The following day, at the Green Mountain Academy.
"Ouch... don't touch it, it hurts."
Shiyan awkwardly withdrew his hand, "You didn't mention me?"
Meng Anci glared at him, annoyed. "You mentioned it, and then you beat him even more fiercely..." He gently touched his cheekbone, hiss... it hurts.
"That shouldn't be the case. Given my relationship with Sister Anzhi, she would at least give me some face."
Meng Anci scoffed, "I got beaten up because I believed your nonsense."
"What did you say...? Repeat it with me."
Zhao Zhiyuan and Zhao Yushan moved closer upon hearing this. Meng Anci's gaze swept over Shiyan. "According to the first sentence you taught me, sister... I want to hear you speak. Your voice is the most beautiful."
The second sentence, I believe you can do it, come open your mouth and imitate me... ah..."
Shiyan was puzzled, "The steps were correct, shouldn't I? Should I go to the Anzhi Hall and teach her myself?"
Zhao Zhiyuan pressed down on his shoulder, "Don't go yet, let Sister Anzhi calm down..." After saying that, he turned to Meng Anci and asked, "How is she now? Has she spoken yet?"
Meng Anci nodded, "Her throat has been better for a while. She's been holding back her speech to let it rest a bit longer, saying that a woman's voice is her second face... and shouldn't be hurt."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Shiyan and said, "In the future, be careful when you talk to girls. Don't be so clingy... This time it was me, but if it were any other brother, he would have beaten you to death if you talked to his sister like that."
Shiyan suddenly shouted, "Something's wrong!"
Meng Anci thought to himself, "Oh no!" But then Shiyan said, "My mother says that hands are a woman's second face, so they shouldn't do heavy work."
"Speaking of which, my mother used to say that a woman's neck is her second face. You actually believe that?" Zhao Yushan chimed in from the side.
Meng Anci rolled his eyes inwardly. He had worried unnecessarily. "Alright, since her throat is fine, let's call it a day."
Everyone returned to their seats, but Shiyan was still wondering, "Where exactly is a woman's second face?"
Anzhi Hall Jin Shanyao stood aside watching Meng Anzhi give Niu Zhuangzhuang acupuncture. Niu Dadan was in an unusually relaxed mood today. " Shopkeeper Jin, my son was able to roll over last night."
Jin Shanyao and said, "It's good that it works..." As she spoke, she took out a sugar ball mixed with ginkgo powder and fed it to Niu Zhuangzhuang, " Zhuangzhuang, be good, just bear with it a little longer, it will pass."
Niu Zhuangzhuang had a candy in his mouth, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Jin Shanyao. His aunt would give him candy every time he came to the clinic. At first, the acupuncture didn't hurt at all, but he started to feel it a little recently, though he could still bear it.
Jin Shanyao rubbed his thin cheeks and said to Niu Dadan, "Don't be stingy with the medicine... throw it away if the color fades."
Niu Dadan nodded awkwardly, "Okay, okay... I understand." He always got his medicine from the Anzhi Hall, Shopkeeper Jin never charged him a penny, so he felt bad about it.
" Shopkeeper Jin... I don't know how to repay your immense kindness to my family."
Jin Shanyao scolded, "Stop saying such useless things. If you want to repay me..." She gestured towards the backyard with her chin, "Go, chop up the wood in the woodshed."
"Hey... I'll go right now," Niu Dadan said happily. He went through the side gate, looked around the yard, saw the axe on the wooden stake, picked it up and started chopping.
He felt at ease doing some work... thump, thump, thump... the sound of chopping wood echoed in the backyard.
Meng Anzhi gently wiped Niu Zhuangzhuang's sweat with a handkerchief. "Zhuangzhuang is Zhuangzhuang, he can endure so much pain... Let's hold on for another 45 minutes, then I'll get you some sweet cakes."
Niu Zhuangzhuang tried to raise the corners of his lips in response.
After chopping the firewood, Niu Dadan swept the yard clean. Seeing Nanny Chen carrying a bucket of dirty water, he quickly stepped forward to take it, saying, "Sister, let me... Where do you want it?"
Nanny Chen pointed in a direction, Niu Dadan hurriedly carried the bucket over. After emptying the swill, he had no more work to do.
When he returned to the shop, Meng Anzhi was removing acupuncture needles from Niu Zhuangzhuang. Seeing him come in, she smiled and said, "Uncle Niu, it's all done... Rest for a quarter of an hour before going out again, so you don't catch a cold."
It's early April now, the windy season.
Niu Dadan sighed, picked up his child, and sat down in the corner to rest. When he saw his son holding a sugar cake, his nose tingled and he quickly looked away to look outside the door.
Just then, a mother and daughter entered the shop. The little girl sat down arrogantly on a chair and said to Meng Anzhi, "You hurt me when you gave me acupuncture yesterday."
My mom said she's going to teach you a lesson today...
Meng Anzhi gave a light "oh," and asked with a hint of doubt, "There were too many patients yesterday, I don't quite remember. Where were you pricked?"
The little girl stretched out her arm, rolled up her sleeve, and pointed to a tiny needle mark. "Right here... I feel like you pricked my bone."
Meng Anzhi reached out and grasped the little girl's arm to examine her closely. "It really is..." she said, then suddenly looked up at the little girl's mother and said, "Hey... what are you doing?"
The little girl instinctively turned her head, and when she turned back, she was shocked to see several silver needles on her arm... She burst into tears.
Pointing at Meng Anzhi, she complained to her mother, "Bad person, bad person... teach her a lesson!"
The woman immediately replied, "Oh my goodness, that's too cruel! But it's already stuck in there, and we'll need her to remove the needles later. My dear, just bear with it... Once the needles are removed, I'll definitely stand up for you."
The little girl choked back tears and said, "Fine, you have to stick all the needles into her arm."
"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever my daughter says..."
Time passed slowly, and the little girl waited for Meng Anzhi to come and remove the needles. Unexpectedly, it was Jin Shanyao who arrived. She looked behind Jin Shanyao, "Where is that girl?"
Jin Shanyao her hand and laughed, "Behind you."
"What..." The little girl turned her head to look, but there was nothing there. When she turned back, the needles in her arm had been removed, and she couldn't even see the figure Jin Shanyao.
The little girl asked incredulously, "Where are they... Mommy, have you seen them?"
Her mother said fiercely, "They can run away, but they can't hide. Daughter, let's go home... We'll come back to confront them tomorrow."
The little girl stomped her foot angrily and pointed at Zhou Xiaosi, "Tell that little doctor, I've remembered her..." After saying that, she stumbled and her little body fell forward uncontrollably.
Her mother caught her quickly, and after the two left, Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi came out of the cubicle.
Niu Dadan asked in confusion, "What is this?"
"The child is afraid of needles, so we made a button with her mother..." Jin Shanyao forward to check on Niu Zhuangzhuang's condition, "The sweat has stopped, you can go back now."
"Sigh..." Niu Dadan picked up his son, took the medicine packet from Meng Anzhi, and turned to leave the shop.
While Meng Anzhi was cleaning the silver needles, she heard a soft rustling sound outside the shop. Looking up, she saw a farmer couple standing outside the shop, looking uneasy and hesitant to come in.
Meng Anzhi put away her needle case and smiled, "Uncle, Aunt... are you here for a medical consultation or for divination?"
Upon hearing this, the woman instinctively turned to leave, but her husband grabbed her arm, saying, "Since we're already here... let's go in and take a look."
After a moment of silence, the woman gazed at her husband and then stepped heavily into the shop. Seeing the two standing still, Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "Please sit... May I ask what brings you two here?"
The man nervously clutched the hem of his clothes and said in a hoarse voice, "Let me see you..." As he spoke, he nudged the woman's arm, and the woman rolled up her sleeves and placed her arm on the pulse pillow.
Meng Anzhi placed her hand on her wrist, and after a moment smiled, "I'm pregnant, four months along..." Before she could finish speaking, the woman interrupted her urgently, "Look again, I haven't been pregnant for five years."
The man looked at Meng Anzhi nervously. Meng Anzhi placed her hand on his again and said affirmatively, "Yes, you're pregnant, four months along... but you're overthinking things, which might not be good for the fetus. Don't think too much."
The couple remained silent for a moment. After a while, the man took out five coins, placed them on the table, and left with his wife in his hand.