Chang Yuncheng.

Qi Yue was stunned for a moment.

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t care whether you lived or died,” Old Madam Xie said.

Qi Yue wasn’t angry but laughed instead.

“You really do live up to your surname Xie,” she laughed.

Old Madam Xie naturally knew whom she was referring to, snorted lightly, and said nothing.

The people from the money house arrived outside, and Qi Yue had to go out. She understood nothing about these matters, so Old Madam Xie personally handled everything.

They selected items for daily use at home, while the precious and valuable items were carted away. Receiving such a large transaction, especially learning that all these belongings belonged to this young lady alone, the money house people’s eyes changed when they looked at Qi Yue.

This must be the wealthiest young lady in all of Yongqing Prefecture, right?

After finishing these matters, Old Madam Xie directed the servants to properly arrange the daily necessities. It wasn’t until the sky began to darken that everything was finally organized.

Qi Yue placed a cup of tea before Old Madam Xie.

“Thank you,” she said.

Old Madam Xie didn’t touch the tea.

“Skip the thanks,” she said. “I told you I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Yuncheng. If you live well out here, you’ll stop pestering him, and he can get on with his life properly.”

Qi Yue smiled.

“Yes, he’ll definitely have a good life,” she said.

Old Madam Xie said nothing, lifted her foot, and stepped forward. Qi Yue didn’t say anything either, following behind to see her off.

“Give up hope. There’s no possibility between you two,” Old Madam Xie stopped and said again.

“Is it because of the old marchioness?” Qi Yue asked with a smile.

“That’s right.” Old Madam Xie seemed to have finally waited for her to ask this question and immediately answered.

Qi Yue nodded but said nothing more.

“Why don’t you ask?” Old Madam Xie looked at her and couldn’t help asking curiously.

“Ask what?” Qi Yue smiled. “Ask what grudge the old marchioness really has against you? Ask whether she really harmed Yuncheng’s mother? Whether she did or didn’t—what of it? She was extremely good to me, and that’s enough for me. It’s enough that I have no reason to question her, let alone hate her.”

She sighed at this point.

“Yuncheng feels exactly the same way, doesn’t he?” she said.

No matter how helpless, no matter how reluctant to let go, what could be done? That was his aunt, his adoptive mother, the one who raised and nurtured him with great kindness.

Old Madam Xie looked at her, nodded, and turned to leave.

“Old Madam,” Qi Yue called after her again.

Old Madam Xie turned back to look at her.

“Did the old marchioness really do those things?” Qi Yue asked.

Old Madam Xie’s expression was stunned.

This woman—didn’t she say she wouldn’t ask? She spoke so righteously about it. What was this about?

“Actually, I still really want to know,” Qi Yue said with a sweet smile.

Old Madam Xie looked at her, both angry and wanting to laugh.

“You woman,” she said, taking a deep breath. “The old marchioness is the type who would treasure what she likes in her heart, and constantly wish to destroy what she dislikes.”

Then she looked at Qi Yue.

“We are irreconcilably opposed to her—we cannot coexist under the same heaven,” she said word by word.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound.

It seemed she was the one who was liked, while the Xie sisters…

Old Madam Xie thumped her cane heavily, said not another word, turned around, and got in the carriage.

The carriage traveled down the alley into the distance, disappearing into the night.

“Young mistress,” A’Ru called softly.

Qi Yue turned to look at her and smiled.

“Still calling me young mistress?” she said.

A’Ru looked at her and smiled too.

“My lady, let’s go in. It’s time for dinner,” she said.

Qi Yue took her arm.

“Good, let me see if A’Hao’s cooking skills have improved,” she laughed.

“My lady, you’re teasing me again. I really have improved,” A’Hao’s voice came from behind.

She personally carried a food box, with two old women behind her also carrying two boxes, approaching with smiles.

Yuan Bao watched everyone enter the house. Bright light and lively chatter and laughter came from inside. He couldn’t help but grin, then turned to bolt the door properly.

Both shops were completely finished, and Qi Yue paid all the wages, even giving each craftsman an extra red envelope.

“Master, that’s too wasteful,” Hu San really felt heartbroken and couldn’t help saying quietly.

Qi Yue smiled.

“Money is meant to be spent. Spending it where it should be spent is accumulating virtue,” she said, watching the craftsmen leave happily with their thanks. “I think Yueniang would be very happy too.”

Yueniang would be very happy too? What did that mean? Wasn’t she happy herself? Hu San frowned in confusion.

A’Ru heard this and naturally understood.

“What are you still standing there for? Those hospital beds have all been delivered. Why don’t you go supervise their installation,” she said.

Being able to hear such commanding voices in his ear again, Hu San was so happy he smiled even in his sleep.

“Yes, yes, I’m going,” he grinned and ran off cheerfully.

Qi Yue stood at the door watching the disciples make final decorative touches to the storefront. There were quite a few people on the street watching the excitement, most of their gazes falling on Qi Yue, inevitably pointing and whispering.

A’Ru wanted to remind Qi Yue to go inside, but seeing her composed expression, even smiling slightly when meeting the people’s curious and inquiring gazes, she became composed too, remembering what Qi Yue had said to the Qianjin Hall disciples early that morning.

“Everyone doesn’t know my name yet, right? From today on, we’re colleagues,” Qi Yue smiled. “My surname is Qi, with the single given name Yue, the yue of joy and happiness. Everyone can call me Sister Qi, or Sister Yue. Teacher, you can just call me Little Qi.”

Qi Yue, the yue of joy, not the yue of moon…

That was her name, wasn’t it? A’Ru looked at Qi Yue standing before everyone, full of vitality. This was her true self. That Yueniang had completely become the past.

She naturally wouldn’t let the past affect today or tomorrow.

A’Ru took her position behind her.

The sound of firecrackers came from far down the street, drawing people’s attention away from here as they inquired about the commotion.

“The Marquis Dingxi’s mansion is giving rewards…” someone shouted from the distance. The words “giving rewards” immediately drew the street crowd in that direction.

“Why are they giving rewards for no reason?” Qi Yue laughed, turning to ask A’Ru. “Could it be to celebrate our medical hall’s expanded business?”

She laughed heartily at her own joke.

A’Ru smiled helplessly, her expression slightly heavy.

“The young lord is leaving today,” she said quietly.

Qi Yue slowly stopped laughing and nodded.

“Oh,” she simply said.

“My lady, are you going to…” A’Ru was about to speak quietly when someone came running over in a panic.

“Qianjin Hall! Qianjin Hall!” The person in the lead clutched a piece of paper in his hand, shouting loudly. “Where is it? Where is it?”

Seeing the paper in his hand, Qi Yue’s eyes lit up.

“Here! Here!” she hurried to raise her hand and shout loudly.

The person accurately located her and ran over. Seeing her, he was momentarily stunned, then looked at the paper in his hand.

It was a simple square piece of paper with large, clear characters reading “For emergencies, please find Qianjin Hall,” with the specific address below and some reminders about accidents, such as not moving injured people carelessly and how to perform simple hemorrhage control.

This was something Qi Yue had asked Qianjin Hall to print and distribute some days ago to advertise the newly renovated medical hall. Later, because of the divorce matter, it was set aside. She hadn’t expected that the few scattered copies would actually be effective.

“Where is it? What happened?” Qi Yue immediately asked. “I’m a physician.”

The person was stunned for a moment.

“Outside the city, hit by a horse carriage…” he answered instinctively.

“A’Ru, pre-hospital emergency care,” Qi Yue said, turning around.

A’Ru acknowledged and immediately ran inside, calling out loudly.

The busy disciples stopped their work, then erupted in chaos with a whoosh.

“Pre-hospital emergency care, follow me. Emergency room, prepare for incoming,” Qi Yue said, taking the emergency bag A’Ru brought over and running out.

Three disciples, after a moment of panic, caught up from behind.

“Where’s the cart? Wasn’t the cart delivered long ago?” Hu San was shouting and jumping around behind them. “Quick, open the back door! Who told you to block the back door? Move those medicine bags…”

When more than ten guards poured out of the city gate, they could see from afar that the road was blocked.

“What’s going on?” someone asked. “Go clear them away.”

A guard rode over.

The crowd was three layers deep, all looking at what was happening inside.

“What’s wrong?”

“An old man was hit by a horse carriage…”

“…probably won’t survive, right?”

“…so much blood…”

“Originally, this family won’t let him be quickly taken to a medical hall, insisting the old man lie here…”

“Oh my, truly… so unfilial… trying to extort money, right…”

“…No, they said something about calling for emergency care…”

“…is that the woman?”

Amid the various discussions, the guard on horseback looked down from his elevated position.

“…systolic pressure dropping…”

“…supine position…”

“…posterior deformation, bleeding from mouth, nose, and ears…”

“…Master, Master, should we use Ginseng and Aconite Decoction or Tongguang Powder?”

“…no acupuncture now, wait until I perform artificial respiration…”

Continuous dialogue came from the group of four or five people.

A woman in a surgical gown knelt on the ground, pressing hard on the chest of the injured person lying in a pool of blood.

She would occasionally lean down to blow air into the injured person’s mouth and nose.

This action initially caused a commotion among the surrounding crowd, but as these people continued their serious work, the surrounding noise subsided.

Besides A’Ru, the other disciples were initially somewhat panicked—after all, this was their first time participating in such emergency care outside the classroom. Of course, they had performed treatments before, but they weren’t yet familiar with Qi Yue’s methods. After the initial panic, they quickly calmed down and proceeded with hemorrhage control, bandaging, and medication administration.

Chang Yuncheng came to the city gate alone. The Marquis Dingxi was in a bad mood, and convinced that all this trouble was caused by Chang Yuncheng, he simply didn’t even see him off. Madam Xie led the women to see him to the door, but their expressions were all somewhat complex. In the end, Chang Yuncheng declined their escort to the city gate and rode off alone.

When he arrived, he was also momentarily stunned by the blocked road.

“It’s… people from Qianjin Hall performing emergency care. Someone was hit by a horse carriage…” a guard said quietly.

The on-site treatment was ending at that moment. Under strict immobilization with splints and bandages, four or five men lifted the specially made stretcher from Qianjin Hall, and the crowd automatically made way.

Chang Yuncheng watched the blood-stained woman supporting the stretcher run past him. From beginning to end, she never looked around once, her expression focused on the injured person, carrying a medical bag on her back with one hand while pressing the injured person’s head with the other. Her eyes above the mask showed some anxiety but also confidence.

Chang Yuncheng watched that woman’s figure disappear at the city gate, unable to look away for a long time.

The guards waited quietly, even the horses didn’t restlessly paw the ground or snort.

To actually see her once before leaving—Chang Yuncheng’s lips curved in a slight smile. This was truly wonderful.

He wanted to look away but seemed unable to do so. Gritting his teeth, he raised his whip and spurred his horse.

The startled horse whinnied and reared up, charging away with the man and disappearing into the distance.

Finally, she was gone from sight.