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Li Qiulian looked at Chu Yue with disbelief.
“Really?”
For years, most of her time had been spent confined to bed. She desperately hoped to walk normally again.
Yun Cuihe was overjoyed and tearful. “That’s wonderful! Yueyue, how should we treat your Grandma’s leg?”
She knew Chu Yue never spoke without certainty. If she said something was possible, it surely was.
At that moment, a soft voice chimed in, catching everyone’s attention.
“Could you tell me what to keep in mind, Cousin-in-law? I’m the one who usually takes care of Grandma, so I’ll make sure to follow your instructions.”
Chu Yue turned to see a neatly dressed young girl of about twelve years old.
“This is Meng Xiang, your second uncle’s youngest daughter. She’s twelve this year. Such a filial and thoughtful girl,” Li Qiulian said, waving Meng Xiang over.
Meng Xiang approached, greeting Chu Yue with a polite bow.
“Meng Xiang greets Cousin-in-law.”
Chu Yue returned the bow with a smile.
“Meng Xiang, does your family have any mugwort at home?”
Meng Xiang nodded quickly. “Yes, we still have some from the Dragon Boat Festival. It’s hanging in the kitchen. I’ll go fetch it right away.”
In no time, Meng Xiang returned with the mugwort. Chu Yue lit a stick and pointed to key points on the knee as she demonstrated for Meng Xiang.
“This is the He Ding point, these two are the Nei Xi Yan and Wai Xi Yan points, and here are the San Yin Jiao and Yang Ling Quan points. You need to perform moxibustion on these points every other day, and it requires consistent effort over a long period.” Chu Yue coughed lightly from the mugwort smoke before continuing, “The mugwort I’m using is untreated. You can have your first and second uncles grind it into moxa wool to make thicker moxa sticks. They’ll produce less smoke and be more effective.”
Meng Xiang nodded earnestly. “I’ve got it. Is there anything else?”
“In cold weather, you can mix coarse salt and Sichuan peppercorns, heat them up, and put them in a cloth bag to apply on Grandma’s knees. It will help dispel cold and improve circulation. You can also steep some eucommia wine for seven days and let her drink a small cup twice daily. Make sure she doesn’t overdrink, though.” Chu Yue looked at Meng Xiang. “Besides that, massage regularly, let her walk a bit, but avoid heavy lifting or exposure to the cold.”
Seeing how detailed and knowledgeable Chu Yue was, Meng Xiang couldn’t help but admire her.
“You’re amazing, Cousin-in-law, even better than the doctors in our village.”
Chu Yue smiled modestly. “I’ve only picked up a little knowledge. I just remember what I’ve seen doctors do. If I encounter something tricky, I’m not much help.”
Li Qiulian turned to Yun Cuihe. “Where did you find such a treasure? She’s so young yet so capable.”
Yun Cuihe chuckled. “Isn’t she? Yueyue is the pride of our family. Even the resident doctor at the pharmacy in Nanping Town wanted to recommend a mentor for her. She must have some talent.”
Li Qiulian nodded approvingly. “Wonderful. The more accomplished the children, the happier this old woman feels.”
In those days, being a doctor was a highly regarded profession. Learning medical skills would ensure a stable livelihood.
Meng Xiang looked at Chu Yue with admiration, wishing she could be just as capable someday.
Since the mugwort wasn’t processed, it burned quickly, and the stick was soon used up. Chu Yue tossed the leftover stalk outside and gave Meng Xiang a few more instructions. Just then, her first and second aunts called them to the kitchen for lunch.
Lunch consisted of coarse rice porridge, a pot of thick fish soup, and a dish of salted vegetables. Chu Yue poured a bowl of fish soup, added a few wolfberries she had wrapped in a cloth, and handed it to Yun Cuihe.
Her action was so natural and unassuming that it caught the attention of Aunt Xu, her first uncle’s wife, who couldn’t help but admire her.
“Cuihe, your daughter-in-law is truly filial.”
Yun Cuihe nodded and smiled proudly.
Second Aunt Jiang, however, muttered under her breath, “She’s probably just putting on a show. Who carries wolfberries around everywhere?”
Her comment caused the atmosphere in the kitchen to tense up.
Yun Cuihe frowned in displeasure but held her tongue since they were family.
Lu Xinghe’s expression darkened, making it hard to read his thoughts, while Lu Xing’an wore a stern face that almost screamed his disapproval.
Lu Xingping set his chopsticks down and grumbled, “Second Aunt, that’s not right. My sister-in-law has always been like this, not just for a day or two.”
No one knew better than the brothers how much their sister-in-law cared for their mother. If anyone badmouthed her, he wouldn’t stand for it.
At that moment, Yun Zhengping slammed his chopsticks on the table.
“Second daughter-in-law, can’t you keep your mouth shut while eating?”
Embarrassed, Jiang laughed nervously, trying to diffuse the tension. “Oh, don’t mind me. I was just rambling. Treat it as nonsense and eat up.”
Since Jiang was her sister-in-law and they’d be leaving after lunch, Yun Cuihe chose not to argue further.
After lunch, Yun Cuihe spent some time with Li Qiulian. She discreetly placed a pouch containing 100 copper coins under her pillow before the family bid their goodbyes. They had a long way home and didn’t want to risk traveling after dark.
Yun Dabao hitched their ox to the cart and took them toward Canghe Town.
“Elder Brother, I’ll have to trouble you and Second Brother to look after Father and Mother. I’ll visit again when I have time, but with our house being built soon, the next visit might not be until the New Year.”
Yun Dabao, who was driving the ox cart, glanced at Yun Cuihe in surprise.
“Building a new house?” He thought about it carefully. His younger sister’s current house was indeed not very sturdy. It was about time for a new one. “Do you have enough money? Why didn’t you mention it earlier? Even though your elder and second brothers aren’t well-off, we could still scrape together one or two taels to help you out.”
Yun Cuihe felt a warm surge in her heart and quickly shook her head with a smile. “We have enough. If we didn’t, I’d have brought it up when we were at home.”
Yun Dabao thought for a moment before asking, “When are you planning to start construction?”
“My father-in-law picked an auspicious date. We’ll start tomorrow.”
Yun Dabao raised his eyebrows. “That’s quick! I’ll let Father and Mother know, and I’ll bring Chengcai along to help out for a few days.”
With large earthen bricks, building a house was a relatively fast process. With two extra hands to help, it shouldn’t take too long, nor would it be too much of a burden.
Yun Cuihe beamed with gratitude, half-jokingly saying, “Alright, I’ll pay wages to both you and Second Brother then.”
Hearing this, Yun Dabao burst out laughing. “Nonsense! You have it tough as it is. Your elder and second brothers helping out is just the right thing to do. No need to talk about money.”