"What, Xiaoyan, can you tell that Grandpa Chen is practicing boxing?" Dr. Chen said with a smile.
"I can't tell." Xiaoyan shook her head. "My brother said that Grandpa Chen was practicing his boxing and told me not to talk and disturb you."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Chen, we didn't know you were practicing boxing," Lu Qing said apologetically.
"It's alright, what I practice is just some simple farming exercise, nothing more than martial arts," the old doctor waved his hand dismissively.
“But I think Grandpa Chen played really well!” Xiaoyan said earnestly.
"Hahaha, this old man has practiced this style of boxing his whole life, and to receive a compliment from you, little guy, is truly worth it!"
Hearing the little guy's innocent words, Dr. Chen burst into laughter.
Seeing the doctor's happy expression, Lu Qing felt relieved.
He was genuinely a little scared. What if the old doctor had some rule against watching him practice boxing? If that were the case, he and his sister would have broken a taboo.
"Come on, let's go inside. I'll give you acupuncture first."
Dr. 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 place.
He glanced at it and recognized one of the items – the cowbone grass that also grew in his own yard.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time, and he couldn't find out the information about each of these medicinal herbs.
"Grandpa Chen, are all the herbs drying in this yard medicinal herbs?" Lu Qing asked.
"Not bad. What, you even know how to identify medicinal herbs?"
Dr. Chen was somewhat surprised.
“No, that’s not it,” Lu Qing said. “I just saw that there’s a kind of medicinal herb here that seems to grow near our home.”
"That one?"
"It's the one drying in that winnowing basket," Lu Qing pointed in a direction.
When Xiaoyan saw the small blue flowers on the medicinal herbs, she nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, there are many growing outside our yard, and Niu Niu likes to eat them too."
The old doctor glanced at it and said, "That's right, it's called oxbone grass, and it is indeed a very common medicinal herb."
“Oxbone grass.” Lu Qing read the name aloud, then asked, “Grandpa Chen, what is oxbone grass usually used for?”
"It's mainly used to treat sprains and bruises," the old doctor replied casually, glancing at Lu Qing. "What, are you interested in medicinal herbs?"
“Yes,” Lu Qing said honestly. “Xiao Yan told me that my illness was cured by Grandpa Chen with a single dose of medicine. This made me think that the medicinal herbs are truly magical. They are just some flowers and herbs, yet they can relieve people’s pain and save their lives.”
"You want to study medicine? That's not easy. To study medicine, you not only need to be bold and careful, and have a clear mind, but you also need to be literate and able to read medical books."
The old doctor did not laugh at Lu Qing's idea; instead, he patiently explained it to him.
“The kid does know a few words,” Lu Qing quickly said.
He wasn't lying.
In his memory, the original owner did know some characters, and when he checked, those characters were similar to the Chinese characters in his previous life, only with more complex strokes.
"You can even read?" Dr. Chen was surprised again.
In this rural area, it's not easy to find someone who can read.
Lu Qing is just an orphan, yet he knows how to read?
“When my grandfather was alive, he taught me to recognize some characters, but I was slow-witted and forgot some after he passed away. Moreover, I can only recognize them, but I can’t write them.”
Only then did Dr. Chen realize the situation of Lu Qing's family.
It is said that Lu Qing's grandfather was once a scholar who had fallen on hard times.
They fled here with the local villagers.
However, he had already passed away before he came here to live in seclusion, so he never had the chance to meet him.
Moreover, he had heard from the villagers that Lu Qing's father was naturally unruly and not cut out for studying. As a teenager, he often angered Lu Qing's grandfather to the point of near death, and ultimately he did not continue his studies.
Surprisingly, it was the young Lu Qing who actually knew some characters.
It's a pity that Lu Qing's grandfather passed away early; otherwise, perhaps the Lu family would have produced another scholar.
Dr. Chen sighed again, and his gaze toward Lu Qing softened even more.
No wonder he felt that Lu Qing's manner of speaking was quite different from that of an ordinary country boy; it must be due to the teachings of his grandfather and father.
"Since you are interested in medicinal herbs, I will allow you to dry the herbs with me for half an hour every time you come for acupuncture. As for how much you can remember, that depends on your own comprehension."
"And you too." Doctor Chen stroked Xiaoyan's hair. "From now on, you should come with your brother too. Grandpa Chen will cook some medicinal food for you. You're so weak, how can you manage?"
Lu Qing was overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude: "Thank you, Grandpa Chen! Xiao Yan, you should thank Grandpa Chen too!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Chen!"
Although the little girl didn't know what medicinal cuisine was, she thanked her brother obediently since he had mentioned it.
"No need to thank me. Seeing your frail body, Grandpa Chen feels sorry for you too," the old doctor said with a look of pity.
Once inside, the old doctor put Xiaoyan 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 instructed, took off her shirt, and then lay down on the wooden bed next to her.
Looking at his thin, bony chest, Dr. Chen paused for a moment before taking out a silver needle from his needle pouch.
Xiaoyan looked at the long silver needle and a hint of fear appeared on her face.
However, she knew that Grandpa Chen was treating her brother's illness, so although she was scared, she stayed there quietly without making a fuss.
"Don't be afraid, and don't move. I'll give you acupuncture now," the old doctor said to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing nodded.
He wasn't afraid.
In his previous life on Earth, he had experienced acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine practice, so he was quite familiar with it.
The old doctor gently inserted a silver needle into an acupoint on Lu Qing's body. Lu Qing did not feel any pain, and the silver needle had already penetrated three-tenths of an inch into the flesh.
After inserting the needle, the old doctor did not hesitate and immediately took out another silver needle from the needle pouch and inserted it into another acupoint.
Before long, all eighteen silver needles were inserted into various acupoints on Lu Qing's upper body.
As for Xiaoyan, she had already covered her eyes, not daring to look at her brother who was covered in thorns like a hedgehog.
When the eighteenth silver needle was inserted, the old doctor did not immediately release it.
Instead, pinch the end of the silver needle and gently twist it.
Suddenly, something miraculous happened. Lu Qing felt a warm current flowing under the silver needles.
The tingling, numb sensation made him feel very comfortable.
At the same time, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, his eyelids began to grow heavy, and he soon fell asleep.
"Grandpa Chen, is my brother asleep?"
Xiaoyan covered her face and peeked through her fingers.
"Yes, your brother is too weak. My strengthening acupuncture needles will help him get a good night's sleep."
"Oh," Xiaoyan replied.
Grandpa Chen was saying things she couldn't understand again.
"Let's go, let your brother sleep here for a while, we'll go outside." The old doctor got up.
Where are we going?
"Grandpa Chen will make you something delicious..."
