Jiang Fei followed closely behind Lin Moli and the nurse, observing the situation from a distance. With his keen hearing, he could clearly hear the argument between the braided man and Liu Zhihong, Wang Xueyi’s explanation to Lin Moli, and even the weak voice of the old man and his younger son, Sangzhu.
From this, Jiang Fei had a good understanding of what had caused the so-called “trouble.”
At the same time, Jiang Fei had already observed the old man’s complexion from afar, using the “observation” and “listening” aspects of traditional Chinese medicine’s “inspection, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking.” He had a rough idea of the old man’s condition.
Now that Jiang Fei’s medical skills had reached Level 7, although he wasn’t yet an invincible miracle doctor, he had surpassed renowned physicians like Qin Zhengming. He didn’t always need to take a patient’s pulse to diagnose them. Sometimes, just a glance was enough to reveal the problem.
“So, you’re Dr. Jiang?” the braided man asked, glaring at Jiang Fei. He had broken free from the other patients who were holding him back. However, perhaps because Jiang Fei was smiling and seemed friendly, he didn’t immediately resort to insults or violence.
“Yes, I’m Jiang Fei,” Jiang Fei nodded. Without wasting any more time, he turned his attention to the old man and walked over to him. “Old sir, you’re here to see a doctor, right? Please sit here, and let me take your pulse.”
Jiang Fei acted as if he couldn’t smell the indescribable, nauseating stench emanating from the old man. He didn’t frown or show any discomfort, maintaining a calm smile throughout.
It was worth noting that even during the earlier commotion, the old man and his younger son, Sangzhu, had been kept two to three meters away from everyone else. No one wanted to get close to him!
Jiang Fei’s words stunned everyone.
The old man’s elder son, Dunzhu, also looked slightly surprised. His anger subsided a bit, and he temporarily stopped confronting Liu Zhihong. Instead, he and his brother helped their father sit down as Jiang Fei had instructed.
The reason they had come to Jiang’s clinic was that they had heard of Jiang Fei’s reputation as a miracle doctor and a master of acupuncture. They had hoped to try their luck and see if there was any hope of curing their father’s illness.
But before they could even meet Jiang Fei, Liu Zhihong had already declared their father’s condition hopeless. His harsh words had led to a heated argument, nearly escalating into a fight.
“Take it easy, no rush,” Jiang Fei said gently, helping the old man adjust his chair so he could sit more comfortably. The old man was extremely weak and had difficulty moving.
This small gesture, which would have been normal for anyone with a decent heart, moved the two brothers deeply. Their eyes even welled up with tears.
It wasn’t that they were overly emotional or easily moved. It was because they had endured too much disdain, too many insults, and too many cold shoulders. They had been treated like beggars, and they had come to understand the harshness of human nature.
Jiang Fei’s simple act of kindness and his ordinary greeting made them feel like crying.
During their journey to seek medical help, they had encountered many doctors like Liu Zhihong. Each time, their identity and their father’s foul odor had caused others to treat them with contempt. They had even traveled to Beijing, spending all their savings, only to be dismissed with a few perfunctory words and cold looks.
This treatment had filled them with anger and shame. If it weren’t for their love for their father and their unwillingness to let him die, they would never have endured such humiliation.
Even the old man himself sighed softly in his heart.
“This Dr. Jiang seems different from the others. He treats me like a normal patient, without any disdain,” the old man thought as he struggled to sit down.
Once the old man was seated, Jiang Fei placed his fingers on the old man’s wrist to take his pulse.
At this point, Jiang Fei was face-to-face with the old man, and the foul odor completely enveloped him. Everyone watching—whether staff or patients—felt a deep sense of respect for Jiang Fei. His image in their minds grew even taller, and they felt ashamed of their earlier behavior.
Earlier, they had all treated the old man like a dirty, unwashed beggar. They had wanted to stay as far away from him as possible, afraid that his filth would somehow transfer to them. Their thoughts had been similar to Liu Zhihong’s.
But now, Jiang Fei, the renowned miracle doctor, didn’t hesitate to sit beside the old man, ignoring the stench and filth, and took his pulse.
Such a doctor was truly rare!
The old man’s wrist did look dirty, as if covered in grease, and his body emitted a foul odor, as if he hadn’t bathed in a long time. But the reality was different.
After taking the pulse for a while, Jiang Fei’s expression grew serious, though he still maintained a smile. “Old sir, you haven’t eaten in two days, have you? You haven’t even had water, right?”
“Yes. My father could still eat a little before, but two days ago, he couldn’t even drink water. Everything he eats or drinks, he vomits it all out!” Sangzhu quickly replied, his eyes red.
The two brothers looked at Jiang Fei with a mix of anxiety and hope, their eyes filled with expectation.
Jiang Fei nodded and said to the old man, “Old sir, please stick out your tongue so I can take a look.”
“Red tongue with a greasy coating, floating and rapid pulse, thick and sticky tongue coating, evenly spread and tightly attached to the tongue, thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges. Combined with facial swelling and a belly as large as a pregnant woman’s… this is quite troublesome,” Jiang Fei murmured as he observed the old man’s condition.
After a moment, he turned to the two brothers and said, “Please lift his shirt.”
The two brothers hesitated. They knew what their father’s body looked like under his clothes—it was horrifying.
If they removed his shirt, many people in the room would likely be unable to handle the sight and the smell, possibly even vomiting.
“Don’t worry. No one will say anything. I need to see your father’s actual condition to know how to treat him,” Jiang Fei reassured them.
Hearing that there was hope for their father’s treatment, the two brothers, though still hesitant, quickly complied. They unbuttoned the old man’s black long-sleeved shirt, revealing his chest and back.
Gasps filled the room as the old man’s swollen belly and back were exposed. Even Wang Xueyi, Gu Hao, and the other doctors, who had dealt with corpses during their university studies, were shocked by what they saw.
The old man’s chest and back were covered with thousands of red, pus-filled rashes. The sight was so intensive and horrifying that it would make anyone with trypophobia dizzy.
Many of the rashes had burst open, oozing yellow and red fluids, as if his skin had been corroded by acid. It looked like something straight out of a zombie movie!
The foul odor emanating from the old man’s body came from these oozing rashes.
So, the smell wasn’t because the old man hadn’t bathed—it was because he couldn’t wash it away!
Hearing the gasps and the sounds of people gagging, the two brothers ignored their pride and looked at Jiang Fei with desperate hope. “Dr. Jiang… can our father… be saved?”
Jiang Fei didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned to a nurse who was standing far away, avoiding looking at the old man, and said, “Bring me a box of silver needles.”
Lin Moli, unlike the others, didn’t shy away. Although she was also shocked by the old man’s condition and found the smell unbearable—as any human would—she stayed close to Jiang Fei, standing right beside him.
“I’ll get them for you,” Lin Moli said. She had been a nurse before and often assisted Jiang Fei. Even though she was now a major shareholder of the hospital and no longer worked as a nurse, she still helped Jiang Fei when he needed it.
Besides, in this situation, it would be difficult for any of the other nurses to assist Jiang Fei. They were all too frightened and repulsed by the old man’s condition.
“Two eight-inch needles, sterilized,” Jiang Fei instructed as Lin Moli quickly brought the needles.
At this point, Jiang Fei’s actions seemed even more incredible to everyone watching. The two tough Tibetan brothers were genuinely moved, their eyes red and tears welling up, though they fought to hold them back.
Even the old man was on the verge of tears.
Because Jiang Fei was now using his bare hands to massage several acupoints on the old man’s swollen, rash-covered belly, which was oozing foul-smelling fluids.
He wasn’t wearing gloves. He was touching the old man’s skin directly with his fingers!
