"Rice oil?" The curly-haired auntie spaced out for a moment.

Du Heng nodded. "Yes, it’s the slightly viscous layer that floats on top when we’re cooking millet porridge. Cook some thin porridge every day until it becomes very sticky, then ladle out the floating top layer and let your child drink it, twice a day. It should take about three or four days for the child’s gastrointestinal function to adjust itself. By then, it’s necessary to add a bit of supplementary food for the child. Whatever the adults eat, the child can eat too. Just make sure it’s cooked softer, mashed up a bit, and contains less salt and oil."

The curly-haired auntie’s eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment as she asked blankly, "Can we drink that stuff? Whenever we cook porridge, we always throw away that layer. It’s sticky and a bit gross to look at."

Du Heng pursed his lips tightly. "That layer is called rice oil, which is actually the most nutritious part when we cook the porridge."

"Really?" The curly-haired auntie became increasingly surprised. "Are you sure about that?"

Seeing the curly-haired auntie’s face filled with doubt, Du Heng had an even stronger desire not to continue the conversation. However, being a physician with professional ethics, he still smiled and said, "Every time you feed the child, just feed that top layer. A bit of the soup can be included, but be careful: when you first start feeding, absolutely do not feed the child the rice grains. The child’s gastrointestinal function is weak, and they have never had supplementary food before. Feeding the child particulate substances like rice grains may result in indigestion. Sometimes, due to the child’s playful behavior and noises, it might even choke them."

"Does the child really not need any medication?"

Du Heng breathed a sigh and seriously looked at this curly-haired auntie. "It’s not necessary to give the child medication. But if you insist, I can prescribe medicine. Ma’am, let me confirm with you again, do you absolutely want me to prescribe medicine for the child?"

The curly-haired auntie was a bit overwhelmed. Du Heng’s question put a stop to her clamoring.

This allowed Du Heng to breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to the woman holding the child and said, "During these first few days, don’t feed too much rice oil soup. Use a small spoon and feed the child slowly. After a day or two, you can replace either breast milk or formula with supplementary food entirely. Also, the Start of Autumn has begun, and the temperature is falling day by day. Pay attention to keeping the child warm, especially the belly; it must not get cold."

The woman holding the child quickly nodded her head and asked, "Doctor, when should we come back for a follow-up visit?"

"If the child’s diarrhea is gone and there are no other issues, then there’s no need to come back for a follow-up."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"It’s alright. It’s just a minor problem. You can go home now."

After hearing Du Heng’s words, the woman holding the child started wrapping the child in the quilt again. Du Heng reached out to stop her. "There’s no need to wrap the child so tightly. We adults should dress the child appropriately for the weather. When I said, ’Don’t let the child catch a cold,’ I meant you should pay attention to keeping them warm. This is important because of the significant temperature difference between day and night."

The family of three finally left. However, just as they were about to exit, Du Heng heard the curly-haired auntie grumbling, "What kind of doctor is he? He dismissed us with a few words, didn’t even prescribe any medicine for the child. This just doesn’t feel right."

Watching the auntie’s retreating figure, Du Heng could only sigh softly. Looking at the queue waiting outside his office, Du Heng had to call the next patient in and could no longer concern himself with the curly-haired auntie.

As Du Heng’s voice trailed off, a young woman with swollen eyes walked in. Noticing her inflamed eyes at a glance, Du Heng then softly said, "Please, sit here."

After ensuring that she was seated comfortably, he didn’t ask what was wrong—it was clear enough. So, he immediately asked her to stick out her tongue for examination, followed by a pulse diagnosis.

Upon touching her pulse, Du Heng found that this woman had a large, powerful pulse on her left wrist—a sign of a slippery pulse. Combining this with her inflamed eyes, Du Heng had a clear diagnosis in his mind.

Picking up his pen to record his observations, he began questioning her, "How long have your eyes been inflamed?"

"Three months. At first, it was just a bit of a burning sensation, but recently they’ve become red and swollen, and they hurt a lot."

"How is your menstrual period?"

As Du Heng asked, he lowered his gaze to record. The woman, however, clearly hesitated after hearing his query. Although she looked a bit reluctant, she said, "It’s regular."

Du Heng glanced up at her before lowering his gaze to continue his inquiry. "What I mean is, is your flow heavy? And are you on your menstrual period right now?"

This time, the woman hesitated even more. She demurred for a long time and then finally said to Du Heng, "Doctor, I came here for my eyes."

In response to the woman’s displeasure, Du Heng naturally answered, "I know."

"Then why do you keep asking me about gynecological issues? I don’t have dysmenorrhea." The woman’s increasing annoyance was clear as she looked at Du Heng’s nonchalant attitude.

Du Heng sighed softly, put down his pen, and looked at the woman helplessly. "Patient, you do know that you are consulting a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, don’t you?"

"Of course, I do."

"Then, why do you ask such a question?" Du Heng explained helplessly, "Traditional Chinese medicine doctors diagnose by considering the body as a whole. Have you ever seen a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who just ’treats the head for a headache and the foot for foot pain’? Treating the symptoms directly is the approach of Western medicine."