Chapter 27: Settling Accounts

"Young Zhou, are you home? It's Old Man Zhang!"

It was Grandpa Zhang's voice!

Zhou Yichen quickly set down the medical book he was holding, jumped off the kang, and called out, "I'm here, Grandpa Zhang! The door isn't locked, come on in!"

As he spoke, he hurried toward the entrance.

With a creak, the wooden door of the small courtyard was pushed open.

Grandpa Zhang's weathered, smiling face appeared first, followed by Wang Zhenshan, the captain of the Fifth Production Team.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Yichen's eyes, but he greeted them with a smile, "Grandpa Zhang, you're here! Captain Wang? What brings you along?"

Wang Zhenshan grinned, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, and his voice boomed like a bell: "Young Zhou, Grandpa Zhang said today was the day you asked him to come back for a follow-up, and I figured there wasn't much going on in the team this afternoon, so I thought I'd tag along and see how things were going!"

Though he claimed he was just tagging along, his sharp, observant eyes were discreetly scanning Zhou Yichen and the tidy little courtyard.

Clearly, Captain Wang of the Fifth Team wanted to see just how capable this young medic really was.

Grandpa Zhang, meanwhile, was all smiles, rubbing his hands together as he said, "That's right, Young Zhou. Didn't you tell me yesterday to come back today for you to take another look? I figured the time was about right, so I came over. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Zhou Yichen waved his hands quickly, shifting his gaze from Wang Zhenshan back to the expectant Grandpa Zhang, and asked with concern, "Grandpa Zhang, how are you feeling today? Does your chest still hurt?"

Grandpa Zhang grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, his facial wrinkles blooming like a chrysanthemum. "It doesn't hurt! Not even a little!"

He patted his chest, his voice booming. "Young Zhou, those few things you did were truly miraculous! My chest has felt perfectly comfortable all day long!"

Hearing this, a smile spread across Zhou Yichen's face. "That's good to hear."

He pointed to a small wooden stool in the room. "Grandpa Zhang, please sit down first. I'll take a closer look to assess your condition properly."

"All right! Will do!" Grandpa Zhang sat down as instructed, his expression full of trust.

Zhou Yichen took a deep breath. His medical skills were barely at the peak of Level 1—still a ways off from Level 2—essentially just an experienced beginner. To claim he was truly brilliant would be an exaggeration.

However, it was enough to handle some common ailments.

He decided to take this opportunity to perform a full traditional diagnosis—observing, listening, questioning, and feeling the pulse—to see if he could gain some proficiency points.

This was a rare opportunity for hands-on practice.

Zhou Yichen steadied himself and began the examination. He first carefully observed Grandpa Zhang's complexion and tongue coating, not missing even the luster in his eyes.

Grandpa Zhang's complexion was still somewhat dull, but it seemed to have a bit more vitality than the day before.

He then leaned in closer to smell if there were any unusual odors. Aside from the strong scent of sweat and tobacco, there was nothing particularly abnormal.

"Grandpa Zhang," Zhou Yichen asked, his voice gentle, "besides your chest no longer hurting, are there any other areas of discomfort? For example, do you feel dizzy? Are you sleeping well at night? How is your appetite?"

He asked in great detail, covering almost everything he could think of.

Grandpa Zhang answered one by one. Although some parts were a bit vague, Zhou Yichen managed to capture plenty of useful information.

Finally, Zhou Yichen extended three fingers and gently placed them on the radial artery of Grandpa Zhang's right wrist.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the rhythm of the pulse.

Deep, string-like, and slightly rough.

As he conducted the meticulous examination, that familiar sensation surfaced in his mind:

[Medical Skill LV1 (708/1000)]
[Medical Skill LV1 (709/1000)]
[Medical Skill LV1 (710/1000)]
...

In just this short while, his medical proficiency had actually climbed several points!

Zhou Yichen felt a surge of joy; this was much faster than reading books in isolation!

Indeed, practice was the only criterion for testing truth and the fastest way to improve skills.

After a thorough examination, however, Zhou Yichen's brow furrowed slightly.

Grandpa Zhang's chest pain—what modern medicine would call angina—was likely more complex than he had initially thought; it wasn't just a simple case of qi stagnation and blood stasis.

With his current level of skill, curing it completely was a tall order.

All he could do for now was use acupuncture and some symptomatic herbal remedies to stabilize Grandpa Zhang's condition, alleviate his pain, and delay the progression of the illness.

Acupuncture was manageable; he had the silver needles ready and could start the treatment shortly.

But the herbs were a bit of a problem.

He didn't have a single herb on hand right now. If he wanted to prescribe medication, he would have to go up the mountain to forage.

However, this had been part of his plan anyway.

Since he had taken the job as the brigade's health worker, he couldn't just hide in his courtyard reading books all day, could he? That would make him a freeloader.

He needed to do something tangible to show everyone that his position as a health worker wasn't just for show.

Preparing herbal medicine was exactly what he intended to do next.

Wang Zhenshan, listening intently from the side, saw Zhou Yichen's solemn expression and couldn't help but ask, "Young Zhou, is Grandpa Zhang's illness... very troublesome?"

Zhou Yichen nodded, looking at both Grandpa Zhang and Wang Zhenshan, and spoke truthfully: "Captain Wang, Grandpa Zhang's condition is indeed somewhat complex."

"Ideally, it would be best to go to the county hospital for a detailed examination. That way, we could prescribe the right medicine and get to the root of the problem."

"Go to the hospital?" At the mention of this, Grandpa Zhang shook his head like a rattle, his tone firm: "No, I'm not going! My bones are still strong! It's just an occasional tightness in my chest; it's not worth going to the hospital and wasting all that money!"

In the eyes of the farmers, going to the hospital was like a disaster—not only expensive but also a physical ordeal.

Wang Zhenshan also chimed in, "Old Zhang, Young Zhou is right. If you're sick, it's safer to get checked at a hospital. The brigade isn't ignoring you; if you're really in trouble, everyone can chip in to help."

But Grandpa Zhang had made up his mind and wouldn't budge: "I'm not going! At the hospital, money flows out like water. I can't bear to spend it!"

He patted his chest, looking at Zhou Yichen with trust: "Besides, I trust Young Zhou! Yesterday he pressed on me a few times, and I felt much better! It's better than going to that hospital!"

Zhou Yichen felt a bit helpless.

The fear of hospitals and the deep-seated attachment to money were ingrained in the people of this era.

He sighed and said to them, "Since Grandpa Zhang doesn't want to go to the hospital, I will do my best."

"I will start by using acupuncture and herbs to stabilize your condition and help you suffer less. As for a full recovery... that will have to wait, or perhaps when my medical skills improve, I might find a better way."

Upon hearing that he didn't have to go to the hospital, Grandpa Zhang beamed and nodded repeatedly: "Fine! Fine! As long as I don't have to go to the hospital, anything is fine! Young Zhou, I'm putting my old life in your hands!"

In his view, as long as he didn't waste that "unnecessary" money, anything was acceptable.

Zhou Yichen didn't say anything more. He nodded and turned to take his needle kit from the cabinet.

He opened the kit, revealing a row of gleaming silver needles of varying lengths.

Wang Zhenshan looked at the needles and asked, "Young Zhou, these needles... did you buy them yourself? How much did they cost?"

As Zhou Yichen took out an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to sterilize the needles, he replied casually, "Yes, I bought them at the commune supply and marketing cooperative. They cost five yuan."

Hearing this, Wang Zhenshan slapped his thigh: "Oh! How could we let you pay for that yourself!"

He added in a booming voice: "These needles are for treating the brigade members; it's a public matter! It's for the benefit of everyone!"

"When you have a chance, take the receipt to Accountant Li in the brigade office and have him reimburse you. This money must come from the team's funds!"

Zhou Yichen paused his sterilizing motion, feeling quite surprised.

He hadn't expected the Captain of the Fifth Team to be so reasonable and so supportive of him as the newly appointed health worker.

He smiled and said, "Then thank you in advance, Captain Wang."

Wang Zhenshan waved his hand generously and said, "What's there to thank! It's only right! If you can keep everyone healthy, you're doing the brigade a huge favor!"