Chapter 142: The Friendship Forged in the Cowshed

Chapter 142: The Friendship Forged in the Cowshed

When Grandpa Zhou saw his old friend, with whom he had once been imprisoned in a cowshed, he was so excited that he almost pounced on him.

But seeing that Ye Rufeng was focused on working, he had no choice but to control his emotions.

He walked up to him, his white beard trembling, looking at him with immense excitement.

This is truly his old brother who shared hardships with him back then.

He actually came to see him.

When Ye Rufeng finished acupuncture on Xie Zheng and his hands were free, Doctor Zhou asked urgently, his voice trembling, "Old brother, my old brother, is it really you?"

Ye Rufeng glanced sideways and saw the old man whose beard was trembling with excitement, but on the surface he appeared very calm.

But his voice betrayed his state of mind: "Zhou Zheng, you're getting old too."

Zhou Zheng held Ye Rufeng's hand with his withered hand and sighed, "Old brother, so many years have passed, how can you not get old? Time waits for no one."

"It's been twenty years, hasn't it? We haven't seen each other for twenty years."

When Zhou Zheng recalled the hardships he and Ye Rufeng endured together in the cowshed twenty years ago, and looked at the elderly man in front of him who was now in his seventies, he was overwhelmed with emotion and could not control his feelings.

When Grandpa Zhou started crying, Ye Rufeng was also affected. He turned his face away, not wanting others to see his true emotions.

She quickly composed herself, put on a stern face, and criticized him.

"Alright, alright, what are you crying about? It's just that we didn't see each other, it's not like we're dead."

Ye Rufeng had an air of worldly wisdom about him, saying, "Even if I die, you'll still have to live your life as usual."

Looking at the person whose temper was exactly the same as twenty years ago, Zhou Zheng dared not cry anymore. He wiped away his tears and asked Ye Rufeng with concern, "Brother, are you alright?"

"Very good."

Ye Rufeng looked around the pharmacy, then glanced at Zhou Huaiyi, and asked Zhou Zheng, "How are you now? Have you handed over Jishengtang to your son?"

"well."

When the topic of Jishengtang came up, Old Master Zhou's face immediately fell with worry. He glanced at his good-for-nothing son and sighed.

“Brother, I’m not as lucky as you.” Zhou Zheng looked at Bai Zhi with admiration and said, “Look how promising your granddaughter is. She’s so young and her medical skills are already so superb. I heard she only studied under you for three years.”

After saying that, he looked at his good-for-nothing son and said, "I've been raising this pig-brained idiot for over ten years, and he still can't even cure the simplest typhoid fever."

Dr. Zhou retorted defiantly, "Dad, don't talk nonsense. I can still treat typhoid fever."

Zhou Zheng sneered in a deep voice, "What do you know? When the seasonal cold was so severe a while ago, other clinics were packed with patients, but Jishengtang didn't have a single patient?"

Zhou Huaiyi muttered, "They've all gone to Western medicine clinics because they find our Chinese medicine troublesome to brew and bitter. You can't blame me for that, can you?"

No matter how he tried to explain, his elderly father's eyes always held only disdain and disappointment.

Ye Rufeng sat to the side, looking at Zhou Zheng, his tone full of puzzlement, "Why don't you see patients yourself?"

For traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, seventy years old is the ideal age to practice medicine.

In what way is his fate better than Zhou's?

I heard that Zhou Zheng's son is a chief physician in a Western medicine department and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

They are all doctors.

Although the person who runs the Jishengtang may be mediocre and not cut out for this line of work, at least his son is obedient.

Unlike his son...

Twenty years have passed, and the two people's relationship is no better than that of strangers.

Zhou Zheng sighed, "Alas, my wife developed dementia last year and can't be left alone. I have to take care of her."

Hearing Zhou Zheng mention his wife, a hint of melancholy flashed across Ye Rufeng's eyes.

Back then, he, his wife, and Zhou Zheng and his wife were imprisoned together.

Bai Zhi was applying moxibustion to Lu Ye's body, filling the entire pharmacy with a peculiar medicinal aroma. Grandpa Zhou curiously inquired about Lu Ye's ailment requiring moxibustion and the ingredients in the moxibustion sticks.

The explanation for Bai Zhi's use of angelica is not explicitly stated, but will be elaborated upon later.

They only said that he was injured and needed to recuperate.

After performing the final acupuncture treatment on Xie Zheng, Ye Rufeng began to remove the needles.

After the treatment, Ye Rufeng said to Lu Ye and Xie Zheng,

"Alright, your treatment is over. You can go back now."

He wanted to catch up with old friends, and it would be inconvenient for these two outsiders to stay here.

"Grandpa Ye, I'm sorry, but I'd like to take up a little more of your time." Xie Zheng pulled down his shirt and looked at Ye Rufeng with an unusually serious expression. "I'd like to ask you something."

Ye Rufeng responded, "Speak."

"The lady you and Xiaozhi treated on the train yesterday is not in good health. I would like to ask if you can take on this patient?"

Upon hearing Xie Zheng's words, Ye Rufeng looked at Bai Zhi and asked, "Xiao Zhi, what illness does she have again?"

Bai Zhi replied, "Grandpa, it's coronary heart disease."

Whether it can be cured depends on the patient's specific condition.

"Then I'll bring her over later, and you can take a look at her." Xie Zheng's expression was pleading. "That lady is a very important person to me, and I really hope you can treat her."

Ye Rufeng replied, "I'm afraid there's no time. Come find me at Derentang in the future. I don't see patients privately outside of my clinic; you've already made an exception."

Xie Zheng still wanted to try, but seeing Ye Rufeng's serious expression, he wisely kept quiet.

He hesitated for a moment, glanced at Bai Zhi, and said goodbye to Ye Rufeng, "Grandpa Ye, I'll be going now."

Lu Ye wanted to stay and accompany them, but he could tell that Ye Rufeng was unhappy and didn't like his presence, so he had to say goodbye to Bai Zhi and leave Jishengtang first.

When they reached the door, Lu Ye called out to Xie Zheng.

"Which hotel are Aunt Mu and Xiaoyue staying at?" Lu Ye asked him.

"Peace Hotel." Xie Zheng stopped and looked at Lu Ye with a serious expression. "I talked to Xiao Yue last night. Aunt Mu's health is not good. I heard she has been to many places but hasn't gotten better. Could you put in a good word for her with Bai Zhi and ask Doctor Ye to take a look at Aunt Mu? Maybe there is hope."

"I'll go see them and ask about the situation later. My grandfather said they need to go to Derentang for treatment. After they finish their business in Nancheng, they can go to Bincheng."

"Lu Ye, how can you be so cold-hearted?" Xie Zheng was very dissatisfied with Lu Ye's attitude. He looked at Lu Ye with a sad expression and sneered, "That's Aunt Mu, Xiao Wei's mother. Don't you know why her body became like this? Now you don't even want to help with this little thing. What is your heart made of?"

Lu Ye explained in a deep voice, "I didn't say I wouldn't help. Every industry has its own rules. Doctor Ye is a resident physician at Derentang. Patients go to Derentang to seek treatment from him. That's the rule. Do you understand?"

“I don’t understand. I only know that rules are made by people. Doctor Ye is in Nancheng right now. As long as he agrees to take the case, we can bring Aunt Mu over to examine her in a little while. Is that so difficult?”

"I'll go see Aunt Mu and hear her opinion before making a decision."

What is Aunt Mu's opinion on seeking treatment from Dr. Ye?

What do her family members think?

Does my physical condition require a change in treatment plan?

He needs to figure it all out.

Since Muqin has been ill for so many years, she must have been receiving treatment before.

Their concern led them to hastily change her treatment method, which was inappropriate.

When a patient wants to change their treatment plan, all factors must be considered comprehensively.

He knew that Xie Zheng was a sentimental person, and that concern could cloud his judgment.