Chapter 55 Saving Someone on the Side
Xie Wanniang didn't mind him talking nonsense, but patiently continued to ask, "Which specific location?"
The middle-aged man gestured haphazardly, "It hurts...it hurts."
Well, it seems we can't rely on the patient themselves.
She gave up asking questions. "I know a little about medicine. If you trust me, can I take your pulse?"
The middle-aged man was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat, but he didn't care that Xie Wanniang was a young girl. "Okay."
Xie Wanniang then reached out to take his pulse. After taking his pulse, Xie Wanniang asked, "Have you had similar symptoms before this?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "No."
Xie Wanniang asked again, "What did you eat last night? Was there anything raw, cold, spicy, or anything that would make you feel unwell in the past?"
The uncle made an "uh" sound, "There's... fish sauce, braised pig's head, braised pork hock, and... cold preserved eggs, peanuts, and tofu."
Last night he was drinking with friends and ordered a lot of snacks, including the four cold dishes he mentioned.
Xie Wanniang looked at Jiang Yuan, "A Yuan, could you please help me carry the person into the house, and then ask the shopkeeper for some hot soup or porridge, and also ask the waiter to bring a new hot water bottle?"
Jiang Yuan nodded. "Okay."
After saying that, he bent down, picked up the uncle, and carried him back to the guest room where he had been staying.
Xie Wanniang carried the uncle's small bundle and placed the things on his bedside.
After Jiang Yuan left, Xie Wanniang began to help the uncle relieve his pain.
She only had silver needles and self-defense powder with her, nothing to treat the man's symptoms. Fortunately, he only had ordinary gastrointestinal spasms, which could be cured by other methods.
After a moment's thought, Xie Wanniang chose to massage the uncle's Neiguan and Hegu acupoints.
The Neiguan acupoint is located on the anterior region of the forearm, 2 cun above the distal transverse crease of the wrist on the palmar side, between the palmaris longus tendon and the flexor carpi radialis tendon. Massaging the Neiguan acupoint can calm the mind, soothe the nerves, regulate qi, and relieve pain.
The Hegu acupoint is located on the back of the hand, at the midpoint of the radial side of the second metacarpal bone. Massaging the Hegu acupoint can relieve wind and release the exterior, promote qi and blood circulation, and relieve pain by unblocking the meridians.
In addition, she had the man gently massage his abdomen clockwise with his palm, centering on his navel, to promote intestinal peristalsis, aid digestion, and relieve pain caused by stagnation of qi.
The uncle was obedient; he grimaced and massaged himself as Xie Wanniang instructed.
The uncle only stopped what he was doing when Jiang Yuan and the early-rising workers brought over hot water bottles and a large bowl of freshly cooked white rice porridge from the kitchen.
When Xie Wanniang saw the waiter, she immediately pointed to the uncle and said to him, "Young man, could you please put the hot water bottle on this uncle's stomach?"
The hot water bottle was very hot, but when placed on the uncle through his cotton-padded coat, the temperature was just right.
Xie Wanniang then gestured for Jiang Yuan to hand the bowl of porridge to the uncle, saying, "Drink it while it's hot."
The uncle's outstretched hand trembled. The waiter, afraid that he would spill the porridge on the quilt, took the bowl and spoon from him and fed the uncle spoonful by spoonful.
With these combined efforts, the uncle's pain symptoms were relieved. Seeing that he was in much better condition, Xie Wanniang asked him again, "You just fell, did you hurt yourself anywhere?"
Although she felt that this sudden gastrointestinal spasm shouldn't cause him to fall and get seriously injured, she thought it might be better to ask, since she didn't think it was a big deal.
The man checked his own body and said, "I don't think so."
It did hurt a bit. In the dark, his stomach suddenly started hurting badly, and he tripped over his own feet, falling down. But compared to the pain in his stomach, the pain from the fall was really nothing.
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Then when you can walk on your own, go to the clinic again and ask the doctor to prescribe some medicine."
Firstly, taking the medicine would help the man's stomachache heal faster, and secondly, he could also have the doctor perform a physical examination to see if his fall was truly a close call.
After the uncle finished his hot porridge, Xie Wanniang said goodbye to him and the innkeeper, and then left with Jiang Yuan.
The man offered to pay her for the consultation, but Xie Wanniang waved her hand and refused.
She doesn't make a living from this; she just happened to run into him and did a good deed with Jiang Yuan.
By this time, it was already completely bright. After leaving the uncle's room, the two did not go back to bed for a nap. Instead, they washed up and checked out.
That's the good thing about not having any personal belongings; you can go wherever you want, which gives you a lot of freedom.
After leaving the inn, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan did not immediately look for an oxcart or horse-drawn carriage. Instead, they first bought soy milk and fried dough sticks from a small eatery on the street. Then they went to various shops that were already open to buy things that were lacking at home or that Xie Wanniang simply wanted to buy.
Unbeknownst to the two, after the uncle's health improved, he began to ponder Xie Wanniang's appearance.
He felt like he had seen this girl somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her.
It wasn't until he had visited the clinic and returned home by car that he inadvertently glanced at a letter his old friend had sent to him on the corner of the table. Only then did he suddenly realize, as if waking from a dream, that he was comparing the girl's face with another, more youthful face that he had almost forgotten.
***
After Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan returned to Mingfu Village, Hao Yu called Jiang Yuan to his room to talk privately.
He told Jiang Yuan that he had personally inquired about the three girls that Wang Xiaozhi thought had a chance of getting together.
What he didn't tell Jiang Yuan was that he had actually secretly gone to observe the girls and their families.
Ms. Yang, who had a heavy family burden, was excluded from the list of candidates during this process.
It's not that she or her family members have any problems with their personality or character. In fact, the family helps each other, has a harmonious relationship, and has always been well-liked among the neighbors.
The reason Hao Yu excluded Ms. Yang from the list was because Ms. Yang had a mate selection requirement that she had not made public but had been quietly following.
She wants a future husband who either lives near her home and is willing to help support her family after marriage, or who is wealthy enough to allow her to provide financial support to her family.
In short, even after she gets married, she will still have to continue contributing to her family.
As I said before, don't be fooled by Hao Yu's open and honesty towards Jiang Yuan; he can't be so selfless towards others.
As for the remaining two girls, Hao Yu didn't show any obvious favoritism.
Miss Zheng was gentle, filial and virtuous. Her father told her to remain a widow, and she did so; her mother told her to marry, and she did so.
Miss Chen, on the other hand, is resilient and has strong opinions. Even with the reputation of being a jinx to her husband, she is unwilling to marry just anyone.
Hao Yu didn't mind the reputation of Miss Chen as a jinx to her husbands, and he could afford the twenty taels of betrothal money offered by Miss Zheng's brother and sister-in-law. Moreover, he met the requirements of Miss Zheng's mother: "a wealthy family with a simple and easy-going household."
Therefore, Hao Yu decided to give the choice to the woman.
After hearing what he said, Jiang Yuan immediately ran to Wang Xiaozhi and asked her to find a suitable matchmaker for him.
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