"Grandpa Hu came here from elsewhere to retire peacefully. He's very old, with poor eyesight and unsteady hands, so he relies on us to describe our symptoms before he prescribes medicine based on his judgment. Some people he can cure, others he can't. He said I have hemorrhoids, but the medicine didn't work well. I'm puzzled—I don't sit around all day without moving, so how could I get such a strange illness?"
At that moment, Chu Lingzhi finished taking her pulse.
"Dampness has invaded your body, forming stagnation in the large intestine, causing proctitis and leading to intestinal dysfunction, which results in abdominal bloating and rumbling."
"So, is it hemorrhoids?" Fu Chunyan asked directly.
Chu Lingzhi gave her a deep look. "That possibility can't be ruled out."
"When I squat down, I can't feel anything."
Chu Lingzhi chuckled lightly. "Mild internal hemorrhoids can't be felt either. Enteritis easily leads to hemorrhoids, Sister Chunyan. This illness needs treatment."
"Of course it needs treatment, but it can't be cured." Fu Chunyan looked at Chu Lingzhi. "Tell me, can this illness of mine be cured?"
"Of course it can." It's not a terminal illness, why wouldn't it be curable?
"How?" Fu Chunyan asked urgently. She truly couldn't bear this torment a moment longer.
Chu Lingzhi examined Fu Chunyan's tongue—it was red with a yellow, greasy coating, and her complexion was dull.
"Sister Chunyan, your enteritis stems from emotional agitation, poor mental state, and excessive fatigue. During the course of medication, you need to control your emotions and do less farm work," Chu Lingzhi said.
Upon hearing this, Fu Chunyan was slightly surprised. "Lingzhi, you're spot on! Over the past few years, I've felt inexplicably sad and easily irritable."
Everyone said it was menopause.
But only she knew it was because she missed her eldest son.
Ever since her eldest son left and his daughter-in-law remarried, this illness had appeared.
"Do you have a pen and paper? I'll write down a prescription for you."
"Wait a moment." Fu Chunyan quickly fetched a pen and paper, placing them in front of Chu Lingzhi. "Here!"
Chu Lingzhi picked up the pen and swiftly wrote down the prescription: 12 grams of purslane, 10 grams of patrinia, 10 grams of Chinese pulsatilla, 6 grams of costus root, 10 grams of angelica sinensis...
All the ingredients were available at Chinese medicine shops and were inexpensive.
Once finished, Chu Lingzhi handed the prescription to Fu Chunyan. "This formula clears heat, detoxifies, promotes qi and blood flow. Boil four bowls of water down to one bowl, and drink it before noon each day."
Fu Chunyan took the prescription and, seeing it was made of common, ordinary herbs, felt it wouldn't be very effective. Her face showed little excitement, though she was still grateful that Chu Lingzhi had stayed up late to keep her company and treat her.
Chu Lingzhi looked deeply at Fu Chunyan and said, "Go buy some fluocinonide cream. Apply it to the anal area every night before bed—it can treat and prevent hemorrhoids."
Fu Chunyan blushed and smiled awkwardly, then her expression shifted as she looked at Chu Lingzhi in confusion. "What cream?"
"I'll write it down for you." The name was too long—how could Sister Chunyan remember it?
"Lingzhi, go to sleep. If you don't, it'll be dawn soon." Fu Chunyan put the prescription away and urged Chu Lingzhi to rest.
"Do you still feel bloated now?" Chu Lingzhi glanced at Fu Chunyan's abdomen and asked.
Fu Chunyan smiled sincerely. "After talking with you for so long, I feel much better."
"If you feel uncomfortable and have ginger at home, peel it, fry it, wrap it in gauze, and apply it to your navel. If you don't have ginger, rice bran can be used instead."
"It seems I've truly met a benefactor," Fu Chunyan said with a cheerful laugh.