Library

It is over. I examined his pulse, which was very slippery and rapid; his face was red, and his mouth was dry. I asked him: "Are your feet cold? Is your urine hot? Do you have tinnitus and insomnia? Do you usually take warming and tonifying medicines?" All replied in the affirmative. Fortunately, he could eat peacefully; this indicates that the medicine was not matching the disease (Yao Bing). Fortunately, the astringent action to stop diarrhea was not completely effective, indicating that the medicinal force still had some effect. Therefore, I administered a large dose of methods for clearing heat and solidifying Yin. After taking dozens of doses, in mid-winter when I visited He again, he was able to come to my residence for consultation.

Mr. Xiaoyu Wu from Xiushui, nearly seventy years old. He used to enjoy drinking and had long suffered from bloody diarrhea, occurring more than ten times a day, with urine mixed with stool. Extensive treatments were ineffective, so he invited me to examine him. His pulse was deficient and wiry. I used Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction), removing Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) and Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix), and adding Mei Zi (Mume Fructus), Huang Bo (Phellodendri Cortex), Bai Shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), and Fu Ling (Poria). He recovered in less than ten doses. His second son, Yaxuan, had a history of blood loss. Recently returning from Qionglong Mountain, he developed fever on the way, accompanied by coughing, rebellious Qi, and hemoptysis. Medical treatment for twenty days yielded no results. Upon examination, his pulse was wiry and rapid with an upward surging quality. When Qi surged upward, he felt a metallic/bloody taste. He suffered from panting, sweating, red eyes, dark complexion, cold feet, hunger without appetite, hypochondriac pain, tinnitus, greasy tongue coating, dry mouth, scanty dark urine, and inability to sleep. The sputum was thick. This constitution indicated Yin deficiency, Water failing to nourish Wood, excessive internal Heart Fire, damage to Lung Metal, combined with external pathogenic factors, and failure of Stomach turbidity to descend. It was difficult to treat, and I initially wanted to decline and return. However, Mr. Meiting Yu and Mr. Chuntian Hu earnestly requested a prescription, so I reluctantly attempted a remedy. I prescribed Sha Shen (Glehniae Radix) 5 qian, Ge Fen (Concha Meretricis et Cyclinae Pulvis) 4 qian, Dong Gua Zi (Benincasae Semen) 6 qian, Fu Shi (Pumex), Fu Ling (Poria), and Shi Hu (Dendrobii Caulis) each 3 qian, Sang Bai Pi (Mori Cortex) 2 qian, Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam) and Pi Pa Ye (Eriobotryae Folium) each 1.5 qian, Si Gua Luo (Luffae Fructus Retinervia) and Tao Ren (Persicae Semen) each 1 qian, decocted in Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome) water. This formula clears the Heart and Liver to pacify floating Yang, and肃ifies the Lungs and Stomach to clear lingering Heat. After one dose, the pulse and complexion harmonized, and the Qi surge decreased. I stayed for seven days before departing; his fever had subsided, bowel movements normalized, and he could sleep and eat peacefully. However, due to lack of dietary restraint and anger management, the cough with sputum and hypochondriac pain did not fully resolve. Two months later, while visiting Wen Chuan via He, he invited me again due to sore throat. The condition remained Heart and Liver Fire flaming upward. I stayed for three days, and with internal and external coordination by Gong Pingjiang Maocai, he recovered. However, the root cause was deep, and his unyielding temperament suggested potential danger in late spring. Before parting, I informed his friend, Mr. Jiuding Cen of Yuyue, regarding this prognosis as a certainty.

Madam Zhu Lanpo of Xianchang Bridge, sixty years old. She had chronic edema of the dorsum of the foot. In summer, malaria transformed into dysentery. After the dysentery stopped, abdominal pain and distension persisted, progressing to epigastric stuffiness, facial edema, and generalized edema. Treatments failed, and she lay bedridden for a hundred days, preparing her funeral affairs. Hearing I was in He, she earnestly requested a consultation. The left pulse was extremely wiry and fine; the right pulse was weak, almost imperceptible. The tongue was red and devoid of fluids. She groaned, vomited foam, slept and ate nothing, and had scanty urine and eye discharge. This belonged to a Liver-excess constitution with injury to the Spleen/Stomach (Zhong Tu), loss of transformation and transportation, and exhaustion of Qi and fluids. How to proceed? I tried my best. The prescription consisted of Shen Xu (Ginseng Radicule), Shi Chang Pu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), and Xian Xia (Pinelliae Preparata) each 1 qian; Shi Hu (Dendrobii Caulis), Dong Gua Pi (Benincasae Exocarpium), and Jian Lan Ye (Cymbidii Folium) each 3 qian; Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam) 1.5 qian; Chuan Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma) stir-fried with ginger juice 0.4 qian; decocted in Chen Mi Tang (aged rice water). The next day, Lanpo reported happily: "The condition has turned." He requested another visit. I found facial edema reduced. The patient smiled and said: "My chest and abdomen feel much better, hence no groaning." He drank thin congee, and the pulse rose slightly. I added Dong Chong Xia Cao (Cordyceps) 1 qian and Wu Mei Rou Tan (Carbonized Mume Flesh) 0.4 qian to the original formula. After ingestion, he passed large stools containing thousands of wriggling worms. Abdominal pain and distension ceased, limb edema resolved, the tongue became moist, and he resumed eating congee. Upon further consultation, his complexion and pulse were harmonious, and he was overjoyed. Initially, we did not know it was a parasitic disease. The use of Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma) and Mei (Mume Fructus) was merely intended to drain heat, generate fluids, soften the Liver, and harmonize the Stomach, yet it coincidentally matched the pathology. Perhaps Lanpo’s filial piety moved the heavens, allowing such critical illness to be cured in one or two doses. I record this to show that severe cases should not be abandoned lightly, and I feel deeply ashamed of my lucky success. Before departing, I left a follow-up prescription adding Yan Wo Gen (Swallow's Nest Root), Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen), and Bai Pu Tao Gan (White Grape Dried). In early winter, visiting He again, I learned from relatives that she had left her room, so I retrieved the original case for recording.

Madam Qiu, over forty years old, suffered from a mass in the lower abdomen (Jia Ju) that would occasionally surge upward, causing fainting and syncope. She lay bedridden for months, with cold feet and a red face, unable to sleep. Various treatments failed. Her pulse was deficient, fine, and wiry, with a dry mouth lacking fluids. I administered a large dose of Yi Guan Jian (Connecting the Liver Decoction), and she recovered immediately after finishing the cup. People marveled at its efficacy, but I felt ashamed, admitting it was merely a copied standard prescription.

Madam Yan Xiaoting of Xiushui, fifty-eight years old. Her illness began years ago due to family litigation and repeated frights. She constantly suspected she wanted to swallow gold, refused to wear buttons even on good clothes, tied her hands and feet, and barred husband, daughter-in-law, children, and grandchildren from entering her room, fearing she might swallow their clothing fasteners. Only one old maid served her, and her daily routine resembled that of a normal person. Physicians attributed this to Spirit deficiency and universally prescribed sedating and tonifying herbs. This autumn, she developed cyanotic swelling and pain in the right leg, and foul-smelling, rotting gums. In late autumn, I examined her. The pulse was wiry, slippery, and rapid. I stated: "This disease lies not in the Heart but in the Gallbladder. Thus, she can remember past events and plan well. How can it be called Spirit insufficiency? Gallbladder Heat causes suspicion; further tonification increases Heat. When Heat becomes extreme, it transmits to the Stomach. Stomach Heat accumulation leads to Cyanotic Leg and Gingival Gangrene (Qing Tui Ya Gan). This entrenched disease has lasted six or seven years; we must first treat the new acute condition." I prescribed Shi Chang Pu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Dan Xing (Arisaematis Cum Bile), Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), Long Dan Cao (Gentianae Radix), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma), Yuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Yin Hua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), Bai Wei (Cynanchi Atrati Radix), Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), and Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), decocted and mixed with Yu Shu Dan (Jade Pivot Pill). She was also instructed to drink White Horse Milk. After six doses, symptoms decreased; within half a month, the new condition healed. In mid-winter, I revisited He. The pulse was calmer, and the Gallbladder Qi was more harmonious, likely because White Horse Milk effectively clears Gallbladder and Stomach Heat.

Mr. Qingyu Zhu’s second son had a history of epilepsy. After physical exhaustion, he developed chills, acid regurgitation, lack of appetite, and mental fatigue. After several doses of medication, his old condition recurred several times daily, leaving physicians helpless. His pulse was wiry, fine, and seemingly hidden; limbs were ice-cold; tongue coating was white like sand; saliva foamed frequently; headache and dizziness occurred; and despite wearing heavy fur, he felt no warmth. This was "Deep Heat leading to Deep Cold" (Re Shen Jue Shen). Misuse of warming drugs caused internal retention of fluid-pathogens, hiding the Heat. Inquiry revealed very dark urine. I used Dao Tan Tang (Guide Out Phlegm Decoction) minus Gan Cao (Licorice Root), combined with Xue Geng (Snow Soup), plus Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), and Mu Tong (Akebiae Caulis). He swallowed Dang Gui Long Hui Wan (Angelica and Gentian Pill). He recovered immediately.

Mrs. Lan Gu, wife of Mr. Xin Tang Guan’s second son, suffered from alternating chills and fever in late autumn, having been pregnant for eight months. Subsequently, due to worry and labor over her son’s convulsions for months, she developed phlegm-cough, aphthous ulcers in the mouth, and bad breath. She delivered after several doses of medicine, but the fetus was already decomposed. However, chills, fever, cough, and oral ulcers persisted. Physicians, citing postpartum status, lacked confidence in treatment, leading to rebellious Qi, spontaneous sweating, red face, and insomnia. They despaired and prepared for death. I happened to return from Wuyuan and was consulted. Her pulse was wiry and slippery at Cun and Guan positions, large on the right. Lochia flowed freely, and bowels/bladder were unobstructed. There was no disease in the Lower Jiao. Although postpartum, the illness was unrelated to childbirth. The notion that postpartum patients require warming is erroneous. The oral ulcers were not due to extreme Heat, nor did they require heavy cooling agents. Indeed, the fetus died early and was not expelled promptly, causing turbid Qi to steam the Lungs and Stomach, producing these symptoms. If treated promptly upon symptom onset, the source would be clear. Had we mistaken it for postpartum deficiency wheezing and wrongly administered tonics, death would have been inevitable. I prescribed Na Sha Shen (Glehniae Radix), Sheng Tou Cao (Houttuyniae Herba), Hou Po (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex), Xing Ren (Armeniacae Semen Amarum), Shi Chang Pu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Sang Bai Pi (Mori Cortex), Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), Pi Pa Ye (Eriobotryae Folium), Dong Gua Zi (Benincasae Semen), and Si Gua Luo (Luffae Fructus Retinervia), decocted in Qiang Wei Ye (Rosae Chinensis Folium) and Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome) water. After two doses, Qi smoothed, cough ceased, and appetite returned. I removed Xing Ren and Hou Po, added Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen) and Gan Cao (Licorice Root); oral ulcers healed, and chills/fever stopped. Only joint pain and night sweats remained. I switched to clearing Heat and nourishing Yin, allowing her to rise. For soft waist and legs, I prescribed Qi and Blood tonics, leading to recovery.

Mrs. Rong Fang, wife of Mr. Qing Rong Fang’s second son (son of Guan Shu Qing), suffered from chills and fever in early winter, with deafness, chest fullness, constipation, profuse leukorrhea, vomiting, thirst, and insomnia, refusing food for over ten days. Everyone considered it critical. Her pulse was wiry and rapid; tongue crimson without coating; Qi rebelled, face red; she sought quick death. This was deep Liver depression, Wood-Fire internal scorching, consuming fluids, obstructing Qi, and impairing opening/closing mechanisms. Xiao Chai Hu Tang and Xiao Yao San were superficially similar but fundamentally different; misuse would lead to disaster. This illustrates the difficulty of syndrome differentiation. Fortunately, father and son trusted me completely. I prescribed Xiao Xian Xiong Tang (Small Chest-Trap Decoction) plus Shi Chang Pu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), Xuan Fu Hua (Inulae Flos), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), and Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), decocted in Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome) water. After one dose, chest comfort improved, Qi stabilized; after two doses, slight sleep occurred; after three doses, vomiting stopped, congee intake resumed; after five doses, bowel/bladder function normalized, chills/fever ceased, tongue coating appeared, and appetite returned. Then I switched to gentle nourishment, leading to recovery.

Madam Jin, miscarried in mid-summer. For over four months, lochia dripped continuously. Recently, she developed sores on both arms and generalized pruritus. Pulse was rapid and wiry. Multiple medications failed, misled by the erroneous postpartum warming theory. I prescribed Xi Yang Shen (American Ginseng) and Yin Hua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos) each 2 qian; Sheng Di (Rehmanniae Radix) and Gui Ban (Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum) each 4 qian; Dong Gua Pi (Benincasae Exocarpium) 3 qian; Zhi Tan (Charred Gardeniae Fructus) and Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam) each 1.5 qian; Bai Wei (Cynanchi Atrati Radix), Qing Hao (Artemisiae Annuae Herba), and Huang Bo (Phellodendri Cortex) each 1 qian; Gan Cao (Licorice Root) 0.6 qian. She recovered in less than ten doses.

Miss Shen Xuejiang, daughter of Mr. Shen Yun Feng and daughter-in-law of Minister Xu Shaoyan of Lili. She suffered diarrhea during pregnancy, which persisted postpartum. For half a year, various drugs failed. Her pulse was wiry, rapid, and slippery at Chi position. Inquiry revealed abundant leukorrhea, dry mouth, lower back and throat pain, hot urine, frequent belching, cold limbs, and irritability. This indicated Liver Heat with Wind moving in the Stomach; fluid loss led to daily depletion of Yin-Blood. I prescribed Bai Tou Weng Tang (Pulsatilla Decoction) plus Yu Liang Shi Zhi (Kaolin and Hematite), Shu Di (Prepared Rehmanniae Radix), Gui Ban (Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum), Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), Qing Hao (Artemisiae Annuae Herba), and Sha Ren (Amomi Fructus). Frequent administration led to recovery.

Madam Shen Yun Feng, wife of Mr. Shen Yun Feng, developed body heat, phlegm-cough, headache, abdominal pain, loose stools, and thirst after childbirth. Physicians treated one symptom while aggravating another, remaining ambiguous. By the ninth day, I arrived in He. Pulse was slippery and rapid; coating slightly yellow. This was Winter-Warmth contracted during pregnancy. I primarily used clearing and resolving methods. Some doubted this due to loose stools. I said: "Loose stools are a pathway for Lung Heat elimination; if stools become constipated, wheezing will ensue. Moreover, in summer, I treated her urinary difficulty during pregnancy; diuretics failed, but clearing the Lung succeeded. Although now postpartum, her organ functions remain unchanged, compounded by external pathogenic Heat. As the saying goes, 'When there is disease, the disease receives the treatment.'" Continuous administration brought peace.

In mid-winter, visiting Suzhou, a Mr. Zhu from Changzhou sought treatment for chronic malaria. Facial edema, yellow eyes, hoarse voice, dark urine, abdominal distension. Pulse slippery and wiry. Damp-Heat accumulated, lacking resolution. Coating greasy, no sweat, poor appetite, profuse phlegm. I prescribed a Clearing and Transforming formula, advising dietary restraint and avoiding sweets/grease. He claimed local experts insisted on daily sugar water alongside medicine for cure. I said: "They only know that dispersing induces sweating to expel pathogens, and sugar harmonizes the middle to stop malaria. But the more you disperse, the less it resolves; the more you harmonize, the less it stops. This is applying rigid rules to dynamic diseases. Believing them will lead to Malaria Ascites." The patient was alarmed, took my prescription, sweated, and recovered.

Mr. Huai from Xiushui, thirty-five years old. Spontaneous bleeding occurred once in early spring, then frequently, with increasing volume. By late winter, I was consulted. Left pulse deficient, wiry, rapid; right pulse soft and large. Rebellious Qi, spontaneous sweating, cold feet, red face, insomnia, bland taste, low voice, mental fatigue, occasional acid regurgitation. This stemmed from emotional distress, Liver stagnation, with a pulse suggesting Qi dispersion and Blood exhaustion. He insisted on returning home. Since invited, I reluctantly wrote a prescription to appease him. However, the patient, pretending to understand, rejected my Liver-soothing herbs, insisting on Wu Wei Zi (Schisandrae Fructus), Shan Yu (Corni Fructus), Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), and Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex). His obstinate nature caused the disease; stubbornness accelerated death. Later, his wife’s pulse was wiry, fine, with scalp psoriasis, headache, palpitations, leukorrhea, anorexia, and five-palm heat, indicating Yin deficiency and Liver excess. I told relatives: "Why are these two so depressed?" I learned they had no sons; the husband wanted to take a concubine, but the wife refused, leading to discord and illness. The wife’s subsequent remorse also caused her illness. This mirrored Mr. Jin Chengcheng of Sheng Province, who, wealthy in youth, feared childlessness. This is "haste makes waste." The foolish wife, driven by jealousy, caused ruin. Even acquiring a concubine now would help not; suicide would benefit nothing. I record this as a warning.

A young man suffered chronic internal heat, epistaxis, gingival bleeding, dark urine, difficult defecation, red eyes, and thirst. Heat signs were obvious. Due to long-term impotence, doctors diagnosed Yang deficiency and prescribed warming tonics, exacerbating heat. Parents, unaware, arranged marriage. The young man, distressed, sought my help. Pulse slippery and rapid. I said: "No harm." I prescribed Yuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Dan Pi (Moutan Cortex), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma), Bai Wei (Cynanchi Atrati Radix), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), Shi Chang Pu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Si Gua Luo (Luffae Fructus Retinervia), Sha Shen (Glehniae Radix), Ge Qiao (Concha Tridacnae), and Zhu Ru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam). After six doses, he reported nocturnal emission. I said: "Depressed Heat drained, Yang function restored." It proved true.

Prostitute Rong Ying consulted me. Originally from a good family, menstruation started at fourteen, married at twenty-two, first birth at twenty-five. She noted mild lower back/abdominal pain followed by delivery. Second birth at thirty-two was similar. Married twice more, never breastfed, births became frequent, deliveries slower. This spring, her tenth child required over four hours of labor. Others thought it fast; she felt it slow. At fifty, menses continued, no chronic diseases, rarely took medicine, had slight leukorrhea which recently ceased, but daily expectorated phlegm. Fearing future dystocia, she sought advice. I was surprised. Though not beautiful, she wore no makeup, looked elegant, skin resembling a thirty-year-old. Truly a rare beauty. Confirmed the saying "Three Scarcities of Chicken Skin" are valid. Six pulses were slow, slippery, and long; Left Cun/Guan wiry and rapid, indicating intelligence and longevity. With age, Qi solidified, slowing delivery. Previous leukorrhea and current phlegm, combined with Left Cun/Guan, indicated Fire boiling fluids, preventing downward flow. I advised Liu Jun Zi Tang (Six Gentlemen Decoction) modifications for daily use. If pregnant again at seven/eight months, frequent Shu Tai Yin (Fetus-Binding Decoction) would ensure easy delivery. She left happy. Recorded to show unique constitutions.

I have sixteen upper and sixteen lower teeth. Never painful, but unable to bite hard objects since childhood. I brush with salt and rinse with cold water every morning, regardless of season. Since spring/summer this year, food intake decreased. The sixth tooth on the right gradually couldn't chew. Touching tough food caused unbearable pain and sensitivity to cold rinses. I attributed this to decline after last year's illness, ignoring it. I don't drink alcohol naturally but appreciated it. Previously, I drank one or two cups with my mother. Last winter, suffering from meridian deficiency unable to turn in bed, friends advised daily wine to harmonize Qi/Blood. I became accustomed, never drunk. On the night of Dec 18, I woke with right gum pain. Next day, eating hindered. I had planned a trip to Qingzhen, so I carried a needle, pricked the area frequently, releasing blood. Afternoon relief. Returned next day, eating normally, thinking all was well. Feb 21 (Start of Spring), pain/swelling returned; needling ineffective. Followed by chills, fever, pulling pain on the right side of vertex, forehead, cheekbone, cheek, jaw, chin. Coating not visible. Diagnosed Wind-Fire external invasion. Used Qiong Jie (Notopterygii Rhizoma), Qiao (Forsythiae Fructus), Chan Tui (Cicadae Periostracum), Zhi (Peucedani Radix), Sang Ye (Mori Folium), Bo He (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba). Two doses: chills stopped, but feet cold, face hot, dark urine, yellow coating. Nasal passage not blocked, but right nostril discharged pus-like turbid discharge, sometimes flowing down from above, foul and bitter. Right face swollen, lip sores. Swollen areas feared cold, needing hot compresses, yet internal fire surged. I don't take pills/powders or eat rich food. Clearly, years of alcohol consumption caused long-standing Damp-Heat steaming upward. Alcohol Heat enters Gallbladder, moves to Brain causing Bi Yuan (Nasal Sinusitis). Moving to Brain is actually moving to Stomach. Symptoms manifested in Shaoyang and Yangming sectors. Prescribed Yuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Sang Ye (Mori Folium), Ju Hua (Chrysanthemi Flos), Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix), Yin Hua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), Si Gua Luo (Luffae Fructus Retinervia), Dong Gua Zi (Benincasae Semen), Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome). Mixed with Lu Fu Zhi (Radish Juice), adjusted with Yu Shu Dan (Jade Pivot Pill). Two doses: coating dissolved, fire calmed, bowels/bl畅通. External wash with salty brine reduced swelling. Two more doses without Yu Shu Dan: chewing possible, daily North Pear consumption. By New Year's Day, foul discharge thinned. Days 5-6: went out in strong wind. Day 7 afternoon: right gum pain returned, radiating to temple/ear. Sixth tooth erupted, hindering eating, chills/fear of wind. Used Sang Ye (Mori Folium), Ju Hua (Chrysanthemi Flos), Sheng Gan Cao (Raw Licorice Root), Lv Dou Pi (Vigna Radiata Testa), Yuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen), Yin Hua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos), Zhi Tan (Charred Gardeniae Fructus), Bo He (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Gou Teng (Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis). To clear/disperse Wind-Heat. One dose: swelling/pain reduced. Removed Bo He/Gou Teng, added Pi Pa Ye (Eriobotryae Folium). Four doses: pain flat, sixth tooth split internally/externally. Root firm, but chewing hindered. Gum swelling resolved by early summer. Later, patches/lumps appeared on head/face/limbs, swollen, itchy, migrating. Involved fingers, toes, palms, soles. Scratching released purple blood, forming black scabs like smallpox marks. Resolved by late autumn. Washed with salty brine when itchy; internal Silver Flower/Mung Bean/Coix Decoction; dietary restraint for eight months. Alas, the harm of alcohol! Regret late realization; vowed never to touch it. Remembering twenty years ago, Zhang Yunong invited me to Dong Ou; sister warned against drinking. I obeyed, having no alcohol illness. Recently, feeling frail, indulged slightly, causing this ailment. Lucky that stage was shallow, treatment correct, preventing entrenched disease. Naturally non-drinkers suffer even from little. Detailed record as warning. My sister, filial and wise, helped mother with household chores since childhood. I forced her to marry the Jin family; widowed after ten years. I regret deeply, appending this to note my fault.

I suffered diarrhea for a year as an infant. At three, vaccinated for smallpox. The physician didn't realize variola major was emerging and added vaccine material, leading to danger. My mother carried me, crawling on knees for five days/nights. Saved by Mr. Ren Liujia, my constitution remained weak. In childhood, I feared labor; slight movement caused epistaxis, so I sat quietly. In summer at twelve, severe Warmth disease. Parents worried. In delirium, I saw gods saying: "This is a Lucky Star." Woke with sweating, recovered. After losing father, traveled far to Wu. Following mother's training, cautious. After adulthood, epistaxis cured. In deep winter, no need for cotton padding, but slight raw/cold food caused diarrhea; roasted food caused sore throat. Married in Ji Chou year. In Jia Wu year, whole family suffered epidemic,