Chapter 28: Taking Action to Save a Life

Song Liangzuo and his mother stood a short distance aside, watching as the shop owner spoke with the resident doctor, who looked shocked.

At first, the doctor wore an expression of disbelief, turning away to glance at the shop owner. When the shop owner nodded toward him, the doctor’s gaze shifted back to Song Liangzuo, and then confusion crossed his face once more.

He grabbed the patient’s hand and placed it back on the pulse pillow as he began to take her pulse again.

His previously troubled expression deepened; his brows furrowed tightly, and the lines on his forehead deepened, as if he were trying to understand a complicated riddle.

If a fly flew past him, it would surely fall into a deep crevice.

The two brothers were momentarily at a loss due to the doctor’s sudden change in demeanor. They exchanged glances, and just as the hot-headed one was about to speak, he was silenced by a look from his more composed brother. The angry one huffed in frustration.

While everyone was unsure of what was happening, the doctor abruptly stood up and walked toward a different direction.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Didn’t you say you were going to treat my mother?” the hot-headed man finally couldn’t hold back and made a move to stop the doctor.

The shop owner intervened, “Please, calm down. Doctor Miao has already written a prescription.”

As he spoke, everyone’s gaze in the shop was fixed on the doctor, who stopped in front of a young child—Song Liangzuo.

Realizing the doctor was approaching him, Song Liangzuo looked up, pondering what the doctor wanted. The doctor asked, “Young man, who is your teacher?”

In Chinese culture, the lineage of teaching is highly respected, particularly in fields such as calligraphy, martial arts, painting, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and also in operatic arts. Not having a teacher is akin to having “water without a source” or “trees without roots,” meaning one is seen as not legitimate in their practice.

Song Liangzuo, having learned informally, had no formal teacher to claim. He replied, “I don’t have a master; I’ve just seen similar cases before.”

The doctor, who appeared to be in his fifties, furrowed his brow even tighter. Given the urgency of the situation, Song Liangzuo, wishing to help, whispered, “For conditions of suspended fluid syndrome, one would generally use Ten Jujube Soup as a remedy, but that’s only effective once the patient has started showing improvement. This patient is in a severe state with difficulty breathing and cannot withstand the strong effects of Ten Jujube Soup.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the doctor’s face turned pale as understanding dawned on him. He suddenly reached out, gripping Song Liangzuo’s hand, eager to head in a particular direction.

Before Song Liangzuo could shout out a warning, Wang Chunlan acted quickly, grabbing her son’s other hand and exclaiming, “What are you doing? Let go of my son!”

The shop owner, feeling a sense of foreboding, hurried over and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Doctor Miao, realizing his actions were perhaps too impulsive, looked to the anxious young woman and quickly explained, “I need to speak with your son for a moment; please let go.”

Wang Chunlan remembered her mother-in-law stressing to keep a close eye on Liangzuo. Although his identity was fabricated, he was still her son. She was not about to let a stranger take him away.

“No way! He is my son. Whatever you need to say, do it in front of me,” she insisted.

“Old Miao, what’s going on?” the owner asked, now keenly curious.

“I just need to ask him a few questions; it’s not the right time for this here.” Doctor Miao was sweating profusely, unsure if it was from the heat or from urgency.

At that moment, with his hands pulled in different directions, Song Liangzuo felt as though he was becoming a human letter “T.” He pointed to the room across the way, which appeared to be set up for meetings, and declared, “If you want to talk, let go of me and we can go over there. Otherwise, I’ll leave with my mother.”

“Alright, that works. Let’s go over there,” the shop owner said, signaling for the doctor to release Song Liangzuo.

Once freed, Song Liangzuo quickly moved to his mother’s side, where she protectively enveloped him with both arms, casting wary glances at the others in the room as if fearing someone would snatch him away.

Noting her distress, Song Liangzuo gently tapped her hand, whispering, “Mom, let’s go over there.”

As they settled into the other room, Doctor Miao impatiently asked, “Your earlier remarks about the symptoms—what treatment did you have in mind?”

At that moment, the shop owner, serving as the assistant, nearly spilled the tea he was pouring when Doctor Miao’s urgency startled him. Both men simultaneously widened their eyes at each other.

The doctor’s expression conveyed disbelief: “What’s your intention?”

The shop owner’s eyes mirrored concern: “You’re asking a little boy for medical advice?”

They both awkwardly looked away, and the shop owner busied himself wiping up the spilled tea stains, while Doctor Miao turned his focus back to Song Liangzuo.

Adjusting himself on the stool, Song Liangzuo avoided making a spectacle of the situation and simply said, “I’m not a doctor, but the patients I’ve seen with this condition were treated using Guo Lao and Xie Bai Baijiu Soup…”

“Wait,” Doctor Miao interrupted, unable to contain his surprise, “Guo Lao Xie Bai Baijiu Soup treats chest constriction and poor chest yang…”

He paused mid-sentence, his eyes going wide as he realized the implications of what he had just been told. A look of epiphany crossed his face, brightening his expression. “Right! So, chest yang deficiency leads to cold stagnation! The Guo Lao Xie Bai Baijiu Soup can propel yang energy and dispel the cold. Then, we can use… we can use…”

Suddenly, Doctor Miao faltered, unsure of which remedy to use next. Should it be Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Xia Xing Soup or Stir-fried Ting Li Zi as a supplement?

His gaze fell upon Song Liangzuo once again, expectation written all over his face.

Song Liangzuo felt himself twitching with amusement at the man’s indecision and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Though significantly older, Doctor Miao found himself admitting to a younger child that he had just had a revelation. “I’m considering using Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Xia Xing Soup and Stir-fried Ting Li Zi.”

A smile crept onto Song Liangzuo’s face, pleased to see their thoughts aligned.

“Stir-fried Ting Li Zi relieves lung pressure and promotes urination. Adding Ban Xia, Gui Zhi, and Xing Ren could enhance the effects,” Song Liangzuo suggested.

Springing to his feet, Doctor Miao expressed his gratitude, “You’re truly knowledgeable! Thank you immensely for your guidance. I must attend to the patient now, and we’ll definitely owe you a debt of gratitude after this.”

He hesitated, wondering what to say next. Perhaps he would dine with peers of his age later or have a few drinks, but in this scenario…

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time; you handle your duties,” Song Liangzuo said, preparing to stand and leave.

As Song Liangzuo departed, he wondered how this day would lead to more unexpected encounters and potentially more opportunities for growth and learning.