Chapter 41: The Test

After walking for more than half an hour, Jiang Ning finally saw a small sign hanging on the door of a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. Compared to the clinic outside the family compound, this place was eerily quiet, with barely any visitors.

Jiang Ning walked over and knocked on the door. “Hello?”

Receiving no response, Jiang Ning entered. To her surprise, the clinic was empty.

Could that old man have been deceiving her?

Just as Jiang Ning was about to leave, she almost bumped into two women who had just come in. They were startled to see her, and one of the women was immediately pulled back to reality by a sharp pain in her abdomen.

The woman glanced behind Jiang Ning and called out, “Is Master Huang here?”

Jiang Ning informed her, “There’s no one here.”

The woman, grimacing in pain, was supported by her friend. Seeing that the clinic was empty, she looked disappointed. Even Old Master Huang’s grandson would have been good enough to prescribe some medicine for her.

Seeing the woman bent over in pain, Jiang Ning thought for a moment and asked, “Is it a menstrual problem?”

Beads of cold sweat appeared on the woman’s forehead, but she didn’t have the energy to be surprised that the girl in front of her had immediately identified her problem. She was in so much pain that she couldn’t even sit down and felt nauseous.

She nodded. “I’ve had this problem since I was a girl. Every month, it’s like this.”

In fact, she usually endured it. It was still embarrassing for a woman to mention menstruation in front of others. But this time, she had drunk a bowl of cold water just before her period started, and the pain was unbearable. She had no choice but to come and see a doctor, hoping to get some medicine.

Her friend who was with her said, “Enough, don’t talk anymore. Master Huang isn’t here. I’ll take you to the clinic near the military family compound. You can buy some Western medicine to relieve the pain. Why are you looking for traditional Chinese medicine? And besides, how can a man like Master Huang treat this kind of problem?”

Jiang Ning frowned. “Doctors treat illnesses and save lives, regardless of gender.”

Moreover, the latter part of the woman’s statement seemed to belittle traditional Chinese medicine.

In her previous life, Jiang Ning had been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine from a young age. Her family had a long tradition of medical practice, and she had studied Western medicine. Western medicine was powerful, but the profound knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, passed down over thousands of years, was something that Western medicine couldn’t compare to.

“But I don’t want to walk anymore. It hurts too much.”

The woman knew there was a clinic at the military family compound, and there were female nurses there, which would make her feel less embarrassed.

“You drank something cold, didn’t you?” Jiang Ning asked.

The woman explained, “It was so hot while doing farm work, so I drank a bowl of cold water.”

Jiang Ning scanned the clinic and spotted some silver needles on the table in front of the medicine cabinet.

Jiang Ning said, “If you trust me, I can help relieve your pain temporarily.”

The girl in front of her was too young and pretty, and the woman felt a little scared. But she was in so much pain that she couldn’t speak and could only nod.

Seeing her nod, Jiang Ning immediately picked up the silver needles and noticed a recliner nearby. She asked the woman to lie down.

As the woman with menstrual pain lay down, the friend who had brought her saw Jiang Ning take out the silver needles and hurriedly stopped her. “Wait! Do you really know how to treat illnesses?”

Jiang Ning glanced at the woman with menstrual pain, who was already showing signs of fainting. She impatiently brushed off the hand that was blocking her.

She inserted the silver needles into the Qihai and Guanyuan acupoints, then squatted down and inserted the needles into the Sanyinjiao point, three inches above the ankle on the inner side of the leg.

The treatment for menstrual pain would be even more effective if combined with moxibustion.

The person experiencing the treatment would feel the changes in their body the most.

The woman, who had been feeling numb and weak from the pain, was now able to sit up. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore,” she said.

Jiang Ning removed the silver needles from her body.

Seeing her put away the needles, the woman praised her. “You’re amazing, and the needles didn’t hurt at all.”

Jiang Ning smiled but didn’t say anything. She carefully placed each needle back into the cloth bag and then gave the woman some advice. “For menstrual problems, you can get some medicine to gradually improve your condition and reduce your suffering in the future.”

The woman was about to ask what kind of medicine she should get when a male voice interrupted.

“Who are you, and why are you holding my grandfather’s needle bag? Put it down! It’s not something you should be touching!”

The voice sounded very unfriendly.

Jiang Ning turned to look and saw a young man rushing in. He reached out to grab the needle bag from Jiang Ning’s hand, but his arm was stopped by another hand.

The woman who had been suffering from menstrual pain grabbed his arm. “Huang Xiaodong, you’re back. Quick, get me some medicine.”

Huang Xiaodong was confused. “What medicine?”

The woman was startled and turned to Jiang Ning. “Miss, what medicine should I get for my condition?”

“Angelica, Szechuan lovage, fried white peony root, and cooked rehmannia. Boil them in water and take them morning and evening,” Jiang Ning listed carefully. “These will help regulate your body. For pain relief, you need evodia, cinnamon, fennel, motherwort, and angelica.”

“Alright.”

The “alright” didn’t come from the woman but from outside the door.

Jiang Ning turned around and saw the old man she had met on the mountain that day.

The old man walked in and tapped his grandson on the head. “What are you standing there for? Go get the medicine.”

Startled by the tap, the young man quickly went to the medicine cabinet, looking puzzled. “What medicine should I get?”

The old man, annoyed, tapped him on the head again. “Just get what the girl said!”

Huang Xiaodong rubbed his head. “Alright, alright.”

He swiftly gathered the medicine and handed it to the woman. “Three yuan.”

The woman paid the fee and, as she was about to leave, took out two more yuan and handed it to Jiang Ning with a smile. “Miss, I’m completely pain-free now. This is for the acupuncture you gave me.”

Her eyes were sincere, clearly not just being polite. Jiang Ning accepted the money without hesitation.

She had earned it herself, so why not accept it?

However, she turned and handed a yuan to the old man. “Master Huang, this is for using your silver needles.”

Old Master Huang understood her gesture. “I told you, the money you earn here is yours. And I also make money from selling the herbs. So, have you decided to join my clinic?”

Before Jiang Ning could respond, Huang Xiaodong interjected, “Grandfather, how can you just hire someone to take your place? This time we were lucky nothing went wrong. When I saw her using your silver needles, I was afraid she might hurt someone. Besides, I’m usually here, so why don’t you trust me instead?”

“Hurt someone?” Old Master Huang glanced at him and snorted. “Should I trust you, who once pricked yourself with three needles and ended up paralyzed, never to touch silver needles again? I told you to study hard, but you didn’t. You really know how to disappoint me.”

Having his embarrassing past exposed in public, Huang Xiaodong felt ashamed but didn’t dare to offend his grandfather.

The old man ignored his grandson and looked kindly at Jiang Ning. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Jiang Ning.”

“Good, I’ll call you Ning girl.” The old man’s voice carried a sense of late-life weariness.

Old Master Huang thought for a moment and said, “I want to set a test for you. Do you have confidence? I spend most of my time in the mountains collecting herbs, and sometimes I leave the shop to this young man. But he’s not capable enough to save lives on his own. There are many people around here, and they often get sick. I can’t let them fall into the hands of this young man.”

“What do you mean by ‘fall into my hands’?” Huang Xiaodong couldn’t help but protest loudly. After receiving a warning glance from his grandfather, he muttered softly, “I can still treat simple illnesses, okay?”

Jiang Ning asked, “What kind of test?”

Old Master Huang took the silver needles from Jiang Ning’s hand and suddenly inserted a few needles into his grandson’s body.

Huang Xiaodong immediately froze and then collapsed to the ground, with only his eyes still moving.

Huang Xiaodong: “…”

Grandfather, did you have to be so harsh?

Jiang Ning: “?”

So harsh?

^[1]Qihai is located on the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) meridian, 1.5 cun below the navel. Guanyuan is located on the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) meridian, 3 cun below the navel. Sanyinjiao is located on … Continue reading