Visiting an Old Friend of His Master

Later, Su Ziyang made a special trip to visit the old lady who taught his cousin's wife.

When Su Ziyang arrived, a very thin old woman was hunched over, giving someone moxibustion.

The acupoints for moxibustion are Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6).

The patient suffers from dysmenorrhea.

Su Ziyang was surprised to find that the old woman could actually extinguish the red-sparkling moxa wool with her fingers.

And my fingers won't get injured.

Su Ziyang thought the old lady knew some kind of kung fu, but after asking her a couple of questions, he realized it wasn't anything special at all.

The reason my hands don't get injured and aren't afraid of burns is simply because I've gotten used to them from years of exposure.

"Auntie, does it hurt?"

Su Ziyang held the old woman's rough and thickened fingertips and asked.

"It doesn't hurt."

The old woman chuckled, "I started learning to light a fire from my mother when I was 13."

The "fire" the old lady was referring to was moxibustion.

"At first, my fingers were afraid of getting burned, but then my mother would hold my hands and knead them with moxa wool every day. After a while, I couldn't feel it anymore and wasn't afraid of the pain."

The old lady always smiled when she talked about this. Su Ziyang held the old lady's hand, feeling a little sorry for her.

A 13-year-old child, squeezing the fire pit every day, must have cried a lot back then.

The old lady had a routine when she went to see a doctor: she would put three yuan in a box by the door and then begin her treatment.

You must not give too much, nor too little.

One moxibustion session costs three yuan.

On the way to say goodbye to the old lady, Su Ziyang contacted Master Yang Tianzheng, whom he hadn't heard from in a while.

Yang Tianzheng's voice remained firm and steady. "Little Ziyang, what brings you to your teacher?"

"Master, I miss you so much that I can't sleep at night."

Su Ziyang started joking with Yang Tianzheng, Yang Tianzheng laughed and cursed on the phone, "Get lost, you little brat! Are you alright?"

Hi, I'd like to share my learning progress with you. Please feel free to offer your feedback.

Su Ziyang rattled off all the knowledge he had recently learned about moxibustion to Yang Tianzheng, including the needle used to tattoo characters on Yue Fei's back and the acupoint-finding method of Doctor Zhou performed bloodletting.

"As I understand it, moxibustion works like this: In ancient society, things weren't as convenient as they are now. It was normal for poor people to lack medical care and medicine. If they couldn't afford medicine, or if some medicines were unavailable, moxibustion or acupuncture could be used to alleviate their immediate needs."

What Yang Tianzheng said made a lot of sense, something Su Ziyang hadn't expected.

"Even without moxibustion, you could use other herbs or something similar, tied into a shape similar to moxa sticks, and apply heat to the acupoints. Wouldn't that work too?"

Yang Tianzheng was right, and Su Ziyang nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Oh, right, Little Ziyang. Speaking of moxibustion, it suddenly reminded me of something. I have a friend I haven't contacted in a long time. He lives over there; he's a master of moxibustion. You could go visit him. Just say you're my apprentice, and he'll definitely treat you to good food and drinks. My dad's been busy lately, so I haven't had time to go with you."

Su Ziyang simply missed Yang Tianzheng, so he made a phone call to say hello and talk to his master.

But to my utter surprise, there was an unexpected delight.

So Su Ziyang, who was on vacation, did not return to the clinic to make house calls. After getting off the bus, he changed his ticket and went to his friend Yang Tianzheng's house.

This man's surname is Feng, so let's call him Old Feng for now.

Old Feng was two heads taller than Su Ziyang, and his burly build intimidated Su Ziyang. Most importantly, this guy had a completely shaved head.

Her eyebrows, already as black as ink, appeared even darker due to the lack of hair, and her large, round eyes resembled those of Doraemon.

"Well, Uncle Feng, I am Yang Tianzheng, Master Yang's apprentice. I'm here on my master's orders to visit you. This is a small gift for you. Please don't find it offensive."

Su Ziyang chuckled and placed the items near the entrance.

"Hey, your master told me about Su Ziyang, right? This kid, coming all this way and bringing gifts, it's a bit too formal. Please, have a seat."

Old Feng patted Su Ziyang Su Ziyang on the shoulder and led him to the sofa.

"Your master is doing well? I wonder what he's been up to lately; he never comes to visit me."

Old Feng chuckled and pulled out a large tea mug, the kind of enamel tea mug from the 80s and 90s.

He put a large handful of jasmine tea in, poured boiling water over it, and handed it to Su Ziyang.

"Child, are you thirsty on the road? Have some tea. Monkey King Jasmine Tea, that's my favorite."

This Monkey King brand is an established brand, but with this tea, if you use a little, it will have a delicate jasmine fragrance; but if you use too much, the tea will become bitter.

Su Ziyang looked at the large handful of tea leaves; it looked like enough to make tea eggs. The color alone made it unappetizing.

Old Feng chuckled when he saw Su Ziyang holding the cup but not taking a sip, "What? Don't you like jasmine tea? I'll get you green tea, wait a moment."

"Uncle Feng, don't trouble yourself. I'm just here to visit you on behalf of my master. I'll ask him to say hello to you. Please don't stand on ceremony, I'll just sit for a bit and then leave."

Su Ziyang is now incredibly skilled in his studies, so Yang Tianzheng wouldn't send him to visit Old Feng for no reason.

There was only one goal: to steal Old Feng's skills.

Judging from Yang Tianzheng's attitude of enjoying good food and drink, we can analyze two points.

The first is that Old Feng and Yang Tianzheng have a very close relationship and are good friends.

Secondly, Old Feng is a very honest person.

Therefore, Su Ziyang's move was a retreat without advancing; he didn't say what he was there for, but simply said he would sit for a while and then leave.

"You silly child. You think I'd leave without letting you eat? What do you mean by 'sit down'? Seeing you reminds me of your master. At noon, I'll take you to eat stewed goose in an iron pot. It'll be hot in the summer, but we can eat with the air conditioning on! Hahaha!"

Su Ziyang's guess was absolutely right. Old Feng was indeed a very honest person. His invitation to stay for dinner was not just a polite gesture between friends, but a genuine invitation from the heart!

Braised goose in an iron pot is a famous dish. Goose is not easy to cook because it is quite oily and it can have a gamey smell if not cooked properly.

However, there's no such concern when stewing goose in an iron pot; you can just throw in dried green beans, dried eggplant, potatoes, and wide rice noodles and stew them together.

It will definitely be stewed until it's very fragrant.

Especially when you add a small steamed bun, after it soaks up the broth, the taste is absolutely amazing.

To Su Ziyang's relief, Old Feng didn't drink at all, which put Su Ziyang's mind at ease.

Judging from Old Feng's physique and his earnest insistence on the meal, if I didn't drink the wine he offered, he would most likely force me to sit on the table and force-feed me.

That would mean the whole thing is over...