"Here are the necessary precautions—what to eat, what to avoid, and what to do if certain symptoms arise," she handed the prefect's wife two densely written sheets of paper.
In the end, she had omitted telling the prefect's wife about the splenectomy. A massive weight pressed upon Qi Yue's heart.
"The young master underwent major surgery; his spleen is essentially non-functional now," she carefully chose phrasing that people of this era could comprehend. "Therefore, his constitution will not be as robust as before, and he will require particular care over these next few years."
"Will it be very serious?" the prefect's wife asked, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"There's no need to be overly anxious. He still needs to focus on exercise so his body can recover quickly. However, since he had major surgery, strenuous activity must be strictly avoided initially..." Qi Yue explained.
The prefect and his wife nodded, seeming to understand only partially.
"It's better than losing an arm or a leg and being crippled. He is whole. Even someone with a minor ailment needs recuperation, let alone after walking through the gates of hell and back," the prefect's wife nodded, speaking to Qi Yue with deep gratitude.
Seeing that the wife had grasped the general meaning, Qi Yue felt a wave of relief.
"Remember, if you see any of the symptoms I listed, come find me or Doctor Liu immediately," she added.
Observing Qi Yue’s solemn expression, the prefect's wife clutched the papers as if they were a priceless heirloom, refusing to even entrust them to the attendant lady nearby, carefully tucking them close to her person.
"Here is the prescription. Have ten doses prepared according to this formula to start," Liu Pucheng also stepped forward, presenting the finalized prescription.
The prefect's wife quickly secured this as well.
"Thank you both for your hard work," she said, her face beaming with gratitude.
Meanwhile, the Prefect was bowing deeply to Marquis Dingxi.
"I have troubled Your Lordship greatly. My heart is simply..." he began, his voice trembling slightly, genuine emotion overflowing where words failed.
Marquis Dingxi laughed heartily, then feigned annoyance.
"Are you being formal with me? Stop speaking such nonsense," he declared righteously.
The Prefect bowed deeply to him once more.
"Great kindness requires no thanks," he looked up and stated solemnly.
Marquis Dingxi was inwardly ecstatic. He knew that whether among nobles of equal standing or esteemed officials in court, he was viewed as the useless product of ancestral glory. If his son, Chang Yuncheng, hadn't taken up the ancestral mantle and re-entered the military, the foundation laid by the late Marquis Dingxi would have rotted in his hands. Never before had anyone shown him such sincere reverence.
Of course, compared to the ancestral favor, this time he owed it all to his daughter-in-law's divine skill...
But what did it matter? The Prefect's heartfelt respect was genuine.
The main gate of the Marquis Dingxi residence rarely opened, and even the side gates were seldom used. Furthermore, no idlers were permitted to linger near the entrance; the area within several zhang was kept silent.
But at some point, a crowd of idlers began to gather beyond those few zhang. They kept their distance, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, day and night, fixedly observing the gates of the Marquis Dingxi residence.
"Which shop are you from?" A young fellow, squatting near a corner wall and bored, suddenly called out to another young man across the way.
The second young man glanced at him.
Having waited here for days, they had all grown familiar with each other.
"Hui Rentang," the young man replied, tilting his chin towards the other. "You're from Bao Hetang?"
The first young man nodded, shuffled a few steps closer, chewing on a piece of dry grass.
"Tell me, what's the point of the manager making us guard this Marquis Dingxi residence day in and day out?" he asked, glancing again at the mansion. "Do you actually believe the rumors? That there's a divine doctor who can perform abdominal surgery?"
The apprentice from Hui Rentang hunched his shoulders and scoffed.
"The abdominal surgery part might be believable," he said, adopting a profound expression.
The apprentice from Bao Hetang stared wide-eyed, filled with admiration. Was this young man perhaps a true master...?
"It’s just that whether the person lives or dies after they cut him open is another story," the Hui Rentang apprentice added with a wink and a grin.
The Bao Hetang apprentice realized he’d been tricked and burst into laughter.
"I really don't know why the managers believed it and sent us here to watch..." he mumbled, chewing the dry grass.
"Who cares? They pay us one copper coin a day anyway. Free money, can't complain," the Hui Rentang apprentice shrugged, plopping down against the wall.
Nearby, a young waiter darted out from a small eatery, waving a rag at them.
"Go on, scram, you smelly beggars, don't dirty my establishment's ground!" he shouted.
Having stood exposed to wind and sun for days, the two apprentices were starting to look ragged. They spat back at the waiter crossly.
"Get lost, you're the beggar!" they cursed in unison.
The eatery boy, seeing the beggars acting so brazenly, was instantly provoked. The two sides exchanged barbs, and just as the argument heated up, the Hui Rentang apprentice suddenly cried out.
"Hey, why are those guys running off?" he asked, looking toward a group of other young men, similar to himself, on the other side.
At that moment, those young men were scattering down the street with incredible speed.
"Quitting?" he muttered to himself, instinctively glancing toward the Marquis Dingxi residence.
"They're out!" The Bao Hetang apprentice also looked over, spat out his dry grass, and without a second thought, bolted away.
The slower Hui Rentang apprentice was still watching two carriages pull out from a side gate of the Marquis Dingxi residence.
A line of maids and servants carefully escorted the vehicles, looking as if they wished to carry the carriages themselves. The coachmen weren't driving so much as leading the horses, slowing their pace to a near crawl.
The carriages advanced sluggishly to the middle of the road, accidentally jolting over a small stone.
"You suicidal fool, are you blind? If you jar the young master and ruin his precious life, do you think you'll keep yours?" the steward immediately roared in anger.
The driver bowed repeatedly, profusely apologizing.
"My heavens..." the Hui Rentang apprentice stared blankly at the scene, slapped his thigh, shouted, and turned to flee.
Watching the two run off in quick succession, the eatery boy felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Good thing you ran fast, or I’d have beaten your teeth out looking for them," he shouted triumphantly, waving his rag.
Meanwhile, Qi Yue and Liu Pucheng watched until the prefect's family had departed.
Qi Yue let out a deep breath, feeling the heavy weight on her heart finally lift slightly.
"Doctor Liu, thank you for all your hard work these past days," she said, bowing gratefully to him.
"I am not the one who worked hard, Young Mistress. You are the one who labored," Liu Pucheng returned the bow with a gentle smile.
"If it weren't for you, Doctor Liu, my surgery would surely have failed," Qi Yue said, her expression moved. And this time, Doctor Liu had helped her with more than just technique...
He had provided spirit, conviction, and care.
"If it weren't for you, Young Mistress, this treatment would never have happened. I have benefited immensely," Liu Pucheng agreed with feeling.
This experience had truly broadened his horizons. How many doctors in the world today could witness and personally participate in abdominal healing? The thought alone made his blood warm.
Qi Yue smiled.
"Then I won't exchange pleasantries. In short, it was a successful collaboration this time," she said, recovering her faintly playful smile.
Liu Pucheng nodded with a smile.
Zhang Tong and Hu San were tidying up the medicinal supplies and instruments. They had stayed here day and night, never once returning home, let alone attending to patients at Qianjin Hall.
"But this has certainly delayed Qianjin Hall's business..." Qi Yue sighed, a trace of apology in her tone.
Liu Pucheng shook his head.
"Saving lives cannot be treated as mere business," he stated, looking at Qi Yue with mild disapproval.
"Yes, yes, I was being crass," Qi Yue quickly conceded.
"Aru, tell Master not to worry. We made a fortune on this job," Hu San whispered to Aru, who was helping them pack nearby. "The Prefect has already sent over heavy consultation fees. Furthermore, many people now know our Master saved the Prefect’s son, who was declared beyond saving. Our reputation has soared! The pharmacy is packed every day. Even though the Master isn't there, people are willing to see the other disciples. We're famous... I’ll definitely get a bigger share this month..."
Aru glanced at him, picked up her things, and walked away, leaving Hu San excitedly lingering.
"...Miss Aru, if you need anything you can't get out, I'll go fetch it for you..." he murmured, finishing his unfinished thought, then awkwardly closed his wide-open mouth.
Zhang Tong reached out and patted his head.
"Hurry up and pack the things. Let’s go," he said, giving him a sharp look.
Qi Yue only stopped moving after seeing Liu Pucheng and his group off from the residence.
"Master," she couldn't help but call out, "May I study Traditional Chinese Medicine with you?"
This address of "Master" made Liu Pucheng slightly flustered.
"Miss Qi, I will teach you anything you wish to learn, but I dare not accept the title of 'Master'," he said, composing himself quickly.
You absolutely deserve it. Everything you taught me these past few days is more than I learned in all my years as a physician.
Qi Yue smiled at Liu Pucheng and bowed again.
The news of Liu Pucheng’s departing carriage spread through the street, and quiet returned to the residence entrance.
Qi Yue stood motionless at the doorway. The gatekeepers dared not hurry her, respectfully standing with hands clasped.
Winter days darkened early; in the blink of an eye, the sky became hazy and dim.
"Young Mistress, it is time to retire inside," Aru softly prompted, noticing Qi Yue lost in thought again.
Although she claimed to accept the reality of having nowhere to return, this woman still occasionally fell into quiet contemplation, a fleeting look of confusion crossing her eyes compared to before.
"Oh, right," Qi Yue snapped back to awareness and smiled at her.
The mistress and servant returned to the courtyard where the treatment had taken place. Aside from the thick aroma of medicinal herbs, the space was now empty.
"Young Mistress, where would you like your meal served?" two older maids approached and asked respectfully.
It was time for dinner.
Where should it be served? Nowhere felt like home...
"Here is fine," Qi Yue said.
The maids dared not ask any questions, replying with a respectful "Yes, Ma'am," and hurried away.
Soon, a lavish meal was set out.
"Why is there so much more than before?" Qi Yue glanced over and asked.
These past few days, she had been too busy to even take a proper bite, never looking at what she ate.
"The Marquis said the Young Mistress has endured much hardship these past days, so the kitchen was instructed to prepare separate meals for you. Ginseng soup is simmering on the stove and will be brought shortly," the attendant maid, who was the kitchen manager, explained. Although this woman was someone Qi Yue had promoted, she had never displayed such a respectfully ingratiating demeanor as she did today.
Qi Yue smiled.
"I don't need the soup," she said, then turned to Aru. "Ask the Marquis for my thanks later."
Aru nodded.
"Then, Young Mistress, should we pack up your belongings?" another maid interjected respectfully.
The chopsticks in Qi Yue's hand stilled.
"Pack them up? To where?" she asked.
The question startled the maids.
Since the medical personnel had left, naturally, the Young Mistress no longer needed to make do here.
Qi Yue recovered her composure, smiled, and shook her head.
The place she truly wished to go no longer existed...
"No need. Moving things around is too much trouble. I'll stay here," she said, lowering her head to slowly eat the rice in her bowl, falling silent.
Chang Yuncheng hadn't paid much attention when the food was first brought out, but as the lanterns were lit one by one, he frowned deeply.