The Older Generation

"That Su Wenxian is completely useless. He just called Ziyang and yelled at him!" Su Ziyang's mother said to Su Ziyang's father after the man left.

"I heard it! I was right next to him! He asked me for Ziyang's phone number." Su Ziyang's father said softly, "That's just the kind of person he is. What can you do? Help if you can. I saw Ziyang pressing him pretty hard! Hahaha, this kid. You've grown up. That's how things are in the village. Just have some fun with them."

Su Ziyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) without making a sound, blinking his little eyes at his father. Su Ziyang's father patted Su Ziyang's back helplessly, then strolled off to visit Dada.

Su Wenxian was a man of his word. He would come to see Su Ziyang every afternoon around three or four o'clock. Although Su Ziyang found him quite annoying, he certainly didn't cut corners when it came to treating the illness.

Su Wenxian's shoulder is recovering day by day; his range of motion has basically returned, and it doesn't hurt much anymore.

"Dude, you know what? This really works! It really doesn't hurt anymore!"

After the massage, Su Wenxian stretched his shoulders and said to Su Ziyang with a smile.

"Haha, it's good that you're better. You're almost fully recovered. You won't need massages anymore. Just be careful when you're working and don't catch a cold. It's unlikely to recur!" Su Ziyang washed his hands and dried them as he gave Su Wenxian instructions.

"Haha, great! Not bad at all, school wasn't a waste of time! I'm off then." Su Wenxian lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, put his hands behind his back, and strolled out the Dada.

Less than half an hour after Su Wenxian left, three or four middle-aged women came in through the door, chattering away.

When Su Ziyang's mother saw that people had come to the house, she put on her shoes and got off the kang (a heated brick bed). When she opened the door, Su Ziyang frowned because she didn't recognize any of the people who had come.

But these people were very overly familiar with each other. "Oh, is Ziyang home?"

Su Ziyang stared at the group of people, somewhat bewildered. "I'm here. What's wrong?"

"Oh dear, I just heard in that Wenxian that you're a great masseur, so we came to check it out. My back is killing me!" said one of the women, who had a scarf tied around her head.

"Sigh, we all have a few minor ailments. Could you please take a look?" The group chattered on and on, Su Ziyang was getting a headache just looking at these middle-aged women.

"Alright, alright, come on in!" Although Su Ziyang's mother didn't recognize these people, it was basic etiquette to invite them in for some melon seeds and tea when visiting during the New Year, so she quickly ushered them into the inner room.

"Let me see first! My back is hurting terribly!" the woman with a scarf tied around her head said again.

"Okay!" Su Ziyang nodded. "Please lie down on the bed, let me check you out first!"

The woman with the scarf around her neck swayed her muscular body and suddenly collapsed onto the small single bed next to the kang (a heated brick bed), causing the bed frame to creak.

Rural people who work in agriculture and do manual labor year-round often experience chronic back pain, which is generally caused by two simple reasons: herniated discs and lumbar muscle strain.

Su Ziyang lifted the woman's cotton-padded coat, gently tapped her waist a few times with his loose fist, and then asked, "Does it hurt like this?"

"It doesn't hurt!"

Then Su Ziyang tapped and pressed on the spinous processes of the woman's five lumbar vertebrae. This was to check for tenderness on the spine, usually used to check for disc herniation or damage to the supraspinous ligament.

But the women all shook their heads and said it didn't hurt.

Finally, Su Ziyang exerted some force on the woman's thick waist, touching the anterior superior iliac spine, which was so swollen it was almost invisible. The anterior superior iliac spine is level with the fourth lumbar vertebra.

Upon finding the fourth lumbar vertebra, Su Ziyang moved his thumb upwards by about an inch, then moved it horizontally from the center of the spine to both sides, pressing it down diagonally towards the spine.

Su Ziyang pressed down, and the woman lying on the head covering let out a scream, startling everyone in the room.

"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" The woman's voice trembled slightly.

The point Su Ziyang pressed was the transverse process of the third lumbar vertebra. Many ligaments and muscles in the lower back grow on this transverse process. Therefore, after long-term strain, this area will become very painful, which modern medicine calls: L3 transverse process syndrome.

"This is just a strain. Just apply a plaster and rest a bit!" Su Ziyang gave a general diagnosis and treatment suggestion.

To everyone's surprise, the woman showed no intention of getting out of bed after hearing Su Ziyang's words. She grumbled on the bed, "Applying plasters is useless. You know how to massage, so give me a few massages! I heard from Su Wenxian that you're really good at it. You even cured his frozen shoulder! You've been massaging him for days, so give me a few massages. You don't go to work anyway. You're just killing time."

Su Ziyang wasn't stupid. He immediately understood from the woman's words and tone that these people weren't there to see him for treatment at all; they had just heard that there were free massages and came to take advantage of the situation.

"Okay!" Su Ziyang understood what he meant, but he didn't refuse verbally.

"Okay, come on!" The woman lay down on the bed.

Su Ziyang took off the woman's cotton-padded coat and began to massage her. Although the woman was very fat, Su Ziyang, having been trained by Uncle Jiang, possessed formidable finger strength. With each touch of his fingers, the force penetrated the thick cotton coat and the woman's ample layers of fat and muscle, reaching directly to the affected area.

For fifteen minutes, the woman cried out in pain every time Su Ziyang applied subtle pressure with his fingers. Despite these painful groans, she persisted for a full fifteen minutes, demonstrating her determination to take advantage of the situation.

"Come on, lie on your side. I'll adjust your bones!"

Upon hearing Su Ziyang's words, the woman swayed her heavy body and turned to the side.

"Come on, bend the top leg and straighten the bottom leg."

As Su Ziyang spoke, he helped the woman get into position, then pressed down on her shoulder with one elbow and pushed her forward, while pressing down on her hip with the other and pulling her into his arms. The two forces intersected, and a series of cracking sounds were heard from the woman's waist.

"Oh my god!" the woman screamed, and the people in the room looked at each other in disbelief, their faces filled with fear.

"It's alright! This is called lumbar oblique manipulation. It's a standard massage and bone-setting technique!"

Su Ziyang signaled to everyone not to be afraid, then pulled the woman to the other side and performed the same lumbar oblique manipulation, resulting in another series of cracking sounds.

"Alright! Let's get some exercise!" Su Ziyang gestured for the woman to get out of bed and stretch her legs.

The woman shuffled off the bed, wrapped her scarf around her head again, and then swayed her hips.

"It really doesn't hurt anymore! I feel so much lighter." The woman was delighted to find that her back did indeed feel much lighter.

Seeing that the woman wearing the scarf seemed more relaxed, the others in the group relaxed and began to jokingly point out their own faults.

"My neck hurts."

"My wrist hurts."

My hip joint hurts.

Su Ziyang examined each of them, offering advice and treatment for any problems he found.

Just as Su Ziyang was examining the last person's cervical spine, his father returned.

Although Su Ziyang's mother didn't recognize these people, Su Ziyang's father did. Upon entering and seeing them chattering away, he smiled and said, "You're here! Happy New Year!"

"Oh, Happy New Year! Your son is really great, he did a wonderful job! My back doesn't hurt as much anymore!" The woman wearing a scarf who had given Su Ziyang the massage at the beginning said to Su Ziyang's father.

"You're here to see him for a medical consultation!" Su Ziyang's father thought these people were just visiting, but he realized what was going on when he heard the woman's words and saw his son massaging someone's neck.

"Yes, we heard from the Wenxian that your son is quite skilled at massage, so we came to see!" one of the thinner women said. "I feel so much better after the massage. It's really wonderful!"

"Haha, he's just a beginner in traditional Chinese medicine, he's not very skilled!" Su Ziyang's father laughed it off.

After chatting for a while, Su Ziyang finished examining the cervical spine of the last person.

"Ah, that feels so good!" The woman finally clutched her neck, a look of pleasure on her face.

"That's good!" Su Ziyang's father said, smoking as he watched the group chattering away.

"Oh dear, it's already six o'clock! I need to hurry back and cook. My husband will scold me again if he doesn't come back from playing cards!" The woman wearing a scarf said as she walked out. "Going now, Ziyang!"

After the massage, the group sat for less than five minutes, then patted their bottoms and left, leaving behind a mess of sunflower seed shells.

"Who are these people! They were just saying that since our son is free anyway, why don't we give him a massage? Can't I just rest for a bit?" As soon as the group left, Su Ziyang's mother frowned, her tone very angry.

After this group of people arrived, they chattered incessantly without speaking to Su Ziyang's mother. They just went to whoever was there and only exchanged a few words with Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang's father was also a bit helpless. He picked up a broom and swept up the sunflower seed shells on the ground, saying, "The fat one at the west end of the village is Dayi Yi's wife. The other two in red, one is Old Liutou's daughter-in-law from the west village, and the other is Third Stutterer's daughter-in-law. I don't really recognize the younger one!"

Su Ziyang's father's introduction was as good as no introduction at all to Su Ziyang.

Dayi, who is Old Liutou?

Who is the Third Stutterer?

"Fine! All that talk for nothing." Su Ziyang's father muttered, looking at the bewildered mother and daughter.

Actually, this can't be blamed on Su Ziyang Su Ziyang or his mother. Some people are asking why he doesn't recognize everyone in his own village?

I really can't recognize them all!

Su Ziyang's village is particularly large, with nearly 800 households. Note that it is said to be households, and each household has at least seven or eight people.

Because the village is large, the old man also calls it East Village and West Village. In fact, they are all one village, but it is too big. So the old man uses the main street that runs north-south as the boundary and calls the village East Village and West Village.

Su Ziyang's family is not at home most of the time, and even Su Ziyang's father doesn't recognize all the people in the family, let alone Su Ziyang and Su Ziyang mother.

"Mom, let's make some porridge and pickled vegetables tonight. Eating meat all the time is getting a bit greasy!" Su Ziyang couldn't understand his father's explanation, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

"OK!"

It was already dark outside by then, and Su Ziyang's mother started cooking.

Just as the meal was about to be served, Su Ziyang heard footsteps in the yard, so he turned on the yard lights.

An old woman, leaning on a cane and with a hunched back, slowly walked into the house. Su Ziyang recognized her; her house was just two alleys away from Su Ziyang. She wasn't very old, perhaps in her seventies, but she was of a very high generation.

This family doesn't have the surname Su; they're from another family. Su Ziyang doesn't know how the Su family and the other families in the village with different surnames determine seniority, but his father has to call this person "Grandma," and he has to call her "Great-Grandma."

"Grandma, what brings you here?" Su Ziyang smiled and went over to help the hunched-over old woman.

"Little Ziyang, oh dear, you don't need to help me. If you help me, I'll be even more unable to walk. I can manage on my own!" The old man didn't need Su Ziyang's help; he just slowly walked step by step into the house.

Su Ziyang's father was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing cards on his phone when he heard the noise and quickly got up. "Third Granny, you're here!"

"Hey, don't come out! What are you doing out here? I'm just a couple of steps away from getting back inside!" the old man waved his hand.

Finally, the old woman entered the house, Su Ziyang's father asked, "Third Granny, what brings you here?"

"Haha, I came to see Ziyang. I'll have him take a look at my illness. I heard someone on the street say he's a good doctor today, so I thought I'd get a free consultation, hehe~" The old lady said, a slightly embarrassed expression on her wrinkled face.

"Third Granny ~ What are you saying? If you have something to say, just tell me. I'll have Ziyang go over and check on you. It's not easy for you to walk, and you might bump into something late at night!" Su Ziyang's father said with a smile.

"It's alright, I can still walk, I can still walk!" The old lady waved her hand, then said to Su Ziyang, "Well, it's just that my back hurts~ Can you take a look?"

"Grandma, you're so old, I can't let you touch anything. Have you had an X-ray or something?" Su Ziyang asked, looking at the old woman's hunched figure.

"Yes!" After saying that, the old man took out a plastic bag from the pocket hanging on his cane, inside which were two CT scans.

Su Ziyang took the film and looked at it under the light. His brows immediately furrowed. It's normal for people to experience joint degeneration and back pain as they get older, but this old man's pain wasn't caused by joint degeneration.

The CT scan showed that both the second and fourth lumbar vertebrae had compression fractures. Su Ziyang looked at the date on the CT scan and saw that it was taken in November, before the Chinese New Year.

"Grandma, you've fractured your bone! It's a compression fracture! Did you squat down on your buttocks?"

Upon hearing Su Ziyang's words, the old man chuckled, then held out his hand, covered in cuts, and pointed at Su Ziyang: "No wonder the doctor couldn't be kept in the dark. A few days ago, I went out to gather firewood, lost my balance, and fell to the ground! Can you take a look and help me fix this, child?"

"Sigh. You're so old, why are you wandering around like this? Let the kids handle things!" Su Ziyang's father advised.

"No way, it'll only annoy people if it goes on for too long!" The old lady waved her hand.

"Grandma, let me give you an idea. You can use a heat pack, wrap a towel around it, wet the towel, spray some vinegar on it, and apply it as a hot compress to the painful area. Then buy some safflower oil, apply it for forty minutes, and then apply some medicated oil. You're old enough to know this! Just do it this way, and it won't hurt anymore!" Su Ziyang was afraid the old woman wouldn't hear him clearly, so he repeatedly gave her his instructions.

The old man nodded to indicate that he understood, then patted Su Ziyang's hand. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, child!"

"Of course, of course!" The old man was too polite, and Su Ziyang felt a little embarrassed.

"Alright, I've got it. I'm off now, you all go ahead and eat!" The old man leaned on his cane and slowly walked out.

"Dinner's ready, come and eat here, Third Granny!" At that moment, Su Ziyang's mother came out of the kitchen.

"No, you guys eat. I'm leaving!"

"Then I'll take you there!"

"No need!" The old man, who wouldn't stay no matter how much they tried to persuade him, walked away shakily, leaning on his cane.

"This old lady is getting old and no one cares about her anymore!" Su Ziyang's father sighed.

After Third Granny left, Su Ziyang's family ate a simple meal. Just as Su Ziyang's father was about to lock the front door, Third Granny returned, trembling, carrying a large plastic bag.

"Sigh, I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it used to be. I said I'd bring you some peanuts, but I forgot! Then I remembered! These peanuts are ones I picked myself from a field after someone else had harvested them, so don't mind that they're small! Haha!"

The old lady laughed and placed a bag of peanuts on Su Ziyang's doorstep.

"What are you doing? We have some, you can keep it and eat it!" Su Ziyang's father was a little embarrassed to accept the old man's things.

"Tsk~" The old lady clicked her tongue as she watched Su Ziyang's father refuse her things. "You absolutely have to. I need to take something when I see the child for treatment, otherwise he won't get better! This is a rule passed down from the elders! You have to take it, don't complain about it being worn out!"

After saying that, the old lady leaned on her cane and walked away unsteadily.

Looking at the peanuts of varying sizes in the plastic bag, and hearing the old man's resounding rule, Su Ziyang fell into deep thought, reflecting on the events of the day.