“I do have backing, so why should I create trouble for myself?” Qi Yue said to A’Ru with a smile. “I can live well without relying on household management, so why should I rack my brains over it? When you have backing, you should rely on it. When you have power, you should borrow it. What’s there to be embarrassed about? If I don’t use it now, am I waiting for it to expire?”

It was no longer a situation where she would wake up and everything would be irrelevant to her…

A’Ru giggled.

“But Madam will be very angry,” she said worriedly.

“A’Ru, you still don’t understand,” Qi Yue said with a smile. “When someone dislikes another person, that won’t change easily. The more you try to please her, the more she’ll dislike you. Rather than wasting smiles on someone who dislikes you, it’s better to be kinder to those who don’t dislike you. Life is short—cherish what should be cherished.”

“But Young Madam, Madam is your mother-in-law in name…” A’Ru said quietly.

To the Young Madam before her, the Marchioness was a completely unrelated person, but in fact, she was Qi Yueniang in everyone’s eyes.

“So I’m not causing trouble anymore,” Qi Yue said with a smile. “I’m giving her all the household management and other duties that belong to a mother-in-law.”

That was true… A’Ru smiled wryly, but the process of this obviously good thing for the Marchioness was really unpleasant. If she had gone to the Marchioness the first time not to demand household management rights, but to decline them like this, it would have been much better.

“That would have been impossible,” Qi Yue shook her head. “After being bullied like that, how could I still stick my face out to be slapped?”

A’Ru laughed.

“Alright, Young Madam, everything you say is right. Whatever you say to do, we’ll do. This servant will listen to you,” she said with a smile.

“I won’t cause trouble, but of course, no one should bully me either,” Qi Yue said. “If everyone minds their own business, we’ll all be at peace.”

After saying this, she clapped her hands.

“Now that the minor matters are all resolved, let’s hurry and do the serious business.”

So all of this wasn’t serious business? A’Ru felt exasperated.

“Young Madam, after walking so much, rest for a while first,” she urged.

The Young Madam didn’t like to ride in carriages or sedan chairs, always preferring to walk herself. Among all the young ladies and madams she knew, none were as fond of walking as she was.

How tiring it must be.

“I’m not tired. Being a doctor requires good physical strength. Sometimes a surgery can take more than ten hours. Without some strength, you can’t even stand, let alone treat patients and save lives,” Qi Yue said with a smile, patting A’Ru. “Come, let’s go to Qianjin Hall to see how I should start learning medical skills.”

“Why learn more? Don’t you already know everything?” A’Ru said with a smile.

“To learn what I don’t know,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

A’Ru didn’t say anything more and smiled as she called to a passing servant, asking her to arrange for a carriage. Going out definitely required a carriage now—otherwise, having the distinguished Young Madam of the Marquis residence walking on the street would really be…

The servant didn’t question her instructions at all and hurried off cheerfully.

Because of Hu San’s irresponsible storytelling, the people who had gathered around Qianjin Hall wanting to learn the details had all dispersed, so Qi Yue didn’t see a chaotic scene when she entered.

Qianjin Hall was still as usual, except there were more people seeking consultations and getting prescriptions.

“Isn’t Huichun Hall right next to your house? Why come here to get medicine?”

“Let me tell you… I heard this from my nephew. He’s an apprentice at Huiren Hall. He says the best doctor in our Yongqing Prefecture is at this Qianjin Hall…”

“Really? Your nephew isn’t a spy for Qianjin Hall, is he?”

“Bah, believe it or not.”

The two people at the entrance were talking quietly when they felt someone approaching from behind, about to pass them.

“Hey, hey, get in line,” one of them quickly reached out to stop them.

“I’m not here to see a doctor,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

A’Ru had already stepped in front of her, blocking the man’s arm.

“What are you doing? Are you blind?” she said quietly but sternly.

Only then did the man see a beautiful young woman standing before him, dressed in clothes and accessories he had never seen before. He was immediately frightened and quickly stepped aside.

Following his movement, others also turned to look and were all startled, then hurriedly made way for a path.

Which family’s young lady was this? Such grandeur wasn’t from an ordinary household, but wealthy families usually had doctors come to them—who would personally come to a medical hall?

The workers at Qianjin Hall saw Qi Yue and, after a moment of stunned silence, became flustered.

“Miss Qi is here!” they shouted loudly. Some ran over to greet her, while others hurried inside to report.

Only three people here knew Qi Yue’s identity: Liu Pucheng, Zhang Tong, and Hu San. The others still only knew that Miss Qi was Miss Qi, a doctor from the Marquis Dingxi’s residence.

Qi Yue smiled and greeted them all.

“Miss Qi, you were really amazing this time…”

A bold disciple mustered the courage to speak.

They knew that the magistrate’s son had been cured at the Marquis Dingxi’s residence, and since he was cured there, it could only have been Miss Qi, the doctor there. Although they hadn’t personally witnessed how this doctor performed abdominal surgery, they had seen with their own eyes how Miss Qi sutured large-area wounds.

Qi Yue looked at these faces, most of which she couldn’t recognize, but their eyes were full of awe and admiration. She couldn’t help but stop and chat with them with a smile.

“Everyone has their strengths. You know things I don’t—everyone is capable,” she said with a smile.

Such a humble doctor was rare in the world. Despite already having such divine skills, she still praised them. All the disciples who had gathered around were extremely excited.

“Master, you’re here,” Hu San rushed over from the back hall, shouting loudly.

Qi Yue smiled and nodded.

“Master is seeing patients. Come in and sit for a while first,” Hu San said, respectfully leading the way.

He called her “Master” smoothly, but Qi Yue understood it represented something different.

“Go, go, what are you all looking at? Get back to work,” Hu San glared and waved at the disciples who were still following, shooing them away like chickens.

The disciples at Qianjin Hall were very familiar with such words and actions, except what was unfamiliar was that the person who used to be among those being shooed away had now become the one doing the shooing.

This seemed like a change that happened in the blink of an eye, but surprisingly, no one felt uncomfortable with it.

Comfortable? What was there to be uncomfortable about? Look at the two masters he could call! If you could call them that too, you’d be just as domineering.

Liu Pucheng had a patient, so Qi Yue followed Hu San to the adjacent room.

Zhang Tong personally brought tea.

“There’s no good tea here. Please forgive me, Young Madam,” he said embarrassedly.

Qi Yue smiled and picked it up to drink.

Tea—how could she distinguish between good and bad? It all tasted the same to her. What a waste of her father’s cabinet full of good tea.

Here, Hu San mysteriously approached A’Ru and took out an object.

“Sister A’Ru, look at this,” he said quietly.

A’Ru glanced at him indifferently.

“What is this?” she asked.

“When you were doing the oral care that the Young Madam mentioned, I saw it was too tiring for you, so I’ve been thinking of a way these past few days and made this…” Hu San said with a grin. “Next time if there’s such a thing, you can save some effort.”

A’Ru glanced at the thing in his hand, didn’t take it, and turned away.

“I don’t find it tiring to do it myself,” she said.

Hu San was rebuffed but was used to it. He grinned and urged A’Ru to try it.

“What is it? Let me see,” Qi Yue turned around and said.

Hu San quickly brought the thing over.

“Master, I just tinkered with it. Please don’t laugh at me,” he said with a smile.

Qi Yue looked at what he brought over, her eyes lighting up.

“Oh?” she said. “An irrigator?”

Hu San’s face immediately glowed with pride. Look, without his introduction, Master immediately identified its purpose. Master was indeed Master, but this also showed that he… hehe…

Qi Yue looked at this palm-sized object that looked like a pot but wasn’t quite—the body was wrinkled and flat, squeezable, with a thin, long spout for water output.

“I saw the bellows at the blacksmith’s shop and thought of this. I don’t know if it’ll work—just playing around,” Hu San said modestly, but his smile had already reached his ears.

“Bring water,” Qi Yue said with interest.

Zhang Tong hurried to get some himself.

Qi Yue rolled up her sleeves and tried using this small bellows to suck and spray water several times. She smiled happily.

“This is very good,” she said loudly, looking at Hu San with admiration. “Not only can it irrigate the mouth, but it can be used anywhere that needs rinsing. It avoids hand contact and saves time and effort.”

As she spoke, she looked at the small bellows in her hand again, involuntarily overlapping it with the irrigators she had used in modern times.

“It really does look somewhat similar…” she couldn’t help but mutter to herself with a smile.

“Master, can it really be used?” Hu San asked happily, his face glowing.

“Yes,” Qi Yue nodded. “Make several more as backups.”

Hu San responded loudly.

“Oh, right, A’Ru,” Qi Yue, thinking of this boy’s financial situation, quickly looked at A’Ru. “Did you bring money?”

Everyone immediately understood her meaning.

A’Ru reached for her money pouch, while Hu San quickly waved his hands in refusal.

“Take it. I’m using this, so naturally I should pay for it,” Qi Yue said without allowing refusal.

A’Ru stuffed the money pouch into Hu San’s hands.

“When told to take it, just take it. Why be politely stubborn?” she said quietly.

Only then did Hu San grin and put it away.

Qi Yue, however, was still wanting more.

“If this can be made, then can other things also be made?” she murmured, getting more excited as she thought about it, rubbing her hands together.

“What else?” Hu San asked eagerly.

“Like the siphon needed to suction blood from internal organs during last time’s abdominal surgery… like those basic surgical instruments for operations, retractors, fixed spreaders… syringes…” Qi Yue said somewhat excitedly.

“You mean those things the Young Madam used?” Hu San asked, as he couldn’t understand Qi Yue’s words at all.

Qi Yue nodded.

“I’ve seen Miss’s knives. They’re too refined—we can’t forge them here,” Liu Pucheng said.

Everyone had been so absorbed in their conversation that they didn’t notice him approaching. Seeing him now, they all hurriedly greeted him.

“Knives are nothing. What’s most important are the consumables, like IV tubing, syringes, IV bottles…” Qi Yue said.

“Tubes should be manageable. As long as they’re sealed and don’t leak, we could sew them from leather…” Liu Pucheng said thoughtfully.

“Like wine skins and water pouches?” Hu San said.

“But I’m afraid we can’t make tubes as fine as the Young Madam’s,” Zhang Tong also frowned in thought.

“I know an old leather craftsman. How about I go ask him to try?” Hu San said.

“Good,” Qi Yue nodded, with barely contained excitement and enthusiasm. “Should I draw a sample so he understands the length and size needed?”

“Good,” Liu Pucheng was also very happy.

He still remembered when Qi Yue had used that tube to transfer blood from one person to another. If they could make such things, then severe blood loss wouldn’t be incurable in the future, would it?