Every time Lu Jiang visits Wu Zheng’s house for acupuncture and massage, Feng Qingxue always accompanies him, bringing along her study notes and seizing every opportunity to ask Wu Zheng about the various difficult problems she encounters during self-study. After getting answers, she often experiences moments of sudden enlightenment.
Wu Zheng is also surprised by Feng Qingxue’s learning ability, no wonder Dr. Guo said she had a gift.
Not only does she have a gift, but she also has perseverance, and an incredibly strong desire to learn.
What Wu Zheng appreciates most is that Feng Qingxue has excellent memory and really knows how to apply what she learns. She is not merely a dull bookworm. Her understanding of traditional culture surpasses that of many people today, including Lu Jiang, who joined the army when he was young. When tested, her identification of the body’s meridians and acupoints was outstanding; she only got three wrong out of all of them.
However, Wu Zheng assigned more homework to Feng Qingxue but still didn’t agree to take her on as his disciple.
Feng Qingxue was not at all discouraged. Her mind was fully invested in learning, and she became less attached to the formalities of a master-disciple relationship. In her heart, she already considered Wu Zheng her teacher and resolved to visit him often.
One day, after Wu Zheng had finished giving Lu Jiang an acupuncture and massage session, he said while cleaning the needles, "You only need to come one more time and it will be done."
"Thank you, Dr. Wu (Mr. Wu)," Feng Qingxue and Lu Jiang thanked him repeatedly.
"It’s no trouble, every time you come here, you never come empty-handed. Honestly speaking, I’m the one benefiting."
Hearing this, Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue exchanged smiles.
Wu Zheng took another look at Lu Jiang’s newly healed arms and legs, even giving him one more acupuncture treatment. His recovery was progressing well, but as Lu Jiang was due to return to the army in a few days, the follow-up acupuncture and massage sessions would have to be carried out by Dr. Guo or Guo Xiuying.
While Lu Jiang can move his arms, he was advised not to carry heavy loads and to use a wheelchair instead of walking.
After saying goodbye to Wu Zheng, just as Feng Qingxue was pushing Lu Jiang out into the courtyard, they were intercepted by a middle-aged woman.
"Comrades, I have an unreasonable request."
The woman was dressed ’baggy’ style and her clothes were patched, but they were clean. Her hair was neatly combed, her face was smooth, and her teeth were white. She was an incredibly clean and hygienic person. Feng Qingxue recognized her. She lived with Dr. Wu, and had been affectionately called ’Old Cao’s wife’. She lived with more than ten of her family members in the east wing room.
There were three families living within this courtyard that consisted of the main house with three rooms, and two adjoining rooms on the east and west sides.
Dr. Wu and his wife were assigned to live in the main house by the hospital where they worked. Cao’s family of thirteen lived in the east side rooms, and Zhao’s family of eight lived in the west side rooms. Each family has its own kitchen. The clothesline in the courtyard was always full of clothes and diapers that never seemed to be finished drying.
With more people comes more disputes, this saying was particularly applicable to the complex in the courtyard.
Being an excellent doctor, everyone sought him out whenever they had a health issue. No one dared to offend him, and they were usually quite respectful. But the other two families did not get along that well. They often quarreled over trivial matters. During the period when Feng Qingxue accompanied Lu Jiang for his acupuncture treatments, she witnessed the children from the two families fighting three times, and the adults arguing five times.
Despite fighting and arguing, before long, the two families would be chatting and laughing together again, with seemingly no grudges held.
The first time Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue came to the courtyard, the young boy who opened the door to them was Old Cao’s youngest son, Huzi, who was thirteen years old. Feng Qingxue had come across him a few times and had conversed with him, and he seemed to be a good kid.