Chapter 36: Thirty-six, Save Lives Chapter 36: Thirty-six, Save Lives Yang Lisheng gazed out the window at the swiftly passing scenery, unfamiliar yet oddly familiar, with a glint of memory in his somber eyes, “It’s been a long time since I returned to Beijing, I wonder what has changed there.” Born and raised in Beijing, this land held many of his memories, filled with joy, pain, meetings, and departures.
Li Meixiang nodded, “After Mr. Song’s birthday celebration, we can take Xiao Ning around Beijing for a good time, there’s still a while before school starts anyway.”
“Mhm,” Yang Lisheng looked towards Song Yan Ning and extended his hand to gently touch her hair, his eyes tinged with a trace of heartache. This should have been the place where Xiao Ning grew up, but it was her first time here.
Song Yan Ning smiled at Yang Lisheng, “Grandpa, Grandma, I’ve heard that Beijing’s roast duck is really delicious, will you take me to eat it?” She knew what her grandfather was thinking, but what of it if Beijing was prosperous? She didn’t care for it at all. If she had to choose, she would rather be in Huashang Village, where there are mountains and rivers, and her favorite Spirit Grass, even if it was just low-level spiritual grass.
“Sure, your grandma and I will take you to Quanjude for roast duck, we’ll also have hot pot lamb, potstickers, and daoxianghuoshao,” said Yang Lisheng. Thinking about those delicacies made him swallow with longing; it had been so many years since he had tasted Beijing’s gourmet food.
“Help! Somebody, please help!” Suddenly, an urgent cry for help came from the next carriage.
“I’ll go and see what’s happening,” Yang Lisheng stood up quickly and hurried to the next carriage. A cry for help on the train surely meant something serious had occurred.
“Grandpa, I’ll come with you,” said Song Yan Ning as she got up to follow Yang Lisheng.
The carriage was in an uproar, with people crowding around to see what was going on.
“Comrade, what happened up front?” Unable to push through the crowd, Yang Lisheng asked a middle-aged man next to him.
The middle-aged man turned to Yang Lisheng, “That old man is having an asthma attack and didn’t bring his medicine.”
Yang Lisheng frowned and shouted to the people in front, “Excuse me, please make way, I am a Doctor, please let me through.”
Hearing there was a Doctor, the crowd parted to create a path.
“Everyone, please step back a little, don’t crowd around the patient, we need to keep the air flowing, or it will worsen his condition,” Yang Lisheng said as he made his way forward.
The one sick was an elderly man, with a young boy by his side; it was the boy who had been shouting for help.
Seeing Yang Lisheng come over, the boy looked at him pleadingly, “Doctor, please save my grandfather, he’s having an asthma attack.” He was kicking himself for forgetting his grandfather’s medicine at the hotel.
He had been accompanying his grandfather on a trip to Jiujiang. During check-out, he had double-checked and hadn’t noticed anything left behind, only realizing on the train that he had forgotten his grandfather’s medicine at the hotel. He felt doomed; if anything happened to his grandfather, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.
Yang Lisheng knelt down, took the old man’s wrist to feel his pulse, then began to massage his Lieque acupoint with his index finger.
Seeing Yang Lisheng’s actions, the boy and the onlookers were full of surprise.
“What’s he doing?”
“Is this a treatment for asthma?”
“Doctor, are you treating my grandfather?” He had never seen such a method of treatment; could it really work?
“This acupoint is called the Lieque acupoint, massaging it can relax muscles and tendons and channel the flow of energy, treating cough, asthma, headaches, and throat pain,” Yang Lisheng explained.
“Oh!” The boy nodded somewhat knowingly. As long as it could save Grandpa, that was all that mattered.
As Yang Lisheng’s massage continued, the old man’s wheezing gradually decreased, and his pale complexion began to slowly regain its rosy hue. He looked at Yang Lisheng and nodded his head in gratitude, “Doctor! Thank you!” He had just thought that he really was at death’s door.
“Grandpa!” The boy looked at the old man in surprise. Grandpa could speak now, didn’t that mean Grandpa was okay now?
The old man shook his head, “Don’t worry, I’m fine now.” His chest still felt a bit stuffy, but it was much better than before when he couldn’t even catch his breath.
Yang Lisheng let go and helped the boy to settle the old man back in his seat, “If you encounter this situation again, use your index finger to massage this spot for about a minute or two, and it can alleviate the symptoms.” He pointed to the location of the Lieque acupoint on the old man.
The boy nodded, “Doctor, what if I can’t find this spot?”
“To locate the acupoint, overlap the thumb webs of your hands, press one finger against the other hand’s radial styloid process, at the tip of the index finger lies the acupoint,” Yang Lisheng demonstrated the motion.
“I understand, thank you, Doctor!” The boy also mimicked Yang Lisheng’s motion, seeking the Lieque acupoint on his own body.
The old man gave Yang Lisheng a thumbs-up, “I’ve always heard that Chinese medicine is profound and extensive, and it really is! May I be so bold to ask, are you getting off in Beijing?” The other party had saved his life, so he should properly thank him. If the other party was also going to Beijing, that would be the best scenario.
“Um,” Yang Lisheng nodded slightly and, holding Song Yan Ning’s hand, was about to return to his own carriage.
“Doctor, treat me too, please, I’m itching to death,” the woman from the day before approached. Her body and face were covered with bloody scratch marks that she had made; it looked somewhat terrifying.
Yang Lisheng immediately recognized her and examined the rash on her face, “I don’t have any medicine with me, I can’t treat you.” He hadn’t expected she would be on the same train as him.
“I know I was wrong yesterday, and I apologize to you. Please treat me; I really can’t stand the itching anymore,” the woman pleaded with Yang Lisheng.
“I can cure you, but you will have to pay for the medicine,” Song Yan Ning interjected.
“How much?” The woman scratched her face, almost wishing she could tear her skin off. The feeling was just too unbearable.
“Five hundred ninety,” Song Yan Ning said to the woman with a smile.
“That’s too expensive! Your grandfather just treated him without charging a cent,” the woman pointed at the old man nearby, filled with regret. If she had known she would need their help today, she wouldn’t have acted like that yesterday.
“Take it or leave it; if you don’t want it, forget it,” Song Yan Ning glared at the woman, pulling Yang Lisheng’s hand as they headed towards their own carriage.
“Treat me, treat me, I’ll pay,” the woman said, heartache evident as she pulled out her wallet and counted out six hundred-dollar bills to give to Song Yan Ning.
Song Yan Ning took the money without ceremony and pulled out a small medicine bottle and ten yuan from her pocket and handed them to the woman, “There’s a pill in the bottle, take it and you’ll be fine.”
The woman hastily took the medicine bottle and ran to her seat, took a sip of mineral water, and swallowed the pill. They were almost at Beijing, and if the medicine didn’t work, she could still ask for her money back.
It wasn’t long after taking the medicine that she found she really wasn’t itching anymore. But thinking of the five hundred ninety yuan she had spent, her heart started to ache again.