CHAPTER 352: 328 SMALL DANCE SYNDROME

"Uncle is a doctor. Can he check you over?"

Du Heng held the little girl’s hand, smiling gently as he asked softly.

The little girl tried hard to keep from making a face as she stared at Du Heng seriously for a while before nodding.

Du Heng took the opportunity to gently position her hand and place his fingers on her wrist.

He chatted and coaxed the little girl while checking her tongue coating.

Her pulse was deep, fine, and rapid. Her tongue was smooth and crimson with no coating, and her entire body seemed slightly weak.

At this moment, Liao Quansheng, his sister, and brother-in-law also gathered around. "Du, how is it?"

Du Heng paused for a moment before asking Liao Quansheng’s sister and brother-in-law, "How is the child’s speech? Has it been affected?" He couldn’t determine the child’s language abilities, as she had only said ’hello’ earlier and was now silent.

"She stutters a bit and speaks slowly."

Du Heng nodded lightly. "Does she sweat?"

Liao Quansheng was Du Heng’s classmate. Although he had been focused on business for the past few years and his medical skills had grown rusty, he still remembered some connections between diseases and symptoms. Hearing Du Heng’s question, he immediately asked, "Do you suspect it’s a heat-related condition?"

Du Heng glared at Liao Quansheng, clearly displeased by his sudden interruption. "Don’t interrupt." He then turned his gaze back to the child’s parents.

Liao Quansheng’s sister thought for a moment. "Every day after she falls asleep, she sweats a lot. She also wakes up in the middle of the night asking for water."

Du Heng released the little girl’s hand and smiled gently at her. He then asked Liao Quansheng’s sister to sit down and hold the child close, offering her some physical and psychological comfort.

At this moment, the child’s facial expressions were contorted, and her limbs moved uncontrollably; deep down, she was very frightened.

"Du, hurry up and tell us! Have you figured out what illness this is?" Seeing Du Heng’s composed demeanor, Liao Quansheng became anxious.

Du Heng spoke calmly in a very gentle voice, "This illness is called pediatric chorea, a manifestation of acute rheumatism, commonly seen in children aged five to fifteen."

The child was in second grade and could understand everything being said. So, Du Heng spoke in a relaxed tone to help her feel at ease, not wanting her to be too scared or nervous.

"Due to its characteristics, this condition is often misdiagnosed as a stroke in traditional Chinese medicine. During severe episodes, it might also be mistaken for epilepsy. In Western medicine, it can be misdiagnosed as tetany or Tourette’s syndrome."

As Du Heng spoke, he glanced at Liao Quansheng and the others. "There’s no need to worry too much about this illness. In Chinese medicine, it’s categorized into three types: qi and blood Deficiency, liver and kidney insufficiency, and phlegm-heat stirring wind. It’s relatively easy to treat."

Liao Quansheng exclaimed, looking at Du Heng, "Just tell us if it can be cured! Why all the lengthy explanation?"

This unscrupulous merchant just doesn’t recognize valuable things, Du Heng sighed silently. He ignored Liao Quansheng and continued, "Based on the child’s symptoms and pulse, this is caused by pathogenic warmth lingering in the body, which consumes the true yin of the liver and kidney. This, in turn, stirs up internal wind, causing the child’s limbs to move involuntarily.

Furthermore, the kidney meridians connect to the tongue. When kidney yin is deficient, it fails to ascend and nourish the tongue, resulting in the child’s difficulty speaking and a shortened tongue."

"We’ll use the Major Wind-Stabilizing Pill. It nourishes the kidney, softens the liver, and extinguishes internal wind. Two doses should bring the child’s twitching and trembling under control."

Liao Quansheng looked at Du Heng, somewhat bewildered. "Du, are you confident? I’ve never heard of this prescription."

Du Heng shook his head. "What’s left in your head besides money?"

"Then write down the prescription. I’ll have someone from the warehouse deliver the medicine immediately." Liao Quansheng sounded anxious. His sister and brother-in-law, standing beside him, also looked at Du Heng without raising any objections.

This was precisely why Du Heng had insisted on explaining the cause of the illness earlier – to minimize doubt and mistrust at this stage.

Liao Quansheng had surely told his sister and brother-in-law about Du Heng’s situation. They were also leaders in their company and likely knew a little about Chinese medicine.

People who know a little are the easiest to convince if a plausible theory is presented.

If he had listened to Liao Quansheng and not explained the cause and treatment approach, he would likely be facing their doubts now, or they would be hesitating, unable to make a decision.

Liao Quansheng’s brother-in-law quickly fetched a piece of paper, and Du Heng wrote the prescription on it. Then, the brother-in-law took the prescription and made a phone call.

Du Heng took this opportunity to add, "As I said, give her one dose now and another at 2 a.m. By the time she wakes up, the spasms in her limbs should have stopped."

Liao Quansheng and his sister smiled happily, lovingly holding the little girl tight.

But Du Heng continued, "However, the child will still sweat profusely, feel fatigued, and experience weakness in her lower back and knees."

Liao Quansheng paused. "Why?"

"As I just said, the child’s qi and yin have not yet recovered, and her kidney essence is damaged. These symptoms are expected."

"So, what should we do?"

"Tomorrow morning, if her hands and feet have stopped shaking and she can speak, bring her to my Health Clinic. I’ll gradually help her recuperate. If there’s no change, then you should continue to the Capital."

Liao Quansheng made the decision for his sister, readily agreeing to Du Heng’s plan.

「Half an hour later.」

The medicine was delivered to the house, thoughtfully accompanied by a used medicine pot.

After receiving the medicine, it was Liao Quansheng’s brother-in-law who voluntarily went to the kitchen.

When the medicine was ready, Du Heng added an egg yolk to the decanted medicinal liquid.

After watching the child painstakingly drink the medicine, Du Heng glanced at the newly added effective disease record in his system. Then, he left with Liao Quansheng to pick up Zhao Xinfang, who was with Liao Yuzhu.

「The next morning.」

Liao Quansheng accompanied his sister and brother-in-law to the Health Clinic.

Seeing the peacefully sleeping little girl, Liao Quansheng’s sister and brother-in-law were extremely grateful to Du Heng.

From carrying the little girl out of the car to settling her in the hospital room, the family thanked Du Heng profusely. This prompted Liao Quansheng, walking behind, to repeatedly roll his eyes at Du Heng.

After settling the little girl in the hospital room and performing another check-up, Du Heng decided to continue with yesterday’s Major Wind-Stabilizing Pill prescription, but he added the ’kidney four agents’ to it.

The little girl recovered completely after being hospitalized for three days.

After receiving another wave of gratitude, Du Heng personally escorted Liao Quansheng and the others as they left.

「Back at the office.」

Lu Zhongjiang had been waiting for him.

"Dean, let me report on our recent work progress," Lu Zhongjiang said.

Seeing Lu Zhongjiang’s smile, Du Heng knew that he was about to deliver good news, and his mood brightened as well.

"I’ve secured the first round of funding from the Bureau: 100,000 yuan each for our clinic and Dean Li Qingde’s clinic. The money will be in our account next week. Can we start construction on the annex now?"

Du Heng barely heard the second half of the sentence, his attention entirely captured by the first. "Secretary Lu, are you serious? 100,000 yuan? The same amount as Fanjiaping Health Clinic?"

"Yes, the funding is the same for both clinics in the first round of support. However, there will be an evaluation in three months. The second round of funding is 300,000 yuan, and it will be allocated based on performance."

Lu Zhongjiang stared at Du Heng, his eyes shining with excitement. "Dean, if we can secure 70% of the allocation in the second round, plus the support from the third round, we could directly upgrade to a second-level hospital! The rest is up to you, Dean."

Du Heng felt a bit uneasy under Lu Zhongjiang’s intense gaze and shifted in his chair. "Has the amount for the third round of funding been announced?"

"Not yet, but according to Director An, the total funding might exceed 1,000,000 yuan."

After listening to Lu Zhongjiang, Du Heng started to fantasize.

But Lu Zhongjiang quickly pulled him back to reality. "Dean, as I was saying, can we start construction now?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Then, Dean, what about the loan you were arranging from the Savings Bank? How is that progressing?"

"It’s all arranged. The money will be available next week, and then we can sign the contract. It’s a total of 150,000 yuan."

Lu Zhongjiang clapped his hands. "If the money from the Savings Bank comes through, we can not only renovate but also start purchasing other equipment at the same time!"

Du Heng, also feeling a surge of excitement, replied, "We’ll have to trouble you again then, Secretary Lu."

Lu Zhongjiang waved his hand modestly. "It’s all for serving the ordinary people. It’s no trouble at all."

After this moment of modest pride, Lu Zhongjiang composed himself. "Dean, about the finance person you asked me to find – I’ve found someone. When would you like to meet them?"

Du Heng thought for a moment. "I don’t need to meet them. Just take them directly to Wang Zhenzhen. Let her work with them first. If Wang Zhenzhen says this finance person is okay, then I have no objections."

"That works too."

Thanks to Lu Zhongjiang’s efforts, the Zhonghu Health Center entered a very busy phase. Everyone had their specific duties and worked hard to fulfill their roles. However, among them, Huo Yinhua departed early, having been directly transferred to the District Hospital.

「After Huo Yinhua’s departure.」

The Bureau promptly assigned three new doctors to the Health Clinic, all specializing in traditional Chinese medicine.

One was a middle-aged doctor, and the other two were recent graduates who, like Wu Buwei, had just obtained their professional practice licenses.

However, these three weren’t particularly enthusiastic. They came from Li Qingde’s Fanjiaping Health Clinic and the High-tech Zone Health Clinic.

They used to work in the urban-rural fringe, with less work, higher salaries, and better benefits.

Now, being suddenly dispatched to this remote, mountainous place like Central Lake, their dissatisfaction was quite understandable.

But Du Heng didn’t care whether they were happy or not. He had Wu Buwei take them to study the medical cases accumulated by the Health Clinic and to copy prescriptions.

When it was time for treatments, Wu Buwei would take them along to observe and assist.

The awkward part was that, of the three, only one—a graduate from a School of Traditional Chinese Medicine—knew basic acupuncture. The graduate from JZU Medical College and the middle-aged doctor couldn’t perform acupuncture treatment; they only knew pulse diagnosis and prescribing herbal medicine.

Du Heng found this outcome quite exasperating.