Chapter Thirty-Three: Consultation

  The inner room of the intensive care unit, Zhu Hongxing led a group of experts to stand around the bed in a circle. Zhu Guangrong stood behind the expert group, while Xiao Ye and Zhu Siwei stood in a corner. The patient's family members were only a man named Zhong Jianguo in his 50s and a young man in his 27 or 28 years old who followed them in.

  Mr. Zhong lay in bed, his complexion was normal, but he looked a bit weak, with one hand covering the heart area of his chest, trembling slightly. His face was extremely painful, his forehead was covered with dense sweat beads, and the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily from time to time.

  "Director, what kind of pain do you feel in your heart? Is it a localized stabbing pain, or is the entire heart hurting, or is it a dull ache?"

  "Does your head feel painful?"

  "Is there anywhere else on your body that's uncomfortable?"

  The experts of the expert group, holding medical records and some test results, asked Zhong Lao himself some questions that they thought were important, and kept recording on the book.

  Actually, these questions had been asked roughly before Zhuo Hongxing came, and they didn't find any problems. However, after Zhuo Hongxing arrived, this was considered a consultation session, so they had to do these tasks again.

  Standing at the side, Zhong Jianguo looked at the experts from the expert group who kept asking one question after another, and couldn't help but furrow his brow. They had already asked these questions no less than three times, wanting to speak up, yet afraid of influencing the doctor's judgment, he opened his mouth but ultimately didn't say anything.

  But the young man in his late 20s couldn't help but lose his temper, curling his lip and saying: "Can you guys actually diagnose illnesses or not? If not, then switch with someone else. Do you have to ask one question so many times?"

  "Zhong Tao!" Zhong Jianguo glared at the young man with a fierce gaze and shouted in a loud voice.

  "It's a fact!" Seeing his father, Zhong Jianguo, glare at him, the man named Zhong Tao muttered under his breath, but didn't interrupt again.

  "Everyone, I'm sorry. Xiaotao is young and has been spoiled by us, he doesn't understand things. Please don't take it to heart!" Zhong Jianguo said, looking at his father on the bed before turning to face the experts.

  "It's nothing!" "It's nothing!" Several experts awkwardly waved their hands, but no longer asked questions. Instead, they took out some diagnostic aids and conducted a physical examination of Lao Zhong from head to toe, pressing and feeling several parts of his body before making detailed records in their notebooks.

  Zhuo Hongxing and the white-haired expert in his 60s stood on either side of the bed, holding onto Zhong Lao's wrist to take his pulse. Half a minute later, Zhuo Hongxing put down Zhong Lao's hand, furrowed his brow and stood there silently for a long time. After a moment, he looked at the other expert who was also taking the pulse, and that old Chinese doctor also had a frown on his face, looking puzzled.

  Then he turned his head to look at the other experts in the expert group, and suddenly Zhuo Hongxing saw Xiao Ye standing in the corner. His heart moved, through the diagnosis of Zhang Dahi's arm, this friend of his grandson, his family's medical skills had some unique features, maybe he could see some clues, so he said to Xiao Ye who was standing in the corner: "Xiao Ye, come over and take a look!"

  Xiao Ye was observing Zhong Lao lying on the bed, and upon hearing Zhuo Lao's summons, he paused for a moment, but without any tension, walked over from the corner.

  All the experts saw Zhuo Hongxing let a young man take over, rather than diagnose, and they knew that this young man was a Chinese medicine practitioner. They had all just seen him follow Zhuo Hongxing, thinking he was one of Zhuo's younger disciples, so no one paid attention. But now, hearing Zhuo let the young man take over, their faces all changed.

  A twenty-something TCM doctor, even if from a medical family background with a solid foundation, is absolutely no match for these veteran doctors and experts who have seen countless patients.

  So several experts were in a dilemma, they were members of the expert team for treating Mr. Zhong, and they had to take responsibility for Mr. Zhong's illness, but this young man was brought by Old Zhuo Hongxing, and it wouldn't be good to offend Old Zhuo, after all, people at their age have already become sophisticated and won't easily do things that would offend others, let alone since he was brought by Old Zhuo, so the experts all kept silent and slipped away, thinking: "Anyway, there are family members here, if anything goes wrong, they don't have to take responsibility."

  Expert headache, Zhong Jianguo is even more headache, he knows Zhuo Siwei and knows that he is the grandson of Zhuo Lao. Seeing Zhuo Siwei and Xiao Ye following the expert group to come in, he thought Xiao Ye was a younger disciple of the Zhuo family. In his heart, he couldn't help but have a hint of resentment towards Zhuo Lao, 'My father's illness is so severe, do you still have the mind to bring your younger disciples to observe and learn?'

  There were also those central health bureau experts, who asked the same question four times in a row. If you can't even cure speechlessness! Zhong Jianguo thought angrily to himself. This was also why that young man named Zhong Tao ridiculed these experts, and he only said one polite phrase without making Zhong Tao apologize to the experts.

  At this time, he even heard Director Zhuo letting one of the young people take action. This... was using his father as a tool to teach students? Thinking of this, Zhong Jianguo could no longer hold back the anger in his heart: "Director Zhuo, how can you be so childish..."

  "Founding a country!" Lao Zhong, who was lying in bed, shouted and interrupted what Zhong Jianguo was about to say.

  After shouting this out, it seemed to have exhausted all the strength in Lao Zhong's body. He closed his eyes and lay down, but a moment later, he clutched at his chest and struggled to sit up.

  "Father, how's your illness?" Zhong Jianguo saw that Old Man Zhong wanted to get up and quickly went over to support him.

  "It's okay, I'm much better now!" With the help of Zhong Jianguo and the nurse, Lao Zhong half lay on the hospital bed.

  "Founding of the country, Old Zhuo's family, don't you know? For generations, every single one of them has been a doctor with strict integrity, not only skilled in medicine but also with high moral character. Since he let this young man take over, there must be his reason for it. Besides, is there any other way out now?" said Old Zhong, half-lying on the sickbed.

  "Yes, Father, it's all my fault!" Then he said to Zhuo Hong Xing: "Uncle Zhuo, I'm sorry..."

  Zhuo Hongxing waved his hand to stop Zhong Jianguo from continuing and said: "Don't say any more, Old Zhong's illness is urgent."

  "Come on, young man, show off your skills!" Zhong Lao said to Xiao Yu who was standing behind the crowd.

  Xiao Yu didn't know the old man's identity, but looking at the old man who had somewhat recovered, half-reclining on the bed, he exuded a strong aura that was in stark contrast to Zhuo Lao's humble and gentle demeanor.

  Xiao Yu walked past the experts and went towards Master Zhong, his footsteps steady and powerful, his expression not showing any tension, with a calm face.