Chapter Eighty-One: Drawing Trouble Eastward

“I believe Dr. Song is right. Previously, when he and Dr. Lu went to the entrance of the Benevolence Hall, hoping to persuade the deceitful practitioner of traditional medicine to hand over the first patient with schistosomiasis, the proprietor stubbornly refused. That seems rather odd, doesn’t it?”
“After all, everyone knows that traditional medicine hasn’t studied parasites extensively—there’s simply no comparison with Western medicine. The proprietor of Benevolence Hall hiding that schistosomiasis patient is certainly suspicious.”
Dr. Song’s words dropped like a bomb among the assembled doctors, stirring their thoughts and leading them to suspect that the reason they couldn’t cure the schistosomiasis cases with conventional methods must be due to something Xie Qingtang was concealing.
People’s minds are easily swayed by others. Hearing his own apprentice speak in this way, even the department chief felt a twinge of doubt. Yes, that young doctor—Dr. Song—was indeed his protégé.
At first, the chief had kindly offered to admit the schistosomiasis patient from Benevolence Hall for treatment, but hadn’t expected his good intentions to be rebuffed by Xie Qingtang.
Though it hadn’t seemed problematic at the time, Dr. Song’s remarks now gnawed at the chief’s mind, and before he realized it, he found himself agreeing with what his apprentice had said.
“We must go to Benevolence Hall and demand an explanation. Their disregard for human life is simply outrageous!” the other doctors exclaimed with righteous indignation.
The chief raised his hand, signaling for calm, then turned to Dr. Song behind him. “Song, you’ll come with me to Benevolence Hall this time. If the proprietor is indeed hiding something, we must get to the truth, so we can prescribe the right remedy.”
“Yes, Chief, understood.” Without delay, the two changed into their regular attire and crossed over to Benevolence Hall.
Perhaps it was the intuition doctors share, but as soon as Xie Qingtang saw the chief, she sensed the two weren’t there as patients. Having seen Dr. Song before, she quickly guessed the identity of the middle-aged man walking ahead of him.
“Hello, Dr. Xie,” the chief of the Parasitology Department greeted her cordially.
Xie Qingtang rose and stepped toward them. “You’re doctors from Gu’s Hospital. What brings you to my Benevolence Hall?”
“I am Hao Qiao, chief of the Parasitology Department at Gu’s Hospital. I believe you’re aware that our hospital has admitted several patients infected with schistosomiasis,” Hao Qiao said, getting straight to the point.
Xie Qingtang nodded. Hao Qiao continued, “We have devoted ourselves to caring for these patients, but unexpectedly, their conditions have not improved in the slightest—in fact, they are worsening.”
Xie Qingtang’s brow furrowed at his words. She shrugged and replied, “Excuse me, sir, I prefer not to beat around the bush. What’s your real purpose in coming to Benevolence Hall? Please speak plainly.”
“It’s like this: we are all doctors, and we value our patients’ lives above all. I want to know if you have concealed any information regarding the schistosomiasis patient treated at Benevolence Hall. If there is anything you’re withholding, please tell us, so we can tailor our treatment for those infected patients.”
Hao Qiao’s tone remained courteous, but Dr. Song behind him was far less polite. Seeing Xie Qingtang’s skeptical expression directed at the two men, he snorted coldly and said outright,
“Drop the pretense. You must have concealed some details about your patient and now want to watch us at Gu’s Hospital fail to cure the schistosomiasis cases. You’re hoping to see us make fools of ourselves, aren’t you?”
Hearing this, Xie Qingtang—never one to let herself be falsely accused—grew cold-faced and retorted, “I see, so the two of you have come to lay blame, convinced I’m hiding something? How laughable.”
“Wasn’t it you who claimed that schistosomiasis was first discovered by Western medicine? You say traditional medicine isn’t effective in treating parasitic diseases. So how is it you now suspect me of withholding information? Even if I were, shouldn’t your advanced Western medicine be able to uncover it quickly?”
At these words, Hao Qiao and Dr. Song both looked embarrassed. Indeed, they always believed Western medicine superior to traditional medicine.
Yet now, when Western medicine could not cure the schistosomiasis patients, their suspicions turned to traditional medicine hiding something—a contradiction, to be sure.
“Dr. Xie, I apologize for the misunderstanding. My apprentice’s tone was rather harsh, but he didn’t mean it that way. The worsening conditions of our patients have made us anxious. Would you allow us to see the schistosomiasis patient treated at Benevolence Hall?”
Hao Qiao took a deep breath; after all, age had steadied his temperament. He made a modest request to Xie Qingtang.
“He’s already left,” Xie Qingtang replied bluntly, stunning the two where they stood.
Dr. Song, assuming that Xie Qingtang had failed to cure the patient and let him go, questioned her sharply, “How could you let a patient carrying a contagious source leave so casually? That’s utterly irresponsible.”
“My word, for someone so young, your mind really isn’t working well. His illness has been cured—why shouldn’t he leave?” Xie Qingtang shot back, refusing to indulge anyone.
Her words left Dr. Song dumbfounded. He knew full well that the schistosomiasis patient admitted to Benevolence Hall was the earliest detected case, already in the late stages.
The chances of recovery were nearly zero, and yet Xie Qingtang claimed the patient had left only after being cured.
“That’s impossible. You’re lying. You must have expelled a dying patient from Benevolence Hall, unable to cure him and not wanting to tarnish your reputation,” Dr. Song said, completely unconvinced.
Xie Qingtang simply glanced at him, as if looking at a fool.