Chapter 11: Tenth, Taking pulse Chapter 11: Tenth, Taking pulse “Sister, let me help you,” Luo Shan said with concern. She had never heard of a situation like her sister’s and was really worried.
“You guys go out quickly, I can manage,” Luo Shu said as she pushed the two out of the room, closed the door, and bolted it securely.
She took out a large wooden basin from the space and filled it with water, then quickly used shower gel and shampoo to wash up. Thankfully, she had the habit of storing things in her space; otherwise, it would have been really difficult to clean off all that dirt.
After a refreshing bath, Luo Shu felt much lighter. She collected all the items back into her space and went to open the door.
Hearing the door open, Luo Zheng, who was talking with Aunt Chen and her husband in the yard, hurried over, “Big sister, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Luo Shu said with a smile, shaking her head.
“Big sister, you seem to have become prettier,” Luo Zheng commented in surprise as he looked at Luo Shu.
“Really?” The original owner’s facial features were very delicate, but she had looked somewhat sallow because she was too thin and from constantly being exposed to the wind and sun. Now that some of the impurities in her body had been expelled, her skin naturally looked much whiter than before. As the saying goes, fairness hides flaws. With whiter skin, she naturally looked better than before.
“I’m serious, your skin is much whiter than before,” Luo Zheng said earnestly. It must have been due to the layer of black dirt expelled that morning. When Second Sister was helping the big sister clean her face, he noticed her skin had gotten a bit whiter, and now after the bath, it was even more obvious.
“Alright, I believe you,” Luo Shu said, smiling as she patted Luo Zheng’s head.
“Luo Shu, I heard you were sick. You shouldn’t neglect an illness; you should have it looked at,” Aunt Chen said with a face full of concern. She had returned from a morning walk with the old man and heard from Luo Shan and her brother that Luo Shu wasn’t feeling well.
“Auntie, I’m fine now. How is Uncle’s health?” Luo Shu asked with a smile.
“Much better. Shopkeeper Liu told me to accompany him for more walks outside, saying that it will help him recover faster,” Aunt Chen said with a hint of resignation in her expression. She knew best about the old man’s illness; even with medication, it was incurable. She now just hoped that he could live longer so she could spend more time with him.
Hearing the noise, Luo Shan came out from the kitchen and, seeing that Luo Shu was looking well, finally let go of the worry in her heart, “Sister, I’ve already prepared breakfast. I’ll go and serve it.”
“Second Sister, I’ll help you,” Luo Zheng said as he quickly ran toward the kitchen.
Luo Shu smiled and sat down next to Aunt Chen and her husband, “Auntie, I’ve studied ancient medicine. Let me take Uncle’s pulse.” Besides cultivation, the “Spiritual Pivot” is also the theoretical source of ancient medical theory on meridians, acupuncture, and clinical practice. It discusses pathogenic factors divided into internal, external, and neither internal nor external causes. All of these are detailed in the “Spiritual Pivot,” including solutions.
“This…” Aunt Chen hesitated as she looked at Uncle Chen. Whether Luo Shu could take a pulse was one thing, but if she really could and inadvertently revealed the old man’s condition, that could upset him.
“Let Luo Shu have a look, it’s okay,” Uncle Chen said with a hearty laugh, turning to Luo Shu, “Girl, go ahead and diagnose this old man.” He had long since come to terms with life and death.
Luo Shu smiled and nodded, reaching out to place her hand on Uncle Chen’s wrist. She carefully examined his pulse for a while before withdrawing her hand, “Uncle, you’re fine. I’ll go to the pharmacy in a bit and get some medicine for you. Once you finish the course, your health should improve.”
“Alright, then. Thanks a lot, girl,” Uncle Chen said with a smile as he thanked her. But in his heart, he was somewhat skeptical. He knew his own body best and, even if his wife hadn’t told him, he was aware he didn’t have much longer to live.
Aunt Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Luo Shan and Luo Zheng had already served breakfast, she said, “Luo Shu, go eat your breakfast. I’ll help the old man back to bed to sleep.” As she spoke, she had already helped Uncle Chen up and was walking him to their room.
“Big Sister, when did you learn how to take a pulse?” Luo Zheng asked curiously. Their courtyard was not big, and he had heard clearly what his big sister had said to Uncle Chen while he was in the kitchen.
“Grandpa taught me before,” the original owner’s grandfather had been an itinerant physician, very proficient with pulses and herbs. However, two years ago, he had fallen off a cliff while gathering a particular herb and passed away soon after.
Thinking of his grandpa, Luo Zheng’s mood immediately dipped, “I miss Grandpa so much.” When Grandpa was alive, he often brought him treats. That time Grandpa went to the mountains to gather herbs was also because of him—he had naughtily run to the back mountain to play and ended up getting bitten by a poisonous snake. Grandpa went into the mountains to find herbs to cure the snake venom. He found the herbs, but Grandpa had unintentionally fallen off the cliff and died from his injuries soon after.
This incident had become his burden, and he would always remember the words his grandpa said to him before passing, “Xiao Zheng, you must study hard so that you can stand out one day. Grandpa is looking forward to seeing it…” It was for this reason that no matter how hard it was, he had never given up on going to school. He was determined to fulfill Grandpa’s expectations and let Grandpa see the day he would stand out.
Luo Shu patted Luo Zheng on the shoulder, “Grandpa would be very happy to see you as you are now.” Luo Zheng’s grades had always been very good, and if this trend continued, there shouldn’t be a problem with him going to college in the future.
“Yes! I definitely won’t let Grandpa down,” Luo Zheng said firmly, nodding his head, his face full of determination. Grandpa, just wait and see! Xiao Zheng will definitely get into college and stand out.
“Let’s go, let’s have breakfast,” Luo Shu said with a slight smile, pulling Luo Zheng toward the house.
Early in the morning, Luo Jiansen and the others took a car to the town.
Upon disembarking, the four of them went straight to Luo Zheng’s school, and after asking Luo Zheng’s homeroom teacher, they found out that Luo Zheng had not come to school that day.
“Dammit! He’s not even attending school now. When I find them, I’m going to break their damn legs,” Luo Jiansen muttered angrily as he walked out of the school.
“Jiansen, what do we do now? Are we not going to look for them?” Wang Liying asked, unwilling to let it go. It didn’t matter if they found the other two, but she absolutely had to find Luo Shu, otherwise, she’d lose the hundred yuan.
“What do you suggest we do to find them?” Luo Jiansen was bubbling with rage. This wasn’t like the countryside where there were only a few households.
“Dad, how about we split up and look for them? Maybe we’ll find them,” Luo Erya suggested. Whether or not she could get a new dress depended entirely on finding Luo Shu.
Luo Daya cast a glance at Luo Erya. The girl always seemed sharp, so how could she be so dense at a critical moment?
“Erya is right, we should split up and look for them,” Wang Liying agreed. She was determined to find Luo Shu, otherwise, she wouldn’t rest.
Luo Jiansen thought for a moment and then nodded, “Let’s split up then, and we’ll meet at the bus station later.” Once he found those three brutes, he was going to teach them a good lesson and show them who was boss.