Chapter 342: Clear Distinction

Chapter 342: Night and Day Difference

Old Mrs. Hu was sixty-nine years old this year. Due to her debilitating illness, she looked gaunt and pallid.

She sat weakly in a wheelchair. Qu Miao first took her pulse and then inquired about the medications she had been taking daily.

These were all basic diagnostic protocols from med school.

Everything seemed normal up to this point, but after checking the old lady’s pulse, Qu Miao had her lie down.

He then produced an incense burner, silver needles... and even a radio from his bag.

"Why is there a radio?"

Hu Yaowen couldn’t understand Qu Miao’s methods.

Qu Miao explained, "I’ll be using *Zhuyou* therapy to treat the old lady. In our village, we usually drum and sing ourselves, but playing music from a radio works in a pinch."

Hu Qingyu mocked from the sidelines, "So now my brother has even brought in a charlatan?"

Qu Miao frowned. "I’d prefer if anyone not involved in treatment left the room. Don’t disturb me."

Ye Xiaoxiao glanced at the Hu siblings and Zhang Wanqiu. "Then let’s wait outside."

Hu Qingyu: "No way! How can I leave my mother alone with some quack?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "When doctors perform surgery, do you insist on entering the operating room too? Rende Pharmacy is a respected institution. I hope you can place a little more trust in us."

Hu Qingyu was about to retort when Old Mrs. Hu banged her hand on the mattress.

"Everyone, out!"

Hu Yaowen: "Mom, we’ll be right outside the door. If anything happens, just call for us!"

With that, he herded everyone out.

Since they were all standing by the door, they could easily hear the soothing tracks playing inside.

Zhang Wanqiu: "Mr. Hu, with all due respect, I’ve never seen such a treatment method before. It doesn’t seem like medicine—more like a witch doctor act."

Ye Xiaoxiao, who had studied *Zhuyou* therapy, knew that while such methods might appear mystical, they actually had documented efficacy.

Moreover, Qu Miao was a TCM student. If he said *Zhuyou* therapy was only ancillary, then it certainly wasn’t just about relying on a few soothing tracks.

Yet, no one else seemed to trust him. Ye Xiaoxiao was looking forward to the moment Qu Miao would shut them up.

Qu Miao’s treatment process was time-consuming. An hour passed with not a peep from the room.

Hu Qingyu wanted to knock on the door but was immediately stopped by Ye Xiaoxiao.

"You might wanna think twice. If your interference causes the treatment to fail, you’ll be on the hook for everything."

Hu Qingyu lowered her raised hand but glared at Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Bask in it while you can. If my mother isn’t cured, I’ll make sure none of you can show your faces in Beijing again."

Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t care less about the threat.

If the Hu family thought they could drive her out of Beijing, they were in for a rude awakening.

An hour and a half later, Qu Miao opened the door.

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the room.

Before anyone could speak, Qu Miao handed over a prescription. "Go brew the medicine."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Take the prescription directly to Rende Pharmacy to get the medicine. It'll save you time."

Hu Yaowen immediately ordered someone to handle it.

Through the cracked door, he saw his mother lying in bed, asleep, with no apparent adverse reactions.

Since falling ill with the strange disease, his mother hadn’t slept properly for three years.

Though Zhang Wanqiu could alleviate her diarrhea symptoms, it only stretched the intervals between episodes from hourly to every three hours.

Even so, the Hu family was willing to pay top dollar to keep Zhang Wanqiu.

"Why isn’t Old Mrs. Hu speaking? Could something be wrong…" Zhang Wanqiu remarked with pretended concern.

Hu Qingyu immediately tried to rush inside.

Qu Miao shot her an icy look, making her hesitate mid-step.

"Old Mrs. Hu is sleeping. You can go in to see her, but be quiet. If you wake her, it’ll interfere with my next treatment."

Hu Yaowen figured waiting a bit longer wouldn’t hurt and yanked Hu Qingyu back.

"Let Mother sleep properly."

Hu Qingyu glared resentfully at the bedroom door but ultimately didn’t force her way in.

It took another hour to finish brewing the medicine.

Just by smelling the herbal brew, Ye Xiaoxiao could identify ingredients like *Pseudostellaria root*, *white atractylodes*, *poria*, *coix seed*, *white hyacinth bean*, *tangerine peel*… *fangfeng*, *dark plum*, and more.

Just as she’d guessed, if this prescription showed results after a week, they could move to the next one, gradually alleviating Old Mrs. Hu’s condition.

Qu Miao woke Old Mrs. Hu and made her take the medicine.

Truthfully, Old Mrs. Hu usually didn’t dare drink much water, so a large bowl of herbal brew seemed impossible.

Fortunately, the solid sleep she’d just had left her feeling remarkably refreshed, as if she’d caught up on three years of missed rest.

Qu Miao had a baby face but a short fuse and a firm attitude.

When Old Mrs. Hu resisted drinking the medicine, he simply said, "Then your illness will never get better," shutting down any argument.

The old lady had no choice but to chug it.

Hu Yaowen and Hu Qingyu held their breath watching her.

Normally, Old Mrs. Hu would’ve rushed to the toilet immediately.

Sometimes, she couldn’t make it in time and would have accidents.

The two of them couldn't even imagine what would happen if, in front of outsiders, Old Mrs. Hu had an urgent need to use the bathroom...

But ten minutes after taking the medicine, Old Mrs. Hu still showed no sign of needing the bathroom.

Hu Yaowen's heart was pounding wildly—could it be... could it really be that this time they had finally found a dependable expert?

It's often said that old doctors and young fortune tellers are the most trustworthy, but Dr. Qu seemed too young.

Half an hour later, Old Mrs. Hu said she wanted to go to the bathroom.

It wasn't like the uncontrollable situation before, and her abdominal pain had also decreased significantly.

When she came out of the bathroom, Old Mrs. Hu looked at Qu Miao with more affection than she showed her own grandson.

"Dr. Qu, can my illness really be cured?"

Qu Miao: "Take the prescription I gave you for a week, then come back to Rende Hall to see me."

Old Mrs. Hu: "Good, good! I feel much better already."

Zhang Wanqiu's eyes nearly popped out in disbelief. "That's impossible! Even if it could be cured, the effects couldn't appear this quickly. He must have used an excessive dose or some illegal drugs..."

Hu Yaowen replied with clear displeasure. "Dr. Zhang, I've seen that prescription—it contains only common medicines, nothing prohibited.

You've worked hard these past days. The steward will pay you what you're owed, and you should leave by tonight."

To make caring for Old Mrs. Hu more convenient, both Zhang Wanqiu and Wang Lei had been staying at the Hu family villa.

Now that Wang Lei was in the hospital, Zhang Wanqiu was also being asked to leave.

Zhang Wanqiu's face twisted with anger. "Mr. Hu, are you really going to trust this unknown doctor? Kicking me out is easy, but don't think you can bring me back so easily!"

Hu Yaowen's expression darkened—he hated being threatened more than anything.

Hu Qingyu shifted her stance rather quickly too. Just moments ago she had been defending Zhang Wanqiu, but now she said bluntly, "Dr. Zhang stayed in our home as my mother's private physician, receiving generous pay—a matter we both agreed upon.

Why are you making it sound like our Hu family was begging you, Dr. Zhang?"