"Chinese Medicine Home?"
Lu Mountain looked at the website on the computer and read its name aloud.
"Look, Grandpa, there are videos here, recordings of lectures by some National Masters of Chinese Medicine. I'll click on one for you to watch," Lu Jiu said.
"Alright." Lu Mountain stared at the computer, wearing the pink headphones Lu Jiu bought.
Lu Jiu clicked on the section of famous lectures and happened to see a video by Master Huang Fusheng on the first page, so he clicked on it.
"Grandpa, watch by yourself; I'm going to attend to patients," Lu Jiu said.
"Alright." At this moment, Lu Mountain didn't want to pay attention to Lu Jiu.
Seeing Lu Mountain engrossed, Lu Jiu couldn't help but chuckle. The medical content on that website was probably enough to cultivate his grandfather's internet addiction.
Having settled his nagging grandfather, Lu Jiu turned to check another reward.
Basic Gua Sha.
Lu Jiu had a rather superficial understanding of Gua Sha and didn't know many techniques. He only attended a few Gua Sha classes in college, but he forgot most of it afterward.
He only knew that Gua Sha wasn't as the folk believed, needing to scrape until the body was red and bruised; the technique and pressure were both important.
Now, having received this Basic Gua Sha, it made up for another of Lu Jiu's shortcomings, though not by much.
After all, these were just basic things.
"Dr. Lu, I'm here for a follow-up consultation."
Just as Lu Jiu sat down, a familiar face appeared at the door—it was Zhang Yu.
"Have a seat. How did you feel after taking the medicine yesterday?" Lu Jiu asked.
"Let me tell you, after taking the medicine yesterday, I felt my breathing change. When eating, I didn't have that sweaty feeling anymore; just a bit of sweat on my nose, and by dinner, not a drop," Zhang Yu said, smiling.
A single prescription solved his sweating problem, making Zhang Yu trust Lu Jiu immensely.
"Didn't have a late-night snack, did you?" Lu Jiu asked.
"No way! If I sleep before eleven, I can't eat much anyway. Dr. Lu, you know, after following your advice and forcing myself to sleep early, I woke up feeling much more refreshed. After all those years of staying up late, I forgot how comfortable it is to wake up naturally. Even without a nap, I don't feel tired," Zhang Yu said, smiling.
"There's an old saying: eating three pigs a day can't compare to sleeping well. Getting good sleep is akin to maintaining your health," Lu Jiu remarked.
"Indeed, I'll stick to it," Zhang Yu replied.
"Did you exercise yesterday?" Lu Jiu inquired.
Zhang Yu laughed, pulling out his phone, "Of course! I walked over ten thousand steps; take a look."
Lu Jiu nodded, "Nice, keep it up. Let me check your pulse to see how you're recovering."
Zhang Yu couldn't wait and immediately offered his arm.
As Lu Jiu's fingertips touched Zhang Yu's wrist, the voices of the Five Viscera became audible.
"Did he go to the clinic yesterday?" Heart Fire asked.
"Yes, that doctor is checking his pulse," Liver Wood replied.
"Can he hear us talking now?" Spleen Earth was a bit excited.
"He should be able to. Yesterday, he talked to us while seeing a doctor," Fei Jin said.
"Doctor, doctor, can you hear me?" Spleen Earth began calling out to Lu Jiu.
Lu Jiu originally intended to simply check Zhang Yu's recovery without chatting with his Five Viscera, but Spleen Earth actively called him, so Lu Jiu had to respond.
"What's up?" Lu Jiu asked.
"Fei Jin said your medicine yesterday solved the problem over there. Can you treat me too?" Spleen Earth said.
Zhang Yu's deficiency in vitality was because his lung defense was weak, which indeed involved Fei Jin.
"He's already undergoing treatment. His lifestyle has greatly changed, and recovery is quick. Before his spleen deficiency causes stomach pain or diarrhea, I still think natural recovery is better," Lu Jiu explained.
"It's too slow, and changing his habits doesn't help. He's constantly thinking, a lot of thinking, and I'm under a lot of stress, you know?" Spleen Earth complained, with a hint of helplessness.
Thinking?
"What's he thinking about?" Lu Jiu asked.
People think every day; as long as it's not excessive, it won't affect the Spleen and Stomach.
"Writing scripts. He's busy conceptualizing every day, writing from morning till night, and his brain never stops," Spleen Earth said.
No wonder he stays up late.
Most people engaged in intellectual work prefer working at night, believing that only at night does inspiration flow.
In fact, that's not the case. The human brain functions faster during the day; the misconception arises because these people have a procrastination problem.
"Don't worry too much. Previously, his constant thinking harmed his Spleen and Stomach because staying up late wore down his body. Once he focuses his work energy during the day and rests well at night without overthinking, you won't feel burdened anymore. Let me talk to him, alright?" Lu Jiu said.
"Make sure you follow through, doctor," Spleen Earth urged.
"Don't worry." Lu Jiu assured Spleen Earth.
With that, Lu Jiu released Zhang Yu's wrist, severing the connection with his Five Viscera.
"Not bad, the vitality deficiency is almost recovered. The remaining issues don't require medication, but don't slack off on exercise; it must be maintained," Lu Jiu advised.
"Absolutely, absolutely." Zhang Yu replied with a smile.
"By the way, are you engaged in intellectual work?" Lu Jiu asked subtly this time, fearing that directly mentioning Zhang Yu's profession would seem too mystical and unrealistic.
"You can tell, huh? Haha, to put it nicely, I'm a screenwriter; to put it bluntly, I'm unemployed with no steady work," Zhang Yu admitted with a laugh.
"Since you have so much free time, it's best to complete your writing tasks during the day. Try not to let your mind wander after seven or eight o'clock in the evening," Lu Jiu advised.
"Why is that?" Zhang Yu asked, puzzled.
"In Chinese medicine, there's a saying: delight harms the heart, anger harms the liver, thinking harms the spleen, worry harms the lungs, and fear harms the kidneys. Normal emotions don't affect the body, but once they are excessive, it's dangerous."
"You've probably heard of Fan Jin passing the imperial exam; that's an example of being excessively happy hurting the heart, leading to madness. The thinking you do while writing isn't harmful, but you must give yourself time to rest, especially at night, when the body's energy and essence gather inward to nourish the Five Viscera. If you're still thinking at that time, isn't that overthinking?" Lu Jiu said.
Zhang Yu felt troubled. He scratched his head, "But I can only write stuff at night; in the morning, I'm too groggy and lack inspiration."
Lu Jiu replied, "And how about today?"
Zhang Yu paused, "Well... today was a bit unexpected."
Lu Jiu smiled, "It's no accident. 'Work at sunrise, rest at sunset'—this is the lifestyle our ancestors advocated. Nowadays, due to societal pressures, people have to reverse their day-night schedules, creating the false impression that night-time energy is higher."
"But going against nature comes at a cost. The night is meant for rest. If you strain yourself mentally during this time, you'll inevitably wake up groggy in the morning. You can test it yourself—compare staying up late to not staying up late; with the same amount of sleep, see which one leaves you more refreshed and allowing more creative time."
"You've had plenty of late-night experiences already. Now change it up; complete your tasks during the day, sleep at your cue at night, and compare your work efficiency. Then you'll realize for yourself whether your energy is better during the day or night, without me having to say it."