Shen Mianmian could understand the lady's helplessness and breakdown, because even she, a modern person who had "seen the world," was shocked to hear about the combination of mouth and hands, acupuncture, and the entire process.
She didn't know if the lady could handle it; in any case, she couldn't.
"Do we still need to stimulate acupoints with acupuncture?" Chen Mianmian asked, her voice trembling.
Liu Xiangning nodded, "Yes! And it's not an ordinary needle, it's so long and so thick," she said, gesturing as she spoke, "Master, do you want to see it? I have a few."
Chen Mianmian swallowed hard in fear. "Stick it in? Stick it into an acupoint?"
"That's right! How can you stimulate the arousal without needling acupoints?"
"What if... I can't hit the mark?"
"Practice! We all need to practice on the acupuncture bronze figure, every day! Let me put it this way, I'm not as accurate as the doctor when it comes to acupuncture points on other parts of the body, but I can pinpoint the acupuncture points on the lower body with my eyes closed. If you don't believe me, Master, find a doctor and let him compete with me."
"..." Sleepless.
I had heard of the acupuncture bronze figure before. It is a hollow human body model cast in bronze with all the acupoints of the human body on it. When in use, the surface of the model is sealed with wax and water is poured into the model.
When the practitioner accurately inserts the needle into the acupoint, the wax is pierced and water flows out; otherwise, the needle will pierce the model and no water will flow out.
In ancient times, medical students practiced their skills either on themselves or on acupuncture bronze figures.
Shen Mianmian never expected that even the skinny girl would use the acupuncture bronze figure. Now she even wants to clear the name of the skinny girl!
The restroom was quiet.
While Chenmian pondered deeply, Liu Xiangning waited quietly.
After a long while, Shen Mianmian reluctantly accepted it, "Did Madam... agree?"
Liu Xiangning sighed and hung her head. "It's all my fault. I said the wrong thing, so Madam disagreed again."
What did you say wrong?
"The lady asked me if I had ever used it on a man. At that time, I had just finished talking non-stop and didn't react for a moment, so I told the truth and said that I had only practiced it but had never actually tried it... After that, the lady refused to learn it."
Chen Mianmian understood. "It's normal that Madam doesn't dare to learn. If it were me, I wouldn't dare either. That involves acupuncture! And it's the hip area, which is rich in acupuncture points and nerves. If you hurt it, wouldn't you be paralyzed? The Marquis was almost paralyzed when he was seriously injured, and he was barely cured. How could Madam dare to try it again?"
“It won’t cause any damage!” Liu Xiangning hurriedly explained, “The acupoints that can paralyze people are all located on the spine in the back. The acupoints we use will definitely not cause paralysis. If they were that dangerous, the head of the workshop would not have let us learn them. If we hurt our patron, our workshop cannot afford the consequences.”
Have you told your wife about these things?
“I told you, but Madam didn’t believe me.”
Chen Mianmian sighed, "Forget it, let's talk about this later."
...
For two consecutive days, the Marquis's residence remained quiet.
Chen Mianmian and Granny Li divided the work: Granny Li took care of her during the day, and she took care of her at night.
After all, Granny Li is not young, and we can't let her work the night shift. We should take care of her health.
Of course, there's no need for Chen Mianmian to stay up all night like a modern caregiver.
The main courtyard already has maids on night duty, who can take care of her, but Chen Mianmian cannot go far away, so that she can be found at any time if anything happens.
Therefore, Chen Mianmian and Liu Xiangning simply moved to the side room of the main courtyard.
That night.
Chen Mianmian lay on the table, her chin resting on her hands, her eyes blankly staring at the open window and the dim night view outside.
Liu Xiangning watched for a while, but her master didn't move, so she asked worriedly, "...Master, are you alright? Don't scare me, I'm so scared..."
Chen Mianmian sighed, "What are you afraid of? I won't do anything rash."
"...But the way you look right now doesn't seem like you're trying to be open-minded..." Liu Xiangning said hesitantly.
Chen Mianmian pulled herself together. "I'm not depressed. I'm thinking about whether or not to bring the young master and the marquis back. The madam's condition is getting worse every day. We have to prepare for the worst."
He paused, then slammed his hand on the table. "This is unbelievable! How could someone just die like that? I still can't understand it!"
Liu Xiangning also slapped the table, "Yes! The inner quarters of the Marquis's mansion are peaceful and the young master is working hard. Madam should be happy, but why is she so stubborn and getting stuck on this? I can't understand it either! If I were Madam, I would be laughing in my sleep."
Chen Mianmian sighed, "Sigh."
Liu Xiangning sighed, "Sigh."
Chen Mianmian got up. "You should get some rest. I'll go see if Madam has fallen asleep. If she hasn't, I'll chat with her for a while."
"I'm not sleepy, shall I accompany you?"
"No need, I'll go myself. There are no outsiders here. I'll try to persuade Madam."
"……yes."
Afterwards, the master and apprentice parted ways.
Shen Mianmian went to the madam's room, but Liu Xiangning was not in the room; she went straight out of the courtyard.
It was the height of summer, and at night, the chirping and squeaking of various insects was so loud that it was quite irritating.
Liu Xiangning walked slowly, her eyes filled with sorrow—she had originally thought that her drifting life was over, that she no longer had to be a "skinny horse," a prostitute, or a lowly plaything serving men, and that she could just stay with her master and live a good life.
Who knew... it would turn out like this?
After the lady's death, will the Marquis remarry?
She understood men. Men were most afraid of others noticing their hidden ailments. If a man had a wife, no one would think much of it, but if a dignified marquis did not remarry and the positions of wives and concubines remained vacant, outsiders would gossip and say that the marquis could not remarry because of his hidden ailment.
Even if it's for the sake of face, the Marquis will remarry.
The current wife likes the master but not the young mistress. What about the new wife?
What if the new wife supports the young mistress and bullies the master?
The peaceful days she had finally longed for, gone just like that? She had worked so hard, why couldn't God be kinder to her? "Heaven rewards diligence," what a load of rubbish! Misfortune always strikes at its weakest point!
If we're talking about things that deserve to die, the first one to die is God!
Liu Xiangning walked aimlessly, stubbornly shedding tears.
The more she thought about it, the more regretful she became. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said I didn't actually do it. Why did I have to tell the truth? Why was I so honest? Why tell the truth when you're trying to fool people? Madam clearly agreed at the time. It's all my fault..."
Just then, someone walked towards them.
The man, who had been walking in a hurry, stopped immediately when he got closer and saw that it was Liu Xiangning, and that she was crying. "Miss Xiangning, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Shouldn't you be in the main courtyard? Did something happen there?"
Liu Xiangning took a look and found that it was actually Guanshui.
The moon was bright and the stars were few, and the world was bathed in silvery white light.
Guan Shui had just returned from martial arts practice. His moon-white outfit shimmered with a faint blue light under the bright moonlight, making his slender face appear even more handsome.
Liu Xiangning squinted—never actually done it? Would it be more convincing if she had practical experience?
Guan Shui had never seen Liu Xiangning so absent-minded. In his memory, this girl was gentle in appearance but had a proud spirit. When she practiced martial arts, she would stumble and fall, and even Aunt Shen would call out to her, but the girl would always smile, as if it was someone else who was injured, not herself.
This strong girl is crying here, which is both worrying and heartbreaking.
Liu Xiangning frowned slightly, and more crystal tears welled up in her eyes. "This servant misses home. Brother Guanshui... could you have a drink with this servant?"
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