Song Xiaolan, a Dianshi (local administrative official) from my hometown, traveled with our families to Shaanxi province in the spring of the lunar Bingchen year (丙辰年, 1856). Near Linzhao County, a tragic accident occurred: his one-year-old granddaughter, sitting in a carriage, lost her grip when the wheels slipped on rain-soaked mud. She fell beneath the cart, and the wheels crushed her abdomen, causing immediate death—a cruel twist of fate.
His daughter-in-law, devastated by the loss, cried incessantly every day. As a native of Shanxi Province (where people deeply cherish their homeland and struggle to adapt to new environments), she grew increasingly homesick. Compounding her distress, Song Xiaolan was notoriously frugal. Despite holding an official post, he restricted her access to proper food and clothing, fueling her resentment.
By summer, she developed severe chest and rib pain, accompanied by labored breathing, persistent coughing, and loss of appetite. Song Xiaolan sought my help. Upon examination:
- Left wrist pulse: taut and tense, like a tightened musical string (xian er lao)
- Right cunkou pulse ( cunmai): firm and slippery ( jian er hua)
I diagnosed Qi stagnation (qi yu) and prescribed:
- Zuojin Pill (Zuo jin Wan – “Left Metal Pill”)
- Diandao Mujin Powder ( Dian dao Mujin San – “Inverted Wood-Metal Powder”)
After two doses, she vomited several bowls of sticky phlegm (tan xian). Re-examining her pulses:
- Left pulse softened slightly
- Right pulse stabilized
I then switched to Xiaoyao Powder ( Xiaoyao San – “Free and Easy Wanderer Powder”) augmented with:
- Muxiang (Radix Aucklandiae – Costus Root)
- Qingpi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride – Green Tangerine Peel)
After two weeks of (used in traditional contexts), she recovered. I advised Song Xiaolan:
“Parents must show compassion to their children. Had this illness persisted, phlegm-Qi obstruction could have triggered psychosis . Thankfully, we resolved it early. Otherwise, dragging a critically ill person across thousands of miles would have led to lifelong disability—a tragedy beyond regret!”
Song Xiaolan heeded my words, becoming gentler toward his family. Within three months, his daughter-in-law adapted to her new life in Shaanxi as comfortably as if she were back in her Shanxi hometown.
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