System Only Gives Me Useless Gifts

A little boy, Xia Yan, rested on his bed with adults surrounding him with watchful eyes. Various tubes and wires hooked up to the pitiful boy as it monitor his health through the machines. He didn't look frightened by the sight of all the adults and had gotten used to strangers.

The mother, Xia Guiying, watched from the sofa on the other side. Her dark and puffy eyes contrasted with her pale face. She looked to have a severe case of insomnia, but her insomnia was caused by excess yin.

Li Yun wondered if being born into such a wealthy family was a curse or blessing. If Xia Yan was a regular child, he may not have survived past the age of 10. But with his family money, he may be able to live a normal life, whatever normal maybe for a family like the Xia. After the morning checkup, Dr. Chang asked Li Yun to take a look. Li Yun sat down on the adjacent stool next to the bed.

"Hey!" Li Yun greeted Xia Yuan informally. "Ever had pulse reading done?"

Xia Yan was confused but shook his head. Dr. Chang may be a TCM-trained doctor, but he relied on stethoscopes. Li Yun checked the little boy's pulse. 

"Doctor Li, what do you think?" Professor Yuan Yu asked in an excited mood.

All the doctors except for Professor Shao Shan looked healthy and alert in the morning, which made Professor Shao Shan feel regretful that he didn't take the offer for acupuncture treatment.

"It's an aortic aneurysm caused by Takayasu's Arteritis," Li Yun declared.

All the doctors were not surprised. They had all suspected it. TA typically occurred in female patients, but the symptoms were often worse in male patients.

"Considering the size, we should consider open surgery," said Professor Ma Zong.

"I'm not sure if that is a good option," Li Yun was still hesitant to make that recommendation. If they continue with TCM prescription, there might be a way, but it would be a very long process.

At that moment, Pao Lie texted him the acceptance of the 250k offer for the Caoben Street shop and sent him the contract to sign. Li Yun thought the timing was good. Li Yun needed a place where he could practice making prescriptions. He had already sent in a business certificate and only needed a physical location to see patients. Practicing TCM with a Western medicine license was obviously easier than practicing Western medicine with a TCM license.

"I think there may be a way to cure Little Yan without any form of surgery," Li Yun proposed.

"It's possible?" All the doctors were wondering what sort of miracle Li Yun was about to perform.

"It's not going to be anytime soon," Li Yun said, trying not to give anyone too much hope. "Doctor Chang, can you collaborate with Doctor Yi Bao to continue the TCM treatment?"

Doctor Chang nodded.

Xia Guiying overheard the discussion and it was the first time someone said it was possible without surgery. Her hands were shaken with excitement, but she didn't want to put too much hope on the young doctor.

"Doctor Li, can you really cure my son?" Xia Guiying asked.

"The truthful answer is maybe," Li Yun responded. "If I do not find a way in 6 months, then I also recommend open aortic surgery."

"But is it possible for him to hold out for 6 months?" Professor Yuan Yu had seen the report, and the inflammation was getting worse. In 6 months, there might be a tear in the heart.

"I can perform an acupuncture treatment to delay it along with Doctor Chang TCM treatment. If Ms. Xia agrees, we can start in the afternoon."

Li Yun asked to be excused to consult with Doctor Yi Bao. In the meanwhile, Xia Tong turned to Professor Yuan Yu to ask him about the young doctor.

"I thought he was a trauma surgeon," Xia Tong commented.

"He is a trauma surgeon, but his acupuncture techniques are unparalleled," Professor Yuan Yu explained. "We all experienced it yesterday."

"It doesn't matter what sort of doctor he is, as long as he can heal Little Yan," Xia Hong remarked.

Everyone agreed to let Li Yun perform the acupuncture. Li Yun asked the nurse to hold onto his phone to broadcast the process to Elder Yi Bao.  Every time Li Yun inserted a needle, he reported back to Elder Yi Bao the changes to the purse. Elder Yi Bao would then describe to Li Yun what points and steps to take.

Elder Yi Bao was still frightened by the precision and accuracy of Li Yun's descriptions. When a TCM doctor punctures an acupoint, they have to wait for the qi to be released before removing the needle or pressing at the point. Li Yun knew the exact timing as though he could see the movement of qi. The timing was something that TCM practitioners had to practice for years in order to understand, but Li Yun could simply visualize it.

After an hour of acupuncture therapy, the other doctors reassessed Little Yan's condition. His pulse and vitals looked a bit better than before. They weren't able to perform an x-ray, but if they did, they would notice a slight shrinkage at the inflammation.

"With his vitals better, I think we can hold out for 6 months," Professor Yuan Yu said after checking the heart with his stethoscope.

"In 6 months, Doctor Mori should take the lead for the open surgery," Li Yun said. "In the meantime, I'll need two vials of Little Yan's blood for experiments. If there are any breakthroughs, I'll send everyone a message."

Li Yun looked at the boy. "Hey kid, we've been here this whole time and you haven't said a word. Want to go outside?"

The boy smiled and nodded.

"Can we unhook him from the machines?" Li Yun looked at the nurse nearby. "You should reduce the time the doctors see him to weekly. His heart is stable enough to last for a while, but the atmosphere isn't conducive for his body. Take him outside once in a while."

The nurse looked to Xia Guiying for guidance. Xia Guiying nodded her head in agreement and the nurse made preparations to unhook Little Yan from the monitoring machine.

After putting on his coat, Li Yun grabbed a hold of the boy's hand, and they walked outside and into the courtyard. One of the reasons the boy was in poor health was because he blamed himself for causing everyone to worry. Sometimes, he thought it would be better if he didn't exist. Li Yun didn't think that his mentality happened recently, but a lot earlier. It was likely that he was in an accident. Li Yun didn't see a father in the room. Even in fetus form, a baby could tell whether they were wanted or not.

"Do you have a friend to talk to?" Li Yun asked.

Little Yan nodded and pointed to the empty space next to him.

Li Yun smiled in response. "I see, can I be your friend as well?"

Little Yan thought for a while and looked to the side as though looking at someone. Afterward, he nodded.

"You know, you can make your own decisions without your friend. What happens if your friend goes away?"

Little Yan looked a bit sad.

"You know, your mother is quite sick," Li Yun stated as they walked along the barren courtyard.

Little Yan nodded in agreement.

Xia Guiying was also suffering from insomnia, but hers were caused by her excessive worrying about Little Yan.

"There's only one way to cure her," Li Yun suggested.

"There is?" It was the first time Little Yan spoke to anyone other than his mother, nurse, and imaginary friend.

"It's quite simple, but it only works if you do it."

"How?"

"Ask your nurse to buy you a bunch of fresh lavender. Every day, you should give it to your mother. The next time I see you, your mother should also be feeling better."

Little Yan thought it was simple. His nurse could get him anything. Li Yun chatted with the little boy until the boy restored a bit of yang energy. They returned inside, and Li Yun discussed a few details with the professors before deciding that it was useless to stay in Imperial City. He returned to Qinbei the following morning.

Little Yan, being the wealthy scion to the Xia family, filled his mother's room with fresh lavender every day.