Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2003 Yin Needle Yang Prick
As the weather gets cooler, Bian Mu's energy and inner spirit are being depleted quite a bit every day. Even the most exquisite restaurants can't provide him with the most suitable food. The Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of August is the best time of year to replenish his body in autumn. If he misses it, he'll have to wait until next year. So, whenever possible, Bian Mu insists on going back to the Wu family's old house to cook for himself.

Every morning, Bian Mu gets up around five o'clock. Before deciding what to eat for lunch, he prepares some of the relevant ingredients. Compared to ordinary people, he is much more efficient, so he prepares quite thoroughly. When he returns from the clinic, almost everything is semi-finished, and it doesn't take him long to start cooking.

Lamb, fresh fish, wild mushrooms, yam, kelp... Bian Mu prepared a "Five Seasonal Delicacies Stew." The dough she had kneaded beforehand had already rested. She pulled out a bowl of small noodles and ate it hot with the stew. It was so nourishing! Delicious! At the same time, a soup made of goji berries, red dates, and white fungus was simmering on a low flame on another stove. After finishing her meal, she drank two bowls, felt full of energy, and then took a short nap. All the internal and external fatigue in her body was completely eliminated!
At the dining table, Bian Mu was enjoying a bowl of ramen. The mutton that Guan Yuelin had brought was incredibly delicious, completely different from the so-called fresh mutton sold in supermarkets.

The phone rang.

Dian Shuhua's phone call.

"have you eaten?"

"I just finished eating. Is the boss available right now? I'd like to give a briefing on my understanding of the treatment plan for that rich kid."

"No rush! Let's eat and chat! What have you eaten?"

"Two dishes, one meat and one vegetable. I cooked the vegetable myself, but I bought the stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat from outside. I also cooked some rice and made a tomato and egg soup. That's all!"

"That's it?! That won't do! You've been wandering around for years, and the internal and external evil energy in your body is almost seeping into your bones. Tomorrow, do the opposite: cook your own meat and vegetables. Buy a small amount of the best mutton, don't be lazy, and don't use the refrigerator unless necessary. For vegetables, you can order takeout from a nearby restaurant, but not the kind that's delivered by a delivery guy. Go there yourself and watch the chef cook. If they won't let you into the kitchen, we'll go to another restaurant. Anyway, you wouldn't want to go to a fancy restaurant. Remember! Take some Codonopsis pilosula, grind it into powder with some Sichuan peppercorns, and add it every time you cook meat or vegetables. From now on, every lunch must include Chinese yam. How you eat it is up to you, I'm serious!" Bian Mu solemnly instructed over the phone.

"I know! Compared to before, life is pretty good now! I'm content!"

"Hey! That's not how it works. Although you're an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, we outsiders have a clearer perspective. Those years of wandering really damaged your vitality. I can't say anything in front of the other colleagues, but don't save your salary. Just eat it all up! You're someone who can shoulder great responsibilities, so you need to take care of your own physical and mental health! If your internal energy can't recover to 70% of what it was before, how will you help me manage the clinic in the future?! Besides, we brothers have been chatting privately, and I'm planning to officially open a hospital in the future. At that time, you'll have to take charge of the business and also manage it. You definitely won't be able to handle it without some confidence."

"Thank you for your kind words, Master! I will pay attention in the future."

"Hey...that's right! Remember that! I can't take care of breakfast and dinner, but you have to take lunch seriously. If you really can't manage, I'll give you an extra 1500 yuan living allowance every month."

"No, no! Really, no! I've already taken enough! I'll change it tomorrow!"

“You’re a smart man! Autumn tonics only last for about twenty days a year. If you miss it, you miss it. Now let’s talk about that rich kid. If we were to arrange for him to come to your place for acupuncture, could you handle it?”

“That won’t do! It would definitely interfere with your important business, Master! He’s actually quite ill…” Dian Shuhua replied sincerely over the phone.

"Are you afraid of taking responsibility if you make a mistake, or...?" Bian Mu asked tentatively on the other end of the phone.

"My medical skills are insufficient; I dare not perform acupuncture!"

"Tell me more specifically!"

"That middle-aged man... his qi and blood are separated. If I were to use acupuncture, I wouldn't even know whether to use qi-regulating needles first or blood-regulating needles. Even if I practice qi- and blood-separation needles every day, I can never quite grasp the technique. I've only experienced it on myself a few times, but... I can't possibly reproduce it correctly. At best, it's just a fluke. If I were to use acupuncture on him like that, wouldn't I be pushing him closer to heart failure?" Dian Shuhua replied truthfully on the other end of the phone. Hearing this, Bian Mu was slightly taken aback.

As expected, in terms of acupuncture skills, Dian Shuhua is definitely second among all his colleagues at the "New Concept" clinic.

Liang Xiangyin's approach to acupuncture follows the "Thirteen Yin-Yang Meridians" method, the exact opposite of his junior brother Sima Kui. Bian Mu speculated that Cao Qiling, the sect leader's eldest disciple who had passed away many years ago, should have been able to use both hands to apply acupuncture along both Yin and Yang paths. With his advancing age, Liang Xiangyin certainly couldn't perform even a single needle application of the Nine Yang Reversal technique. Therefore, in the field of acupuncture, Liang Xiangyin was far inferior to Dian Shuhua.

Dr. Ning has always remained at the academic level. Although she is already a top figure among the many female TCM doctors in Lijin, she still cannot compare with acupuncture "masters" like Dian Shuhua who have studied diligently. Moreover, Dian Shuhua's special life experience of being homeless for many years has given her a deep understanding of the Yinlu acupuncture of the "Thirteen Yin Fu Meridians," which is something that most of her colleagues cannot match.

"No need to be modest! Looking at Lijin City right now, you're already quite skilled. By the way, do me a favor and give a few acupuncture treatments for a special patient." As she spoke, Bian Mu explained in detail what Dean Lu had asked of her over the phone.

Is it appropriate for me to go?

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. I haven't met the person before. Dean Lu seems a bit hesitant. My preliminary analysis suggests that the patient is currently in the pre-emergence stage of blood-qi separation, which closely matches your current acupuncture skills. If all goes well, you might try inserting yang needles into your left hand and yin needles into your right hand. Once you feel a slight sensation of blood-qi separation, stop. Three days later, repeat the process. Do this five times, and the person's most critical qi blockage will be resolved. You and Dean Lu can then determine the situation by taking their pulses."

"I'm going alone?!"

"Dean Lu will definitely come to pick you up personally. He's an excellent acupuncturist, but he's getting old, and his hands are shaking so much..."

"Well... I'll give it a try. When I encounter acupuncture difficulties, my soles start to sweat. Don't blame me for running away at the last minute, Master!"

"Hahaha...Is that so? Amazing! Okay! Stop when your soles are sweating, you still have me! At that point, we won't care about any of those damn taboos, saving lives is the priority!"

"I'll follow the librarian's arrangements!"

"Then... let Pharmacist Zhang prepare some ginseng tea for you. He's very skilled; you really can't do it yourself. Take some time to recover, and go over the day after tomorrow!"

"Morning or afternoon?"

"Let's use the noon acupuncture! You already have some illness in your body, so everyone should be careful. At noon, we'll use the yang acupuncture technique to insert the yin talisman acupuncture!"

"understood!"

In short, you must pay close attention to your diet!

"I will! If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now so as not to disturb your lunch break."

"You're being so polite... We'll talk later!" With that, Bian Mu hung up the phone.