Chapter 187 Learning Acupuncture
Zhuangyuan Lane is an old alley.
Because it produced a top scholar, the government turned it into an ancient folk street.
The alley is only accessible on foot. Walking on the long-missed cobblestone road, I recalled a nostalgic poem written by a poet:
The poplar tree is still there.
The cobblestone road remains
Only the moss on the rudder tail is thick,
The calluses on the sailors' palms grew thicker,
The girl on the swing has also grown old.
…
"Be careful." Yifan grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side of the street. It turned out that a child was riding a bicycle towards me.
"Uncle, what are you thinking about?"
"Uncle is a young man of literature, reciting a poem silently."
Yiyi smiled.
Shu Xiaoting's home leads down a side lane. This side lane is even narrower. The houses on either side are essentially courtyards, with aisles between them. It's a bit like a Bagua formation.
I called her and she walked into the alley and I saw her at a glance.
Walking quickly, she found a courtyard at the end of the alley. She said with a smile, "This is called hiding in a deep alley."
She led us into the living room on the right, made some tea, and then said, "My father is still busy. He's giving a leader an acupuncture treatment."
"Is the old man a doctor or...?"
"Three generations of my family have been acupuncturists. My brother didn't like it, so he went out to work. I also found it tedious to stay at home and give people acupuncture every day."
We chatted for a while, then saw Shu Dad see the guests off. I glanced over and thought the man's back looked familiar.
Shu Dad came in, and Yifan and I stood up. He put his hand down and said, "Sit down."
I hurriedly asked for a cigarette, but he waved his hand. I introduced Yifan to him, and he nodded.
I looked at him carefully. He should be less than 60 years old, but he was well maintained.
Shu Dad smiled and said, "Xiao Wan, Tingting told me everything about your situation. You're so talented and busy now, do you still have time to learn this?"
I pointed at Yifan and said, "You're right. I'm indeed busy. This is my nephew, but the way we address each other now is different from before. He calls me uncle. I'd like you to accept him as your apprentice."
Shu Dad nodded. "It's okay. There are fewer and fewer people learning this trade, and fewer and fewer people who believe in it. But I still follow the old rules and see if he's a good material. Come, let's take a look at his hands."
Yifan stretched out his hand. Shu Dad touched it, pinched the joints of his fingers, and nodded.
"Well enough."
I quickly stretched out my hand: "Let me touch it."
After some squeezing and pulling, Shu Dad said, "It's better. It's more powerful than his."
"How long will it take to learn this?" Yifan asked cautiously.
"It depends on your understanding. Even though it's acupuncture, you still need to read medical books. I can't explain it to you clearly now."
I smiled and said, "Dad Shu, I've read some medical books. Can you explain it to me and see if I can understand it?"
Shu Dad said, "It's meaningless to know every acupoint and be able to puncture them accurately. You should have punctured Sanyinjiao, but you punctured Hegu instead. It's like a doctor prescribing the wrong medicine for a patient. Even if it doesn't kill the patient, it won't cure the disease."
For example, is lower back pain caused by a sprain, a herniated disc, or kidney stones? Only by identifying the specific condition and prescribing the right acupuncture treatment can it be effective.
Secondly, are the academic degrees in the books accurate? They are just textual descriptions, which are not very accurate. The academic degrees that need to be explored in practice are the real academic degrees.
Shu Xiaoting interjected, "My father is very strict. Among the apprentices he has trained, some are masters, while others are just lazy."
I said, "Yes, everyone can cook, but only a few people can become top chefs. Your father is a top acupuncturist."
Shu Dad smiled happily: "It's not top grade. But many leaders believe in my stuff."
"That person just now seems to be Deputy Director Shi of the Transportation Department."
Shu Dad and Shu Xiaoting said in unison: "Do you know him?"
I nodded calmly.
"He had a herniated lumbar spine and is much better now."
I said, "Then Dad Shu, please accept me as your nephew."
He laughed heartily: "I agreed at the beginning, but I can't guarantee whether I can become a master, whether I will just live a lazy life and collect some money from others, or whether I can really cure diseases."
I turned my head and looked at Yifan.
He actually learned my tricks and said, "Shu Dad, my IQ is okay. Secondly, you can hit me and beat me. If you don't hit me, I won't learn."
Everyone laughed.
I said, "I'll come back another day to become your disciple."
Shu Dad shook his head: "I never make apprenticeship wine, I only make apprentice wine. If I think someone is not good enough, then I will come quietly and leave quietly.
If he is indeed a good candidate, I will prepare a farewell banquet and announce to others that he is my apprentice."
After hearing this, I felt that Shu Dad was reliable, so I said, "You are a true master, lenient when entering, but strict when leaving. Then Yifan should just start studying after the lunar year and read some medical books first."
"OK."
At this moment, someone came in, seemingly looking for Shu Dad. We stood up and said goodbye. Shu Dad waved at me and walked into the next room.
Shu Xiaoyun walked us out of the yard and stood in the alley, saying, "He's taken in six apprentices, but only two of them actually had farewell banquets. Uncle Shu is quite stubborn, and everyone on this street knows it."
I smiled and said, "Yifan, Sister Shu has said something ugly upfront, you need to have some mental endurance."
The two said goodbye to Shu Xiaoting and walked out of Zhuangyuan Lane. Yifan said, "I'm not afraid of learning skills. When I was learning to drive, I was faster than anyone else. It just takes time. This?"
I said, "I've already thought about it. I'll make some requests to Mr. Chen. First, you'll mainly be the driver; I can drive myself. Second, once I've learned enough, I can be Mr. Chen's driving instructor; he's often exhausted."
"Well, if it doesn't work out, you can quit and I'll pay you. We can't work here forever." I made a diving gesture.
He understood and said, "This is just a platform."
"Yes, I can connect with more people on this platform. Also, after careful consideration, I decided to start the night talk. Otherwise, the number of people I can reach will be limited."
"How do I open it?"
"I have a plan."
"Uncle, it doesn't matter if you tell me. For example, if you said Mr. Chen had an itchy disease, I would keep it to myself and not tell anyone."
I was very satisfied with Yifan and said, "Uncle always does things in a step-by-step manner. I'll tell you the steps. I won't make any requests now. I'll wait until Mr. Chen has used the medicine for a while and sees it's effective before making any requests. I'll make three requests in total."
"Three?"
"Yes. First, we'll have a night talk. I'll tell him that those staying at the Rising Sun Hotel can make an appointment to see the psychologist Wan Shanhong. The fee is 1,000 yuan per session, and I'll split the fee 50-50 with the hotel."
Of course the hotel does not rely on this small amount of money, it mainly attracts wealthy people to stay.
Second, after this is done, I will raise your request. If he agrees, then he agrees. If not, then we can learn on our own. So I told Shu Dad that we should just wait until the Lunar New Year to have some time to buffer.
Third, your aunt’s classmate opened a decoration company, and she has already made the contact and is coming to work with her classmate. So, in the future, I will make a third request to Mr. Chen. For the interior decoration in Bai Niu Lake, if we can’t take care of the big ones, we can take care of some small businesses.
Because I will be involved in the feng shui of the renovation, I can tell your aunt in advance so that her plan meets the company's requirements."
Yifan listened. He glanced at me and said, "My grandfather didn't let me read Water Margin, saying it was all about brute force. He wanted me to read Romance of the Three Kingdoms to learn more about strategy. Uncle, you must have read Romance of the Three Kingdoms several times, right?"
"I read it once. But it was all forced upon me by life. If I were a rich second-generation, I'd be like Young Master Wang, with a group of women around every day. I'd know how to enjoy that kind of thing. But I don't have the conditions. The sister-in-law next door in my hometown is the driving force behind my progress."
"Which sister-in-law?"
"That woman who's at odds with my family. She failed the college entrance exam and, using the excuse of feeding pig manure, she's using it as an excuse to criticize the pigs. She's saying, 'You don't want to eat such good manure? You want beef stewed with vermicelli? You want to drink Guogong wine and acanthopanax peel? You're not qualified.'"
I came out to fry noodles, and she said, "What else can I do? My life is to eat noodles, so I can do the job of frying noodles."
I was an apprentice to Master Hongyi. She told others that only blind people and lame people would learn that kind of thing, but it was quite suitable for him, as he couldn't carry anything on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands.
I have no choice, I have to survive and live better than her. You are the same, if you get involved in this, there is no way out. "
Yifan stopped talking, and the street lights on both sides flickered.
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