As soon as he entered the hospital room next door, the veins on Du Heng's forehead began to throb.
He had clearly stated, and repeatedly emphasized, not to wrap the child too tightly and not to over-bundle him.
But now in the hospital room, the tiny baby was dressed in a cotton-padded coat, covered with his family's own little quilt, a small blanket, and outermost, the Health Clinic's quilt.
By the sickbed, the child's grandmother was still relentlessly tucking in the corners of the quilt, leaving only the child's face exposed.
The child was wailing WAH WAH in discomfort. Meanwhile, the grandmother was trying to soothe him while grumbling at her daughter-in-law nearby. The child's mother stood aside with her hands clasped, looking down.
What angered Du Heng even more was that Wu Buwei was right there, fiddling with the thermometer in his hand, without stopping any of this.
"I told you not to wrap him so tightly. Why won't you listen?" Du Heng walked to the bedside, pulled away two layers of the quilts from the child, and said to the child's mother, "Take off the child's cotton-padded coat. Do you find it comfortable to sleep like that?"
The child's mother felt a little wronged. She looked at Du Heng, then at her mother-in-law by the bed.
"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and take it off your child. The room has heating, and he's still covered with a quilt; he won't get cold," Du Heng said, moving back to let the child's mother approach the bedside. "I told you before, the child has heat poison, which is a high fever and cold-like symptoms triggered by excessive heat. You forget as soon as I tell you."
Du Heng's expression had been grim since he entered the room, and his tone was harsh. However, the child's grandmother by the bed wisely kept silent.
Wu Buwei knew he had made a mistake. He put down the thermometer and obediently stood beside Du Heng.
Now in the hospital room, Du Heng couldn't directly reproach Wu Buwei. He glanced at the thermometer in Wu Buwei's hand and asked, "What's the temperature now?"
"37.8."
Hearing this, Du Heng was still somewhat annoyed and couldn't help but say, "If he had two fewer layers on, it would be even lower."
This remark was aimed at Wu Buwei as well as the child's mother and grandmother.
"Alright, no need to take off the inner clothes, just the cotton-padded coat is fine." Seeing the child's mother about to remove the child's inner clothes, Du Heng stopped her. "Step aside, I'll check the child."
Once the high fever subsided, all the child's other symptoms became apparent, making this diagnosis much more accurate.
After completing his examination, Du Heng glanced at Wu Buwei, who was standing motionless behind him, and motioned for him to come over. "Don't just stand there. Come over and examine him."
Wu Buwei was a little flustered, but he still began the examination according to procedure.
This examination took much longer than Du Heng's.
The child's grandmother and mother frequently turned their heads, their gazes shifting between Du Heng and Wu Buwei. However, Du Heng remained unmoved, standing behind them and waiting quietly.
"Senior Brother, the examination is complete."
"Speak."
"The pediatric patient has a fever, cough, phlegm in the throat—thick and yellow—a floating pulse, and a thin tongue coating. It's... wind-cold syndrome."
Du Heng frowned. "Be clear. Is it wind disease or cold syndrome?"
"...Wind disease."
"Answer with more certainty."
"Wind disease."
"The cause?"
"Catching a chill."
If there weren't other people in the hospital room, Du Heng would have almost slapped him. Was this an etiology a TCM would provide?
Taking a deep breath, Du Heng asked, "How is it to be treated?"
"Fuzheng Sanxie decoction can be used."
Du Heng felt his heart clench. Of the three questions, Wu Buwei had only answered the first one correctly, and even then, hesitantly.
But what good would anger do? This was his junior fellow apprentice; he had to guide him step by step.
"A floating pulse indicates wind, while a tight pulse suggests cold. Sweating is characteristic of wind-induced ailments, while its absence is characteristic of cold-induced ones. This is the simplest method to differentiate between wind and cold syndromes. Go on, feel the child's neck and under his armpit."
Wu Buwei did as instructed, touching the child's skin. On the other side, the child's grandmother also reached out to feel him.
"What did you find?"
"It's damp; he's sweating."
"Your examination wasn't thorough enough. Be more careful next time. When you go back today, review the Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases. I'll test you on Friday."
Du Heng paused for a moment, then said to the child's mother and grandmother, "The child has internal heat depression, so his pores are often open, making him susceptible to pathogenic wind..."
Seeing their somewhat bewildered expressions, he explained, "The child has internal heat, which keeps his pores constantly open. The slightest breeze or chill can make him fall ill."
Then, he gestured towards the quilt and blanket he had just pulled off. "Don't let the child get too hot or too cold. A moderate temperature is best. Dress him in what you wear, in the same number of layers. And when the weather is clear and not windy, take him out more often. Let him breathe fresh air; it will also improve his constitution."
The child's mother nodded, agreeing with Du Heng. However, her mother-in-law at home had different ideas. She was the one who decided how much the child should wear, whether he could go outside, and for how long.
Now, hearing Du Heng's words, she looked towards her mother-in-law.
The child's grandmother, however, paid no mind to this and asked Du Heng directly, "Doctor, is it difficult to treat?"
Du Heng shook his head. "Not difficult. It can be treated by using scutellaria and coptis to clear fire, supplemented by measures to disperse wind."
Glancing at the bedside table, which held no baby bottle but only some daily necessities, Du Heng guessed the child hadn't been weaned yet. "The child is too young, and a cold isn't a major issue, so Acupuncture won't be necessary."
He then looked at the child's mother and asked, "The child hasn't been weaned yet, right?"
The child's mother flushed. She felt that she and Du Heng were about the same age, and it was somewhat embarrassing to be asked such a question by a peer. Lowering her head, she said softly, "Not yet. His grandmother said breast milk is nutritious and suggested weaning him when he's two years old."
"That's too long. A child this age should be eating some solid food. Since he hasn't been weaned, I'll give you a fast-acting prescription."
He called out to Wu Buwei, who was standing by silently, "Buwei, note down the prescription and prepare the medicine."
"Yes, Senior Brother," Wu Buwei replied, taking an ever-ready notepad and pen from his pocket.
"Nine grams of marsdenia, three grams of cinnabar, seven units of oil-removed semen crotonis pulveratum. Grind them all together into a powder."
"Noted, Senior Brother."
"Then hurry up and prepare it."
Du Heng ignored Wu Buwei and said to the child's mother, "Once the powdered medicine is ready, mix it with breast milk for the child. Use only two li at a time, twice a day. Do you understand clearly?"
The child's mother nodded quickly, but the child's grandmother frowned and stood up. "Excuse me, Doctor, I've heard that cinnabar is poisonous. My grandson is so young; can he take it?"
"All medicines have some toxicity, and the side effects of Western medicine are not insignificant either. I am a doctor; we choose medications carefully. Using such a small dose is not a problem. Your grandson has pneumonia, and the purpose of using cinnabar is to kill bacteria and for relieveing uneasiness of mind."
The child's grandmother nodded, though it was unclear if she truly understood or was just pretending. In any case, Du Heng would answer any questions she had. He wouldn't tell her directly that all three ingredients were actually poisonous, and quite toxic at that.
"Then how much exactly is two li?"
"See that soup spoon there? Just a tiny bit on the very tip of that spoon." After saying this, Du Heng still felt a bit uneasy and added, "How about this: when the medicine is ready, come and get me. I'll show you how much two li is, so you'll know for next time."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Alright, you can look after the child now. Remember this time, don't bundle him up so much."
"Understood."