Chapter 11 – 11: Herbs, Acupuncture
11: Herbs, Acupuncture
“How come, Little Yan? Could you tell that Grandpa Chen was doing boxing?” Old Doctor Chen chuckled.
“I couldn’t tell,” Little Yan shook her head, “It was brother who said that Grandpa Chen was practicing boxing, telling me not to talk and disturb you.”
“I’m sorry, Grandpa Chen, we didn’t know you were practicing,” Lu Qing said apologetically.
“It doesn’t matter. What I was practicing can barely be called a boxing technique. It was simply a stretching routine,” the elder doctor waved his hand dismissively.
“But I think Grandpa Chen looked very graceful!” Little Yan said earnestly.
“Hahaha, old man that I am, having practiced this set of boxing my whole life, now to receive praise from a little fellow like you, it’s all been worth it!”
Hearing Little Yan’s naive words, Old Doctor Chen laughed heartily.
Seeing the elder doctor so happy, Lu Qing’s heart also relaxed.
He had indeed been a bit afraid that the elder 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 an acupuncture treatment first,”
Old Doctor Chen lifted Little Yan and said to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing respectfully followed the elder doctor towards the yard.
Upon entering the yard, he was captivated by all the medicinal herbs drying there.
He glanced around and recognized one of them, cow bone grass, which also grew in his own yard.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to identify each medicinal herb.
“Grandpa Chen, are all these dried items in the yard medicinal herbs?” Lu Qing inquired.
“Indeed, why? Can you recognize medicinal herbs?”
Old Doctor Chen was a bit surprised.
“Not really,” Lu Qing replied, “I just noticed that there’s a type of herb here, which seems to grow near our home as well.”
“Which one?”
“The one drying in that winnowing basket,” Lu Qing pointed in a direction.
Seeing the blue flowers on the herb, Little Yan also nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, there are a lot of them growing outside our house, and Niu Niu likes to eat them too.”
The elder doctor glanced at it, “That’s right, that’s cow bone grass, indeed a very common medicinal herb.”
“Cow bone grass,” Lu Qing repeated the name, then asked, “Grandpa Chen, what is cow bone grass usually used for?”
“It’s mainly used to treat injuries from falls and blows,” Old Doctor Chen replied casually, then looked at Lu Qing, “Why, are you interested in medicinal herbs?”
“Yes,” Lu Qing replied honestly. “Little Yan mentioned that her illness was cured by a prescription from you, Grandpa Chen. This makes me think that medicinal herbs are truly miraculous. They are mere flowers and plants, yet they can relieve pain and save lives.”
“If you want to learn about herbs, it’s not easy. Studying medicine requires not only boldness and attention to detail; but also a clear mind. Moreover, you need to be literate and understand medical texts,”
The elder doctor did not mock Lu Qing’s aspirations; instead, he patiently explained.
“I do know some characters,” Lu Qing quickly said.
That statement wasn’t false.
In his memory, the original owner of the body did recognize some characters, and those characters, upon verification, were almost similar to the characters from his past life, only more complicated in their strokes.
“You know how to read?” Old Doctor Chen was surprised again.
In this rural area, finding someone who could read was not easy.
Lu Qing was just an orphan, yet he knew how to read?
“When my paternal grandfather was alive, he taught me some characters. Unfortunately, I was slow and forgot some after my grandfather passed away. Moreover, I can only recognize them; I can’t write.”
Old Doctor Chen then realized the situation in Lu Qing’s family.
There were rumors that Lu Qing’s grandfather had been a down-and-out scholar.
He had come here with the villagers fleeing a famine.
Before he secluded himself here, he had already passed away, denying him the chance to meet.
Furthermore, he had heard from the villagers that Lu Qing’s father had a restless nature, unsuited for scholarly pursuits, and often infuriated his grandfather as a youth, ultimately failing to continue his studies.
Unexpectedly, it was the young Lu Qing who could recognize some characters.
Unfortunately, Lu Qing’s grandfather passed away early; otherwise, perhaps the Lu Family might have produced another scholar.
Old Doctor Chen sighed again silently, looking at Lu Qing with even gentler eyes.
No wonder he felt that Lu Qing’s speech was unlike that of a typical rural youth, probably influenced by the teachings of his grandfather and father.
“Since you’re interested in medicinal herbs, from now on, each time you come for acupuncture, I’ll allow you to help me air the herbs for half an hour, and how much you can remember will depend on your own understanding.”
“And you,” Old Doctor Chen patted Little Yan’s head, “you should come with your brother too. Grandpa Chen will cook some medicinal cuisine for you. With such a frail body, how can it be alright?”
Lu Qing was overjoyed and hurriedly expressed his thanks, “Thank you, Grandpa Chen. Little Yan, aren’t you going to thank Grandpa Chen?”
“Thank you, Grandpa Chen~”