Chapter 7

"Big Brother Zuo, I'll treat you to a meal!"

On this day, after Zuo Xiaoyou had finished tutoring the young girl, she unexpectedly said these words.

Zuo Xiaoyou thought the girl was thanking him for his tutoring over the past few days, so he smiled and said, "No need, wait until you start working and earn some money, then you can treat me!"

After saying this, Zuo Xiaoyou opened the copy of the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (The Classic of the Materia Medica) he had bought a few days ago and read it with great interest.

The *Shennong Bencao Jing* records the effects of a large number of herbs and is the first systematic compilation of traditional Chinese medicine in Chinese history. Although it has significant limitations by modern standards and is not comprehensive, it is still a remarkable achievement.

Zuo Xiaoyou was not particularly interested in medical skills, but he was very interested in the properties of herbs. If nothing unexpected happened, he would enter many movie worlds in the future. If he were to travel to an ancient era where medical technology was not advanced, and he got injured or fell ill, he could rely on his knowledge of Chinese herbs to save himself. It was a matter of life and death, so even if he might not use it in the future, it was always good to know more.

"Reading that book again." The young girl saw Zuo Xiaoyou enjoying himself with the book and wrinkled her nose, humming lightly, "Big Brother Zuo, are you planning to become a doctor in the future?"

"Never thought about it." Zuo Xiaoyou raised his head and saw the girl's slightly angry and cute expression, and chuckled, "It's always good to read more books. Maybe it will come in handy in the future!"

"There are so many doctors now, why would it be useful!" The girl pouted.

"Be afraid of quacks!" Zuo Xiaoyou shook his head. Not to mention this era, even in the modern world he lived in, there were still many quacks who prescribed medicines that wouldn't kill but wouldn't cure either. In the end, patients relied on their own immune systems to survive, which was frustrating.

"And it costs a lot of money."

Well, that's the point.

The girl giggled, "So Big Brother Zuo is afraid of not being able to afford medical treatment!"

Zuo Xiaoyou glanced at her and said, "I already said, I'm afraid of quacks. A small illness can be turned into a serious one, and a serious one can be turned into a terminal one. In the end, the person dies, and a lot of money is spent. Isn't that despicable?"

"Despicable." The girl nodded, thinking, "Big Brother Zuo, my dad has had asthma for the past two years. Although he always takes medicine, it hasn't improved. Could it be because of quacks?"

"Maybe not." Zuo Xiaoyou shook his head. Although he wasn't very familiar with the details of asthma, he knew it was a difficult condition to cure. He remembered seeing a TV advertisement for an asthma treatment when he was young, with the slogan 'Asthma, an ancient stubborn disease.'

This shows how difficult it is to cure asthma. As for the medicine in the advertisement... well, a medicine that could only be advertised on county TV in the 1980s and has been out of production for over 20 years.

"Asthma is a very difficult condition to cure. The best you can do is to improve your diet and lifestyle." Zuo Xiaoyou said, "I'm not very familiar with the specifics, but people with this condition should avoid overworking. By the way, what does your dad do?"

"He... is a martial arts instructor at a dojo." The girl said a bit nervously, "What should I do? My dad always overworks himself, no wonder he doesn't get better."

Zuo Xiaoyou frowned and said, "You should advise your dad to try not to get involved in too many things and to rest and recuperate. Asthma can easily lead to sudden death when it flares up."

After a pause, Zuo Xiaoyou asked, "Do you know what the doctor who treated your dad said?"

"No." The girl shook her head, looking very anxious, "Big Brother Zuo, will my dad really die suddenly?"

"Don't worry too much." Zuo Xiaoyou comforted her, "It's just a possibility. Pay attention, and it should be fine."

Although he said this, the girl's worry didn't decrease much. In the end, she grabbed Zuo Xiaoyou's arm, "Big Brother Zuo, you know so much, can you help me see what's wrong with my dad?"

"..."

To reassure the girl, Zuo Xiaoyou eventually went to her house with her. Although he didn't know much about medicine, he had read some basic medical books like *Self-Healing Without Doctors*. He knew how to treat common illnesses.

Some might think this was no big deal, as everyone knows how to treat these minor illnesses. But that's in the modern world with advanced information. It was 1950, and medical knowledge wasn't widely spread. Even a common cold could be fatal. With the medical knowledge Zuo Xiaoyou had, he could easily be a barefoot doctor in this era.

With some confidence, Zuo Xiaoyou arrived at the girl's house.

When he reached the door, Zuo Xiaoyou was taken aback.

Hong Zhenan... National Martial Arts Society.

"Little Sister is back!" A fat, black-clad old martial arts master with a slicked-back hairstyle and a commanding presence came down the stairs.

Seeing this person, Zuo Xiaoyou opened his mouth but then closed it.

"Dad." The girl called out happily, then pulled Zuo Xiaoyou's hand, "Big Brother Zuo, this is my dad."

"Old Sir." Zuo Xiaoyou bowed.

The old master's eyes became incredibly sharp when he saw his daughter holding Zuo Xiaoyou's hand. He said coldly, "What's your relationship with my daughter?"

"Dad, what are you doing!" Before Zuo Xiaoyou could speak, the girl pouted, "Big Brother Zuo has been helping me with my studies these past few days. You said yesterday to bring him back! Now that he's here, you're angry. What do you want, Dad?"

"You little girl." The old master looked helpless, and his fierce demeanor disappeared. With a bit of affection, he said, "I'm just worried you might make the wrong friends! Besides, in public, you and a man are so close, how can I not think too much!"

Hearing this, the girl's face turned red, and she stammered, "I... I don't have anything with Big Brother Zuo."

"Whether you have something or not, others don't know." The old master sighed, "Little Sister, you're still young, don't rush. In a couple of years, I'll marry you off in style."

"Dad, what are you saying! Who wants to get married." The girl blushed, and if she were an ordinary girl, she might have run away in embarrassment. But she held back her embarrassment and pouted, "I brought Big Brother Zuo to see what's wrong with you, not for... that kind of thing!"

"Oh?" The old master turned to look at Zuo Xiaoyou, seeing that he was only in his twenties and very young. He frowned, "Can you treat illnesses?"

Zuo Xiaoyou was silent for a moment and said, "I heard you have asthma?"

"It's just a minor illness, Little Sister is making a big deal out of it." The old master shook his head, "Since Little Sister rarely brings friends home, come in and sit down. Have dinner and then leave."

"Dad, Big Brother Zuo is very skilled in medicine." The girl was anxious, "Big Brother Zuo said your illness is hard to cure, but it can be managed through other methods. You've had this illness for years without improvement. Let Big Brother Zuo take a look, it won't hurt to try, and it might get better!"

"Old Sir." Before the old master could speak, Zuo Xiaoyou said, "To be honest, asthma is indeed hard to cure, but with proper care, the symptoms can be controlled to prevent flare-ups."

After a pause, he added, "It won't cost extra money."

The old master stared intently at Zuo Xiaoyou, who met his gaze calmly.

After a moment, the old master nodded, "Alright, take a look."

The girl smiled, "Dad, take your time. I'll go make some tea."

Watching the girl skip away, the old master's face was full of affection, "This girl."

Zuo Xiaoyou looked at him with a hint of envy, "A loving father and a filial daughter, Old Sir, you're enviable."

Hearing this, the old master turned to look at him, "Young man, what's your name? Where are you from?"

"Zuo Xiaoyou, from Behe." Zuo Xiaoyou said, "Old Sir, you must be Master Hong Zhenan?"

The name was on the sign at the door, so the old master wasn't surprised. He nodded, "I am Hong Zhenan. You look tall and have a steady demeanor. Have you studied martial arts?"

"A few days." Zuo Xiaoyou's mood was a bit complex. He didn't expect to meet Hong Zhenan in such a situation, and even more surprising was that the girl was Hong Zhenan's eldest daughter, who only had a few scenes in the entire movie.

No wonder she seemed familiar but hard to place. Zuo Xiaoyou finally understood. She was a minor character, a background role with no lines, so it was no wonder he couldn't remember her.

The familiarity was also because the girl had a distinctive appearance, which left a slight impression on him.

He never thought he would meet Hong Zhenan's daughter and become friends with her, and even more surprisingly, his first meeting with Hong Zhenan was to treat his illness. It felt like a dramatic coincidence.

In the living room, Zuo Xiaoyou asked Hong Zhenan some questions about his condition. After understanding and making some assumptions, he was pretty sure Hong Zhenan had asthma. In the movie, Hong Zhenan died from an asthma attack, unable to catch his breath, and was killed by the tornado. If he could alleviate Hong Zhenan's asthma, would he survive the fight?

After diagnosing the condition, Zuo Xiaoyou said, "Old Sir, I understand your situation. You indeed have asthma. I can responsibly tell you that it's hard to cure, but with proper care, the symptoms can be controlled to prevent flare-ups. I'll give you a prescription. Follow it, and I guarantee you'll live a healthy life past eighty."

"Oh?" Hong Zhenan rarely smiled, "Thank you."

"It's my duty."

Taking out paper and pen, Zuo Xiaoyou immediately wrote a prescription. It was quite long, taking about ten minutes to finish.

After finishing, Zuo Xiaoyou checked it, confirmed there were no problems, and handed it to Hong Zhenan, "Old Sir, follow the prescription, and I promise you'll be fine."

Hong Zhenan took the two-page prescription and gradually frowned as he read it.

*************

Thank you to 'sam~tang' for the 200起点币 (Qidian coins) donation.

The second update will be around midnight.

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