Chapter 23 Acupuncture on the fifty-seventh night

I remember reading novels and watching movies when I was a child, and I was especially fascinated by acupoints. I often rehearsed the plot in groups of two or three, and poked my fingers randomly twice. The person who was poked immediately kept his posture still. Crazy, as a result, a certain boy learned how to put on TV and turned his back to get acupuncture points, but he didn't notice that a girl was coming from behind. On the chest, the frightened people screamed and screamed. It was the palm of the left hand and the palm of the right hand. The boy was beaten so hard that he couldn't find his teeth and couldn't find his north. Then he cried and called the teacher to go.As a result, the boy was ordered to apologize in front of the whole class, and the class teacher also said that he had been a hooligan since he was a child, and that he was educated.I still remember that he said in his repentance book, "I promise to all the students, my beloved class teacher and the school leaders, that I will never poke my fingers indiscriminately in the future, and I must be disciplined, organized and standardized in the future." As for later, I don't remember up.I only know that when I grow up, I think those things are ridiculous. Although I know that there are acupoints in Chinese medicine, I think it is nonsense that people can’t move for a few hours after one acupoint is pressed, or that people die if one acupoint is pressed. .

However, there are no absolutes in the world. Some things we think are absurd because we don't understand them. Ignorant people dare to doubt anything.Li Zheng's leg injury seems to have not healed, and he still has to rely on crutches to barely walk.Under Luo Lei's introduction, Ji Yan and I took Li Zheng to the countryside far away from the city. It is said that Luo Lei's grandfather is proficient in medical skills.What interests Ji Yan and me is indeed in Luolei's hometown. It is said that there is a family of people who have a magical ability about acupoints since they were young.

The village here is very large, but it is indeed sparsely populated, and it took almost ten minutes to see a family.Blue bricks and white walls, from time to time there are a few dogs walking around wagging their tails, and occasionally a bus passes by. I don’t know why, but I always feel that this place is very desolate. Fortunately, the villagers are very enthusiastic. There was no obstacle, and it led us to the old man's house, but before we arrived, we pointed to the front with our fingers, and then we didn't want to go there. This is an old red brick one-story house, and the red bricks have fallen off a lot. The wooden front door of the house is wide open on both sides. We just wanted to go in, but we found that there were three wolf dogs on each side of the yard in front of the gate, and the youngest was half a human. How tall, when he saw a stranger, he yelled non-stop, straightened up and lay down on the fence. It was the first time to see these guys up close, and he was indeed a little timid. They had red mouths and white teeth, and long hair.

An old man walked out of the gate, with his back half bent, holding a cigarette in one hand, and his posture was rather strange, holding his thumb and middle finger. He walked out steadily. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue cotton coat on his upper body, and his lower body was a A pair of black trousers, the clothes look old and white, they seem to have been washed many times, but they are very clean, and they are wearing a pair of yellow wooden slippers. With the feeling of reprimand, several dogs immediately went back inside and lay down quietly. Walking in and taking a look, through Luo Lei's introduction, it turns out that this old man is his grandfather.The inside of the house is very shady and cool, like being in an ice cellar, but the temperature is very good. There seems to be a dog in the backyard, and there is a large vegetable field. It seems that raising some animals in the field and growing some fresh vegetables for self-sufficiency is very leisurely and comfortable.And from time to time there is a burst of scent of rose flowers, which makes people a little drunk.

When I approached, I saw that the old man had a big snow-white beard, but it was a bit messy without combing.There is a picture frame hanging on the wall, and inside it is a portrait of an old man. He looks very handsome, imposing, and looks like an old man, but there is a scar the size of a thumb on the left forehead. "This is the image of my master. Except for pharmacology, he taught almost all the skills. I have grown a beard since he passed away more than ten years ago, and I have never cut it." The old man stroked his beard and took a deep breath cigarette. After explaining the reason for his visit, the old man looked at Li Zheng's injuries and said with a smile that there was nothing serious, so he went to the inner hall, where there was a medicine cabinet, grabbed a few medicines, and ordered him to take some medicines and medicines.It’s just that it tastes very strange. It’s actually very strange to soak lean meat without any fat in traditional Chinese medicine, and then eat the meat and drink medicine. According to the old man, meat is medicine. It may not be false.

Chatting and chatting, naturally when it came to acupoint acupuncture, the old man laughed heartily, his voice echoed in the room, he was full of energy, although he was seventy-four, he couldn't tell he was old at all, his eyesight and hearing were very good . "Actually, there are acupuncture points. Strictly speaking, they are not pointing with fingers. Their moves are so ordinary that ordinary people can't recognize them if they don't pay attention. Moreover, this group of people pays great attention to concealing their identities. They live a life that is no different from ordinary people. .

I was relatively young that year, in my early twenties. At that time, the whole country was just liberated, and the village was in a mess. At that time, everyone usually used tin pots to boil water. This thing was easy to break if used too much. It’s okay to break a pot, so some craftsmen often wander around the village to order pots for others.The so-called potting refers to the tin water that burns to mend the holes in the pot, earning hard money, a bit like sharpening scissors or a barber who wanders around. The master who ordered the pot was probably in his thirties, but he looked very old, his fingers were as rough as stones, his knuckles were thick and wide, his face was like dried orange peel, black and dark red, because His craftsmanship is good and the fees are relatively cheap, so everyone likes him very much, but I don't know his name, and I just call him Master Liu along with everyone.

Master Liu came to the village a lot, basically all tin pots and other umbrellas, pots and other repairs were done by him alone, and anyone from every household who made something delicious would be happy to give him some . However, some young people in the village are aggressive. You must know that when I was your age, I was relatively honest and never caused trouble outside. This is also thanks to my parents who disciplined me severely. Since I have been practicing medicine for generations, my father Attaches great importance to family tradition and family rules. These young people wander around the village when they are full all day and have nothing to do. Sometimes they peek at the little daughter-in-law breastfeeding, and sometimes they steal a few watermelons. Flies are very annoying, but no one wants to speak out about them. After all, their own parents don't care, so what do they have to do with others?

Once, Master Liu was repairing pots by the side of the road, and he just ordered tin water to make up, but the tallest and most aggressive of the gang rushed over and kicked his guy away.Master Liu was stunned for a moment, didn't say anything, just lowered his head with a smiling face and picked up the kicked things.But as soon as it was brought over, it was kicked away again.After being kicked like this and picked it up several times, Master Liu finally knew that the other party came to find fault on purpose. The kid who kicked the pot is called Mu Gen, his parents died in the war, his family was recognized as a double martyr, he was raised by his grandparents, he was spoiled since he was a child, everyone hated him, but because of the face of his family, Don't dare to offend.I don't know why, but he hates foreigners very much.

Master Liu stood up slowly. The onlookers were very happy, but also a little nervous. They hadn't seen a fight for a long time. Even the woman who was holding the child rushed over, stuffed the child's mouth, and asked the others softly. what's going on. Everyone has never seen Master Liu straighten up. Normally, he is bent over or sitting to work for others, or to tease children. Suddenly he stood up, but found that he was very tall, Mugen was a little flustered, and couldn't help but backed away. I took a step, but thinking about the presence of so many people, I took another half step forward.

"Young boy, don't be too arrogant." Master Liu didn't show too much anger on his calm face, he just said this sentence from his copper-red thick lips, and then kept staring at Mu Gen.Mu Gen looked back and found that his partner had come, and now he was full of confidence. "I just want to beat you up. I'm in a bad mood today. You're still yelling here and blocking my way. If I don't kick you, who will I kick?" Mu Gen said, his fists had already been raised, and he greeted Master Liu's face directly. . We all thought that the fight was about to start, but the ending was unexpected, as if watching TV in slow motion, Master Liu suddenly stretched out his strong hands as big as cattail palms, lowered his head, hugged the tree root by the waist, and pressed his hands on his waist and eyes.This kid weighed at least a hundred or so kilograms, but in Master Liu's eyes, he looked like a paper man, he picked it up lightly, turned around, and put it back on the ground. Everyone was stunned, but Mu Gen himself didn't react, but his body went limp as soon as his feet stuck to the ground, he covered his waist with his hands, and shouted that he had no strength, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from his forehead, his friend was frightened and hurried carried him away. Master Liu’s squinted eyes suddenly revealed a look of regret, and then he sighed, squatted down to pack his things, thinking that there was a lot of excitement and everyone scattered, only I walked over to help him pick up the messy tools for kicking. "I got into trouble. I didn't expect that after so many years, I still can't change my temper. I shouldn't have attacked this young man so hard. I can't stay here anymore. You are a good boy. See you again when you have a chance." Master Liu suddenly He reached out and patted my shoulder. I felt his hand was heavy. Since then, the village has never heard Master Liu's thick and melodious yelling like singing. It is said that he has gone to other places. But Mugen was miserable. After returning home, he complained of back pain. At first he thought it was a minor problem, but then he couldn’t eat and drink. He was still a little fat, and suddenly became thinner and frightening. He lay on the bed every day and screamed. Shout out for back pain.Everyone lifted up his clothes and took a look, good guy, five black finger prints were left on each of his waist and eyes, dark black, and it hurts unbearably when touched.At that time, my father was also invited to have a look, but he didn't say a word, only said that there was nothing he could do to prepare for the funeral, and then he shook his hands in silence.I remember asking my father, but he just didn't speak, and was annoyed by my question, so he had to explain to me. "He was photographed." My father said something thoughtless, which made me even more puzzled.Seeing that I didn't understand, my father simply told me. "There is a clan in the Hakka area of ​​Jiangxi Province. They have done a lot of research on the acupuncture points of the human body. They don't specifically point out the acupuncture points, but press the acupuncture points with five fingers. It wasn't intentional either, maybe the anger was on his head, and the strength was heavy, but unfortunately, Mu Gen's body is not good, and I can't untie it. His kidneys on both sides are already dead, even if he meets a famous doctor, he will be a useless person if healed, and he is definitely a sick child." Later, my father He also said that those who learn acupuncture have a special title called "five hundred dollars".As for why it is called so, it is not known. Although I was full of curiosity about Master Liu, I never saw him again in the village. As for Mu Gen, I don’t know whether it was luck or Master Liu’s kindness. At least he kept his name and had an operation in Shanghai. , took out two black blood clots from his waist, but as his father said, he will become a useless person in the future, unable to stand up to his shoulders, unable to lift his hands, and has to drink medicine all day long to maintain his name, as thin as firewood, Every time I see him, I feel so pitiful. More than ten years later, my father passed away, and the Cultural Revolution came. Since the family practiced medicine for generations, but did nothing out of the ordinary, and in fact there were private grievances between the villages in the name of armed struggle, so the military Fights are frequent, so people like me are needed to treat their injuries, so I was called by the village to see doctors in various villages, but every time I saw some young people bleeding, with cuts on their bodies or broken arms and legs I was very uncomfortable being carried in front of me, and I often thought of what happened to Mu Gen. Once, I treated a boy with a broken bone. His arm was broken, but after it was connected, he complained of shoulder pain. When he pulled it apart, there were five finger prints on the place where the shoulder blade connected to the neck, which was the same as that of Mu Gen. It's just that the color is not that dark, and the fingerprints seem to be one size smaller.I think I found out after asking this person. A few days ago, everyone criticized an old man, as if he was promoting feudal superstition. For a moment, he didn't feel anything at the time, but his shoulder became more and more painful, so he didn't lift it up during the fight, and was interrupted by others. When I asked what was going on, I also knew that the old man's surname was Liu.Although I tried my best to find his whereabouts during that time, it turned out that he came back after wandering around.I asked many people and finally found his place. The house is very dilapidated, when I went in there was only Master Liu in the house. He is getting old very quickly, almost no longer recognize him. There are many bruises on his body, and there is a deep black thumbprint on his forehead. Only his eyes are still alive. Although he is half lying on the bed, he can be recognized at a glance. me. Master Liu said that he was not surprised to see me again, because he always felt that there was a subtle connection between hating me. He has suffered a lot in recent years.I can see it from his body, but some suffering is beyond the body. "I was betrayed by my own people." Master Liu said frankly.From his mouth, I know that someone reported him to the Cultural Revolution Group, saying that he used martial arts injuries to promote the theory of acupuncture points and disrespected science.But logically, his body would not be afraid of those ordinary injuries. The problem is that he didn't know until he arrived at the bullpen that the people who beat him were also mixed with colleagues who could use acupuncture.As a result, he was severely injured and vomited blood. "This is all self-inflicted. My master told me not to use it casually, because people who study five hundred coins don't know each other. It is taboo to use it in front of outsiders. But I am young and vigorous, and I used to Injured a lot of people's lives. Although I lived by repairing tin pots and pans after middle age, I still couldn't restrain my temper. In the end, I made a move. I have always blamed myself and regretted hurting that young man in your village. I was very angry at the time, but it is true that the hand was too heavy, so I don’t feel sad when I have this kind of fate, in fact, it should be.” Master Liu coughed a few times, and he felt relieved when he learned from me that Mu Gen was not dead. some. Later, a young man entered the room. Although his face was angry, his eyebrows were indeed somewhat similar to Master Liu. This child was Master Liu's only son. The disapproval of me coming to see his father's doctor may be because he thinks that no one is trustworthy. After his son left, Master Liu told me frankly that his son was too competitive. Although he taught him several times, he never listened to him. He was very worried about his son and was deeply afraid that he would go his own way. "Five hundred coins are not just used to hurt people, but can also be used to cure diseases and save people. It just depends on the user's heart. It is like a knife. A murderer uses it to kill people, and a rescuer uses the knife to save people. I hope to pass this on to you. I hope you can save more people and repay the debt in my heart. Martial arts and medicine were combined together in the earliest days, but unfortunately they gradually separated, and fewer and fewer people can do both. "Master Liu looked at me tremblingly. In fact, this is what I have always hoped for, and it is also the reason why I have been looking for him for many years. Later, I resigned from my job as a doctor in the village, and stayed with Master Liu to take care of him and learn the technique of acupoints. To be honest, it was very difficult, and it took me three years to memorize many acupoints.And as expected by Master Liu, his son did not come back during a brawl. When the body was brought back, Master Liu didn't say a word, and there was not much sadness on his face, he just struggled to get out of bed , stroked his son's face with the still generous palm, looked at the scars on his five fingers, and shook his head. Under my care, Master Liu gradually recovered. He repeatedly told me not to use five hundred yuan of acupuncture in front of others, so I have always kept my promise, and only use acupuncture for the sick. Their lives will be healed by decoction. Unfortunately, the injury on Master Liu's forehead occurred more than ten years ago, and he was very peaceful when he went there. He asked to take that photo before he died. He said that he felt that his time was up, so I had no choice but to agree to him. ask.And since he passed away, I've grown a beard to honor him, too. "Luo Lei's grandfather finally finished speaking. The old man's eyes were a little bright, and there was a long piece of soot on the cigarette in his hand. When the wind blew outside, the soot fell off like snowflakes. I looked at the old man on the portrait. The photos, I feel really very peaceful. At our request, Luo Lei's grandfather made some plaster and applied it on Li Zheng's injured foot. Then, he drew his five fingers together and pressed the index finger, middle finger and thumb on both sides of the ankle. After leaving the hand, three fingerprints were left on the ankle. But not black but reddish. "Go back and pay attention to the taboos. Exercise more. As long as you lose your tendons, you will recover easily." The old man smiled kindly. I asked him who exactly killed Master Liu and his son, and didn't he want to avenge them.The old man shook his big hand. "Master has already figured it out. Why should I worry about it? As long as I save more people and relieve others' pain, I will accumulate blessings for him. As for the five hundred dollars, it will not perish, but there are some things It’s always sinking at the bottom of the water, but people on the shore can’t see it. I also taught this to my son, hoping that he can pass it on and cure diseases and save people.” The old man smiled and stopped talking. When he left his house, Li Zheng was able to walk. Although he was still a little clumsy, he could throw away his crutches.Ji Yan couldn't help but praised that it was really amazing.