learned something!"

"That's it. You're convinced now!" Su Ziyang chuckled.

"You two! The young one does nothing all day, and the old one does nothing either! What are you making him chop bricks for?! It's almost New Year's, how are we supposed to celebrate if he hurts his hand?! Come inside and eat!"

Su Ziyang's mother was cooking in the kitchen. Just as she was about to call the father and son to eat, she saw Su Ziyang break a brick with his bare hands. She went outside and scolded them.

Seeing that he was about to get scolded, Su Ziyang's father quickly gave Su Ziyang a wink.

Su Ziyang immediately understood. "It's okay, Mom, I'm just showing Dad how well I've learned! I'll give you a massage after dinner!"

Upon hearing Su Ziyang Su Ziyang's words, his mother's face immediately lit up with a smile, "Really? That's more like it. My back is a little sore. Come on in and eat!"

When Su Ziyang and his father entered the house and sat down at the dining table, they saw a plate of blanched baby bok choy prominently displayed in the center. Upon seeing the blanched baby bok choy, Su Ziyang's face turned green. "Mom, where's the braised pork Dad made yesterday? You could just heat it up and we could eat it. Why are you cooking vegetables so early in the morning?!"

"You think my cooking is bad?" Su Ziyang's mother rolled her eyes at Su Ziyang. "Let me tell you, if you don't want it, cook it yourself! I went through the recipe again online last night! It'll definitely turn out great! Try it and see!"

"Ouch!" Su Ziyang gently picked up a leaf of vegetable, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it while forcing back the strange taste. Then, he suddenly pretended to be surprised and said, "Hey! Mom, this is really delicious! You really didn't waste your time learning!"

When Su Ziyang's mother saw her son praising her, her face lit up with joy. She then picked up a large piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. Immediately, Su Ziyang expression changed. Without saying a word, she got up and took the dish off the table. Then she took the braised pork from the refrigerator and put it in the microwave to heat it up!

Su Ziyang's father looked at Su Ziyang, chuckled, and secretly gave his son a thumbs-up. Su Ziyang suppressed a laugh and didn't dare to speak, lowering his head to drink his porridge.