When Minnie returned to the small courtyard, Sanruwi had already bathed and changed. He sat comfortably under a tree, drinking tea and reading a book.
Servant He placed tea and snacks in front of Sanruwi, then said to Minnie, "Miss Minnie, the water is ready in the room along with clean clothes. I went to the Second-in-Command's place and picked a few sets for you. I don't know if they suit your taste."
"If you don't like them, my mistress has some dresses too, though she's taller than you, so they'd need to be adjusted by tomorrow." Servant He's mistress was Madam Qing, Boss Hayes' wife-lord.
"No need to trouble anyone. As long as there are clean clothes, that's enough," Minnie quickly said. It was July, and she had been near the stove for a long time, going up and down the mountain. A bath was definitely necessary to feel refreshed.
After bathing, Servant He had someone take away the used water and collected Minnie's dirty clothes, saying they would be washed and returned later. Minnie turned red. "Isn't that too much?"
Though she didn't do chores regularly, she had lived at school for years and always washed her own clothes, even if it was just using a washing machine and paying for it.
"Mistresses are supposed to care for their masters. Since mine is sick, and Miss Minnie has put in so much effort to help treat her, these small things are my duty," Servant He said as she firmly took the clothes away. She had once served directly at Madam Qing's side and was not an ordinary servant.
Even after arriving at Phoenix Mountain, she only served her original mistress. She understood how important Minnie and Sanruwi's group were, and worried that the rough people here might accidentally offend Sanruwi and cause trouble.
That's why she took the initiative to manage the chores in the courtyard. Servant He was extremely meticulous and thoughtful, and even the picky Sanruwi was very satisfied with her.
During the meal, there was a big plate of chicken. Minnie picked up a drumstick and placed it in Jax's bowl. He froze for a moment. In his memory, only when he was very young had his parents ever served him food.
Since leaving home to study martial arts, no one had done that. Minnie smiled brightly and said, "We're lucky to have you today. You did all the hard work. You deserve it."
Jax couldn't help but smile. He picked up another drumstick and put it in her bowl. "You stood near the fire for so long too. Eat the drumstick to regain energy."
"Thanks." Minnie was happily about to eat when Sanruwi snorted coldly. Though Sanruwi had a bad temper, he had also endured the heat from the stove for quite a while today.
Remembering that, Minnie quickly picked up a chicken wing and placed it in Sanruwi's bowl. "Teacher Sanruwi, you worked hard too. Here's a chicken wing."
Sanruwi felt the smile on her face was incredibly irritating. After lunch and a short nap, Minnie was called by Sanruwi again. This time, she was going to treat Madam Qing with acupuncture.
"Take this." "What is it?" Minnie obediently accepted the wooden box Sanruwi handed her. "Medicine kit," Sanruwi replied briefly.
"Jax, aren't you coming?" Minnie noticed he was standing at the door and didn't follow, so she asked. She now saw him as her lifesaver. Jax smiled slightly. "It's not very convenient for me to go."
Not convenient? What wasn't convenient? Minnie carried Sanruwi's medicine kit to Boss Hayes' place. When she saw Madam Qing, she finally understood what Jax meant.
Madam Qing lay under a thin blanket, not wearing anything underneath. Boss Hayes had also been sent out by Sanruwi. Sanruwi sat to the side, not looking directly at Madam Qing.
He simply said, "Open the kit and take out the needle box." Minnie followed instructions and opened the kit. Inside was a black wooden box.
When she opened it, she saw neatly folded cloth. She unfolded it and couldn't help but exclaim. "How many needles are there?"
The cloth strip was about four feet long and one foot wide, densely filled with silver needles of various types and sizes. "One hundred and eight in total."
"There are so many kinds. Even this type is here." Minnie picked one up to examine it closely in her palm. "You've never used these before?" Sanruwi twitched slightly at the corner of his eye.
"I usually use this one. I've used this too," Minnie pointed out the ones she had used. The tools she learned with were basic, just standard stainless-steel filiform needles, chosen for practicality.
Nothing like Sanruwi's complete and formal set of nine different types.
The nine needles were naturally nine different types. There was the chisel needle shaped like an arrowhead, 1.6 inches long. There was the round needle shaped like a cylinder with an oval tip, also 1.6 inches long.
There was the spoon needle, thick with a rounded tip like a millet grain, 3.5 inches long. The sharp-edged needle had a three-edged body, extremely sharp and also 1.6 inches long. The dagger needle looked like a sword with blades on both sides, 2.5 tenths of an inch wide and 4 inches long.
The sharp round needle was both round and pointed, with a slightly larger tip and thinner body, 1.6 inches long. The fine needle was sharp and thin, 3.6 inches long. The long needle was thicker and sharper, 7 inches long.
The big needle was thick, stiff, with a slightly rounded tip, and 4 inches long. Each type of needle had its specific use.
Sanruwi paused for a moment and said, "Fine, we won't need these for now. I'll teach you after we get back today."
Sanruwi then told Minnie which silver needle to use, where to insert it, how deep, and which technique to apply. Minnie just had to follow his instructions. She identified the points with precision, making Sanruwi secretly nod in approval.
He thought this foolish woman could be reliable sometimes. After one round of needling, Minnie's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
She had to be extremely careful when needling someone so frail, which took a lot of mental effort. After removing the needles, Minnie covered Madam Qing with a thin blanket, leaving only her wrist exposed.
Sanruwi finally sat down, placed the pulse pillow under her wrist, and carefully examined her pulse. After finishing, he told Minnie to put away the medicine box, then called Boss Hayes inside.
"Come with me." Just as Minnie was about to return to her room, Sanruwi spoke lightly.
"Sit." After following Sanruwi into the room, Minnie stood nervously until she heard him speak again.
Minnie quickly found a seat and sat down.
Sanruwi opened the medicine box and took out the needle case. "The needle you used today is the most common fine needle. It's used to treat cold, heat, numbness, and pain in the meridians. It helps support the body and expel evil."
"This is the dagger needle, used to release pus and bleed, treating abscesses."
Hearing that, Minnie thought this dagger needle was basically a scalpel. "This is the sharp-edged needle, used to pierce vessels and release blood…" Sanruwi explained slowly, and Minnie nodded from time to time.
"You're back!" Jax said energetically, holding his sword, speaking to both of them. He had just gone out to spar with Kyron again and was feeling great. "Did everything go smoothly?" Jax asked.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Sanruwi frowned. Seeing Jax looking at Minnie, he realized the question was meant for her.
He thought to himself how Jax was already so protective of someone he just met yesterday. Sanruwi felt this childhood friend was really disappointing. "Jax, you came at just the right time," Sanruwi smiled. "I was just explaining these needles to Minnie, and now she should practice a bit. How about letting her try on you?"
Jax saw Sanruwi's smile and knew it meant trouble. Sure enough.
He looked at the densely packed silver needles of different lengths and thicknesses and felt a wave of pain on his skin. "I'm not sick or in pain. Why should I get needled for no reason? There are plenty of people on Phoenix Mountain for Minnie to practice on."
"There may be many people on Phoenix Mountain, but can you guarantee none of them have other thoughts? If they use this as an excuse to cling to her, that would be bad."
Needling involved skin contact, and locating the points also required touching the body. The men on Phoenix Mountain were all desperate to marry. If something happened... Jax hesitated, then suddenly had an idea. "Why not find a woman instead?"
"If a woman sat here undressed, could I still teach her here? How would I know if her technique was correct?"
That was true. With Sanruwi's personality, he'd rather let Minnie get into trouble than get involved himself. Jax thought, but still…
Sanruwi sighed. "Then go get Rhett. I think he'd be more than happy."
Thinking of Rhett, Jax frowned and sighed. "If I don't go to hell, who will? Fine, go ahead." He took off his shirt and sat down boldly.
Minnie had seen shirtless men before, but for some reason this time she couldn't look away. Jax's figure was just too good.
The young man wasn't a bulky bodybuilder, but his muscles were firm and tight, not exaggerated, yet full of strength. He looked like the perfect sculpture combining mechanics and aesthetics. His skin was a healthy wheat color, with faint scars on his body that added to his masculine charm.
Maybe Minnie's gaze was too intense, because Jax felt a bit hot and turned his head awkwardly.
Seeing Jax's embarrassed expression, Sanruwi snorted and casually jabbed a needle into Minnie. "What are you spacing out for? Hurry and needle him!"
Minnie winced in pain and snapped out of it. She scratched her head awkwardly. "I got distracted. Jax, your body is really amazing!"
Before Jax could respond, Sanruwi already scolded, "Such shameless talk, completely improper!"
Minnie looked puzzled. "That was improper? I was just being honest. It was a real compliment. Like how I think you're really beautiful, even more beautiful than a woman," Minnie tilted her head and thought. "Really, you might be the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"
"You… you…" Sanruwi trembled with rage, his eyes red, and his words stuttered. "You… damn it…"
Sanruwi's fists were clenched tight, afraid he might lose control and hit this stupid woman. This foolish woman always hit his sore spots. Last time she said he didn't treat women, and now she dared to talk about his looks…
Jax held him back and gave a bitter smile. "Don't be angry. You know she's not like that. She didn't mean it."
Minnie saw Sanruwi's fierce expression and realized she had said something wrong. She asked, confused, "You don't like it when people say you're pretty?"
Sanruwi glared at her fiercely.
"Why not? You look so good. That's a great thing. So many people wish they could look like you." Minnie touched her own face with a bit of regret. Her round face had always just been called 'cute.' No one had ever praised her as beautiful.
Sanruwi continued to stare at her, face red and neck stiff.
Jax sighed. "Minnie, Sanruwi doesn't like people talking about his appearance. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to look like this."
"Why?" Minnie asked instinctively.
"Why why?" Sanruwi shouted angrily. "I'm a grown man. Why do I have a woman's face?"
The room went silent. Only the sound of Sanruwi's slightly heavy breathing could be heard.
Minnie lowered her head and thought for a while, then looked up and said, "So that's why." She had never thought of this before. In her own world, so many male celebrities became famous exactly because of their delicate looks. Others could only dream of it.
"I don't understand what you're worried about. Are you afraid people will laugh at you? Even if you look like this, your personality isn't very nice. But I believe when people talk about you, the first thing they'll mention is your brilliant medical skill, not your face.
Besides, even with a woman's face, your actions are nothing like a woman's. No one would mistake you for one. You really don't need to worry about your looks. People who truly like you won't like you because of your face.
And people who dislike you won't suddenly change their minds just because of your face." If Minnie had time to think, she could be quite articulate. But in a real argument, no one waited for her, and her slow pace and soft voice couldn't match people with machine-gun speed and booming voices.
After saying all this, Minnie saw Sanruwi still staring at her and couldn't help whispering, "If you really hate people talking about your looks, then I won't say it again." Ahh, I already promised, why are you still staring at me? Are you thinking of how to take revenge?
Thinking of Kai's miserable state, Minnie shivered. "I was wrong." Minnie gave in spinelessly. "Teacher Sanruwi, I'll never say you're good-looking again. I really won't." Please just let me go, she pleaded silently.
"Sanruwi?" Jax asked worriedly.
"What are you still standing there for? Get back to work." Sanruwi flicked his sleeve. "I don't have that much free time to teach you."
"Okay!" Minnie breathed a sigh of relief.