Chapter 54 Follow-up
"Um"

"De Ming, there's no need to underestimate yourself."

"You must know that knowledge is your own and you cannot deceive others." After listening to Wu Dinghuan's retelling, Xia Xiwu was very satisfied and encouraged him: "Very good! You can study bone setting with me for another year, and you will definitely not be late for next year."

What will be delayed? Although Xia Xiwu did not say it explicitly, Wang Deming guessed it.
Xia Xiwu sat upright on the armchair, reached out to pick up the purple clay teapot, took a sip, and said with a serious face: "Our bone-setting skills, I told you before, were passed down from the palace."

"As for me, I became a disciple of the imperial physician Gui Zhufeng at the age of 20, and made an exception to receive instruction from my master, De Shoutian."

"According to Grandmaster De, I am the third generation, and you brothers are the fourth generation."

"To straighten our bones, we must first have strength. Deming, that's what I saw in you in the first place. Dinghuan, now teach your brother the Ruyi training method."

"Yes, Master!"

Wu Dinghuan and Wang Deming stood up from their chairs at the same time and clasped their fists towards their master.

Then Wu Dinghuan turned around and faced Wang Deming, saying in a serious tone, "This set of Ruyi training methods was passed down from the palace of the former Qing Dynasty. It includes qigong, training of neck strength, shoulder strength, elbow strength, wrist strength, etc."

“It’s actually very simple, but you have to stick to it every day.”

"First, practice Qigong. Stand with your legs apart, feet parallel to your shoulders, breathe deeply, and meditate. (I only found this name, but not the practice method)"

After about 5 minutes, Wu Dinghuan's voice sounded again: "Okay, slowly finish the exercise and exhale."

Immediately afterwards, Wu Dinghuan took Wang Deming to the door of the west wing and taught him how to use stone locks, stone balls and other equipment to exercise and strengthen various parts of the body.

After he finished explaining everything, Wu Dinghuan wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, smiled again and said, "Junior brother, you are so smart, you will definitely learn it quickly."

"But remember, all Kung Fu is useless if you don't practice it for one day. If you don't practice it for three days, you will lose it."

"Remember!"

Wang Deming clasped his fists and said solemnly: "Junior brother, please remember this!"

"Is Doctor Xia home?"

At this time, there were voices of questioning coming from the gate of the courtyard, accompanied by occasional coughing.

Xia Xiwu's face changed when he heard this, and he quickly stood up and ordered: "Dinghuan, Deming, hurry up and follow me to the front yard."

At the gate of the courtyard, a young man was being supported by his companions. He was standing on one leg, his face was pale, his expression was distorted, he was grimacing in pain, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"what happened to him?"

"Come in quickly with me and slowly lay him down."

"Today, when he was carrying iron ingots, he didn't wear gloves and his hand slipped and hit his leg!"

"Come on, slowly take off your pants so I can take a good look."

Wang Deming followed behind Xia Xiwu and took a look. He saw that the patient had a very severe bruise on his left thigh and his left calf was deformed.

Xia Xiwu checked the thigh first, and quickly touched and kneaded the area around the bruise with both hands. The patient only let out a hiss and held it back. "Fortunately, the thigh is fine. I'll help you rub the bruise later. It will be healed with some safflower oil."

Then carefully examine the calf.

He did not start pinching with his hands right away, but first carefully observed the direction of the calf's deformation before starting to pinch it quickly, accurately and ruthlessly.

"what!"

"Young man, bear with it a little longer."

"Crack!"

"what!"

"Okay, it's basically reset. Let me check if there are any broken or scattered bones around it."

"Alright." Xia Xiwu took out a white handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead, then turned around and told Wu Dinghuan: "Dinghuan, give him a plaster cast."

"Deming, bring me a basin of water so I can wash my hands."

"Okay, Master."

Wang Deming turned his head and quickly looked around the back room. There was an iron rack at the door with a copper basin on it.

Wang Deming strode over quickly, picked up the copper basin, went out to the tap in the front yard, filled it with water, and brought it back, calling softly, "Master."

"Yes." Xia Xiwu walked over slowly, dipped his hands in water and soap, and explained to Wang Deming while washing his hands: "What I just used is the "connection" method in the Eight Methods of Bone Correction."

"To connect means to put the broken bones together and restore them to their original state."

“When bones are injured or scattered, or broken in two, or folded and sunken, or broken and scattered, or divergent and protruding, we should slowly connect them according to their situation, so that the broken ones can be connected, the sunken ones can be raised, the broken ones can be made whole, and the protruding ones can be made flat again.”

Wang Deming was very considerate and handed a towel to Xia Xiwu to wipe his hands. Xia Xiwu continued to explain while wiping his hands: "This patient has a protruding side."

"Fortunately, there are no scattered bone fragments around. If there were any, it would be very troublesome to reposition the bone. Not only does the doctor have to carefully push each piece back into place, but it would also be very painful for the patient, and it would take a very long time."

"Come, watch your brother put on a cast."

"Plastering is also a very demanding process. If it is not fixed properly, it is easy to cause secondary bone damage."

Wu Dinghuan skillfully applied the plaster, and Xia Xiwu instructed him to continue rubbing the bruised area on the patient's left thigh.

Then he waved to the person who accompanied the patient, turned around and sat at the desk by the window, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote down a prescription with a brush: Astragalus and Cinnamon Twig Five Ingredients Decoction.

Astragalus, cinnamon twig, peony, ginger, and jujube.

After writing it, he handed it to the person accompanying him and said, "This is Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction, which replenishes Qi and warms the meridians, harmonizes blood and relieves arthritis."

"Add 6 liters of water, boil it down to 1/3, drink it while it's warm, three times a day."

Then he picked up another notebook, turned to the latest page, and began to write a medical record: Male, over 20 years old, left calf was bifurcated and protruded to the side, and the doctor treated him with bone correction and prescribed Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction.

"Name?"

"Ah?" The companion was stunned for a moment and said, "My name is Jia Dongxu."

Xia Xiwu, who was writing with his head down, looked up and said with a smile: "It's not your name, it's your friend's name."

"Oh, oh!" Jia Dongxu smiled awkwardly and replied, "His name is Yuan Dalu, and we are co-workers at the Dongzhimenwai Iron and Steel Plant."

"Oh," Xia Xiwu pointed to the fee list on the wall after writing the medical record.

"Come back for a follow-up consultation in three days. The consultation fee is 1 yuan, and the external application of plaster is 1 yuan."

"Oh, OK," Jia Dongxu turned around and asked his co-worker Yuan Dalu for money: "Dalu, the consultation fee is 2 yuan."

Yuan Dalu, still with a painful expression on his face, bared his teeth and shouted, "Dongxu, you help me pay for it first, and I will pay you back tomorrow. I didn't bring any money in my pocket when I changed clothes today."

"Ah," Jia Dongxu looked even more embarrassed and flustered, "I, I don't have it in my pocket either."

"Ah? Wasn't the salary just paid a few days ago at the end of the month?"

“I gave them all to my mother.”

Wang Deming noticed Jia Dongxu as soon as he introduced himself.

I can't help but pay attention. Is this the one in the TV series?
He was not tall, at most 1 meters, with a handsome face and wearing a Lenin cap. His work clothes were covered with dust and black oil stains, and his fingers were tied with a lot of yellowed tape.

Very ordinary. Too ordinary.
Wang Deming added calmly, "You come here for bone setting, but you don't have any money with you?"

“Aren’t the workers paid quite high wages?”

"And the factory union won't care if someone gets hurt, right?"

"How come you don't even have 2 dollars?"

At this time, Jia Dongxu lowered his head in shame and said nothing.

"Hiss." Yuan Dalu, who had a broken leg, spoke up: "I was afraid of delays when I was injured, so I asked Dongxu to bring me here directly. The workers next to me have already reported to Boss Lou and the union."

"Doctor Xia, the medical expenses will definitely not be too much for you."

"Just today"

Xia Xiwu stroked his beard, smiled and said, "It's okay, I believe you."

"Just write a note."

"I can't read."

"Then give me a fingerprint."

"Ok."

"Doctor Xia, please take a look at my waist, ouch."

The meeting here was not over yet, and another middle-aged man came in, holding his waist, with a dark face and wrinkles, a white towel wrapped on his head, and a half-length coat with exposed arms.

"Come on, hurry up, Deming, help him and let him sit down on the bed slowly."

"Lao Guan, didn't I tell you not to continue pulling the cart?"

"Well, if we don't pull the cart, what will we eat?"

(End of this chapter)