Chapter 59 Recovery

Li Yancheng had no idea what was happening to Cai Yihe. At that moment, he had just finished removing the acupuncture needles from Luo Yang’s body.

"You should know best in your heart whether there is any effect."

Li Yancheng said this while wiping the removed acupuncture needles with an alcohol cotton ball.

Luo Yang, sitting on the edge of the bed and straightening his clothes, could no longer hide the excitement on his face.

"Yes, of course I know. Yancheng, I..."

"Are you going to ask when you can resume marital relations?"

"Uh... Hehe... Yes..."

"Tonight."

"Ah? Re... Really?" Luo Yang looked at Li Yancheng’s back in disbelief. Happiness had arrived so suddenly that he could not believe his ears.

"Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you about this?" Li Yancheng turned his head and glanced at Luo Yang, who had finished dressing.

"However..."

"However what?"

"However, do not overdo it. I will write you a new prescription shortly. Starting tomorrow, stop taking the previous medicine. Take the medicine I am about to prescribe for you continuously for one month, and come back to me for a follow-up examination after a month. During this month, strictly limit marital relations to once every three days."

Putting down the needle pouch in his hand, Li Yancheng turned around and gave the instruction with a very serious expression.

Luo Yang nodded solemnly.

"By the way, Yancheng, does this mean I am completely cured?"

"More or less. You just need to come back for regular follow-up appointments later."

"Then can I go see other doctors for a second opinion?"

"Of course, that is your freedom." Li Yancheng nodded indifferently.

This was not something that needed to be kept secret.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but... once our family's elders find out, they will definitely make me get another check-up so they can rest assured."

"Don't worry, Luo Yang, I won't overthink it."

Seeing that Luo Yang went out of his way to explain why he wanted to see other doctors, Li Yancheng smiled and shook his head. Then he walked behind the desk, sat down, picked up the fountain pen on the table, and began to write a new prescription on the paper.

Luo Yang also walked over, leaned forward, and asked, "Yancheng, can other doctors look at the prescription you wrote?"

"That's fine too. There is nothing confidential about my prescription. It's just an ordinary formula for conditioning the body. The vast majority of traditional Chinese medicine doctors know it; the only difference lies in the dosage of each herb based on our respective experiences."

Six herbs—a simple and straightforward formula for conditioning the body—was written down very quickly.

Li Yancheng handed the prescription to Luo Yang.

"I have only one small condition."

"Go ahead."

"Don't tell anyone who cured you."

???

Luo Yang looked at Li Yancheng with a puzzled expression, unable to understand why he would propose such a condition.

Seeing the question in his eyes, Li Yancheng smiled slightly, picked up a cigarette from the table to light one, and motioned for Luo Yang to sit down in the chair nearby. Once Luo Yang sat down, he began to explain.

"I never had any desire for fame and fortune; I just want to live a quiet life. If the doctors who treated you before find out that you were cured in such a short period of time, what do you think they will do?"

Without waiting for Luo Yang to reply, Li Yancheng answered his own question.

"They will definitely come over to take a look—to see what the doctor who cured your illness looks like and who his master was. I don't like being watched and admired like a monkey in a zoo, nor am I interested in acknowledging a bunch of seniors and acting subservient whenever I meet someone. So..."

Saying this, Li Yancheng spread his hands.

"I understand what you mean." Luo Yang nodded. "However, Yancheng, I personally think this is a great opportunity for you to boost your reputation. Those doctors who knew about my condition—leaving aside the Western medicine doctors—the traditional Chinese medicine doctors among them are all very prestigious figures in the TCM community. If you can win their appreciation, it will be of great help to your future."

"Heh, Luo Yang, you've misunderstood one thing."

"What is it?"

"Although I used traditional Chinese medicine methods to cure your illness, I am a Western medicine doctor, and my grandfather was also a Western medicine doctor. Our traditional Chinese medicine has no lineage, and the old seniors in the TCM community won't fancy someone like me. Therefore, they might not appreciate me, and I don't want to invite trouble for myself. Furthermore, I must mention that this morning your friend Su Xiaotong suggested that I transfer to the Public Security Hospital, saying that you thought so too. After going back, I considered it and decided against it. I think our First Hospital is quite good, and I will continue working right here. Please help me thank Xiaotong when you see him."

"That's not a problem at all. When Xiaotong and I were having lunch today, we talked about this matter. He even said that you might not agree to go, but whether you go or not doesn't really matter—it was just a suggestion on our part. As for the condition you mentioned, don't worry, I will definitely keep it a secret for you."

"Thank you."

"No, the one who should be saying thank you is me."

After pondering for a moment, Luo Yang continued, "Yancheng, although I don't understand medicine, because of my own illness, I have read several medical books, including the ancient TCM texts I mentioned to you before. I found that your medical treatment methods are very different from those of other TCM doctors. I am not qualified to judge whether they are good or bad, but the effect on me was extremely obvious, and I have my own judgment. I think since your medical skills are so brilliant, shouldn't you expand your reputation?"

"I don't have that kind of ambition." Li Yancheng waved his hands quickly. "Please don't bring me trouble. I'm doing quite fine just like this. When I'm at work and patients come to me, I will do my absolute best to treat them. As for fame, I don't care about it at all."

Are you kidding? At a time like this, the greater the fame, the more trouble follows. He definitely didn't want any fame.

"You, oh you... Why is your mindset so... Sigh, I don't even know how to describe it. But I always feel... Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. This is your choice, and I respect your choice."

Luo Yang shook his head helplessly. "Let's make one thing clear first: if I ever need your help with anything in the future, you must help me."

"As long as it's within my power and doesn't violate laws or discipline, I will definitely help."

"With those words from you, I can rest easy."

As he spoke, Luo Yang reached into his pocket, took out a stack of ration coupons, and placed them on the table.

"This is my consultation fee. Compared to you curing my illness, it's not much, but it's a token of my appreciation. If I ever need your services again in the future, the appropriate consultation fee will still be paid."

Looking at the stack of coupons on the table, Li Yancheng raised an eyebrow.

Not much? That was far too modest.

That stack contained at least a hundred catties of grain coupons, equivalent to his ration quota for three months. If taken to the black market to sell, it could fetch two or three hundred yuan. It was certainly not a small amount, and he was quite satisfied with it.

"Alright."