Master Wang's sudden recovery amazed Fang Jieru and all the villagers. Fang Jieru helped Master Wang up and asked, "Master Wang, how do you feel? Are you feeling better now?"
"Much better, I almost suffocated from that phlegm stuck in my throat just now. Xiaoru, I owe you so much!"
Master Wang coughed for a while before his face regained some energy, and he incessantly expressed his gratitude to Fang Jieru. He had been unconscious up until now and still hadn't grasped the current situation, thinking that it was Fang Jieru who had saved him.
However, hearing Master Wang's words of gratitude, Fang Jieru's face turned as red as an apple with embarrassment. She hurriedly said to Master Wang, "Master, it wasn't me who saved you just now. It was Brother Afei who noticed the phlegm in your throat and woke you up with a pat."
Hearing what Fang Jieru said, Master Wang then noticed Liang Fei standing behind him and grabbed his hand, thanking him profusely all over again.
"Master Wang, it was just a small effort on my part, you don't need to thank me."
Liang Fei said with a smile, patting the back of Master Wang's hand. In the instant his fingers touched the old man's wrist, Liang Fei had already determined the cause of the old man's cough and asked, "Master Wang, you've had this cough for a long time now, haven't you?"
"Yes, I caught a chill when I was young but didn't think much of it because I was in good health then. But now that I'm old, my body can't handle it anymore. I cough often, especially at night; it keeps me from sleeping!"
Hearing Liang Fei's words, Master Wang nodded with a worried expression.
"The evil of wind-cold has invaded, causing stagnation in the lung qi, and the lung defenses fail to disperse..."
Liang Fei muttered to himself for a moment before looking at Master Wang with a serious expression and said, "Chronic cough caused by wind-cold is actually hard to cure with medicine. Master Wang, to cure your illness, you must drink alcohol!"
"Drink alcohol?"
Not only Master Wang was speechless upon hearing this, but Fang Jieru and a group of villagers were also stunned.
"Brother Afei, did you get it wrong? With a cough, you can't drink alcohol; in fact, you have to quit drinking!"
Fang Jieru looked at Liang Fei, puzzled. It was common knowledge that you should avoid alcohol when you have a cough, how could Liang Fei suggest Master Wang do the opposite? Wouldn't that harm the old man?
"Yeah, the doctor has told me many times that I can't smoke or drink alcohol. I've been abstaining from alcohol for many years now."
Master Wang also looked at Liang Fei with confusion, not understanding what he meant, as he hadn't had a drop of alcohol for years due to his poor health.
"Hehe, Master Wang, of course I'm not asking you to drink ordinary spirits, but to drink some Perilla Wine. If you drink a little of this wine every day, I guarantee that your wind-cold cough will improve!"
However, Liang Fei acted as though he hadn't seen everyone's confusion and continued to speak calmly.
"Perilla Wine? Xiaofei, what is this wine? Where can one buy it?"
Master Wang was initially skeptical but, seeing Liang Fei speak so earnestly, couldn't help but ask doubtfully.
"This Perilla Wine has to be made by soaking Perilla Leaves yourself; you can't buy it at the market."
Liang Fei said with a smile, "Master Wang, you can go pick some Perilla Leaves, clean them, and soak them in spirits. Then add some honey, and drink a small cup every night with your meal. I guarantee you won't cough anymore."
"Really? Xiaofei, are you serious? Just by drinking alcohol, I can cure my cough?"
When Master Wang heard Liang Fei's words, although he was surprised and happy, he still found it somewhat unbelievable. Could a cough that had been incurable even after visiting many major hospitals really be cured without medication?
"Master Wang, you'll know if it works once you try it."
Liang Fei said with a smile, "Go home and soak the wine now. This medicinal wine is very effective for wind-cold coughs. It will show results in just a few days!"
"Good, good, good, I'll go and make the wine right now!"
Seeing Liang Fei's confident assertion, Master Wang was overjoyed and, without a single second of hesitation, rushed home to prepare the wine.
The villagers dispersed once they saw Master Wang was well.
"Brother Afei, wait a moment."
As the crowd scattered and Liang Fei was about to leave the village clinic, Fang Jieru suddenly called out to him.
"What's the matter?"
Liang Fei turned around, smiling happily and inquired.
"Brother Afei, you... where did you learn these medical skills?"
Seeing Liang Fei looking intently at her, a blush involuntarily crept onto Fang Jieru's pretty face. She lowered her head shyly and asked.
Of course, Liang Fei knew all too well that Fang Jieru was asking not just because he had prescribed the Perilla Wine for Master Wang.
The main reason was that at that critical moment, he had instantly determined that Master Wang's unconsciousness was due to choking on phlegm, not a sudden heart attack.
An accurate and superior judgment like that, let alone from an apprentice like him who hung around a clinic, was very hard to make in such a short time even for the experienced doctors in big hospitals.
Ordinary people might not notice, but Fang Jieru, who graduated from a professional nursing school and had interned at the village clinic for more than a year, could see through the nuances.
"Heh heh, I apprenticed under an old traditional doctor in the city, and this remarkable remedy was, of course, passed down to me by my master," Liang Fei replied.
Knowing he couldn't fool Fang Jieru's perceptive eyes, Liang Fei simply repeated the excuse he had fabricated for his mother.
However, though the excuse was made up, upon further reflection, his medical skills were inherited from the founder of traditional Chinese medicine, the Shennong Medical Immortal. Now that he was the successive transmitter of the Shennong Medical Immortal's legacy, the statement wasn't entirely far-fetched.
"So that's how it is!"
Upon hearing Liang Fei's response, Fang Jieru didn't give it much thought, simply nodding her head and admiringly said to Liang Fei, "Brother Afei, in that case, you're a Divine Doctor now, aren't you?"
"Haha, what do you mean 'now'? I am a Divine Doctor!"
Liang Fei responded with a wide grin, speaking to Fang Jieru, "What do you think, Doctor Fang, how about I come here to see patients and help raise the profile of your clinic
Anyway, I'm not going to work in the city anymore. If you have any incurable diseases, I really ought to come by often!"
"What, Brother Afei, you said you're not going to the city, what's that about?"
Fang Jieru hadn't paid attention to the first part of Liang Fei's sentence, but the latter half caught her attention, and she immediately asked, puzzled.
"It's like this..."
Liang Fei then recounted to Fang Jieru the entire story about his disdain for Wu Liang's unscrupulous medical practices and his plans to return to the village to develop agriculture.
"That's great, Brother Afei, it's fantastic that you're coming back to the village!"
Fang Jieru didn't see Liang Fei's return to farming as a step down; instead, she was happy that Liang Fei had such aspirations.
What made her even happier was that if Brother Afei stayed in the village, then the time she would spend with him would naturally increase…
"No, no, this is terrible, Afei, something has happened at your home!"
As Liang Fei and Fang Jieru were talking, Aniu, a childhood friend who had played with him since they were little, came running over, panting heavily and shouted, "A group of thugs have come, they're smashing things at your house... you better go back and check!"