CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 168: IT’S NOT LIKE YOU HAVEN’T BEEN NEEDLED BEFORE

Qin Jiu thought she was talking about embroidery, so he responded obediently, "Auntie, can I go do my homework?"

"Go ahead."

Just as she spoke, she remembered something, "Don’t rush to do that, take out your torn clothes, I’ll mend them for you today."

Liu Lan’s wedding is today, and with the lively atmosphere in the cafeteria, it won’t disperse anytime soon.

It’s winter, everyone is bored, and now they finally have a cheerful opportunity, so they’re really making the most of it, having tons of fun.

So, she has enough time to mend the clothes for Mr. Song and the others.

"Okay."

Qin Jiu responded, ran back to the house, and brought out the clothes that needed patching.

After a few trips, he finally brought out some fabric scraps.

"Auntie, they’re all here."

"You do your homework, and I’ll mend the clothes."

Then, the aunt and nephew divided their tasks and worked together.

Yi Chichi took the clothes and mended them one by one, some only needed stitching, while others couldn’t be mended without a patch.

After sewing eight pieces, Mu Da, who had finished checking on Mr. Song and the others, sighed as she came over.

Instantly, Yi Chichi felt uneasy, "Is the situation bad?"

"Mr. Song and the others have shrapnel and bullets in them, did you know about that?"

Mu Da looked at her, her expression taking on a more examining gaze.

Yi Chichi blinked and sighed, staring into her eyes, "I know, but I don’t have a good treatment method."

The veterans who survived before the founding of the country, especially those with military experience, all have countless injuries or shrapnel and bullets left in their bodies as mementos.

The ones that could be surgically removed have mostly been taken out.

Those that remain in the body are impossible to remove surgically.

Mu Da said, "I was an army doctor, started as a medical officer when I was in my teens, and over the years, I’ve saved countless commanders, whether it was battlefield first aid or clinical surgery, I’ve gathered a lot of experience... I won’t hide it from you, I also don’t have a good solution for Mr. Song and the others’ situation."

Yi Chichi nodded her understanding, "I have a herbal remedy, it can’t cure them, but it can alleviate their pain, but I can’t get some of the ingredients."

"Which ones?"

"Herbal bath?"

Mu Da’s first thought was this, but Yi Chichi shook her head, "The medicinal properties are too strong; with Mr. Song and the others’ physiques, they can’t tolerate a real herbal bath."

Wen Shi’s age group could, though, and a treatment could clear away most of the hidden injuries.

"Has it been tried?"

"Others have tried it."

"What was the effect?"

"It can alleviate pain, but anything more depends on continued care and family support."

However, be it care or family support, for Mr. Song and the others at this time, it’s a luxury.

They can only endure, relying on themselves to be more careful.

Mu Da thought it could be tried, but before that, "I need to review the formula first."

The implication was: if it’s harmless, they could try it.

"Of course."

Yi Chichi promptly wrote down the formula for her, Mu Da took it and carefully examined it, pondering for a while before looking at her, "Does this formula have associated pills?"

"Yes."

"It also requires adjustment of dosage based on the patient’s physical condition, either increasing or decreasing the dosage."

The tone was confident.

Yi Chichi responded by giving her a thumbs-up, "Aunt, you’re capable."

"Of course, my ancestors practiced medicine."

Yi Chichi had always thought she turned to medicine midway, only to discover she actually had a family background in it.

Pointing at the formula, she asked, "Aunt, does the hospital pharmacy have those ingredients at the end?"

"Yes."

She put the formula away, "I’ll bring the herbs back for you next time when I have a day off, today you should first give Mr. Song and the others some acupuncture."

For those with shrapnel or bullets still in their bodies, if they are not surgically removed, they cause significant suffering no matter where in the body they are lodged.

The change of seasons or weather can make it unbearably painful, worse than death.

If it presses on the nerves, passing out from the pain isn’t impossible.

It’s truly a torment.

She couldn’t perform acupuncture, but Yi Chichi could, so giving a needle to temporarily block the pain and allow the body to rest is beneficial.

"Okay."

Yi Chichi put down the sewing, took the needle box handed to her, and approached Mr. Song and the others.

Mrs. Song, "You’re going to use acupuncture?"

"Yes."

She nodded, raised the needle box and said, "Tell me where it hurts, and I’ll give you a needle there one by one."

Everyone looked at her with expressionless faces, all showing stern expressions, heavy with lines of worry.

Those who understood knew she wanted to help them with acupuncture, but those who didn’t might think she was about to slaughter livestock.

Mr. Song instinctively covered his waist, but Yi Chichi shot him a sharp look, "What are you covering for? It’s not like you haven’t been needled before."

Mr. Song stayed silent; this girl’s words could be quite sharp.

He sighed and said, "I’ll go first."

"Into the room, keep the bed warm."

Seeing the old man about to take off his heavy coat, Yi Chichi quickly stopped him; you can’t have the elderly undressing in this cold without a warm interior.

His body isn’t in great shape already, like a leaky balloon riddled with holes, definitely can’t let the last bit of life spill away because of a cold.

"The bed is always warm."

They hadn’t let the firewood stock dwindle; during any free time, they went to gather more.

After all, with the old being old and the young being young, the fear that they might freeze to death in winter made them gather more firewood.

"Into the room, Mr. Song first, you get some hot water to soak your feet."

"Use this to soak your feet."

Mu Da took out several herbal pouches from her medical kit, "Soak out some of that chill."

"Okay."

The elders went to get hot water for their foot bath, while Yi Chichi stood by the bed to give Mr. Song acupuncture.

Mu Da observed from the side, curious about matters like why certain points needed needling, or why the depth of needling varied, asking a multitude of questions.

Yi Chichi answered everything without reserve, enlightening Mu Da, "My father never taught me these things."

She stubbornly refused to admit that she couldn’t memorize the functions of each acupoint, driving her father to hopelessly give up teaching her acupuncture skills.

For fear she might endanger someone’s life with her needles.

Soon enough, Mr. Song’s lower back was covered with needles, turning it into a porcupine. Watching his expression relax visibly, Mu Da fell silent and then asked her, "Why didn’t you give them acupuncture before?"

This method could relieve pain, so why make them endure it?

"The principle of acupuncture for pain relief is to block acupuncture points, and it can only be used sparingly, not long-term; excessive use can render the sensory system dysfunctional, leading to numbness or paralysis."

Sighing, she explained helplessly, "In short, the harm outweighs the benefits."

Even if Mr. Song and the others agreed to this method for momentary relief, she couldn’t agree.

"We can endure it."

Mrs. Song replied with a smile, "We’ve been in pain for years, this little bit doesn’t even matter."

Displaying a very brave and bold demeanor.

"Don’t be so stubborn."