Su Mi certainly couldn’t handle everything herself. It was already quite an effort for her to bring out books as a supplementary aid.
If it weren’t for the need to maintain normal daily meals and avoid drawing envy from other patients just because she ate meat a few extra times, Su Mi wouldn’t have bothered with the trouble.
“Back then, we took too big a step. The leader already told us to cross the river by feeling for stones. So now we’ll try it out in our own homes first. If the results are good and we achieve something, then we can discuss further.”
The team leader made the final decision.
Everyone had their own tasks to attend to, so after a brief conversation, they went back to their respective duties.
Su Mi also welcomed her first patient.
“Comrade Su, please take a look at my child.”
A man rushed in, sweating profusely, holding a boy about seven or eight years old in his arms.
He barged in with such urgency.
“Put the child on the bed. I’ll examine him.”
Su Mi recognized this child. His name was Shitou, and he had been exchanging herbs for candy with her these past few days.
While Su Mi was checking the child’s pulse and examining him, an old woman followed into the clinic.
“I’m telling you, my grandson must be possessed by evil. What’s the use of bringing him here? We should go find Granny Ma. She’s skilled at driving out evil spirits.”
As soon as the old woman entered, she pulled her son to the doorway and whispered her advice.
“What nonsense are you talking? How many times have I told you? When someone is sick, you go to a doctor. What you’re talking about is feudal superstition. It seems you won’t be satisfied until you harm the whole family.”
The man was already frantic with worry, and now his mother was pulling this nonsense. In a fit of anger, he shook off her hand from his arm.
Since Comrade Su was an outsider, he didn’t dare raise his voice too much, fearing it might cause trouble for his family. If that happened, it would truly be disastrous.
“You ungrateful thing! I’m just worried about my grandson.”
The old woman felt deeply wronged and, distressed for her grandson, began to cry.
“Both of you, please rest assured. The child’s convulsions are caused by high fever. It’s an illness. I’ll give him a couple of acupuncture treatments and some fever-reducing medicine. Once the fever subsides, he’ll be fine.”
After examining the child, Su Mi explained to the adults. The silver needles were, of course, prepared by herself. The hospital had some too, but they weren’t as comfortable to use, and there were almost half as many as she usually needed.
Upon hearing Su Mi’s explanation after examining the child, the mother and son reacted differently. One felt slightly relieved, as if having taken a calming pill, while the other grew even more uneasy.
This was mainly because Comrade Su was too young. For them, a child’s fever was no small matter. To put it bluntly, they didn’t trust Su Mi’s medical skills.
“Did this child go playing in the river last night? The weather has been getting warmer these past few days, but the river water is still too cold. Going into the water at that time of day makes it easy to catch a cold and develop a fever.”
Su Mi had heard these children talking about catching crabs and shrimp when they came to exchange herbs for candy or money yesterday. At first, she thought they were just playing in the small streams in the mountain valleys.
But now it was clear they had gone into the river. The fever started in the middle of the night, and the family likely didn’t notice until it had become somewhat severe.
Fortunately, the father wasn’t superstitious. Otherwise, even if the child’s life were saved, he might have ended up mentally impaired or developed pneumonia, effectively ruining his health for life.
“If a child develops a fever and medical care is not immediately available, you can use strong liquor or alcohol. If those aren’t available, you can also use slices of old ginger. Repeatedly rub the child’s palms, soles, and armpits. This can help the child cool down quickly, but of course, the best course of action is still to seek medical attention promptly.
The tablets are five cents each. Let’s skip the injection. What’s the child’s name? How old is he this year?”
After giving the injection, Su Mi explained some folk remedies for dealing with a child’s fever to the mother and son. Then, she finished up, first feeding the child a tablet and having him swallow it with water.
Once all this was done, Su Mi sat back down at her desk, opened the medical record book, and prepared to create a file.
“The child’s name is Shitou. He’s eight this year.”
The old woman saw that the flushed color on her grandson’s face, which had been burning hot just moments ago, had already faded. Only then did she believe that Su Zhiqing truly had real skills.
Hearing Su Zhiqing’s question, she quickly answered.
“Auntie, I’m asking for the child’s full name—his given name and surname, not his nickname. Also, I need his age calculated from his date of birth, not his nominal age.”
Su Mi asked cautiously. She knew that older generations often gave nominal ages, but nominal ages wouldn’t hold up in medical records.
“My son is named Wang Duofu—we hoped he’d have abundant blessings and a long life. He’s seven years old; he’ll turn exactly seven on the 13th of next month.”
The man wiped his face and quickly added from the side. He took a five-cent coin from a handkerchief bundle and placed it on the table. The remaining few small bills he rolled up tightly, wrapped them again and again in a men’s handkerchief, and finally tucked them into his shirt pocket.
Wang Duofu, who had been delirious just moments ago, was no longer talking nonsense under the effect of the medicine. His breathing had already steadied.
“Take the child back and let him sleep well. There’s no need to give him any special nutritional supplements. Just make sure he drinks plenty of plain boiled water—water that’s been boiled and then cooled. The same goes for you adults. When I checked his pulse earlier, I noticed this little fellow has roundworms in his belly. That’s something to pay attention to—those things are alive. If they were to burrow into his heart, his life could be in danger.”
Su Mi wasn’t lying. Although deworming pagoda candy had already been invented, production capacity was limited, and not every hospital had it in stock.
So, many places still relied on old methods. The old methods worked, but they weren’t always effective.
“Ah! What should we do then? Doctor Su, could you prescribe some medicine?”
The man immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. He had experienced it himself growing up and knew all too well how it felt.
“Go home and give him raw pumpkin seeds. Every day, shell at least twenty and have Wang Duofu eat them. Do this for ten days in a row, and he’ll be fine.”
After all, the condition wasn’t severe yet, and some methods could still be used. Of course, the prerequisite was maintaining good hygiene.
Hearing there was a way to treat the illness without spending money, the mother and son thanked her repeatedly. After the three—grandmother, father, and son—left, Su Mi took out her notebook and began writing.
No other patients came to see the doctor until noon when work ended.
With nothing to do at noon, Su Mi didn’t go back. She ate the green pepper and shredded pork noodles she had bought earlier.
“You’re working too hard, not even going back for lunch at noon. In a couple of days, I’ll find you a clay stove so you can heat up your meals at midday.”
It was Brigade Leader Xu Weiguo who had arrived. As soon as he entered, he saw Su Mi’s empty lunchbox.
He had thought the other party brought it in the morning, but now it was like eating cold rice—something he couldn’t approve of.
“Thank you for your concern, Captain. By the way, I discovered an issue today and wanted to bring it to your attention.”