Chapter 61 Stirring Up Trouble

The previously noisy crowd in the courtyard instantly fell silent.

All eyes were focused on Zhou Yichen and Uncle Zhang.

"Buzz—"

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into a lively commotion.

"A permanent cure? Did I hear that right?"

"That's angina pectoris! That's a life-threatening, deep-seated ailment!"

A veteran commune member who frequented the commune office lowered his voice and argued with the person next to him, "I've heard doctors at the commune hospital say that this illness is like a rotting root in the fields—you can only manage it and drag it out day by day. How could anyone ever pull it out by the root?"

"Doctor Zhou is so young, can he really have that kind of skill?"

Suspicion, shock, curiosity... various emotions fermented among the crowd.

Uncle Zhang's illness was known to everyone in the production brigade; he was someone who had walked right up to the gates of hell and back.

And now, this young medical orderly dared to claim he could cure it completely?

To hear it sounded even more absurd than growing gold ingots in the fields!

Faced with the whispered discussions of the crowd, Zhou Yichen's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his steady and calm demeanor.

He helped Uncle Zhang sit back down and explained in a calm tone, "Uncle Zhang, the root cause of your illness lies in the obstruction of your heart meridians, where your vital energy and blood are not flowing freely. A complete cure cannot be achieved with just one or two acupuncture sessions."

"This is a long-term process. We need to use acupuncture, herbal medicine, and recuperation all together, taking it step by step. We cannot rush."

As he spoke, he took a set of sterilized silver needles out of his brand-new medical bag.

Those silver needles flashed with a cold, piercing light under the winter sun.

The surrounding commune members involuntarily held their breath, not even daring to breathe too heavily.

Zhou Yichen picked up a silver needle as fine as an ox hair, gently twisted it between his fingers, targeted the Shanzhong acupoint on Uncle Zhang's chest, and drove it in firmly.

His movements were smooth and flowing, without the slightest hesitation.

Next came Neiguan, Xinshu, Shenmen...

One silver needle after another fell, precise and decisive.

His expression was focused, and his gaze was calm, as if all the noise of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

[Medical Skill Proficiency +5]

[Medical Skill Proficiency +1]

...

The prompt sounds in his mind did not distract Zhou Yichen in the slightest.

His fingertips gently twitched the ends of several silver needles.

Uncle Zhang, whose body had been stiff from tension, suddenly felt a wave of warmth spread out from his chest, rapidly flowing through all his limbs and bones.

That feeling was just like soaking in a steaming hot bath in the dead of winter, so comfortable that it made him want to moan out loud.

A moment later, Zhou Yichen withdrew the silver needles.

"Alright, Uncle Zhang, try getting up and moving around a bit. How do you feel?"

Uncle Zhang slowly opened his eyes and let out a long, deep breath of stale air.

He reached out to stroke his chest, and his weathered old face was filled with utter astonishment.

"It's not tight anymore... Not tight at all!"

He raised his volume excitedly, his voice ringing loud and clear.

"That heavy, suffocating stone on my chest feels like it was suddenly lifted away! So clear! I feel refreshed and light!"

As he spoke, he took a few more deep breaths. That smooth, unobstructed feeling was an experience he had never once felt in all the years since he fell ill!

Looking at his glowing, ruddy complexion, Zhou Yichen smiled and reminded him, "Uncle Zhang, this is only temporary. It's just acupuncture clearing out your stagnant energy and blood. If you want a complete cure, you still need to follow the prescription I write and slowly recuperate."

"It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"

Uncle Zhang waved his big hand, his face plastered with complete trust and joy.

He now believed Zhou Yichen's words one hundred percent!

This miraculous acupuncture technique was countless times better than those doctors at the commune hospital!

He turned around, faced the dumbfounded fellow villagers in the courtyard, and shouted with full breath:

"You all saw it!"

"Doctor Zhou is the living Bodhisattva of our Yangyang Production Brigade!"

"Let me tell you, just a couple of days ago, my family was still trying to persuade me to go to the county hospital! Saying the doctors there are amazing!"

Uncle Zhang slapped his thigh, spraying spit as he talked.

"I told them right then: I'm not going! I only trust Doctor Zhou of our brigade!"

"Looking at it now, that move I made was spot on!"

He pointed at his chest, his face full of lingering fear and gladness.

"If I had really gone to that damn hospital, heaven knows how I would have been tossed around! Whether I could be cured is one thing, but my money would definitely have been cleaned out to the very last cent!"

"Unlike Doctor Zhou, who planted a few needles and made this old bone of mine feel this much relief!"

"I'll put my words right here today!"

Uncle Zhang swept his gaze around the circle, his voice resolute and decisive.

"For this illness of mine, besides Doctor Zhou, I won't let anyone else treat me! I've set my mind on him! Whatever he tells me to do to treat it, that's what I'll do!"

"With Doctor Zhou around, this old life of mine has been snatched back from the grave!"

The commune members in the courtyard looked at Uncle Zhang, who was now full of vigor and a completely different person from before, and then looked at the young doctor who still maintained his calm and breezy composure. The last trace of doubt in their hearts vanished into thin air.

Convinced!

They were thoroughly and completely convinced!

"Goodness gracious! Old Zhang's spirit and energy doesn't look like a sick man at all!"

"More than that! I'd say he's even sturdier than before he got sick! Just listen to how loud his voice is!"

An old man who usually didn't get along with Uncle Zhang now had no choice but to curl his lip and mutter quietly, "This Doctor Zhou really has some tricks up his sleeve. It's downright supernatural."

Human nature is the hardest thing to grasp.

Yet at this moment, Zhou Yichen had completely conquered the hearts of everyone present with his miraculous acupuncture technique.

After today, the news that Doctor Zhou's needles cure illnesses instantly and can permanently cure angina pectoris would likely grow wings and fly to every single corner of the Yangyang Production Brigade.

Looking at the overwhelmingly excited Uncle Zhang, Zhou Yichen smiled, supported him, and gently instructed, "Uncle Zhang, acupuncture is only the first step. The key still lies in recuperation."

"I'm heading to the county town tomorrow to buy some supplies. Once I'm back, I'll give you another acupuncture session."

Hearing this, Uncle Zhang patted his chest with a loud thud.

"Going to the county town? That's fantastic!"

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll drive the cart and wait for you at the entrance of the village to save you a good spot."

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Uncle Zhang." Zhou Yichen smiled and expressed his gratitude.

After sending off Uncle Zhang, who was full of endless thanks, Zhou Yichen turned around and dove back into seeing patients.

[Medical Skill Proficiency +1]

[Medical Skill Proficiency +2]

...

He immersed himself in this steady progress, completely losing track of time.

It wasn't until the production brigade finished work for the day and Jiang Xiaoman returned that he was still treating villagers.

When Jiang Xiaoman came back and saw that there were still people lined up for medical consultations in the courtyard, she was completely stunned.

She remembered that when she went to work in the afternoon, people had started coming to the yard. How could it be that work was already finished, and the number of people hadn't decreased, but actually increased?

Jiang Xiaoman walked into the courtyard, watching Zhou Yichen sitting on a small wooden stool, treating patients in an orderly fashion. His calm and focused demeanor actually made her feel a little unfamiliar.

She walked naturally into the house, and after a short while, came out with a bowl of water, handing it to Zhou Yichen.

"Yichen, drink some water and take a break."

Zhou Yichen raised his head, smiled at her, took the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

This affectionate and natural action fell into the eyes of the surrounding commune members, and the meaning of it suddenly changed entirely.

An auntie who knew them winked, stepped closer, and lowered her voice to ask, "Hey, Xiaoman, you and Doctor Zhou... are you two an item?"

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

Jiang Xiaoman had just wanted to take a sip of water, but this remark choked her so badly that her face turned beet red, and she coughed violently.

Her face flushed even brighter than the red scarf around her neck, and she waved her hands frantically.

"No... no! Auntie, don't talk nonsense!"

"The two of us... the two of us are just neighbors!"

Zhou Yichen also put down the bowl, raised his head, and explained with a warm smile, "Auntie, Xiaoman and I grew up together since we were kids. We're childhood sweethearts living across from each other."

His explanation was open and above board.

Yet the expressions on everyone's faces only grew more ambiguous.

"Oh my, so it's a childhood sweetheart romance!"

"I knew it! These two young people look so well-matched!"

"Ain't that the truth! One is handsome, the other is pretty, a match made in heaven!"

Teasing laughter rose one after another. Since they were all members of the same brigade, they didn't hold back much in their speech, simply finding it lively and entertaining.

Jiang Xiaoman's face was practically burning by now, and she wished she could dig a hole and crawl right into it.