Chapter 372: A Month of Hope: Healing Together

“Sugar or salt are both fine. They’re essential nutrients for our bodies. The key is moderation,” Master Chen answered with a warm smile.

Over 60% of the energy our bodies use for thinking and daily activity comes from sugar. Making sure you get enough is very important.

Sugar not only fuels our metabolism, eating the right amount can also help relieve stress.

So, there’s really no need to treat sugar like some kind of villain.

Of course, sugar and salt can cause health problems if you go overboard, but as long as you don’t, there’s nothing to worry about.

Zhou Can was a doctor himself, so he understood all this well.

That’s why he never banned Su Qianqian from eating sugar or salt.

Eat too much sugar and it turns into fat, making you gain weight. That can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or even diabetes.

That’s why people have such a strong reaction to sugar.

But once you understand how it really works in the body, you can look at it in the right way.

“Little one, your main problem comes from a deficiency in your body’s vital energy. Besides the medication, I’ll also teach you a dietary remedy and a set of exercises to help build you up.”

As Master Chen spoke, he started writing a prescription.

In addition to the medicine, he jotted down foods for her to eat, like black beans and lamb.

“Master Chen, may I ask you something?”

“Of course, go ahead!”

Master Chen’s manner was especially kind.

“In traditional medicine, Rehmannia and donkey-hide gelatin are supposed to be great for the kidneys, but you didn’t include them. Could you explain why?”

Zhou Can asked with genuine curiosity.

“You must be a doctor too, right? The moment you walked in, I could practically smell that Western medicine vibe on you.”

Master Chen’s comment left Zhou Can a little embarrassed.

“Haha, the ‘vibe’ I mean isn’t an actual smell—it’s just that after years of practicing Western medicine, you develop this mechanical way about you. No offense, it’s not that I look down on Western medicine, but it’s all formulas and straightforward logic. It feels a bit rigid and inflexible.”

There’s always a chain of subtle rivalry.

Internal medicine looks down on surgery, surgeons think they’re better than internists.

Chinese medicine sees itself as superior to Western medicine; Western medicine turns up its nose at traditional methods.

Everyone thinks their specialty is the best.

This is even more obvious with foreigners. They’re often praised from a young age and come to believe their country, themselves, and everything they do is the best.

In Huaxia, children are mostly taught humility and modesty by their parents.

The Confucian ideal of moderation runs deep here. People love to hide their true skills.

Someone might be a billionaire, but if you praise him for being wealthy, he’ll shake his head and claim he’s barely scraping by—some even pretend poverty.

Staying humble is a form of self-protection, something deeply embedded in people’s minds.

So Master Chen’s slight against Western medicine isn’t unusual at all. It’s just old habits talking.

For thousands of years, Huaxia’s emperors saw themselves as rulers of the world.

Back in the Tang, Han, Ming, or Qing dynasties, when foreign threats arose, the emperor would command huge armies with the air of a world ruler, ordering his generals to sweep away the barbarians or pirates.

“Young man, traditional medicine focuses on treating the root, adjusting for each person’s needs. It’s very different from Western medicine’s one-size-fits-all approach. Donkey-hide gelatin and Rehmannia mainly boost kidney yin, so they’re used when that’s lacking—like in those popular Six-Ingredient Pills with Rehmannia at their core. Those work well for night sweats, fatigue, achy back and knees, and related symptoms.”

Master Chen patiently explained the logic behind his treatment.

“So, does that mean there are kidney medicines for both yang and yin?”

Zhou Can wasn’t going to let the topic go until he understood it fully.

“Exactly! Traditional medicine is all about the balance of yin and yang. Yang medicines boost yang, yin medicines boost yin. With this type of illness, you first figure out where the deficiency is—then choose the right foods and herbs. You’ve also got to keep an eye on the patient’s digestive system. If that’s weak, it affects everything else.”

Hearing this, Zhou Can felt much more confident.

Looks like Western and Chinese medicine share some ground.

But the treatment principles are a bit different.

Traditional medicine always aims for harmony—balance the yin if yang is too strong, and vice versa. As long as that balance is kept, you’re healthy.

“Miss, I’ll teach you a set of exercises. Pay close attention and do them morning and night. If you stick with it, I’m sure you’ll see results.”

Master Chen stood up and patiently demonstrated the moves for her.

Zhou Can, ever the quick thinker, recorded the process—just in case they forgot, Su Qianqian could review it later.

“Alright, after you’ve finished one round of medicine, go to the hospital for a follow-up. If it works, come back and I’ll write up a new prescription.”

Master Chen was remarkably thorough, giving them detailed and considerate guidance.

“Thank you so much!”

After expressing their gratitude to Master Chen, the two left, hopeful for what lay ahead.

Zhou Can prepared the medicine and brewed it for her every day.

Beyond that, he made a special effort to have a drink with Mr. Li and talk over Su Qianqian’s situation, asking him to lighten her workload if possible.

Mr. Li didn’t have any objections.

That said, Jin Yu Interactive had fostered quite a few new talents, but so far none as wildly popular as Su Qianqian. So reducing her workload wouldn’t be easy.

Zhou Can understood. All he could do was make his request early and gradually ease her burden.

Of course, this always depended on Su Qianqian’s own wishes.

From then on, Zhou Can gave his all to her treatment. He made sure she took her medicine, did her exercises, and enjoyed all the nourishing foods Master Chen recommended.

Before they knew it, a month had gone by.

She had finished an entire course of treatment.

It was easy to see her health had improved. Her cheeks had more color, her eyes sparkled, and even her voice sounded stronger.

Maybe that could be the power of love too.

For that whole month, Zhou Can visited her almost every night, no matter how late he finished work. With the man she loved at her side, her mood soared.

Even when work got stressful, she had someone to lean on.

Living together made a world of difference compared to just talking on the phone.

“Qianqian, come with me to Tuyu today for some tests! You’ve finished your first month of herbal treatment now.”

“Okay!”

These days, she listened to Zhou Can in everything—he was the center of her world.

That was how deeply a woman could love a man.

……

Currently, Zhou Can had rotated into cardiovascular medicine for his residency. After work, he’d head to cardiothoracic surgery to learn skills from Dr. Hu Kan.

Wednesdays were always reserved for pediatrics—he never missed a clinic session.

Now that the buzz about him was fading, he didn’t see many fewer patients—but at least 80% of them came because of Tuyu Hospital’s reputation.

With him bringing Su Qianqian for tests, they could skip most of the lines.

Waiting for the results, Su Qianqian was clearly anxious. Zhou Can was just as nervous.

He honestly felt more tense than when he’d sat for his residency and licensing exams.

He was hoping for good results but terrified of disappointment.

But given her better physical state, he doubted the results would be bad, even if they weren’t a huge surprise.

“Qianqian, don’t worry. If the herbal medicine doesn’t help, we can always switch back to Western medicine.”

Zhou Can held her hand and comforted her.

“Look who’s talking! Aren’t you just as nervous?”

Su Qianqian’s smile was enchanting, her eyes curving like flower petals.

“Me, nervous?” Zhou Can pretended to be calm.

“Dummy, if you want to lie, at least dry the sweat in your palm first!” She laughed brightly, but her eyes shone with deep emotion.

What woman doesn’t long to be cherished by her boyfriend?

Being cared for made her feel happy, like she was wrapped up in honey.

Zhou Can, caught in his act, couldn’t help but feel awkward.

Luckily, he was shameless enough to laugh it off.

“Uh… let me check if the test results are out!” Clutching her ID, Zhou Can went up to the self-service machine.

A quick swipe of the card and he could check her results instantly.

Luck was on their side—the test had just come out.

He hit print and, moments later, the report was ready.

“Wow, finally! Tell me—is it good news or bad news?” Su Qianqian rushed over eagerly.

Zhou Can focused on the key kidney markers—creatinine, urea nitrogen, and the like.

“Oh no, it looks like the herbal treatment did nothing—your creatinine’s shot up. Guess there’s no hope for recovery.” Zhou Can pulled a long face, putting on an extremely miserable act.

Su Qianqian froze in stunned silence.

“Well, that’s fate! Having you by my side is already a rare blessing,” she said, her voice full of bitterness.

“Haha, did you really think you were going to cry? Relax, I was just messing with you. Listen up—I’ve got great news: after a month of herbal medicine, not only did your numbers stop getting worse, they actually improved a bit. The best news is your most important marker—creatinine—finally stopped climbing. It actually dropped by 31 points!”

Zhou Can beamed as he broke the incredible news to her.

“You jerk! Liar! How dare you scare me like that!”

She flung herself into his arms, smacking him with her fists.

“Pretty amazing, right? Even I was shocked by the results. Director Jian really knows his stuff—I have to thank him.”

These past weeks, Zhou Can had endured crushing pressure watching her condition deteriorate.

He never dreamed traditional medicine would work this well for Su Qianqian.

At his lowest, he would’ve been grateful just to slow the disease down a little.

But after only a month, not only had the illness stopped getting worse, it was improving for the first time.

It was almost too good to believe.

“Wait, isn’t it Master Chen who treated me? Why are you thanking Director Jian first?”

She asked, a little puzzled.

“If Director Jian hadn’t encouraged us to try herbal medicine, we’d probably still be using Western meds. So we should thank both, but Director Jian especially deserves it.”

Zhou Can explained patiently.

“Seeing your test results improve made my worries disappear. It’s like a boulder finally lifted from my chest.”

He already saw Su Qianqian as his other half, her health tied to his own happiness.

He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if her condition kept getting worse—if it came to a kidney transplant, how would they cope?

“Exactly! This is one of the happiest moments I’ve had since being diagnosed with chronic kidney failure.”

Every trace of worry vanished from Su Qianqian’s face.

Finding hope in despair is like a ray of light breaking through endless darkness.

It filled them with hope and joy.

“One of the happiest? Was there something even better than this?”

Holding her close, Zhou Can asked her with a smile.

“Of course! The night you protected me, when we fell in love, when you got me free from that awful company, when you helped me reach the peak of my career… Every time, you gave me another miracle and filled my life with surprises.”

She listed each precious memory with heartfelt emotion.

They were all joys Zhou Can had brought into her life.

“Since it’s working, let’s stick to herbal treatment. Today’s only Tuesday—still three days till Saturday. I’ll call Master Chen and see if we can visit him sooner.”

Zhou Can didn’t know much about traditional medicine and worried that if she stopped the herbs, her creatinine might creep back up.

Actually, both high and low creatinine can be dangerous.

For adult men under 60, normal creatinine is 57–97 umol/l. For women, under 60, it’s 41–73 umol/l.

If creatinine gets too high, it’s often acute or subacute glomerulonephritis. If it hits over 445 umol/l, that’s late-stage kidney failure.

That’s why Zhou Can had been worried sick as her numbers kept rising.

Some people think low creatinine is good.

Actually, that’s not true at all.

If it’s too low, it could mean over-filtration in the glomeruli. On urine tests, protein shows up, sometimes even blood.

So neither extreme is safe.

Moderation is everything.

“Honey, I’m heading back to work! See you tonight!”

Joy lit up Su Qianqian’s face, all her worries gone.

“Is that your way of inviting me over tonight?”

Zhou Can teased her.

“You wish! Don’t say stuff like that in public!” She gave him a playful glare before hurrying off.

Wei Fang was waiting nearby, so safety wasn’t a concern.

Watching her walk away, Zhou Can grinned and pulled out his phone to call Master Chen.

He couldn’t wait to share the good news.

“Hello, who is this?”

A strong, seasoned voice answered on the other end.

“Master Chen, hello—this is the couple you treated for chronic kidney failure a month ago. You even taught my girlfriend that exercise routine, remember?” Zhou Can quickly introduced himself.

“Oh yes, now I recall! You’re Director Jian’s friend. After one month of treatment, how’s your girlfriend doing? Has there been any improvement?”

Given that Master Chen saw well over a hundred patients every Saturday, it was impressive he remembered Zhou Can.

“Thank you for your prescription—it worked wonders. I had to share the great news with you right away: we just did a checkup at the hospital, and not only has her condition stopped getting worse, her creatinine levels have actually gone down. It’s unbelievable!”

Zhou Can was still amazed as he talked through what had happened.