Chapter 11: Medicinal Herbs, Acupuncture

“What, Xiao Yan can tell that Grandpa Chen is practicing boxing?” Old Doctor Chen said with a smile.

“I can’t tell.” Xiao Yan shook her head. “Brother said that Grandpa Chen was practicing boxing and told me not to talk and disturb you.”

“I’m sorry, Grandpa Chen, we didn’t know you were practicing,” Lu Qing said apologetically.

“It’s nothing. What I practice is just a farmer’s routine to move my body, it can’t be considered any kind of boxing,” the old doctor waved his hand, not minding.

“But I think Grandpa Chen’s boxing is very beautiful!” Xiao Yan said seriously.

“Hahaha, this old man has been practicing this set of boxing for a lifetime. To get a word of praise from a little girl like you now, it’s worth it!”

Hearing the little girl’s innocent words, Old Doctor Chen laughed heartily.

Seeing the old doctor so happy, Lu Qing’s heart also relaxed.

He was really a little afraid that the old doctor had some rule against watching him practice, in which case he and his sister would have broken a taboo.

“Let’s go, let’s go inside. I’ll give you acupuncture first.”

Old Doctor Chen picked up Xiao Yan and said to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing respectfully followed the old doctor into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was attracted by the medicinal herbs drying all over the yard.

He glanced around and found that he recognized one of them, the Ox Bone Grass that also grew in his own yard.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for him to investigate the information of all these herbs one by one.

“Grandpa Chen, are all these herbs drying in the courtyard?” Lu Qing asked.

“That’s right. What, you can recognize medicinal herbs?”

Old Doctor Chen was a little surprised.

“Not really,” Lu Qing said. “I just saw that there’s a type of herb here that seems to grow near our house too.”

“Which one?”

“The one drying in that winnowing basket,” Lu Qing pointed in a direction.

When Xiao Yan saw the small blue flowers on the herb, she also nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, that’s right, a lot of them grow outside our yard, and the ox likes to eat them too.”

The old doctor glanced at it. “That’s right, that’s called Ox Bone Grass. It is indeed a very common medicinal herb.”

“Ox Bone Grass,” Lu Qing repeated the name, then asked, “Grandpa Chen, what is this Ox Bone Grass generally used for?”

“It’s mainly used to treat bruises and sprains,” the old doctor replied casually. He looked at Lu Qing. “What, are you interested in medicinal herbs?”

“Yes,” Lu Qing said honestly. “I heard from Xiao Yan that my illness was cured by a single dose of medicine from you, Grandpa Chen. This makes me feel that these herbs are truly magical. They are just some flowers and plants, yet they can relieve people’s pain and save their lives.”

“If you want to learn about medicine, it’s not easy. Learning medicine not only requires courage and meticulousness, but also a clear mind. You also need to be literate and be able to read medical books.”

The old doctor didn’t laugh at Lu Qing’s idea, but patiently explained to him.

“I do know some characters,” Lu Qing said quickly.

He wasn’t lying.

In his memory, the original owner did indeed know some characters, and he had verified that those characters were almost the same as the Chinese characters from his previous life, just with more complex strokes.

“You can read?” Old Doctor Chen was surprised again.

In this rural area, it was not easy to find someone who could read.

Lu Qing was just an orphan, yet he could read?
“When my grandfather was alive, he taught me to recognize some characters. But I was dull, and after my grandfather passed away, I forgot some. And I can only recognize them, I can’t write.”

Only then did Old Doctor Chen remember the Lu family’s situation.

It was rumored that Lu Qing’s grandfather was a fallen scholar.

He had fled here with the local villagers to escape famine.

But he had passed away before he came here to live in seclusion, so he had never had the chance to meet him.

He had also heard from the villagers that Lu Qing’s father was naturally restless and not cut out for studying. As a teenager, he often angered Lu Qing’s grandfather to death, and in the end, he didn’t continue his studies.

He didn’t expect that the young Lu Qing, on the other hand, actually knew some characters.

It was a pity that Lu Qing’s grandfather had passed away early. Otherwise, perhaps the Lu family would have produced another scholar.

Old Doctor Chen sighed again, and his gaze towards Lu Qing became even gentler.

No wonder he felt that Lu Qing’s speech was different from that of an ordinary country boy. It must have been the teachings of his grandfather and father.

“Since you’re interested in medicinal herbs, from now on, every time you come for acupuncture, I’ll allow you to help me dry herbs for half an hour. As for how much you can remember, that will depend on your own comprehension.”

“And you,” Old Doctor Chen patted Xiao Yan’s hair. “From now on, you come with your brother too. Grandpa Chen will cook some medicinal food for you. How can you be so weak?”

Lu Qing was overjoyed and quickly bowed in thanks. “Thank you, Grandpa Chen! Xiao Yan, why haven’t you thanked Grandpa Chen yet!”

“Thank you, Grandpa Chen~”

Although the little girl didn’t know what medicinal food was, since her brother said so, she obediently thanked him.

“What’s there to thank? Seeing your small frame, Grandpa Chen’s heart aches too,” the old doctor said with a look of pity.

Once inside the house, the old doctor put Xiao Yan down and took out a needle pouch.

He said to Lu Qing, “Go to the bed and take off your shirt.”

Lu Qing did as he was told, took off his shirt, and lay down on the wooden bed.

Looking at his bony chest, Old Doctor Chen was silent for a moment before pulling out a silver needle from the pouch.

When Xiao Yan saw such a long silver needle, a trace of fear appeared on her face.

But she knew that Grandpa Chen was treating her brother. Although she was scared, she stayed there quietly and didn’t make a fuss.

“Don’t be afraid, and don’t move. I’m going to insert the needle now,” the old doctor said to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing nodded.

He wasn’t afraid.

In his past life on Blue Star, he had also experienced traditional Chinese acupuncture and was quite familiar with it.

The old doctor twisted the silver needle and gently inserted it into one of Lu Qing’s acupoints. Lu Qing didn’t feel any pain, and the needle was already a third of the way in.

After inserting one needle, the old doctor didn’t hesitate and immediately took out another silver needle from the pouch and inserted it into another acupoint.

Before long, eighteen silver needles were already inserted into various acupoints on Lu Qing’s upper body.

As for Xiao Yan, she had long since covered her eyes, not daring to look at her brother who was pricked like a hedgehog.

When the eighteenth silver needle was inserted, this time the old doctor didn’t immediately let go of the needle.

Instead, he held the end of the needle and gently twisted it.

Suddenly, something magical happened. Lu Qing felt a warm current surging under the needle.

It was a tingling sensation that made him feel very comfortable.

At the same time, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. His eyelids began to feel heavy, and he soon fell asleep.

“Grandpa Chen, is brother asleep?”

Xiao Yan covered her face and peeked through her fingers.

“Mhm, your brother’s body is too weak. This foundation-strengthening and vitality-cultivating acupuncture will let him have a good sleep.”

“Oh,” Xiao Yan replied.

Grandpa Chen was speaking in words she didn’t understand again.

“Let’s go, let your brother sleep here for a while. We’ll go outside,” the old doctor stood up.

“Where are we going?”

“Grandpa Chen is going to make you something delicious…”

(End of this chapter)