The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 714 - 703

Chapter 714: 703

Teacher Mo replied, "One box is one box. These items are directly ordered by our school, and they’re not expensive. Since they’re consumables, they come in one hundred bags per box. How many needles are in one set of yours?"

Manbao said, "Ninety. I have ten needles for each type, but there are different ones, such as Doctor Ji, who has one hundred and twenty needles in his package. Each doctor prepares needles according to his own preferences. Teacher Mo, don’t you do the same?"

Teacher Mo said, "No, we use one bag and discard it after use. Each bag contains one hundred needles."

Manbao was stunned, "Use one pack and throw it away?"

Teacher Mo confirmed, "Exactly!"

Manbao then recalled the time when she wanted to buy a set of needles. Her father had fretted over it for a long time before her mother agreed to pay for them. Once he knew she could afford them herself, he happily took the money back, but he still winced at how much she had spent on them.

Among all her medical possessions, it seemed that the highest value was in this set of needles. The worth of her medical books was quite high, but they were printed copies purchased from the encyclopedia pavilion, not costing silver but points instead.

Her set of needles, made mainly of silver, totaling ninety pieces, was very delicately crafted, making it an expensive set of good needles.

Over the years, Manbao had always used them for acupuncture. It was only because of their frequent use these past few days that she had even considered replacing them.

Even now, she didn’t really want to change them. She thought that after this period, she would take them for repair and maintenance, and they would be as good as new.

Manbao was very curious, "What are your needles made of that they’re so cheap?"

"Silver," Teacher Mo explained. "Through research, we found that ancient people highly valued silver needles, and we’ve experimented to confirm that gold and silver indeed conduct electricity and heat the best. However, the ancient craftsmanship was not great; gold and silver needles were thick and lacked flexibility, so stainless steel needles were used more frequently."

Manbao murmured, "Stainless steel needles?"

Teacher Mo continued, "But your era is even more ancient. By the way, do you have stainless steel there?"

Manbao: ...

She replied, "I use silver needles!"

"Oh, that means you don’t have it. But it’s okay, stainless steel needles have been phased out. Now, we use needles mainly made of silver with good flexibility and a fine enough body. I’ve tested them on myself, and although they can’t compare with the gold needles I had custom-made, the effect is not much worse."

Most importantly, they were inexpensive, and he could easily give away a box without batting an eye.

Manbao’s eyes lit up and she asked, "Teacher Mo, you use gold needles? Could you have a set custom-made for me too?"

Teacher Mo hesitated, "Are you sure you want them? Gold needles need regular maintenance to keep them shiny, and I’m afraid you might not have the necessary conditions to care for them."

Manbao felt something was off and said, "These are for acupuncture treatments, why do they need to be shiny?"

"This is gold we’re talking about. Shiny and valuable. Doesn’t keeping it shiny justify its value?" Teacher Mo replied.

Manbao: "... Are silver needles so disposable that gold is very expensive?"

Teacher Mo affirmed, "Yes, they’re very expensive."

Keke then enlightened Manbao, "The Interstellar Alliance is not short of silver mines but gold mines. And humans like to use gold for various things, just like your era likes to make jewelry out of gold."

Manbao understood, rare things are precious.

If Teacher Mo, who was very wealthy in the eyes of future humankind, found it expensive, then she certainly could not afford it. Manbao put the idea out of her mind and said, "Then, Teacher Mo, please send me a box of silver needles. I want to try out your craftsmanship."

"Sure. I’m currently doing research in the hospital, and it might take me a while to return. But don’t worry, they’ll definitely arrive before your birthday," he promised.

Manbao calculated her birthdate and realized it was more than two months away, so she said, "Then you’d better hurry back. My birthday is approaching soon."

"Alright, I’ve got it all down. I’ll send it to you once I get back," she assured.

Manbao decided to ask once every other day.

The next day, when she arrived at the field, there were already about twenty patients waiting in front of the medical tent. Manbao set her things down and started treating patients. After Doctor Ji arrived, Xiao Yuan brought over a large jar of ointment and handed it to Zhou Lijun.

Zhou Lijun carried it inside to Manbao, who glanced at it and took a sniff, nodding in approval. It was the right scent.

The young girl from the previous day arrived quite quickly. Manbao smeared some ointment on her and then instructed, "Go home and bring back a clean little box or jar. I’ll portion some out for you. Apply it morning and evening, and remember to take your medicine on time."

As she administered acupuncture, Manbao added, "The most important part of your treatment is internal. The topical application is just to make you feel better by relieving itchiness and reducing heat."

The girl agreed and watched as Manbao inserted needles into both her arms and legs. She blinked inquisitively and asked, "Why is it different from yesterday’s acupuncture?"

"It will be even more different tomorrow. I’m going to add some needles to your back as well," Manbao replied.

The girl’s face flushed as she asked softly, "Will anyone come in?"

"No, the curtain is up. Just lie down and relax. You can take a nap, and when it’s time, I’ll come remove the needles," assured Manbao.

Those who needed daily acupuncture treatment all came over early in the morning. One patient lay on each bed, including an elderly woman who was able to sit for her treatment.

The elderly woman wasn’t sleepy at all. She sat on a stool and watched Manbao treat people, chatting cheerily with her, "Are you from Luojiang County, young doctor?"

Manbao replied affirmatively and asked, "How did you know?"

"Everyone knows," the elderly woman said with a squint, "Our area is all talking about the young doctor. They say you’re kind-hearted, good-looking. Luojiang County must be some wonderful place to produce someone as spirited as you."

Manbao thought for a moment and responded, "Luojiang County isn’t as bustling as Yizhou City, but it’s fun in its own way. The most important thing is it’s comfortable. If you ever get the chance, stay for a while and you’ll understand."

"Absolutely, for sure," the old woman concurred.

After Manbao had removed the needles from the Gao Clan’s member and the young girl, the latter shyly left to get a jar. However, the Gao Clan’s member didn’t leave; instead, she sat to the side, offering to help with sterilizing needles and preparing medicine.

Zhou Lijun, noticing her pale appearance, hesitated to ask for her help.

Manbao also said, "You should go back and rest. Make sure to eat properly, take your medicine on time, and get plenty of bed rest. After a few more sessions of acupuncture, you’ll need to start getting up and moving around more."

The Gao Clan’s member couldn’t help but glance at the old woman, then nodded her head in agreement and respectfully bowed to Manbao before departing.

Manbao looked at the elderly woman, gave a smile, and then called the next patient in for treatment.

She thought that would be the end of it, but to her surprise, upon returning home in the evening, Aunt Rong ran out saying, "Miss Man, you’re back at last. Look at the firewood in the yard."

Manbao hopped down from the cart and, seeing the pile of firewood stacked up to half the height of the wall, widened her eyes and asked, "Aunt Rong, why did you buy so much firewood?"

"I didn’t buy it," Aunt Rong replied. "It was brought by someone named Chen Erlang and his brothers, who made three trips back and forth. He made it clear it was for you, to thank you for saving his wife. Oh, right, he mentioned his wife is from the Gao Clan and asked you not to forget."

Manbao: ...

The crowd: ...

Bai Shan turned to look at Manbao, saw her visibly shocked expression, and couldn’t help bursting into hearty laughter.

Bai Erlang didn’t catch on at first, but after a moment, he figured it out and started laughing too, suddenly feeling not the least bit tired.

Mr. Zhuang chuckled, shook his head, and went inside with his hands behind his back, leaving them to their merriment.