Chapter 531: Chapter 531: A Startle and a Fright
Upon hearing that Dean Li was asking Xu Xiangbei to treat his numb foot, Dean Qian carried a teacup and sat on the sofa with a faint smile on his face, seemingly smiling yet not, while Dean Sun appeared a bit awkward.
Seeing the situation, Xu Xiangbei laughed and thought to himself, Dean Li and Dean Qian are meeting me for the first time and clearly don’t believe I have any special medical skills, so they want to test my ability.
Xu Xiangbei suddenly grabbed Dean Li’s wrist. Dean Li, around sixty years old, had scrawny arms with wrinkled skin, feeling like bare bones to the touch.
Dean Li was a bit startled by Xu Xiangbei suddenly grabbing his arm, but seeing Xu Xiangbei’s fingers pinching his pulse, he suddenly understood that Xu was taking his pulse.
Dean Li adjusted his highly-farsighted glasses and smiled as he asked, "Advisor Xu, how is my pulse reading?"
Xu Xiangbei smiled faintly and said, "Dean Li, your condition isn’t very good. Do you often feel numbness in your big toe, sometimes extending from the big toe along the inside of the calf all the way up?"
Dean Li was stunned, nodded in amazement, "Advisor Xu, you’re right, sometimes it does feel that way."
Xu Xiangbei shook his head helplessly, "Have you recently been insomniac around one in the morning, feeling hungry?"
Dean Li was even more shocked, "It’s been more than a week, I’ve been waking up around one every night and only getting back to sleep around three."
Xu Xiangbei leaned back on the sofa with an enigmatic smile, "Dean Li, you should eat whatever you want, don’t force yourself. Life is short, enjoy it while you can."
Dean Li’s face changed color, hearing Xu Xiangbei’s tone advising him to eat whatever he wanted suggested that he was being spoken to like someone close to death. His face went pale from fear.
He didn’t really believe what Xu Xiangbei said, but Dean Sun, being a senior dean of Earth Sea First Hospital, recommended him, saying Xu Xiangbei was exceptionally skilled in medicine, so it couldn’t be false.
He looked at Xu Xiangbei half-believingly, "Advisor Xu, I’m old, no need for jokes like this. My heart can’t take such stress."
Xu Xiangbei shrugged, continuing to smile, "I’m not joking with you. The human body is a very subtle and precise instrument; any discomfort will show up. Recently, your liver blood is at odds with the flow. Your energy and blood move to the liver around one in the morning, discover the trouble, and the liver meridian of the foot is damaged. You actually aren’t insomniac; you’re waking from pain. But the pain is so mild that you think you’re simply hungry. Maybe it’s stomach pain from the cold; you’d make a cup of milk, eat some cookies, feel comfortable, then continue sleeping. Am I right?"
Dean Li was flabbergasted, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. Xu Xiangbei even knew about his nighttime milk and cookie routine; this young guy didn’t secretly install surveillance in my home, did he?
Seeing Dean Li was stunned by him, Xu Xiangbei smirked mischievously, "Don’t think I installed cameras in your home. I’m not interested in your private life. There are milk stains on the collar of your underwear; probably splashed on during drinking milk, looking from the shade, it seems like last night’s affair. Am I right? As for the cookies, there’s an empty cup of milk with floating cookie crumbs on your desk, and a newly opened bag of calcium-enriched Oreo cookies beside it. I guess you like to dip Oreos in milk, just like in TV commercials where it’s better that way."
Dean Li nodded mechanically. Xu Xiangbei was indeed accurate in his details, as he sometimes felt his big toe numb, but didn’t pay it much mind. Every night at 1 AM, he felt insomnia and upper abdominal discomfort, thinking he was hungry, so he got up to make a cup of milk and soaked cookies to eat.
Seeing Dean Li’s face of conviction, Dean Qian’s attitude towards Xu Xiangbei also became respectful. He sat up straight, put down his teacup, and looked at Xu Xiangbei with focused attention.
Dean Sun’s face was brighter, as if to say, wasn’t I right to recommend him, and yet you won’t believe me, you’re just a bunch of stubborn old folks.
Dean Li asked with a bitter face, "Advisor Xu, is my condition serious? Can it be treated? Am I not long for this world? Tell me the truth."
Xu Xiangbei grinned cheekily, "Didn’t I say, just eat whatever you feel like at night. Don’t diet. Blood and energy deficiency cause your liver energy and blood to be at odds. You may want to eat less at night, but you can’t skip meals. Can cookies substitute for meals?"
Dean Li suddenly understood, laughing and crying, "Advisor Xu, you’re telling me to eat whatever I want, not because I’m not long for this world or terminally ill, but advising me to have dinner?"
Xu Xiangbei grinned evilly and said, "Who said you’re not long for this world or terminally ill, I’m just advising you to have dinner, add some nutrition, then the liver energy will be sufficient, and you won’t have insomnia in the middle of the night."
Dean Li breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he wasn’t terminally ill. It was actually because he was dieting too much, and his insomnia coupled with anxiety led to liver blood issues.
Xu Xiangbei, with an amused smile, said, "Just pay attention now, if it drags on long, it will cause great damage to the liver and make you sick."
Actually, Dean Li didn’t have any disease. Xu Xiangbei just saw he didn’t believe himself and deliberately scared him. Xu Xiangbei’s shock tactics really made Dean Li and Dean Qian revere him as a near-deity, completely altering their attitude towards him.
Dean Qian told Dean Li, "Advisor Xu’s clothes are dirty, and his hair and face are all covered in soil. Take him to the staff dormitory to take a shower, change into clean clothes, and give him one of the newly bought clothes for the teachers."
Xu Xiangbei indeed felt like taking a shower, needing to give a lecture later, especially not wanting the pretty female students to see him covered in dirt, which would tarnish the image of our charming president, "Alright, let’s go wash up and change a coat; a muddy mess can’t give a lecture to others."
Dean Li went to the adjacent office to ask the office director Teacher Zhao for the key to his single dormitory and took Xu Xiangbei to Teacher Zhao’s single dorm.
On their way to the teacher dormitory, Dean Li explained to Xu Xiangbei the purpose of inviting him to give lectures at the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Dean Li looked a bit helpless, "Advisor Xu, President Xu, today’s kids are influenced too much by various things, especially the internet, making them less interested in studying, lacking confidence and somewhat directionless about their future. From a psychological perspective, they’re at an age where they have no confidence in their future. Inviting you to lecture is about giving them a successful role model, instilling confidence in them. I know you didn’t attend university, but your medical skills are top-notch, and you’re also the president of the Thunderbird Group, so it’s perfect for you to teach them and pass on traditional Chinese medicine knowledge, showing them that with effort, they can succeed and be confident about the future."
