An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

The days were uneventful, and half a month passed in a flash. The emperor still took Xia Qi to Yangliu Lake to fish every morning, as if he had forgotten all about state affairs. An Lingrong was familiar with the route, and became famous in just one month. She was always the first to arrive at Tongjitang, not because she wanted to compete for credit, but because if she arrived late, the entrance of Tongjitang would be surrounded by people. Besides, after the patients knew her name, they would chase and intercept her. Seeing the surging flow of people, she had to be prepared early.

On this day, she was still the first to arrive at Tongjitang. In the past, there were very few patients in front of her desk, and patients would bypass her to find the male doctors inside. But now the situation is reversed. As soon as the patients come in, they swarm around her desk and refuse to disperse to find other doctors. In order to divert the patients, Manager Xiao moved An Lingrong's position to the innermost part. The doctors in Tongjitang are all talented, and usually the doctor in the innermost part is the most capable. Not only that, Manager Xiao also assigned An Lingrong a male assistant. Now, it is much more convenient for An Lingrong to see patients.

She didn't need to check the time. She only needed to look at the huge locust tree in the center of the square outside Tongji Hall. When she glanced sideways, she would see the red sun lying over the top of the tree. This was when the patients would gather and it was also the beginning of the busiest time of the day.

Just after she saw two patients, one had a rash due to an allergic reaction, and the other was losing hair for no apparent reason. Both patients looked to be in their thirties, and almost all the hair on their foreheads had fallen out, looking very funny.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Four people came in in a hurry, carrying a stretcher. They pushed through the queue and kept shouting, "Doctor, doctor, save him."

The visitor had an anxious look on his face, his eyes were red, and his limbs were shaking slightly. An Lingrong quickly stood up and glanced outside. Two male doctors had already surrounded him. The patient no longer had the strength to stand up and walk to the doctors. He just lay there, breathing in but not out, breathing heavily, with his mouth wide open. He looked very scary.

Xiao Wen from Tongjitang is the nephew of Director Xiao. This critically ill patient who had just been sent here was not dressed like an ordinary person, but rather like someone from a powerful family. When An Lingrong asked, she learned that this man was the patriarch of the famous Xiao family in Jiangnan. He was only in his fifties, an age when he should be enjoying family happiness, but he had been fond of smoking and drinking for many years. It turned out that he was particularly fond of smoking, and he would try all the famous cigarettes produced in various places. After a long time, his lungs had become like a sieve, with air leaking everywhere.

Xiao Wen checked Chief Xiao's entire body, shook his head and sighed, "Chief Xiao, in this state, even gods may not be able to save him. You should go back early to prepare for your funeral. It's already good enough that you can survive fifteen days."

The black-clad man who was leading the stretcher had a thick neck and thick arms. He used brute force against Xiao Wen as soon as he attacked. He stretched out his tiger-like fingers and directly grabbed the clothes on Xiao Wen's chest. He lifted Xiao Wen's entire body into the air with one hand, and his eyes were about to spit fire. He said angrily: "Doctor, right? Doctor Xiao, right? What did you say just now? How dare you curse our clan leader to death! If our clan leader dies, you don't have to open Tongji Hall anymore."

Manager Xiao came up quickly, hugged Xiao Wen's legs and said, "Calm down, calm down. Put him down first. We will consult and think of a solution based on the patient's condition. Everyone is anxious, but Doctor Xiao's words just show that the Xiao clan leader's condition is very serious."

The three men were still fighting, but the patient was already gasping for breath. Many doctors put down their work and went up to help Xiao Wen talk to the patient's family. When An Lingrong saw the patient lying there, she knew it wouldn't take long for him to die in Tongjitang. This matter would be difficult to handle!

An Lingrong thought about it, lowered her head, and felt the pulse of the Xiao clan leader. She only heard a very weak breath. She advised: "Stop arguing. The patient is dying. In my opinion, he can still be saved."

The black-clothed man who grabbed Xiao Wen's brows was delighted, and he quickly loosened his grip. Xiao Wen fell from midair, landing on the ground with a thud, and he kept shouting, "This man can't be saved, Doctor An, don't waste your energy."

The man in black glared at Xiao Wen again and said, "Doctor An, just focus on the rescue and don't worry about the money. We in the Xiao family are not the kind that cannot afford the money. As long as you have done your best, we will not blame you, Tongji Hall."

Manager Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked everyone to help the Xiao clan leader to the examination table. Then, he and An Lingrong checked his pulse. Manager Xiao said, "Everyone, please make way for Doctor An. By the way, Doctor An said that he can still be saved, so he must be saved."

An Lingrong took out the needle bag, took out the silver needle, and muttered to herself:

The lungs control qi and breathing. The silver needles in her hand were used on three points: Feishu, Gaohuangshu, Pishu, Qihai, Zutaiyin, Fengmen, Yingxiang, and Hegu. She made two moves, throwing out four needles each time, and they were all accurately inserted into the acupuncture points of Patriarch Xiao.

This shocked all the doctors in Tongjitang. Even Manager Xiao was so shocked that his face changed: "Doctor An, this technique is... amazing!"

Patriarch Xiao took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he actually sat up on his own, and his eyes gradually became clear.

The patient's family members widened their eyes in surprise and joy: "Chief, are you feeling better? The chief is fine, the chief is saved."

An Lingrong said calmly, "The patient's family members should not be anxious. The patient has just recovered from his illness. However, this is only a temporary solution. To fully restore the patient to health, we at Tongjitang still need to work together."

After a while, at An Lingrong's request, Manager Xiao called all the doctors to the inner room for a short meeting.

Half of the doctors requested to give up treating Chief Xiao, the main reason being that Chief Xiao's lung had been perforated. Unless his chest was opened and a new lung was replaced, there were no living lungs available.

Of course, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the Xiao family is not a family that is easy to mess with. They are rich and powerful, but they are also domineering. What the patient's family said is right. If the patient died at the hands of the doctor of Tongjitang and was not cured, then Tongjitang cannot be separated from the responsibility, and they will not let it go.

An Lingrong gazed out the window. Behind Tongji Hall was a vast grassland with flowers and grass. Some people were flying kites, while others were running and playing in the outer square. There were also a few horses and donkeys beside the grassland, leisurely eating grass.

An Lingrong's eyes were fixed on the donkey, and she thought, "Of course, a living human lung won't work. We can't exchange one life for another. But the lungs of animals may work. For example, we can give the donkey in the square outside a try."

Manager Xiao couldn't help but take a look at the donkey outside, and said with a stammer: "Donkey, donkey's...lungs, this is unprecedented in Tongjitang."

However, this matter was quickly supported by Xiao Wen. Xiao Wen and several other doctors raised their hands in agreement, saying, "It may not be a bad idea to try this method. The Xiao clan leader will not live long anyway. Although this is a bit risky, if the donkey's liver and lungs are replaced, he can live another year or two, and it can also shut up those family members."

Manager Xiao said, "We must save him. Doctors are compassionate. No matter who this person is, it is extremely important to the reputation of Tongjitang. We can't just save good people and not save hypocritical people. For doctors, if they are human, they must be saved, and if they are paid, they must be treated."

After everyone's discussion, An Lingrong's plan was finally passed in the form of minority obeying majority. However, she decided not to tell the family the truth about the source of the lung. After all, for the famous Xiao family, it would be a joke if the news of the patriarch getting a donkey's lung got out.

The matter was kept secret. As the representative of Tongjitang, An Lingrong communicated with the patient's family and arranged to replace a new lung for the Xiao clan leader. The price was not very expensive, so the Xiao family agreed.