Chapter 681 - 681: The Synergy and Antagonism of Food

Zhao Yuan raised a hand and pointed to the sick woman's vomit. "See for yourselves," he said. "There's undigested persimmon flesh in there."

The sick woman's husband said, "My wife loves persimmons. She happened to eat one on the way to Lakefront House."

Everyone's eyes turned to the vomit, and sure enough, they could see orange-yellow persimmon flesh within it.

The people who had been questioning him just a moment ago were instantly speechless.

This was especially true for the few who had suspected Zhao Yuan of colluding with the patient and her family to put on a show. They felt their faces burn with shame.

The feeling of being so instantly and thoroughly refuted was deeply unpleasant.

Someone, unable to stand the loss of face, complained, "This kid is nuts! He's actually studying vomit. Isn't he grossed out?"

The words had barely left his mouth when someone next to him mercilessly shot him down. "If you don't know what you're talking about, then shut up. Analyzing vomit is a valid method for diagnosing illnesses. Gross? Heh. It's precisely because doctors can stomach things like this that they're able to save patients from the clutches of the Disease Demon!"

This statement earned the agreement and support of many people in the crowd.

The complainer was instantly mortified. He felt as if he were being slapped in the face by the entire crowd. Overwhelmed with shame, he wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into and hide.

Seeing the situation veer off their intended course, the few people with malicious intent quickly jumped back in to stir up trouble.

"So what if she ate a persimmon? Can persimmons even poison someone?"

"It's definitely a problem with Lakefront House's ingredients! I've never heard of anyone getting poisoned from eating a persimmon."

"That's right! Lakefront House has to give us consumers a satisfactory explanation today! To do something that shows such reckless disregard for human life... they're the most unscrupulous of all unscrupulous merchants!"

"Call the police! Get them over here to shut this crooked shop down!"

As these people were clamoring, Hao Li heard the commotion and rushed over. He squeezed through the crowd, saw the scene, and asked with a frown, "Little Brother Zhao, what's going on here?"

When the troublemakers saw Hao Li, they became even more agitated. "What else could it be? Your crooked shop sold tainted food and poisoned someone! Eating at other restaurants might cost you money, but eating here costs you your life!"

They shouted while aiming a micro-camera at Hao Li, all while trying to incite the surrounding, uninformed diners, hoping to blow the situation completely out of proportion.

"What's with these people?" Hao Li was no ordinary person either and immediately sensed something was off about them.

Zhao Yuan said in a low voice, "Have you offended someone recently? They've been stirring up trouble from the very beginning, and they're secretly filming with a micro-camera. They clearly came prepared to cause a scene here."

"I've offended plenty of people," Hao Li said. "Ever since my Lakefront House opened, many of the restaurants and eateries inside and outside the Wetland Park have lost all their business. Those owners must hate my guts."

Zhao Yuan understood. "It seems these people were most likely sent by your competitors."

As the saying goes, obstructing someone's livelihood is as unforgivable as murdering their parents. When you can't win on skill, you resort to dirty tricks. Such things were not uncommon in the world of business.

"They dare come to my place to sling mud and stir up trouble? They're really courting death!" Hao Li glanced at the troublemakers, memorizing their faces. He would settle the score with them later.

But the most urgent matter was to save the woman.

Although Hao Li was a Cultivator, he didn't know medicine. Seeing the female patient's pale face and pained expression, he couldn't help but worry.

The only thing he was grateful for was that Zhao Yuan was here.

Hao Li quickly asked, "Little Brother Zhao, what's really going on with this lady? Is it actually food poisoning? I heard you say her attack was related to eating a persimmon. How can a persimmon poison someone?"

The crowd pricked up their ears, curious about the same thing.

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "This lady doesn't have food poisoning. It's a case of food stagnation. It's blocking her Zhongwan acupoint and has damaged the Qi of her spleen and stomach, which is what led to the abdominal bloating and pain, accompanied by symptoms like nausea and vomiting."

"Food stagnation?" The sick woman's husband was taken aback and questioned, "But my wife didn't eat that much."

Zhao Yuan explained, "It's not necessarily about the quantity of food. Crab meat is rich in protein, while persimmons contain a lot of tannic acid. When protein meets tannic acid, it coagulates into hard, indigestible lumps, causing food stagnation. Furthermore, both persimmons and crab meat are considered 'cold' foods in traditional medicine. Eating them together can also trigger stomach coldness and abdominal pain."

The sick woman's husband frowned. "But that still doesn't add up. My wife has often eaten persimmons and crab together before, and she's never had an attack like today."

Zhao Yuan replied, "She didn't have an attack before because her body was in good condition back then. Her stomach Qi was strong, allowing her to process the stagnation and not be affected by the 'cold' foods. It's like when the temperature suddenly drops—not everyone catches a cold. Why? It's simply due to differences in physical constitution."

Zhao Yuan then asked, "Has your wife had a poor appetite and been feeling lethargic recently?"

"Huh? How did you know that?" the sick woman's husband asked in surprise.

"By observing her complexion, listening to her voice, and taking her pulse." Zhao Yuan's answer once again gave him an air of being inscrutably profound and a little smug...

The sick woman's husband said self-reproachfully, "So you're saying my wife's attack today happened because her health has been poor recently? Sigh, it's my fault. I saw she had no appetite lately and thought I'd bring her to Lakefront House for a nice meal. I never expected it would cause her such suffering. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have let her eat the persimmon, or I wouldn't have ordered the crab."

He now believed Zhao Yuan's diagnosis. After all, the explanation Zhao Yuan gave was clear, logical, and didn't sound like something he just made up.

After getting his consent, Zhao Yuan used his thumbs to press, knead, and massage the woman's Zusanli and Zhongwan acupoints. At the same time, he instructed Hao Li, "You have Muxiang, Sharen, and Chenpi here, right? Brew them into a decoction and bring it for this lady to drink."

Hao Li nodded and immediately went to handle it himself. In just a short while, he brought back the brewed medicinal soup and helped the sick woman drink it.

The combination of the medicinal soup and Zhao Yuan's massage brought the woman's condition immediate and significant relief.

"Thank you so much." The sick woman's husband gripped Zhao Yuan's hand tightly, thanking him profusely. He also apologized for having doubted Zhao Yuan earlier.

Zhao Yuan waved his hand. "No need to thank me. I'm a doctor; this is what I'm supposed to do." His tone then shifted. "Oh, right. I almost forgot to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?" The sick woman's husband was completely baffled. "Congratulate me for what?"