Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 909 The Tanka Witch Doctor's Sea Dragon Needle (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

After breakfast, just like yesterday, Fang Yan led them to make their rounds.

Many of them were visiting Peking Union Medical College Hospital for the first time.

Such a high standard of TCM inpatient ward floor really opened their eyes.

During the ward rounds, Fang Yan expressed his gratitude to Xiong Jing for donating a building to the school.

He then expressed his gratitude to Ms. Lü, the eldest daughter of the Huo family, who was about to be discharged from the hospital, saying that Representative Huo had acted very quickly.

Next, Fang Yan arranged for them to follow Lao Fan here for physiotherapy, and then Fang Yan drove to the Yanjing Hotel to give Ma Wenying a follow-up visit.

Today is also Ma Youxin's last day here.

He's taking a plane back to Macau early tomorrow morning.

However, he also has to compensate Fang Yan with a set of needles today.

He had it delivered from Haojiang.

I don't know what kind of needle he's compensating for; I'm quite curious about this dialect.

Arriving at the Yanjing Hotel with ease, it was still quite early. Fang Yan ran into the food delivery staff as she went upstairs; breakfast here is delivered to each person's room.

Service is free, but ordering food will incur a charge.

Many people have their own tastes and need the kitchen here to cook for them.

Especially for Ma Wenying, the dialect insisted that they must follow the patient's dietary standards, so breakfast had to be customized.

Fang Yan and the person delivering breakfast went up to the eighth floor together.

Then they knocked on the door.

Ma Youxin greeted them; there were noticeably more unfamiliar faces in the room today.

After Ma Youxin greeted Fang Yan, the group began to prepare breakfast in the main hall.

Next, Ma Youxin introduced the dialect to the audience:

“These are people who arrived in the early morning. After I go back, they will take care of Wen Yin’s food, clothing, and accommodation.”

Then he introduced the dialect to the people who were setting up:

"This is Dr. Fang, who speaks in dialect. He is Wen Yin's attending physician. You should follow his instructions regarding all treatment matters."

The group stopped what they were doing, looked at Fang Yan, and then bowed to Ma Youxin.
"Okay, Mr. Ma."

At this moment, Ma Wenying also came out of the room. After two days, she looked much healthier.

Upon hearing Fang Yan's name, she immediately invited him:
"Dr. Fang, shall we have breakfast together?"

Dialectal wave:
"No, I've already had breakfast. You guys go ahead and eat."

Upon hearing this, Ma Wenying did not choose to eat, but instead sat down on the sofa and said:

"Let's get checked first. I know you'll have something to do later."

When she's not acting crazy, Ma Wenying is actually quite understanding and doesn't have any airs of superiority.

Fang Yan quickly began examining her.

"Are you still experiencing stomach discomfort?" Fang Yan asked while taking the pulse.

“I haven’t felt this way since you changed my dressing yesterday,” Ma Wenying replied honestly.

Fang Yan nodded, and decided to give her two acupuncture needles.

Promotes the recovery of lower gastrointestinal function.

By the time Fang Yan took out the needle, Ma Youxin had also realized what was happening.

Speaking in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, please wait a moment!"

"I told you yesterday I would give you the needles, now is the perfect time for you to try them."

After saying that, he took out a box of needles. After opening it, Fang Yan first smelled a fragrance.

Then he saw a set of rather unusually shaped silver needles inside. Fang Yan was certain he had never seen this design before.

Ma Youxin said to Fang Yan:

"This needle was obtained from Quanzhou. The locals call it the Sea Dragon Needle. It is said to be recorded in the 'Medical Compendium of the Tanka People in Southern Fujian'. The handle is made of giant clam shell and hawksbill turtle shell, and it is filled with a mixture of pearl powder and ambergris. The method of making it comes from the Tanka people's witch doctors. However, some people say that the method of making this needle was invented by the court physicians of Zheng He's fleet in the Ming Dynasty."

The name "Tanka" immediately rings a bell in the local dialect.

Tanka people are a general term for the water-dwelling people in coastal areas of China, mainly distributed in the coastal and inland river areas of provinces such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Hainan.

The Tanka people live on boats, which are called "Tanka boats".

There are several theories about their origin. One theory suggests that they are descendants of the ancient Yue people, who gradually developed a unique water-based lifestyle and cultural traditions over a long historical period.

Some believe that the Tanka people were a group of people who were forced to migrate to the water due to war, famine, or other reasons. They made their homes on boats and drifted on rivers, lakes, and seas to make a living.

This is the first time I've ever seen silver needles with such local characteristics.

It's estimated that even He Puren doesn't know.

Fang Yan picked up the needles and first weighed each one in his hand, a simple way to judge whether a set of needles was well-made.

If the weights differ significantly, it indicates that the needle manufacturing process is subpar.

However, if the weights are similar, it means that the production was done with care. Since the dialect has never used this kind of needle, this is the only way to judge.

Fang Yan smelled the fragrance; it seemed to be coming from the needle box.

"Is this agarwood?" Fang Yan asked Ma Youxin.

"Dr. Fang has good taste," Ma Youxin nodded with a smile.

Ma Wenying said to Fang Yan:

"Try it and see if this needle suits your hand."

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"Okay, I'll give it a try and see how the needle works."

Fang Yan picked up the needle, rubbing the handle with his fingertips. The touch was warm and slightly cool. The natural patterns of the giant clam shell and hawksbill turtle shell shimmered like flowing water under the room light. Upon closer inspection, the needle tip had subtle spiral patterns, layer upon layer, and he didn't know how it was made.

Tridacna is a "medicinal stone from the sea," and the Fujian Book states that it "wards off miasma and draws in pure yang energy."

Hawksbill turtle shell has the effects of calming the mind and relieving anxiety, and can treat dizziness, irritability and anger, but it must be consumed.

Then Fang Yan came to Ma Wenying's side. When the needle tip was pressed against Zusanli, before the needle was inserted, he felt a strange elasticity under his finger. With a gentle push, the needle entered the acupoint, and then Fang Yan felt the "Qikou" tremble slightly.

The moment the needle is inserted, the spiral pattern of the needle tip resonates with the subcutaneous fascia, creating a sensation of "de qi" (a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine).

This needle gets air very quickly, faster than other needles.

The dialect uses the "turtle probing the hole" technique, where the needle is inserted obliquely into the hole, and the tridacna handle rubs against the fingertip to generate heat when rotated, and a fragrance can be smelled.

"How do you feel?" Fang Yan asked Ma Wenying.

Ma Wenying thought for a moment and said:

"Aching and bloated, with a slight heat."

That's a perfectly normal reaction.

Ambergris has a calming and sedative effect, but the speaker doesn't know whether the fragrance is for his own use or for the patient's.

Then Fang Yan inserted a needle into another acupoint, which had the same effect, and then began to leave the needle in place.

A different situation arose when the needle was left in place.

Ma Wenying's stomach started growling.

She said, somewhat embarrassed:
"After these two injections, why do I suddenly feel so hungry?!"

P.S.: I've gained 600 more monthly votes, so I owe everyone another 12000 words. (6600 monthly votes at the time of publication)

After finishing this chapter, I currently owe everyone 77000 words.

There will be an extra chapter this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)