Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 44 Zou's bone setting (1)
In the ancient city of Xiulin, an old street passes through the city.There are two Chinese medicine clinics on the street, one is called Renhetang, and the other is Zou's bone setting.The two facades face each other across the street and are open facing each other.The incumbent doctor of Renhetang, surnamed Zhao Mingshu, is a local surname. He once studied under Xu Heling, a famous doctor in Wuchang. He has practiced medicine for more than [-] years. He has superb medical skills and is good at treating various difficult and miscellaneous diseases.The orthopedic doctor of the Zou family, named Zou Ji, from Hebei, fled here with his wife and three-year-old son more than a year ago. The town settled down, rented a shop along the street, and opened an orthopedic clinic.

People in Xiulin have always been xenophobic. At the beginning of Zou's bonesetting business, due to the unfamiliarity of the people and the place, it was difficult to gain people's trust, and there were not many patients who came to see a doctor.

Once, Xiaoye, the daughter of Dr. Zhao Tingshu of Renhetang, who was studying at Xiulin Girls Middle School, went hiking with her classmates and accidentally fell down the hillside, causing her left leg to be broken and in great pain.Dr. Zhao looked at it himself and concluded that there was a comminuted fracture of the tibia at least two inches long on her daughter's calf. With his own medical skills, it is not difficult to remove the broken bone and heal the wound, but it is more difficult for her daughter's left leg to recover from the injury. The right leg is two inches short, a girl like a flower, and has been a cripple ever since.After thinking about it again and again, I finally took my daughter to the opposite door, Zou's Orthopedics Department.

Zou Ji looked at Xiaoye's leg and said, "Don't worry, I will heal the bone with willow branches."

He first anesthetized Xiaoye's left leg with acupuncture and moxibustion, then washed the affected limb with licorice water, cut open the skin and flesh, took out the broken bone, and then cut a section of peeled fresh wicker into the length of the broken bone, opening it into a bone cavity, Soak and wash with licorice water, apply raw chicken blood on the ends of the willow branches and the cut surface of the broken bone, then put the willow branch in the middle of the broken bone to replace the excised bone, and then apply "Azurite Powder" which has the effect of promoting muscle growth and bone growth Sprinkle it on the wound, suture the wound with thread, and apply Jinghua Jiegudan ointment around it.Finally put the fir plywood, and then wrap it with cloth tape to fix it.

Half a month later, the wound healed.Two months later, the bone grafting was successful, and Xiao Ye's left leg was able to walk on the ground without any abnormality.

Zhao Tingshu realized that this was the most miraculous stunt in orthopedic medicine - willow branch bone grafting, and he was even more impressed with his thanks.As the news spread, everyone knew that this unremarkable orthopedic doctor had some unique skills. Anyone who had a sprain, contusion, dislocation or fracture would come to Zou Ji.Zou's bone-setting business gradually improved.

From then on, Zhao Tingshu never dared to call himself a famous doctor. Every time he received a patient with orthopedic injury, he sincerely said that he was not good at orthopedics, and asked the patient to go to the opposite door of Zou's Orthopedics to find Dr. Zou.Zou Ji was grateful, and often invited Zhao Tingshu to Wangjiang Tower for tea and chats in his spare time, and the two of them became close friends.

In a blink of an eye, Zou Ji has been living in Xiulin for nearly two years.Seeing another Spring Festival approaching, he couldn't be happy.why?Because he recently encountered a troublesome thing.

Let's say that in Xiulin City, there is a notorious dude named Xun Erlang, who was originally the son of Xun Changfu, the owner of the Xiulin rice shop. They called him "Xun Erlang" behind his back.Boss Xun saw that he refused to change after repeated admonitions, and felt that he was a corrupt family, so he published a statement in the newspaper and severed his father-son relationship with him.Without his father's discipline, Xun Erlang became more and more lawless. Relying on his own martial arts practice for a few days and his kung fu, he made troubles all day long, stole chickens and dogs, extorted, and did everything. Among the dozens of shops in Xiulin Old Street, almost none of them did not Pay him a "protection fee".At the slightest complaint, he will show his fierce face and fight with fists.

I don't know whether it's jealousy of the good business of Zou Ji Medical Center, or bullying him as a foreigner. Xun Erlang has recently set his sights on Dr. Zou and ran to the medical clinic to blackmail money. The bench scared the patients who came to see the doctor and fled in all directions.In this twelfth lunar month alone, he visited the door four times, which made it almost impossible for the medical center to operate normally.Although Zou Ji was indignant, he was helpless.

On this day, while drinking tea in Wangjiang Tower, he told Zhao Tingshu about this trouble, and wanted him to help him find a way to get rid of Xun Erlang's entanglement.Zhao Tingshu thought for a while and said, "Why don't we call the police." Zou Ji thought, that's all there is to it, and reported the case to the county police station.

The police station took action very quickly. Two days later, when Xun Erlang came to Zou's Orthopedics Clinic again to extort money, he was caught by several police officers standing guard.But within a few days, the God of Plague walked out of the police station again.It turned out that a detective team leader of the police station was his brother-in-law. After he was arrested, he gave this brother a handful of silver coins, and he was released smoothly.

One late night, while Zou Ji was sleeping soundly, the door of the clinic was suddenly slammed. He thought an emergency patient was coming, so he hurriedly put on his clothes and got out of bed. When he opened the door, there was a tall, thin man with a trowel face , with red eyes and a fierce face, it was Xun Erlang.

Zou Ji's heart sank, and he asked, "What are you doing?"

Xun Erlang grinned and said: "I pushed Pai Gow with others, and lost all my money. I want to ask you to borrow some silver dollars to make up for it."

Zou Ji lowered his face and said, "You have already blackmailed Zou's family property, so where is the money?"

Xun Erlang frowned, his eyes flashed fiercely, and suddenly he took out a sharp knife with horns, put it against his neck and said, "Mr. Zou, don't toast and refuse to eat fine wine. You go to the police station and sue Lao Tzu for black complaints. This caused me to stay in prison for several days, and I haven’t settled the debt with you. If you refuse to take out the money today, I will make your blood splash on the spot.”

The blade reached his neck, but Zou Ji calmed down, his eyes swept away, it was already midnight, the wind was cold, snowflakes were falling between the sky and the earth, and there was no one on the street.He let out a puff of white air, made up his mind, and said coldly: "Xun Erlang, don't bully others too much!"

Xun Erlang laughed dryly: "I just want to bully you, a foreigner, so what?"

"Since that's the case, don't blame Zou for being rude!"

Zou Ji hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly flipped his palms over and lightly supported Xun Erlang's elbow, only to hear two "clicks", Xun Erlang's two elbow joints dislocated in response, the sharp knife could not be held firmly and fell on the ground. on the ground.Before he came to his senses, both knees were kicked by Zou Ji again. There was a sharp pain, and the knee joints were dislocated, unable to stand, and fell to the ground with a "plop".

Zou Ji just sneered, since Zou can set bones, he can also unload them.

Xun Erlang's face twitched in pain, struggling to get up, but his limbs and joints were all broken, how could he exert any strength?Staring at him in horror, he said, "You, you..."

Zou Ji said: "To tell you the truth, Zou was originally from Cangzhou. His ancestors practiced martial arts for generations. He left his hometown with his wife and children and came to Xiulin City only because he fought against injustice in his hometown. Why do you bother to push people too much when you are eating for nothing?"

Only then did Xun Erlang realize that he had encountered a hidden master, and hurriedly shouted: "I, Xun Erlang, have eyes but don't know Mount Tai, so please forgive me..."

Murderous intent flickered in Zou Ji's eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Since you know Zou's background, how can you let you survive?" Lifting his toe, he picked up the sharp knife with horns on the ground and copied it in his hand. Xun Erlang's chest.

The cold wind was piercing, the snow was rustling underground, and the world became more and more quiet and desolate.

Xun Erlang's body was soon covered with a thin layer of snow.

Zou Ji shivered, and subconsciously wrapped his unlined clothes tightly.At this time, he suddenly heard a slight sound, and when he looked up, he saw that the door of the opposite Renhe Hall had opened a crack at some point, perhaps Zhao Tingshu heard some suspicious noise in the middle of the night, and was halfway through the crack. Get up and check the situation on the street.

Zou Ji couldn't help being stunned.

The door of Renhe Hall creaked and closed again soon.

Zou Ji didn't dare to stay longer, so he hurriedly carried Xun Erlang's body to the Xiulin Mountain behind the old street, and threw it in a cave.

The wind and snow were tightening, and within a short while, the traces on the ground were completely covered up.

When Zou Ji returned to the house, he realized that his whole body was soaked. After changing his clothes, he was no longer sleepy, so he lit a charcoal fire, sat in the house, opened half of the window facing the street, warmed himself by the fire, and stared at the opposite side. The gate of Renhe Hall.Zhao Tingshu had obviously watched the killing scene just now.He knew that Dr. Zhao was a cautious and fearful person, and he would definitely call the police when encountering such a thing.I was very disturbed, and watched all night, but Dr. Zhao did not go out.

On the second day, he seemed a little absent-minded. While treating patients, he kept his eyes on the movement of Dr. Zhao at the door. He saw that Dr. Zhao had been sitting in the hall all day and did not go out, so he was a little relieved.

Two days later, Xun Erlang's body was found.Although the owner of Xiulin Mipu Xun had published in the newspaper stating that he would sever the father-son relationship with him, blood is thicker than water after all. He couldn't bear to see his son die in vain, so he assisted the police in publishing a reward list for the murderer. Anyone who provided clues to catch the murderer would be rewarded with 1000 yuan in silver.Reward notices were posted all over the city.It's been a week of trouble, and there is no clue.Zou Ji felt relieved.

On this day, Zou Ji asked Dr. Zhao to drink tea in Wangjiang Tower.Xiulin is located at the junction of Hunan and Hubei. People have had the habit of drinking sesame bean tea since ancient times.What is Sesame Bean Tea?It is made with sesame, soybeans, shredded ginger, and tea leaves, plus a little white salt, and brewed in boiling water.It smells strong and tangy, refreshing and refreshing, and the drink is moderately salty and delicious.It is said that this tea has the effect of invigorating the spleen and stomach, dispelling wind and cold, removing greasy and strengthening the body, and it is widely spread in Dongting Lake area.Ordinary people, if they come to distinguished guests, they must treat them with this tea. After drinking it, they will add more. Drink bowl after bowl of sesame bean tea, so that you don't want to eat at noon.Zou Ji and Zhao Tingshu were sitting by the window, drinking hot sesame bean tea while chatting while looking at the river view outside the window.

Zou Ji had something on his mind. He didn't know if Dr. Zhao saw himself killing people that night. Seeing Zhao Tingshu's normal face, he wanted to find out, and asked casually, "Brother Zhao, I heard that Xun Er That rogue wolf met a ruthless hand and was killed."

Zhao Tingshu gave a "hmm" and said, "The whole city knows about this."

Zou Ji added: "I heard that the Xun family raised the reward from 1000 yuan to 2000 yuan, but they still can't find any clues. This time, I'm afraid it will be really difficult to catch the murderer."

Zhao Tingshu took a sip of tea, and suddenly laughed and said, "It's hard to say. The Xun family has been in business for generations, and the family has a lot of silver coins. If they can't find a clue with a reward of 2000 yuan, they will definitely increase the reward to three, four, or five thousand. Even [-]. Maybe there is someone who has the clue, who has understood this level and is waiting for the Xun family to pay a high price."

Zou Ji was startled when he heard this, and thought to himself that this was actually his idea.Glancing at Zhao Tingshu, he gritted his teeth: You are not benevolent, so don't blame Zou for being unrighteous.There was a murderous intent in his heart.

It is night, the moon is dark and the wind is high.Zou Ji drank some shochu, took a sharp knife, jumped over the wall into Renhe Hall, and went straight to Zhao Tingshu's bedroom.As soon as he reached the door, a big black dog suddenly jumped out of the darkness and barked at him.Zou Ji was startled, and the knife fell to the ground.

Zhao Tingshu in the room was not yet sound asleep, and when he heard the movement, he turned over and got up, and shouted: "Who is it?"

Zou Ji knew something was wrong, so he had no choice but to give up, retreat from the original path, climb a big tree, and flip over the wall.

Zhao Tingshu put on his clothes and left the room. After taking two steps, he felt something strange under his feet. When he looked down, he stepped on a gleaming sharp knife.People are stunned.

If one blow failed, Zou Ji's murderous intent became stronger.

(End of this chapter)