After a suffocating silence, Qi Yue let out a low exclamation.

She had won the gamble! Heaven be praised! Thank you, all the bodhisattvas!

“Found it,” Zhang Tong shouted.

Qi Yue carefully turned the intestine, slowly exposing the entire silver spoon.

“I’ll take it out,” Zhang Tong said, reaching over with forceps.

“Wait,” Qi Yue called out, reaching out to grasp Zhang Tong’s hand.

Everyone was startled. Although separated by thick gloves, Zhang Tong also stiffened from this sudden contact.

Qi Yue pulled Zhang Tong’s hand away, carefully separating the surrounding tissue and exposing the intestinal wall. Then everyone saw that the lower end of the silver spoon had pierced through the intestine, and right next to the spoon’s head, a major blood vessel was exposed before their eyes.

“This is the iliac artery…” she said, her voice trembling for the first time. “Looking at this, if we had been a bit later, it would have been worn through, causing massive bleeding. Death would have been a matter of just ten minutes… We were truly fortunate.”

If massive bleeding had occurred before he was brought in, she couldn’t have saved him. If massive bleeding occurred during surgery, she would have been finished.

“Are you talking about you or this boy?” Zhang Tong suddenly asked.

Qi Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

“Both,” she laughed while carefully removing the silver spoon and suturing the worn intestinal wall.

The tense atmosphere in the operating room was swept away.

“Here, take this and keep it safe. Don’t let him eat it again next time,” Qi Yue handed the sterilized silver spoon to the prefect’s wife with a smile.

The prefect’s wife looked at the silver spoon with complex emotions.

“Never again,” she choked out. “If this happens again, I’ll die first.”

Qi Yue smiled and comforted her.

“Many children start putting things in their mouths from just a few months old. Children use their mouths to understand the world – it’s instinct. It’s impossible to watch them completely. The young master doing this for the first time at seven years old is already quite good, showing that you as a mother are truly very responsible,” she smiled.

The prefect’s wife had been blaming herself so much these past few days that she wanted to die. Hearing Qi Yue’s words, her heart couldn’t help but warm up.

“Madam Qi, thank you,” she raised her head as if to say something, but didn’t know what to say, finally just saying this.

Qi Yue smiled at her.

“You should rest too. He’s still in intensive care, with nurses watching. You can’t help much, but your heart should be more at ease now. Rest a bit,” she said, then thought of something. “It’s just that you can’t return to the mansion. You need to stay here in the hospital. The conditions are rather crude. Madam, you’ll have to endure…”

Never mind staying in the hospital – even if she had to sleep on the street right now, she wouldn’t blink an eye.

“No hardship, no hardship,” the prefect’s wife said hurriedly, looking at the ward. “There are two empty beds, and the space isn’t small. It’s enough for us to stay.”

Those two beds aren’t actually for you to stay in… Qi Yue pulled at the corner of her mouth, but never mind. Modern hospitals have VIP rooms too. Given the prefect couple’s status, staying in a private room wasn’t excessive.

After finishing here, Qi Yue still couldn’t rest and hurried to the wet nurse’s side next door.

The wet nurse’s family and the prefect’s wife’s family had both seen each other, and both sides felt somewhat awkward, but it was quickly resolved. Each cried once, and the prefect’s wife told the wet nurse to recover well, that the prefect’s mansion wouldn’t abandon her, which moved the wet nurse to tears of gratitude.

A’Ru had already been transferred to the prefect’s son’s side. Here, Zhang Tong led a disciple in providing care. Seeing that the records showed normal frequency and color of bowel movements, Qi Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. She administered the last two injections of white-haired selfheal and said the extraction work could stop – from now on, it would rely on regular Chinese herbal medicine decoctions.

After making rounds in the ward, the outpatient clinic in front had formed a long queue again. Fortunately, Liu Pucheng shouldered the main portion and insisted that Qi Yue go home to rest.

“The patient here just finished surgery, and there’s another one who just stabilized. I’d better rest here,” Qi Yue firmly refused.

Surgery is dangerous, and post-surgery is even more dangerous. Liu Pucheng knew this principle, and indeed she couldn’t be spared now. If something went wrong, all previous efforts would be wasted, so it had to be this way.

“It seems we need to recruit two more physicians,” he said, stroking his beard while looking at the bustling hall and the people queuing to see doctors. Unlike the traditional observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking, here there were also surgeries, which were mentally exhausting work. Relying on just the two of them, sooner or later they wouldn’t be able to manage.

“Remember to get one internist and one surgeon,” Qi Yue heard and said.

“What internist and surgeon?” Liu Pucheng asked in confusion.

Qi Yue patted her forehead – physicians here were generalists.

“That is, one who specializes in trauma like you, Teacher, and one like Old Physician An,” she smiled.

Liu Pucheng smiled and nodded, not daring to delay as he hurried back to see patients.

Qi Yue went to the dormitory but didn’t manage to sleep because the Second Madam had come looking for her.

“Why haven’t you come home for several days?” she asked as she entered supported by her maid Caiqing, her face full of worry. Seeing Qi Yue’s appearance made her even more shocked and anxious. “How did you exhaust yourself like this? Look at your complexion, your eyes, heavens, your hands…”

She began to cry as she spoke.

“Caiqing, go get my money for Yueniang…” she called to Caiqing again.

Qi Yue hurriedly pulled her to sit down, laughing and comforting her.

“I’m really not short of money,” she said.

“If you’re not short of money, why work so desperately?” the Second Madam wiped her tears and said, not believing her at all.

Desperately? Qi Yue was stunned for a moment – she didn’t feel that way. This was what she did for a living. If she didn’t do this, she really didn’t know what else to do.

“Yueniang, don’t be afraid. With me here, you don’t need to fear anything,” the Second Madam held Qi Yue’s hand, looking down at her hands and frowning again. “How did your hands become like this? They’re so rough. It’s only been a short time since you came out… Caiqing, Caiqing, go home and get those balms…”

Caiqing was about to leave when Qi Yue hurriedly stopped her, finally persuading her to get them later.

“Yueniang, has the Wang family proposed to you?” the Second Madam asked.

Everyone knows about it? Qi Yue smiled and didn’t hide it, nodding.

The Second Madam gripped her hand tightly.

“Yueniang, we can’t agree to this,” she said urgently. “Listen to me, your fate isn’t here. Your fate is to have something better. Yueniang, don’t worry or be anxious… in the future, great good days await you…”

Qi Yue smiled and grasped the Second Madam’s hand in return.

“I didn’t agree,” she said. “Besides, Old Master Wang’s proposal wasn’t really a proposal for marriage’s sake, just to give me face.”

She told the Second Madam about that day’s events.

“You see, the Wang family isn’t really interested in me or truly trying to matchmake,” she smiled.

The Second Madam looked at her with complex emotions. Silly child, if this doesn’t count as being interested, then what does…

But this was also good – it seemed Yueniang had no thoughts of the Wang family at all.

However…

“Yueniang,” she suddenly asked, “do you still think of him?”

“Of course not!” Qi Yue immediately denied, then laughed dryly. “What thinking or not thinking – don’t guess randomly. This is completely different…”

The Second Madam looked at her, making Qi Yue feel uncomfortable under her gaze, her smile becoming strained.

“I was talking about the Old Marchioness – who were you talking about?” the Second Madam asked.

Qi Yue threw up her hands in surrender.

“Aunt, fine, fine, I was wrong,” she said with mixed laughter and tears.

“Don’t call me aunt – how could I be your aunt?” the Second Madam sighed. “Call me godmother.”

Calling her sister would be more appropriate, but Qi Yue quickly nodded and called her godmother.

Hearing her call this, the Second Madam’s sickly face showed an excited smile.

“Yes,” she solemnly responded.

“Godmother, you should hurry back and rest. Don’t worry about me – I’m fine,” Qi Yue said. “Most importantly, you need to recover quickly. Didn’t you say you’d take me to the capital?”

These words struck the Second Madam’s heart, and the worry and urgency faded from her face.

“Yes, I will take you there,” she said, gripping Qi Yue’s hand firmly.

After repeatedly urging Qi Yue not to overwork herself, and being repeatedly urged by Qi Yue to rest assured and take care of her health, the Second Madam finally left Qianjin Hall.

Because of her weak constitution, even in summer, the Second Madam’s carriage was laid with thick cushions and sealed tight against drafts.

After this conversation, the Second Madam had expended much mental energy and now lay motionless against the pillow.

Caiqing carefully took out a medicinal pill.

“Madam, it’s time for your medicine,” she said quietly.

The Second Madam opened her eyes and sat up, but didn’t take the medicine.

“Caiqing, it’s time to take out that prescription and have it prepared,” she said.

Caiqing’s hand shook, and the pill dropped in the carriage.

“Madam, you can’t,” she said with a pale face, grasping the Second Madam’s hand. “That prescription can’t be used.”

The Second Madam smiled slightly.

“That prescription truly has miraculous effects. It can make me like a healthy person for half a year – able to move freely, come and go as I please, not fearing cold or heat, not afraid of wind or rain,” she said with longing. “Caiqing, how long has it been since I’ve been home?”

Caiqing’s tears fell pitter-patter.

“But Madam, if you use that medicine, your body will… will be completely…” she choked and couldn’t continue.

“Rather than living uselessly like this, I would prefer – no, I’m honored – to have this opportunity to do something for him,” the Second Madam said with bright, excited eyes. “Caiqing, we can’t delay. Do you want to wait until I don’t even have the chance to use that prescription? Do you want me to die with regrets? Caiqing, I can’t miss this opportunity – this is the only chance.”

Caiqing looked at the Second Madam, nodded through her tears, and buried her head in the bedding as she agreed.

After seeing off the Second Madam, Qi Yue and A’Ru returned to the office.

“…A’Hao made soup and had it sent over. Do you want to eat now or wait until after you rest…” A’Ru said while making the bed, then turned around and froze.

Qi Yue had already fallen asleep with her head on the desk.

These past few days of continuous emergency cases had really exhausted her beyond endurance.

A’Ru sniffled and walked over, having to wake Qi Yue up.

“Sleep on the bed,” she said softly like coaxing a child, half-pulling and half-supporting Qi Yue to the bed.