Yun Jiao stood up, "I’ll give you some acupuncture first. It will feel better after the needles, but you still need medicine."
Guihua shook her head, "There’s not a copper coin left at home; the grains have just been harvested, but they haven’t been taken to sell yet. I really have no money for medicine."
Yun Jiao smiled, "Then let’s do acupuncture first; I’ll prescribe a free remedy for you later."
She first went to the kitchen to boil the needles for sterilization, and then asked Guihua to lift her clothes to insert the needles around her navel and stomach. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Mrs. Qin watched the needles gleam with a golden light and exclaimed, "I heard before that Doctor Gu’s ancestors were Imperial Physicians; it seems true. These needles must be made of gold."
Mrs. Chen, standing nearby, felt an inexplicable pride, "Of course, the Imperial Physicians used them, so they must be made of gold."
"These golden needles might have been used on the emperor himself."
Mrs. Qin giggled, "Then Guihua’s belly will be precious from now on."
Yun Jiao seemed oblivious to the chatter around her, keeping her head down and focusing on the acupuncture.
In little more than a moment, Yun Jiao finished with the needles. As she collected them, she asked Guihua, "How many years has your stove been used?"
Guihua was taken aback, not knowing what this strange question was about, but she replied, "I don’t know how long, but the stove was there before I got married."
Mrs. Qin chimed in from the side, "I do know; your house was built more than ten years ago, so the stove must have been made around then. It’s over ten years old."
Yun Jiao nodded, "Over ten years is enough."
She then asked Guihua, "Do you have a small shovel at your house?"
Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Qin, and Guihua were all puzzled. How did treating a patient suddenly turn to asking about the stove and needing a shovel?
Guihua shook her head, "No, we only have a sickle and a hoe at home."
Suddenly, she rubbed her chest, "Hey, I feel better; the acid reflux and nausea are gone, and my chest feels more comfortable now."
Mrs. Qin felt a moment of joy in her heart. It seemed Yun Jiao really knew her stuff. Though she was reluctant to lend money to her trouble-ridden niece by marriage, she still hoped for her wellness.
She quickly said, "I have a shovel at my house; what size do you need?"
Yun Jiao gestured, "A smaller one, but if there’s none, a wood-cutting knife would do."
Mrs. Qin promised and turned to leave, with Yun Jiao adding from behind, "Auntie, ask Da Lang to come along too."
Mrs. Qin didn’t bother asking further, rushing home to get the shovel and find Da Lang.
Along the way, when people asked her why she was in a hurry, she replied, "The wife of Da Lang from the Jiang Family, oh, that’s Doctor Gu’s daughter, Little Doctor Gu, is treating Guihua’s illness. I’m going home to fetch a shovel."
The onlookers were also puzzled, how could treating an illness involve a shovel?
Before long, Mrs. Qin and Zhang Dalang returned.
Zhang Dalang held a small shovel, and the two of them hurried over to Guihua’s house.
The few who had asked earlier followed along to watch the excitement.
At Guihua’s house, Yun Jiao stood in the kitchen, pointing to Guihua’s stove, "Brother Zhang, insert the shovel into the stove’s hearth and scoop out some of the dirt."
She instructed, "Dig a bit deeper; I’m looking for the clay used to make the stove, not the ash."
Zhang Dalang nodded and first poured a scoop of water to extinguish a bit of the fire in the stove, then removed the iron pot and reached in to dig up some dirt.
Soon he had scooped out a clump and placed it on the ground. Yun Jiao put down an oil lamp and took the dirt in her hands, removing the burnt black parts until there was just a bit of red-yellow clay left in the center.
Yun Jiao nodded, "This is what I want; dig another piece."