novelraw Chapter 374 - 340: Longevity Skill
Chapter 374 - 340: Longevity Skill
Hearing the old man’s words,
Jiang Hongming felt his confidence surge.
He had come to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital hoping that TCM could adjust his child’s constitution.
After all, in his impression, that’s what TCM is best at.
But upon arriving, he found that the TCM here far exceeded his imagination.
The TCM here could even treat the five major terminal illnesses recognized globally.
To him, this was naturally quite shocking.
Originally not holding much hope, his mindset gradually began to change.
In the afternoon,
Jiang Hongming took Jiang Shu to the dietary therapy department.
He found that there were indeed a lot of people here, with no table staying vacant for more than ten seconds.
There was always a line at the ordering area.
However, the people eating here were very conscientious and would not occupy a table for long after finishing their meal.
Soon, Jiang Shu’s dinner arrived.
It was just half a bowl of Locking Yang Porridge.
This was also thoughtfully arranged by Lu Jiu.
At dinner time, the Spleen and Stomach’s transport function is not as strong as during the day. Porridge, being quite watery, is actually not very suitable for evening meals.
However, considering that Jiang Shu’s Five Viscera were all damaged to varying degrees, and that we needed to restore Qi and blood during this period without harming the other Five Viscera, we could only nurture Yang and nourish Yin while also moistening his large intestine.
The accumulation of toxins in Jiang Shu’s body, one reason they couldn’t be expelled was due to impaired excretion.
The rice in Locking Yang Porridge can nourish Yin, Locking Yang has a sweet and warm nature, entering the liver, kidney, and large intestine meridians, with functions of nourishing the liver and kidneys, and moisturizing the intestines for bowel movements.
The combination was undoubtedly the best food for the current Jiang Shu.
Moreover, the portion of just half a bowl wouldn’t burden his Spleen and Stomach.
Holding the half bowl of Locking Yang Porridge in front of him, Jiang Shu didn’t seem too eager to eat. He scooped a spoonful and couldn’t taste much flavor, but the porridge went down easily, and soon he finished it.
"Dad, I finished eating."
Jiang Hongming nodded, "Okay, let’s go."
He didn’t eat there because he was worried that his son’s treatment would cost a lot of money, so they needed to save wherever they could.
His wife had already gone home to cook.
Back in the ward, half an hour later, Jiang Hongming’s wife arrived with a lunchbox.
After the two finished eating, a nurse suddenly came in.
"Is this Jiang Shu?"
Seeing the nurse looking at them, Jiang Hongming immediately responded, "Yes."
The nurse smiled, "Director Liu from the Health and Rehabilitation Department asked me to take Jiang Shu to practice Longevity Skill."
Longevity Skill?
Jiang Hongming asked, "Is this the exercise that Dean Lu mentioned? Wasn’t it supposed to be done during the daytime?"
The nurse smiled, "Our cultivation technique has both daytime and nighttime routines. Originally, the dean indeed planned for Jiang Shu to exercise during the day, but later he thought that the pain kept him from sleeping at night, so he told us to also get him to exercise at night, perhaps easing the pain a bit."
Oh, that’s it.
Jiang Hongming immediately asked, "Can I come along?"
The nurse smiled, "Of course, come on."
Meanwhile, Jiang Hongming’s wife stayed behind to tidy up, while he carried Jiang Shu and followed the nurse outside the hospital.
Yes, it was outside.
At this point, the sky was gradually turning dark. Although there were still twilight glimmers, the shape of the moon could faintly be seen.
This open space was at the back of the hospital, surrounded by greenery, making it very tranquil.
Upon their arrival, there were already many people engaging in activities.
Seeing their peculiar movements, Jiang Hongming was puzzled.
It didn’t seem like fitness exercises, nor did it resemble radio gymnastics.
What was this supposed to accomplish?
"Director Liu, Jiang Shu is here," the nurse said.
Liu Qing glanced at Jiang Hongming and his son, then walked over with a smile, "Put him down. The family member can watch from the side, and I’ll guide him in the exercises."
"Thanks a lot," said Jiang Hongming.
Liu Qing waved it off, "No worries."
"Come, little one, I’ll teach you a few movements now. Just follow me, it’s okay if you’re not perfect. Just try to imitate me as best as you can, and we’ll rest if you get tired. Let’s begin, watch closely."
"This first movement is called ’Secretly Drinking Kunlun Longevity Wine...’"
Jiang Shu’s body coordination wasn’t very good, even the first move, just standing still with hands naturally on his belly while swallowing saliva, made him shake unsteadily, as if he might fall at any moment.
But Liu Qing was always watching over him, so safety wasn’t much of an issue.
Seeing Liu Qing teach a child to practice, the other patients were all looking over.
Everyone was a patient—some old, some young—but it was their first time seeing someone as young as Jiang Shu.
"This kid is so weak, he looks like a piece of paper, easily blown away."
"Poor thing, to have such a severe illness at such a young age."
"It’s unavoidable. Many kids are getting sick these days. My grandson just started kindergarten, and he misses school every three days after paying six to seven thousand in fees. He’s attended only seven days in total per semester."
"Could it be like Director Zuo said, that kids these days are over-nourished?"
"I’m not sure about that, but my son was raised on rice paste as a child, which by today’s standards was malnourished, yet he hardly ever got sick. Now my grandson, with better living conditions, drinks formula daily, eats to his fill, grows chubby, and at fifteen or sixteen years old, can’t even lift a bucket of water."
"I didn’t understand this before, but having consulted TCM, I realize eating too much of a good thing isn’t beneficial. I now advise my daughter against buying calcium tablets for her son, but unfortunately, she doesn’t heed my advice."
"Honestly, I used to buy my son calcium tablets regularly, one a day, fearing he wouldn’t grow tall. If not for seeking treatment here, I might have harmed my son."
"..."
Time ticked away one second at a time.
Under Liu Qing’s guidance, Jiang Shu only practiced the first two movements of the Longevity Skill.
Within just a few minutes, sweat began to appear on Jiang Shu’s forehead.
But the little guy showed strong willpower and endurance.
Even though the second move required squatting, and several times he nearly fell, he continued to persevere.
His pale little face displayed a resoluteness unlike a child’s!
Even so, Liu Qing didn’t let Jiang Shu overextend himself. Whenever Jiang Shu seemed tired, Liu Qing allowed him to rest, resuming practice only after he’d recovered somewhat.
In this manner, they practiced for roughly half an hour before Liu Qing let Jiang Shu stop.
By then, Jiang Shu was drenched in sweat.
"Here, wipe his sweat with a towel."
After Jiang Hongming came over, Liu Qing handed him a towel.
"Change him into clean clothes when you return, and avoid bathing if possible. At most, just wipe his body with a damp towel. His condition doesn’t allow for large areas of exposure to wind."
Jiang Hongming nodded, "Understood."
Liu Qing then looked at Jiang Shu, "Little one, are your palms warm right now?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu opened his hands, "I think a little bit."
Liu Qing smiled, "That’s good, you should feel a little more comfortable tonight."
He knew the child in front of him had leukemia, and a notable symptom of leukemia is icy cold limbs—the type of chill that penetrates from inside out, as if pierced by a cold wind.
This also indicated that both the heart and small intestine had suffered some damage.
After practicing, his palms warming up showed that the training had some effect.
Although it couldn’t immediately restore the heart and small intestine’s functions, it could make his body feel a bit more comfortable in the short term.
...