Qi Yue didn’t care how people outside viewed Qianjin Hall. Instead, she became even more quietly focused on doing what needed to be done—teaching and learning.

“Do we still need to distribute these advertisements?” Hu San asked. “It seems like people don’t really want to read them…”

“But there will still be people who look at them,” Qi Yue said, pushing the papers toward him. “It’s the height of summer now, when bacteria easily multiply. It’s better to be more careful.”

Hu San nodded.

“Speaking of bacteria, Master, how is that penicillium you’re cultivating doing?” he asked.

“It’s been about a week, so it should be ready. I’ll go check on it shortly,” Qi Yue said.

“Then I’ll go notify the experimental class to prepare,” Hu San said.

Qi Yue had made penicillin extraction part of her pathology curriculum, and her disciples regularly participated in the entire process.

When the group arrived at the Wang family estate, the equipment that Hu San had commissioned from craftsmen had just been delivered.

Looking at those strange ceramic basins, wooden buckets, frames, and such, the farm workers in the estate were very curious but didn’t dare approach, because the master had instructed them that Miss Qi was doing very important work and must not be disturbed.

But while they heeded the master’s words and didn’t dare come close, there were others who didn’t listen to the master.

“Is this for bathing?” Wang Qiao’er asked, patting a wooden bucket and reaching to pull the wooden stopper underneath. “What’s this for…”

Qi Yue walked over and lifted her aside.

“How did you little troublemaker get here again?” she asked with a frown.

“This is my home!” Wang Qiao’er said with a snort.

“It’s mine now,” Qi Yue said, carrying her outside while calling for people.

Several servant women hurried over, looking at their young miss being casually held in Qi Yue’s hand like a little chick.

“This place really isn’t safe to play in,” Qi Yue told them. “In a few days I’ll be bringing in pathogenic bacteria. If someone accidentally gets infected, that could be a matter of life and death.”

The servant women turned pale with fright and quickly pulled Wang Qiao’er away.

“Auntie!” Another child’s voice called out.

Yan’er, dressed in new clothes, ran over like a butterfly. Sure enough, seeing Wang Qiao’er there, she immediately glared at her with hostility.

See, see! She knew she had to come, or else Auntie would be stolen away by this annoying pest.

Qi Yue slapped her forehead.

“Auntie, you’re busy. I won’t disturb you—I’ll go pick fruit in the garden. I’ll come back after you finish, okay?” Yan’er said obediently, with a somewhat pitiful tone. “Auntie, I haven’t seen you for so long…”

Qi Yue threw up her hands in surrender.

“Fine, fine, go ahead,” she said, while instructing her not to go near the buildings on this side.

Yan’er nodded obediently.

“Why can she be here?” Wang Qiao’er glared.

“Because she’s more obedient than you,” Qi Yue said.

Yan’er looked at Wang Qiao’er with some smugness.

“Go on, go play,” Qi Yue said, patting her shoulder before walking away.

“She’s my auntie,” Yan’er said with a touch of boastfulness, walking away proudly with her maids and servants.

“That ugly thing—am I really not as good as her?” Wang Qiao’er said, tossing her head. “Come on, let’s go too.”

Qi Yue paid no more attention to the two children’s affairs. She changed into her experimental clothes, and the group began examining the penicillium in the culture dishes.

Since this was an experiment, each disciple had prepared their own. The table was completely covered with dishes, and everyone looked at their own, with occasional exclamations and laughter filling the room.

“Alright, alright, now prepare for filtration,” Qi Yue said, clapping her hands to stop everyone’s chatter.

The disciples all took out the improved cotton cloth filled with filtering cotton that was placed on the frames.

Pear-shaped ceramic bottle extraction, adding charcoal powder.

Since this was an experiment, all the disciples watched Qi Yue’s demonstration and did it together.

“…First add distilled water…” Qi Yue said while pouring the distilled water in.

Since they had experience with distilled water from extracting traditional medicine injections, everyone was familiar with it.

Qi Yue made a round, instructing everyone on stirring while explaining the principles. As for how to purify penicillin, she wasn’t too concerned about that—she was more focused on treating this as an experimental class.

“Master, do we add the vinegar water or the seaweed water first?” one disciple asked.

Qi Yue looked at the others.

“I’ve explained this several times. Who can tell him?” she asked with a smile.

A disciple immediately answered with a laugh.

The experiment proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.

“Master, this contains that penicillin that can rapidly kill bacteria?” the disciples asked in disbelief, looking at the small tubes in their hands.

Everyone’s extracted penicillin solution was contained in small, elongated ceramic bottles. These were white ceramic test tubes that Hu San had commissioned craftsmen to make, copying Qi Yue’s syringes. They even had markings based on the syringe graduations, perfect for measuring penicillin doses.

Qi Yue also held hers and looked at it, feeling something indescribable.

This was… penicillin?

This simple?

Would it really work?

“Whether it’s effective will depend on the next step of testing,” she said.

“How do we test it?” the disciples asked.

“Pay attention these next few days. If there are patients with infected sores, festering boils, or suppurating inflammation, we can collect the pathogenic bacteria,” Qi Yue said.

Looking at the sky outside, it was already past noon.

“Alright, alright, today’s class is finished. Everyone clean up and prepare to go back,” she said, clapping her hands.

Only after washing her hands, disinfecting, and changing clothes did Qi Yue remember there were still two children here.

“They probably left already. It’s hot and stuffy here, and it’s past mealtime—what child could stand it?” she muttered, walking along the path. Just as she reached the orchard area:

“…This is my home!”

“…I picked this first…”

“…Hey, hey, watch your young miss there. If you have something to say, say it—don’t get physical…”

“…Who are you talking about? Mind your own business first…”

Qi Yue shook her head while fanning herself.

By the pond, it was quite cool. When Qi Yue had the barbecue ready, Wang Qiao’er and Yan’er had also cleaned up and came over.

“Look how pretty you are when you’re clean,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

Yan’er grabbed her little braids with some pride, while Wang Qiao’er beside her rolled her eyes.

“I wasn’t talking about you—no matter how clean you are, you’re still not pretty,” she said.

“Hey, Miss Wang, it’s time for you to go home,” Qi Yue said.

Wang Qiao’er looked at the meat skewers sizzling and dripping oil on the barbecue grill.

“This is my…” she began.

“This is mine now—I paid for it,” Qi Yue interrupted her, extending her hand toward her. “Miss, this host is seeing you out.”

Saying this, she waved the grilled meat skewer at Yan’er.

“Come, Yan’er, you must be starving. Try this,” she said with a smile.

Auntie really loves me most! Yan’er happily went over.

Seeing that ugly girl eating so happily while their own young miss stood there awkwardly, the servant women couldn’t help themselves.

“Miss Qi, they’re just children—don’t be like this,” an older one said with a smile.

“Why not be like this?” Qi Yue looked at her, seeming genuinely puzzled. “She doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her. Besides, she’s not going hungry—why should I treat her to food?”

Why indeed…

The servant woman was speechless.

Wang Qiao’er ultimately didn’t get to eat and angrily rode home in the carriage, going straight to Madam Ning.

“Grandmother,” she called out, throwing herself into Madam Ning’s arms. “Call Father back!”

Madam Ning smiled and helped her sit properly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Didn’t you go to the countryside with your great-grandfather? Why do you want your father back again?”

Wang Qiao’er was too lazy to explain and grabbed some pastries nearby to eat.

“Hurry up and call Father back,” she said. Having fought with Yan’er for half the day, she was starving. While eating, she spoke indistinctly.

“Why call your father back?” Madam Ning asked with a smile, accepting the tea.

“To marry that Miss Qi,” Wang Qiao’er said.

Madam Ning was drinking tea when she heard this. Her hand shook and she spilled some.

This was a rare loss of composure for her.

“What?” she looked at Qiao’er, thinking she had misheard.

“Tell Father to hurry up and marry that Miss Qi!” Wang Qiao’er said clearly after swallowing her pastry.

Madam Ning looked at her in surprise.

“Why?” she couldn’t help asking.

This was probably the first time Wang Qiao’er had said such a thing since she could express herself.

“Because I don’t like her,” Wang Qiao’er said, taking a vicious bite of pastry.

Madam Ning was completely confused.

“Are you serious, Qiao’er?” she asked with a smile, being an adult who knew how to focus on the important points. “I really will call your father back.”

Wang Qiao’er nodded, with some impatience and even some anticipation.

“Yes, yes, yes, hurry up, Grandmother. Quick, have Father come back to get married,” she said.

How dare she not please me! How dare she drive me away!

Let’s see what that ugly child will do then, and whether that hateful woman will still dare treat me like this!

Wang Qiao’er couldn’t help smiling with some satisfaction.

Having heard from other disciples about Qi Yue’s firm treatment of the child, Hu San told A’Ru, who then came to ask Qi Yue about it.

“You’re such a grown-up, why are you bothering with a child?” she said.

A’Ru was no longer the servant who had once been respectful and deferential, treating her master as heaven.

“First, that little troublemaker really scared me—I’m genuinely afraid she might accidentally burn down my laboratory…” Qi Yue said with a laugh, then paused. “Second, it’s also to avoid suspicion.”

“Avoid suspicion?” A’Ru asked, puzzled.

Qi Yue rubbed her hands together with a sly smile.

“I’m so beautiful, talented, and virtuous that rumors easily spread about me… especially when the person has a diamond bachelor father…” she laughed.

A’Ru didn’t understand most of the words she used, but this didn’t prevent her from understanding Qi Yue’s meaning.

“I just realized you’re so narcissistic,” A’Ru said with a smile.

She had also used a word she learned from Qi Yue.

Qi Yue laughed heartily, and A’Ru felt reassured and dropped the matter.

In the front hall, several disciples were complaining.

“Do you know how infuriating it is? We were supposed to treat the patient, but the family insisted we carry him to Kangren Hall…”

“Too much! What’s even more infuriating is that the clerk at Kangren Hall was actually fanning the flames, saying things like ‘Qianjin Hall values gold above all—if you have no money, don’t come in’…”

Qi Yue, who had been listening from behind, laughed heartily.

This was wonderfully similar to that saying: “The yamen gate faces south—if you have a case but no money, don’t come in.”

“Master, you’re still laughing,” the disciples said. “We’re all worried. When people slander us like this, they’re trying to drive us to a dead end.”

“No one can drive us to a dead end,” Qi Yue said with a smile. “Our medical skills, our reputation—they can’t be destroyed by a few words. Time will test everything.”

Although people outside no longer had that godlike trust in Qi Yue, her disciples remained as devoted as ever.

Whatever this woman said, that’s what it was.

A rumble of thunder rolled by, dark clouds gathered, and people on the street immediately quickened their pace.

“It’s going to rain, Master. Come inside quickly,” the disciples said.

Qi Yue responded and looked at the sky outside.

“The mountain rain approaches while wind fills the tower,” she sighed, turning to go inside.

Large raindrops began to fall. In a small courtyard in the city, cries of pain could be heard, then the door opened and an old woman crawled out.

“Help… someone help… get a doctor… I… can’t go on…” she called hoarsely, reaching out to grab the dust-covered ground being pelted by rain, struggling to crawl forward.

The torrential rain drowned out her voice.

Soon the old woman stopped moving, her hand still reaching forward with longing for life. The rain washed over her, revealing patches of dark purple on her hands and arms. Blood soon seeped from her face pressed against the ground, spreading with the rainwater.