Nanci walked out of the room. Downstairs, Kaia saw her and thought she needed something, so she asked, “Ms. Ross, do you need anything?”
“Oh? No, I’m just going to make a call. Sir Hershey’s grandson is helping him change clothes upstairs. I’ll go back up later. You carry on. I don’t need anything.”
Nanci then went to the garden to call Edward.
“Nanci, what’s up?”
“Can’t I call you without a reason?”
“Of course not. It’s just that you usually don’t call me first.”
Hearing this, Nanci laughed awkwardly and said, “I just missed you and wanted to call!”
“When will you come back?”
“I might be home late tonight. Today, I can take the final step in treating Sir Hershey’s condition. This step is time-consuming and requires my full attention, so I might not reply to your messages. I’m just calling to let you know I’m safe. I don’t have an exact end time, so you wait for me at home.”
“Remember to eat, and when you come back, give me a hug. If you’re late, I’ll punish you.”
“Okay, I’ll remember. I’ll head back now. Bye.”
Edward didn’t hang up the phone, saying, “Wait a minute. Give me a kiss.”
“I’m in someone else’s house right now. It’s not appropriate. How about I give you a kiss after I get home?”
“No! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I’ll be sad if you don’t. If you want me to be sad, then I’ll just…”
Nanci helplessly said, “I really can’t do anything about you.”
She looked around to make sure no one was there and quickly blew him through the phone with a loud smack. Blushing, she hung up and hurried back inside.
Edward smiled foolishly at his phone and quickly started typing on his keyboard again, wanting to finish work quickly and see her.
Nanci reached the door and knocked, politely asking, “Antony, are you done?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Nanci entered and saw Sir Hershey lying quietly on the bed, changed. She sat down and began her work. She used her hands to locate acupuncture points on Sir Hershey’s body while Antony watched intently without daring to breathe loudly.
Nanci’s serious expression showed as she carefully found the points. She held the needle between her thumb and index finger while using her middle finger to press around the point before inserting the needle with precision.
Nanci also lit a candle to heat the needle before swiftly inserting it into Sir Hershey’s acupuncture points. Sir Hershey now looked like a sleeping hedgehog.
Antony noticed sweat forming on Nanci’s forehead and handed her a tissue to wipe it off.
This sudden gesture startled Nanci, causing her hand to shake slightly. Fortunately, she hadn’t started inserting the needle yet. She looked at Antony with a hint of complaint in her eyes.
Antony quickly apologized, “I’m sorry! I saw you sweating and wanted to help wipe it off. I didn’t mean to disturb you!”
Nanci took a deep breath and replied, “It’s okay. I’m just not used to sudden close gestures from others. Please put the tissue beside me. I’ll handle it myself later. Thank you for your kindness.”
“How’s my grandfather doing now?” Antony asked.
“I haven’t inserted the needle yet. Please disinfect this one that fell on the ground and bring it back to me. Don’t worry. Nothing happens,” Nanci reassured him.
Antony smiled and said, “That’s good. I’ll disinfect it right away.”
Once Antony left, Nanci washed her hands with warm water and dried them before wiping the sweat off her forehead with a tissue. She thought to herself that acupuncture was indeed challenging and that she needed more practice.
She resumed inserting needles into other points carefully until she was almost done when Antony returned. With the last needle in place, Nanci breathed a sigh of relief.
Antony anxiously asked, “Is it all done now?”
“No, this is only halfway done. We need to change needles later and apply some medicine. Once Sir Hershey wakes up and rests for a few days, he’ll be fine.”
“Alright, take your time. If you need anything, just let me know immediately.”
Nanci wiped her sweat again and took a large sip of water. “Let me quickly use the restroom. I’ll change the needles after that.”
“The restroom is to the right when you exit. If you’re unsure, Kaia can show you.”
“I’ll manage. I’ll be right back.”
Nanci quickly took care of her business in the restroom, washed her hands, and returned to the room to begin removing some needles and replacing them. Antony noticed that the spots where the needles had been were dark and curiously asked, “Is this what’s causing my grandpa’s inability to stand? Why do others say he can’t be treated?”
“It’s because the medication requires a lot of precision. Any slightest mistake in the procedure could result in someone being confined to a wheelchair for life. Even for me, I can’t say I have complete confidence. I’ve done my best, and the rest will depend on Sir Hershey’s willpower.”
“You’re being humble. Ms. Ross, you’re so young yet so skilled in medicine. I’m really impressed. You must find this study quite challenging.”
“Yes, the process can be tough, but there’s immense satisfaction in helping others heal. That’s my true motivation. I want to do everything I can to help people regain their health.”
Antony suddenly asked, “You think so much about others, but what about yourself? Don’t you have any thoughts or desires?”
Nanci hesitated. She did have her own dreams, but the medical field was too important. There were so many people who needed her, and before she began studying medicine, she had helplessly watched her mother pass away. She was determined not to let others experience that kind of regret.
She smiled softly and said, “I just want to help others recover. I don’t have any other thoughts. Everything else feels trivial to me.”
Antony could see the hidden sorrows in Nanci’s eyes. He realized she likely had her own dreams but she willingly chose to put others first, always prioritizing others and placing herself last. He felt a pang of sympathy for her selflessness.
Nanci fell silent as well, focusing intently on her work, ensuring every step was perfect. Her arms began to ache as she changed the needles, and she went to the restroom to splash cold water on her face to refresh herself.
Antony suddenly spoke up, “You haven’t eaten lunch. Why don’t you go eat something in the dining room? I can keep an eye on the needles in my grandpa’s legs and let you know if something happens.”
Nanci declined, “No, I’m not hungry. I’d prefer to handle this myself. If there’s a small error, it could ruin all my efforts. The reason acupuncture is rarely practiced is that it’s so time-consuming and labor-intensive. I’ve already come this far. Just a little longer, and I’ll be done. You should go eat.”
Antony insisted, “You haven’t eaten, so how can I? What would people think if they saw me eating while you haven’t? It would be embarrassing! Let’s go eat together later.”
Nanci nodded and returned to the room, noticing Sir Hershey looked much better. She slowly removed the needles and placed them in a nearby container. She then told Antony, “Please get me another basin of hot water. We can start applying the medicine.”
Nanci crushed the medicine into a paste, and once Antony brought the hot water, she placed a piece of gauze in it, added the crushed medicine, soaked it, and squeezed it out carefully. She diligently applied the paste to the previous acupoints, saying, “With this treatment, Sir Hershey’s condition will be stable. I’ll leave you some medicine later. Make sure Sir Hershey takes it on time. He should fully recover within two weeks.”
“Let me help you apply it.”
“No, I’m a doctor. I know where the acupoints points are and can do it faster than you.”
Sir Hershey slowly opened his eyes, and just as he was about to sit up, Nanci called out, “Sir Hershey, don’t move yet! I’m still applying the medicine, and it’s almost done. Everything has gone smoothly today, and you will be fine. All you need to do now is to lie back for a little longer.”
Hearing this, Sir Hershey beamed and replied, “Okay, I won’t move. Thank you so much, Ms. Ross.”
“Grandpa, why didn’t you say anything to me when you woke up? I’ve been here with you the whole time!”
Sir Hershey joked, “You didn’t cause any trouble for Ms. Ross, did you?”
Antony, remembering how he startled Nanci earlier, didn’t know how to respond. Nanci quickly intervened, “Sir Hershey, he’s helped me a lot! Your grandson truly cares for you.”
Hearing Nanci’s compliment, Antony couldn’t help but smile, looking at his grandfather proudly. “See? How could I be a troublemaker?”
Nanci checked the time on her phone and said, “Sir Hershey, you’ll need to wait another half hour before we can remove the medicine.”
Sir Hershey cheerfully said, “Okay. Have you two eaten? You’ve been treating me for so long. You must be starving. You should go eat something first since there’s still half an hour left.”
Nanci replied, “I’m not hungry. Are you feeling hungry, Sir Hershey? Let Antony bring you something to eat.”
Antony went downstairs and had Kaia cook some dishes.
As he entered with food, he said, “Ms. Ross, you should eat a little too. I brought everything up, and I can feed Grandpa.”
Nanci couldn’t refuse and took a few bites of the food, and after the three of them finished their simple meal, it was almost time.
Antony offered, “Should we remove the medicine now? I can help you with that. You can prepare other things.”
Nanci rummaged through her bag for a bottle of medicine and said, “That would be great. Remember to let Sir Hershey take this medicine twice a day. During this time, he should be careful not to catch a chill, and make sure he rests well. Simple rehabilitation exercises will also help with recovery.”
“Got it, thanks, Ms. Ross. It’s getting dark. Why don’t you stay here tonight instead of going back? It’s unsafe for a girl to be out at night.”