"Sister-in-law, I... I just wanted to say, I'd like to stay here..." She wanted to stay for a few days.
Before she could finish, a limping old grandmother, supported by a man, hurried over:
"Miss Liu, can you actually do it? Your father could cure my leg in one go when he was alive. You've poked so many needles, and my leg still aches terribly."
As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Cai'er's body trembled slightly, and sweat trickled down her face.
Her father had never passed on his medical skills to her; most of it went to her elder brother. But while her elder brother and father were both working to save people from the plague in Nanzhou County, one died from exhaustion, and the other was unable to get away.
What could she do? This medical hall was her father's lifelong endeavor, and she didn't want to watch it be ruined before her eyes.
In that instant, Ah Jiu clearly saw the expression on her sister-in-law's face. Suddenly, she crouched down and wept, holding her head:
"My medical skills are not good enough... I am powerless."
Ah Jiu was stunned for a moment: "Sister-in-law..."
"Don't touch me." Liu Cai'er pushed Ah Jiu's hand away.
"Shiliu妹妹?"
Only then did Ah Jiu look up at the young man supporting the old woman. It turned out to be Yun Jie, a constable from the yamen.
"Yes, it's me. Aren't you on duty?"
Seeing her sister-in-law crouching and crying in despair, Ah Jiu walked out of the consultation room:
"Brother Yun Jie, please let Auntie sit down first."
"My mother's leg has been acting up, so I had no choice but to ask someone to cover my shift. I haven't even had time to request leave yet."
Yun Jie helped his mother into the consultation room from which Liu Cai'er had just emerged.
Ah Jiu nodded and looked at his mother's leg, touching it with her hand.
"I have a method, I don't know if it can relieve the pain," Ah Jiu said, taking out her needle pouch from her space. When she took it out from her bosom, she laid it flat on the table.
Scratching her head, she looked at the silver needles of different sizes and picked the smallest one.
"But I'll be needling the ear," Ah Jiu said a little sheepishly.
It wasn't for any other reason than to prevent the mother and son from being too surprised later.
"The ear? Shiliu妹妹, can you do this? My mother has a leg ache."
Ah Jiu remembered reading in books that reflex areas were all on the ear. The left side was yang, promoting ascent, and the lower right was yin, promoting descent:
"Brother Yun Jie, don't worry. If it doesn't work, she won't get hurt. If it works, then I'll naturally be happy."
Ah Jiu carefully took out a silver needle. She knew that left leg pain was due to insufficient yang and inability to ascend, so she had to needle the acupoint on the right ear. For right leg pain, needle the left ear. The meridians of the human body were interwoven and complex.
"Girl, can you do it? This is the first time I've seen someone needle the ear for leg pain." The old woman flinched slightly from being needled.
"Yes, Auntie, don't worry."
Ah Jiu said as she inserted the needle.
Yun Jie looked at Ah Jiu's serious expression and felt that she wasn't joking:
"Mother, bear with it. Perhaps it will work."
Ah Jiu's hand moved, and this time she found the acupoints with more practiced ease.
"Auntie, you need to sit still for a while, or there might be bleeding."
Ah Jiu knew that this ailment didn't require bloodletting, but the ear was delicate, and any slight mistake could cause bleeding, and it would hurt.
"Mother, just sit still for a while," Yun Jie comforted his mother, glancing at this Shiliu妹妹 again.
"By the way, my name isn't Shiliu, it's Jiu'er, Meng Jiu'er," Ah Jiu said, twirling the needle on her ear a few times.
"Hiss!"
Seeing Auntie wince in pain, Ah Jiu asked, "Auntie, does your leg still hurt?"
As soon as she said this, Yun Jie shifted his gaze to his mother: "Does it still hurt?"
The aunt took a sharp breath: "Hiss." She felt her knees with her hands:
"It really doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's good." Ah Jiu was very happy and quickly removed the silver needle, put it into her needle pouch, and tucked it into her bosom.
Watching Auntie stand up, take a couple of steps, and kick her legs, she felt it carefully:
"It really doesn't hurt anymore."
"Mother, you really don't hurt anymore?" Yun Jie's face was full of spirit, and his eyes gleamed as he looked at Ah Jiu.
Liu Cai'er, standing at the entrance of the consultation room with tears still on her face, was dumbfounded.