readytorunbook Chapter 213: A common foot injury
Chapter 213: A common foot injury
While Du Kongqing was giving Luo Xiaoran acupuncture, he couldn't help but nagging:
"Xiao Ran, you'd better walk less now. The reason why you recover so slowly is because you keep running around and not staying in bed to rest."
It is said that serious women are the most attractive. Luo Xiaoran looked at Du Kongqing's profile. His eyebrows and eyes were clear and charming.
But as soon as she opened her mouth, Luo Xiaoran suddenly felt that Du Kongqing's nagging was too inconsistent with her age.
Are all doctors of this nagging nature?
Luo Xiaoran grinned in her heart.
"You're talking about me! When someone was recovering from an injury, he couldn't stay in bed at all. It was as if the heat from the bed connected to the ground would burn his buttocks, so he walked on the ground like a duck all day long!"
"Puchi!" Qiu Niang shrugged her shoulders, lowered her head and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, trying not to laugh too loudly.
Qiu Niang's handkerchief was a plain white one, without any flowers or birds embroidered on it. Only the word "Qiu" was embroidered in one corner, representing her status.
The handkerchief with a potted chili pepper that she embroidered for Luo Xiaoran was kept in a box. Luo Xiaoran didn't use it often, not because she didn't like it, but because Qiu Niang embroidered it beautifully, so she kept it as a treasured item.
The biggest reason is actually that Luo Xiaoran is not someone who is used to using handkerchiefs.
In her opinion, girls use handkerchiefs to cover their mouths so that their teeth are not exposed when they smile, to wipe sweat and tears to keep their faces clean and their makeup not smudged, and to wrap things.
Luo Xiaoran couldn't imagine herself covering her mouth with a handkerchief while laughing. She always felt that her temperament would make her look vulgar if she did that kind of action, unlike Qiu Niang who had the charm of a classical beauty.
If you sweat, just wipe it with your hands. If conditions permit, wash it with water. It is cleaner than wiping it with a towel.
As for wiping her tears... whoever made her cry, her first thought must be to make the other person cry even more miserably than her, so she didn't bother to wipe her tears.
As for what the handkerchief wraps, what does it wrap?
Qiu Niang embroidered a red plum blossom with slanting branches on the handkerchief she made for Du Kongqing, implying that she could persist in her medical career which was surrounded by men. The red plum blossom, which represented success, could bloom quietly even in the severe cold and silence.
In addition, Qiu Niang would embroider whenever she had time, and would give the finished embroidery to Luo Xiaoran, who would ask someone to take it to Yizhou for consignment. She would hand over the money she earned, calling it "food expenses."
Luo Xiaoran did not refuse. She did not deny Qiu Niang's right to support herself.
For Qiu Niang, who has lost almost everything, making money and surviving by relying on her own abilities is her last bit of dignity.
Having said that, Du Kongqing was indeed not honest when he was recuperating at Luo Xiaoran's home.
Even though she was seriously injured, she kept asking to get out of bed after lying down for two or three days. Even Du Kang couldn't hold her down. In the end, Luo Xiaoran had to step in to temporarily suppress her.
Later, seeing that Du Kongqing's injuries had indeed stabilized a lot, Luo Xiaoran no longer restrained her, but only prohibited her from going outside the Luo residence.
At this point, Du Kongqing was like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, walking around the room clumsily, indeed like a little duck.
When he feels bored staying in the house, he goes for a walk in the yard outside. When he feels cold, he goes back to the house with the heating on. He is just like a disobedient person who doesn't take good care of his health!
Luo Xiaoran's teasing and Qiu Niang's uncontrollable laughter failed to stop Du Kongqing's actions. She only raised her head after the needle was inserted into the last acupuncture point.
What caught his eye was Luo Xiaoran's evil smile which had already moved from her heart to her face. Qiu Niang was also laughing till tears came out. Du Kongqing's face twitched and he said coquettishly:
"I've never been able to win an argument with Xiao Ran, and you, Sister Qiu Niang, are always there to watch the fun. If you help me, maybe the two of us can overwhelm Xiao Ran in return."
Qiu Niang touched the corners of her eyes with a plain white handkerchief, and as her eyes moved, the words flowed out from her red lips:
"Don't bring me into this conversation, I'm just watching!"
As the three of them were chatting, Zhang Changzong's youngest daughter, Zhang Xiuqiao, limped in.
Seeing this, Du Kongqing hurried forward, took one of her arms, and led her to sit on the other bed.
"Sister Xiuqiao, what happened to your foot?"
Zhang Xiuqiao frowned, thinking back to the person who had just bumped into her. She felt angry and ashamed, but she couldn't make it public as it would damage her reputation.
So he lied, "I was walking on the road and accidentally stepped on a high and slippery stone and sprained my ankle."
"Hey, we both have the same problem." Luo Xiaoran said humorously.
Zhang Xiuqiao had already started to sweat. When she heard Luo Xiaoran's laughter, she was too weak to say anything and could only smile bitterly.
Du Kongqing took off the shoes and socks of Zhang Xiuqiao's foot that had just had trouble walking. There was no swelling on the surface yet, but if the sprain was severe, it would be very painful.
"Does it hurt?"
Du Kongqing pressed his ankle and wanted to ask this.
But the moment she pressed her hand down, Zhang Xiuqiao gasped, and Du Kongqing knew that she didn't need to ask any more questions.
"Sister Xiuqiao, I'll apply a towel soaked in cold water to you first, but you might be in so much pain that you won't be able to sleep all night."
At the open brown wooden door, a shadow was cast on the ground nearby, followed by a strange noise.
Luo Xiaoran shouted: "Who!"
Just as she was about to get out of bed to chase him, she was held down by Du Kongqing. She picked up her acupuncture bag and took a deep breath, "I'll go after him!"
Not long after, a tall and thin man walked in stiffly.
Behind him, Du Kongqing clenched his right fist, with a silver needle inserted between each finger, shining with cold light, pointing directly at the back of his head.
When Zhang Xiuqiao saw the person coming, she quickly covered her bare feet with the pillow on the bed.
Although she reacted quickly, the man still vaguely saw a hint of white, so he quickly lowered his head, his heart pounding.
"I haven't seen you before. You're not from Hexi Village, right?" Luo Xiaoran asked coldly.
The man clasped his hands together and saluted, "I am definitely not a Hexi villager."
"Humph!"
Du Kongqing, who was standing behind the man, held a silver needle against his head and spoke sharply:
"What's your name? Where do you live? What are you doing here?"
A sharp feeling came from the back of his head. The man closed his eyes in fear and said at a very fast speed:
"My surname is Gao, my given name is Liushui, and my courtesy name is Xueshu. I live in Fuyuan County. I came here because I heard that a private school has opened here, so I wanted to come and take a look."
Luo Xiaoran was puzzled, "There is a private school in our village, why are you interested in it?"
What does it have to do with you? Did I eat your rice? Luo Xiaoran thought to herself.
"I……"
The man stammered, and for a moment he was at a loss for words to explain.
"Say it!"
Du Kongqing pressed the silver needle down again, but controlled the force very well so as not to pierce into his scalp.