Noon.
The Health Center here has an employee cafeteria, not big, with a few dozen seats, since the center doesn't have a lot of staff.
"Dr. Lu, here for lunch?" The person greeting Lu Xuan was from the registration hall.
"Yes."
"Uncle, our Dr. Lu is all yours."
"Lu, Uncle took you out to eat yesterday, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did."
"Don't go trying to outdrink Uncle, that guy's a bottomless pit when it comes to booze, never gets drunk no matter how much he drinks."
"I won't, I won't!"
Quite a few people greeted Lu Xuan.
Even though many just recognized his face and couldn't even call his name, Lu Xuan still responded to each one.
He settled down with his food and began eating, focusing on his meal.
"What's going on? Since we called you for lunch, you've been in a daze."
Wang Youqing wouldn't claim he's great at reading people, but after having dinner with Lu Xuan last night, he had some understanding of his personality. Not talking at all during a meal was unusual.
He had noticed something was off when others were greeting Lu Xuan just now.
Even though Lu Xuan responded enthusiastically, it was obvious he was distracted. It was clear something was on his mind.
Lu Xuan looked up, thought for a moment, and asked earnestly, "Uncle, in what circumstances does a person experience auditory hallucinations?"
"Auditory hallucinations?"
"Yes."
Lu Xuan nodded, "Like, very clearly."
Wang Youqing frowned, "What, have you been hearing things?"
"You could say that."
Lu Xuan smiled wryly and explained his situation, but didn't mention hearing conversations among the medicinal herbs. Even if he did, people probably wouldn't believe him and might even think he was crazy.
Wang Youqing's face turned serious instantly, "Lu, if you're not joking with me, I'd suggest going to a big hospital for a detailed check-up. Hearing things isn't usually a big deal, but some things can't be easily defined, and getting checked would at least give you peace of mind."
Lu Xuan also thought about going for a check-up, "I'll consider it this afternoon, maybe get checked tomorrow."
"Alright then, don't delay. Sometimes illness worsens due to delays."
Lu Xuan nodded without saying more.
Not because he disagreed with Uncle; in fact, he agreed very much.
Many illnesses, when symptoms first appear, can be easily cured if taken seriously and checked in time. If delayed, minor ailments may become severe, and treatment won't be as simple. It can even become life-threatening.
As a doctor, Lu Xuan naturally understood this.
But putting it off for one day wasn't a big issue. Unless it's an emergency, missing the hospital by one day rarely makes an illness dramatically worse.
After lunch, Lu Xuan wandered around the Health Center, familiarizing himself with the environment.
Since reporting in yesterday, he had been on the second floor and knew little about the other floors of the Health Center. However, at this time, most people were on lunch break, so he encountered few people as he roamed.
When he returned to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.
Lu Xuan went to the rest room to splash his face with cold water, then donned his white coat and sat in the consulting room to read the Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases.
[Young as he is, it's good he's quite eager to learn. If guided by an experienced old Chinese medicine practitioner, his skills would improve significantly, but it seems he's the only Chinese medicine doctor here.]
[You can self-learn Chinese medicine, but you can only grasp the basics. To fully integrate what you learn, doing so alone is incredibly challenging, unless he has inherent talent in this area.]
[I wonder if any patients will come in the afternoon!]
...
Damn.
Here it goes again.
Can't it be quiet for a moment?
Lu Xuan had just picked up his book when a noisy sound once again filled his ears.
While he thought it might just be an auditory hallucination, the fact that stepping outside had dispelled the hallucination led him to conclude that these sounds were indeed coming from the medicinal herb specimens.
It was them.
Moreover, it seemed the sounds weren't coming from beside his ears, but directly inside his brain. It was as if he could hear the inner thoughts of the medicinal herb specimens before him.
Can I hear the Heart's Voice of Chinese medicine?
Lu Xuan was dumbfounded, but at the moment, more than anything, he was curious.
How could the Heart's Voice of medicinal herbs appear in my mind?
This isn't some fantasy world where herbs can become spirits.
[I really want to leave this place! Being with this guy, we can't make any difference at all!]
[It's not just that we can't make a difference; we don't even have a chance to. If there's not a single patient today, I'm going to lose it.]
Lu Xuan was still pondering the reason when his mind was filled with complaints from the medicinal herb specimens.
Lu Xuan's mouth corner twitched.
Oh, boy!
He's actually being looked down upon by a bunch of medicinal herbs.
Well, he's a master's graduate from Zhijiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, yet here he is, being mocked by Chinese medicine. Don't I have my dignity?
Believe it or not, I might just burn you all to the ground!
But on second thought, why should I be upset with these herbal specimens? Wouldn't that just be making myself uncomfortable for no reason?
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan decided to ignore these guys. He withdrew his gaze and returned to his studies with a serious face.
[Did that guy just glare at me? Am I seeing things or is it real?]
[It's one thing that he's not skilled, but I didn't expect his temper to be bad too. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, impatience is most detested. You can't rush hot tofu, does he really think he can cure people just by reading some medical books?]
...
Lu Xuan: "..."
These guys are truly detestable!
The voices of the herbs kept echoing in his mind, leaving Lu Xuan in amazement while also greatly irritated.
The key is he couldn't afford to react. After all, he couldn't possibly argue with a bunch of herbal specimens, could he?
If this got out, not only would it be the laughing stock of the century, but everyone at the Health Center would probably suspect he had mental issues, and might even turn around and contact a mental hospital.
So, even though Lu Xuan was angry with their taunts, he could only grit his teeth and pretend he didn't hear anything.
Damn it, I'm putting up with it!!!
...
While Lu Xuan was battling wits with these "elders," a taxi stopped at the entrance of the Health Center.
From the car, a woman under thirty, holding a wailing infant in her arms, hurriedly got out.
On the other side, the car door opened quickly, and out came a man and a woman in her fifties.
As soon as the middle-aged woman got out and saw her daughter-in-law holding her grandson, she couldn't help but say, "Minjun, I'm not criticizing you, but if even the big city hospitals can't treat the illness, what's the point of coming to the Health Center with the child?"
Just as she finished speaking, the child's father chimed in, "Minjun, Mom's got a point. The Health Center is mainly for children's checkups and vaccinations. Any really skilled doctors would have been recruited by the big hospitals by now.
If you ask me, instead of going around like a headless chicken, we should follow the City Women and Children's Hospital's advice and go to the Provincial Women and Children's Hospital. They might have a solution."
"Minjun, I know you're doing this for the child, but you really should listen to Qi Wei, the sooner we go to the Provincial Women and Children's Hospital, the less the child will suffer." The middle-aged woman advised sincerely, choosing to yield to her strong-willed daughter-in-law.
Everyone is doing this for the child, no need to blame each other for it.
Having been in the position of a daughter-in-law herself, she naturally knew that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship needs careful management, otherwise, her son would suffer caught in the middle.
With the mother-in-law softening her tone, Zhou Minjun felt much better. Facing the persuasion of her husband and mother-in-law, she chose to compromise: "Mom, let's just have a look at the Health Center. When Nini was just born, she got seriously ill too. At the time, the City Women's and Children's Hospital couldn't handle it, and it was the doctors at the Health Center who used a folk remedy to cure her. I just want to hear what they have to say. If it doesn't work, of course, I will go to the Provincial Women and Children's Hospital, is that okay?"
Having heard her daughter-in-law's insistence, the mother-in-law had nothing more to say. Seeing her son was about to speak, she even tugged at his clothes to signal him not to say more.
"Alright, we'll let the Health Center's doctors have a look."
The mother-in-law nodded in agreement but then shifted the conversation: "But Minjun, if the Health Center's doctors can't do anything either, you have to listen to us and go to the Provincial Hospital right away."
"Okay."
The three of them quickly reached an agreement and dashed into the registration hall of the Health Center with the wailing child.
"Hello, I'd like to register."
"What department?"
The staff at the registration window accepted the social security card Zhou Minjun handed over and asked out of habit.
Zhou Minjun hurriedly explained the situation: "The child accidentally swallowed a screw. The City Women's and Children's Hospital looked at it, but because the child is too young, they didn't dare perform surgery and told us to go to the Provincial Hospital. I thought I might as well see what the Health Center has to say. If it doesn't work, I can still go to the province."
"What?"
The staff even forgot to insert the social security card into the card reader, incredulously looking at the still-crying child, stunned for a moment, but soon snapped back and returned the card to Zhou Minjun immediately.
"Ma'am, for your situation, I suggest you follow the City Women's and Children's Hospital's advice and go straight to the province. Don't delay the child's treatment."
Zhou Minjun did not expect to be turned away and asked to go to the province without even being registered, she became somewhat agitated: "Just register us, it won't take much time. If I really wanted to go to the province right away, I wouldn't be here."
"Ma'am, please don't get upset. I'm a mother too, I totally understand your feelings. But with your child's condition, the Health Center really can't treat it." Despite Zhou Minjun's strong emotions, the staff remained calm.
Being a mother herself, she naturally understood the sentiment.
To a mother, a child is everything.
Even a small cold in the child would make her nervous, let alone swallowing something like a screw.
But seeing the child crying so hard, she knew this was beyond what the Health Center could handle, especially if the City Hospital couldn't tackle it. The equipment at the Health Center was even more inadequate.
However, seeing her red eyes and dark circles, the staff softened and took back the child's social security card, preparing to offer a hope that wasn't really hope.
Just as she was about to register for Pediatrics, her eyes inadvertently fell on the big characters of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department.
Recalling the ancient wonders of Chinese Medicine, Lv Huilan looked up at Zhou Minjun, "Ma'am, since your child swallowed a screw, our Pediatrics department won't be able to handle it for sure, as we don't even have the examination equipment here.
But don't worry, the Health Center's Traditional Chinese Medicine Department reopened yesterday, maybe you should take the child to see a TCM doctor? Perhaps they might have a way."
"Chinese Medicine?"
Zhou Minjun frowned. She preferred to see the pediatrician who used the folk remedy before, but since Lv Huilan mentioned it, she thought for a moment and decided, a last resort, worst-case scenario, she would head to the province.
"Okay, let's go with the TCM department then!"
Lv Huilan wasted no time and quickly registered them. "It's on the second floor, all the way in."
At the same time.
In the TCM consultation room, Lu Xuan, who was nearly driven crazy by the herbs, was about to step out for a breath of fresh air.
He really couldn't take it anymore, staying in the consultation room a bit longer might actually kill him, and it would definitely be the kind of death that came too early.
Just as he was about to stand up, the screen of the computer in front of him suddenly lit up, with a registration notification appearing in his view.
This is...
My first patient has arrived?
Lu Xuan was momentarily stunned, and then overjoyed.
The ugly duckling finally became a swan, it wasn't easy at all.