This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Du Heng smiled and gently pushed Wu Shengnan’s cheek to one side. Taking an alcohol cotton, he began wiping her auricle. ”I’ll add auricular acupuncture for you.” He laughed. ”Haven’t heard of auricular acupuncture, have you? Let me tell you, it’s applying acupuncture to your auricles. The human auricle corresponds to the human body...”

Wu Shengnan obediently turned her head but, not wanting to listen to Du Heng’s rambling, asked directly, ”Why do you want to use this auricular acupuncture?”

Du Heng was interrupted. Hearing Wu Shengnan’s question, he opened his mouth and then, still smiling, said, ”Of course, it’s to speed up your recovery. What else could it be?”

He gently turned Wu Shengnan’s head again and wiped her other auricle.

Although Du Heng’s words sounded natural, his seemingly ordinary and normal tone made Wu Shengnan uneasy.

Ever since she started interacting with Du Heng, he either teased her or acted fiercely towards her. When had he ever spoken so properly?

But now that Du Heng wasn’t saying anything, she had no other options.

After wiping the auricles, Du Heng threw away the alcohol cotton and took the fine needles prepared by Gu Ping. He also smiled and called Gu Ping over. ”Come, take a look.”

Gu Ping, holding the items, moved from Du Heng’s side to stand opposite him, positioning themselves on either side of Wu Shengnan’s sickbed.

Du Heng asked Wu Shengnan to keep her head still and then pointed to her auricle, saying, ”The various visceral organs and parts of the human body have specific ’representative areas’ on the auricles. Through methods like acupuncture, massage, or applying pressure, we can achieve the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.”

”Furthermore, based on the reaction zones on the auricles, we can locate issues within the body or internal organs, serving a very effective auxiliary diagnostic function.

”At the same time, when we cannot use standard acupuncture due to special circumstances, auricular acupuncture can be used as a supplement.”

After that, Du Heng pointed to the entire auricle, saying, ”We can think of the whole auricle as an inverted human body. The earlobe is the head and eyes, the entrance of the ear canal is the location of our oral cavity, and then outward along the ear canal is our cardiopulmonary area. Sliding up along the depression leads to our visceral organs area.”

He continued, his finger tracing the raised part of the auricle, ”This circle corresponds to our limbs—shoulders, elbows, knees, fingers, and toes.”

Then, looking at the two people before him, he said, ”Interesting, isn’t it? So, if you ever feel tired or unwell, just massage your ears. It can be relaxing and also help you identify where the problem might be.”

Holding a fine needle, Du Heng began to carefully insert needles into the scaphoid fossa of Wu Shengnan’s auricle, starting from the top and working downwards, stopping when a section about a finger’s width was treated.

He then started on her other ear, inserting many needles into the same area.

”This area corresponds to the toes, ankles, and knees. With this bilateral approach, the recovery of your lower limbs will be significantly accelerated.” Du Heng looked into Wu Shengnan’s eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

But Wu Shengnan’s eyes still showed strong skepticism.

Du Heng didn’t avoid her gaze, his expression seemingly saying, If you want to look, then look all you want.

When it was time to remove the needles, Du Heng and Gu Ping began the moxibustion.

After the moxibustion was completed, Du Heng had Gu Ping clean up while he rolled up his sleeves, took out his specially formulated ointment for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and started massaging again.

By the time everything was done, it was nearly past ten o’clock. Wu Shengnan’s Mother had finally finished her own things and rushed to the Hospital.

”Thank you, Doctor Du. You’ve worked hard.” Wu Shengnan’s Mother saw the final part of the massage and recognized the effort Du Heng had put in.

”Auntie, you’re too polite. Nannan and I are friends; this is what I should do.”

Hearing Du Heng suddenly use such a familiar term of address, Wu Shengnan said unhappily, ”Du Heng, please call me by my full name.”

Wu Shengnan’s Mother glanced sternly at her daughter. ”How can you speak to Doctor Du like that?” Turning back to Du Heng, she said, ”Please don’t mind, Doctor Du. This Girl has been spoiled by us.”

”It’s fine. We’re friends, and we usually talk like this.”

”Who talks to you like that?” Wu Shengnan interjected, still haughty.

Du Heng ignored her. After watching Gu Ping finish packing up, he said to Wu Shengnan’s Mother, ”Auntie, please come with me to the office. I have a few things to discuss with you.”

Wu Shengnan’s Mother was taken aback for a moment but quickly replied, ”Alright, let’s go.”

Seeing the two about to leave, Wu Shengnan hurriedly shouted, ”If you have something to say, say it here! Are you afraid I’ll overhear, or what?”

Du Heng paused, turned around with a smile, and said, ”You’re overthinking it. I’m asking Auntie to come over so I can teach her some massage techniques and give her some medicine.”

Wu Shengnan’s Mother also comforted Wu Shengnan, ”It’s alright, Nannan. Mother will be back soon.”

Once they were out of the hospital room, Du Heng, who was leading the way, his expression suddenly turned terrifyingly grim.

He had been careless. He’d made a mistake.

He had underestimated the impact of the frostbite on the ischemia in Wu Shengnan’s foot.

Even yesterday, when he examined her, he felt that although the foot’s condition was quite severe, he could still save it. At worst, the most affected big toe might be lost.

But today, when he actually inserted the needles, the sensation from all five toes, like touching rotten wood, sent a chill through his heart.

He shouldn’t have waited a day yesterday. He shouldn’t have waited for the Ointment to seep into the skin, for the medicine to nourish the blood vessels. He shouldn’t have even waited the day before yesterday.

Although doing so might have damaged the blood vessels and nerves in her foot, it would have definitely saved the other toes.

But now, it was too late for regrets.

Du Heng felt deep remorse and self-reproach.

When he entered the office, Li Jianwei had intended to ask Du Heng about the situation. But seeing Du Heng’s grim expression, his heart lurched. A terrible thought immediately surfaced: Had Wu Shengnan’s condition worsened?

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wu Shengnan’s Mother and Gu Ping behind Du Heng, so he gave Du Heng an anxious look but remained silent.

After everyone sat down, Du Heng said directly, ”Auntie, I’m sorry. I underestimated the severity of the condition. I didn’t anticipate the extent of the impact the frostbite would have on the ischemia in her toes. Nannan’s toes... they might not be salvageable.”

Du Heng apologized upfront and explained the situation. He didn’t want to shirk responsibility or hide anything from Wu Shengnan’s family. The reason he hadn’t told Wu Shengnan herself was that he feared she might think he was joking again and not take it seriously. Then, when the reality set in, she wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Tears immediately welled up in Wu Shengnan’s Mother’s eyes. She asked Du Heng in a trembling voice, ”Is there... is there really no chance of saving them?”

”I can only do my utmost, but I can’t guarantee how many toes can ultimately be preserved,” Du Heng said, feeling powerless.

Silent tears streamed down Wu Shengnan’s Mother’s face, flowing uncontrollably.

Du Heng, Li Jianwei, and Gu Ping could only watch, at most handing her some toilet paper.

”A family of police officers... I don’t know what’s so good about it.”

”Her father had me worried sick for so many years. He suffered countless injuries, and several times he nearly lost his life. It wasn’t easy for him to finally achieve commendations, become a leader, and no longer have to go to the front line. But then her brother also became a police officer.”

”And not only did he become a police officer, he insisted on joining a front-line team. Now, he’s been shot, injured his lung, and has to work an office job at such a young age.”

Wu Shengnan’s Mother wept softly as she recounted her grievances.

But her quiet words made Du Heng and the others involuntarily straighten their backs.

In the past, he might have made a few jokes about Wu Shengnan’s family background, feeling a mix of envy and admiration. But now, he felt that such a family background was something they had earned. He couldn’t even feel envious, let alone jealous.

Would he himself have the courage to risk his life like that?