CHAPTER 357: 333 MENTAL EVALUATION

Du Heng took a napkin and wiped his mouth before saying, "Director Liu, what’s the matter?"

Liu Shengnan touched her belly again. "In the past two weeks, I’ve been feeling a dry mouth, mild throat pain, and extremely low saliva production. I have to drink three or four glasses of water every day."

Du Heng carefully observed Liu Shengnan’s complexion. "Has this happened before?"

Liu Shengnan shook her head. "I went to our Obstetrics and Gynecology Department for a check-up, and they said it was nothing, likely just a lack of rest. But I’m still a bit worried. Since Xu invited you to dinner today, I thought I’d ask you, Doctor Du, so I can feel more at ease."

"How far along are you in your pregnancy now?"

"Sixteen weeks."

Almost four months!

"I’ll take your pulse first."

Du Heng thought for a moment, changed seats, and sat down next to Liu Shengnan. Xu Pinglin had probably prepared for this and booked a private room directly. If they were in the main hall, it would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention. Some people might even think, ’Who is this idiot, treating patients in a restaurant? What a show-off.’

"Director Liu, have you experienced any hemorrhage?"

"No, none."

Du Heng withdrew his hand from her wrist. "That’s good."

Xu Pinglin had been watching Du Heng nervously. Seeing that Du Heng had finished the pulse diagnosis, he hurriedly asked, "What’s the diagnosis?"

After thinking for a moment, Du Heng said, "Director Liu, your condition is due to an excess of fire and a deficiency of kidney water. The situation was discovered early, so the fetus is not affected for now. However, over time, you will inevitably show signs of restless fetal movement and even risk a miscarriage."

Liu Shengnan’s eyes widened. "Isn’t fetal movement normal?"

"I just said restless fetal movement, not normal fetal movement."

"What should we do then?" Xu Pinglin hurriedly asked.

"If it were a regular person, we would simply need to replenish kidney water. However, as Director Liu is pregnant, directly replenishing kidney water would impact the fetus’s development, so it’s not advisable."

Liu Shengnan’s current level of trust in Du Heng actually surpassed her trust in her husband, Xu Pinglin—this mentality was hard to describe.

Hearing Du Heng say it would affect the fetus, she also became nervous. "Doctor Du, is there any solution?"

"Metal can generate water, and water has a transformative source. The fire in your body is rootless, so it can be resolved. The lungs are associated with metal, so we can nourish the lungs. Please give me a moment to think about what medicine would be most appropriate."

The couple nodded in unison and sat quietly waiting nearby. They looked more like two elementary school students than two Deputy Directors from Provincial First Hospital, one of whom was even acting head of their department.

After considering the properties of different medications, Du Heng said, "You can use Dryness-Moistening Fetus-Quieting Decoction. We’ll add essence of the kidney to the formula to also treat the lungs. As I said earlier, nourishing the lungs is akin to nourishing the kidneys. When the kidney essence isn’t dry, the fire won’t affect the fetus, allowing it to develop peacefully. Your dry mouth and throat will also resolve."

Hearing that Du Heng had a solution and even a prescription, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

But Du Heng secretly sighed. He had told Xu Pinglin earlier to wait another month before trying for a child, but the couple was eager, rushing things by a month or even half a month to conceive. Pregnancy isn’t just the woman’s concern; the man also plays a significant role. Given Xu Pinglin’s initial condition, with deficiencies in both qi and blood, one could imagine the quality of his semen. With such subpar quality, this is just the beginning. In the later stages of pregnancy, Liu Shengnan will undoubtedly experience other issues. However, he couldn’t voice these thoughts, as it would only add to their burden.

After writing the prescription, the three parted ways and went about their business.

Du Heng didn’t plan to return to the Health Clinic. He tried calling Wang Shuqiu to ask about her mother.

But Wang Shuqiu hung up on him twice.

Du Heng figured Wang Shuqiu might be busy and went straight back to the Health Clinic.

However, late that afternoon, Du Heng received a call back from Wang Shuqiu, who sounded upset.

"You sound down. Did you quarrel with your mother?" Du Heng asked with concern.

"No," Wang Shuqiu replied, her voice still gloomy.

Du Heng was curious. If she hadn’t quarreled with her mother, why was she in a bad mood? "What happened then?"

"We went to the police station and the detention center today."

"Why did you go there?"

"To apply for a forensic mental illness evaluation for Zhao Xinyuan."

Du Heng was genuinely shocked by this news; it was completely unexpected.

He hurriedly asked, "On what grounds?"

"Hereditary epilepsy. They said my aunt’s family has a history of the disease," Wang Shuqiu said, her voice filled with helplessness and powerlessness.

After thinking for a moment, Du Heng said, "That alone isn’t enough for him to escape legal punishment."

"I went to the detention center and saw Zhao Xinyuan. Honestly, he’s not in good condition," Wang Shuqiu added.

Du Heng narrowed his eyes while holding the phone. Not in good condition?

The person who suggested this idea to Zhao Xinyuan’s parents must be an expert. Who could it be? Du Heng’s first suspect was Zhao Xinyuan himself. That kid is a clinical medical student from Jinzhou’s Medical Department. Even if he doesn’t have a diploma, he has genuinely received five years of undergraduate education. Moreover, and most importantly, he might know about his mother’s side having hereditary epilepsy.

Du Heng considered it and realized these people might actually succeed.

However, the thought of a lunatic receiving a mental illness diagnosis, and then recalling Zhao Xinyuan’s previous actions, sent chills down Du Heng’s spine.

"When will the evaluation begin?"

"I don’t know. We just submitted the application today. They said they would reply within fifteen working days."

Du Heng sighed softly, feeling powerless in this situation. He could only ask Wang Shuqiu, "Shall we have dinner together tonight? Find a better hotel for your mother. I’ll transfer some money to you later so you can book the room."

"No need. She and my uncle are already on their way back by car."

Du Heng’s heart skipped a beat, and a sudden pang gripped him. It seems my relationship with Wang Shuqiu might face some turbulence.

"It takes more than four hours to get back. Can they make it?"

"Yes, my dad found a car in the county, and it will be waiting to take them home. Anyway, I won’t say more. I’m coming back now."

"Alright."

About half an hour after the call, Wang Shuqiu arrived at the Health Clinic.

However, she didn’t get out of the car. Instead, she stayed inside and waited for Du Heng to finish work. Afterward, the two went straight home.

Her mother’s attitude today had already made things very clear. She realized once again that in her mother’s heart, she didn’t rank as high as her uncle.

Forcing a smile, she finished dinner and went to her bedroom alone, looking gloomy all evening.

Du Heng understood the problem too. He didn’t deliberately try to cheer her up, as he was also troubled by the issue.

He spent the whole night in a muddle, unable to come up with a single decent idea.

On Wednesday, Du Heng spent the day at Provincial First Hospital in a similar daze, unsure of what he had even accomplished.

It wasn’t until Thursday morning, as he was walking past the Township Government gate, that he caught a glimpse of Zhu Fanmin out of the corner of his eye, and his mind suddenly started racing.

Instantly, Du Heng remembered Zhu Minyan’s situation.

After sitting in his office for a while, Du Heng couldn’t stay still any longer and got up to head to the Township Government.

Upon finding Dong Yuezhang, Du Heng asked directly, "Did Zhu Fanmin come to see you just now?"

Dong Yuezhang looked up at Du Heng and replied flatly, "Mm."

"What did he want to see you for?"

Du Heng’s question made Dong Yuezhang put down his pen. He paused for a moment, then stood up and said frankly, "Since you’re asking, you probably already know what this is about. He wants to apply for catastrophic illness assistance for his niece."

Du Heng’s eyebrows tightened. "So, his niece’s condition can’t be reimbursed?"

"That’s what he said. Her insurance is registered in the Capital, so it’s impossible to get reimbursement in Jinzhou. Moreover, it doesn’t meet the policy for reimbursement in a different location."

"So, is there any hope for this catastrophic illness assistance?"

"I don’t know for now. After all, this isn’t up to us to decide. Our township has to report it to the district for approval."

Dong Yuezhang also felt quite helpless and sympathized with Zhu Minyan’s plight.

He walked out from behind his desk, paced back and forth in the open space a couple of times, and then suddenly said, "Let’s go to Zhu Minyan’s house. After all, this girl is the only Qingbei University student from our township, and her paternal uncle is your Secretary. Logically and emotionally, shouldn’t we go and see her?"

Du Heng thought for a moment. "Alright. Shall we go now?"

"Wait a moment. I’ll call the Office Director and our colleagues from the Social Sciences Office to come with us."

"I’ll wait for you at the gate."

Du Heng went to the gate alone. In less than two minutes, Dong Yuezhang came out with two people. "Let’s take my car. The workplace car just went to refuel."

Du Heng didn’t mind. "Anyone’s car is fine." He then proactively sat in the driver’s seat.

When going out with a leader, he couldn’t let Dong Yuezhang drive. Besides, only Du Heng knew the way.

As they drove off, Dong Yuezhang called Zhu Fanmin. By the time Du Heng and the other three arrived, Zhu Fanmin was waiting at the intersection.

Zhu Minyan was an only child. Her father, Zhu Fanzhong, had only built a large, seven-room, single-story house, not a two-story building like other families.

This time, Dong Yuezhang was the main figure. He walked in front and started chatting with Zhu Minyan’s family as soon as he entered the house.

Du Heng stood at the back, not pushing forward, but instead carefully observed Zhu Minyan.

From the moment Zhu Minyan appeared, she had kept her head down. When she inadvertently looked up, what met the eye was not a delicate and pretty face, but rather cloud-like vitiligo, with an even paler, colorless center. Her left eyebrow had also turned white.

But this wasn’t the most severe part.

The most severe was on the girl’s neck. On the left side of her neck, a tumor the size of a baby’s head lay horizontally, showing a tendency to spread downwards. On the right side of her neck, there were several lumps, each about the size of two thumbs, connected in a chain.

Malignant lymphoma!

Although other areas weren’t visible, one could imagine that places like under her armpits and groin were definitely not in good condition either.

Dong Yuezhang was still making solicitous inquiries to Zhu Minyan’s family, but Du Heng saw Zhu Minyan’s body trembling slightly. It seemed the girl was struggling to maintain her politeness.

"Town Mayor, let’s go inside and sit down to talk," Du Heng suggested, seeing that the others weren’t speaking, he felt he had to remind Dong Yuezhang.