CHAPTER 364: 340 I WON’T GO BACK.

Among those present who could make a decision, Zhu Fanzhong’s wife, a quintessential countryside woman, was reserved and ineloquent. She had never been the one to manage family affairs. At this moment, she simply held her daughter’s hand, her expression worried and somber, her gaze shifting between her husband and her daughter.

Zhu Fanmin, whether as the eldest brother or as the Secretary, had the right to offer suggestions but not to make decisions. Now, with his niece’s life on the line, he didn’t even venture a suggestion.

Zhu Fanzhong felt extremely melancholic, torn between two difficult choices.

If he chose chemotherapy, he feared missing the opportunity for traditional Chinese medicine treatment; if he chose traditional Chinese medicine, he worried the window for chemotherapy would pass.

"President Du, I want to ask, can my child undergo chemotherapy while continuing to take your medicine?"

If he couldn’t choose one, should he just opt for both?

Du Heng directly rejected Zhu Fanzhong’s idea. "That’s impossible. You can only choose one treatment method."

"Why? Both are for treating her illness, why isn’t it possible?"

"You’ve seen the treatment your niece has undergone these past two days—vomiting and diarrhea. This requires a strong constitution to endure. However, chemotherapy not only eliminates the tumor but also harms the body, leaving the person extremely weak.

Do you think your niece, in her current state of vomiting and diarrhea, could withstand chemotherapy?"

Du Heng shook his head and continued, "I’ve encountered several cancer patients, but only one has been completely cured so far—the patient with gastric cancer.

Was it that I couldn’t cure the others?

Of course not. It was that I *couldn’t* treat them.

By the time they came to me, they had already undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Their bodies were, frankly, like worn-out rags.

The method I use involves drastic medicine for severe illnesses, but they simply couldn’t withstand the effects of a single bowl of my medicine.

If the dosage is too light, it’s ineffective, and people say traditional Chinese medicine is a scam. If it’s too strong, they might die instantly, and then people say traditional Chinese medicine kills. So, I don’t treat patients like that."

He paused briefly. "Do you remember, last Friday, before you brought your niece to the Health Clinic, I asked if she had undergone chemotherapy?"

"Yes, you did ask that."

"So, you need to make the decision. If you want me to continue the treatment, let your niece stay here; I’m ready to adjust her prescription now. If you’re not willing, then please complete the discharge procedures quickly and proceed with chemotherapy."

Zhu Fanzhong was so indecisive, a grown man struggling to make up his mind.

At this moment, Zhu Minyan, lying on the sick bed, spoke up directly, "I’ll be treated here. I’m not going anywhere."

She glanced at everyone and continued, "I feel really good right now. This is the best I’ve felt since I got sick. My mind isn’t foggy anymore, I’m not in pain, my chest isn’t tight, and speaking and breathing are both easy. Moreover, these hard lumps on my body have started to move and soften. I want to continue with the Chinese herbal medicine."

Zhu Fanzhong was slightly taken aback, but his daughter had helped him make his decision. "Alright, we’ll continue the treatment here with you, President Du."

Du Heng also breathed a sigh of relief. If they had actually left, he would have considered it a great pity.

Despite the visible effects, some people still wouldn’t believe in traditional Chinese medicine, even if it had just saved their lives.

After all, in today’s society, traditional Chinese medicine has not only declined but, thanks to the propaganda of those with ulterior motives, its reputation isn’t very good.

For minor illnesses, everyone might give it a try.

But when it comes to serious diseases, people will choose Western medicine first, preferring a clear-cut death through surgery rather than muddled survival through a bowl of murky herbal decoction.

However, when these people clearly couldn’t achieve that clear-cut death, they’d turn back to traditional Chinese medicine.

To put it bluntly, their bodies would be ravaged by Western medicine—that scoundrel. Then they’d think they could turn back to traditional Chinese medicine, their ever-reliable fallback. But unexpectedly, traditional Chinese medicine, this honest fellow, would refuse to take them back, unable to fix the extensive damage. At that point, suddenly, traditional Chinese medicine would also become a scoundrel in their eyes.

With the Zhu Fanzhong family’s consent, Du Heng led everyone back to his office, even calling over the Pharmacy Doctor to join them.

In the office, Du Heng shared his treatment strategy for Zhu Minyan and the characteristics of the current prescription. "Everyone, the lumps on Zhu Minyan’s body are beginning to soften. Does anyone have a method that could, while ensuring Zhu Minyan remains stable, also accelerate the softening process of these lumps?"

After Du Heng finished speaking, he glanced around the room and waited patiently for the others to speak.

Today’s discussion was intended to pool everyone’s wisdom. After all, each person had their own strengths; a single idea or a specific medication might prove highly effective.

However, Du Heng also had a mind to test them, to see if these individuals had truly considered the patient and her condition.

There weren’t many people in the room: Du Heng, the three newcomers, Wu Buwei, and a Pharmacy Doctor.

Du Heng looked around. The three newcomers immediately lowered their heads; it was unclear if they were too intimidated to speak in such a setting or simply didn’t know what to say.

In any case, they remained silent; some bowed their heads, others appeared deep in thought, but no one spoke.

Wu Buwei glanced at them, noted their silence, and then spoke first, "Senior Brother, the patient’s current phase of breaking down stasis and expelling toxins, pus, and blood is showing excellent results. However, this process could also deplete the patient’s body and harm her vital qi.

Therefore, I believe that since the prescription has effectively softened the tumor, there’s no need for adjustments for now. On the contrary, we should increase the use of herbs that nourish the body and replenish qi and blood. Once her vital qi is supported and restored, she will be better able to withstand the subsequent treatment."

Du Heng looked at Wu Buwei with satisfaction. It seemed the one he’d trained himself was still the most reliable.

Although it wasn’t a particularly insightful response, the fact that he could articulate these points showed that Wu Buwei had given his own thought to this patient and her condition.

"That’s a good suggestion. We can slightly increase the dosage of the tonifying and qi-supporting herbs in the prescription."

After Du Heng spoke, the Pharmacy Doctor chimed in, "President Du, I’ve been reviewing your prescription these past few days. In fact, your prescription is already quite comprehensive; there isn’t much room for adjustment."

Du Heng wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or... well, pleased by this compliment. The flattery was as smooth as flowing water, utterly seamless.

The Pharmacy Doctor tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. "If we absolutely must add another medicinal ingredient, I think tender walnut branch would be suitable."

Everyone remained silent, looking at him, waiting for him to elaborate. After all, proposing an idea and then explaining it was standard procedure.

The Pharmacy Doctor took a breath. "President Du’s prescription employs a dual approach of breaking down hardness and promoting softening. Now that the patient’s lumps are mobile and show signs of softening, breaking down hardness is no longer the priority. We just need to enhance the softening effect.

And considering the medicinal properties involved, tender walnut branch is the most appropriate addition to maximize this effect."

Du Heng smiled more broadly; this idea perfectly aligned with his own.

"Does anyone else have anything to add?" Du Heng looked at the others once again.

Seeing that no one else spoke, he said, "Alright, we’ll prescribe based on what we’ve just discussed. You can all get back to your work."

They left the room one by one. Only Wu Buwei was asked by Du Heng to stay. After writing the prescription, Du Heng handed it to him and said, "You must check the condition of the lumps at least twice a day. Don’t miss any change, no matter how small."

"I understand, Senior Brother."

"Also, you need to instruct Zhu Minyan to observe her bowel movements every time. As soon as she notices the absence of pus and blood in her stool, she must inform you immediately."

A light flickered in Wu Buwei’s eyes. "Senior Brother, do you mean that when there’s no more pus and blood in her stool, we should stop administering the rhubarbs?"

Du Heng nodded. "Rhubarbs help break down accumulation and move blood stasis. Once there’s no more pus and blood, we should discontinue it, as prolonged use can damage vital qi. However, don’t stop it immediately. Wait a day or two to confirm the absence of pus and blood, and then remove it from the prescription."

Wu Buwei nodded again, then took the prescription and returned to the consultation room.

Meanwhile, in the patient room, Zhu Minyan was on a video call, her head covered with a scarf.

On the other side of the screen was an extremely handsome young man, who at this moment seemed visibly angry. "Zhu Minyan, where are you now? Why aren’t you in your dorm?"

Hiding behind the scarf, Zhu Minyan replied in a timid voice, "I’ve returned to my hometown."

"Hometown? When did you go back to your hometown? Why didn’t you tell me? Who did you go with?"

"I came back with my mom and dad."

The handsome young man on the video call sounded exasperated and angry as he said, "Why? Why did you go back? I already told you I helped you apply for a subsidy. The school approved it, and the money should be deposited into the bank account you provided today! Also, these past few days, I’ve been running around, helping you get in touch with Director Lan Changhua from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Oncology Department at XX Good Friend Hospital. He has a precedent of successfully treating tumor patients!

Do you know how hard it is to get an appointment with such an expert? Normally, it takes two months to get one through normal channels. It took a significant favor from me to get you this appointment! Why did you just leave? Why couldn’t you tell me before you left? Am I still your teacher or not? Do you have any sense of discipline at all?"

The handsome young man rattled off a torrent of words, clearly infuriated.

However, Zhu Minyan, hiding behind the scarf, wasn’t angered by the scolding. Instead, she gazed at the handsome young man on the screen, her eyes sparkling, a rare smile—one not seen in days—playing on her lips.

The young man on the other end shouted, his voice still sharp with anger, "Come back quickly! Take a flight; I’ll pay for the plane tickets. I’ll go talk to Director Lan right now, ask him to make an exception. Ugh, what on earth were you thinking?"

Hearing this, Zhu Minyan’s smile froze on her face.

"Why aren’t you saying anything? Go talk to your parents right away. I’ll cover the plane tickets for all of you. As I said, Director Lan..."

"Teacher," Zhu Minyan interrupted the young man.

"What is it?"

"I’m not coming back," Zhu Minyan declared steadfastly.