◎ Due to the concept of propriety that men and women should not touch each other, it was particularly difficult for women to receive medical treatment ◎

“This is…?” Old Lady Jiang was somewhat astonished.

Chu Yufu’s fingers never stopped moving, her tone as clear and cool as a gentle breeze in early spring: “If I’m not mistaken, Madam suffered a physical injury to her waist in her early years and is accustomed to leaning sideways when sitting. This has led to stagnation of qi and blood in the waist. The acupoints I’m pressing now can relax the tendons and invigorate blood circulation. Now that the qi and blood are flowing, it shouldn’t hurt as much, right?”

Nanny Hong’s eyebrows twitched.

One summer, the old lady had gone on an excursion with several other ladies. While passing through Jin’an Street, they happened to encounter a street fight between two shops, which startled the horse pulling the carriage and caused the old lady to wrench her back. Since then, her health had never been the same. How could this Second Miss Chu know just by feeling the bones?

After several rounds of pressing and kneading, Old Lady Jiang relaxed her brows comfortably and couldn’t help but compare it to Physician Yuan’s massage from earlier: “This is even more effective than Physician Yuan’s massage.”

Among the physicians who had treated her before, some had been able to relieve pain immediately like this, but they all relied on decoctions. Moreover, the pain-relieving effects grew weaker over time. This unknown Second Miss Chu, however, used acupressure techniques to relieve pain. The method was different, and the pain relief was more effective…

“You flatter me, Madam,” said Chu Yufu as she withdrew her hands and stood up.

When Old Lady Jiang looked at her again, there was a hint of respect in her expression: “I had no idea there was an official’s daughter in the capital who studied medicine…”

“My maternal grandfather was skilled in medicine, and my mother also knew a little. I just learned by osmosis,” Chu Yufu said with a smile.

No wonder—it was a family tradition. A flicker of understanding passed through the old lady’s eyes. Then she heard Chu Yufu continue: “Actually, Madam’s illness isn’t really a difficult or complicated condition. It’s not hard to treat.”

Old Lady Jiang was taken aback and repeated vaguely, “Not hard to treat?”

“Yes. In fact, the most effective way to treat arthralgia syndrome isn’t massage, hot compress, decoctions, or pills. Acupuncture to unblock the meridians is the proper method. Just now, pressing the acupoints already had an effect. Using needles would be even more effective,” Chu Yufu said gently.

“Acupuncture? Then why have the physicians never mentioned it before?” Nanny Hong, who was standing by, looked skeptical. It wasn’t that she doubted the young lady was talking nonsense, but she found it hard to believe that not a single physician in the entire capital knew acupuncture.

Chu Yufu’s gaze fell on Old Lady Jiang’s hips and legs: “The injury is in the waist, and the pain extends to the hips and legs. Applying needles requires removing clothing. Even if physicians had the skill to bring the dying back to life, how could they undress a woman? Since it’s an impractical method, why bother mentioning it? Even I, today, have overstepped.”

Back when she was studying, she had heard two ancient case studies from her teacher.

One was about the wife of a wealthy merchant in the Qing Dynasty who suffered from mastitis. Ashamed to speak of it, she only sought treatment when the pain became so severe that her chest festered and she fainted. By then, it was too late, and she ultimately died of the illness.

The other was about a lady in the Qing Dynasty who experienced postpartum bleeding. Due to the strict separation between men and women, she could not receive treatment and only wrapped her abdomen with cloth strips. This led to a fatal hemorrhage. Her family claimed she ‘died with her virtue intact’ and was awarded a plaque by the authorities in recognition.

Here, due to the concept of propriety that men and women should not touch each other, it was particularly difficult for women to receive medical treatment. Old Lady Jiang’s injury was in a private area, making it even more impossible for a physician to remove her clothing for examination. Moreover, this concept was deeply ingrained. Physicians themselves would subconsciously make distinctions when diagnosing and treating patients. Physician Yuan, a renowned traumatologist in the capital, only dared to prescribe hot compress medicinal packs for conservative treatment. If the old lady had been a man, perhaps the illness wouldn’t have been dragged on until it became so severe.

Nanny Hong and Old Lady Jiang also thought of this, and for a moment, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions—they couldn’t tell whether to be happy or unhappy.

They were happy because, according to Second Miss Chu, this tormenting waist ailment could be cured. They were unhappy because, if she weren’t a woman, the illness wouldn’t have been delayed for so long, making her suffer needlessly for all these years. But there was no helping it—who could blame them when all the famous physicians in the capital were men?

“The Bodhisattva has blessed us… It’s good that it can be treated, it’s good that it can be treated,” Nanny Hong covered her chest, her eyes shining. “Miss, may I ask, if you were to treat it, how long would it take to cure our Madam’s illness?”

Although Old Lady Jiang didn’t speak, her eyes were fixed firmly on Chu Yufu, faint hope within them.

“Let’s try it once first to see the effects. If all goes well, it should take about three months to recover,” Chu Yufu thought for a moment and said.

Based on what she had observed earlier, if acupuncture was administered continuously, two months would actually be enough. But it was better not to speak in absolute terms, so she added an extra month.

Hearing her reply, the master and servant were overjoyed—this was far better than they had expected. After discussing the details for a while, they decided to administer the first acupuncture treatment that very day. Chu Yufu walked to the door and summoned Lan Zhu, taking the needle pouch she had brought.

Although the old lady had urged them to go enjoy the snow, the Zhao siblings and Lu Jia’an had not gone far. A maid had set up a charcoal brazier under the corridor beside the warming room, and the three of them were sitting there chatting. When they saw Chu Yufu come out to fetch the needles, they gathered around her.

“Miss Chu, how is my grandmother?” Zhao Hanyun’s eyes were still slightly red, and her voice was muffled as she spoke. Standing beside her, her brother, the Zhao heir, gently patted her back in silent comfort.

Chu Yufu blinked, deliberately playing coy: “The old lady’s illness is both easy and difficult to treat.”

Zhao Hanyun tightened her grip on her handkerchief, and the Zhao heir frowned slightly: “…Is it because some rare medicinal herbs are required?”

She shook her head and said: “The key lies in finding the right person to treat it. The old lady’s condition is just a common case of arthralgia syndrome. With the right treatment method, it can be cured in less than two or three months. However, the injury is in the waist and leg area, and the physicians invited were hindered by the distinction between men and women, making it difficult for them to provide proper treatment. That’s why it has been delayed repeatedly. But since I am a woman like the old lady, this barrier is removed—so isn’t it easier now?”

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll administer an acupuncture treatment for the old lady today, and she’ll feel much more comfortable.” After saying this, she smiled and waved the needle pouch in her hand.

Upon hearing this, the Zhao heir fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly in gratitude: “Then we’ll trouble you.”

Chu Yufu smiled faintly, turned, and walked back into the warming room, only to notice that her cousin Lu Jia’an had followed her in. She closed the door behind them, tugged at Chu Yufu’s sleeve, and spoke with urgency.

“Second Cousin… didn’t we agree that you would just take a look? What if, just what if, something happens to Old Lady Jiang because of your treatment? Grandmother and Uncle didn’t instruct you to do this…” She deliberately lowered her voice and glanced toward the direction behind the screen in the warming room.

Chu Yufu took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze: “Don’t worry, Cousin. If I weren’t confident, why would I have offered? I promise that even if it doesn’t cure her, it won’t make things worse.”

Just as Lu Jia’an was about to say more, she was interrupted by Nanny Hong’s voice from behind the screen: “Has Miss Chu returned?”

Chu Yufu raised her voice slightly in response: “Please wait a moment, Nanny. I’ll be there after washing my hands.” With that, she opened the door, gently pushed Lu Jia’an out, and walked to the water basin prepared by the maid. She rolled up her sleeves and began washing her hands.

After washing her hands, she walked around the screen and saw that everything was ready on the other side. An additional charcoal brazier had been lit by the bed. The old lady’s upper garments were rolled up to her waist, and she was completely undressed below. Chu Yufu took out the silver needles, sterilized them over the flame, and began inserting them starting from the Shenshu and Dachangshu acupoints on the lower back, all the way down to the calf.

Half an incense stick later, all the acupoints were needled. She let down the bed curtains to cover the bed securely and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

This treatment was of great significance to her. Although she appeared calm on the surface, she was actually quite nervous inside. Her hands in this body were not steady enough, and the Huantiao acupoint on the buttocks was a key acupoint related to the liver and gallbladder. Deep insertion could reach the area where the sciatic nerve runs. If done correctly, it could alleviate numbness and pain from the buttocks down to the lower limbs. If done incorrectly, it could worsen the numbness and pain. She dared not relax in the slightest.

After filling the water clock, she sat quietly at the table, waiting for a quarter of an hour to pass before rotating the needles.

· 

Outside the warming room, under the corridor.

Seeing Lu Jia’an follow into the warming room, Zhao Hanyun turned to her brother: “Second Brother, I’m confused. Did you really invite the sisters here just to treat Grandmother?”

Zhao Chunheng turned and walked back to the charcoal brazier, lifting his cloak as he sat down. He glanced at his sister: “Can’t it be both?”

It was true that he had taken a liking to the Lu family’s young lady, but it was also true that he had learned of Miss Chu’s medical skills and wanted to invite her to treat his grandmother.

His grandmother had been ill for many years, and many famous physicians from inside and outside the capital had been consulted. Since this summer, he had changed his approach, thinking of inviting physicians who traveled widely, had extensive experience, and were skilled but not widely known to treat his grandmother.

He had long heard about the minimal casualties among the Chu family’s servants during the recent epidemic. Before the Cold Dispelling Gathering, he had sent someone to inquire, hoping that since she was a woman, she might be able to properly examine his grandmother. Coincidentally, Miss Lu had brought it up during the banquet, so he had gone along with it. However, he never expected that Miss Chu’s skills would far exceed his imagination.

As they spoke, the door of the warming room opened again, and Lu Jia’an stepped out. Zhao Hanyun waved to her: “Come warm yourself quickly! Did Miss Chu say how long she’ll be inside? If it’s not too long, why don’t we wait for her to come out, and then all go to the backyard together?”