In the living room, the old man was chatting with the hostess from that day, sounding quite spirited and laughing now and then. When they heard Du Heng and An Chunhui enter, both the old man and the hostess politely stood up. However, from their expressions, it was clear the hostess stood up merely out of courtesy. The old man, however, stood up with a clear hint of wanting to show off his improvement. Du Heng saw clearly that the old man could indeed stand, but not very stably; he was swaying slightly. But the old man, trying to act strong, slapped away the hostess’s outstretched hand meant to support him and remained standing there, wobbling. After An Chunhui exchanged somewhat formal pleasantries with the old man and the hostess, they began to chat, a little awkwardly. For Du Heng, they weren’t familiar with each other, and the considerable status gap between them meant there was little to discuss, leading to a slight awkwardness. An Chunhui, especially, was like a student before his head teacher when facing the old man—subdued and deferential. Although Du Heng didn’t know how influential this family was, he wasn’t seeking any favors, so he was quite relaxed and natural. But seeing his leader so ill at ease, he couldn’t bring himself to act overly confident and quickly began the old man’s check-up. After they were seated, Du Heng carefully observed the old man’s complexion. It was noticeably better than during his last visit, and his face was much rosier. "Sir, how has your appetite been?" "It’s alright. I’m eating a bit more than before." "Has the abdominal bloating improved?" "Much better. It’s not as severe as before, though it still gets uncomfortably bloated in the afternoon." Du Heng nodded slightly. The old man’s voice lacked some strength as he spoke, but his words were clear. "Sir, please lay your legs flat. I want to see if the swelling has gone down." "It has! I’ve even been able to stand these past two days." The old man was delighted. He described his condition to Du Heng with a smile, and with the caretaker’s help, he placed his legs on the sofa. The effects of the previous medicine were quite apparent. The edema in his left lower limb had completely subsided. The leg’s muscle and skin had returned to their original appearance, though they were a bit loose and saggy. The swelling in the right lower limb hadn’t completely gone down, but it had reduced by more than half, looking a full size smaller than before. "Sir, your recovery is progressing well." "Do I need a new prescription?" "If the medicine is working, we don’t change the prescription. There’s no need to change this one. I’ll add two more herbs: one is dioscorea, and the other is scorch-fried medicated leaven. Both are to address your spleen deficiency, poor appetite, and bloating. Just continue taking it." The old man nodded with a smile and casually asked, "How much longer do I need to take it?" "I’ll prescribe fourteen doses this time. Each dose should be divided and taken twice. After you finish this course of medicine, Sir, your issues should be mostly resolved." "Thank you, Doctor Du. I never thought I’d see the day I could stand again." Du Heng smiled faintly, took the prescription he had written last time, and added his new instructions below. Read complete version only at Nov3lFɪre.ɴet "Sir, your condition has just started to improve, and your legs are only slowly beginning to recover. You must keep your lower limbs warm. When it’s hot, don’t let air conditioning or fans blow directly on them. Also, it’s best not to stand for too long, like you just did. Twenty or thirty seconds is sufficient. Ordinarily, it’s best to lie flat with your legs slightly elevated. This will help with blood circulation in your lower limbs." The old man’s brow furrowed, and he muttered under his breath, "I haven’t been able to stand properly or walk even a few steps for years; it’s like being disabled. Now I have to lie flat again? This is going to drive me mad with impatience." "Sir, please don’t be impatient. Once this course of treatment is finished—that’s about half a month—I’ll give you another check-up. If there are no problems then, you can walk more and be more active. Right now, I’m advising against too much activity because the blood circulation, muscles, and meridians in your legs aren’t in good condition. Moving too much could actually slow down your recovery." The old man nodded. He was merely grumbling out of frustration from his prolonged inactivity. Du Heng handed the updated prescription back to the hostess, put away his pen, and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the old man stopped him, wanting to chat. "Doctor Du, I hear you’re working at the Health Clinic now, and you’re the Dean?" Du Heng wasn’t surprised the old man knew his background; he would have found it strange if he didn’t. However, Du Heng didn’t understand why the old man was asking this, nor did he know if he should answer. So, he subtly turned his head and glanced at An Chunhui beside him. An Chunhui had been as timid as a quail ever since they walked through the door. Seeing Du Heng’s gaze, An Chunhui took the initiative to speak. "Old Leader, Xiao Du is a real talent. Don’t let his youth fool you; his work ethic is exceptionally strong. Setting aside his medical skills for a moment, when he was first appointed Dean of the Zhonghu Health Center, Zhonghu didn’t have a single inpatient, and daily patient consultations were in the single digits. The situation was quite dire. Xiao Du was appointed Dean in May, and in just a month and a half, the Zhonghu Health Center became well-known in Jinzhou. Now, people come from all over the city every day seeking treatment from Xiao Du. They’re practically lining up. By the way, Xiao Du, how many inpatients do you have at your Health Center now?" "Over thirty patients." Du Heng felt a bit embarrassed stating this number in front of his direct superior. "We’re over capacity." The old man interjected, "Being over capacity doesn’t matter. As long as you can treat patients, and treat them well, exceeding any limit is not a problem. It’s a perfect opportunity to upgrade your Health Center." Du Heng glanced at An Chunhui and didn’t pursue the old man’s line of conversation. After chatting for a little longer, Du Heng took the initiative to bid farewell, mainly because there was genuinely nothing more to discuss. He didn’t want to discuss his personal life. They wouldn’t understand medical topics. And with his own boss sitting right beside him, talking about work was awkward whether he said much or little. It was better to leave sooner rather than later. Just as Du Heng and An Chunhui were about to get up, the door was pushed open, and a man and a woman entered. The man was slightly older and dressed casually. His overall demeanor was similar to Gong Daoyang’s, but he seemed more restrained, energetic, and upright. Gong Daoyang had always worked on the front lines, particularly in rural areas, so he carried an air of roguishness and boldness, even a hint of a ruffian. The woman looked to be in her late twenties and was wearing a police uniform; there was no need to guess her profession. She was already tall and slender, and the uniform amplified her presence, giving her a truly heroic and dashing aura as she entered. "Grandpa, are you feeling better?" the woman called out as soon as she entered, rushing straight to the old man. She gave Du Heng and An Chunhui only a cursory nod. How rude, Du Heng thought, feeling the woman looked down on them. What’s her problem? It’s not like we owe her family anything. An Chunhui also took the hint and, after saying goodbye once more, prepared to leave with Du Heng. The hostess, who had been silent until then, spoke up, "This is Doctor Du, the doctor who’s been treating Grandpa. You two, please see them out." Only then did the pair give Du Heng a proper look and say, "Thank you for your hard work." Whether it was hard work or not was irrelevant; Du Heng didn’t care in the slightest. This time, without any further delay, they opened the door and left.