Chapter 47: Modified Erchen Decoction

Ran Ran was slightly startled, then raised his eyes to meet hers.

Ruogu's eyes were calm and peaceful, without a trace of ripples, as if he knew everything.

For some reason, Ranran felt even more sad when being stared at in this way.

Crystal tears overflowed from the corners of her eyes, her lips were tightly pursed, and she tried her best to suppress her grievances.

Ruogu silently handed her a tissue when she was crying. His silent care was the comfort she needed most at that moment.

I don’t know how long it took, but Ranran finally vented all his emotions and felt much better.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, like two ripe peaches, and she said in a hoarse voice:

"Pan Dongsheng and I met online. At that time, I had just graduated from college and was teaching at a private school in my hometown, and he was still serving in the army."

Ruogu nodded slightly. It was always a good thing that she was willing to talk. Ranran's eyes were vague, as if she was lost in memories.

"At that time, I had just entered society, my parents were not around, I was under a lot of work pressure and no one cared about me. I was busy every day, and his appearance was like a ray of light that illuminated my life."

Ranran's affectionate eyes were like the twinkling stars in the night sky, full of poetry and tenderness. She continued:
"At that time, we had endless things to talk about. As long as we were not working, we would chat together almost every day. Later, he retired from the army and asked me to quit my job and come to see him."

Ruogu didn't understand that love and making a living were not in conflict, and there was no need to quit her job. Ranran seemed to understand her confusion and smiled bitterly:
"At that time, I thought there were private schools everywhere, and I could find another one if I quit this one. When I left my hometown, my parents didn't even know about it."

In Ruogu's opinion, her behavior was no different from elopement and was bound to have no good results.

"At the beginning, we were together pretty well. Although he had no education, his family was well-off. He was also willing to go out to work and earn money. But problems arose over time. He was stubborn and cared about his reputation. He had no idea how to handle interpersonal relationships. He would be fired after not working for long at every job. In the end, he had no choice but to open a stationery store at home."

When Ran Ran had not experienced the pain of marriage, her thoughts were always very naive. She lowered her head and said in pain:

"My parents were strongly against this marriage, but I stubbornly believed that he was the best person in the world for me, so we finally got married. My parents asked for a large sum of money as a betrothal gift, as if they had never raised me as their daughter."

Ruogu guessed that this money was the reason why her in-laws were making things difficult for her, and Ranran's voice choked with sobs.

"After taking the money, Pan Dongsheng just lay down at home and played games. I became the sinner of the Pan family. No matter what I did, it was wrong. My parents-in-law resented me. Even after I gave birth to a son, they did not stop. They tortured and humiliated me mentally every day. I really had nowhere to go..."

Ruogu didn't say anything to comfort her, but just handed her the tissue again. Ranran wiped her tears and pulled the corners of her mouth, her face full of relief.

"I wanted to take my son with me last night, but he suddenly smiled at me. He was only six months old. It seemed like he knew I was unhappy and was trying to make me happy. How could I bear to hurt him..."

It's really a matter of one thought to heaven or hell. Ruogu sighed that this child was intelligent and had a long life. Ranran regained her composure and said in a brisk voice:

"My mind is clear now, and the fog in front of my eyes has dissipated. I will look for a job tomorrow. A woman's life will not be in vain only if she is financially independent and mentally independent. As for this marriage... I don't care about it anymore. When I have enough ability, I will take the initiative to leave."

Ranran is different from Ruogu. Her spiritual core is not that strong. If she doesn't leave, she will be continuously consumed by the Pan family. She can only survive if she stays away.

Ruogu would not persuade her, but only asked softly, "What are you going to do with the child?"

Ran Ran smiled and said, "Although my parents-in-law treat me badly, they love the baby very much. They will not treat him badly. Just like Pan Dongsheng said, he is a member of the Pan family."

Ruogu nodded gently, and she said softly:
"The injection I gave you last night wasn't enough to completely cure your illness. You'll have to do it again. Do you have anything else to do?"

Ran Ran shook her head and said gratefully, "I'm fine now. Doctor Chen, please give me acupuncture."

Ruogu's acupuncture is to help her strengthen her brain energy, which is better than taking antidepressants that are slow to take effect and have side effects.

Pan Dongsheng was very anxious when he didn't see Ranran coming back, worried that she had run away with his son. He stood stealthily at the door of Jishidiang and looked inside. Sister Yang ignored him when she saw him, and everyone else acted as if they didn't see him.

Pan Dongsheng didn't mind their attitude. When he saw Ranran doing acupuncture, he felt relieved and turned around and left quietly.

At the same time, Huai Xi was not idle either. She saw a very interesting math problem in extracurricular materials. The more she calculated, the more she felt the beauty that could not be described in words. She was completely immersed in it, unable to extricate herself, until someone patted her shoulder.

Huai Xi frowned and looked at the visitor with displeasure. Fang Mingxu knew her character and was not afraid of her look. He just said in a deep voice, "I have something to ask you for your aunt's cell phone number."

Huai Xi was already unhappy about having her train of thought interrupted, and she became even angrier after hearing his request. She threw the pen in her hand on the table, stared at Fang Mingxu with a sense of oppression, and asked unceremoniously:

"What do you want to do with my mom? I've already told you that she is not a substitute for others. It's useless for you to call her mom. She is very busy every day and has no time to talk to you."

Most of the students in the class were afraid of Huai Xi. She didn't do anything, but just standing there quietly with a look in her eyes made people afraid to act unruly. Fang Mingxu was the only one in the class who was not afraid of her, and he didn't mind her harsh words.

His expression was no longer as relaxed as before. His face was full of anxiety. He said in a tired voice:

"I want to make an appointment with my aunt for treatment. My father is not feeling well."

Huai Xi knew he was not joking when she saw his expression, so she didn't make things difficult for him. She turned around and wrote down the phone number on a blank piece of paper, then handed it to him without saying anything more.

Fang Mingxu held the paper and said in a low voice: "Thank you~"

Huai Xi waved his hand nonchalantly. He achieved his goal and didn't want to bother her any further. He turned around and left with steady and powerful steps.

Fang Mingxu went to see Teacher Gao again to get a leave note. He had something going on at home, so naturally he couldn't attend the evening self-study class. Although his appearance was popular with girls, his grades were also very good, and his ranking in the grade was comparable to Huaixi's.

Although Teacher Gao was strict, he was not unsympathetic. Considering that he was only in seventh grade and did not have that much academic pressure, he readily approved his leave. After all, students with good grades would receive some preferential treatment from their teachers.

Fang Mingxu ran home as soon as the get out of class was over, fearing that his father had a fever and no one was taking care of him at home. He ran to the door of his house in a sweat. As soon as he took the key to open the door, he looked up and saw Fang Jianping talking to Secretary Zhou in the living room, and coughing loudly from time to time.

Fang Mingxu's face immediately turned gloomy, dissatisfaction brewing in his eyes. Secretary Zhou saw that the situation was not good and smiled gently.

"Mingxu is back? Don't get me wrong, I just came to seek the mayor's advice. He has taken leave recently and there are a lot of documents piled up in the office, all waiting for his signature. I really can't..." Secretary Zhou felt inexplicably guilty when he saw Fang Mingxu's look, and he couldn't say anything else. Fang Jianping's throat was dry and itchy, and he put his fist against his lips and coughed. Fang Mingxu didn't bother to argue with Secretary Zhou, and hurried over to pat him on the back to help him calm down.

After his coughing subsided, Fang Mingxu complained, "You've been coughing like this, can you please stop? If you keep going like this, will you still have lungs?"

Fang Jianping picked up the hot water on the coffee table and took a sip. He said in a hoarse voice:

"It's not as serious as you think. I just have a common cold and cough. There is always a recovery process when you are sick. It will take at most a month to recover. There is no need to rest at home. You are just making a fuss out of nothing."

Fang Jianping is a well-known model worker. He has almost no concept of holidays. No matter where he works, he serves the people wholeheartedly. But he just doesn't care about his health. If Fang Mingxu hadn't gotten angry and forced him to rest, he might still be at work.

Secretary Zhou had a hard time following Mayor Fang, but he was used to Mayor Fang's style of doing things and didn't think there was anything wrong. He quickly agreed, "Mingxu, don't worry. You know the results of the hospital's examination. It's just a common cold and cough. There will be no big problem."

Fang Mingxu refused to listen to them this time. He said coldly:

"Hurry up and sign the documents that need to be signed. Secretary Zhou, please go back after you finish your work. I will take you to see another doctor later."

Fang Jianping frowned and said bitterly:

"It's better not to go to the hospital. I hate those messy examinations the most. Frequent X-rays have radiation, which is bad for the body. What's more, I already have a lot of medicine at home. If I take more medicine, I can eat it as if it were my meal."

Fang Mingxu's eyes were as firm as a rock, showing no sign of wavering. He said seriously, "I won't take you to see a Western doctor. I will take you to see a Chinese doctor."

Although Fang Jianping is busy, he and his son have a harmonious relationship. He and his son always communicate on an equal footing, so Fang Mingxu will tell him everything he encounters.

Fang Jianping asked in confusion: "The Chinese medicine doctor you are talking about, isn't that the aunt who looks like your mother?"

Secretary Zhou didn't know about this yet, so he immediately pricked up his ears to eavesdrop, fearing that he would miss important information. Fang Mingxu nodded and said calmly:

"I was originally planning to wait for two days, but Huaixi said that they would go out of town to accompany her father during the National Day holiday. If your condition becomes serious and Aunt Chen doesn't come back, that would be terrible."

Secretary Zhou immediately stopped thinking when he heard that the other person had a husband. Fang Jianping coughed violently a few times again. He felt as if his throat was on fire and his lungs were about to be torn apart. He finally calmed down and had the energy to tease his son.

"You're not going to use my illness to make trouble for me, son. We shouldn't steal someone else's mother like this."

Fang Mingxu rolled his eyes at him and said unhappily:

"You're almost coughing to death but you're still imagining nonsense. Aunt Chen's medical skills are really amazing. If she treats you, she will definitely cure your illness. She only sees ten patients a day, and there may not be a vacancy today."

Fang Jianping was very surprised. "There's a limit on the number of patients who can see a doctor? Is the doctor so popular?"

Fang Mingxu nodded. "She is very famous online and has treated many patients with difficult and complicated diseases. If there is no limit on the number of cases, she will be too busy every day."

Fang Jianping was somewhat skeptical, but he could not help but appreciate his son's kindness. After a moment's silence, he said:

"Since you insist so much, I'll listen to you. You contact Doctor Chen first. If he's free, we'll go. If not, we'll go tomorrow. The sooner you get cured, the sooner you can get back to work. Sharpening the knife makes the work easier."

Secretary Zhou interrupted, "Do you need me to drive you? Or should I go with you?"

He was also very curious about Doctor Chen. Fang Mingxu waved his hand and said, "Jishitang is very close to our home. We can get there in two steps. There is no need to drive."

Secretary Zhou was very tactful, "Okay, I'll go back after the mayor signs."

Fang Mingxu stood up and said, "You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll call Aunt Chen and make an appointment with her first."

Watching his son leave, Fang Jianping felt a little upset. He lacked company and attention for his son. His mother's early death was an indelible shadow, a debt and regret that he would never forget...

Secretary Zhou saw that Mayor Fang had a serious expression on his face and did not dare to disturb him. He just lowered his head and stared at the documents on the coffee table in a daze.

When Ruogu received Fang Mingxu's call, she was reading a medical book. Normally, Jishidiang would not accept patients at night unless there were special circumstances. However, Fang Mingxu was Huaixi's classmate, and his father's status was not ordinary. After careful consideration, Ruogu agreed to accept the treatment.

The father and son didn't arrive at Jishidiang until 7:30. Chi Zhengzheng had already gone home from get off work, and He Hui was not there because he had something else to do. Only Sister Yang was with Ruogu. Fang Mingxu's eyes lit up when he saw Ruogu. He said very politely:
"Aunt Chen, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Ruogu had a graceful and beautiful smile on her face. She seemed to have a special magic that made people feel warm when they saw her.

"No need to bother, it's not too late at this time."

Fang Jianping was dressed simply but had an outstanding temperament. His eyes were as deep as the sea, revealing a wisdom that saw through the world. He greeted Ruogu politely.

Although Huaixi is of similar age to Fang Mingxu, Ruogu is several years younger than Fang Jianping. She married Yu Yuan and had a daughter before graduating from college, while Fang Jianping had Fang Mingxu when he was in his thirties, so the age gap is naturally huge.

Ruogu has the capital to be stunning, but she does not look like Fang Mingxu’s mother. Perhaps this is the image of a mother in her son’s mind.

Fang Jianping had a calm and composed look on his face. The two men were decent and did not talk about irrelevant topics. After a few polite greetings, they went straight to the point.

Fang Jianping sat opposite Ruogu, his wrist on the pulse pillow. He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the medicine cabinet. Fang Mingxu stood beside him and whispered:

"Aunt Chen, my dad has had a cough for a long time. The condition is recurring and stubborn, and it is difficult to cure. He has taken many medicines but none of them worked."

After Ruogu felt the pulse, he said softly:
"Mayor Fang's cough is not ordinary, but a cough caused by phlegm and dampness invading the lungs. The condition is complicated and the treatment requires strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, drying dampness and resolving phlegm."

Fang Jianping felt like coughing, he tilted his head and coughed a few times, then said:

"Doctor Chen, can you help me find the fastest way to treat my illness? I've been delayed a lot because of this disease, and I really can't afford to keep on doing my work."

Ruogu nodded slightly, and she said softly:
"Then use Jiawei Erchen Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment. The combination of the two can significantly improve cough symptoms and help you recover faster."