CHAPTER 336: 312 STOMACHACHE CATEGORIES

The development of the situation was much as Du Heng had anticipated; it wasn’t until lunchtime that the check-ups for Zhang Long’s team finally concluded.

Furthermore, because of Fan Jimin’s situation, everyone’s attitude towards Du Heng underwent a significant change. If not a full 180-degree turn, it was at least 90 degrees.

No one who approached wore the same cold expression they had upon first entering. At the very least, their faces had softened considerably, and they even managed faint, somewhat awkward smiles.

Moreover, as more people completed their check-ups, the smiles on the faces of those waiting grew even wider.

Their smiles bloomed as brilliantly as the peony flowers in Du Heng’s backyard.

As their attitudes improved, Du Heng’s mood improved as well.

When in a good mood, he was willing to talk more. Besides, this type of health check couldn’t be treated purely as a hospital outpatient service. Not making any friends would be disrespectful to Wu Shengnan’s "warm invitation."

By around ten o’clock, the "talent" dispatched by the bureau to take photos and collect material arrived late. Arriving was one thing, but they began taking pictures immediately—not just candid shots, but also insisting on posed ones.

The problem was that Zhang Long’s team members were very cooperative. This made it difficult for Du Heng, being from the same system, to object. He could only let this "talent" have their way.

However, as a result, the time was inadvertently stretched considerably, and they only saw twenty-seven people all morning.

For Du Heng, this number was quite unsatisfactory, but he was helpless to change it.

Moreover, even if he wanted to leave in the afternoon, it wouldn’t be possible, as their afternoon time had been directly reserved by Brigade 2.

At noon, at the invitation of Wu Shengnan and Zhang Long, Du Heng experienced the cafeteria of a municipal unit.

To be honest, the food was significantly better than at his Health Clinic.

Not only did Wu Shengnan take them to the cafeteria, but she also prepared a dormitory room for them to rest in during the lunch break.

After settling Du Heng and Gu Ping, Wu Shengnan happily left.

Du Heng’s performance today had definitely made her proud. With this morning’s "achievements," she was one step closer to her goal.

CLICK.

The dormitory door closed.

Gu Ping practically leaped to Du Heng’s side.

"Mr. Du, you’re amazing!" As he spoke, his eyes, fixed on Du Heng, seemed to sparkle.

"Why do you say that?" Du Heng chuckled lightly, still calmly making his bed.

"When we first started, look at the sour expressions they had, as if we were begging them to let us examine them! Later, look at them again—grinning like big chrysanthemums and practically desperate to have a heart-to-heart talk with you, Mr. Du!"

Du Heng chuckled, then lay back on the bed, shifting a bit. "This bed is a little harder than the one at my Health Clinic," he commented casually.

He turned his head, smiled at Gu Ping, and said, "You little rascal, did I ask you here to flatter me? And why do you care about them? We just need to do our jobs."

Gu Ping felt a bit embarrassed by Du Heng’s words. "I was just annoyed seeing them look down on you, Mr. Du."

"If you have that much spare energy to get angry, you might as well think about the commonalities among the cases we identified this morning, and what the rationale was behind the prescriptions I asked you to write. Director Xu didn’t send you here just to observe; you’re supposed to learn something to take back, right?"

"Hehe, I was paying close attention this morning."

Du Heng found the most comfortable position to lie down. "Alright then, let me ask you: what did those twenty-odd people from this morning have in common? And why do you think that is?"

Gu Ping was stunned. He had just spoken casually, not expecting Du Heng to actually quiz him.

Damn it!

Gu Ping’s mind raced as he quickly tried to recall the conditions of the people they had seen that morning.

Du Heng didn’t rush him, lying comfortably on the bed, waiting for Gu Ping’s answer.

"Mr. Du, their similarity is that almost everyone has stomach problems. And the older they are—especially those over 30—the more severe their stomach issues. Moreover, they share another common trait: they tend to be rather short-tempered."

"Why do they have these characteristics?"

Gu Ping scratched his head and said uncertainly, "Occupational disease?"

Du Heng smiled faintly. "That’s right. When so many people have the same type of illness, it’s usually either an infectious disease or an occupational one."

After speaking, he glanced at Gu Ping. "Tell me about the pathogenesis of gastralgia."

Gu Ping was taken aback again. Du Heng’s questions were becoming increasingly technical. Fortunately, his fundamentals were solid, and he began to explain immediately, "It’s characterized by stagnation of stomach qi, obstruction of stomach meridians, and the stomach being improperly nourished, leading to pain due to obstruction. The primary symptom is pain in the epigastric region, indicating a gastrointestinal disorder of the Spleen and Stomach."

"What are the classifications?"

"Uhh..." Gu Ping fell silent.

Du Heng looked up at Gu Ping but didn’t press him for an answer. "Gastralgia is one of the most common conditions we see. It can be caused by heat or cold, food stagnation, blood stasis, pathogenic evils, Yin toxin, or stagnant qi.

For example, Zhang Long, the first patient, had a stomachache caused by stagnant qi. The man surnamed Su, his condition was due to food stagnation. So, when treating stomachaches, it’s crucial to clearly identify the cause to prescribe accurately."

Seeing that Du Heng was willing to elaborate, Gu Ping quickly asked, "Mr. Du, what are the principles for diagnosis and treatment then?"

"For mild excess patterns, therapy should aim to regulate rather than attack. For severe excess patterns, whether manifesting upwards or downwards, aggressive therapies like purgation or emesis are necessary. For pure deficiency patterns, whether of qi or blood, significant tonification is essential."

"Noted."

"Now that you’ve noted it down, get some rest. We still have the afternoon session."

The thought of it made Du Heng mentally grumble about Wu Shengnan.

Meanwhile, Tao Litai, who had met Du Heng that morning, was in his office, enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Across from him sat the team’s other leader, Political Commissar Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi also held a cigarette, and the haze of smoke around him was much thicker than Tao Litai’s.

Tao Litai asked, "Has Doctor Du left?"

Wang Zhi replied, "No. And Brigade 2 has already booked their afternoon."

Tao Litai extinguished his cigarette. "What happened?" he asked casually. "Wasn’t this just supposed to be a favor for Shengnan? Her friend makes a brief appearance, shows off a bit, and then leaves. Why would Brigade 2 book him too?"

Wang Zhi took two quick puffs, reducing his cigarette to a mere butt, which he then crushed out. He settled deeper into the sofa. "According to Zhang Long, this Doctor Du that Shengnan brought is highly skilled. He apparently won over all the troublemakers in their team.

For those ailments that tormented them, Doctor Du didn’t even need to ask. He just took their pulses and was able to diagnose them with remarkable accuracy."

Tao Litai was a little surprised. "So, Shengnan really found a divine doctor?"

"It seems likely. I also heard that the doctor who cured the Old Secretary was probably this Doctor Du. Shengnan wasn’t lying."

Wang Zhi sighed. "It seems we all misunderstood. This Doctor Du probably isn’t Shengnan’s boyfriend, nor is he here just to show off."

Tao Litai’s expression soured. "Then what she said about wanting to change departments... that was real? Not a joke?"

"It doesn’t look like it."

"So, Old Wang, what’s your take on this?"

Wang Zhi chuckled. "You’re the one who made promises to Shengnan. You figure it out."

"Old Wang, are you just going to sit back and watch me make a fool of myself?"

"Of course. I’m quite eager to see how you’ll handle this little princess."

Tao Litai leaned back dejectedly. "Her grandfather is the old secretary of our Political and Legal Committee. Her father, though far away, is rumored to be transferring back in October to become our direct superior. If her family finds out I’ve put their precious treasure on a front-line team, my life will become very difficult."

"If there’s no other way, transfer her to Zhang Long’s Major Crimes Unit. The work is a bit more demanding and tiring, but it mostly involves investigating cases and following leads. Compared to the other units, it’s not as dangerous.

After a while, when the little princess can’t take the hardship anymore, she’ll surely request a transfer back on her own."

Wang Zhi wasn’t actually trying to gloat, so he started offering suggestions.

Tao Litai thought for a moment and nodded. "That’s a good idea. If she goes to Zhang Long’s unit, she has no experience, the work is heavy... After a few setbacks, if she can’t take it, she should ask to return."

Saying this, he lightly slapped his thigh. "Alright, let’s go with that for now. By the way, can you arrange for us to treat Doctor Du to dinner tonight?"

"Alright, I’ll arrange it."