Chapter 740: Different Plans

Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Different Plans

"Hey, no, don’t, don’t."

Seeing that the nurse was really turning around to leave, Qiao Li completely panicked. Pride was nowhere near as important as her life.

"That... that medicine was really prescribed by Dean Li himself, right?" she asked, needing reassurance.

"Yes. Dean Li oversaw it personally."

Qiao Li closed her eyes and extended her arm, looking like a martyr going bravely to her death. "Do it, just do it."

Xiaozhou deftly inserted the IV needle into the older woman’s arm and adjusted the drip rate. Watching the pale yellow liquid drip into her vein, the woman still felt uneasy and asked, "Little nurse, besides this IV, I’m also getting that... traditional Chinese medicine that you drink from a bowl, right?"

Signing the IV record card, Xiaozhou replied simply, "Yes. The decoction pharmacy is still brewing it. Because your prescription is quite special, it’ll take another two or three hours before it’s delivered."

Hearing that there was a medicinal broth to drink, the fierce woman felt a little relieved. After all, in her simple understanding, traditional Chinese medicine was only genuine if it was a brewed soup that you drank. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "What kind of medicine is it? What’s it called?"

Xiaozhou glanced at the medical order record and answered truthfully, "It’s a modified prescription combining the Minor Chaihu Decoction, the Huo Pu Xia Ling Decoction, and the Rising and Falling Powder."

Then, the fierce woman turned to look at Uncle Guo next to her, and asked, "Uncle Guo, is that Chaihu Xia Ling soup thing what you were taking before too?"

Uncle Guo, who had his hands tucked into his sleeves and was happily watching the drama unfold, hadn’t expected to be dragged into it. He froze for a moment, carefully recalling the name of the medicine he drank, and said somewhat uncertainly, "I don’t think so... Nurse Xiaozhou, that wasn’t the medicine I took, was it?"

Xiaozhou, who was getting ready to push her cart away, heard this and casually replied, "No, it wasn’t. Uncle Guo, what you took was a modified combination of the Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang Extract Decoction and the Thousand Gold Reeds Decoction. It’s completely different from this sister’s."

"Oh..." Uncle Guo nodded.

But the moment the fierce woman heard this, her sensitive nerves snapped again. She immediately grew anxious and angry.

"Hey, how could you do this?

"Didn’t Director Lin say himself just now that there would be no discriminatory treatment and that he doesn’t hold grudges?

"Since we both caught the same influenza pneumonia, why does he get to take some Thousand Gold soup and get discharged soon, while I’m stuck taking this Chaihu soup?"

Uncle Guo, who had just lain down, bolted upright with a WHOOSH. He wondered if this woman was suffering from paranoia. The soap opera was hitting a new climax, ha!

Xu Huimin had been standing nearby, holding a cup and drinking water. Seeing the situation, she quickly came over to watch. Little did she know, this fire would inexplicably spread to her without any warning.

The fierce woman whipped her head around and asked loudly, "Hey, Xiaoxu, that traditional medicine you just drank yesterday, what was it called? Was it also this Chaihu soup thing?"

"Ah? I... I don’t know." Xu Huimin was taken aback by the question and scratched her head in confusion.

Normally, she couldn’t even remember the names of basic cold medicines, let alone tongue-twisting names of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. She only knew that it tasted incredibly bitter, but that it really worked.

The fierce woman grew more agitated and interrogated Nurse Xiaozhou, "Check it! Is her medicine the same as mine? Did they get IVs?"

Xiaozhou took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her rising temper. Although she was a nurse, having worked at the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for so long, she understood basic medical principles. Clinging to her patience, she tried to explain it to the woman in the simplest terms possible. "Ma’am, let go of me first. I can tell you clearly that Sister Xu’s medicine is different from yours too. Everyone’s condition and constitution are different, so the treatment plans are entirely different as well."

The fierce woman wasn’t buying it at all and retorted, "How is it different? Didn’t we all get infected with the same flu virus? Don’t we all have a fever, cough, and pneumonia? The illness is the same, so the medicine should definitely be the same! Just like how Western medicine treats a cold—don’t they all prescribe the same fever reducers and anti-inflammatory drugs?"

Xiaozhou was so angry she laughed. "Ma’am, if it were like you said, and we used the exact same treatment plan and gave everyone the exact same medicine just because it’s the same virus...

"Then why do the doctors work so hard doing ward rounds every day? Why do they check your pulse and examine your tongue over and over again?

"Our hospital might as well fire all the doctors and just have a few robots at the door handing out pills. Since everyone is the same, there wouldn’t even be a need for checkups. Just glancing at a test report and issuing a standard medical package would be enough, wouldn’t it?"

The fierce woman was left stunned by the rapid-fire questions. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to argue back.

Seeing this, Xiaozhou continued, "Ma’am, if you still think everyone is the same, then let me ask you a very realistic question.

"If everyone could use the same medicine and have it be equally effective, then why is it that when facing the same virus, some people like Uncle Guo are nearly ready to be discharged after just a few days?

"And why do others suddenly take a turn for the worse? Why do they get sent to the ICU to be intubated? Or even... why do some people die?"

The moment the word "die" was spoken, the air in the ward instantly froze. The fierce woman’s face paled, and she had no idea how to respond. That word had triggered the deepest, most hidden fears in her heart.

Xiaozhou sighed. She felt emotionally exhausted, but she still fulfilled her duty to explain. "Ma’am, traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes ’treating the same disease with different methods.’ That’s precisely because everyone’s physical foundation is different. Some people have a hot constitution, while others have a cold constitution. Moreover, the developmental stage of everyone’s illness is different—some are on the surface, while others have penetrated deep inside.

"Therefore, Dean Li and the others must implement personalized, ’targeted treatments’ based on everyone’s specific circumstances.

"Uncle Guo has damp-heat obstructing his lungs, so the Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang Extract Decoction is used to clear the heat and ventilate his lungs. You have a lesser yang half-exterior and half-interior syndrome, coupled with internal accumulation of damp-toxin, so the Minor Chaihu Decoction and dampness-resolving prescriptions are used. This is life-saving medicine tailored specifically for you, not some cheap, inferior drug.

"Also, and most importantly..."

Xiaozhou emphasized her tone. "Up until now, neither traditional Chinese medicine nor Western medicine has developed a so-called ’miracle drug’ specifically meant to conquer this year’s mutated flu virus, do you understand?

"The medicine we’re prescribing for you right now isn’t meant to kill the virus. Instead, it’s meant to help regulate your bodily functions and stimulate your own immunity to defeat the virus. This is the most suitable and responsible treatment plan we can give you at present.

"So, ma’am, stop doubting your doctors."

A hint of weariness seeped into Xiaozhou’s voice. "We have to take care of so many critically ill patients. We work around the clock every day and are truly overwhelmed. We don’t have the spare time to hold a grudge against you for what happened in the past, and we certainly don’t have the energy to scheme about which medicine is cheaper or more expensive.

"Our only goal is for you to stay alive and be discharged as soon as possible. Are you at ease now?"