Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

Liu Mei arrived just after 2 p.m.

She changed into a white shirt, tied her hair back up, and looked much more energetic than when she had lunch.

She stood at the entrance of the health center and looked inside, as if she were taking a serious look at the place for the first time, before stepping inside.

"Hello, could you please tell me where Dr. Chen's office is?"

Liu Mei asked Liu Mazi, who was in the guardhouse.

"Go straight ahead and turn left. Dr. Chen's clinic is inside the pharmacy." Liu Mazi stood up and quickly pointed out the way.

He's used to it; many people who come to the health center are there specifically to see Chen Ping.

"Thank you!" Liu Mei said, then walked towards Chen Ping's clinic.

"Hello, are you here to see a doctor or to pick up medicine?" Wang Tao asked when he saw Liu Mei.

"I'm here to see Dr. Chen..." Liu Mei said.

Upon hearing Liu Mei's voice, Chen Ping hurriedly came out of the consultation room!

"Sister-in-law is here. Come on, let's go to the treatment room first," Chen Ping said politely when he saw Liu Mei.

"Okay!" Liu Mei nodded.

"Wang Tao, go get a notebook and watch how I treat patients."

Chen Ping said to Wang Tao.

"Okay..." Wang Tao hurriedly ran into the consultation room and came out with paper and pen.

Liu Mei followed Chen Ping toward the treatment room.

The treatment room was small but clean.

A medical bed was placed against the wall, next to a bedside table with a sterilization tray and several rolls of gauze on it.

Chen Ping had Liu Mei lie down on her side on the examination bed, took out his needle case from his pocket and unfolded it. A row of silver needles gleamed with a faint, cold light in the light coming through the window.

Wang Tao stood beside the examination bed, his notebook open to a blank page, pen poking at the paper, waiting to be recorded.

Chen Ping disinfected Liu Mei's left wrist and the sides of her head with iodine-soaked cotton balls. "Sister-in-law, your headache is menstrual headache."

"Many women of this age experience this: their blood and qi fluctuate greatly before and after menstruation. When liver blood is insufficient, qi rushes to the head, causing throbbing pain."

"The CT scan didn't show anything because it's not a growth; it's a problem with the rhythm of Qi and blood."

As he spoke, he took out the finest silver needle and gently inserted it into Liu Mei's left temple, less than half an inch deep. The twisting motion of his fingers was small but the rhythm was very steady.

Wang Tao was taking notes quickly beside him, the pen tip scratching on the paper.

Chen Ping took a second needle and inserted it into the Fengchi acupoint, inserting it a little deeper and rotating it in the opposite direction to the first one.

"Fengchi is an acupoint on the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang. It can dispel wind and unblock the meridians. This acupoint is essential for headaches, especially migraines."

"The temples are local pain points; directly unblocking the meridians can relieve pain."

"The two acupoints work together, one above and one below, to draw the upward-rushing qi and blood down."

The third needle was inserted into the Hegu acupoint, located at the web between the thumb and index finger of the left hand. "Hegu is the original acupoint of the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming. It can unblock the meridian and relieve pain. Needling this acupoint is very effective when you have a headache."

The fourth needle was inserted into the Taichong acupoint, located between the first and second metatarsal bones on the dorsum of the left foot. "Taichong is the original acupoint of the liver meridian. When liver blood is insufficient, liver qi tends to rise. Taichong can guide this qi downward and prevent it from rising to the head."

The last needle was inserted at Sanyinjiao, on the inner side of the lower leg. "Sanyinjiao is the meeting point of the liver, spleen and kidney meridians. It can nourish blood and regulate menstruation, and fundamentally replenish liver blood."

"This acupoint is very effective for gynecological diseases and menstrual headaches."

After inserting the five needles, Chen Ping told Liu Mei to stay in a side-lying position and not move. He then glanced at Wang Tao's notebook and asked, "Did you write it down?"

Wang Tao looked down at the few lines he had written, nodded, and said, "I remember. Master, you said it's the combination of five acupoints: Taichong to descend rebellious Qi, Fengchi to unblock the meridians, Taiyang to relieve pain, Hegu to regulate Qi, and Sanyinjiao to nourish blood."

Chen Ping nodded. "Leave the five needles in for twenty minutes. During this time, rotate them every five minutes, using a light touch and avoiding large movements."

"Twist it in the direction I just showed you, following the direction of the needle handle. Don't use too much force. Wait here for twenty minutes, then call me."

Wang Tao closed the notebook and sat down on the chair next to the treatment bed.

His eyes were fixed on the handles of the silver needles, as if he were going over the operation he had just performed in his mind.

Chen Ping turned around, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote a prescription on the prescription paper.

Angelica sinensis 15g, Paeonia lactiflora 15g, Ligusticum chuanxiong 10g, Rehmannia glutinosa 15g, Bupleurum chinense 10g, Cyperus rotundus 10g, Vitex trifolia 10g, Glycyrrhiza uralensis 6g.

"Watch carefully, turn it once every five minutes, I'm going to the pharmacy to get the medicine," Chen Ping instructed Wang Tao.

"Don't worry, Master, I've got it!"

Wang Tao nodded!

Chen Ping quickly left the treatment room and turned to enter the pharmacy.

He didn't let Sun Xiaoyan get the medicine; instead, he started getting the medicine himself according to the prescription.

"Xiao Yan, can you still hold on?" Chen Ping asked Sun Xiao Yan while preparing the medicine.

"It's alright, it shouldn't be too busy this afternoon." Sun Xiaoyan nodded. "I really don't know how Sister Fang manages to keep up all that time alone in the pharmacy."

"Before, the health center had few patients. If there were three or four patients a day, that was considered a lot. Li Fang was so bored that she would eat sunflower seeds all day long."

"There have been more patients recently, but Li Fang's work ability is truly outstanding. She can find all the medicines in the pharmacy with her eyes closed."

As Chen Ping spoke, he gathered the medicine and then put it in a plastic bag.

"Master, it's time..." Wang Tao's voice came from the consultation room.

Chen Ping carried the prepared medicine back to the treatment room, then stepped forward and slowly removed the needle.

"Sister-in-law, you can get up now," Chen Ping said.

Liu Mei slowly sat up, stretched her neck, and pressed her left temple. "Dr. Chen, the throbbing pain really isn't there anymore, and my whole head feels much better."

Chen Ping carefully put the needles back into the needle case. "Sister-in-law, I've prepared the medicine for you. Five doses, decoct and take twice a day. After you finish the medicine, come back for another acupuncture session before your next period. You should be fully recovered in two cycles."

"Okay!" Liu Mei nodded, then glanced at Wang Tao. "Dr. Chen, this is your apprentice? The young man looks quite spirited."

"Yes, his name is Wang Tao, my apprentice, and also an intern at the health center." After Chen Ping finished speaking, he looked at Wang Tao, "Wang Tao, this is Secretary Zhang's wife."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tao was momentarily stunned, then quickly greeted her, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

"Hello!" Liu Mei smiled at Wang Tao, then glanced at Chen Ping, as if she had something to say, but seemed a little embarrassed to say it.

Seeing this, Chen Ping immediately waved to Wang Tao, "Wang Tao, go back to the consultation room and see if there are any patients."

Wang Tao left with the notebook, leaving only Liu Mei and Chen Ping in the consultation room.

"Sister-in-law, is there anything else you want to ask?" Chen Ping asked.

Liu Mei blushed slightly, her expression becoming somewhat awkward.

"Dr. Chen, I'm a little embarrassed to ask about this, but my husband, Mr. Zhang..."