Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1925 Sustaining Life
The two female caregivers didn't look very old, around thirty-six or thirty-seven. They were wearing uniforms with the logo of a third-party medical and elderly care center, a very well-known third-party labor service company. They didn't talk much, but their manners and speech were very proper.

"Thank you both for your hard work! We suddenly received such a rare patient with a young age, and our nurses lack professional nursing experience, so we had to ask you two to come and help out." Bian Mu walked up to the two female caregivers and said a few polite words.

"I've heard so much about you, but I'm surprised to see you so young. It's alright, just do as you see fit," the slightly older female caregiver replied with a smile.

The other nurse just smiled politely at Bian Mu and didn't say anything.

"I'm going to give the young patient a strong acupuncture needle in his lower back in a little while. He's still young and it might be a bit difficult for him to handle. He'll become very weak for a short time. I'd appreciate it if you two could help him to the toilet. After he's done, I'll prepare some herbal medicine for him. I'd appreciate it if you two could give it to him. You have experience in this area," Bian Mu explained with a smile.

"Okay, I'll do my best!" the slightly older female caregiver replied with a smile.

Afterwards, Bian Mu showed the boy's grandmother the printed agreement. The old lady glanced at it briefly and then signed her name and pressed her fingerprint on it.

Bian Mu then signed and pressed his fingerprint.

Before acupuncture, Bian Mu used a type of moxa stick known in the industry as "dragon head moxibustion" to moxibust the boy for about fifteen minutes. There was no other way; not only was the family poor, but the boy was also considered a disabled child by his family. To everyone, he had become a burden, and his daily life and nutrition were definitely much worse.

Bian Mu needed to replenish the boy's vital energy; otherwise, with a heavy needle treatment later, the little boy might not be able to get up from the treatment bed.

……

I took her pulse again, and... well, that's about right.

The hollow Xuanlong needle has an extremely fine air hole carved in the very center. It is three times the length of a regular acupuncture needle and its diameter is slightly thicker. However, if one's own qi strength is not up to standard, no traditional Chinese medicine doctor would dare to insert this type of needle.

It is said that this kind of needle can easily communicate with the divine.

When selecting the "Xuanshu" acupoint, given the boy's age, Bian Mu deliberately tilted the needle tip slightly to the left, as long as it did not deviate from the effective area. In other words, although a heavy needle was inserted, the actual effect of the needle was already reduced by half from the beginning.

Lift and twist slowly, then lift and twist again... until you get the energy!
Following the energy pathway, Bian Mu examined and searched upwards for the Qi reaching the top of the head. The boy was weak, and it took him five or six minutes to regain his strength. Bian Mu dared not be careless, so he stopped the needles and paused his breathing. At the same time, he used his right thumb to press a small acupoint on the right side of the boy's spine.

Upon taking the pulse again, it was found to be alright; the Qi pathway had been "tied" by Bian Mu and was temporarily immobilized.

Immediately afterwards, Bian Mu used his left index and middle fingers together to massage the boy's spine from bottom to top several times until he felt that the new energy pathways had changed before he stopped.

Subsequently, using the same acupuncture technique, Bian Mu explored the Qi pathways downwards along the midline. The method was similar, and he used finger acupressure to locate and seal the Qi, creating a second "Qi lock" to lock in the gradually emerging Yang Qi.

Continuing to insert and withdraw the needles, regulate the Qi, and so on... Bian Mu's long-practiced internal strength had been depleted by about 50-60%, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

……

"Please take a moment to massage the palms of the young patient's hands, specifically the Laogong acupoint." As she spoke, Bian Mu lit two moxa sticks and began applying moxibustion to the boy's Yongquan acupoint on the soles of his feet, one in each hand.

……

Strangely enough, the boy barely moved from the moment he lay on the treatment bed, as if he were extremely tired and was now in a semi-conscious state.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy started coughing...

Bian Mu secretly counted the sounds: one, two, three... each sound reached his ears until after more than thirty, when Bian Mu stopped the moxibustion.

"Gentlemen! You can stop for a moment, please have a seat!" After gesturing for the two female caregivers to sit beside her, Bian Mu began to "unlock" the boy's breathing, using the same two-finger massage technique repeatedly until the boy finally stopped coughing. Bian Mu then removed the acupuncture needles and took a bottle of "detoxifying ointment" from the trolley, applying it to the area around the needle insertion points with a cotton swab.

"That's enough! Thank you both for helping him to the bathroom for a bit." As she spoke, Bian Mu helped the boy up from the treatment bed and massaged his knees for a while.

When they got out of bed, the boy's legs were visibly weak, but thankfully, he had some backbone, or perhaps instinctively he knew he had to grit his teeth and get through this ordeal. With half-support and half-help, the three of them headed towards the bathroom.

……

Bian Mu's back was noticeably stiff; she had slightly lost her breath earlier. Bian Mu ignored it and politely urged the young patient's grandmother and uncle to have some tea and a snack.

Bian Mu had drunk about five or six cups, but Luo Zhanqi was still a little worried, so he brought up two pots of freshly brewed tea, fruit, and snacks from the lobby on the first floor to greet him.

"It went fairly smoothly, didn't it?" Luo Zhanqi asked casually.

"Not bad! I just disinfected the needles. Are you all set?" Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"The main focus is still on bone setting. There are a few minor cases left, which are being treated with heat therapy right now. We'll deal with them later," Luo Zhanqi replied with a smile.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, Luo Zhanqi chatted for a few minutes before turning around and going out to attend to his own business.

……

The boy finally came out, somewhat weak, and his legs were still shaky even with the two female caregivers supporting him.

"Did you take all the medicine?" Bian Mu asked with concern.

"He drank it all. This child is quite sensible. He didn't spit out a single drop of that foul-smelling medicine. Maybe he understands that this is his only chance to escape. Sigh! Poor thing..." the slightly older female caregiver replied with a smile.

"That's good. Your poop must be really smelly and stinky!" Bian Mu asked with a smile.

“Indeed! It almost made us throw up. Luckily we were prepared beforehand. We not only wore an extra layer of masks, but also put some tripe foam in the middle layer, otherwise we would have really made a fool of ourselves!” the younger female caregiver replied with a smile.

"You two have really worked hard. After the internal evil was removed, the child feels much better. Come! Let him lie down and rest. I've already arranged for the pharmacy to make him some ginseng soup. Please, have a seat here, have some tea, and some snacks!" As she spoke, Bian Mu very politely invited the two female caregivers to sit down.

The two female caregivers took off their masks, drank some good tea, and ate nothing.

Afterwards, Bian Mu massaged the inside of the boy's arms for a long time, and before long, the boy quietly fell asleep...

……

The ginseng soup that Zhang Jinsi personally brewed was indeed extraordinary. The two female caregivers were indeed experienced. They gently woke the boy, one fed him the soup, and the other helped him sit more comfortably from behind.

After drinking a bowl of ginseng soup, the boy was covered in sweat.

Bian Mu took the boy's pulse, which was quite steady.

Bian Mu secretly rejoiced for a long time.

"We're basically done! I'm going downstairs to continue seeing other patients. You all should rest a bit. Once all the sweat on the child has dried up, any one of you can come downstairs and let me know. That will mark the end of today's treatment." With that, Bian Mu went downstairs to see other patients.