"What's this? Little Yan, can you tell that Grandpa Chen was practicing boxing?" Old Doctor Chen asked with a smile.
"I couldn't tell," Little Yan shook her head, "But brother said Grandpa Chen was practicing boxing and told me not to interrupt you."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Chen. We didn't know you were practicing." Lu Qing said apologetically.
"It's no bother. What I was practicing was merely some moves to keep my old bones active, nothing that could truly be called boxing." The elder doctor waved his hand dismissively.
"But I think Grandpa Chen's moves looked really cool!" Little Yan said earnestly.
"Hahaha, this old man has been practicing this set of moves for his whole life, and now receiving praise from a little one like you makes it all worthwhile!"
Hearing the innocent remark, Old Doctor Chen burst into hearty laughter.
Seeing the elder doctor's cheerful demeanor, Lu Qing felt a wave of relief wash over him.
*He had been quite apprehensive, worried that the elder doctor might have rules forbidding his boxing to be watched. If that were the case, then the siblings would've committed a grave taboo.*
"Come on, let's head inside first. I'll start by giving you acupuncture."
Old Doctor Chen picked up Little Yan and gestured to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing followed the elder doctor respectfully as they walked toward the courtyard.
As soon as they stepped in, Lu Qing's attention was caught by the array of medicinal herbs being dried across the yard.
After a quick glance, he noticed something familiar among them — cow bone grass, which also grew around his home.
*Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to examine each herb in detail to figure out everything about them.*
"Grandpa Chen, are all the items being dried in this courtyard medicinal herbs?" Lu Qing asked.
"That's right. What's this? Do you know how to identify medicinal herbs?"
Old Doctor Chen looked slightly surprised.
"Not really," Lu Qing replied, "I just happened to spot one herb that looks quite similar to what grows near our house."
"Which one?"
"The one drying in that basket," Lu Qing pointed in the direction.
Little Yan took a look at the herb with its tiny blue flowers and nodded excitedly, "Yeah, yeah, lots of them grow outside our yard, and even Niu Niu loves to eat them!"
The elder doctor glanced at it, "That's right. That's cow bone grass, a very common medicinal herb."
"Cow bone grass," Lu Qing murmured the name to himself before asking, "Grandpa Chen, what is cow bone grass usually used for?"
"Its primary use is treating injuries like contusions and bruises," the elder doctor answered offhandedly, then he glanced at Lu Qing. "What's this? Are you interested in medicinal herbs?"
"Yes," Lu Qing replied honestly, "Little Yan mentioned that it was you, Grandpa Chen, who cured my illness with medicine. It makes me feel that these medicinal plants are truly magical — mere flowers and grass, yet they can alleviate pain and save lives."
"If you want to learn about medicine, it won't be easy. Learning requires not just bravery and meticulousness but also literacy and the ability to understand medical texts."
The elder doctor didn't ridicule Lu Qing's aspirations but patiently explained to him instead.
"I can recognize some characters," Lu Qing quickly responded.
*He wasn't lying.*
*In his memories, the original owner of this body indeed knew some characters, and upon verifying them, he found they were similar to the Chinese characters from his previous world, just with more complex strokes.*
"You can recognize characters?" Old Doctor Chen seemed further surprised.
*In this rural area, finding someone who was literate was a rare occurrence.*
*Lu Qing was, after all, an orphan, yet he could still recognize characters?*
"My grandfather taught me some characters while he was alive, though I was rather slow-witted. After his passing, I forgot quite a few. Besides, while I can recognize them, I can't write."
The elder doctor then remembered the circumstances of Lu Qing's family.
*It was said that Lu Qing's grandfather was once a scholar who had fallen on hard times.*
*He arrived in this village while fleeing from hardships alongside the villagers. Sadly, he passed away before truly settling down, leaving Old Doctor Chen without the chance to meet him.*
*The villagers would sometimes talk about Lu Qing's father's carefree nature, which was ill-suited for academics and often made the grandfather exceedingly frustrated in his youth, ultimately leading to him giving up on pursuing education.*
*Who would've thought young Lu Qing, instead, would turn out to know some characters.*
*Such a pity that the boy's grandfather passed away too soon; otherwise, perhaps the Lu family would've produced another scholar.*
Old Doctor Chen silently sighed once more, his gaze toward Lu Qing softening even further.
*No wonder he found Lu Qing's manner of speech different from that of an ordinary rural boy. It must've been thanks to his grandfather and father's teachings.*
"Since you're interested in medicinal herbs, from now on, every time you come for acupuncture, I'll let you help me with drying herbs for an hour. How much you can learn will solely depend on your own aptitude."
"And you," Old Doctor Chen said, patting Little Yan's head, "You should come along with your brother as well. Grandpa Chen will make some medicinal meals for you; with such a frail body, how can you go on like this?"
Lu Qing was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude, bowing deeply, "Thank you, Grandpa Chen! Little Yan, hurry up and thank Grandpa Chen!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Chen~"
Though the young girl didn't know what medicinal meals were, she obediently thanked the elder doctor since her brother had prompted her.
"Thank me for what? Look at you, little one. Grandpa Chen feels sorry for you seeing you like this." The elder doctor said with a face of compassion.
Inside the house, Old Doctor Chen gently put Little Yan down and took out a pouch full of acupuncture needles.
"Get on the bed and take off your shirt," he said to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing complied, removing his shirt and lying down on the wooden bed nearby.
*As Old Doctor Chen saw Lu Qing's emaciated chest, he paused for a moment in silence before pulling out a silver needle from the pouch.*
Little Yan caught sight of the long needle and her face showed a trace of fear.
*However, she knew Grandpa Chen was treating her brother, so despite her inner fear, she stayed quiet and didn't make a fuss.*
"Don't be afraid, and don't move. I'll begin acupuncture now," the elder doctor said to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing nodded calmly.
*He wasn't afraid.*
*In his prior life on Blue Star, he had experienced traditional Chinese acupuncture before and thus was somewhat familiar with it.*
The elder doctor skillfully handled the silver needle, gently inserting it into one of Lu Qing's acupoints. Without feeling the slightest pain, Lu Qing noticed the needle had already gone three inches deep.
After placing the first needle, the elder doctor didn't hesitate to pull out another needle from the pouch and carefully targeted a different acupoint.
Before long, eighteen silver needles were placed in various acupoints across Lu Qing's upper body.
Meanwhile, Little Yan had long covered her eyes, unable to bear looking at her brother, who now resembled a human pincushion.
Once the eighteenth needle was placed, the elder doctor didn't immediately let go of it.
Instead, he pinched its tail and turned it gently.
And then, something remarkable happened — Lu Qing felt a warm current flowing from the needle.
*The sensation was soothing, slightly ticklish, and incredibly comfortable. It was as if all the tension in his body was melting away.*
*At the same time, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness swept over him, causing his eyelids to grow heavy until he drifted off into sleep.*
"Grandpa Chen, did my brother fall asleep?"
Little Yan peeked through her fingers, sneaking a glance.
"Yes, your brother's body is too weak. My Strengthening Needle technique will let him have a really good rest."
"Oh," Little Yan responded softly.
*Once again, Grandpa Chen began saying things she couldn't understand.*
"Come on, let your brother sleep for a while. We'll head outside." The elder doctor stood up.
"Where are we going?"
"Grandpa Chen will make you something tasty..."