In the darkness of the night, accompanied by a burst of noisy commotion, the lights in a row of single story houses came on one after another. People got out of bed, asking what had happened. Some grabbed thick wooden clubs and rushed outside, thinking a thief had slipped into the neighborhood.
The door to Fang Yuan’s home was pounded loudly. Da Mao and Xiao Mao, who had been sleeping outside, woke up and rubbed their eyes. Seeing the Chen family’s eldest son vigorously knocking on their half closed front door, they looked utterly confused.
Fang Xiaoqin hurried out, her face tense as she asked, “What happened? Da Mao, Xiao Mao, are you two alright?”
She could not stop worrying about the sons sleeping outside.
“Accountant Fang, quick, have Doctor Fang take a look at my younger brother,” the Chen family’s eldest son said anxiously.
“Doctor Fang?” Fang Xiaoqin had just been awakened, and her mind was still muddled.
“I mean your Fang Yuan. I heard she studied medicine and is now working at the hospital. My younger brother suddenly collapsed. Please have her take a look at him.” As soon as he finished speaking, the Chen family’s eldest son started rushing into the house.
Only then did Fang Xiaoqin understand. She reached out to stop him. Her daughter was in the inner room and might not have been properly dressed. She could not let him barge in like that.
“Fang Yuan hasn’t officially started work yet. If someone’s sick, they should be taken to the hospital first.” Although her daughter had studied medicine, she was not confident Fang Yuan could treat the Chen family’s youngest son’s sudden illness. If it delayed his condition, that would only make things worse.
Just as the Chen family’s eldest son scratched his head in helpless confusion, Fang Yuan came out fully dressed. “Brother Chen, let me go over and take a look first.” She had already overheard their conversation from inside.
“Alright, alright, let’s go quickly.”
The Chen family’s eldest son immediately turned around and hurried off, with Fang Yuan following closely behind.
“Mom…” Xiao Mao lay on the bamboo bed with his head raised, looking worriedly at Fang Xiaoqin.
Fang Xiaoqin gently patted his head to comfort him. “It’s alright. You two go back to sleep. I’ll go over and have a look.”
By the time Fang Yuan arrived at the Chen family’s home, a crowd had already gathered outside the door. They were all nearby factory workers and neighbors who had come to see what was happening.
The Chen family’s eldest son parted the crowd, allowing Fang Yuan to squeeze inside.
Inside the room, the Chen family’s parents stood anxiously to one side with reddened eyes. Their youngest son lay unconscious on the bed, while his new bride sobbed quietly beside him. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family was pinching the philtrum beneath his nose, trying to wake him.
Fang Yuan quickly pulled the eldest daughter-in-law aside and examined the Chen family’s youngest son. His upper body was bare, his face deathly pale, his eyes closed and mouth open. He had already fallen into a coma. A white mark remained on his philtrum where it had just been pinched.
“Father, Mother, we’d better take him to the hospital. Even pinching his philtrum didn’t wake him up. I’m afraid his condition is serious,” the eldest daughter-in-law suggested to her parents-in-law.
Fang Yuan turned and asked, “Auntie, could you please give me a box of matches?”
Aunt Chen froze for a moment before quickly nodding. “Oh, oh.” As she spoke, she stumbled toward the kitchen.
After finding the matches, she hurried back and handed them to Fang Yuan.
After taking them, Fang Yuan told the Chen family’s eldest son to help turn the patient over.
Although the Chen family’s eldest son had no idea why, he obediently turned his younger brother over so that his back faced upward.
Fang Yuan took out three matchsticks, struck them, lit all three together, then applied the burning flames to the patient’s Governing Vessel. The Chen family’s youngest son immediately regained consciousness.
Hearing him gasp as he opened his eyes, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Ah Yuan, is my youngest son alright now?” Aunt Chen stepped forward and asked cautiously.
Fang Yuan placed three fingers on the patient’s wrist and checked his pulse before saying, “Brother Chen chilled his waist by placing ice against his body last night. He just needs to recover carefully over the next few days, and he’ll be fine.”
After speaking, she glanced at the Chen family’s youngest son’s new bride.
Blushing deeply, the young bride murmured, “Before going to bed, he insisted on using ice to cool himself down. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t listen…” As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.
Aunt Chen and the others had rushed in as soon as they heard the commotion, so they naturally knew what the situation in the room had been. However, Fang Yuan was an unmarried young woman, and there were some things they felt embarrassed to say outright.
After hesitating for a moment, Aunt Chen stammered, “Just playing with ice shouldn’t make someone faint. Could there be something else wrong? Should he get checked again…”
Keeping her head lowered, Fang Yuan said softly, “This condition is called qi collapse. Brother Chen’s waist was chilled last night, and during intercourse, his yang qi leaked downward, causing him to lose consciousness. Just now, I used burning matchsticks to apply moxibustion to his Governing Vessel, allowing the qi to rise instead of continuing to leak downward. As long as he’s careful over the next few days, avoids getting chilled again, and… temporarily refrains from intercourse, he’s still young and will recover very quickly.”
After hearing Fang Yuan’s explanation, although everyone blushed a little, they were genuinely relieved. Aunt Chen thought to herself that she had worried the young girl might be too shy to hear about the circumstances surrounding her son’s illness, but as expected of a doctor, Fang Yuan had recognized the problem at a glance. She stepped forward, took Fang Yuan’s hand, and said, “Ah Yuan, thank you so much. We even woke you up in the middle of the night.”
“Doctor Fang… Ah Yuan, that’s all? Does he need any medicine?” Uncle Chen felt that simply burning him with matchsticks could not possibly cure him completely. His youngest son was still so young, and he did not want him to suffer any lasting complications.
“That’s right, Ah Yuan. Please prescribe something. Your elder brother can go to the factory clinic tomorrow and pick up some medicine,” the Chen family’s eldest daughter-in-law also pleaded. Her husband’s younger brother was now a regular employee at the factory as well, so his medical expenses would be reimbursed.
Fang Yuan smiled lightly. “Uncle, Auntie, if you’re still worried, you can get a prescription for some traditional Chinese medicine to help him recuperate. However, I studied Western medicine. I only learned a little acupuncture from my grandfather. As for herbal prescriptions, you’ll need to ask another doctor to write one.”
This condition had been an emergency. From the perspective of Western medicine, once he regained consciousness after the heat treatment, he was considered cured. However, since the Chen family wanted additional recuperation, only traditional Chinese herbal medicine could provide that.
Her grandfather, Fang Zhiyuan, was known as Divine Needle Fang. He specialized in acupuncture and was not particularly skilled at prescribing herbal medicine. Fang Yuan had memorized a few simple prescriptions from her grandfather, but she did not have one suitable for the Chen family’s youngest son’s condition.
After hearing Fang Yuan’s explanation, the Chen family finally gave up the idea.
Fang Xiaoqin had been waiting by the doorway the entire time. Although she remained outside, she had witnessed everything that had happened. Seeing her daughter demonstrate her medical skills filled her with pride. It reminded her of the days when she had watched her own father treat patients, where a single needle could make an illness disappear instantly.
When she walked out holding Fang Yuan’s hand, she carried herself proudly with her chest held high. Even in the middle of the night, the glow of satisfaction on her face seemed unmistakably bright.
“I never expected you to have truly learned so much of your grandfather’s real skill,” Fang Xiaoqin said happily. Her daughter had studied Western medicine, so she had never seen, nor would she likely ever have the chance to see, her performing surgery. But seeing her save someone with traditional Chinese moxibustion made her even happier. It felt as though her father’s legacy finally had a worthy successor.
After Fang Yuan returned home, she lay back down on the bed. The patient had already regained consciousness, everyone returned to their own homes, and silence once again settled over the neighborhood. There was no need to recite acupuncture verses anymore. The moment her head touched the pillow, she quickly fell asleep.
…
By morning, Da Mao and Xiao Mao had already moved back inside the house and were still fast asleep. Fang Xiaoqin patted her two sons, reminding them to eat lunch at the factory cafeteria. Then she pulled her daughter, who had just finished breakfast and was about to head out, in front of her and carefully looked her over. Seeing her neatly combed glossy braids, her crisp short sleeved white shirt, and blue cotton trousers, she nodded with satisfaction.
After declining her mother’s insistence on accompanying her all the way to the county hospital, Fang Yuan tightened the strap of her cloth shoulder bag and briskly headed toward her new workplace.
Yuyang County Hospital was not far from Fang Yuan’s home. Leaving the workers’ residential area through the alley and following the river, it took about half an hour on foot. Passing the grain station and the supply and marketing cooperative, she arrived at Yuyang County People’s Hospital.
Walking past the gray outer wall painted with the large black slogan, “Serve the People Wholeheartedly,” Fang Yuan caught sight of the hospital entrance.
At that moment, people were steadily coming and going through the gate. When a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing black framed glasses and a gray jacket with a fountain pen clipped to his breast pocket, arrived on a black Forever bicycle and stopped at the entrance, everyone immediately paused to greet him.
After parking his bicycle, the refined looking middle-aged man noticed an elderly farmer with a deeply lined face squatting by the wall. He walked over, asked him a few questions, then helped him to his feet and accompanied him into the hospital.
Fang Yuan heard someone whisper, “That old man has been squatting here all night. Their family brought his son here yesterday for treatment. He needs major surgery, but they can’t afford the fees. Now that he’s run into Director Lin, he’ll definitely help solve the problem.”
So that middle-aged man had been the hospital director. Fang Yuan immediately felt more at ease. A kind and approachable senior leader always made people feel reassured.
Just inside the entrance was the registration desk, where five or six people were waiting in line. Several patients and family members, their faces full of worry, sat on the rows of chairs nearby.
When Fang Yuan saw a nurse in a white coat walking by, she quickly approached her with a smile and politely asked where the office responsible for personnel matters was located.
The nurse looked at her suspiciously. Fang Yuan introduced herself as a newly assigned graduate.
The nurse immediately smiled and enthusiastically shook Fang Yuan’s hand. “Hello, hello. Welcome to Yuyang County People’s Hospital. My surname is Xu. Just call me Nurse Xu.”
Nurse Xu warmly led the way while secretly wondering to herself. The head nurse had never mentioned that a new nurse would be reporting for duty today.
“Our county hospital doesn’t have a personnel department. Personnel matters are handled by Director Chen of the Medical Affairs Office. His office is on the second floor. He was on duty last night and doesn’t have outpatient clinic today, but I don’t know whether he’s already gone home.”
Fang Yuan nervously tugged at the strap of her bag.
The two of them stopped outside an office on the second floor. Nurse Xu, the petite woman with the round face, gently knocked twice. There was no response from inside. She turned toward Fang Yuan with a sympathetic expression.
“How about I take you to meet our head nurse instead? Director Chen probably isn’t…”
Before she could finish speaking, the door opened.
“Director Chen, you’re here!” Nurse Xu greeted the lean, stern looking middle-aged man who had just stepped out with a smile.
“Hello, Director Chen. I’m Fang Yuan, a graduate of the Clinical Medicine program at the Provincial Medical University. I’m here to report for duty today,” Fang Yuan said, standing up straight with a bright smile.
So she was a medical university graduate, and such a young female doctor at that. Nurse Xu was secretly astonished.
“So you’re Student Fang. I thought you should be arriving soon. Come in.” A rare smile appeared on Director Chen’s stern face. After working the night shift, he had not gone home because he knew a newly assigned doctor would be reporting for duty today, and had deliberately stayed behind to wait for her.
Fang Yuan sat down on a rattan chair in the office, keeping her back straight with both hands resting on her knees as she quietly looked around.
The office was simply furnished. There was a desk, several chairs, and two rows of filing cabinets containing various records. A portrait of the Great Leader hung on the wall.
Director Chen took a document envelope from the drawer of his desk, walked over, and sat down across from Fang Yuan.