Chapter 10: Revealing Medical Skill, Gaining Leverage Over Director Yang
Director Yang personally arrived at the courtyard with his secretary, driving a sleek black Volga sedan, to invite Chen Mo. The news spread through the entire yard like a sudden gust of wind.
Everyone poked their heads out from their rooms, craning their necks to see.
When they caught sight of the shiny black Volga gleaming under the sunlight, their jaws dropped in astonishment.
“Oh my goodness… That’s the director’s Volga, isn’t it?”
“Not just any car—it’s a Volga, even more prestigious than a GAZ! Only top leaders get to ride in those!”
“That’s really Director Yang! I’ve seen him before—he’s the director of our steel mill!”
“The director personally came to see Chen Mo? This must be a huge matter!”
The entire yard buzzed with excitement. Their eyes toward Chen Mo shifted from mere respect to reverence.
To have the director himself pay a visit was a level of honor and influence beyond their wildest dreams.
Meanwhile, hiding inside the house, Yi Zhonghai peered through the window crack, his heart sour and bitter. He had acted like a big shot in the yard his whole life, yet the director didn’t even know who he was. And this young man, Chen Mo, only twenty years old, had earned the director’s personal attention.
Comparing oneself to another could truly be infuriating.
Xu Damao witnessed this too, his jealousy boiling over.
He was just a projectionist who fancied himself respected in the factory and kowtowed to Director Yang. But why should Chen Mo be so favored? Just because he knew some unconventional medical tricks?
On the other side, Qin Huairu’s feelings were the most complicated.
She looked at the young man she once regarded as her sure possession, who now stood at a height she could never reach in her lifetime, filling her heart with regret and bitterness.
If only… if only she hadn’t schemed so much back then and had genuinely treated Chen Mo well, would she now be standing by his side, basking in this glory?
Alas, there were no ifs.
Inside the house, Chen Mo was studying a book titled "Detailed Explanation of Human Meridian Acupoints" when he heard the commotion outside. He pushed the door open and stepped out.
Seeing Director Yang and the car at the gate, he immediately understood most of what was going on.
His reputation had clearly spread.
“Excuse me, are you Chen Mo, Doctor Chen?” the director’s secretary hurried forward politely upon seeing him.
“That’s me,” Chen Mo nodded calmly, fixing his gaze on Director Yang.
Yang Weiguo carefully appraised Chen Mo.
The young man before him was even younger than he had imagined.
Lean-faced, yet with eyes remarkably steady, dressed in clean but worn clothes, neither humble nor arrogant—he showed no signs of nervousness or surprise at seeing the director and the luxury car.
Just this composure elevated Yang Weiguo’s estimation of him.
“So you are Chen Mo?” Yang Weiguo spoke first, his voice steady and strong. “I am Yang Weiguo, director of the steel mill.”
“Director Yang, it’s an honor,” Chen Mo replied indifferently.
“I’m here today to ask a favor,” Yang Weiguo said bluntly.
“My son injured his leg two years ago and has been left with a chronic problem that won’t heal.”
“I’ve heard from people at the factory that you’re skilled in medicine, so I want to ask you to see him.”
Though polite, his tone still carried the commanding authority of a man in high position.
Chen Mo smiled slightly but said nothing in response. Instead, he asked, “Director Yang, may I examine your hand first?”
Yang Weiguo was taken aback, unsure what he meant, but extended his right hand.
Chen Mo didn’t touch it; he merely glanced at the palm, then studied the director’s complexion before calmly saying, “Director Yang, do you often wake between one and three in the morning and find it hard to fall back asleep? Do you frequently feel dry mouth and a bitter taste, with a dull ache under your right ribs?”
Yang Weiguo’s expression shifted instantly from calm to shocked.
How… how did he know that?
Those symptoms had plagued him for almost a year!
He had assumed it was nervous exhaustion due to stress, and hospital tests found nothing wrong, the doctors advising only rest.
He hadn’t even confided in his wife. How could this young stranger see through it at a glance?
“How… how do you know?” Yang Weiguo’s voice trembled slightly.
“Traditional Chinese medicine relies on observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking,” Chen Mo explained calmly.
“Your palm’s thenar eminence is reddened, and your face has a bluish tint—classic signs of liver qi stagnation.”
“The time between one and three a.m. is when the liver meridian is most active. Waking during this period indicates a liver problem. Am I right?”
Yang Weiguo was completely stunned.
Previously, he had been seventy percent skeptical and thirty percent curious about Chen Mo’s skills. Now, that skepticism had turned into seventy percent belief!
No quack could diagnose the director’s illness with such precision in an instant!
“You’re right! Doctor Chen, everything you said is correct!” Yang Weiguo’s address had shifted from “Chen Mo” to the respectful “Doctor Chen,” and his tone from commanding to sincerely inquisitive.
“So, can this illness be cured?”
“It’s minor,” Chen Mo waved his hand.
“I’ll prescribe something to soothe the liver and regulate qi. After about half a month of treatment, you’ll be fine.”
“That’s wonderful! Wonderful!” Yang Weiguo rubbed his hands excitedly, no longer doubting Chen Mo’s medical prowess.
His eyes now burned with admiration.
“This young man isn’t just any youth—he’s clearly a master with extraordinary skills!”
“Doctor Chen, about my son…”
“Director Yang, please don’t rush,” Chen Mo interrupted.
“I’m willing to heal, but I have my own rules.”
“Name them! I’ll agree to anything!” Yang Weiguo was now utterly compliant.
Chen Mo raised one finger. “First, I treat patients on my own schedule. I’m busy today; how about tomorrow morning?”
He was setting the tone.
The easier something is to obtain, the less it is valued.
He wanted Director Yang to know this healer wasn’t someone summoned at will and dismissed just as easily.
“No problem! No problem! We’ll wait!” Yang Weiguo nodded quickly.
“Second,” Chen Mo continued, “my consultation fee is high. Your son’s leg injury is old and complicated, so my fee is…”
He paused, holding up two fingers.
“Two hundred yuan?” Yang Weiguo ventured, considering that an exorbitant sum.
Chen Mo shook his head.
“Two thousand?” Yang Weiguo’s voice changed, surprised.
Chen Mo shook his head again, calmly saying two words: “Two fish.”
“Two fish?” Yang Weiguo and his secretary froze, bewildered.
“Two large yellow croakers,” Chen Mo explained lightly.
Yellow croaker! Gold bars!
Yang Weiguo, his secretary, and the neighbors eavesdropping all gasped.
My goodness! This isn’t a consultation fee; this is robbery!
One large yellow croaker was worth ten taels of gold—on the black market, a sky-high price of several thousand yuan!
Two fish—that was an astronomical sum!
Yang Weiguo’s face darkened.
This fee was far beyond what he could bear.
Though director, his salary was limited; he couldn’t afford such a sum.
“Doctor Chen, this… isn’t it a bit too much?” Yang Weiguo hesitated.
“Director Yang, is your son’s leg not worth this price to you?” Chen Mo countered.
“Major hospitals can’t cure it, but I can. I charge this because I can. If you think it’s too expensive, you may seek another expert.”
He closed off any argument.
Yang Weiguo wrestled intensely with himself.
On one side was an almost unattainable fee; on the other, his son’s only hope for recovery.
Looking at Chen Mo’s impassive face, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps the young man wasn’t after gold at all!
He was testing and negotiating terms.
Realizing this, Yang Weiguo took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Doctor Chen, I truly cannot provide gold.”
“But if you can cure my son’s leg, any other request you have—besides money—I will grant.”
“Anything within my power, I will not refuse.”
He was staking his career and authority on this gamble.
This was exactly what Chen Mo had been waiting for.
Why would he want gold? In this era, gold was a hot potato, impossible to circulate.
What he sought was something more valuable than gold.
“Good. Director Yang speaks plainly. I won’t beat around the bush either.”
Chen Mo finally smiled.
“I don’t want gold. I have two conditions.”
“First, I want an official position as a full-time employee of the steel mill—a doctor in the factory’s medical office.”
An official post in this era meant a secure job, stable income, and social status. It was Chen Mo’s foundation.
“No problem!” Yang Weiguo agreed without hesitation.
A doctor’s post was a mere word from the director.
“Second,” Chen Mo’s gaze sharpened, “I want a promise from you.”
“What promise?”
“I want you to guarantee that as long as I, Chen Mo, am in the right, no one in this steel mill will be able to harm me.”
“No matter who they are—your deputy or the workshop chiefs.”
This second condition was Chen Mo’s true aim.
He sought a protective talisman—something to secure his place and survival in this complex environment.
With Director Yang’s word, whether he dealt with scoundrels in the courtyard or clashed with others in the factory, he would stand invincible.
Yang Weiguo’s pupils constricted as he fixed his gaze on Chen Mo.
He finally understood the depth of ambition and cunning in this young man.
He didn’t want money or goods; he wanted the shelter of power.
After a long silence of half a minute, Yang Weiguo slowly nodded, speaking each word deliberately. “Fine! I agree! As long as I, Yang Weiguo, remain director of this factory, if you are in the right, I will protect you!”
“Deal.”
Chen Mo extended his hand.
Yang Weiguo did the same, their hands clasping firmly.
That handshake symbolized a promise, the formation of an alliance.
It marked the moment Chen Mo gained his strongest backing in this era.
The onlookers in the courtyard were utterly speechless at the scene.