Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1211 The Meritorious Figures of China (Two Chapters Combined)
Unlike the previous patients, these old leaders knew the basic information and dialects.

For example, the person sitting across from you right now.

His surname is Huang, and he is 72 years old this year. About fifteen years ago, he was diagnosed with hypertension.

He usually takes Western medicine to regulate his condition. In the past year, he has become active again due to his participation in activities to end the storm. Under such high-intensity work, he has experienced chest tightness, palpitations, tremors, headaches, dizziness, and even mild edema in his limbs.

The medical record states that the conclusion given by the military hospital is: atrial fibrillation, myocardial strain, and hypertensive heart disease.

Fang Yan saw his outstretched hand, immediately touched the three pulse points (cun, guan, chi) on his left hand, and began to take his pulse, saying to him:
"Stick your tongue out so I can see it."

Grandpa Huang obediently stuck out his tongue, and Fang Yan saw that his tongue coating was white and his tongue body was dark purple.

A white tongue coating combined with edema of the limbs suggests internal dampness retention, while a dark purple tongue body is a typical manifestation of blood stasis.

A dark purple tongue is often caused by poor blood circulation and blood stasis, which is common in cases of prolonged illness, qi stagnation, or cold coagulation leading to poor blood circulation.

While taking the old man's pulse, Fang Yan asked:
"I read in the information that you recently experienced chest tightness, palpitations, tremors, headaches, dizziness, and edema in your limbs. Do these symptoms still exist?"

Old Master Huang said:
"Yes, it's especially noticeable these past few days. Look at my hand, it feels swollen all over when I wake up this morning."

As he spoke, Old Master Huang slowly placed his right hand on the table.

The back of that hand still had some age spots, and the knuckles were somewhat large, but they were clearly visible at this moment. The fingertips were slightly shiny, as if they had just been soaked in water, and the skin on the wrist was also somewhat taut.

He tried clenching his fist in front of Fang Yan, and the flesh between his fingers immediately looked as if it had been soaked in water. When he loosened his fist, it was still sluggish and wrinkled, unlike the usual agile movements of an elderly person.

“Look,” the old man raised his arm, the cuff of his sleeve slipped down, revealing a forearm that was fuller than his left hand, “When I wear a shirt this morning, the sleeves are so tight that I have to ask the guard to help me pull them for ages before I can button them up.”

Fang Yan's gaze swept across his face. There was a slight puffiness under his eyes, and his eyelids were thicker than usual. When he smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were stretched out, making him look less sharp and more listless and tired.

"Your head is spinning badly too?" Fang Yan's fingertips were still on the pulse, and he could feel that the pulse was thin, wiry, and slippery.

“That’s right,” Old Master Huang leaned back, trying to make himself more comfortable, but couldn’t help frowning. “Standing at the memorial service, I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing, like I had a bee in my ear. The comrades next to me wanted to help me up, but I stubbornly said I was fine. My legs went weak when I got down.”

He paused and added:
"It's even worse at night. When I lie down, it feels like there's a wet cotton ball pressing on my chest. It's hard to even breathe. I can barely manage to doze off for a while, but then I'm woken up by a racing heart. When I touch my chest, it's pounding like a drum, enough to lift me off the bed."

As he spoke, he subconsciously pressed his chest, his Adam's apple bobbing as if there was a lump of air stuck there, unable to come up or go down.

The old man's voice carried a hint of weariness that even he himself didn't realize.

This illness has lasted for fifteen years and it's definitely not easy to cure.

Fang Yan withdrew the fingers from his left hand and instead gently pressed them on the pulse of Old Master Huang's right wrist.

After a while, he found that the pulse was still thin, wiry and slippery, like a spider silk blown by the wind. It seemed weak but carried a hidden restlessness. Thinness indicated insufficient Yin blood, wiryness indicated excessive liver Yang, and slipperiness indicated that dampness and blood stasis were fighting, which was exactly the symptoms he had seen.

He released his grip, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:
“I have a general understanding of your situation. You have had high blood pressure for fifteen years, and this year you have been overworked and stressed. It’s like a pot of water that has been boiling for a while. The fire has not been turned off, but the water in the pot is gradually decreasing. It’s inevitable that it will boil over.”

“Your pulse is thin, wiry, and slippery, and your tongue is both white and purple. This indicates that your liver yang is a bit excessive, and blood stasis is blocking your heart meridian, along with some dampness trapped inside.” He gave an analogy: “It’s like a river that is narrow and blocked, with a rapid current. How can it not sway? Chest tightness is because the qi can’t pass through, heart palpitations are because the blood is flowing erratically, and edema is because the water can’t be expelled. The root cause is still in the ‘stasis’ and ‘irregularity’.”

Old Master Huang listened intently, a glimmer of clarity appearing in his cloudy eyes: "Then...can it be cured?"

"I can adjust it." Fang Yan nodded affirmatively, picked up a pen, and wrote the name of the medicine on the prescription paper.

Codonopsis pilosula 10g, Ophiopogon japonicus 10g, Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa 10g, Pinellia ternata 10g, Poria cocos 10g, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (processed) 5g, processed
Polygala tenuifolia 5g, Bambusa textilis 10g, Aristolochia debilis 10g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 12g, Carthamus tinctorius 5g, Margarita 30g (decoct first).

The prescription he proposed aligns with the overall pathogenesis and takes into account core needs such as strengthening the body's resistance, eliminating pathogens, calming the mind, and unblocking the meridians.

However, this recipe still needs to be explained to people.

This is an old rule, especially for senior leaders. The people around them will make a special note of the medicines prescribed that day. If it's not explained clearly, the person might not dare to use it.

Fang Yan pushed the prescription in front of Old Master Huang and pointed to the names of the medicines:

"This prescription involves three steps: first, calm your mind; second, clear blockages; and finally, expel excess water and dampness."

He pointed to "Codonopsis pilosula and Ophiopogon japonicus":
"These two herbs are to replenish your Qi and moisten your Yin. Your high blood pressure of fifteen years, coupled with mental and physical strain, is like a machine that keeps running non-stop, and the parts are worn out. Codonopsis pilosula is not as drying as ginseng, and Ophiopogon japonicus can moisten it. The two together will give your engine some power without causing internal heat." As he spoke, he patted his heart area.

The old man suddenly realized, and the secretary behind him immediately took out his notebook.

Judging from the dialect, this person is even more serious than the people around the previous leaders!

"Continue! Ignore him," Grandpa Huang said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan snapped out of her daze and continued pointing at the prescription, saying:

"Let's look at jujube seed, roasted polygala root, and mother-of-pearl."

"You can't sleep at night because of heart palpitations, like you have a rabbit in your chest, you're just restless. Sour jujube seed is specifically for treating insomnia, polygala can calm the chaotic qi, and mother-of-pearl needs to be decocted first, it's like putting a stable stone on your heart, letting that 'thumping' energy settle down, the liver yang is not so excessive, the head is not dizzy and the heart is not palpitating."

Grandpa Huang nodded, and at this moment other elderly comrades began asking questions in dialect:

"So, if I can't sleep well, I can use it like this too?"

He said in dialect:

"Your insomnia may not be due to this reason. We need to find the right cause and not take any medication indiscriminately."

"Hey, I'm seeing a doctor, what are you interrupting for?" Old Master Huang said to his old friend.

The latter quickly said:
"I was just asking casually."

Then, pointing to the bamboo sap, pinellia, and bamboo shavings, Fang Yan continued, "You said it feels like there's a wet cotton ball pressing on your chest, which means there's phlegm blocking it. Pinellia can resolve damp phlegm, but ordinary pinellia is a bit strong. Pinellia soaked in bamboo sap is like adding a layer of 'lubricant,' making it gentler when resolving phlegm. Combined with bamboo shavings, it can dissolve that sticky feeling blocking your chest, making it easier to breathe."

The old man nodded, and Fang Yan continued:

"Poria cocos and Aristolochia debilis are used to treat edema."

He pointed to the old man's hand:
"Poria cocos can help the spleen transport water and dampness out, just like dredging a river; the herb Tianxianteng is a bit special. It can not only promote diuresis, but also clear the meridians. If your arm is swollen and your sleeve is tight, it can drive out the water stuck in the skin and flesh, and the swelling will gradually subside."

The old man clenched his fists.

The swelling made his hands look thicker.

Finally, he emphasized the dialect, pointing to "Salvia miltiorrhiza, safflower, and roasted licorice root":
"As for the salvia miltiorrhiza and safflower, they are the main force in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. It's like clearing a blockage in your blood vessels, slowly clearing away the blockages, which can relieve chest tightness. Prepared licorice root is the 'peacemaker,' harmonizing the properties of all the herbs, allowing them to work together in one direction, and it can also replenish some of the middle qi."

After saying this, Fang Yan folded the prescription and handed it over, adding:

"This medicine needs to be soaked for half an hour first. The mother-of-pearl should be boiled separately in a clay pot, then the other medicines should be added. After boiling over high heat, simmer over low heat for twenty minutes. Pour it out and drink it twice a day, morning and evening, warm after meals. After seven doses, we will adjust the prescription."

"You can also pick up your medicine here. The pharmacy is on the first floor, and it's full of authentic medicinal herbs. After you go back and have it approved, you can have the military hospital pick it up. I'm familiar with that."

Old Master Huang, holding the prescription slip, relaxed his brow and said to his secretary behind him:
Did you write it down?

"I've written it down!" the secretary nodded and said.

Clearly, this person is also a master of shorthand; he basically finished writing down the words after speaking the dialect.

The old man handed the prescription to his secretary and said:
"Then let's go pick up the medicine. We'll pick it up at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital pharmacy and take it with us."

The secretary nodded.

Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, thankfully he had already asked the people at the Chinese medicine pharmacy to prepare it.

Grandpa Huang spoke to Fang Yan at that time:

"Of all the illnesses I've seen, your explanations are the clearest."

"This prescription is like a small team, each with its own role, which is quite clear."

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"That makes sense. Your health needs to be adjusted gradually, like oiling an old machine; you can't rush it. Take your medicine on time, avoid overworking yourself, and you'll definitely feel better after a while."

Upon hearing the dialect, Old Master Huang shook his head and said:

"Don't even think about 'not bothering me.' I still have a lot to do, and there are plenty of places where they'll need my old bones."

As soon as Mr. Huang said this, the other elderly people in the clinic laughed, their voices tinged with a sense of shared misery. The thin old man sitting by the window sighed, "That's right, there's no way to rest even if I want to. Last month, the doctor told me to be hospitalized for treatment, but I was called back to work the very next day by an emergency meeting. That's how my health has been ruined."

Fang Yan listened, and suddenly had an idea. He took out a brown paper package from the drawer and handed it to Grandpa Huang: "If you really can't rest, take this with you."

This is something that the dialect group keeps themselves.

The paper package contained dried chrysanthemums and goji berries, bundled together in small bunches with cotton thread.

He said in dialect:

"Grab a small handful every day and steep it like tea. Chrysanthemum can soothe the liver and improve eyesight, while goji berries can nourish the liver and kidneys. It's better than drinking strong tea."

He paused and added:
"Soak it during meetings; it can both refresh you and suppress liver yang, which is better than you trying to tough it out."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Huang picked up a small bunch and smelled it. The bitterness of the chrysanthemum mixed with the slight sweetness of the goji berries created a refreshing aroma.

"This method is convenient." He smiled and handed it to his secretary. "Remember, make it when you get back." When the others saw that Old Master Huang had accepted it, they all asked Fang Yan for one as well.

For a moment, the clinic resembled a scene where health products were being sold to the elderly.

They simply gave away all the dialects.

Everyone was satisfied after receiving theirs.

Then, speaking in dialect to Grandpa Huang:
"Now that I've finished my checkup here, you should go to the Western medicine department for your examination. They're waiting for you."

"Alright!" The old man nodded and stood up.

Then he said to the people behind him:
"I've prepared everything for you, so you can come in with peace of mind now!"

The thin, elderly man who had previously asked about insomnia and was leaning against the window was the first to respond.

He pushed up his thick glasses perched on his nose and said, "Old Huang, stop showing off! Stop dawdling and make room!" As he spoke, he walked towards Fang Yan.

Grandpa Huang nodded and said:
"Okay, Lao Li, come here."

“You’ve been coughing up blood for so many years and it’s never been cured. Old Liao’s dialect cured an overseas Chinese businessman who was coughing up blood. Maybe he can really cure you this time.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan immediately recalled the man's information.

He developed bronchiectasis around 1940. At that time, there was a war, and the treatment was not timely. Although he received treatment later, it was never fully effective, and Mr. Li was discharged from the hospital.

When I was healthy, I didn't pay attention to it, but as I got older, it became more and more serious.

The coughing up of blood started once every few months, then became constant every month, and then occurred at least twice a week.

I've been taking penicillin and hemostatic pills, but they don't seem to be very effective.

The data still indicates that the situation remains unchanged.

This was clearly something that was dragged out.

His face was pale and his body was thin, much like the overseas Chinese businessman Fang Yan had met before.

Fang Yan had encountered this kind of bronchial disease that had dragged on for a long time more than once. Besides overseas Chinese businessmen, he had also encountered it when he was still in Hong Kong. (See Chapter 1037)
At the time, he was also a veteran employee of China Resources in Hong Kong, and it was Director Liao who assigned him the treatment task.

Based on the information, their situations are quite similar.

At this moment, Old Master Li sat down opposite him. As soon as he settled down, he couldn't help but cough twice, his voice carrying a muffled phlegm sound.

He subconsciously took out a handkerchief and covered his mouth. When he put it down, Fang Yan noticed a few dark red stains on the edge of the handkerchief.

Old Li said with a smile:

"Look, it's starting now!"

He seems to have gotten used to it.

"This is considered good; in severe cases, it can be much worse."

Fang Yan nodded:

"Mr. Li, stick out your tongue so I can see it."

As Li Lao did, he slowly stuck out his tongue. Fang Yan noticed that his tongue was pale red, but dry and wrinkled, covered with fine cracks, like parched land.

The tongue appears wider than normal, with faint teeth marks along the edges. The tongue coating is yellow and greasy, like a layer of oil that hasn't been scraped off, especially at the root of the tongue.

Fang Yan also took his pulse and began to examine it.

At the same time, he asked him:

"Looking at your previous examination records, it says that in addition to coughing up blood, you also have difficulty speaking, have little appetite, feel tightness in your chest, and occasionally experience palpitations."

"Yeah, I get out of breath after just a few words. The food in the cafeteria doesn't look appetizing, and I have trouble even drinking a bowl of porridge in the morning. Sometimes when I cough badly, I get dizzy and see stars."

"What color is your phlegm? Is it often stained with blood?" Fang Yan asked.

“It’s yellowish-green and very sticky,” the old man frowned. “Sometimes the blood is dark red, sometimes it’s bright red, and when it’s really bad, it can spit out half a cup, which is terrifying.” He wiped his lips, and Fang Yan noticed that his lips were reddish with a dry, chapped sheen.

At this point, the pulse could also be felt; it was weak and slippery, like a layer of oil floating on the surface of water—it looked light and quick, but when pressed, it had little strength.

Then Fang Yan continued to touch his right hand, and it was a similar situation.

He wrote in his medical record:
"The tongue is pale red with little moisture and many fine cracks. The tongue body is wide and the coating is yellow and greasy. The pulse is weak, slippery and slightly rapid."

This is similar to the situation of that old man in Hong Kong before.

Fang Yan was curious about how he got this disease, so she asked:

"Mr. Li, according to the records, you contracted this illness around 1940? Were you on the front lines at that time?"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Old Master Li's cloudy eyes, as if a layer of starlight had fallen.

He perked up when asked about this.

He raised his hand and wiped his face, the wrinkles on his face seeming to smooth out, and said:

"That's right, that year in northwestern Shanxi, it happened to be during a period of continuous autumn rain."

"Back then, I was in the communications company, fighting guerrilla warfare with the main force. We spent our days hiding in gullies and sleeping in haystacks. Once, during a forced march, we waded across a river waist-deep. My cotton trousers were so wet they could be wrung out, and then the temperature dropped that night, making us shiver with cold." He coughed twice, his voice a little deeper, but his face still held a look of reminiscence as he said:

"I remember that I developed a high fever that night, coughed so hard that my phlegm was bloody, and the army doctor came to see me and said it was 'consumption'. He gave me a few pills that I didn't know what they were and told me to just tough it out."

"We dared not rest then, the enemy was chasing us, we gritted our teeth and ran." The old man smiled:

“Back then, I was coughing so badly that I would find a secluded spot to squat for a while, cough up blood, and then keep going. Later, I was transferred to a hospital in the rear and found out that it was bronchiectasis. But medicine was expensive back then, so I got a few anti-inflammatory injections, and once the fever subsided, I returned to my unit. Who would have thought that this thorn would stay in my lung for 38 years?”

He paused and said:
"When I was young, I was so strong that I thought coughing up a little blood was nothing. After liberation, I worked in the local area and was busy working non-stop. When I coughed badly, I would take two hemostatic pills to get through it. It wasn't until later that I suddenly couldn't stop coughing and bright red blood was flowing down the corner of my mouth. That's when I realized that this disease had long since become a serious illness."

"The Western doctors said the blood vessels in my lungs are brittle, like old cotton wool, and they'll rupture at the slightest inflammation." The old man sighed.
"But you know, many of my comrades who waded through the river together back then didn't even live to see the new country. What's my little illness compared to that?"

His words resonated deeply with those around him.

One of the elderly men, with a red face, sitting to the side, tapped the floor with his cane and said:

"That's right. Back when we fought the Americans, it snowed heavily in winter. We lay in the snow for three days and three nights. Later, I developed arthritis, and it hurts terribly when it's cloudy or rainy."

"But compared to those young soldiers who froze to death on the battlefield, what am I?"

“That’s right,” the plump old man sitting in the middle chimed in, his voice always a little breathless. “This chest pain of mine was caused by the cold back in Korea. Back then, we couldn’t even get a sip of hot water, and we were munching on frozen potatoes to hold our ground. Now I can sit here drinking hot tea, reading the newspaper, and having a doctor like Xiao Fang to treat me. I’m content.”

Another old man also said:

"Now the steamed buns in the cafeteria are made of white flour, but they taste bland to me. I always think back to the days when a single ration of dry food could be shared among seven or eight people."

Everyone wore expressions of reminiscence.

It was only then that Old Master Li realized he had made the atmosphere somewhat somber, and quickly said:
“Hey, stop dwelling on the past hardships. We need to live well. Only by getting our bodies in good shape can we see our children living a good life. That’s the best way to honor our fallen brothers.”

His words were like a stone thrown into water, and everyone immediately came to their senses.

Grandpa Li wiped his face and smiled at Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, please treat me. My old bones need to hold on for a few more years."

Fang Yan nodded.

While they were recalling the events, the dialect also enriched the old man's medical records.

The cause of his illness was not detailed in the previous records, but Fang Yan has filled in the information this time.

Then he said to Old Li:
"Mr. Li, your illness has dragged on for thirty-eight years. The phlegm and heat in your lungs are like damp firewood piled up for half a lifetime, both suffocating and burning, making your lung vessels brittle." He explained while writing down the names of the medicines:
"We need to extinguish this fire first, then clear out the phlegm, and finally moisturize the lungs. Otherwise, if we only stop the bleeding, the root cause will not be solved, and it will recur."

"And you have to cooperate with me. You can't do what you used to do, stopping the medication as soon as you felt better. No matter how busy you are, you have to keep taking the medication and try to get rid of the root of the disease."

Upon hearing the dialect, Old Master Li nodded and said:
"Okay, I believe you."

Then Fang Yan began to write out the prescription, which was somewhat different from the prescriptions written in Hong Kong. (See Chapter 1038)
The prescription given in this dialect is as follows:
12g of mulberry bark, 10g of lycium bark, 10g of scutellaria root, 10g of anemarrhena rhizome, 15g of houttuynia cordata, 30g of reed rhizome, 10g of bletilla rhizome, 10g of madder root, 15g of lotus root charcoal, 12g of glehnia root, 10g of ophiopogon root, and 5g of raw licorice root.

After writing it down, he pushed the prescription in front of Old Master Li and pointed to the first line:
“Mulberry bark and Lycium bark are a pair of ‘fire extinguishers,’ specifically clearing away the deficiency heat in the lungs. Unlike Coptis chinensis, they are not as strong and will not harm your already weak body. Scutellaria baicalensis and Anemarrhena asphodeloides also lend a hand, suppressing the heat in the phlegm. Your yellow-green phlegm is caused by heat.”

“Houttuynia cordata is like a small brush that can scrape out the phlegm in your lungs, especially since you have bronchiectasis, which has a lot of old phlegm inside; reed rhizome not only clears heat but also generates fluids. Your tongue is so dry and cracked, so you rely on it to ‘water’ your lungs.”

Old Master Li adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to look at the prescription, while his secretary behind him quickly took notes.

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

(End of this chapter)