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Chapter 11 Treatment
Fang Jingruo had originally felt full of hope; after all, the doctor had given a diagnosis so quickly. But when he mentioned that her sister should be brought to Mei Lijian for treatment, she lost all of her optimism; the cost of treatment there was not something she could afford.
Just as she was about to speak, her uncle cut in ahead of her. “We’ll treat her! No matter the cost! Rest assured, Jingruo. As long as I’m around, I’ll make sure Lingling gets cured!”
Upon hearing her uncle’s statement, Bi Yuntao could not help but glance at him. He did not have anything to say but felt that he was extremely loyal toward his family.
“Uncle… but…” Soon, tears began trickling down Fang Jingruo’s cheeks.
Her uncle waved his hand before continuing, “This matter has thus been decided. Jingruo, you’ll pool together some money; if there’s not enough time to do that, I’ll bring Lingling over there for treatment first. We can’t go on like this- she’s so young, and this sickness is impacting her so much that she can’t even go to school.”
“I think it will work. Lingling’s already suffering so much; we have to cure her no matter what,” chimed in the stout aunt.
Lingling, who had been silent all this while, spoke up at this moment. “But… but we’re out of money,” she said softly and nervously.
“We do! Don’t you worry, Lingling! I’ve already started working in the police station, and my annual salary and bonuses will add up to a substantial amount of money!” Fang Jingruo hurriedly replied.
Her chest had tightened after hearing Lingling’s comments. No matter what, she was going to get her sister treated.
Her aunt added with a smile, “That’s right, don’t worry, Lingling. Your big sister has made it- she managed to secure an extremely stable job at such a young age; you don’t have to worry about the money for your treatment.”
Just like this, the matter about sending Lingling to Mei Lijian for treatment was settled. Fang Jingruo’s uncle and aunt had bright smiles on their faces, as if Lingling’s illness had already been cured. It was also at this moment that everyone began to notice Bi Yuntao’s presence.
“Lingling, is this your friend?” said her uncle as he looked at Bi Yuntao somewhat guardedly.
Bi Yuntao broke into a smile. “I’m here to treat Lingling,” he said.
“What?” exclaimed Fang Jingruo’s aunt as she looked at Bi Yuntao with disbelief. “You can treat illnesses?”
After hearing what the middle-aged doctor had to say, Fang Jingruo already had some knowledge about Lingling’s illness, and she knew it was not something that a small-time doctor like Bi Yuntao could possibly treat. “No, no! He’s just my friend who happens to know a little medicine. He has some time on his hands and I asked him over to help take a look at Lingling,” she hurriedly explained, as if afraid that he would disgrace himself.
“It’s good to be doing that. Young people like him have to see more complicated cases for themselves so that their medical skills can improve in the future. Nowadays, there are some doctors, who are alumni of reputable faculties of medicine, whose skills are worse than small-time doctors from the countryside. Why is that so? It’s because they lack the practical experience of diagnosis,” lectured Doctor Lin.
Bi Yuntao could not be bothered with him, however. Instead, he pulled Fang Jingruo aside, while the others paid them no attention as they began to discuss the journey to Mei Lijian.
“That doctor has already diagnosed my sister’s illness, and I bet you can’t treat that. However, I won’t blame you. You don’t have to overdo it,” Fang Jingruo said.
“Officer Fang, do you believe what the doctor just told you?” Bi Yuntao asked.
“What do you mean?” she replied, surprised.
Bi Yuntao did not reply to her immediately. “Where’s your sister’s room?” he asked instead.
Fang Jingruo pointed to a room to their side, and Bi Yuntao walked over to it, according to her directions.
Fang Jingruo followed him into the room, her expression filled with doubt.
She saw Bi Yuntao probe around her sister’s room, starting from the center and branching outward. He felt the belongings around the room and even sniffed Lingling’s bedsheets.
“Can you really do it!” Fang Jingruo asked.
Bi Yuntao clapped his palms together, a confident smile on his lips again. “I have to go out to take a look at your sister,” he said.
Fang Jingruo was confused by his mysterious ways but still nodded in agreement. “Alright! But don’t overdo things if you can’t treat her; I don’t want you to make her illness worse.”
Bi Yuntao waved his hands and walked back to the hall of the flat.
“Wang Qiang’s also going overseas now; he can bring Lingling for her treatment. Get the money ready, Jingruo! The doctor has told us that it’ll cost about 60 thousand dollars,” said Fang Jingruo’s uncle with a smile immediately upon seeing her walk into the room.
A look of anguish flashed across Fang Jingruo’s face- 60 thousand dollars was an astronomical sum for her. After all, she had been supporting her sister all this while and they had only each other to rely on. It was already tough on her to pay for their expenses, so where was she going to get that kind of money?
Even so, she still forced herself to smile. “Alright! I’ll get the money ready in time. Don’t you worry, Lingling. Once you’re cured, you’ll be able to get back to school.”
Bi Yuntao walked up to Lingling and lifted her arm gently. He took a look before putting it down again.
“The chills didn’t get into Lingling; I think there’s no need for her to go overseas for treatment,” he said slowly.
This quickly caused a huge commotion in the hall of the flat. Fang Jingruo’s uncle was the first to speak up. “Kid, don’t speak nonsense. Do you know that I got this doctor from the city?” he said while pointing toward the youth.
“Boy, it’s easy to memorize facts from books, but much harder to apply the knowledge you’ve learned in reality. I think you need a few years of experience before you have the right to speak to me,” added the middle-aged doctor after stroking his beard.
The assistant by his side also wore a look of despise on his face. “What right do you have to question my teacher’s medical skills? The number of patients he has seen is much more than the number of people you’ve met!” he said.
Bi Yuntao smiled before speaking to Lingling. “My next question will have great importance to your illness, and you have to answer me honestly. Don’t be shy. Do you understand?”
Lingling was a little hesitant but still nodded. She was already a teenager and knew a little about the matters of this world. If her illness could be cured right away, she would be saving a huge sum of money for her sister.
Noticing that everyone was against Bi Yuntao, Fang Jingruo had wanted to pull him toward her, but upon seeing her sister nodding in agreement, something stopped her from doing so.
“How old are you this year?” asked Bi Yuntao.
“15.”
“Have you ever menstruated?” he continued.
Lingling was already a young woman and knew what he meant.
She shook her head shyly, her face totally red.
The middle-aged doctor looked a little uneasy. “How did he find that out? Even I don’t know how to observe if a woman had already had undergone her first menstrual cycle.”
Bi Yuntao clapped his hands together and lifted Lingling’s arm before pointing at the back of her wrist. “You, doctor, may I ask if you know what point this is?” he asked the middle-aged doctor.
The doctor took a look before replying unemotionally, “This spot is known as the Yang Chi acupuncture point in traditional Chinese medicine. Kid, you’re still too young; this is common knowledge in Chinese medicine.”
“Good!” nodded Bi Yuntao before continuing, “Now, take a look at Lingling’s Yang Chi acupuncture point. Do you notice any difference between hers and that of an ordinary person?”
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