Although it was still the first month, Qianjin Hall had resumed normal operations, though with fewer patients than usual, which freed up time for other matters.

Liu Pucheng had already found the craftsmen. Today when Qi Yue came, they discussed together how to connect the spaces and arrange everything.

Seeing how thoroughly these people could plan based on her rough sketches, Qi Yue was both delighted and impressed. She confidently left matters to the craftsmen while focusing her energy on her specialty.

“Our Qianjin Hall mainly treats injuries from falls and trauma. Most of these symptoms are caused by sudden incidents, accompanied by heavy bleeding and severed limbs. Treating these conditions is what’s commonly called severe trauma care…”

Qi Yue stood on the platform, using a wooden stick for explanation.

A whiteboard had already been hung on the wall, and charcoal sticks had been sharpened.

“…When emergency personnel receive notification and arrive at the scene, the first thing to do is eliminate life-threatening and injury-causing factors… Different patients require different methods of movement—this point is crucial…”

“…If the heartbeat stops, immediate on-site cardiac resuscitation and artificial respiration should be performed… Trauma bleeding, bandaging to stop bleeding… organ displacement…”

“Everyone has a general understanding now. Starting today, I will explain in detail how to assess injuries and how to treat each type of injury. First, we need to learn vital sign observation…”

“…Good, now does anyone have questions?”

Many hands immediately shot up in the room.

“Master, Master, what if we can’t see the pupils?”

“Master, Master, what do you mean by ‘assess but don’t diagnose’?”

Que Zhi was among them, raising her hand high. A’Hao beside her disapproved and reached out to pull her down.

“Why are you asking too? If you have questions, ask when we get back. Let them ask first,” she said.

Being around Qi Yue, A’Hao had gradually returned to her former bold and cheerful nature.

Knowing A’Hao’s position beside the Young Madam, Que Zhi giggled and lowered her hand.

“The Young Madam will be quite tired when we return. I’m embarrassed to bother her,” she smiled.

Here, Qi Yue was already surrounded by disciples asking questions.

Que Zhi watched the lively scene, exhaling with a smile in her eyes.

“It’s so good coming out with the Young Madam. Home is never this lively,” she said.

“Home is quite lively too,” A’Hao said, also looking over there.

“That kind of liveliness at home…” Que Zhi drew out her tone, repeating the phrase.

The two exchanged glances, both understanding the meaning, and giggled.

“Don’t talk. Listen when they’re asking questions—if you know it, deepen your understanding; if you don’t, you won’t need to ask again,” A’Ru turned from the front and made a shushing gesture.

Que Zhi and A’Hao stuck out their tongues and quickly stopped talking, listening attentively to the questions and answers ahead.

A’Hao was right—home was indeed lively. At this moment, in Concubine Huang’s courtyard, the sound of a child crying rang out.

“Nanny Yuan, Nanny Yuan, please let go, please let go, you’re scaring Yan’er…” Chang Chunlan desperately pulled at a woman’s arm, tearfully pleading.

The woman was in her forties, wearing a gray-blue jacket with her hair in a yuanbao style. Her face was white and tender—at first glance, she looked younger and more prosperous than Chang Chunlan.

“Second Young Madam, that’s quite an exaggeration. Who could scare the little miss? With the little miss looking like this…” she sneered, reaching out to pull at the face cloth covering Yan’er. “…she’s more likely to scare others…”

Yan’er cried even harder, pressing her hands firmly against her mouth and face, afraid the cloth would be pulled away.

“Nanny Yuan, considering I’m dying, let the young lady stay with me one more day before returning,” Concubine Huang chased out from inside, supporting herself against the door.

“Aunt, such words. A married daughter is like spilled water—how can there be such reasoning that she comes back whenever she wants and stays at her natal home whenever she pleases?” Nanny Yuan smiled, releasing Yan’er’s arm and patting her clothes with some disgust. “Moreover…”

She looked at Concubine Huang gasping while leaning against the door.

“You’re just a concubine. Our Second Young Madam is the First Miss of Marquis Dingxi’s manor—how is there any reason for her to keep you company?” she smiled with some contempt. “Forget it, the Second Young Madam is of noble status and I dare not request her myself. I’ll go speak with the Marchioness instead.”

With that, she turned and left.

Chang Chunlan comforted the wailing Yan’er while watching the woman leave, then hurried to chase after her.

“Nanny Yuan, Nanny Yuan, please…” As she chased, Yan’er suddenly left without her mother and cried even louder, also chasing behind.

Chang Chunlan was torn between the two, turned back to hold the child, felt weak all over and knelt on the ground, also bursting into tears.

This commotion alarmed others.

The Second Miss and Third Miss came upon hearing the news. Seeing the mother and daughter kneeling and crying on the ground, and Concubine Huang nearly fainting by the door, they panicked, calling maids to help Concubine Huang to bed and sending people to fetch a physician.

“…They want to take elder sister back?” The Second Miss listened to a nearby maid’s account and exchanged glances with the Third Miss. They really didn’t know what to say about this.

When in-laws came to fetch someone, making a fuss about not returning really couldn’t be justified.

“Elder sister, don’t worry. We’ll look after the concubine,” the Second Miss said gently. “These past few days you’ve seen that the concubine’s health has improved greatly. As long as she rests quietly and recuperates.”

Chang Chunlan held Yan’er, tears flowing continuously.

“Yes, elder sister, don’t worry,” the Third Miss also said.

“No, no,” Chang Chunlan couldn’t help shaking her head and crying. “They… they want to send my Yan’er to a temple…”

The Second Miss and Third Miss were greatly shocked, both looking at Yan’er hiding in Chang Chunlan’s arms, but both quickly looked away.

“Why suddenly… suddenly this?” the Second Miss asked after hesitating.

There had been trouble when Yan’er was just born. They heard that they wanted to drown the child then, but Chang Chunlan threatened to die, and with her husband Liu Chengyang protecting his wife and daughter, they kept the child.

She couldn’t help looking at the child again.

Due to eating difficulties, the child was thin and small, with sparse yellowish hair tied up. Her expression was as fearful as a little mouse, now clinging tightly to Chang Chunlan and crying loudly, making her even more pitiful.

Because of this child, Chang Chunlan couldn’t hold her head up in the Liu family. Even servants dared to scold her loudly.

All for this child—was it worth it?

If they had drowned her back then, wouldn’t today’s situation be avoided?

As young marital affection gradually faded, the husband who had once protected her had taken several beautiful concubines and fathered several children…

The Second Miss sighed. When a woman couldn’t hold her husband’s heart, she had nothing left.

Here, Chang Chunlan intermittently explained.

“…They say our second branch has no sons, all because of Yan’er… so before New Year, the old master wanted to send Yan’er away. That temple is dozens of li from home—it’s where families send women who’ve made mistakes. Adults who stay there for a year or two either go mad or become stupid. If Yan’er goes there, she won’t survive…”

At this point, Chang Chunlan held Yan’er and cried again, with Yan’er also crying loudly.

“…What did brother-in-law say?” the Third Miss asked.

The Second Miss glanced at the Third Miss and sighed. Was there need to ask? Which man didn’t care about offspring? Being able to fight against drowning such a child initially was already sufficient kindness.

Chang Chunlan indeed cried without speaking.

The Third Miss also sighed.

“I delayed past New Year, but was really forced with no other way… so I could only bring Yan’er here to hide…” Chang Chunlan continued crying.

“But hiding here isn’t a solution either,” the Third Miss frowned. “Can you hide for a lifetime? Moreover… moreover…”

Would father let her hide at home for a lifetime? That would undoubtedly mean the Liu family divorcing her.

Having a daughter divorced was something Marquis Dingxi absolutely could not tolerate.

“I’ll go beg mother,” Chang Chunlan stood up, saying in a trembling voice. “Beg mother to speak with the Liu family, not to send Yan’er to the temple. I’m willing, I’m willing to live in seclusion with Yan’er and never see people again…”

She stood up, and Yan’er also got up, clinging tightly to her clothes, afraid of being left behind.

Seeing her daughter like this, Chang Chunlan’s heart broke even more.

“Yan’er, stay here with aunt-grandmother. Mother will be back soon,” she steeled herself to leave her daughter behind and rushed out.

The Second Miss and Third Miss also stood up.

“Let’s also go beg mother,” the Third Miss said.

The Second Miss shook her head but said nothing, following along.

When they caught up, Chang Chunlan was already kneeling in the courtyard.

“Madam, the old master and old mistress are also thinking of the First Miss. After so many years of affection, they really don’t want to become estranged, but Second Master’s situation really can’t be justified…” Nanny Yuan sighed.

Madam Xie looked at Chang Chunlan kneeling and crying outside the door, then at Nanny Yuan, her face showing some hesitation.

“But the child is the mother’s precious darling, and she’s raised her so big…” she said.

“Madam, that you can say this truly shows you love the young lady. To be able to do what you do, Madam—not to be thick-skinned, but I’ve really seen few like you,” Nanny Yuan immediately said, looking at Madam Xie with some admiration.

A legitimate mother like her was truly exceptional. Madam Xie also considered herself such. Though she claimed not to need others’ approval, hearing such praise still made her happy.

“They’re all the marquis’s descendants—how can we distinguish between them?” she said.

“Exactly, but it’s precisely for the child’s sake that this must be done,” Nanny Yuan sighed. “Because of Yan’er’s presence, the Second Young Madam hasn’t given birth again until now. Tell me, how can this continue?”

Without a legitimate son, this main wife’s position was truly…

Madam Xie’s expression became serious as she nodded.

Seeing Nanny Yuan come out with some satisfaction, Chang Chunlan’s heart instantly sank into an ice cave.

“Mother, mother, please, please, this will kill Yan’er,” she cried, running toward the room.

Two servants stepped forward to stop her.

“First Miss, stop making trouble. Return quickly,” they urged.

Chang Chunlan turned to look at the Second Miss and Third Miss who had followed, her face full of pleading.

The Third Miss was about to say something when the Second Miss pulled her back.

“Elder sister, still listen to mother’s words,” the Second Miss said quietly.

Chang Chunlan looked at them, then at the room, lost and devastated. She bit her lip until it bled, then turned and ran out.

“I’ll go beg father…” she said.

The Second Miss and Third Miss were greatly alarmed.

“Elder sister, don’t go! If father finds out, it’ll be even worse,” the Second Miss called out.

Chang Chunlan had already run off.

“So foolish,” the Second Miss stamped her foot angrily. “Why must elder sister do this? Now it’s ruined—she’ll never be allowed through the door again!”

Just one child, and such a child at that—truly incomprehensible.

“Second sister, should we go see? If father gets angry…” the Third Miss said hesitantly.

The Second Miss glared back at her.

“You know father will be angry, yet you want to go,” she scolded quietly.

The Third Miss lowered her head.

Indeed, Marquis Dingxi, who was painting in his study, was already furious that this First Miss dared to barge in. Looking at his painting that had dripped ink from the shock, the anger of having his masterpiece ruined—these vulgar, ignorant, stupid women would never understand! Fury gathered in his heart, and when he heard Chang Chunlan’s pleas, he was both shocked and enraged.

“What? You actually brought that monster here?” he roared, hearing only this sentence and ignoring everything else.

“Father, father, Yan’er has nowhere to go. Please, father…” Chang Chunlan knelt and kowtowed, crying.

Just as she raised her head, an inkstone came flying at her face.

Chang Chunlan cried out in pain. The inkstone fell and cracked, while blood seeped from her forehead.

“Nowhere to go? So you come to harm me?” Marquis Dingxi erupted like a volcano.

But Marquis Dingxi wouldn’t curse like a woman. He only looked coldly at the woman kneeling on the ground.

“Throw her out,” he said.

Of course, it wasn’t the Liu family people who were thrown out.

Nanny Yuan watched Chang Chunlan being pushed and shoved by two servants, her eyes narrowing into slits from smiling.

She walked while clicking her tongue.

“What are you trying to achieve? Making us lose face too…” Nanny Yuan said, leisurely fixing her hair. “Being driven from your own father’s house—our Liu family feels this is really…”

Chang Chunlan was being pushed along, with Yan’er clinging tightly to her sleeve, crying as she followed. The adult’s crying and child’s wailing were truly pitiful.

“Stop crying, you jinx,” Nanny Yuan suddenly irritably raised her hand and slapped Yan’er. “Cry, cry—better to cry yourself to death so everyone can have peace.”

Yan’er, suddenly struck and already frightened, stumbled from this slap and fell to the ground with a thud.

Chang Chunlan quickly broke free from the servants and knelt to help the child.

“Heaven, it would be cleaner if she just died,” she trembled all over like chaff, her voice already hoarse, murmuring.

A nearby maid carefully tugged at Nanny Yuan’s sleeve.

“This is still Marquis Dingxi’s manor. Nanny should be more careful with words…” she whispered.

Nanny Yuan laughed coldly, looking around.

“Careful? What do I need to be careful about? Her own family doesn’t care—why should we be careful?” she smiled, not hiding her contempt as she looked at Chang Chunlan holding and crying over the child. “Better to die early—she’s been crying for so many years without dying…”

She reached out and roughly pushed Chang Chunlan.

“Hurry up, my lady!” she said.

“Oh my, where did this ‘lady’ come from? Really scared me to death.”

Suddenly a voice came from ahead.

Nanny Yuan looked toward the sound and saw several people standing by the second gate at some point.

Among them, three maids surrounded a beauty in silver-white plain satin with cold blue trim, a white silk cotton skirt, and wrapped in a large red feathered gauze cloak, who looked at her with a half-smile.