When A’Hao’s father came over, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

First, rod punishment was very common for servants, so there was no need to make a big fuss. Second, as a male servant, it was difficult for him to enter the back courtyard. He hesitated and dawdled before mustering the courage to request permission. Unexpectedly, the managing matron was extraordinarily agreeable. A’Hao’s father was both surprised and delighted, but the way those matrons looked at him made his heart grow cold…

“Go on, go on, take her out early…” they said, shaking their heads.

Could it be that she wouldn’t be allowed to stay in Qiu Tong courtyard anymore? That would be fine too—Qiu Tong courtyard wasn’t a good place anyway, A’Hao’s father thought to himself.

It was already afternoon. Standing outside the door, he felt that Qiu Tong courtyard was so quiet it seemed devoid of living people…

A’Hao’s father shivered and quickly raised his hand to slap himself lightly.

He raised his hand to knock gently on the door. After knocking for a long time, he finally heard someone walking over.

“Uncle, you’ve come.” A’Ru said, opening the door.

Looking at A’Ru’s pale face and swollen, bloodshot eyes, A’Hao’s father was startled.

“Her mother is here, so how did it still trouble you, miss…” he said apologetically.

A’Ru sighed.

“Uncle, please come visit tomorrow instead? Today… disin… disinfection… to prevent infec… infection, that something or other is inconvenient.” She struggled to say those strange words, and indeed saw A’Hao’s father looking completely bewildered.

“Then I’ll come another day. Tell her mother that I’ve requested leave for her. If it doesn’t work, just bring A’Hao back home. We’re just causing trouble for the young lady and Young Madam here…” A’Hao’s father simply didn’t ask further questions and nodded.

“Alright, I understand.” A’Ru replied. Watching A’Hao’s father leave, she gently closed the door and tiptoed into the room, where she saw Qi Yue standing inside.

“Young Madam, why did you get up? Please rest a little more…” she hurried to say in a low voice.

Qi Yue crouched down to check A’Hao’s temperature, pulse, and breathing, then lifted the blanket to look at her abdomen.

“Young Madam, as you instructed, I checked her temperature a quarter-hour ago…” A’Ru hurried to say in a low voice, while looking at that strange thing called a thermometer placed nearby. “It was… was thirty-seven… degrees three…”

After finishing the surgery last night, Qi Yue had kept watch all night until daybreak, when she finally went to rest at A’Ru’s pleading. Before leaving, she taught her how to check temperature. A’Ru barely learned and remembered those numbers she had never seen before used for counting.

“Slightly high, but that’s normal.” Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief. “When A’Hao wakes up again, help her change positions…”

A’Ru nodded.

A’Hao’s mother came in from outside, holding a wine bottle in her hands.

“Young Madam… this is ready…” she said, looking at Qi Yue with some reverence.

Qi Yue took it and drew an antibiotic into it.

This was an IV drip made from an injection needle, syringe, and an injection binding rubber tube, containing saline solution that would absolutely fail quality inspection but was better than nothing, to replenish A’Hao’s body fluids.

“Young Madam, is A’Hao…” A’Hao’s mother couldn’t help asking quietly.

“Let’s observe more. If there’s no infection or renewed bleeding, A’Hao will have passed one hurdle.” Qi Yue inserted the needle into A’Hao’s arm while hanging the wine bottle on a makeshift clothes rack. “Fortunately, her injury wasn’t severe this time, no need for excision…”

But A’Hao’s mother looked at her daughter with a face full of sorrow, not believing Qi Yue’s words at all. Last night’s scene of opening the stomach was too horrifying… and now seeing the strange tubes inserted in her daughter’s body was even more frightening…

But what could be done about this? This was the fate of being a servant… in life and death, they didn’t belong to themselves, just playthings of their masters.

Though she spoke lightly, Qi Yue felt far from relaxed. Everything she had learned and was accustomed to was performing surgery in operating rooms, surrounded by various monitoring instruments and countless antibiotics and other medications. Away from that environment, she was like a child who had just learned to walk—anxious and afraid to take steps. She truly had no confidence in the success rate.

By evening, A’Hao had completely awakened. With injuries both front and back, the surgical incision hurt severely. She couldn’t lie on her stomach or on her back—it was truly miserable.

A’Hao’s mother was so delighted she nearly fainted again, unable to believe that after opening the stomach, a person could actually survive. She ran to Qi Yue and couldn’t stop kowtowing.

A’Ru was the same. Although she had begged Qi Yue, it was only desperate measures when illness struck. She hadn’t held much hope in her heart, but unexpectedly…

“Suffering is better than dying.” A’Hao’s mother said, wiping her tears.

“Was my stomach really cut open? Does this tube really come out of my stomach?” A’Hao asked weakly but curiously. She wasn’t very frightened, just moaning continuously from pain.

“Mother fainted and didn’t see anything…” A’Hao’s mother said.

A’Ru also showed fear when recalling that moment.

“Sister A’Ru was scared too.” A’Hao smiled weakly. The smile caused her wound to hurt, and she hissed as she sucked in cold air, frightening A’Ru and A’Hao’s mother into looking carefully.

“Yes, I couldn’t help at all. I originally wanted to help, but unexpectedly…” A’Ru said with some shame.

“Mm, last time when you sewed your brother’s wound, I was terrified too.” A’Hao said.

“Young Madam also treated A’Ru’s brother?” A’Hao’s mother asked in surprise.

A’Ru glanced at A’Hao, and A’Hao also remembered—they had agreed not to tell others about Young Madam’s ability to treat illnesses.

“Mother, you mustn’t tell anyone.” She struggled to lift her hand to grab her mother’s hand urgently.

“I know.” A’Hao’s mother smiled and patted her daughter’s hand, then looked at A’Ru. “Mother isn’t the type to gossip.”

“How are you feeling?” Qi Yue came in from outside, asking with a smile.

A’Hao smiled at her.

“Your spirits seem good. Come, let me see if the wound is being naughty.” Qi Yue smiled while taking the stethoscope to examine her.

A’Hao’s mother watched from the side with her mouth agape. This demeanor, this tone of voice, and those strange tools exploring all over her daughter—my God, she had never seen such things… truly… a ghost immortal. She couldn’t help but feel her legs go weak and knelt down again.

Both Qi Yue and A’Ru turned to look at her, their faces showing confusion.

“Thank you, Young Madam…” A’Hao’s mother kowtowed.

“There you go again. No need to thank me.” Qi Yue smiled.

The two-day observation period passed smoothly without infection, renewed bleeding, or other complications. This girl was truly blessed with life. Qi Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief, sitting on the long bench in the courtyard looking at the azure sky.

Could she go back now…

Dad, I already know why you wanted me to go to the countryside hospital…

Dad, I won’t treat things carelessly with giggles and laughter anymore…

Can I go back now?

Someone gently placed a thin blanket over her. Qi Yue opened her eyes.

“Young Madam, please sleep for a while. I’ll watch A’Hao.” A’Ru hurried to say. Her sleeves were rolled up high, and her hands were wet.

A’Hao’s wound was painful, and there were no painkillers here. Qi Yue instructed everyone to talk with her more to distract her attention and thus relieve the pain. Therefore, two of the three always kept watch over A’Hao.

Qi Yue shook her head.

“I’m not sleepy. You should go sleep after washing up. You haven’t slept much these past two days.” she said, her gaze moving to the courtyard where several ropes were strung up in the small space, hung full with white cloth sheets of various sizes.

A’Ru smiled and said she was fine, then went into the kitchen to bring out the surgical instruments that were boiling in the pot.

“Young Madam, should these also be dried in the sun?” she asked.

Qi Yue nodded.

As the master and servant were talking, footsteps and low conversation sounded outside the door.

“Who is it?” A’Ru put down what she was holding and called out.

It was quiet outside for a moment.

“Miss A’Ru, that… we came to see if there’s anything we can help with…” a woman said hesitantly.

Qi Yue smiled and signaled A’Ru to open the door. When the door opened, four or five matrons stood outside with somber faces and rolling eyes. Leading them was Pozi Liu.

“Young Madam…” Pozi Liu saw Qi Yue and hurried to speak. Before finishing her words, she saw the things hanging all over the courtyard and stared in amazement, forgetting what she was going to do. “This, this… why so much white cloth…”

“Oh no, could she already be dead…”

The other matrons also looked around in surprise, discussing in low voices.

“Young Madam, this won’t do! If someone died, they must be carried out immediately…” Pozi Liu immediately shouted. Before finishing her words, her eyes widened again, then she let out a terrified scream. “Ghost!”

The other matrons followed her gaze and immediately screamed in fright, retreating two steps and huddling together trembling.

A’Hao was being supported by her mother, standing at the room’s doorway. Due to her injuries, her body was slightly hunched, her complexion wan, but she was clearly still alive.

“I told you not to get up!” Qi Yue jumped directly from her chair. “Quickly get back inside! You need to stay in bed for at least half a month! How ridiculous!”

A’Hao was already trembling all over from pain, but still stubbornly wanted those matrons to see clearly that she was alive before being helped back inside by her mother, who closed the door.

Qi Yue was extremely angry and went to the door to scold A’Hao in low voices before turning to look at those matrons.

“What are you here for?” Qi Yue asked.

“Young… Young… Madam… why didn’t she die?” Pozi Liu was still in shock, stammering.

“Slap yourself!” Qi Yue raised her eyebrows and shouted. “What are you saying?”

Only then did Pozi Liu realize her slip of tongue and hurried to apologize repeatedly.

“This matron, can’t you understand what I’m saying?” Qi Yue asked with a cold smile.

Pozi Liu was stunned. Slap herself… her face showed some unwillingness.

“In response to Young Madam, this old servant still has duties for Madam and dare not stay long. After finishing Madam’s duties, I’ll come to Young Madam’s side to receive punishment.” She gritted her teeth and said, while straightening her body and looking at Qi Yue.

Qi Yue didn’t fly into the rage she expected, but instead softened her expression.

“Oh, then you’d better go quickly.” she said with a smile and nod.

This Young Madam’s temper came in waves—why was she always somewhat unpredictable…

The matrons who had prepared countermeasures were like lit firecrackers that got wet, looking dejected as they bowed and retreated.

“Look at that, they came prepared to carry out a corpse…” A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Qi Yue’s mouth. “What deep hatred could there be to warrant such harm to a life? This is a human life…”

“Young Madam, perhaps it was an accidental injury…” A’Ru said hesitantly.

A’Hao received rod punishment, but what was fatal was the kick to her front.

“Even if it was a misunderstanding, it was because there was an opportunity for misunderstanding…” Qi Yue sighed with a smile. “It seems that ‘the backward get beaten’ is truly an eternal, universally applicable truth.”

A’Ru looked at her in confusion.

“A’Ru, didn’t you say that Old Marchioness originally had me manage the household?” Qi Yue suddenly looked at her and asked.