Chapter Fifty: Sun the Divine Doctor

  On the first day of the year, Yang Heng did not follow his father to the village to pay New Year's greetings, but instead accompanied Sun Simiao at home to study the rules for taking care of pregnant women that Yang Heng had formulated.

  Sun Simiao was the most famous doctor of the Sui and Tang dynasties, known as the "King of Medicine" and "Medical God" among the people. He was particularly fond of collecting medicinal herbs in mountain villages and treating difficult diseases. This was also known to his father and uncle, who were puzzled by his being a Taoist priest. Yang Heng had learned about Sun Simiao from books and online sources, but they didn't mention that he was a Taoist priest. However, this was not important for Yang Heng to explore, as his main goal was to ask Sun Simiao for advice on caring for pregnant women. As Yang Heng was not knowledgeable in medicine, he only knew some basic acupuncture points, which were different from pharmacology. Moreover, at that time, Yang Heng didn't even have the necessary equipment for acupuncture. However, during the Dragon Boat Festival last May, he had asked his father and uncle to collect a large quantity of mugwort, planning to study moxibustion in his free time.

  As for why Yang Heng knew about acupuncture, it all started with the martial arts culture of his past life. After Jin Da Xiake appeared, a wave of martial arts fever swept across the country. Since Yang Heng didn't have any martial arts books to read, he had no choice but to study the acupuncture book in the hands of a village doctor, which is why he understood acupuncture points. As for military boxing, it was naturally learned in the army camp.

  "Yang Xiaolang, what's the point of your regular walks? You don't want people to get close to you, I know that. It's to prevent accidental contact." "My mother and my aunt." "Ah, yes, your mother, your aunt... but I still don't understand the purpose of these twice-daily walks. Village women, even when pregnant, continue working until they're about to give birth, and some even give birth directly in the fields." This was a highly respected doctor with an inquiring spirit, who would investigate anything he didn't fully understand.

  "Sun the divine doctor," "Ha, don't call me a divine doctor, I'm just slightly better at medicine than others, just call me Director Sun." "Alright, Director Sun, you tell me, how many pregnant women who work in the fields can give birth to very healthy children?" "This is really hard to say, if two or three out of ten people can deliver a healthy child, that's already quite good. There are also two or three cases where both the mother and child will die, naturally there are also cases where the child dies but the mother lives, and cases where the child lives but the mother dies."

  "Then, Sun Daochang, what is the reason for this?" "What is the reason for this? Naturally, it's because there is no one around. You know, when pregnant women are working in the fields, most of them are alone, and they only go down to the fields when there is no one else to work. Of course, some also work in the fields with their families, but their family members are not the same as those who don't understand medicine."

  "Exactly, you see my family, we don't lack people to do chores, but if my mother and sister-in-law just sit at home without exercising, is that good?""Hmm, not exercising is not good. Is this the reason you let them take a walk? It seems your method is very good. Looking at your mother and sister-in-law, they both look very healthy, and the children in their bellies are also very healthy. Not bad, not bad, I'm impressed."As he spoke, Sun Simiao stood up and gave Yang Heng a respectful bow,"This, Master Sun, you can't do this, you can't do this."Yang Heng quickly jumped up and dodged to one side.

  "Really, really, this method of yours has opened a door for me. Can all patients do the same?" "This... should be possible, right? People are meant to move around, even when they're sick, they need to exercise in moderation. This is the fundamental way for the body to recover." These words were nothing new to Yang Heng from his past life. Even in hospitals, doctors would require patients to go out and take a walk every day. Even those who had just undergone surgery, as long as they weren't required to stay in bed, doctors would ask them to get up and move around despite the pain of their wounds.

  "And another thing, I see that your mother and your aunt don't have many varieties of food to eat, this is far different from what you guys eat, especially the vegetables, there are really few."

  "This is exactly what I want to ask Master Sun about. I know that some vegetables can affect pregnant women, and some foods can counteract each other, but I don't know which ones. I asked the doctors in the city, but they couldn't give me a clear answer either. So, I've been taking a cautious approach by reducing the variety of dishes at meals. I only have one vegetable dish, a small amount of meat, and then plain rice. The five grains are not supposed to be harmful to pregnant women, so I haven't restricted them from eating rice. Also, we change up the menu for each meal, so I don't worry about the vegetables counteracting each other. It's not like the vegetable I eat in the morning will still be counteracting with the one I eat at noon in my stomach! This is just something that can't be helped.

  As for this counteracting issue, Yang Heng had never really studied it before. He only knew that these foods that counteract each other wouldn't harm people even if they ate them. Who knows how much you'd have to eat to actually cause harm? But for pregnant women, this is definitely something to be avoided, especially with some wild vegetables. Both his mother-in-law and sister-in-law were craving them badly, but Yang Heng didn't know if they were safe for pregnant women, so he reluctantly refused to let them eat them. Especially Lotus Sister, she was very obedient and would do whatever Yang Heng told her to do."

  "Ah, okay, your idea is not bad. These vegetables, especially the wild ones, I see that you have many wild vegetables in your diet, and I don't know how you preserve them, but they still look very fresh now. Eating these wild vegetables can be really taboo, especially for pregnant women. Let me explain some of the foods that are mutually restrictive and not suitable for pregnant women to eat."

  "Director Sun, please speak slowly, little girl, come and help Brother Heng remember what Director Sun is saying." As he spoke, Yang Heng called in the little girl who was playing outside. At this time, the people who had gone to visit the village for New Year's greetings had all returned, and the little girl and others had also arrived at Yang Heng's house, but seeing that Yang Heng was talking to Director Sun, they did not enter the room.

  "Alright, Brother Heng, wait for a moment, let me warm up before I come in." Even the children have developed this habit of matching their body temperature to that inside the room before entering.

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