Chapter 819: Improvement?

Chapter 819: Chapter 819: Improvement?

"You’re saying that Ju Jiahong proposed using 100 grams, while Li Xu insisted on 250 grams?"

Wang Chuyun held his covered teacup, a gleam of interest flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah, the conference room practically exploded." Wang Xue sighed. "Even though Director Ju ultimately compromised at 150 grams, everyone still thought Li Xu was out of his mind. Half a catty of plaster—is that something you can prescribe so casually?"

Hearing this, Wang Chuyun didn’t look surprised. Instead, he let out a long sigh. The sigh was filled with the weight of his years, yet it carried a trace of relieved joy.

"Grandpa, why are you sighing?" Wang Xue was puzzled. "Do you actually think Li Xu was right? But it’s just the difference between 150 grams and 250 grams. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Xiaoxue, this isn’t just a difference of a few dozen grams." Wang Chuyun set down his teacup, his gaze deepening. "That boy, Li Xu, has truly grasped the tail of the ’White Tiger.’ Ju Jiahong lost—not only in courage but in his assessment of the illness’s ’momentum.’"

"Huh? Director Ju hasn’t even administered the medication yet, and you’re already certain he lost?" Wang Xue asked in surprise.

"Because in the eyes of truly elite doctors, Li Xu’s skill level and Ju Jiahong’s skill level are simply no longer in the same league." Wang Chuyun stood up and paced over to the window. "Ju Jiahong comes from a prestigious lineage; he learned to follow the rules and seeks stability. His 150 grams is built on a tug-of-war between ’experience’ and ’fear.’ Li Xu’s 250 grams, however, is based on an absolute insight into the scorching, metal-melting heat within the patient’s body."

"Then why didn’t Li Xu fight harder for his stance?" Wang Xue pursed her lips. "If he felt it wasn’t enough, what if the patient’s treatment is delayed?"

Wang Chuyun chuckled, turning to look fondly at his granddaughter. "The patient belongs to Ju Jiahong and is staying at Renmin Hospital. In that kind of environment, no one can persuade Ju Jiahong when he holds the position of ’authority.’

"Furthermore, although the high fever of the Yangming Meridian syndrome is acute, as long as the White Tiger Decoction is administered, there will be no immediate threat to the patient’s life.

"Li Xu spoke his mind, and in doing so, he fulfilled his duty as a doctor.

"As for fighting harder... heh, in medical disputes, sometimes you just need reality to deliver a slap to the face. Once the medication is taken, the results will speak for themselves. If Ju Jiahong is smart, he’ll realize his own superficiality by tomorrow."

What Wang Chuyun didn’t say aloud was that the patient’s family would undoubtedly place more trust in Ju Jiahong, a chief physician at Renmin Hospital, rather than Li Xu.

Li Xu understood this perfectly, which was why he chose to stop while he was ahead.

At Renmin Hospital’s traditional Chinese medicine ward.

Ju Jiahong hadn’t changed his mind just because of Li Xu’s questioning. Upon returning to the hospital, he immediately verified the herbs himself and arranged for the pharmacy to brew a dose of White Tiger Decoction containing 150 grams of raw gypsum. Only after watching the patient take the medicine did he return to his office to rest, looking slightly exhausted.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Ju Jiahong didn’t even bother eating breakfast before rushing straight to the ward with Liu Haohui.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Ju Jiahong’s eyes lit up.

The patient, who had been curled up and restless from the high fever the previous day, was now sitting upright on the edge of the bed. She held a steamed bun in her hand, slowly eating her breakfast.

"Director Ju, you’re here!"

Seeing Ju Jiahong, the patient’s husband stood up excitedly, his face full of gratitude. "It’s a miracle, a real miracle! Two hours after taking the medicine last night, my wife’s fever started to break. She slept soundly through the night, and when she woke up this morning, she was full of energy."

Ju Jiahong stepped forward and felt the patient’s forehead. Although it was still slightly warm, the scalding heat had indeed vanished.

"Does your head still ache? Do you still feel restless?" Ju Jiahong asked after checking her pulse.

"My head doesn’t really hurt anymore, just a little dizzy. I feel much more comfortable inside—not like the past two days where I wanted to bash my head against a wall," the patient replied with a smile, though her voice still sounded somewhat hoarse.

Ju Jiahong checked her tongue coating and found that the previously dry, red surface was showing signs of producing fluids. Although her pulse was still forceful, it was no longer surging like raging waves as it had been yesterday.

"Good. It seems that increasing the dosage was indeed the right remedy." Ju Jiahong let out a long breath of relief and turned to look at Liu Haohui behind him, a smile playing on his lips. "Dr. Liu, look. The effects of the 150 grams of plaster are already showing."

Liu Haohui stepped forward to take a look as well and nodded. "Yes, it appears the symptoms have indeed eased significantly for now."

When Ju Jiahong walked out of the ward, his steps were noticeably lighter.

In the hallway, he said to Liu Haohui, "While dosage is crucial in traditional Chinese medicine, we can’t blindly pursue large amounts. Li Xu’s claim that we needed 250 grams was just grandstanding.

"If 150 grams can achieve the goal, why use such an aggressive prescription that would damage the stomach’s qi?"

Liu Haohui remained silent for a moment. He didn’t follow along and flatter Ju Jiahong like he usually would. Looking at Ju Jiahong’s restored confidence, his mind wandered to the various medical miracles performed by Li Xu that Liu Haodong had recounted to him.

He opened his mouth but ultimately only said, "Since she’s recovering well, let’s observe the follow-up for now."

Ju Jiahong keenly noticed the lukewarm attitude from Liu Haohui. He felt a twinge of disappointment. He had expected Liu Haohui to praise his brilliant decision-making and simultaneously belittle Li Xu’s arrogance, yet to his surprise, Liu Haohui remained entirely objective.

Ju Jiahong thought to himself, "Hmph, facts speak louder than words. Once the patient’s fever completely breaks this afternoon, I’d like to see how Li Xu tries to defend his absurd ’half a catty of plaster’ theory in the group chat."

At the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Li Xu was leading Li Lin on ward rounds.

"Teacher Li, I heard from my classmates at Renmin Hospital that the high-fever patient’s temperature went down today," Li Lin said, fiddling with his phone and reading the real-time intel sent privately by his peers. "Her restlessness has eased, and she can even sit up and eat now.

"Ju Jiahong is currently stealing the spotlight in their department. Everyone is saying his 150 grams of plaster saved the day. What do you think, senior?"

Li Xu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Li Lin. "What do you think?"

Li Lin froze for a second, then furrowed his brows and analyzed, "The patient’s illness has dragged on for a long time, and this isn’t the first time her high fever has relapsed. Previously, when he used a light dose of Cinnamon Soup, it was also effective immediately but relapsed the very next day. This proves that the pathogen is hidden deep within her body and its momentum is incredibly fierce."

He paused, recalling Li Xu’s teachings from the day before, and continued. "I think the current ’improvement’ is likely only temporary. Although the 150 grams of plaster suppressed the heat, it’s like throwing a single basin of water onto a roaring charcoal fire. On the surface, the flames are out and the smoke has lessened, but if the core ’momentum’ of the burning embers isn’t completely extinguished, the lurking pathogen will resurge as soon as the medication’s effects wear off or the environment changes slightly.

"Furthermore..." Li Lin’s eyes lit up. "In traditional Chinese medicine, there’s a saying: ’The first drumbeat rouses the spirit, the second weakens it, and the third depletes it.’ If the first dose fails to establish an overwhelming advantage, the pathogen will adapt to the intensity of the ’150 grams.’ Once it develops resistance or mutates into a variant syndrome, the subsequent battles will be even harder to fight."