During the Chinese New Year, Li Xu had gone back with Song Sisi for a visit.

He had even brought a gift to visit her third uncle.

So, of course, the uncle knew who Li Xu was.

He also knew that Li Xu was a skilled doctor.

When he was previously diagnosed with gallstones, his first instinct was to see a Western doctor.

When he received Song Sisi’s call, her third uncle asked in confusion, "Can traditional Chinese medicine even treat gallstones?"

"Of course it can. Chinese medicine can treat anything Western medicine can, and it can even treat the things Western medicine can’t," Song Sisi said. "Uncle, you should just come over and have a look."

"Alright then. I’ll find some time to make a trip over in a few days."

"Then it’s settled. You have to promise you’ll come."

Song Sisi urged him again and again.

After picking the Stone Flower, the two of them spent half the day wandering the mountain.

The spring sun was neither too hot nor too cold, and its warmth on their skin was very pleasant.

Around noon, they returned to the clinic with the Stone Flower.

They had lunch at the neighboring Songjiang Noodle House.

In the afternoon, Li Xu carefully washed the Stone Flower, then spread it out in a well-ventilated area to let it sun-dry naturally.

Once the Stone Flower was completely dry, its medicinal properties would be more stable.

As luck would have it, the day after the Stone Flower finished drying, Song Sisi’s third uncle arrived at the clinic, looking weary from his journey.

"Uncle," Song Sisi greeted him enthusiastically. "You’re finally here."

"Sisi, this clinic has been open for quite a few years, hasn’t it?"

Her uncle looked around, his eyes full of curiosity. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Yes, it’s been open since my father’s time."

Li Xu chimed in.

After some pleasantries, they invited his uncle to sit down.

"Uncle, please tell me about your current condition," Li Xu said.

The uncle nodded and said, "About a month ago, our village organized physicals, and the results showed three stones in my gallbladder. The largest is 11 by 0.3 millimeters. At the time, the hospital doctor recommended I have minimally invasive surgery to remove the gallbladder, saying it would get rid of the problem for good."

He paused, then continued, "I didn’t feel any discomfort at the time, so I didn’t think much of it. But after a few days, I started feeling some discomfort in my side, a dull ache. I went back to the hospital for an ultrasound, and the results showed the stones were still there and hadn’t grown. The doctor gave me the same recommendation: have it removed. But it’s an organ, you know? I really don’t want to have it cut out."

"How large were the stones?"

Li Xu asked again to confirm.

"There are three. The largest is 11 by 0.3 millimeters," his uncle added.

"Have you felt anything else on a daily basis?" Li Xu asked.

"Not really. Just some discomfort these past three or five days. When I had the ultrasound, they said my gallbladder and liver are both in good condition," his uncle said.

Li Xu was speechless after hearing the uncle’s story.

’Advising a patient to have surgery so rashly seems a bit inappropriate.’

’The patient isn’t showing any obvious symptoms, the ultrasound shows his gallbladder’s structure and function are fine, and the stones aren’t even that large.’

’With no clear symptoms or complications, why rush to remove one of the body’s important organs?’

’Removing the gallbladder might solve the stone problem for now,’

’but it would negatively affect his digestion, leading to issues like indigestion and diarrhea. It could even cause stones to recur in the bile duct.’

"Let me take your pulse first."

Li Xu extended his hand, placed his fingers on the uncle’s wrist, and focused on reading his pulse.

He closed his eyes, feeling the rhythm of his patient’s pulse as various diagnostic pulse patterns came to mind.

A moment later, Li Xu drew back his hand, having already reached a conclusion.

"Uncle, you drink too much, which has damaged your liver function. On top of that, you don’t drink enough water, leading to excessive damp-heat in your body and poor circulation."

Li Xu continued slowly, "From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, the most basic requirement for good health is unobstructed circulation. As the saying goes, ’Free flow, no pain; no flow, pain.’ Wherever your circulation is blocked, that’s where problems will arise. Your gallstones are caused by damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder, as well as qi stagnation and blood stasis."

"Boss, can you cure him?" Song Sisi asked, a little worried.

Li Xu reassured her, "Sisi, don’t worry. Your uncle does have gallstones, but they aren’t large and haven’t caused any serious blockages or inflammation. Plus, his gallbladder function is good, so this is well within the scope of what Chinese medicine can treat. I’ll prepare a prescription with the Stone Flower, combined with other herbs to invigorate blood circulation, remove stasis, and clear damp-heat. I’m confident we’ll see results soon."

There weren’t many other patients in the clinic at the moment.

Li Xu personally prepared the prescription for Sisi’s uncle.

He took a large bag of the dried Stone Flower and compounded it with other medicinal herbs: Gold Coin Grass, Chicken Gallbladder, Sea Gold Sand, Curcuma root, Chaihu, and Huang Qin.

Each of these herbs served a specific purpose. Gold Coin Grass and Sea Gold Sand would promote urination to help expel the stones;

Chicken Gallbladder would aid digestion, improve gastrointestinal function, and help break down the stones;

Curcuma root and Chaihu would soothe the liver and regulate qi, promoting circulation and invigorating the blood;

and Huang Qin would clear heat and eliminate dampness.

He divided the prepared herbs into seven packets, wrapped them in paper, and handed them to the uncle. "Uncle, take these with you. Boil one packet in water each day and drink it. Come back for a follow-up in seven days. While you’re on this medication, you must abstain from alcohol, drink plenty of water, and maintain a light diet. Avoid anything greasy or spicy."

The uncle took the packets. "Thank you, Xiao Xu. Next time you’re back in the village, you have to come over for a meal. Oh, right, how much do I owe you?"

Li Xu smiled. "Just ten will be fine."

’If this were any other kind of business, he would have done it for free for such a close relative.’

’But treating an illness was different.’

’He could charge a smaller fee, but he couldn’t charge nothing at all.’

’In the culture of traditional Chinese medicine, treating someone for free was considered taboo.’

’The ancients believed that a doctor who didn’t charge for treatment might end up shouldering the patient’s ’sickness qi’ and karmic debt.’

’It could also lead to the patient not respecting the doctor.’

"This... that’s too little."

The uncle hesitated. "Just charge me what it’s supposed to cost."

Li Xu waved his hand. "It’s just a token gesture. Please, don’t be a stranger."

"Alright then. Thank you, Xiao Xu."

"You’re welcome, Uncle. Take the medicine as prescribed, and call me if anything changes."

Li Xu walked his uncle to the door, giving him a few more reminders.

After seeing Song Sisi’s uncle off, the clinic grew quiet again.

Li Xu returned to the consultation room and organized some medicinal herbs.

Then, another patient arrived.

The clinic door swung open, and two men in their fifties walked inside.

The man in the lead was powerfully built and looked hale and hearty. It was Tang Huaiqing, a Western medicine doctor from the health clinic on the next street over.

He was carefully supporting the man next to him as they entered the consultation room.

This man looked much older than Tang Huaiqing. He was stooped and hunched over, and his steps were unsteady.

Just as he entered, he let out a series of sneezes—"ACHOO! ACHOO!"—and his nose began to run. His breathing was shallow, and he appeared extremely weak.

"Xiao Li, sorry to bother you today."

Tang Huaiqing said with a wry smile, "This is my old comrade-in-arms, Old Zheng. I’m at my wit’s end with this chronic issue of his, so I had no choice but to bring him to you and see what you can do."

Li Xu quickly stood up and gestured to a nearby chair. "Uncle Tang, you’re being too polite. Sir, please have a seat."

Tang Huaiqing carefully helped Old Zheng into the chair. Old Zheng wiped his nose with a handkerchief and gave Li Xu an apologetic smile.