A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

The next day at noon, Zhou Hongmei made a special detour to the market, bought some milk and biscuits, and carrying her acupuncture kit, she rushed to the old man Rehemaiti's house again.

Even though the elderly man was unwilling to undergo treatment, she wanted him and his family to know the impact this disease would have on his future life if it was not taken seriously.

As soon as Zhou Hongmei reached the gate of the courtyard, she saw the elderly Rehemaiti leaning against the wooden chair by the door, chatting with several elderly neighbors, and occasionally rubbing his knees.

She slowed her pace as she walked over, a smile on her face. Without mentioning the medical appointment, she first greeted the elderly men, "Good morning, gentlemen!"

The neighbors looked at the unfamiliar Han Chinese girl with some curiosity, but Rehemaiti recognized her as the traditional Chinese medicine doctor who had come yesterday.

Zhou Hongmei didn't pay any attention and sat down on the steps next to the old man. Pointing to his knees, she asked softly, "Grandpa, does your leg hurt a lot when it gets cold? And is it even more uncomfortable to sit or lie down on rainy days, making it hard for you to sleep?"

These words struck a chord with Rehemaiti, whose voice was filled with helplessness: "That's right! This damn leg has been suffering with me for over ten years. It hurts like the wind blows whenever the weather changes. When it hurts, I can't sleep all night. I have to walk slowly, and I don't even dare to wander around the yard for fear of falling."

"Rehemaiti's leg problem is a chronic one, it just can't be cured completely," his neighbor chimed in.

Zhou Hongmei nodded, trying to explain in simple terms so that the elderly could understand: "Let me give you an analogy. The meridians in our body are like pasture trails on the grassland. If the trails are blocked, the cattle and sheep can't move. When the meridians are unblocked, the blood and qi flow smoothly, and the pain will naturally lessen."

She pointed to the acupuncture kit beside her and said sincerely, "Let me try acupuncture on you first. No medicine, no injections, just a few pricks, it only takes a few minutes and won't interfere with your conversation at all. If it doesn't work, I won't bother you again, okay?"

Rehemaiti glanced at her. Having lived to such an old age, he was very good at judging people. This girl had clear eyes and spoke honestly, unlike the doctor who had boasted so much before. She seemed to genuinely want to help people.

He remained silent for a long time, and his neighbor advised, "Old Re, why don't you give it a try? This girl seems honest, it doesn't cost any money anyway, and there's no loss if she doesn't cure you."

Rehemaiti pondered for a moment. His leg had been a problem for so many years, and Western medicine hadn't been able to help. Why not try traditional Chinese medicine? Finally, he slowly nodded, his voice soft but firm: "Okay, then I'll trust you this once."

Zhou Hongmei was overjoyed and was about to open the acupuncture kit when she suddenly heard footsteps in the room.

The young man in his thirties from yesterday came out, and as soon as he saw Zhou Hongmei was still there, his face immediately darkened. He quickly walked to the old man's side, his tone urgent: "Grandpa, how can you still believe her? She's just here to sell medicine! That traditional Chinese medicine doctor used to scam old people like this before. Have you forgotten how you got diarrhea after taking the medicine last time?"

"I haven't forgotten."

Rehemaiti interrupted his grandson: "But this doctor is different. She didn't mention selling medicine, she just said to try acupuncture, no medicine or injections. I've been treated so many times, one more time won't make a difference."

"How can it not be bad?"

The young man turned and glared at Zhou Hongmei, his words filled with anger: "Don't think you can bribe my grandfather with a few gifts. Let me tell you, if my grandfather is even slightly unwell, I'll never forgive you."

Zhou Hongmei wasn't angry. She simply looked at the young man and said calmly, "Young man, I understand your concerns. I would be scared too. But I genuinely want to treat this old man, not scam him. You can watch during the acupuncture, and if anything seems wrong, we'll stop immediately, okay?"

Rehemaiti chimed in, "Child, let her try. I know my own body. If the pain is unbearable, I'll let you know."

Seeing his grandfather's resolute attitude and noticing that Zhou Hongmei didn't seem to be up to any tricks, the young man, though still looking grim, didn't stop him further. He simply gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll watch from here. If you dare to try anything funny, I'll kick you out immediately!"

Zhou Hongmei breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Rehemaiti: "Grandpa, let's begin. Relax, it won't hurt at all."

As she spoke, she opened her acupuncture kit, took out sterile cotton pads, and carefully began preparations.

At the hospital, Zhou Yi had just reached the door of the ward when he bumped into a nurse rushing over with a test report in hand.

"Dr. Zhou, this is the cardiac enzyme and echocardiogram report that just came out from Amerdan."

"Tonocyte count is more than three times the normal level, and the ejection fraction has dropped to 35, two points lower than yesterday. If this continues, something terrible will really happen!"

Zhou Yi took the order and immediately understood what the numbers meant: the patient's heart muscle was rapidly deteriorating, and the heart's pumping function was on the verge of collapse. Every minute that was delayed could be a matter of life and death.

"No, we absolutely can't delay any longer!"

Zhou Yi, holding the test results, quickly pushed open the ward door.

In the ward, Amardan lay on the bed, each breath a slight gasp, his chest rising and falling with great effort.

His wife, Dili, was carefully moistening his chapped lips with cotton swabs, while their son, Amanjiang, squatted by the bedside.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi enter, the two of them immediately stood up, their eyes filled with a mixture of panic and desperate, hopeful anticipation.

"Dr. Zhou, is it... is it because my dad's test results are bad?"

Amanjiang spoke first, his voice trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with fear.

Zhou Yi spread the test results out on the bedside table, pointed to the key values ​​on them, and explained in the simplest terms: "Look at these two numbers, one is myocardial enzyme, and the other is ejection fraction."

Simply put, such high levels of cardiac enzymes indicate that Amardan's heart muscle is deteriorating. Such a low ejection fraction means his heart's pumping power is almost gone.

If we delay any longer, my heart could fail at any moment. Even if I wanted surgery then, it wouldn't be able to save me.

Dili stared at the dense numbers on the list. Although she couldn't understand what they meant, she could feel Zhou Yi's burning tension from his tone and his tense face.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She tugged at Zhou Yi's white coat, her voice thick with accent, and stammered, "Dr. Zhou, what should we do?"

"Director Nurbahati just came by and said... he said that the small incision surgery on the right side that you want to have is something we've never done before, the risks are too high, and he suggested we consider traditional surgery."

"Traditional surgery? That's simply not feasible now!"

Zhou Yi immediately took over the conversation: "Given Aymardan's current physical condition, traditional surgery would require a large incision, resulting in significant trauma, bleeding, and a postoperative infection risk that is more than twice as high as with the new technology."

He's having trouble even breathing normally now, and he simply can't withstand the post-operative recovery period. He might not even make it off the operating table!