Chapter 679: The Key is Good Medicine

Chapter 679: Chapter 679: The Key is Good Medicine

Du Zhen read the discussion in the group chat, and it got him thinking.

’Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory?’

’They’re incredibly famous.’

’If the herbs are really from them, the quality must be guaranteed, right?’

’The clinic is running low on herbs anyway. I’ll go take a look.’

Du Zhen immediately closed up his clinic and drove to the neighboring Feng City.

When he arrived at the sales center for Ding’s Medicinal Materials Company and saw the samples in the display cases, Du Zhen’s eyes widened in amazement.

The Danggui was glossy, plump, and intensely fragrant.

The white peony was firm, its cross-section clearly showing a chrysanthemum-like pattern at its core.

The Rehmannia Glutinosa was black as lacquer, glistening like oil, and sweet as syrup...

"Good herbs. Now *this* is what I call good herbs!"

Du Zhen was thrilled.

For a practitioner of Chinese medicine, seeing such fine herbs was like a swordsman discovering a legendary blade.

Without a second thought, he swiped his card and bought a large batch of commonly used gynecological herbs, returning to his clinic fully stocked.

Not long after he got back to his clinic, a patient walked in.

"Doctor Du, my period is irregular again."

The patient, Wang Guimei, was a woman in her thirties. Her face was sallow, and she spoke listlessly. "Doctor Du, that medicine you prescribed last time... I don’t think it did much. My period is still late, and I have this dull ache in my abdomen."

Du Zhen felt a little awkward. The last batch of herbs had indeed been subpar.

He had Wang Guimei sit down and carefully checked her pulse.

Her pulse was thready and sluggish, her tongue pale with a white coating.

"It’s the same old problem," Du Zhen said. "A deficiency of both qi and blood, combined with blood stasis. We’ll continue your treatment."

He picked up his pen and wrote out the most classic of prescriptions: the Four-Ingredient Soup.

Danggui, Chuan Xiong, white peony, and Dried Rehmannia Glutinosa.

The Four-Ingredient Soup is the foremost formula in gynecology, often called the "sacred remedy for women’s health."

Danggui nourishes and invigorates the blood, Chuan Xiong promotes the flow of qi and blood, white peony soothes the liver and preserves yin, and Rehmannia Glutinosa nourishes yin and enriches the blood.

When combined, these four herbs nourish the blood without causing stagnation and promote circulation without depleting the body’s resources. The formula is warming but not drying, nourishing but not heavy, making it perfectly suited for a patient with her kind of qi and blood deficiency.

When Wang Guimei saw it was the same prescription, she hesitated. "Doctor Du, the Four-Ingredient Soup again? I took seven doses last time, and it didn’t really do anything. I saw no improvement. Are you sure this formula is right for me?"

Du Zhen waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, it didn’t work last time because of the herbs, not the formula. That last batch... ahem, the quality was a little poor."

"This time is different. I went out of my way to get a batch of top-tier herbs from a major company. Take these home and try them. I guarantee the effect will be completely different."

Seeing how confident Doctor Du was, Wang Guimei nodded. "Alright, I’ll trust you one more time. But if this doesn’t work, I’m really not coming back again."

Wang Guimei took the herbs and went home.

Back home, she expertly prepared the decoction.

Once brewed, the soup was a deep, lustrous red, and a rich, mellow fragrance filled the house—a stark contrast to the bitter smell of the previous batches.

She drank a bowl.

「The first day.」

Not long after finishing the decoction, she felt a pleasant warmth spread through her abdomen. The dragging pain that had been a constant companion seemed to ease slightly.

That night, her hands and feet weren’t as cold as they usually were when she went to sleep.

「The second day.」

When she looked in the mirror that morning, she noticed her sallow complexion seemed a little more ruddy.

What’s more, her perpetually late period showed signs of starting. The faint pulling sensation in her lower abdomen grew more distinct, yet there was no pain.

「The third day.」

Her period came.

And this time, it wasn’t accompanied by the usual severe cramps or dark clots.

The flow was a healthy, bright red and of a normal volume. Her whole body felt clear and unobstructed, as if a great weight had been lifted from her.

"It’s a miracle. A real miracle."

Wang Guimei was ecstatic. She gazed at her improved complexion in the mirror, her heart filled with joy.

’Looks like Doctor Du wasn’t kidding. Good herbs really do make all the difference.’

...

In the office, Wang Guimei’s colleague, Lin Xiaoman, noticed her rosy complexion and couldn’t help but lean in. "Guimei," she asked curiously, "have you been taking some kind of supplement? You look so much better than you did a few days ago. It’s like you’re a completely different person."

Wang Guimei touched her cheek and smiled. "No supplements. I just got a few doses of herbs from Doctor Du’s clinic. Doctor Du is amazing! After just a few doses, not only is my period back to normal, but even the backaches I used to get are gone."

When Lin Xiaoman heard it was Doctor Du’s clinic, her brow furrowed. "Du’s? You mean that run-down little clinic on the corner? I went there for my cramps a while back. He prescribed a few doses of medicine that were horribly bitter and did absolutely nothing. It was like I hadn’t taken anything at all."

"No, no, it’s really different this time!"

Wang Guimei grabbed Lin Xiaoman’s hand and swore, "Doctor Du said the old medicine didn’t work because the herbs were bad. This time, he specially ordered a batch of top-tier herbs from a big company in Feng City! The Danggui, the Rehmannia Glutinosa... they just look different from before, so rich and glossy. I’m living proof that it works. You should go give it a try! It’s not expensive, anyway."

Lin Xiaoman was skeptical, but she couldn’t argue with Wang Guimei’s passionate recommendation. Besides, she hadn’t been feeling well herself lately, so she agreed to go check it out after work.

That evening, the two of them arrived at Doctor Du’s clinic.

Unlike its usual quietness, the clinic was bustling with several patients waiting in line. Some were waiting to have their prescriptions filled, others for a pulse diagnosis. Du Zhen was so busy he was practically running off his feet, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Well, Doctor Du, business is booming!" Wang Guimei said with a smile.

Du Zhen looked up, saw a familiar face, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Oh, you’re here! Please have a seat and wait a moment. There are still two people ahead of you."

After waiting for about twenty minutes, it was their turn.

Wang Guimei sat down first and said gratefully, "Doctor Du, thank you so much. After just three doses, I feel so much better, and the pain is gone. Do you think I should take a few more doses just to be safe?"

Doctor Du checked her pulse, then smiled and shook his head. "No need. Your pulse is stable now, and your qi and blood have been replenished. All medicine has its side effects; it’s not good to take too much. Just go home, watch your diet, and get plenty of rest."

’Who turns away paying customers these days?’

Watching from the side, Lin Xiaoman’s opinion of Doctor Du improved.

Then, Wang Guimei pulled Lin Xiaoman forward. "Doctor Du, this is my colleague. She’s been dealing with the same old problems, too. Please take a good look at her."

Doctor Du carefully diagnosed Lin Xiaoman by checking her pulse and observing her tongue, then wrote out a prescription.

As Lin Xiaoman held the packet of herbs and saw how plump and rich they looked, many of her doubts began to fade.

After a hectic day, Du Zhen finally saw off his last patient and collapsed into his chair. He was exhausted, but his heart was fuller and more satisfied than ever before.

Over the past few days, word had spread from patient to patient, and his clinic had been so busy that the doorway was practically worn down from all the foot traffic.

He sent a message to the group chat with his peers: "The herbs from Ding’s are truly incredible. Ever since I switched to this new batch, I’ve had a ton of returning patients. The results are top-notch."

Everyone quickly agreed. "Yeah, I got some too. The effect is amazing. I had a patient with chronic bronchitis who I could never fully treat, but after two doses of this new stuff, his wheezing stopped."

"This just goes to show, the survival of Chinese medicine doesn’t rest on theory alone. The key is having access to good herbs!"