Dr. Xu: A Chinese Medicine Novel

Back at Mingxin Clinic, even a simple question is hard to ask.

Back at the clinic, Evan sat in his usual chair, staring blankly.

His thoughts began to drift back to the past.

Running into Ethan so unexpectedly that day had brought back memories he would rather not revisit. Deep down, he would have preferred to stay in the time and place the system had taken him to.

No one there knew his history. He didn’t have to face the people from his past. But he knew that world wasn’t real. This one was.

He sighed again, impatience and irritation showing more plainly on his face.

Behind the counter, Clara stole a glance at him. Was he sinking into depression again? He’d been so much better these past few days. Why was he back where he’d started?

She watched him cautiously, then took out her phone and sent him a text.

Are you okay?

Evan’s phone lit up. He picked it up, saw the message was from Clara, and turned to look at her.

She gave him a questioning look.

He shook his head slightly and put the phone down. After a few slow breaths to settle himself, he pulled out a book and began to read.

Clara was worried, but with Ben there, she couldn’t very well say anything. She paused.

“Ben.”

He looked up. “Yeah?”

She immediately scowled. “That Cao fellow this morning. You asked him to come, didn’t you? What were you trying to get him to tell me?”

“I…” Ben faltered, feeling suddenly guilty.

Clara gave a loud, indignant snort.

Ben was mortified. His little scheme wouldn’t stand much scrutiny. If it came out, he could forget about working here.

She snorted again. “Forget it. I don’t want to ask any more questions.”

Ben let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Go and take this document to the Health Bureau for me.”

He blinked. “Me?”

Clara glared. “Who else? Me?”

Ben swallowed and glanced at Evan, whose head was buried in his book.

Fine!

A week ago, he had been the best doctor in Mingxin Clinic. Its very survival had depended on him. A few days later, he was reduced to delivering documents.

Insignificant, weak, and helpless.

Miserably, he got to his feet, took the document from Clara, and went off to be her errand boy.

Only after Ben had gone did Clara relax. She came out from behind the counter and walked over to Evan.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly. “Are you unhappy again?”

He didn’t look up from his book. “I told you, I’m fine.”

Clara pursed her lips. “Oh, come on. It’s written all over your face. Did something happen at the patient’s house?”

His brows drew together. He raised his head, his voice much louder. “I told you there’s nothing wrong!”

Clara’s face stiffened. “Why are you shouting at me?”

Evan didn’t even want to answer her.

She had tried to be kind and been coldly rebuffed. Discouraged, she said softly, “I was only trying to show I care.”

“Don’t,” he said coldly.

“Oh.”

Her eyes reddened. She returned to the counter and looked down at her phone, changing his contact name from “Evan the Blockhead” to “Evan the Jerk.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from NovelPhoenix. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Oh, Dr. Xu! You’re back already?”

The voice came from the doorway. Evan looked up. It was Iris’s husband.

“What is it?” Evan asked, frowning.

The man gave an awkward chuckle. “Didn’t I say I’d drive you back? I came outside and you were gone.”

“If you have something to say, say it.” Evan was growing impatient.

The man’s expression stiffened. He could see Evan wasn’t in a good mood, so he went straight to the point.

“Mr. Xie asked me to thank you for today. He’s arranged a dinner this evening and hopes you’ll do him the honor of coming.”

“I’m not going.” Evan kept reading.

Iris’s husband blinked. “What? No, he’s just trying to be kind. You may not know who Mr. Xie is. Let me tell you, he’s—”

“I’m not interested.”

“But making connections—”

Evan cut him off again. “I’m a doctor. All I care about is the illness and the patient. I’m not interested in connections.”

The man was left struggling for words. “Then… then just think of him as a patient. His wife’s still ill, isn’t she?”

“If she needs treatment, she can register at the clinic. The registration fee is twenty yuan.”

“But it’s different if you make a house call.”

“I went because I thought she was too ill to leave the house. She’s perfectly capable of getting around, isn’t she? She can run and jump and shout at people. If she’s ill, she can come here.”

Iris’s husband was getting discouraged. Why was talking to this man so exhausting?

“No, Dr. Xu, it isn’t the same. You charge twenty yuan here. If you go to them, the consultation fee could be… very generous.

“And people at the top have their own circles. Once your reputation gets you into one, just think about our county alone. You could get to know all the big businessmen and senior officials. They’d all come to you for treatment.

“Think of the connections you’d have. And don’t worry about being shut out. We have a great deal of respect for doctors, especially skilled doctors of Chinese medicine. Before long, you’d have both money and a reputation. Right?”

Clara shook her head slightly. Oh no. He’d walked straight into it.

For the first time, Evan slammed his book down on the desk. He looked up and fixed his eyes on Iris’s husband.

The man froze. Shit. What was that look for? Had he said something wrong?

Looking him straight in the eye, Evan spoke with grave seriousness.

“When a great physician treats illness, he must calm his mind and steady his purpose, free from desire or expectation. He must begin with deep compassion and pledge to relieve the suffering of all living beings.

“When someone suffering from illness seeks help, do not ask whether they are high or low in station, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, enemy, relative, or friend, of our own people or from elsewhere, foolish or wise. Treat them all alike, as you would your closest kin.

“Nor must the physician hang back, weighing his own good or bad fortune or putting his own life and safety first. He must see another’s suffering as his own and grieve deeply. He must not shrink from danger, day or night, heat or cold, hunger, thirst, or exhaustion. He must go wholeheartedly to their aid, without making a show of his efforts. In this way he may become a great physician to the people. To do the opposite is to become a scourge upon the living!”[1]

Iris’s husband listened, dumbfounded.

Clara let out a breath, impressed. That was Evan!

“I’m a doctor,” Evan continued. “Treating illness is what I do. I don’t ask about my patients’ background or standing. I treat them all alike. If someone is too ill to leave home, I’ll make a house call. If they’re just throwing their money and status around, I won’t cater to them. And my consultation fee here is only twenty yuan!”

Iris’s husband had no answer. He turned to Clara, looking almost aggrieved.

“I… I really did mean well.”

“I know, I know,” she said quickly. “He’s in a foul mood today. We appreciate the thought. I’ll have a word with him. You go on home.”

The man left, feeling thoroughly ill-used. What kind of person was this? Why didn’t he understand how things worked?

Iris’s husband went to the dinner alone that evening.

Mr. Xie had also invited several prominent business friends. He had meant to introduce them to Evan, have Evan help them look after their health, and build some connections for him. Unfortunately, Evan had no wish to come.

Iris’s husband recounted what had happened, at a loss as to what else he could have done.

Everyone at the table fell silent.

Mrs. Xie looked curious.

“Does he think being talented makes him better than everyone else?”

“Young and full of himself, perhaps.”

Those were some of the judgments around the table.

But Mr. Xie shook his head and sighed.

“That’s from ‘The Great Physician’s Skill and Sincerity.’ Plenty of people have read it. Plenty can recite it. But how many can live by it? Perhaps… this is what a real doctor is.”

The table fell silent again.

Mr. Xie set down his glass.

“So many fine qualities get crushed by the realities of life. After a while, we begin to think anyone who still has them simply doesn’t know how the world works. We’re the ones who’ve changed…”

Reader Notes

↩︎ Skill and sincerity.Dayi Jingcheng is an essay in volume one of Sun Simiao’s Beiji Qianjin Yaofang, a Tang-dynasty medical classic. Its title joins professional mastery with moral sincerity; Evan has quoted parts of it earlier. This longer passage calls for a settled mind, compassion, equal treatment, and wholehearted help without a display of virtue. The ancient Hua/Yi distinction is rendered, as before, as “of our own people or from elsewhere.” The quoted English is translated from this chapter’s Chinese. “Without making a show” concerns the physician’s motives in helping. Sources: Sun Simiao — Dayi Jingcheng, electronic transcription (in Chinese); Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine — Meaning of the university motto (in Chinese).