Chapter 3: The First Move

  On the third day, all the ditches were finally dug. Zhao Yang ran to the end of the field and opened the irrigation canal, watching the river water flow through the orchard, his heart filled with immense satisfaction.

  With "Zengyuan Fa", no matter how tired he was after a day's work, he could always recover after a night's rest. So, except for the first day, Zhao Yang single-handedly completed the remaining tasks!

  In this way, the amount of labor every day is very large, but it will awaken his body that has not been exercised for a long time. After three days, the benefits are immense. Except for stomach qi and kidney qi remaining unchanged, spleen qi rose to fullness, and other organs all rose to 90%.

  After watering the land, Zhao Yang put the iron rake and hoe into the house and walked home in the twilight.

  Still a dozen meters away from the gate, my ears, sharpened by increased blood pressure, picked up my mother's cheerful voice: "Auntie, you have found a suitable match? Great! What does the girl do? Oh, she works at the county hospital... nurse... only 21 this year... how tall is she? One meter five eight... oh... good... when Yangyang comes back, I'll tell him! After it's agreed upon, we'll also need to trouble you to help arrange for the two of them to meet..."

  Zhao Yang let out a faint sigh and walked towards the outskirts of the village.

  Standing at the foot of the mountain, the round moon in the sky also seemed to have turned into that clean and flawless face. He shook his head hastily, as if wanting to shake off that face from his mind. Yet, it was already the deepest impression in his heart!

  It wasn't until his cell phone rang that he remembered he hadn't called home. He answered the phone and said, "Something's come up, I'm going to the city."

  Put down the phone, dazed and exited the meeting room. Thought that there's nothing much to do on the farm for now, so might as well take this opportunity to practice the medical skills inherited from Xiao Yao Zi. As for the blind date, it's best to avoid it for another day!

  Went to a small shop to buy noodles and bread. The house in the orchard has pots, vegetables, and even raises several chickens for eggs, so the problem of eating is also solved.

  The next morning, Zhao Yang carried a woven basket and went up Yulong Mountain.

  The plants on Yulong Mountain are very rich, and Zhao Yang matches them with the knowledge in his mind while picking herbs.

  He spent the whole day on the mountain, and got a lot of herbs such as Eucommia ulmoides, Lonicera japonica, Patrinia villosa, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Cimicifuga foetida, Angelica dahurica, Paeonia lactiflora, etc. After going back home and washing them clean, he thought about the effects and usage of these herbs in his mind. Once he mastered the Mirror Lake Decoction, he would be a great doctor!

  The days of leaving early and returning late only lasted for two days, his parents found out about him, they called him several times but he didn't answer, then thought about it and decided to go downtown to buy a couple of silver needles and some books on modern Chinese medicine.

  In traditional Chinese medicine clinical application, acupuncture is a very important part. The famous doctor Bian Que of the Warring States period once said: "Diseases in the skin and hair can be treated with decoctions and fumigations; those in the muscles and skin can be treated with needles and stones; those in the intestines and stomach can be treated with fire and Qi." He also inherited from his teacher Pao Zhi the "Plum Blossom Needling Method", the "Three Talents Needling Method" and the "Restoring Yang Needling Method".

  Zhao Yang arrived in Qishui City and called home, his mother's voice came over the phone: "Yang Yang, you little scoundrel, where have you been hiding? Hurry up and come home! Do you think Mom doesn't know you're still in the village? I'm telling you, I've brought back both noodles and bread!"

  Zhao Yang smiled and said: "I'm really in the city, don't believe me? Just listen!"

  Zhao Yang stood at the bus stop making a phone call, with buses coming and going, it was clear he wasn't in the village.

  "Then hurry back home, Mom has some good news for you!"

  Zhao Yang got on the bus and casually said: "Almost there! Almost there!"

  That night, Zhao Yang sneaked back into the village like a thief, went up the mountain before dawn, and returned to the village at dusk.

  As he walked past a dilapidated old house, he heard a voice inside calling out: "Mother, don't!" Then he heard a woman's anguished voice saying: "Son, let go! Mother is suffering to death! I can't bear it anymore!"

  Zhao Yang knew this was Shang Bai'an's home.

  Shang Bai'an's family of three, Shang Bai'an was injured in his youth and cannot do heavy work. The household chores mainly rely on his wife Zhu Yuanbi to do alone. In recent years, their son Shang Nianjun went out to work and earn money, so life should be better. However, Shang Bai'an has been taking medicine all the time, and disaster struck again as Zhu Yuanbi fell seriously ill!

  Zhao Yang dragged him into his home, only to see Zhu Yuanbi's belly swollen like a drum, holding a kitchen knife in her hand, while her son Shang Nianjun was crying and grasping her hand.

  Yuandi Bishi gazed weakly at her son with tears in her eyes, panting and saying: "Let go, mother is suffering, huff... I want to cut open my belly!"

  Shang Nianjun was only a little over 1.6 meters tall, three years younger than Zhao Yang, but his face was dark and rough, with a deep frown on his forehead, making him look like he was over thirty years old. He bit his lip and shook his head, choking back tears: "No way, mom! It's going to be fatal! Mom, bear it for one more day, tomorrow I'll borrow some money from my brothers and we'll go to the county hospital for surgery!"

  Yu Yuan's pale lips opened weakly, shaking her head with a hint of white hair, struggling to say: "No way, can't borrow money anymore! I shouldn't delay you any longer!"

  Zhao Yang quickly walked up, snatched the kitchen knife from Zhu Yuanbi's hand and threw it into the courtyard, held her hand with one hand, and pulled Shang Nianjun up from the ground with the other, saying: "Xiao Jun, how can you let your wife sit on the ground? Come on, help your wife to bed!"

  The two of them moved, and Zhu Yuanbi suddenly panted heavily, saying: "Don't move, I'm uncomfortable! Don't move!"

  Shang Junniang bowed her head and hugged her mother's waist, saying: "Mother, let's go back to the house!"

  Zhao Yang smiled and said: "Don't worry, madam, your illness is not difficult to cure, why would you want to die?"

  Shang Junyan suddenly lifted his head, extremely surprised and asked: "Are you Zhao Yangge from Old Man Zhao's family? Can you cure my mother's illness?"

  Zhu Yuanbi's symptoms looked like ascites, but Zhao Yang still carefully observed him with the Mirror Lake Technique. On the mirror surface that condensed in his mind, the blood and gas situation of Zhu Yuanbi's internal organs appeared, but it was still very vague, as if separated by a thick gauze curtain, but already vaguely distinguishable, with liver energy reaching only 20%. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the spleen governs water metabolism, the kidneys control urination and bowel movements, and indeed, the spleen energy and kidney energy were only slightly higher than the liver energy, at most 30%, while the other organs did not exceed 50%!

  Shang Junyan looked at Zhao Yang who didn't say a word and hesitated before asking: "Zhao Yang, are you studying medicine? Can you cure illnesses?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Bai'an rushed out of the inner room, tightly grasping the door frame and said: "You Zhao Yang are a university student, what can't you do? Yangzi, you know how to treat illnesses, don't you?"

  His words had become pleading by the end.

  Zhao Yang said, "When I was in college, there were several summers when I didn't go home. Instead, I followed the Taoist priests of Bei Shui An to learn medicine. There was a patient by the Yellow Sea who had the same illness as my mother-in-law, and in the end, he was cured by my master!"

  Shang Jun's voice trembled as he asked: "Zhao Yang, did you also learn it?"

  Zhao Yang nodded solemnly. The words above were all his nonsense, the purpose was to give them confidence. In fact, Zhu Yuanbi was the first patient Zhao Yang encountered after receiving the inheritance of Xiangyangzi, and he was also so seriously ill that he had no bottom line.

  He feared that the Shang father and son would ask more questions, so he continued: "Uncle, the air in your inner room is foul and not suitable for Auntie's illness. Why don't you take a blanket to the main hall and make a bed on the floor?"

  Just now Shang Bai'an rushed over and brought out a foul air from the house, making people want to vomit. Normal people can't stand it for long, let alone patients?

  Zhao Yang said so, which made the Shang family even more at ease, and soon a house was rented.

  Shang Bai'an was only one year older than Zhao Yang's father, Zhao Bingxing, but he looked like a man in his sixties or seventies. He got tired and started coughing just from helping to carry a quilt, and couldn't stand for long periods of time; after standing for a short while, he had to bend over at the waist.

  Wishing Qing Lian a good rest, Zhao Yang pretended to take her right hand and feel the pulse, but in fact he was thinking about the treatment method. As the saying goes, "long illness must be virtual", many prescriptions dare not be used. This is also his first time treating someone's illness, although there are many prescriptions, for a while, he doesn't know which one to choose.

  The Shang family father and son did not dare to speak out. After a while, Shang Junyan asked in a low voice: "Zhao Yang, can my mother's illness be cured?"

  Zhao Yang nodded and said affirmatively: "It can be cured!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, it was clear that Shang's father and son felt a sigh of relief, and Zhu Yuanbi's emotions were no longer as anxious as they had been earlier.

  Zhao Yang picked up Zhu Yuanbi's foot and gently pressed the Tai Chong acupoint, causing Zhu Yuanbi to shudder immediately and exclaim: "It hurts, it hurts too much!"

  Zhao Yang had a plan in mind. He took out a thin needle and used the "Restore Yang Needle Method" to prick it, inserting and lifting it, then rotating it left and right several times before leaving the needle in place.

  After finishing this injection, he took out Che Qian Zi, Fu Ling Pi, Pao Jia, Ze Lan, Da Fu Pi, Shan Yao and other medicines from the medicine basket, according to a certain proportion, handed them over to Shang Jun Nian, saying: "This needle needs to be left for an hour, you go wash the herbs clean and decoct them first!"

  Shang Junyan responded with a sound, carefully holding the medicine and quickly walking outwards.

  After about two minutes, Zhao Yang asked: "Auntie, how does it feel?"

  "Wu Yuanbi said: "My legs are sore!" After about five minutes, he said again: "I feel my legs are a bit hot, and my stomach is also a bit warm, it's much more comfortable!"

  Shang Bai'an sat beside his wife's bed, using his rough big hands to wipe her sweat. When she said it felt much more comfortable, he turned to Zhao Yang and said: "Big nephew, your aunt says that the acupuncture is comfortable, so give her a few more needles, okay?"

  "Old man, you don't understand, a needle can't be poked around casually!"

  It is said that a long illness must be weak, and Zhao Yang's illness has reached this point, his body is extremely weak. If Zhao Yang didn't know the "Resuscitation Needle Method", he wouldn't dare to use needles! Don't underestimate that one insertion, one withdrawal, and one rotation, which are the subtleties of the "Resuscitation Needle Method". In the records of Xīyángzi, this needle has the reputation of "one needle revives the yang, and the king of hell dies".

  After a few more minutes, Zhu Yuanbi's breathing gradually stabilized, and he let out a faint snore, having actually fallen asleep.

  Shang Bai'an saw his old partner's rare tranquility and said with red eyes: "It's all my fault for holding you back, wife! As long as her illness can be cured, I'll sell everything we have!"

  Zhao Yang smiled and said: "Don't worry, old man. I just gave your wife an injection. The medicine was dug up from the mountain too, didn't cost a penny. I won't take a single cent from you!"

  "Really? You don't want money?"

  The hospital told him that Zhu Yuanbi's illness was almost incurable, and even with the best medicine, it could only alleviate the pain, but the cost was astronomical! Now Zhao Yang not only said he could cure his wife's illness, but also didn't want any money!

  "Of course, I won't take your money! As I said, I just gave him an injection and the medicine was dug up from the mountain, so it didn't cost anything. That's right, if it works, in the future, let Xiaojun go to the mountain to dig for medicine himself!"

  Now Zhao Yang has only given one injection, Zhu Yuanbi is no longer as painful as before. Shang Bai'an is even more convinced that Zhao Yang can cure his wife's illness. Compared to his previous despair over the illness and money, he is even more moved in his heart, and hurriedly said: "Great nephew, how can you not give money? You have to give money for treating illnesses!"

  Zhao Yang smiled and patted Shang Bai'an's big hand, saying seriously: "Listen to me, really don't want money!" He also said: "I'll go see how Xiao Jun's medicine is doing!"

  Shang Bai'an looked down at Zhu Yuan's peaceful face and muttered, "Old wife, you've toiled your whole life, finally met a noble person!"

  After an hour, Zhao Yang went into the house to take down the silver needle, disinfect and put it away properly. He instructed Shang Bai'an: "Master, you must keep your house clean and tidy, and make sure the air is fresh, otherwise it will not be good for both of your health!"

  The needle was withdrawn, and Zhuo Yu'er suddenly woke up. She said: "It's been a long time since I've felt so light!" And then she said: "Big nephew, are you leaving?"

  Zhao Yang nodded and said, "Yes, it's so late, I have to go home!" He also instructed Shang Nianjun: "Xiao Jun, after your mother finishes taking her medicine, if there's anything you can find me at my house! If I'm not at home, I'll definitely be in the orchard!"

  As soon as Zhao Yang returned home, his mother Sun Zhenxiang grabbed his ear and scolded: "You little brat still knows how to come back? If you have the ability, don't come back!"

  "Mother, quickly let go! A son as big as I am now, wouldn't it be a joke if outsiders saw this?"

  Her mother snorted and let go of her hand, saying: "Now there's something I need to tell you. Your aunt has arranged a blind date for you with a girl, and tomorrow you'll meet her!"

  "Opposed to arranged marriages!"

  "Where's the package? Didn't I tell you to go see for yourself? Let me tell you, this time you have to go even if you don't want to!"

  Zhao Yang lowered his head and said nothing, silently protesting.

  Sun Zhenxiang and Zhao Bingxing exchanged a glance, and Zhao Bingxing coughed and said: "Let's go take a look. If it's not satisfactory, then forget it. But if it's just right, wouldn't it be a pity to miss it?"

  "Father, mother, don't interfere with this matter, okay? I can handle it myself!"

  "Never mind! Never mind, you'd better bring a daughter-in-law for your mother!" Seeing Zhao Yang lowering his head and not speaking, she said again: "Is there a girl you like?"

  Zhao Yang was startled and didn't know how to respond, just as Shang Nianjun rushed in, shouting "Uncle" and "Aunt", and said to Zhao Yang: "Brother Zhao Yang, my mom took the medicine, vomited a lot of dirty things, and also urinated and defecated!"

  Zhao Yang let out a sigh of relief and pulled Shang Nianjun towards the door, saying: "Come on, I'll go with you to take a look!"

  P.S: Thanks for everyone's collection~~