After checking Wang Er's pulse and the temperature of his limbs, Ruoxi finally said with a happy expression, "It's okay, it's okay, there's still time, there's still time, he'll be alright, he'll be alright."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ruoxi took out a packet of silver needles from her body, spread them on the grass beside her, and then began to fumble to take off Wang Er's shoes and socks.
Upon seeing Ruoxi's extremely clumsy movements, the middle-aged woodcutter hurriedly shouted to stop her, "What are you trying to do? No, stop! Stop it now..."
"Uncle, please quickly help me roll up Wang Er's trouser legs and sleeves. You must be quick, he has already fainted. If we don't treat him with acupuncture soon, his life will be in danger. It will be too late. Hurry!" Wang Er's condition was urgent, and Ruoxi completely ignored the middle-aged woodcutter's advice and only ordered him.
However, the middle-aged woodcutter, still harboring doubt, asked him, "Do you really know medicine?"
"What time is it now? You've already wasted so much time that could have saved Wang Er's life. Do you really want to wait until he's dead before you regret it? If I didn't know medicine, why would I be carrying these silver needles around with me?" Ruoxi said anxiously as she took off his shoes and socks.
"Even if you really know medicine, what use are your eyes right now, in terms of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation..." The middle-aged woodcutter hesitated, and before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly stunned by the scene before him.
Ruoxi hurriedly removed Wang Er's shoes and socks, then lifted up his trousers. With her right hand, she picked up a silver needle, while her left hand simultaneously explored and manipulated the outside of Wang Er's calf, muttering to herself, "Zusanli, located on the lateral side of the calf, 3 cun below Dubi, on the line connecting Dubi and Jiexi. Insert the needle perpendicularly 1 to 2 cun. It is used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, lower limb weakness and paralysis, mental disorders, external diseases, and various consumptive diseases."
As soon as he finished speaking, it was as if he had already found the right acupoint and thrust it straight down.
Without a moment's hesitation, she retrieved another identical silver needle, holding it between her right fingertips. With her left hand, she traced and manipulated the needle along the outer side of Wang Er's lower leg, muttering, "Yanglingquan, located on the outer side of the lower leg, in the depression below and in front of the head of the fibula. Insert the needle perpendicularly 1 inch. It is indicated for hemiplegia, lower limb weakness and numbness, knee swelling and pain, beriberi, rib pain, bitter taste in the mouth, vomiting, jaundice, infantile convulsions, sciatica, hepatitis, cholecystitis, ascariasis, knee arthritis, etc."
Just as Ruoxi calmly and accurately inserted the silver needle into the acupoint once again, the middle-aged woodcutter beside her was so stunned by her professional terminology and skillful movements that he stood frozen in place.
...
In no time, she had finished applying the acupuncture to the acupoints on her legs, and then groped her way to Wang Er's arm.
Just as she was about to reach out and remove Wang Er's sleeve, the middle-aged woodcutter suddenly came to his senses and quickly reached out to expose Wang Er's entire arm, placing it in Ruoxi's hands.
Ruoxi smiled kindly at him, then pinched a silver needle between one fingertips while using the other hand to feel and trace the back of his forearm and wrist, chanting, "Zhigou acupoint, located 3 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist on the back of the forearm. Insert the needle perpendicularly 0.5-1 cun. It can treat headache, tinnitus, deafness, otitis media; red eyes, eye pain, sudden aphonia, sore throat, fever, scrofula; cough radiating to the ribs, chest tightness, sudden heart pain, rebellious qi; constipation, vomiting, diarrhea; amenorrhea, postpartum hemorrhage, insufficient lactation; rib pain, soreness in the shoulders, arms, waist and back, stiff neck, finger tremors, weakness in the wrist and arm; erysipelas."
When she calmly and composedly inserted the silver needle into her fingertip again, the middle-aged woodcutter was so astonished that he stared wide-eyed and stood there dumbfounded once more.
The wait was only a moment, and suddenly Wang Er's limbs twitched slightly twice, and then he actually gradually woke up.
"Wang Er, Wang Er, you're finally awake! That's wonderful! He's awake! He's awake!" The middle-aged woodcutter rushed over in disbelief and helped Wang Er sit up, then said joyfully to Ruoxi.
Ruoxi finally let out a long sigh of relief, and then carefully removed all the silver needles from Wang Er's body one by one.
Wang Er finally opened his eyes slowly. When he saw the woman in front of him, he was still a little weak and asked in surprise, "It's you! How is it you? When did you wake up?"
As he spoke, he struggled to get up. At this moment, the middle-aged woodcutter spoke up and told Wang Er, "Wang Er, it was this blind...this young lady who saved your life. What happened to you just now? It was terrifying! If it weren't for this young lady, you would be dead today."
"She... saved me?" Wang Er asked incredulously, looking puzzled.
"That's right... It was this young lady who saved you. Unfortunately, the old lady went on a long trip today. There's been chaos and turmoil everywhere lately, and Miss Huan'er was worried about the old lady going out alone, so she went out to look for her." The middle-aged woodcutter nodded, looking at Ruoxi's face with admiration.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the middle-aged woodcutter asked Wang Er, puzzled, "But you've been foraging in these mountains since you were a child, how could you be poisoned? What exactly did you eat?"
"I...I didn't eat anything?" Wang Er asked, quite puzzled.
Just as the two of them were puzzled, Ruoxi had already put away the silver needles and stood up, saying, "Do you often experience severe abdominal cramps in intermittent episodes, writhing in pain, sweating profusely, turning pale, and having cold limbs, and then appearing no different from a normal person after the attack?"
"How did you know?" Upon hearing this, Wang Er suddenly raised his head and looked up at the ugly veiled woman who he used to despise, exclaiming in surprise.
However, Ruoxi did not answer his question immediately. She only smiled at him and then turned to the middle-aged woodcutter, saying, "Uncle, my eyes are not very good. Could you please help me see if there are any roundworms in what he vomited next to him?"
The middle-aged woodcutter glanced sideways and quickly spotted several disgusting, yellowish, earthworm-like worms wriggling among the filth. He exclaimed in surprise, "Girl, are you pretending to be blind? It's as if you can see everything! Amazing! ... But what exactly is wrong with Wang Er?"
Upon hearing this, Ruoxi finally understood everything and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "The Medical Classics says, 'There is a type of ascariasis where the stomach is weak and cold, and the ascarid fluid can nourish it. It then moves upwards, causing vomiting and expelling many ascarids. The heart is weak and frightened, and the person is restless and anxious, which causes the hands and feet to become cold and thus causes syncope.' Hence, it is called ascariasis."
"'Ascariasis'? Isn't that a disease that usually only occurs in children? Families with children usually keep some plum pills on hand, and they'll be fine after taking them. This Wang Er is almost thirty years old, how could he also have it..." The middle-aged woodcutter looked at Wang Er, and Wang Er also looked at the middle-aged woodcutter. The two of them looked at each other, full of doubt.
Ruoxi replied, “That’s right. Although this disease commonly affects children as young as seven or eight, on the way up the mountain, when I heard about Wang Er’s symptoms from you, Uncle, and learned that he had been foraging in these mountains since he was a child, he couldn’t have been so careless as to get poisoned. So, I asked you about Wang Er’s family situation. According to you, he must have been neglected since childhood and had poor hygiene. Over the years, minor illnesses have accumulated into serious conditions. When I took his pulse here, I was even more certain that it was ‘ascarid poisoning.’ Fortunately, we arrived in time. If we had been any later, it would have really been life-threatening.”
"So that's how it is... The girl cured Wang Er with just a few needles?" the middle-aged woodcutter asked, holding the still somewhat weak Wang Er's shoulders.
"Of course not. He also needs to take 'Wumei Pills,' which every household keeps on hand. But remember to drink a cup of strong sugar water before taking the medicine, and observe whether roundworms are expelled in his stool after taking it. Also, remember to wash your hands before meals and after using the toilet, don't drink unboiled water, and wash and cook fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them. Only in this way can you cure it once and for all and prevent a relapse," Ruoxi instructed with meticulous care.
The middle-aged woodcutter suddenly realized, "I was truly blind to your greatness! I never imagined that in our tiny Peach Blossom Village, in this small temple no bigger than the palm of my hand, another 'living bodhisattva' would appear to save us from suffering. I apologize for my rudeness earlier!"
"Uncle, please don't say that. I can't accept such a title. It's true that cases of adult infection are relatively rare in normal times," Ruoxi said modestly.
"Thank you... thank you, young lady." At this moment, the weak Wang Er leaned against the middle-aged woodcutter's chest, took a deep breath, and thanked Ruoxi.
Upon hearing this, Ruoxi smiled sweetly at the person in her direction and said, "It was nothing, don't worry about it."
"Boom..."
The weather in the deep mountains is always unpredictable. Just as the three were slowly getting to know each other, suddenly, a rumble of spring thunder sounded overhead.
The middle-aged woodcutter suddenly looked up and exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! It looks like it's going to rain heavily. There's nowhere to take shelter in these deep mountains. What should we do?"
Upon hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
While she was pondering, Ruoxi spoke first, "Uncle, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. Wang Er's body absolutely cannot get wet in the rain at this time... You should quickly carry him down the mountain, I..."
Before Ruoxi could finish speaking, the middle-aged woodcutter immediately and firmly objected, "No, how can that be? I promised Huan'er that I would make sure nothing would happen to you. In these deep mountains, apart from me and Wang Er, very few people venture out. How can a young lady like you stay here alone? Besides, wild animals occasionally appear here. No, this is absolutely unacceptable."
The middle-aged woodcutter's words were filled with resolute determination and an air of absolute certainty.
The thunder grew louder and louder, and raindrops began to fall one by one.
Finally, Ruoxi said helplessly, "Alright, Uncle, you carry Wang Er in front, and I'll follow closely behind you, just like when we came up the mountain. Is that alright?"
"It's getting dark, are your eyes alright?" the middle-aged woodcutter asked with a worried expression.
"Yes, don't worry, I can do it. I can see a glimmer of light." Perhaps because she had strained her eyes to find the acupoints for Wang Er, Ruoxi's sense of light, which had only recovered a little bit earlier, was now completely depleted. But in order to get the woodcutter and Wang Er to agree to set off as soon as possible, she lied to them.
Upon hearing this, the three of them finally began their descent down the mountain.
However, as the saying goes, "Going up the mountain is easy, but going down is hard; on the way down..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com