Chapter Seventeen: Seeking a Doctor

"Brother Zhou, how did you score the people you don't know?"

As soon as the forms were collected and Zhou Guotao returned, Li Yancheng hurriedly asked the question.

"How else? I gave everyone I didn't know a zero."

"Zero? You're even harsher than I am!"

"Huh?" Zhou Guotao was stunned. "Then how did you score them?"

"The maximum score is ten. Aside from Director Yang and Dean Liu, I gave everyone else two or three points. There was one person I heard was sent down from the county for a temporary post, so I gave him a six."

"Hiss..." Hearing this, Old Zhou grimaced as if he had a toothache.

"I’ve been set up by the guy who handed me the form. He told me to give a zero to anyone I didn't know."

They were here as part of a medical support mission and would be heading back in a few days. They didn't want to offend anyone, but now it seemed that avoiding offense was impossible. Although the scoring was supposed to be anonymous, everyone knew how things really worked around here. The two or three points Li Yancheng gave were effectively the same as a zero, as both were failing grades.

However, since it was already done, there was no point in dwelling on it. The two men soon put the matter out of their minds and, taking advantage of a lull in patients, returned to their studies.

Just before they were set to leave in the afternoon, the young man who had distributed the forms to Li Yancheng at noon came looking for him again.

"Dr. Li, could I have a word with you in private?" As soon as the young man arrived, he made this request.

Hearing this, Zhou Guotao closed his book and stood up.

"Yancheng, you two talk. I'll head to the canteen to see what's for dinner." With that, he walked out of the clinic.

Li Yancheng looked at the young man with some confusion and gestured toward the chair reserved for patients.

"Please sit. Is there something you wanted to discuss... did I have a problem with my scoring this afternoon?"

"No, no, that has nothing to do with it. It’s... it’s a personal matter."

"A personal matter? Please, go ahead."

Hearing that it was a personal matter, Li Yancheng grew even more puzzled. He was certain he didn't know this man, and if they were strangers, how could there be a personal matter?

"Er..."

When the moment finally came to speak, the young man seemed unsure of how to begin, stammering for a long while without getting a word out. His hesitation led Li Yancheng to guess at a possibility, so he decided to ask directly.

"Comrade, are you looking to see me as a patient?"

"Er... yes."

"Is it that kind of illness?"

What kind? It was clearly a man’s unspeakable secret. Although the words weren't explicit, the young man clearly understood, and he gave a slightly embarrassed nod.

As for why he would come to him for such an illness, Li Yancheng was quite bewildered himself, as he had never treated a man for such a condition before. Even in the memories of the body he had possessed since his arrival, there was no satisfactory experience in that regard. As for his current state, he wasn't even entirely sure yet.

"Comrade, let me ask an off-topic question: why did you decide to come to me instead of our other doctor?"

"I’ve seen many Western medicine doctors, and there’s been no improvement. Others recommended I see a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, saying that if I found a good one to balance my system, it wouldn't be a problem. Dr. Li, to be honest, I’ve seen TCM doctors too, but the results were the same. In my heart, I had already given up. I only came to you because I heard from residents in town that your medical skills are excellent and your medicine is highly effective."

Having said this, the young man smiled shyly. "If it were just one or two people saying it, I would be skeptical, but with eight or ten people saying the same thing, I figured it must be true, so I thought I'd come and give it a try."

Hearing this, Li Yancheng felt a wry smile forming deep inside. You should have asked what kind of illnesses they were talking about! How could those be the same thing? The ailments those folks had were completely unrelated to his condition. He realized that this man was simply operating with the mentality of "treating a dead horse as if it were alive."

Regardless, since he had come, he was a patient, and he would first assess the situation.

"In that case, please place your hand here and open your mouth so I can check your tongue." Li Yancheng pushed the pulse pillow on the desk toward the young man.

The tongue was pale red with a thin, yellow coating; the pulse was thin and weak, indicating a deficiency syndrome, likely caused by Yin or blood deficiency. After a brief inquiry, he quickly determined that the young man was suffering from moderate organic erectile dysfunction caused by kidney Yin deficiency.

No wonder he said he had seen TCM doctors with no success. Having progressed to this stage, relying solely on medication would require years of treatment, and he wouldn't see results in the short term. Furthermore, the treatment required strict dietary adjustments and, critically, separation from his spouse.

Dietary restrictions didn't need much emphasis, as fried, spicy, or greasy foods were already scarce in these times, making the diet naturally bland. But the requirement for spousal separation during treatment was a killer. The whole point of treating this condition was to harmonize married life; if they were to separate for a year or two, any chance of harmony would be gone.

According to the inherited memories, he could start with acupuncture, performing it for a month while supplementing with medication. After a month, the symptoms would show significant improvement, and another two months of medication would effectively cure it. But clearly, he couldn't stay here for another month.

However, if the acupuncture process couldn't be maintained, it would cause the patient harm, and the consequences... could potentially make the patient's condition worse. This was why Li Yancheng was hesitating.

Seeing him silent for a long time with his brows furrowed, the young man’s heart sank completely. This was within his expectations, so his disappointment wasn't extreme.

"Dr. Li, is my condition very serious? I’ve seen a senior doctor at the Dongzhimen TCM Hospital before, and he told me that for my condition to show improvement, it would take at least two or three years of medication, along with all sorts of restrictions."

"No, no, no."

Before the young man could finish, Li Yancheng waved his hand.

"It's not 'very serious.' As long as you follow the medical advice, the chances of a cure are very high. My treatment method is different from other TCM doctors. It won't take two or three years; at most, you'll see results within a month. However..."

These words didn't ease the young man's expression; instead, the skepticism in his eyes grew deeper. What he hadn't mentioned was that he had seen more than one or two TCM doctors, and through family connections, he had even had access to doctors most people never saw. All of them had reached similar conclusions: under strict adherence to medical advice, the best-case scenario would be seeing results in two years.

Now, this doctor, who looked to be about his age, was shortening that timeline to one month. How could he not be suspicious? At this moment, he already regretted his impulsive decision.

Seeing that Li Yancheng hadn't finished his sentence, he asked anyway: "Dr. Li, 'however' what?"