He dedicated his life to helping others with a benevolent heart.
Shen Jifang's health deteriorated, but she still cared deeply for the patients at Cheng'an Hall. Every morning, she would have her apprentices inform her of each patient's condition, and then, based on her experience, she would analyze their symptoms and adjust their prescriptions. She often said, "A doctor's heart is benevolent; even if I only have one breath left, I will still do my part for my patients."
That day, a five-year-old child came to the clinic in a state of emergency. He was convulsing, his face was blue, and he was breathing very weakly. The child's parents held him and cried their hearts out: "Dr. Shen, please, save my child! The doctors in the city are all helpless; only you can save him!"
Upon seeing this, the apprentices rushed forward to examine the patient, but they couldn't find the cause of the illness and were sweating profusely with anxiety. Someone hurriedly ran to the courtyard to inform Shen Jifang of the situation.
Upon learning this, Shen Jifang, despite her weakness, struggled to her feet and, supported by her apprentice, went to the clinic. She sat beside the child, her fingers trembling as she took his pulse. After a moment, a glimmer of clarity flashed in her eyes: "He has mistakenly eaten a poisonous wild fruit, and the toxins have invaded his internal organs. He needs immediate acupuncture to detoxify, followed by herbal medicine to regulate his condition."
The apprentices quickly prepared silver needles and medicinal herbs, and Shen Jifang personally performed acupuncture on the child. Although her hands trembled, her precision was impeccable, and each needle struck a crucial acupoint. After the acupuncture was completed, she dictated the prescription, instructing her apprentices to quickly gather and prepare the medicine.
Throughout the ordeal, Shen Jifang had expended a great deal of energy; her face grew increasingly pale, and her breathing became rapid. Her apprentices urged her to go back and rest, but she shook her head and sat by the child's side, watching over him until his breathing stabilized and his convulsions stopped, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The child's parents knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shen Jifang in gratitude: "Dr. Shen, you are truly a living Bodhisattva! Our whole family is deeply grateful for your great kindness and virtue!"
Shen Jifang gently helped them up and said weakly, "Get up quickly... It's good that the child is alright. You must keep a close eye on the child in the future and make sure he doesn't eat anything indiscriminately."
After seeing the patient off, Shen Jifang could no longer hold on and fainted. Her apprentices quickly carried her back to her room in the courtyard to rest and invited the best doctor to treat her. After taking her pulse, the doctor shook his head: "Dr. Shen is advanced in years and has exhausted herself. I'm afraid... her days are numbered."
When Shen Jifang woke up and learned of her illness, she remained very calm. She asked her apprentices to organize all the medical books and prescriptions of "Cheng'an Hall" and handed them to her eldest apprentice: "These... are the fruits of my life's work. You must study them carefully, practice medicine with dedication, and never betray the trust of patients or tarnish the reputation of 'Cheng'an Hall'."
The eldest disciple nodded with tears in his eyes: "Master, rest assured, we will always remember your teachings and pass on your medical skills and benevolence forever."
Shen Jifang smiled with satisfaction. Throughout her life, she had lived by the belief of "benevolence and compassion," from Jiangnan to the border regions, from youth to old age, warming countless hearts with her medical skills and kindness. Now, though her life was nearing its end, she had no regrets, for she knew that her benevolence would be passed down forever through her apprentices.
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