novelraw Chapter 368 - 334: I Can Learn It
Chapter 368 - 334: I Can Learn It
Lu Jiu TCM Hospital.
Department of Rare and Complex Diseases, Doctor’s Office.
Lu Jiu is off today, and on duty in the clinic of the Department of Rare and Complex Diseases is An Xianda.
Today, Lu Jiu is responsible for looking after a child, who is none other than Jiang Zeshen from their class.
After agreeing to reward Jiang Zeshen with a day at the hospital for an internship, Lu Jiu went home with him to discuss with his grandparents whether he could take Jiang Zeshen with him on one of the weekend days.
Jiang Zeshen’s grandparents agreed very readily.
They even felt one day wasn’t enough and suggested that Lu Jiu take him for two days.
After all, in Jianghan, Lu Jiu is considered somewhat of a local celebrity.
Almost everyone in the community knows Lu Jiu.
Jiang Zeshen’s grandparents, upon learning that Lu Jiu was their grandson’s Chinese medicine teacher, often chatted about it with people in the community.
Now that Lu Jiu is teaching their grandson Chinese medicine, the old couple couldn’t be happier.
With the elderly couple’s approval, Lu Jiu brought Jiang Zeshen to the hospital.
Jiang Zeshen wasn’t particularly curious about the hospital.
Because when he was a child, he often got sick, and his parents would bring him to the hospital for treatment.
But at that time, every time he got sick, his parents would be in a particularly bad mood, sometimes even arguing directly at the hospital.
Afterwards, he became especially afraid of getting sick. If he caught a cold and felt unwell, he would endure it as much as possible. Even if he really wanted to cough, he would hold it in softly to avoid being noticed by his parents.
That way, he didn’t have to go to the hospital, and his parents wouldn’t get angry and argue because of his illness.
"How is it, Jiang Zeshen, does the smell of Chinese medicine bother you?" Lu Jiu asked with a smile.
Since the hospital has a service for brewing herbal medicine, the strong smell of traditional medicine can be detected as soon as one enters.
Although they, as doctors, were used to it, many patients would express that it wasn’t very pleasant.
"A little bit," Jiang Zeshen replied.
Lu Jiu laughed and said, "Studying Chinese medicine isn’t just about learning from books, you have to experience it yourself. Tasting medicine is one of the stages; we not only have to smell, look, and finally taste, but also feel the changes of the herbal medicine within our bodies."
"When I was a kid, I often had various herbal medicines, sometimes to the point of having diarrhea."
Jiang Zeshen asked, "Was it uncomfortable?"
Lu Jiu chuckled, "Not really, the doses were quite small, and the herbal medicines could be excreted, so they wouldn’t have any negative impact on the body."
Jiang Zeshen nodded, then glanced out the door, "Teacher, I find your hospital seems a bit different."
Oh?
Lu Jiu asked, "How is it different?"
Jiang Zeshen pointed to some patients walking outside the door, "They’re all smiling."
Smiling?
Lu Jiu didn’t quite understand what Jiang Zeshen meant, "Smiling is normal, isn’t it?"
Jiang Zeshen shook his head, "I’ve been to hospitals where people never smile; they all have apathetic, painful expressions, and no one smiles."
"They are different; their expressions aren’t numb or clueless, but rather relaxed, and they unconsciously smile while talking, as if coming here doesn’t make them anxious."
Is the observation really that detailed?
Lu Jiu had never paid attention to the emotions patients displayed when coming to the hospital.
But after Jiang Zeshen mentioned it, he thought back and realized that most patients, after coming to Lu Jiu TCM Hospital, apart from the discomfort from their illnesses, indeed didn’t seem overly anxious.
Only those with extremely urgent cases or their families would behave otherwise.
Most patients were just as Jiang Zeshen described, very relaxed.
This might be the effect of a good reputation!
People believe that when they come to Lu Jiu TCM Hospital, they will get better, so they psychologically have the upper hand, leading to less fear of their diseases.
Naturally, this state of mind prevents fear that their illness won’t improve.
For the hospital, this is actually a very powerful hidden advantage.
Because emotions can cause, as well as cure, illness.
If coming to Lu Jiu TCM Hospital instills in patients a mindset that they can absolutely defeat their illnesses, then even before treatment starts, they’re already halfway cured.
For the diagnosing doctors, it also makes their efforts more effective.
Lu Jiu had never thought in this direction before. Now, with Jiang Zeshen’s insight, he suddenly realized that Lu Jiu TCM Hospital seemed to play an invisible guiding role like a beacon.
"Not bad, your observation of things is quite keen. It seems you’re naturally suited to learning Chinese medicine. Do you have the confidence to learn well?" Lu Jiu praised.
In fact, Lu Jiu had previously noticed that Jiang Zeshen was quite precocious.
To be honest, being precocious isn’t necessarily a good thing for a child.
Because precocity means his inner world is already very rich, and with a rich inner world inevitably comes special external experiences.
Of course, Lu Jiu didn’t probe too deeply.
He didn’t want to satisfy his curiosity with words buried deep in the child’s heart.
On the contrary, he hoped the child could show a youthful heart in front of him.
"I do!" Jiang Zeshen was extremely delighted by Lu Jiu’s encouragement.
Ever since he read the "Five Viscera Comics," he had fallen in love with Chinese medicine.
Though he also harbored a fixation on his parents’ divorce, through learning, he developed a strong interest in Chinese medicine.
Perhaps for others, studying Chinese medicine might seem arduous, but not for him. The more he read, the more he liked it, and the happier he became.
Aside from the "Five Viscera Comics," he read the textbooks multiple times, to the point where he could recite some passages by heart.
A child’s memory is not something to be underestimated.
"Oh? Dr. Lu, why did you bring a child with you today? Whose child is this?"
"Watch what you’re saying, this child is at least ten years old, surely not Dr. Lu’s."
"When did I say it was Dr. Lu’s?"
"Didn’t you?"
"I think you have a problem with your ears; maybe Dr. Lu should give you a few acupuncture needles to fix it."
"..."
Some familiar patients who knew Lu Jiu couldn’t help but tease when they saw Lu Jiu with Jiang Zeshen outside the office.
Lu Jiu, caught between laughter and tears, casually responded with a few words to send them away.
"Here, giving you a book." Lu Jiu took out a copy of "Great Success in Acupuncture" from the drawer, "This is a very famous work in Chinese medicine. Take it home to study by yourself. It’s best to memorize all the meridians and acupoints; the other knowledge can wait to be understood in depth."
For a newcomer to Chinese medicine, the best book to start with is "Great Success in Acupuncture."
Because only by understanding the meridians and acupoints can one have the foundation to learn formulas and herbal medicine.
Otherwise, if you can’t even grasp the meridians, you won’t be able to visualize which herbs travel along which paths in the mind, making it impossible to remember clearly.
If you can’t remember these, how can you match acupoints or formulate prescriptions?
Chinese medicine is difficult enough to learn; without a methodology, relying solely on rote memorization makes it even harder.
Lu Jiu intends to cultivate Jiang Zeshen by clearing all obstacles in his path to learning, but the extent to which he can learn in the end depends on himself.
Seeing the thick book in his hand, Jiang Zeshen was immediately drawn to it.
He opened a few pages and skimmed through them, "Teacher, this seems different from the textbook."
Lu Jiu chuckled, "Of course, this is more difficult than the textbook, and you might not understand some of the phrases. If you want to give up, you can tell me now."
Give up?
Jiang Zeshen hugged the book to his chest, "I won’t!"
"I can learn it!"
...