Chapter Eighty-Three: A Bit of Skill

The master and his apprentice reached an agreement without hesitation. Because of the previous incident with the schistosomiasis patient stirring up heated debate online, Yun Niang’s address had been exposed. Hao Qiao and his apprentice, Dr. Xiao Song, quickly tracked down their residence. Upon seeing the squalid and chaotic conditions, both could not help but furrow their brows.

They made their way into the shantytown, asking around as they searched, and finally found the house where Yun Niang's elder brother lived. They knocked on the door. After a moment, it was opened by none other than Brother Tiger, his face grim and intimidating as he fixed his gaze on Hao Qiao and Dr. Xiao Song at the threshold. "Who are you?"

"Hello, I am the Director of the Department of Parasitology at Gu's Hospital. My name is Hao Qiao, and this is my apprentice, Xiao Song. We're here to check on the patient who previously suffered from schistosomiasis," Hao Qiao replied politely.

Brother Tiger was taken aback, not expecting someone from Gu's Hospital to show up. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and ushered them inside, then asked in confusion, "We’ve never gone to Gu’s Hospital for treatment. Why are you here?"

"The situation is like this," Hao Qiao explained, "We have several schistosomiasis patients in our hospital whose conditions have mutated and grown increasingly severe. To prevent the spread of this epidemic, we wanted to check on the first patient to see how he is doing." His words were half truth, half fiction.

Simple-minded Brother Tiger didn't suspect anything and led them into the room. Yun Niang was feeding her elder brother a bowl of herbal medicine when the two strangers entered. She looked at Brother Tiger in bewilderment.

"They’re two doctors from Gu’s Hospital. They said they want to check on Big Brother," Brother Tiger explained.

Yun Niang’s confusion deepened. Hao Qiao ignored the uncertainty in their eyes and walked directly to the bedside. He looked at Yun Niang’s elder brother, who had just finished his medicine, and said, "Sir, you were treated at the Benevolence Hall, weren’t you? How are you feeling now?" Hao Qiao asked several questions in succession.

Yun Niang’s elder brother was momentarily stunned, then his face softened with gratitude. "I’m much better now. Though I’m still taking herbal medicine, I can actually go out and work without any problems. Dr. Xie advised me to rest for another two months, so I’ll follow his advice and take it easy for a while longer."

As he finished speaking, Hao Qiao scanned him slowly, noting that his once swollen abdomen had receded, his complexion was rosy—he truly seemed much improved.

"You’ve all been fooled by that quack at the Benevolence Hall," Dr. Xiao Song, unable to contain himself, addressed Yun Niang’s brother lying in bed.

At his words, everyone in the room was stunned. Yun Niang and Brother Tiger exchanged glances and spoke in unison, "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother’s condition is like a temporary reprieve before death. It’s only a matter of time. Schistosomiasis has mutated unpredictably. Although Benevolence Hall appears to have cured him, in reality, his illness remains. The parasites are still hiding inside," Dr. Xiao Song declared with absolute certainty.

His conviction made even Yun Niang begin to believe him. She anxiously pressed, "Is what you’re saying true? Dr. Xie told us my brother’s condition had improved and that he just needs to keep taking herbal medicine for another two months."

"You ignorant, foolish people—Benevolence Hall’s quack has deceived you all. Chinese medicine is a fraud. For centuries, Western medicine has delved far deeper into parasitic diseases than Chinese medicine ever could."

"Our hospital’s advanced testing equipment has already detected the possibility of mutation in schistosomiasis. This means your brother’s illness isn’t truly cured, and Chinese medicine can’t even detect it," Dr. Xiao Song continued, his words so assured they made Yun Niang believe him a bit more. Brother Tiger’s brows knit tightly as his large eyes glared at Hao Qiao and Dr. Xiao Song.

"Don’t spread alarmist rumors here. I trust Dr. Xie," Brother Tiger’s words were like a calming pill for Yun Niang, allowing her a moment of composure.

At that moment, Yun Niang’s brother, who had been quietly observing, spoke up. "I know my own body best. I feel myself getting better day by day. I believe Dr. Xie isn’t deceiving us. Young man, I don’t know why you’re here saying these things, but please don’t slander Dr. Xie’s reputation."

Dr. Xiao Song hadn’t expected Dr. Xie Qing Tang to hold such high esteem in their hearts and was momentarily dumbfounded. As he tried to speak again, Hao Qiao raised a hand to stop him, then addressed them, "It seems Chinese medicine does indeed have its merits. But the schistosomiasis patients at our hospital have developed recurring and mutated symptoms. I merely came to remind you, to fulfill my duty as a doctor. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. Xiao Song, let’s go."

With that, Hao Qiao didn’t linger and left straight away. On the way back, his brows remained tightly furrowed as he pondered the patient whose complexion seemed so healthy. Suddenly, he felt a pang of doubt—could Western medicine truly be inferior to Chinese medicine?

"Teacher, what are you thinking about? Is it the patient?" Dr. Xiao Song asked softly, seeing Hao Qiao’s silence.

Before his apprentice, Hao Qiao had nothing to hide. He nodded, his eyes tinged with reflection. "There’s always someone better out there. Perhaps we really need to step out of our own world, and not be complacent."

"Teacher, do you mean we should seek help from the Benevolence Hall?" Dr. Xiao Song, having followed his mentor for years, immediately understood the implication and was momentarily taken aback.

Hao Qiao said nothing, but his silence spoke for itself. When he saw that late-stage schistosomiasis patient whose complexion was steadily improving, he realized that, however reluctant he was to admit it, Xie Qing Tang truly possessed some skill, and Chinese medicine was not entirely without merit.