The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 946 - 925 - : Second Consultation

Chapter 946: 925 Chapter: Second Consultation

Dou Zhu’er started to think carefully, and Manbao stood up, saying, "You think about it, I’ll go get you some ointment."

Manbao returned to the consultation table and nodded reassuringly at the anxious old lady, smiling, "Don’t worry, I’ll prescribe you a formula. It includes an ointment, apply it morning and evening after you get back, and take some medicine to see how it goes."

Manbao wrote out the prescription and wrote another medicine’s name on a separate piece of paper, "Give this paper to Young Manager Zheng, and have him send a box of ointment to me."

Manbao decided to apply the ointment on Dou Zhu’er first to test it out, then she took a white cloth strip inside, wrapped it around her after applying the medicine, "How is it, did you think of anything?"

Dou Zhu’er struggled, "I really can’t think of anything. That day I didn’t do much, just ate breakfast and went out to play with friends. Then we played by the riverbank, saw a lot of garlic-like plants, and I dug some to take home. My mom said it wasn’t garlic but some wild grass and asked me to throw it away. Feeling it was a pity, I planted it in an empty, old pot at home. Then I ate the same food as my family at noon, went out with my mom in the afternoon to deliver goods, and after returning home, I didn’t go out and everything was as usual."

Manbao, always sensitive to plants, straightened up slightly, "A wild grass that looks like garlic?"

She thought carefully but couldn’t figure out what it was, then asked, "Was that the only thing out of the ordinary that day?"

Dou Zhu’er nodded, "Yes."

Manbao then said, "Then you should have your family move it and keep it away from the house, and you should stay away from it too."

Manbao paused but couldn’t curb her curiosity, "Is your house far? Why don’t you bring it here for me to see?"

Dou Zhu’er nodded repeatedly, "My home is in the outer city, just outside the neighborhood; it’s very close."

Once Manbao was done applying the medicine, she smiled and said, "I’ve also prescribed a jar of ointment for you. Take it home and apply it morning and evening, try to rub the rash as little as possible. Come back in two days, and if there are any signs of it subsiding, I’ll give you acupuncture, and the thing will go down in a few days."

Dou Zhu’er blushed and asked shyly, "Is it too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all, I am a doctor after all; this is what I should be doing."

Dou Zhu’er quietly breathed a sigh of relief, asking softly, "You became a doctor so young?"

Manbao smiled and nodded, "My teachers taught me well."

As Manbao saw Dou Zhu’er out, Old Madam Dou also returned with the medicine. Seeing Dou Zhu’er looking well, she pulled her along, laughing and thanking Manbao as they said goodbye.

Manbao repeated what she had just said to Dou Zhu’er, "We need to find whatever is causing her allergies, because even if the medicine removes the rash for now, it will come back later."

"Yes, yes, she had medications from other doctors before that made it go away, but after a few days, it just grew back again and in greater numbers..."

Old Madam Dou felt Manbao hit the nail on the head and decided to bring the potted plant back with her. She said, "That plant flowered last month, and it blossomed beautifully. The child liked it, and she kept sniffing it. Could it be the flower is poisonous?"

Manbao countered, "The flower might not necessarily be poisonous, otherwise, how could you all be unaffected? It might be poisonous to specific individuals."

Old Madam Dou asked confusedly, "What do you mean by poisonous to specific individuals? Can it specifically target Zhu’er with poison?"

"People differ from one another; some can’t eat eggs because they get rashes, others can’t eat persimmons because it causes diarrhea. That’s what allergies are. Some allergies are even weirder, like some people getting breathing difficulties from spring catkins, while others can’t stand the scent of flowers..." Manbao explained, "Looking at her rash, it’s in large patches, just like what you see with allergies."

Old Madam Dou didn’t quite understand, but she did grasp one thing — her granddaughter’s ailments might be caused by the wildflower at home.

Old Madam Dou first turned and tapped Dou Zhu’er on the head, muttering, "I’ve told you not to randomly pick things up outside and bring them home, you just wouldn’t listen, and now you suffer, right?"

She told Manbao, "Don’t worry Doctor Zhou Junior, I will go home and bring that pot of wildflowers for you to see."

Manbao just nodded, and Old Madam Dou hastily dragged Dou Zhu’er away.

As soon as the patient left, the consultation room became quiet. Manbao sighed and returned to her seat. Just as she sat down, the curtain was lifted and a middle-aged man, supporting an elderly man, entered. They paused upon seeing Manbao sitting behind the consultation desk.

Manbao also looked up at them, evaluated them briefly, and smiled. "Are you here to see the doctor? Please, have a seat here."

The father and son hesitated briefly, then walked in.

The middle-aged man helped his father to a stool and looked at Manbao somewhat stiffly, "Please, take a look."

Manbao gestured for him to place his hand forward and asked, "What’s the matter?"

"Cough," the middle-aged man quickly replied. "He coughs incessantly, day and night."

While he was speaking, the old man began to cough again. Manbao glanced at him and waited for him to finish his bout of coughing before asking, "When did the coughing start?"

"Just these past few days..."

Manbao frowned and told the middle-aged man, "You wait outside, I need to ask your father directly."

The middle-aged man hesitated without moving and said uncertainly, "My father is quite confused now, whatever you need to know, ask me. Asking him won’t be clear."

Manbao sternly responded, "Confusion is also an illness. To diagnose clearly, I still need the patient to answer the questions himself, so do not interrupt."

The middle-aged man was taken aback and finally said, "Well, we aren’t treating confusion, just the cough."

Manbao waved her hand, "Understood, I won’t prescribe that kind of medicine, but I still need to confirm the condition. Please wait outside."

The middle-aged man hesitated, but seeing Manbao staring at him, he turned and left.

After he left, Manbao’s look towards the elderly man became much softer. She asked, "How long have you been coughing?"

"About a month."

"Have you taken any medicine?"

The old man thought carefully and then nodded, "I took medicine for two or three days, but it didn’t help."

"Not at all?"

The old man thought again and then said somewhat sheepishly, "The medicine did help a bit, I thought my illness was almost gone, so I stopped taking it. But within a few days, the coughing started again."

Manbao asked, "Is the coughing severe? When do you cough the most?"

"At night, sometimes I cough all night long. I can’t sleep, and neither can anyone in my household."

Manbao took his pulse and frowned before asking, "Do you have stomach pain?"

"What?"

Manbao got up, walked over to him, pressed three fingers below his ribs, and he couldn’t help crying out in pain, then started coughing again.