In the days that followed, Song Hao spent all his free time in the dissection room, examining the cadaver specimens. He strived to thoroughly understand the structure of every muscle, the shape of every bone, the distribution of every nerve, the precise location and size of the internal organs, and the structure of the brain. At the same time, he gained a new understanding of the subcutaneous tissue structure of each acupuncture point, and his control over the depth and force of needle insertion improved dramatically.
Despite the pungent smell of formalin, the preservative used to soak corpses in the autopsy room, Song Hao continued to have "intimate contact" with the body.
This action amazed the students and moved the teacher, who then lent Song Hao the key to the anatomy room, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.
Through his study of physiology, Song Hao learned that the process of life is a physical and chemical process, completely different from the theory of the circulation of essence, qi, and spirit in traditional Chinese medicine. Perhaps this is a difference in the way Eastern and Western thinking approaches to reasoning and understanding things. Which one better explains the essence of life? Song Hao often fell into deep thought.
Chapter Seven: The Difference Between East and West
Liu Tian, Ma Ji, and Zhang Baolun shared a dormitory with Song Hao. The three of them were young and liked to go out and play in the streets in their spare time. They tried to invite Song Hao several times but failed, so they let him go.
One day, the three returned from a tavern after drinking. Suddenly, Maggie clutched his cheek, crying out in pain from a toothache, and wanted to see a doctor. Song Hao, who was reading in bed, saw this and said, "I'll try!" He got up, took a three-inch-long acupuncture needle, and casually inserted it diagonally into Maggie's Xiaguan acupoint in front of his ear, then twisted it a few times. The Xiaguan acupoint is on the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming, and is remarkably effective for toothaches. Maggie knew that Song Hao could treat patients at Ping An Tang, so he let him handle it.
"Hey! It really doesn't hurt anymore!" Overjoyed, Magee tried clenching his teeth and felt half of his face swell up; the toothache was gone.
"Wow! Song Hao, you're amazing! Is this acupuncture from traditional Chinese medicine?" Liu Tian exclaimed in surprise.
"Song Hao, we're brothers, teach us a thing or two too," Zhang Baolun pleaded, his voice tinged with envy.
“Sure! But to learn acupuncture, you need to practice your finger strength first, so you can insert the needles more freely and the effect will be better,” Song Hao nodded.
The three were overjoyed upon hearing this; reality was right before their eyes, and they were immediately intrigued.
"How can one train the finger strength to insert a needle in one go? My uncle also studied traditional Chinese medicine, and he has to use both hands to hold such a long needle in order to insert it!" Liu Tian said.
"If you want to practice, then practice according to my method." Song Hao said, picking up a thick book. He continued, "Find a used book to practice on. Start by piercing page by page, adding a few pages each day. When you can pierce through more than a hundred pages with one needle, that's good enough!" As he spoke, he casually pierced the page with a needle. His light and graceful hand gestures seemed effortless, as if he had merely touched the page with the needle. Yet, the soft and slender needle had already pierced through the thick book and was firmly fixed there.
Liu Tian, Ma Ji, and Zhang Baolun were all dumbfounded.
The three men were amazed by Song Hao's "profound inner strength," and each bought a pack of needles to practice. However, their youthful enthusiasm waned quickly; after only five minutes, they lost interest before even piercing a few dozen pages of paper. As a result, after just over a month, the monotonous practice caused them to gradually lose interest, and they eventually gave up. The saying "it's difficult to become a master" refers to the perseverance and willpower required; most people can't maintain that level of dedication.
After more than a year of theoretical study, in addition to regular class time, the vocational nursing school began arranging for students to intern in hospitals. This so-called clinical internship simply involved placing students in various departments to observe doctors, interact with patients, and perform practical clinical procedures. In reality, it was just about having students wear white coats, pretend to be "doctors," and follow around to familiarize themselves with hospital procedures. Only a few ambitious individuals, genuinely wanting to learn real skills, diligently followed their teachers to learn and practice. This situation was prevalent not only at vocational nursing schools but also among medical school students.
This hospital was originally intended to be a clinical hospital integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine, but Song Hao discovered that it had essentially become entirely Western-oriented. Both diagnosis and treatment followed Western medical models, with only a few patients occasionally seeking treatment from a few veteran traditional Chinese medicine doctors like Wu Quan. Accustomed to receiving traditional Chinese medicine treatment at Ping An Tang, Song Hao was surprised and worried upon seeing this situation; he hadn't realized that traditional Chinese medicine had fallen into such a state.
When Song Hao casually mentioned this matter to Wu Quan, Wu Quan sighed, patted Song Hao on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "It's all because the world changes so fast! I can't really explain why, but all the good things from our ancestors are almost lost! Study hard and inherit your grandfather's skills. This kind of genuine traditional Chinese medicine is rare in the whole country. If your generation can't learn it, traditional Chinese medicine will really be extinct! Even if it doesn't disappear, it will just be a mere formality."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was deeply moved. Later, Song Hao learned from some materials that during the Republic of China and the early years of the People's Republic of China, there were even people who proposed abolishing traditional Chinese medicine, a national treasure, which shows that the conflict between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine had become irreconcilable.
"We need to make people realize what real traditional Chinese medicine is!" Song Hao thought to himself, clenching his fist inwardly.
Over time, Song Hao discovered that illnesses that could be cured for a few dozen yuan at Ping An Tang would cost hundreds or even thousands of yuan at the hospital, mostly due to expensive examination fees. Furthermore, some functional disorders couldn't be detected by medical instruments or tests, leaving patients in excruciating pain while the doctors helplessly shook their heads and said, "Nothing's wrong!"
Song Hao suddenly understood. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) did have its advantages. Although TCM might seem inferior to Western medicine in emergency care and surgery, it far surpasses Western medicine in treating chronic diseases. Especially in diagnosis, Western doctors are practically helpless without diagnostic equipment, while TCM relies entirely on observation of complexion and pulse diagnosis. TCM's simplicity and affordability are its greatest advantages and potential. Of course, in special circumstances, the complementary use of TCM and Western medicine would be the truly best solution.
"It would be great if we could open a real traditional Chinese medicine hospital in the future!" Song Hao dreamed.
By chance, Song Hao showed the hospital doctors the amazing effects of traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture in rescuing patients with acute and critical illnesses.
It was a hot afternoon when an unconscious patient was brought into the emergency room. He was an elderly man in his sixties. According to his family members who accompanied him, the old man had argued with his family over trivial matters and collapsed in anger, losing consciousness.
Several doctors in the emergency department examined the patient and found that all vital signs, including breathing, heart rate, and pulse, were normal, leaving them unsure of the cause. A CT scan revealed no abnormalities in the brain or internal organs; the patient appeared to be in a deep sleep, but remained unconscious. This stumped the doctors, as several conventional resuscitation methods failed. They quickly consulted with doctors from other specialties. After examining the patient, everyone shook their heads in bewilderment, and for a time, the medical team was at a loss.
Seeing this, the patient's family panicked and suggested immediately transferring him to a large hospital in the provincial capital for emergency treatment. However, the journey to the provincial capital would take three to four hours, and if the patient's condition worsened during that time, the consequences would be severe. After understanding the situation, the patient's family, having no other choice, decided to take the risk and go to the provincial capital, since staying there would only waste time.
"Could you give me a minute to try?" Song Hao stepped out from the crowd and said calmly. He had been watching the doctors' discussions and had already made up his mind, deciding to give the Nine Needles of Rejuvenation a try.
"You...?" The patient's family member was suspicious when they saw that it was a teenager. The doctors nearby also frowned; how dare a nursing school intern act so presumptuously.
“Let him give it a try. This child is the grandson of Song Zihe, a famous doctor in our county. The Song family has unique skills in acupuncture,” Wu Quan said from the side.
Hearing this, the patient's family members had no choice but to nod and say, "Then let's ask the young doctor to give it a try!" They were essentially trying anything as a last resort.
Song Hao stepped forward, took three acupuncture needles he always carried with him, disinfected them with alcohol swabs, and inserted one needle into the Baihui acupoint on the top of the patient's head, and the second into the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the left foot. The patient remained unconscious. Several nursing school students standing nearby secretly worried for Song Hao. This Song Hao was too bold! Although it wouldn't matter if the treatment failed in this situation, it would damage Ping An Tang's reputation, and more importantly, he would be laughed at by the doctors in the hospital. Even these senior doctors couldn't do anything about it, so why did he have to step in?
Just as Song Hao inserted the third needle into the patient's philtrum, the old man suddenly made a sound in his throat, then opened his eyes. Seeing a large group of people staring at him in astonishment, he actually sat up, propped up by his hand on the bed, and said blankly, "What's wrong? How did I get here?"
The crowd burst into laughter, followed by thunderous applause.
"Amazing!" The doctors exclaimed in astonishment.
"Song Hao, what's going on? Can you explain yourself?" asked a doctor who recognized him.
“In traditional Chinese medicine, this is called Qi stagnation syndrome. Anger causes the body’s Qi to become disordered, rushing back into the brain and clouding the senses, causing temporary unconsciousness. Theoretically, it is caused by a disconnection between the Qi of Heaven, Earth, and Man in the body. Therefore, the Qi of Baihui (GV20) is stimulated, the Qi of Yongquan (KI1) is regulated, and the Qi of Renzhong (GV26) is harmonized. When the three Qi are in succession, the person will wake up on their own,” Song Hao said.
"That makes sense!" Faced with the facts, everyone couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"When the body's Qi is out of balance, dangerous illnesses arise; when families are at odds, disasters occur. The human body and worldly affairs follow the same principle," Wu Quan said earnestly from the side.
Chapter Eight: Famous Doctor Without a License
There was a young nurse in the hospital named Wang Ying, two years older than Song Hao. Naturally beautiful, she was a recognized beauty in the hospital, but usually quite aloof, making it difficult for most people to speak to her. After Song Hao revived the old man with three acupuncture needles, she developed feelings for him and would frequently bring him treats. Since they were both in the hospital and saw each other often, Song Hao didn't want to refuse her kindness or make her feel awkward, so he would always smile and say, "Thank you, sister!" without refusing. Wang Ying secretly grew even more fond of him, and their relationship became closer than anyone else's, naturally making many of Wang Ying's suitors envious.
"Call her 'sister' first! Then 'younger sister'! Take her home and call her 'wife'!" Liu Tian, Ma Ji, and Zhang Baolun teased Song Hao from time to time, filled with envy.
Song Hao felt a little embarrassed but not angry, and let the three of them make a fuss.
Just as Song Hao was about to finish his two years of nursing school studies, Wang Ying's parents were transferred to another city for work, and she had to leave the hospital to go with them. Before leaving, she met with Song Hao and cried her heart out. Although Song Hao wasn't completely in love with this first love, it was the first time a beautiful girl had been so kind to him, and now that she was leaving, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. He comforted Wang Ying, and then the two reluctantly parted. His first love thus ended abruptly.
After graduating from nursing school, Song Hao returned to Ping An Tang.
Just as Song Hao was preparing to make a name for himself and work with his grandfather to build Ping An Tang into the traditional Chinese medicine hospital he envisioned, an unexpected event completely changed the fate of the two of them, leading Song Hao down a long and winding road of traveling medicine around the world.
The current director of the county health bureau was a man named Mi Changli. In his year in office, while handling official business, he also had his own private ambitions. He wanted to use his position to establish a private hospital under someone else's name, and he first set his sights on Baihe Town. With its unique geographical location and historical sites, Baihe Town had developed into a famous tourist destination in recent years, making it the perfect location for a hospital. Another important point was that Mi Changli wanted to hire Song Zihe to practice medicine at his hospital. With Song Zihe's reputation, the hospital's patient volume was guaranteed. He could have every patient examined by the hospital's medical equipment and then profit from the expensive examinations—making a fortune even with his eyes closed.
While Mi Changli was setting up the hospital in Baihe Town, he personally came to Ping'an Hall that evening to discuss the matter with Song Zihe. Thinking that with the bureau chief personally involved and substantial profits waiting for them, Song Zihe had no reason to refuse. Mi Changli's arrival greatly surprised Song Zihe, who quickly invited him to sit in the living room.
Mi Changli first explained his vision and future plans for building a hospital, as well as the commission Song Zihe would receive for each examination order and prescription. This would be much more profitable than Song Zihe's Ping An Tang business. Then he waited with a smile for Song Zihe's response.