Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Chapter 606 Acupuncture

Today, Ji Yongling still made the bandits who came out for treatment start the fire first, and then he would treat them after the fire was started.

These bandits themselves didn't have any particularly difficult-to-treat illnesses; most of them suffered from chronic pain from falls and sprains. The simple needle acupuncture or acupuncture knife techniques she had learned from her grandfather in her later life would suffice.

Only two bandits complained of lower back and lumbar pain, often accompanied by urinary tract infections, which in modern medicine would be described as urinary tract infections. Ji Yongling initially intended to generously give them some allicin, but realizing that the bandits wouldn't dare to consume it, he instead told them to find herbs and brew "Sanjin Tang" to treat themselves.

Having seen about ten bandits today, Ji Yongling was about to wrap things up when the bandit who had complained of a toothache yesterday rushed out again. He ran and shouted, "Doctor, doctor, please pull this tooth out for me! It hurts terribly!"

Just as the bandit, covering his face, was about to run up to Ji Yongling, Ji Manqing blocked him with his long arm and said, "What are you doing? What are you doing? Don't bump into my niece!"

The bandit's face was swollen from the pain, and he was gasping for breath. He said, "My pain has started again today. Look how swollen my face is! I can't even drink water! Please, have mercy and pull out this rotten tooth root!"

"I can't pull it!" Ji Yongling shook her head in refusal. She really didn't know how to pull teeth!

The bandit pleaded desperately, almost kneeling before Ji Yongling, but Ji Yongling remained steadfast.

Ji Manqing couldn't stand it anymore, so he pulled out a wad of hemp thread that Hu Xi used to store shoe soles from his sleeve and said, "Come on, let me pull it for you. It's just pulling a tooth! My niece is too soft-hearted to do it, so I'll do it! But let me make it clear to you, although it will hurt when you pull a tooth, it will be fine after the pain is over. It's better than having a rotten tooth root that hurts every day!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and pull it out for me!" The bandit covered his cheek and said gratefully to Ji Manqing.

"Cough cough—" Ji Manchuan didn't know when Ji Manqing had learned to pull teeth, so he coughed and winked at him to stop and not cause trouble.

But Ji Manqing raised an eyebrow, looking confident and as if to say, "Don't worry, come here and open your mouth—open it wide, keep it open!"

The bandit obediently opened his gaping mouth, revealing a mouthful of yellow and black, crooked teeth.

Ji Manqing rubbed the hemp thread in his palm, then put it in the bandit's mouth and wrapped it around a few times, tying it to a tooth. After pulling it a couple of times to make sure it was tight, he said, "Alright, all tied! Come on, don't move, get ready to pull the tooth!"

Ji Yongling was extremely impressed by Ji Manqing's skill and daring. Although tooth extraction had been done in rural areas before, but... but... to extract a tooth so roughly with a rope without disinfection or hemostasis was really beyond Ji Yongling's tolerance.

"Hold on! One, two, three—" Ji Manqing used the strength of an ox slaughtering a pig for the New Year, grabbing the thread in his hands and pulling hard, pulling and pulling...

The bandit was in so much pain that he closed his eyes tightly, and sweat poured down his forehead.

Finally, with a bloodcurdling scream from the bandit, Ji Manqing pulled a blood-stained black tooth from the rope in his hand. He nodded proudly: "Finally pulled it out! Look at this tooth, it's all rotten!"

The bandit paid no attention to what Ji Manchuan was saying. He was in so much pain that he rolled around on the ground several times before finally stopping.

Unaware of what was happening below, Ma Chenfang, perched on the wall, raised her hand, signaling her brothers on the arrow tower to nock their arrows and prepare for battle.

Fortunately, the other bandits who were watching the tooth extraction burst into enthusiastic exclamations.

"Wow, what great skills! You managed to pull the tooth without even using pliers. That's truly amazing!"

Amidst the praise of the bandits, Ji Manqing gradually lost himself, forgetting that he was on the opposite side of the bandits. He raised his hands in a fist salute and said with a grin, "It's nothing, it's nothing! Next time anyone needs a tooth pulled, just come find me!"

Another day has passed. Yesterday, the bandits released another group of people, but their second-in-command, Ma Anliang, still hasn't come out to treat them. In other words, the children who were captured by the bandits still haven't returned.

On the third day, another group of bandits from Bacunyuan came out, vying to see Ji Yongling for medical treatment. However, today, the bandit leader Ma Anliang finally lowered his guard and came out surrounded by more than a dozen bandits.

Upon seeing the second-in-command of the bandits emerge, Huo Zhenglian's side also went on high alert, with a group of constables immediately surrounding Ji Yongling, ready to protect him at any moment.

Ma Anliang gave a wink to his brothers, and the bandits behind him immediately retreated more than ten steps and stopped.

Ma Anliang cupped his hands in greeting and said slowly, "It was agreed that Dr. Ji would come to treat me, and my brothers and I have already experienced his medical skills! Yesterday we also released some civilians for you, so we kept our word. Today, I've come personally to see Dr. Ji, and I hope you'll keep your word too! Otherwise, the child tied to the wall..."

"You guys surnamed Ma, are you even men! If you're men, then release the baby first. What kind of skill is it to hold a baby hostage!" Ji Manqing shouted, jumping up and down.

Ma Anliang said expressionlessly, "Don't worry, we've been taking good care of the dozen or so kids we've captured, making sure they're all fed and clothed."

Ji Manqing wanted to make a fuss, but Ji Manchuan stopped him.

Ji Yongling nodded slightly, took a few steps forward, distancing himself from Ji Manqing, Ji Manchuan, and the others, and said, "Considering that you kept your word a couple of days ago, we'll believe you for now! But you know my requirements: anyone coming to see a doctor must first undergo a ritual, including the brothers from Yida!"

"Why? Because we brothers don't go to the doctor!" Ma Anliang said with a gloomy face.

"As you all know, some evil spirits can be contagious! You brothers have blood on you and carry evil spirits, so you must be burned! Otherwise, even if your illness is cured, they might have passed on the evil spirits to you, which would ruin my reputation!"

Ma Anliang didn't think much of it. These past two days, everyone knew that the fire ritual was Ji Yongling's way of treating patients, so he nodded to the brothers behind him.

After the group finished setting the fire, Ma Anliang slowly walked towards Ji Yongling with his hands behind his back. Ma Anliang didn't look evil, but his aura was very oppressive, making Ji Yongling want to back away from him.

Ma Anliang lifted his robe and sat on a stool, stretching out his hands on the table without a smile, and said, "The brothers all say your medical skills are very good, so take a look at my hands!"

Ji Yongling looked down at the two curled-up hands on the low table and asked, "What's wrong with your hands? Are they painful, stiff, or can't you straighten your fingers?"

Ma Anliang nodded and said, "Some people have a good eye. It's true that their fingers can only be curled up, not straightened. It doesn't hurt, but it's very numb, and they can't hold a knife!"

Ji Yongling looked down and carefully examined Ma Anliang's hands, then repeatedly squeezed them with her own hands to confirm that Ma Anliang's hands were not a big problem, just tendon sheath stenosis.

"Just one injection will do!" With that, Ji Yongling inserted an injection into each of Ma Anliang's hands.

After an incense stick had burned, Ma Anliang gently stretched out his fingers and found that they could actually straighten. A faint joy appeared on his face as he said, "No wonder the brothers call you One Needle. Your needle-sticking skills are truly impressive!"

Ji Yongling put away the needles and said, "This needle can only make your fingers bend and straighten, but it won't solve the numbness problem. Come back tomorrow for another needle!"

"it is good!"