A Shaman Doctor’s Live Diagnosis Stream! 4

Chapter 4

Everyone in the ward stared at the darkened screen, dumbfounded. He… he just went offline like that?

You couldn’t say the streamer wasn’t greedy, he had subtly hinted at gifts earlier. But you also couldn’t say he was greedy, as he had just given up such a good money-making opportunity and decisively gone offline.

The sudden closure of the live stream prevented the excited audience from sending barrage comments, so they switched to the Shark platform’s community forum to discuss.

[Youth mode, so this Wu Heng is actually a high school boy? High school boys are fragrant, even more fragrant than university students! Slurp!]
[Really giving birth to snakes, oh no, vomiting snakes? Shark Short Videos doesn’t have those special effects, so it’s real? Too bad I joined the live stream late and didn’t see it with my own eyes.]
[I searched online and found hundreds of “Chengde Medical Clinics” nationwide, I don’t know where this one is.]
[That wealthy mother and son who connected earlier, I saw them in the year-end party photos published on the He Group’s official website… If it’s the He family from the capital, they wouldn’t be helping a streamer create hype.]
[Just asking, will the streamer be live streaming medical consultations tomorrow?! Looking forward to it!]
…

Mrs. He hastily glanced at the rapidly increasing comments that had reached 999+, then quickly clicked on Wu Heng’s profile picture named “Chengde Medical Clinic.” The official certification indeed confirmed it was a medical clinic, but unfortunately, the account introduction didn’t provide any contact information.

Mrs. He could only send another private message, writing down her WeChat ID, phone number, and even all the email addresses she could think of.

This passive wait to be contacted made Mrs. He anxious, especially when she looked up and saw the bizarre scene of the small grayish-white snake curled up in her son’s collarbone, flicking its tongue contentedly, sending chills down her spine.

Meeting the horrified gazes of his mother and the young nurse, He Yunxiao, pale-faced and cradling his large belly, suddenly asked dryly, “Um, do I…do I need to transfer to the maternity ward? Or…gynecology?”

Mrs. He: “…”
Young Nurse: “…”

Mrs. He gritted her teeth. Was this brat getting addicted to giving birth?!

Mrs. He glanced at the “unread” notification on the private message page, gritted her teeth, and made a decision: “Discharge from the hospital, go home, and prepare to find someone.”

Wu Heng sat at the consultation table, looking at the phone prompt for youth mode requiring a password. He thought for a moment, then put down his calculating fingers and casually put the little paper person with He Yunxiao’s birth date written on it into his pants pocket.

He Yunxiao’s illness wasn’t difficult, but he was still missing something. He had to find someone to borrow something.

Wu Heng went to the counter where the unsuspecting You Jin was still busy sorting medicinal herbs, sweating profusely from the heat.

Wu Heng leaned one arm on the counter and glanced at the herbs in the yellow paper packets. “Brother You Jin, that seems to be Rehmannia, not Scrophularia.”

You Jin immediately checked and broke out in a cold sweat. “It really is Rehmannia! I was so busy I got confused!”

Rehmannia and Scrophularia looked very similar and were easily confused. Their medicinal properties were different, and mixing them up could cause problems.

In an instant, You Jin looked at Wu Heng in surprise. Was Xiao Heng really normal like the village chief said? He could even recognize Chinese medicinal herbs now?

You Jin became interested and opened the drawers behind him containing various herbs, taking out some to test Wu Heng. “Xiao Heng, tell me, what are these, and those over there?”

Wu Heng glanced at them and said, “Poria, Fritillaria, Ophiopogon.”

All correct. You Jin exclaimed repeatedly, “Xiao Heng, how did you learn all this?”

Wu Heng, noticing the labels on the lower right corner of each drawer in the pharmacy, said pointedly, “Brother You Jin, there are labels.”

Some labels, in addition to Chinese characters, were written in the local minority language.

You Jin’s acceptance level was very high, and upon hearing this, he became even more delighted. “Our Xiao Heng can read now? He’s really become a normal person!”

“If Master knew, he’d be overjoyed!” You Jin chattered happily. “This calls for a celebration! Let’s close early today, and I’ll make a delicious meal!”

Remembering You Jin’s cooking skills, which could potentially set the house on fire, Wu Heng discreetly took a step back and said, “No, Zhou Yi asked me over.”

You Jin knew that Master had entrusted Wu Heng to the Zhou family for meals while he was away collecting herbs, so he could only express a slight regret at not being able to showcase his culinary skills.

Wu Heng left Chengde Medical Clinic at the appointed time, but instead of going to the Zhou family’s house, he turned towards the distant Lai family’s house, where the sounds of gongs and drums were clamorous.

A pure black coffin rested in the courtyard of the Lai family’s house, with a brazier in front of it. A dozen or so square wooden tables were scattered in the open space nearby. A stove made of red bricks was set up on a slope, and several chefs, stripped to the waist and sweating profusely, stirred large ladles in iron woks. Steam billowed from the steamer beside them, filling the air with fragrance.

Wu Heng found a corner seat, picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks, grabbed a slice of beef, and his eyes lit up as he ate it.

Although Wu Heng ate quickly, he was unusually quiet and didn’t attract anyone’s attention.

“Why is Lai boy’s coffin parked outside? I heard they’re burying him at midnight? Don’t we bury people at four or five in the morning in our village?” a middle-aged man at the same table asked an elder in a low voice.

The old man glared back. “You youngsters don’t understand a thing! How can the coffin of a minor who drowned outside be placed inside the main hall?”

Wu Heng held his chopsticks, glancing occasionally at the crispy fried money pig’s knuckles in the large wok, paying no attention to their discussion.

The old man took a large gulp of his homemade yellow wine and explained, “People who die unnatural deaths are buried at midnight. Lai boy’s burial time was calculated by his grandmother long ago. Eat quickly, and then lend a hand later.”

The Lai family was a unique presence in Nan Nuo village. In the early years, Pockmarked Lai was said to be able to communicate with spirits, and his wife was a skilled Nuo dancer.

No one questioned the burial time chosen by Grandma Lai.

No monetary gifts were accepted at funerals in the village. The villagers helped with the burial, and the banquet was a free treat to thank those who helped.

Wu Heng quietly and quickly ate the money pig’s knuckles, mentally noting that this chef’s skills were even better than Zhou Yi’s mother’s.

Since Lai boy’s death was not a joyous occasion, everyone finished their meal quickly and prepared to seal the coffin for his final journey.

Wu Heng was still sitting at the table, eating slowly and methodically, while wails of grief filled the courtyard.

The sky had gradually darkened, and a bright string of light bulbs illuminated the courtyard. Annoying summer mosquitoes buzzed around the light source.

Wu Heng saw a hunched old woman standing in front of the coffin. Her face and arms were painted with unknown bright pigments. Leaning on a cane, she shouted solemnly, “Seal the coffin, and out!”

“Men born in the year of the Rooster, women born in the year of the Ox, and minors, please excuse yourselves.”

Wu Heng noticed that many unusual plants were grown around the Lai family’s house. The sap of these plants was the pigment on Grandma Lai’s face.

The young men from the village, called by the village chief to help, nailed seven nails to seal the coffin according to instructions, then used two thumb-thick hemp ropes tied into coffin-carrying knots to tightly bind the coffin, finally attaching it to the carrying poles to lift it.

Seven or eight strong young men from the village came to carry the coffin. They all exerted their strength together, their arm muscles bulging.

The dark, gloomy coffin rested on two long benches, motionless.

The women watching saw the hemp ropes cutting into the men’s palms, their faces flushed red, sweat pouring down, but the coffin remained still. They began whispering in surprise.

“Why can’t so many people lift it? I knew it was strange.”
“I heard that when Lai boy was dragged out of the river, his eyes were wide open.”
“Could it be some kind of conflict? That… what is that?!”

Following the women’s exclamations, Wu Heng, holding his chopsticks, saw a cold white snake standing about fifteen meters away from the coffin, a pair of small horns faintly visible on its head.

Nan Nuo village had a strong dragon and snake worship, and related totemic culture could be seen everywhere.

The sudden appearance of the white snake caused panic among many villagers, even the eight strong men started to feel apprehensive.

The leading man, his face pale, said, “Grandma Lai, this, this… we might not be able to carry it…”

Village Chief Zhou, who had come to help, immediately said sternly, “How can you put down a coffin after picking it up? That’s extremely unlucky.”

The strong men had different opinions. Seeing the black wooden coffin tilting precariously, one of them suddenly felt the carrying pole in his hand become wet.

“Drip…drip…”

Water seeped out from the coffin. In the blink of an eye, the hemp ropes binding the coffin were completely soaked, heavy as if a giant python weighing thousands of kilograms was tightly wrapped around it.

The water flowed down the ropes onto the bare arms of the strong men, instantly chilling them to the bone with a fishy, foul stench that made them retch.

Screams erupted in the courtyard, and some timid villagers ran away in fright, not daring to look back.

Wu Heng sat at the wooden table, unmoving, gently putting down his chopsticks, and smiled leisurely.

He never ate for free.

The He Family in the capital city

Mr. He had rushed back urgently. He was sitting on the sofa with his wife and his pot-bellied son, He Yunxiao. Three pairs of eyes stared intently at the pale pink bundle in the baby carriage.

A light gray snake nestled inside the bundle. As it flicked its tongue, a disgusting, putrid smell filled the air, making everyone’s scalp tingle.

Mr. He stammered in disbelief, “This, this, you gave birth to this?”

Seeing the silence of his wife and son, Mr. He looked directly at He Yunxiao’s large belly, which looked like it could carry several more.

The image of seven calabash brothers calling him grandpa suddenly popped into his mind, and Mr. He felt a headache coming on.

Oh no, these were calabash snakes.

Seeing He Yunxiao holding his big belly, head lowered, lost in thought, Mr. He suppressed his fear and comforted him, “As long as we find that shaman doctor, it’ll be fine. Yunxiao, don’t think too much, Yunxiao?”

He Yunxiao seemed to wake up from a dream and looked up at his parents looking at him with concern. He suddenly asked, “Do you think…do I need to do postpartum confinement?”

“…” Mr. He was silent for a moment, then said meaningfully, “You have a penis.”