Chapter Eighty-Two: Unable to Help You
Watching Xie Qingtang fall into sudden silence, Dr. Song assumed she was feeling guilty and dared not speak further. A look of self-satisfaction crossed his face as he said, “What’s the matter? Did I hit the mark so well that you have nothing to say?”
“Song, that’s enough.” Only Hao Qiao noticed the disdain in Xie Qingtang’s eyes—a look that showed she simply didn’t wish to argue with a fool.
Hao Qiao knew that look all too well. Back in medical school, as a top student, he often responded with just such a dismissive expression when faced with the naïve questions of struggling classmates.
He understood perfectly well that Xie Qingtang wasn’t silent out of guilt, but because there was no point rebutting such foolishness.
“You Western doctors are truly shameless,” Zhou Jinfan, unable to hold back any longer, interjected. “If you can’t cure your own schistosomiasis patients, you blame us at Cishan Hall, slandering us with every kind of accusation. Have you no shame?”
Dr. Song’s face darkened at once. He snorted coldly, “That’s utter nonsense. How could Gu’s Hospital possibly fail to cure schistosomiasis patients?”
“But we suspect that the parasites in those infected have already mutated, and Cishan Hall must have known from the beginning. Yet you didn’t inform us in advance. That’s why we used outdated methods, lost the optimal window for treatment, and our patients worsened. We’re all doctors here—your lack of medical ethics is simply disgusting.”
He spoke as if it were an unquestionable fact: Cishan Hall had known about the mutation but withheld the information, causing the conditions of Gu’s Hospital’s patients to deteriorate.
Zhou Jinfan was incensed. He abandoned his prescription work, walked out from behind the medicine cabinet, and stood directly before Dr. Song, saying, “Don’t you dare slander us to excuse your own incompetence! If that were true, why are our patients discharged in perfect health, while yours only get worse?”
“That’s because you deliberately concealed the truth,” Dr. Song insisted, still trying to shift all responsibility onto Cishan Hall.
Xie Qingtang had seen shamelessness before, but never to such a degree. She decided she would tolerate it no longer and rose to her feet, her voice calm but forceful. “If you’re going to throw mud at others, you must at least have some proof. What evidence do you have that we concealed news of the parasite’s mutation?”
Her words left Dr. Song momentarily dumbstruck. He mumbled, “You were the first to receive a schistosomiasis patient. If you didn’t hide the mutation, who did?”
“That’s laughable,” Xie Qingtang replied, her eyes sharp and her anger finally showing. “If someone blazes a new trail through the undergrowth, and someone following behind gets scratched by a stray bramble, should they blame the pioneer for not pointing out every twig?”
Her retort left Dr. Song speechless, stuck in place, while Hao Qiao tried to smooth things over. “My sincerest apologies, Dr. Xie. My apprentice is a bit impetuous. However, the schistosomiasis patients at Gu’s Hospital do appear to have mutated parasites. Our original intent in coming to Cishan Hall was simply to ask whether the patient you treated exhibited similar signs. Since you say your patient has recovered and been discharged, I assume there was no mutation in that case?”
Hao Qiao’s demeanor remained steady as he succinctly described the cases at Gu’s Hospital and asked for Xie Qingtang’s insight.
“Can’t you learn from your mentor and ask things properly?” Zhou Jinfan glared fiercely at Dr. Song.
Seeing Hao Qiao’s conciliatory attitude, Xie Qingtang felt no need to be adversarial. She shook her head and replied, “To be honest, I had never encountered schistosomiasis before coming down from the mountain. This was the first such patient I treated. I’m not familiar with the disease, so I can’t say whether the parasite in my patient had mutated.”
Her words left Hao Qiao momentarily stunned, and Dr. Song was equally shocked. He muttered, “You mean this was your first schistosomiasis case? How bold you are, to treat a disease you’ve never seen before.”
Hao Qiao had the same thought, but then reconsidered. Xie Qingtang looked quite young—perhaps she was simply fearless, relying on her abilities to tackle whatever case came her way.
Still, he assumed the posture of a senior and said, “Dr. Xie, you are certainly both skilled and courageous. But out of responsibility for your patients, I hope you’ll exercise greater caution in the future when facing unfamiliar illnesses.”
Though his words were mild, Xie Qingtang caught his underlying meaning. Her face darkened, but she chose not to argue further. Instead, she issued a clear dismissal: “I suppose you came here to ask about mutations in the Cishan Hall patient. I’m afraid I can’t help you. Please leave.”
“Let’s go, teacher. She knows nothing—treating a disease she’s never seen before. We won’t get anything useful from her,” Dr. Song chimed in, his disdain for Xie Qingtang evident.
Hao Qiao nodded and left Cishan Hall. After a moment’s hesitation, however, he decided to seek out the patient Xie Qingtang had cured—the very first case in Su City—to better understand the situation.