Chapter 19: The Dead Fetus Does Not Come Down

  The old man also shed tears and said: "Yes, young man, would you mind letting us pass?"

  Zuo Shaoyang hastily said: "How can you be sure it's incurable? Even a dead horse is treated as if it were alive! Let alone a person, with even the slightest hope, one shouldn't give up!"

  Those people stopped crying and looked at each other, and the young man said: "Who can save my wife?"

  "Let me take his pulse first and see if there's any hope before I tell you!"

  The old man saw that he had a confident look on his face, and suddenly ignited hope, turned back and beckoned: "Good! Hurry up and put it down! Let this young man feel the pulse!"

  The door panel came down, the quilt was lifted halfway, Zuo Shao Yang squatted beside it, and saw that the woman's face was pale with no blood, her eyes tightly closed, and she stretched out her hand to grab her wrist to take her pulse. The pulse could not be found, and her heart sank. She then stretched out her hand again to feel her neck, and only after pressing heavily did she faintly feel the pulse beating. Suddenly, her heart was filled with joy - there was still a pulse, which meant she wasn't dead yet!

  Zuō shǎo yáng shēn shǒu rù huái, cóng huái lǐ nà méi shè xiāng lǐ kòu le yī xiǎo lì "dàng mén zǐ", jiā zài liǎng zhǐ zhī jiān, chén shēng dào: "bǎ tā de zuǐ zhāng kāi!"

  English Translation:

  Left Shao Yang stretched out his hand and reached into his bosom, took a small grain of musk from the one in his bosom, pinched it between two fingers, and said in a low voice: "Open her mouth!"

  The man hastily helped to pry open the young woman's mouth, and with his left hand, he pinched a small amount of musk between his thumb and index finger, placing it under her tongue. Then, he had the man close her mouth again. He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and observed.

  Everyone was unaware of what he was doing, staring blankly, and passersby also gathered around to watch the commotion. Seeing his mysterious movements, no one knew what he was up to, but since it involved saving lives, no one dared to speak out.

  After a while, just as Zuo Shaoyang's mind was getting more and more restless, the woman suddenly let out a moan and woke up, opening her eyes: "...... Ah, I... did I die?"

  "Good heavens! You... you're awake? How are you feeling?"

  The onlookers were also buzzing with discussion, all staring at Zuo Shao Yang with strange eyes.

  The woman in labor had a stillbirth and was unable to deliver, after a night of emergency treatment at the Hui Min Tang clinic she fell into a coma this morning, all sorts of medicines were used but they were like throwing stones into the ocean, her pulse grew weaker and weaker, even her breathing could no longer be heard, so Doctor Nai declared that there was no hope for her recovery and told her family to take her home to prepare for the worst, on the way a young man suddenly appeared and forced some kind of pill into her mouth, after a short while she came back to life, could it be that heaven has opened its eyes?

  Musk is a key medicine for reviving and refreshing the mind, with strong orifice-opening functions. It has awakening effects on comas caused by various reasons. However, medical practitioners before the Tang Dynasty used musk mainly for its fragrant properties to dispel filth and treat heart and abdominal pain, as well as difficult childbirth and miscarriage. Its use in reviving and refreshing the mind was only recorded after Li Shizhen's "Bencao Gangmu" in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, ancient people were unaware of musk's effects in this aspect. Of course, no one saw what kind of spiritual medicine was hidden in Zuo Siyang's sleeves.

  Although he saved the young woman, it doesn't mean that she has been cured of her illness. The young woman's family had lit up with hope, but looking at this young man, somehow he didn't seem like a skilled doctor. The old man cupped his hands and asked: "Excuse me, young sir, is the person who can save my daughter-in-law your respected teacher?"

  The left lesser yang could see the distrust in their eyes, in modern society, the most frustrating thing for doctors is that patients do not trust them, especially traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors. TCM's diagnostic methods of observation, listening, questioning and pulse-taking are different from Western medicine's reliance on modern medical equipment. The latter is objective and tangible, while TCM's diagnosis and treatment process and results are all intangible and can only be understood through experience. So, in the eyes of ordinary people, age is often linked to medical skills, with older doctors considered more skilled. Young TCM doctors generally do not have many patients seeking their care. Therefore, many modern TCM doctors grow beards and dress conservatively to appear older. This is also the purpose.

  Zuo Shaoyang naturally understood this point, on the other hand, not wanting to directly lend a helping hand was also good, otherwise Old Man Zuo would have no way to explain it. So Zuo Shaoyang nodded and said: "It's indeed Father!"

  "Oh, so the respected teacher is actually your esteemed father. I wonder where he is now? Please ask him to take pity on me and save my daughter-in-law!"

  "My father is in the pharmacy over there, our family runs a pharmacy called 'Guizhitang'."

  An old woman came over and whispered, "Uncle, I've been to Guizhitang to see a doctor. The doctor's surname is Zuo, and the prescription he wrote wasn't very good. Last time I had a cough, I heard that his pharmacy sells cheap medicine, so I went there. After eating for many days, it didn't get better. Later, I went to Renshoutang to see a doctor and got cured."

  "Yes!" Another old man also said in a low voice: "I've heard that too, Guizhitang's medicine is cheap, but Zuo Lang's medical skills are really not good..."

  Although their voices were low, Zuo Shaoyang still heard clearly and couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. They didn't believe in their own medical skills, and now they didn't believe that Old Master Zuo Gui could cure this illness either. If they wouldn't go to the Guizhitang, then there would be no way to save her. He hastily interjected: "Everyone, you don't know, my father has a family secret recipe, specifically for treating a dead fetus in the womb. Just now it was also my father who told me to bring the medicine over to rescue her."

  In ancient times, doctors were all taught in the way of master and apprentice, and there were not many open prescriptions. Many doctors relied on one or two ancestral secrets to specialize in treating certain diseases, which was how they managed to secure a place in the medical field. As soon as Zuo Shao Yang finished speaking, these people began discussing in hushed tones once again.

  Left Shǎo Yáng saw that they were still hesitant, and immediately took a step back, saying: "If you don't believe in my father's medical skills, then forget it. Anyway, curing illnesses is not something that can be guaranteed to succeed. This big sister is already on the verge of death, and just now she only temporarily regained consciousness. It won't take long before she falls into a coma again, and at this rate, I'm afraid she won't make it through tonight. Consider me meddling, farewell!"

  Having said that, Zuo Shaoyang looked at the suffering woman in labor with a sympathetic eye, sighed, and slowly walked back and forth with his hands behind his back.

  The husband of the woman in labor hastily said to the old man, "Father! Let Zuo Langzhong treat her! He has a secret recipe passed down from his ancestors! What if he can cure her?"

  This is too tempting, many people buy lottery tickets, knowing that the hope is slim, but they all spend money on this one in a million chance. The crowd nodded in agreement, and the old man hastily beckoned and shouted: "Young man, please stay! We ask your respected father to come out and treat us!"

  As they spoke, a crowd of people lifted up the door plank.

  "Alright!" Zuo Shaoyang turned around, lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone: "However, my old man has a very eccentric temper. This ancestral secret recipe is not easily used. If you want him to lend a hand, you must remember three things!"

  "Please speak, young man!" The old man leaned in and lowered his voice as well.

  "First, you must be sincere in your attitude. The old man will say that he can't save him, and you have to keep begging. He'll take pity on you and then lend a hand. My father has a peculiar temper; at first, he'll say that it's hopeless and the illness is incurable, but you must persist in begging him. As for the prescription he gives, don't dare to criticize or evaluate it. You have to know that folk remedies can cure major illnesses, and seemingly simple prescriptions often work miracles!"

  Famous doctors with great skills usually have a weird temper, which is called having personality in modern times. Everyone nodded hastily in agreement.

  "Secondly, you absolutely cannot mention the words 'ancestral secret recipe'. He is most afraid of people knowing that he has this skill. Remember, remember!"

  A good man is guilty of nothing but his own misdeeds, he who fears not the thief, but fears the thief's intentions. Everyone can understand this, and they all nodded in agreement.

  "Alright, alright, just...just this...this...the doctor's fee and all that...forget it for now! Let's save the person first! Carry him and follow me!"

  Zuo Shaoyang had originally wanted to explain the diagnosis first, which was an important reason for his bold attempt to rescue the stillbirth despite having no confidence in the treatment. It was all because he didn't want his whole family to be evicted and end up on the streets three days later. However, this went against medical ethics, so when it came down to it, he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. He beckoned for them to follow him to Guizhitang.

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