This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

”Doctor Du, do you have time now?”

The familiar tone and the strange yet inexplicably familiar voice made Du Heng momentarily distracted as he answered the phone. Whose voice is this? His brain quickly tried to make a match.

Perhaps Du Heng was taking too long, as the person on the other end noticed and introduced himself, ”I am Wu Zhong. Doctor Du, do you have time now?”

Wu? Which Wu? The elderly voice on the other end wasn’t very clear, but it gave Du Heng a distinct range for his search.

Instantly, his mind raced, and two familiar names surfaced: Wu Zhouzhou and Wu Shengnan.

Wu Shengnan! Then Wu Zhong... that must be her grandfather, the old gentleman!

Only Wu Shengnan’s grandfather would speak to him in such a tone.

His mind worked fast this time, identifying the voice’s owner in just three seconds. He hurriedly replied, ”Mr. Wu, hello! Happy New Year.”

Du Heng couldn’t be blamed for his slow reaction. Half a year had passed since the treatment concluded; who would remember a former patient’s voice after so long? If Wu Shengnan hadn’t left such a deep impression on him, he likely wouldn’t recall who this ’Wu Zhong’ on the other end of the phone was now.

There was no discernible joy in the voice on the other side; it remained flat as he said, ”Happy New Year to you too, Doctor Du. Do you have time now?”

Hearing the question for the third time, Du Heng understood the person might genuinely need him for something. ”Mr. Wu, please tell me. I have time now,” he replied.

”Can you come to the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou? Nannan is injured. Could you please take a look?” The old gentleman on the other end of the phone was direct, not beating around the bush, and clearly stated the purpose of his call.

”Who is Nannan?” Du Heng asked, a little confused.

”My granddaughter, Wu Shengnan. You know this girl, don’t you?”

Ah, so it’s *that* Nannan, not the one I was thinking of, Du Heng realized.

But calling her Nannan... why does it feel a bit awkward?

”Miss Wu, yes, I know her. What happened?”

”Can you come to the Trauma Orthopedics Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou? Let’s talk in person.”

Listening to the old man’s somewhat somber tone on the phone, Du Heng glanced at the gifts in his trunk, thought for a moment, and said, ”Alright, I’ll be there right away.”

Halfway to the hospital, a growing unease settled over Du Heng. Something’s not right. What on earth could have happened to Wu Shengnan? And judging by the old man’s tone, it didn’t sound like something immediately life-threatening... He found Wu Shengnan’s mobile number and dialed it.

”Doctor Du, Nannan isn’t able to answer the phone right now.”

Hearing the old man’s familiar voice again, Du Heng felt slightly embarrassed. ”I understand, Mr. Wu. I’ll be there soon.”

He quickly hung up, pushed aside any distracting thoughts, and headed straight for the hospital.

When he arrived at the location Sir Wu had mentioned, he saw many people talking quietly in the corridor. Among them were familiar faces, like Wu Shengnan’s mother, whom he had met only once, and her brother.

Seeing the group conversing in low voices near a doorway, Du Heng didn’t approach to disturb them.

Fortunately, they didn’t talk for long. After a brief exchange, they shook hands and parted ways; some returned to a hospital room, while another group left.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Du Heng took a deep breath and knocked on the closed door of the hospital room.

Wu Shengnan’s brother opened the door. When he saw Du Heng, a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes; it seemed he had forgotten who Du Heng was. ”Who are you looking for?”

Du Heng managed a slight smile. ”I’m the doctor Sir Wu called for. My name is Du Heng.”

”So you are Du Heng?” Wu Shengnan’s brother’s eyes showed a hint of recognition. ”Oh,” he exclaimed, then quickly said, ”I remember now. Please come in, Doctor Du.”

With that, he stepped aside, allowing Du Heng into the hospital room.

As soon as he entered, Du Heng saw Wu Shengnan on the hospital bed. She had an IV drip and appeared to be sleeping soundly, completely still.

Beside her stood her mother, her face etched with worry, and the seemingly composed Sir Wu.

”Doctor Du, thank you for coming.” Upon seeing Du Heng, Sir Wu stood up proactively. It was an attitude he had never shown during his own treatment.

Du Heng nodded to the few people in the room as a greeting.

As he drew closer, he could see Wu Shengnan’s condition more clearly: her head was wrapped in gauze, and her face was deathly pale, the very picture of someone who had lost a lot of blood.

He immediately asked, ”Mr. Wu, what happened?”

Hearing Du Heng’s question, Wu Shengnan’s mother’s face was filled with nothing but worry. Sir Wu’s expression, however, was far more complex. Du Heng found it hard to summarize: a mix of pride, concern, heartache, and deep sorrow.

Wu Shengnan’s brother, standing behind him, interjected, ”Doctor Du, please take a look first. Nannan’s right foot is injured.”

Du Heng frowned slightly and lifted the blanket covering her.

What met his eyes was a lower leg, almost entirely blackened. Thick gauze was wrapped around parts of the instep and calf.

Seeing this, Du Heng’s eyes twitched. ”Is her instep and calf ulcerated?”

Wu Shengnan’s brother nodded. ”Yes, very deep.”

”How long has it been like this? How did it happen?”

”Nannan went on an out-of-town mission before the New Year and was already injured. Then, a few days ago, she was trapped in the mountains for several days due to heavy snow. After she was rescued yesterday, she was sent straight to Jinzhou.”

Du Heng was aware of Wu Shengnan’s line of work, but he wondered how she’d ended up on a mission in the mountains so far from home.

However, Du Heng didn’t press the issue; besides, the reason had no bearing on her current condition.

Looking at Wu Shengnan’s leg again, Du Heng asked, ”What did the doctors here say?”

”Amputation.” Wu Shengnan’s brother’s face darkened. With great reluctance and in a low voice, he uttered the word. ”The doctor said the skin and muscles on Nannan’s right calf and instep are necrotic. The bone is also affected. If she doesn’t have the amputation, an infection will soon develop and spread upwards.”

Amputation, Du Heng’s heart tightened. It’s not unexpected. That was my first thought when I saw the leg.

”So, why did you ask me to come?” Du Heng exhaled softly, turning to look at the three people in the room.

At this, Sir Wu finally spoke. ”Professor Li Jianwei and Director Li Chengzu from the Capital both recommended you, Doctor Du. They suggested we ask for your help.”

Du Heng was slightly surprised. ”You consulted Director Li Chengzu?”

”Yes, the doctors here helped us contact famous orthopedic experts in the Capital. Director Li was one of them,” Wu Shengnan’s brother clarified for Du Heng.

Du Heng clicked his tongue inaudibly. This family’s connections are truly something, able to consult experts from the Capital just like that.

”Is Professor Li here as well? Where are they? Have they left?”

”No, Professor Li and the others went to the doctors’ office. They took my father to discuss Nannan’s condition.”

Du Heng glanced around the room and asked tentatively, ”May I examine the patient’s condition more closely?”

Wu Shengnan’s brother looked at his grandfather and mother beside the bed, then nodded at Du Heng.

”Then I’ll need to unwrap the bandage on her leg.”

”Certainly. Please proceed as you see fit.”

After receiving permission, Du Heng took a deep breath and once again lifted the quilt covering Wu Shengnan’s leg.

Examining this type of trauma was completely different from an internal medicine check-up.

For internal ailments, the keys are pulse diagnosis and clear syndrome differentiation. For trauma, however, one must examine the injury itself. Especially in Wu Shengnan’s case, it was crucial to ascertain the current state of her muscles, meridians, blood vessels, and bones.

Du Heng carefully unwrapped the gauze from Wu Shengnan’s leg. Seeing the large area of ulcerated skin and the affected muscles, his brow furrowed once more.

The situation was more severe than he had anticipated.

He had initially thought it was merely a skin and muscle issue, but from the ulcerated area, he could actually see discolored leg bone.

He brought the gauze closer to his nose for a light sniff. Besides the usual scent of medicinal dressing, there was a faint, fishy odor.

The dressing was contaminated, making it impossible for Du Heng to determine what medicine had been applied.

A glance at the IV drip confirmed his expectation: antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

He sighed quietly. Looking back at the unwrapped bandage, Du Heng’s mind raced.

Considering Wu Shengnan’s current state, if amputation was necessary, it had to be done as soon as possible. Otherwise, the necrosis would undoubtedly continue to spread upwards.

If they delayed too long, it wouldn’t just be a matter of amputating her lower leg; her very life would be at stake.

So, is avoiding amputation even an option?

At this thought, Du Heng looked again at the blackened, ulcerated calf.

If amputation is to be avoided, then treatment must reduce inflammation, promote muscle regeneration, generate blood, encourage bone growth, and expel toxins, Du Heng mused.

Du Heng racked his brain, but no existing complete prescription that met all these conditions came to mind. And creating a new one from scratch... that seems highly unlikely right now.

Besides the ulceration, I also have to consider her overall physical state. Just look at how pale she is—clearly a deficiency of original qi and insufficient vital energy.

She has so many problems, all needing to be addressed simultaneously; tackling them one or two at a time isn’t an option. For a moment, Du Heng genuinely couldn’t think of a suitable prescription or approach.

”Please call the nurse in to re-dress the wound,” Du Heng said slowly to Wu Shengnan’s brother, looking at the loose bandage.

Wu Shengnan’s family all looked at Du Heng with anticipation, not expecting him to simply ask for the wound to be re-dressed. A flicker of disappointment crossed their faces.

However, they quickly adjusted their expressions, the brief disappointment vanishing.

After all, so many experts had already been unable to find a solution. Could they really expect Du Heng to offer one after a single glance?

If he had, they would have been more worried that it was something he had casually concocted.

As Wu Shengnan’s brother went out to call the nurse, Sir Wu suddenly spoke, ”Doctor Du, perhaps you could also discuss this with Nannan’s father and the others?”