Teacher Du's health is not good. He is better in the summer, but he often has a dry cough in the fall or spring. When it gets serious, he coughs so hard that it is heartbreaking to hear.
Upon hearing Teacher Du's cough, Ye Qingqing remembered that she should check Teacher Du's pulse to see what was causing the cough, as it couldn't go on forever.
Teacher Du was eating something his wife had specially brought him: steamed tangerine peel with honey. It's a local folk remedy for coughs, and it's quite effective for coughs caused by wind and cold. In Hunan Province, they also soak tangerine peel with honey and process it into sweet and sour candied tangerines. They can be used to make tea, which has the effect of relieving coughs and moisturizing the lungs.
Every autumn, Mr. Du's wife would steam a bowl of honey-glazed tangerine peel every day for him to eat, hoping it would help his cough. But the effect was minimal, and Mr. Du's cough got worse year by year.
Ye Qingqing was unaware that in her previous life, Teacher Du suffered from a severe lung disease and died young in his forties, only a few months after Ye Qingqing's death.
"Sit down first. You've made great progress this time, and I'll definitely keep my promise... cough cough... I'll go talk to Teacher He about transferring you to another class this afternoon... cough cough..."
When Teacher Du saw Ye Qingqing, he put down the bowl in his hand and was very pleased, but his cough made his speech intermittent.
"Don't get arrogant. If you maintain this level of progress, getting into a top-tier university won't be a problem... cough cough..."
Teacher Du suddenly coughed louder, his face turning red. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, turned his back, and coughed like an old man.
Ye Qingqing hurriedly stepped forward to pat his back, her brows furrowed. Teacher Du's cough was more severe than she had thought; it flared up every year, either due to a problem with his lungs or his trachea.
"Teacher Du, let me check your pulse!" Ye Qingqing pleaded.
She has recently been studying internal medicine in the medical classics, including several cases of cough. Teacher Du's case is very similar to a case in the medical classics, but she needs to take his pulse to be sure.
Teacher Du looked at her in surprise. Taking her pulse?
Did he hear that right?
The break between classes was only ten minutes long. Ye Qingqing didn't have time to explain, so she simply grabbed Teacher Du's hand and started taking measurements in a very professional manner. She had recently been conducting experiments on the old lady and Lu Mo, among others. The old lady had also introduced her to a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor for guidance, from which she had benefited greatly.
Teacher Du wanted to break free, but fearing it would hurt Ye Qingqing's self-esteem, she let her go, though she didn't believe Ye Qingqing could really measure pulses.
Ye Qingqing is not very skilled at pulse diagnosis yet, but she has recently accompanied the old Chinese medicine doctor introduced by the old lady on several house calls, mostly dealing with patients with coughs, so she has gained some experience.
After testing for a while, Ye Qingqing had a general idea of what was going on. Teacher Du's illness originated in his lungs, and it was a chronic condition that had been present since childhood. He had never received proper treatment, and over time, it had become increasingly serious.
"Did Teacher Du have whooping cough when she was a child?" Ye Qingqing asked cautiously.
Mr. Du, who hadn't taken it seriously at first, was taken aback. The girl had actually guessed right. He had indeed had whooping cough when he was a child, and because it wasn't cured, he was left with a persistent cough.
Seeing his surprised expression, Ye Qingqing knew she had guessed correctly, and said, "Teacher Du's cough relapsed every year during the autumn and spring season because he didn't get better when he was a child. Also, you haven't been taking care of your health systematically, which is why it's getting worse."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com