Although the little girl had regained her breath, she hadn't woken up yet, her eyes still tightly shut.
"Little friend, why hasn't my granddaughter woken up yet?" Wu Jinyuan asked anxiously.
"Brain hypoxia. She'll come around in a bit," Li Haoming reassured Old Man Wu before turning to Lin Yu. "Young man, the child was deprived of oxygen for a long time. Do you think there might be any brain damage?"
"I've already checked—none at all. It's all thanks to your hospital's world-leading oxygen equipment. If it were any other hospital, it would be hard to say," Lin Yu replied.
The other internists couldn't help but feel a sense of pride upon hearing this. It wasn't an exaggeration—some of their hospital's equipment was truly top-notch, both domestically and internationally.
Li Haoming was well aware of his hospital's capabilities and knew that such a short period of hypoxia wouldn't cause brain damage. He had asked the question to test Lin Yu.
Lin Yu's answer surprised him. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had declined in recent years, its depth and sophistication far surpassed that of Western medicine.
TCM emphasized observation, listening, questioning, and pulse diagnosis. A skilled TCM practitioner could diagnose a patient's condition without any instruments, simply by observing their qi and spirit. The fact that Lin Yu had identified the girl's condition at a glance and confirmed the absence of brain damage indicated that his medical skills had reached an exceptionally high level.
"I need to use a secret method to eradicate the root of this child's illness. Could everyone please step out for a moment?"
Although the girl was better now, the dark energy within her hadn't been expelled. Lin Yu didn't want to frighten everyone, so he had to send them away first. After all, ghosts and spirits were mysterious entities that most people in this world knew little about.
Once everyone had left, Lin Yu was about to act when the dark energy on the girl's body suddenly surged out, darting rapidly toward the window.
"Trying to escape?"
Lin Yu smirked and recited a soul-dispelling incantation. Pinching the red string he had taken from Jiang Yan, he pointed it toward the fleeing dark energy. The energy let out a piercing shriek before being sucked into the peach pit on the string.
Lin Yu tied the red string around his wrist, thinking how fortunate he was to have Jiang Yan's red string. Without it, given his current cultivation level, dealing with this malevolent entity would have been quite difficult.
"You can come back in now!"
Lin Yu called out to those outside, then walked over to the little girl and removed the needles. Pressing his fingers gently on acupoints like Baihui (GV20) and Fengchi (GB20) on her head, the girl gradually woke up.
Seeing the clarity return to the girl's eyes, Lin Yu smiled with relief.
Wu Jianguo and his wife, along with Old Man Wu and his wife, rushed in and embraced the child, weeping uncontrollably. They had almost lost the Wu family's only heir.
"Little friend, will my granddaughter relapse in the future?" Old Man Wu was the first to regain his composure and asked worriedly.
"It's completely cured and won't recur. However, you should pay more attention to her in the future. Her constitution is weak and susceptible to negative energies, so try to avoid taking her to places with heavy yin energy, like cemeteries," Lin Yu advised.
"Great kindness need not be spoken. Little friend, if you ever need anything in the future, Wu Jinyuan will not hesitate to help!" Old Man Wu's voice was filled with gratitude.
"It was just a small effort. You're too kind," Lin Yu replied modestly.
"Brother He, I was blind earlier. Please don't hold it against me or my wife. I will repay this great kindness in the future," Wu Jianguo said, holding his wife and daughter, his eyes moist.
Hearing the term "my wife," Lin Yu smiled awkwardly and glanced back at Jiang Yan, who still wore a cold expression and was frowning at him.
"Young man, could you explain the child's condition in more detail?" Now that the girl was fine, Li Haoming became very interested in her illness.
"Yes, little miracle doctor, enlighten us."
"Please give us a lesson too."
Seeing Li Haoming take the lead, the other internists grew curious and echoed his request.
"You flatter me. It was just luck that I could diagnose the child's condition," Lin Yu said humbly. "Actually, her illness isn't complicated. The main cause was lung heat due to fever."
"I noticed that during the examination too, but how could lung heat alone lead to such severe symptoms?" Li Haoming asked, puzzled.
"At the clinic, I mentioned that the child had a hidden ailment. If I'm not mistaken, she previously suffered from liver poisoning," Lin Yu said, turning to Wu Jianguo and his wife.
Wu Jianguo quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! My daughter had toxic hepatitis half a year ago, but it was cured."
Lin Yu nodded. "It was indeed cured, but there were still traces of toxins left behind. Combined with prolonged fever causing heart fire to rise, these factors turned a simple case of lung heat into a life-threatening condition."
Lin Yu's explanation covered the main causes of the illness, but in reality, it shouldn't have been so severe. The dark energy had taken advantage of the condition, nearly costing the girl her life.
The doctors nodded in understanding after hearing his analysis. Li Haoming secretly admired Lin Yu's skills. Just by observing the girl without any tests, he had identified her past hidden ailment—something Li Haoming himself couldn't have done.
Jiang Yan listened to his detailed explanation with surprise but still felt disdain. She knew exactly how many medical books he had read. This was just a lucky coincidence.
When Lin Yu left the hospital, Li Haoming chased after him and handed him a business card, saying that if he was interested in working at People's Hospital, he could contact him.
Looking at the card, Lin Yu asked, "Are you interested in working here? Do you want—"
"My affairs are none of your concern. If I want something, I'll work for it myself," Jiang Yan coldly interrupted before he could finish.
Jiang Yan was furious. She had always been the one helping this good-for-nothing. When had she ever needed his help?
In truth, Jiang Yan had always dreamed of working at Qinghai People's Hospital. However, becoming a physician there wasn't easy. She had failed the exam twice but believed she would pass eventually.
"Your bracelet fell off. I picked it up. Can I keep it? I'd like to have something of yours with me," Lin Yu said, shaking the red string on his wrist.
"Do whatever you want," Jiang Yan said coldly.
Back at the clinic, Sun Feng was already waiting outside with all the doctors and nurses. He had called Old Man Wu earlier and learned the full story.
When Lin Yu got out of the car, Sun Feng led the group in greeting him warmly, then rushed forward to shake his hand. "Xiao He, our clinic is truly indebted to you this time. If it weren't for you, we might have been shut down for rectification."
"A blind cat happened upon a dead mouse," Jiang Yan muttered coldly before walking into the clinic.
Sun Feng gave an awkward smile. He knew exactly how capable He Jiarong was. Although the whole incident puzzled him, the fact remained that He Jiarong had helped the clinic, so he was still grateful.
Just then, the health bureau's car returned, led by Deng Chengbin.
Sun Feng panicked and hurried over. "Director Deng, hasn't the matter been resolved?"
Deng Chengbin ignored him and strode up to Lin Yu, speaking politely, "Brother He, I was rude earlier. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Initially, Deng Chengbin had looked down on Lin Yu, but after witnessing him cure his niece and analyze the illness so thoroughly, his opinion of Lin Yu changed completely.
"Director Deng, you're too kind," Lin Yu replied without much fuss, considering his wife worked under Deng Chengbin's jurisdiction.
"To be honest, I came to ask you to examine me," Deng Chengbin said, glancing around nervously.
Lin Yu was slightly surprised. As the deputy director of the health bureau, Deng Chengbin could easily summon any doctor in Qinghai to treat him.
But after a closer look, Lin Yu immediately recognized his symptoms and couldn't help but smile. The condition was common but not easy to treat.
"Director Deng, you've likely been experiencing soreness in your waist and knees, cold limbs, aversion to cold, and extreme fatigue recently," Lin Yu said with a smile. In short, the man was suffering from kidney deficiency.
"Yes, yes! I've seen many doctors over the past two years and taken countless medications, but nothing worked," Deng Chengbin said urgently. For a man, such impotence was nothing short of torture.
"Don't worry. I'll write you a prescription. Take it daily—one dose in the morning and one at night. After half a month, you'll see significant improvement. But remember, no alcohol or smoking during treatment," Lin Yu said, then went into the clinic to fetch paper and pen to write the prescription.
"Thank you, Brother He. If you ever need anything, just ask," Deng Chengbin said gratefully before leaving with the prescription.
When he had arrived, he hadn't been entirely confident, but after Lin Yu accurately described his symptoms, he was convinced of Lin Yu's medical prowess.
"Brother He, I never expected you to forge a connection with Director Deng so quickly. Our clinic will need you to put in a good word for us in the future," Sun Feng said, seizing the moment to cozy up to Lin Yu, even addressing him more familiarly.
He didn't care how Lin Yu had fooled Deng Chengbin—as long as it benefited him, that was all that mattered.
"Of course. I hope Director Sun will take good care of Jiang Yan in the future," Lin Yu said with a smile.
"No problem! I'll raise Dr. Jiang's salary starting tomorrow!" Sun Feng promised, thumping his chest.
For the rest of the day, Lin Yu remained idle at the clinic, but the doctors and nurses now regarded him differently, treating him more amiably. They even included him when ordering lunch and dinner.
By the time Jiang Yan finished work, it was already past 9 p.m. The thought of meeting his parents-in-law made Lin Yu nervous. After all, this was his first time meeting the parents of a spouse in his life.
Jiang Yan's home was located in a mid-to-high-end residential area of Qinghai, with excellent greenery and a tranquil environment.
The quieter the surroundings, the faster Lin Yu's heart raced. It felt surreal—was it really okay to go home with a woman he'd only known for a day?
"Get out!"
Seeing Lin Yu spacing out in the car, Jiang Yan snapped coldly. Lin Yu quickly got out and followed her upstairs.
Inside, a middle-aged couple sat on the sofa watching TV. The woman had permed hair, wore luxurious clothes, and was slightly plump. The man was thinner, with gold-rimmed glasses, giving off a scholarly vibe.
They were Jiang Yan's parents, Jiang Jingren and Li Suqin, both civil servants—one at the departmental level and the other at the sectional level. Their stable, respectable jobs and a few properties bought earlier had barely placed them in the middle class.
Seeing their daughter and Lin Yu enter, Li Suqin couldn't help but roll her eyes at Lin Yu. She regretted pushing their daughter into this marriage two years ago. It had been a moment of folly that had ruined their daughter's life.
As her husband often said, they never should have adopted this useless orphan from the beginning. Now, he had ruined their daughter's future.
"Dad, Mom," Lin Yu greeted the couple somewhat awkwardly, but they ignored him.
Lin Yu's guess was correct—He Jiarong held no status in his in-laws' eyes.
"Yan'er, you must be exhausted after a full day's work. I've drawn a bath for you. Go relax," Li Suqin said, taking her daughter's bag and hanging it up. Then, she turned to Lin Yu and said sternly, "You go help your father clean his shoes and mop the floor."
Lin Yu's mind went blank. The difference in treatment was staggering. Hadn't he just been discharged from the hospital today?
"Mom, he just got out of the hospital today. Let him rest. I'll do it later," Jiang Yan suddenly spoke up for him.
Li Suqin was taken aback. As far as she could remember, her daughter had never stood up for this good-for-nothing before. Had the sun risen from the west today? Even Jiang Jingren, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, looked up at his daughter in surprise.
"I'll handle the chores," Lin Yu said with a smile and walked inside.
"Where are you going? The shared bathroom is over there. Goodness, did the crash make you stupid? You're so clumsy," Li Suqin complained.
"Yan'er, I just changed the mattress for you. It's very soft. Now that Jiarong is awake, the two of you should hurry up and give me a grandchild," Li Suqin whispered to Jiang Yan, though Lin Yu heard every word clearly.
**Clang!**
Lin Yu, who was carrying a basin of water, nearly tripped and fell.