How the outside world viewed the Hall of a Thousand Valuables was immaterial to Qi Yue; she instead dedicated herself quietly to her duties: teaching and learning.
“We still have to hand out these flyers,” Hu San asked, “It seems like most people don’t want to look at them…”
“But there will still be some who do,” Qi Yue replied, pushing the papers toward him. “It’s the height of summer, the time when pathogens breed easily; we must take extra precautions.”
Hu San nodded.
“Speaking of germs, Master, how is that Penicillium mold you were cultivating?” he asked.
“A week should be about right; I’ll go take a look shortly.”
“Then I’ll go inform the students in the experimental class to prepare.”
Qi Yue treated the extraction of penicillin as a pathology lesson, and the disciples were required to participate fully in the entire process.
When the group arrived at the Wang family estate, the specialized equipment Hu San had commissioned from the artisans had just been delivered.
The farm laborers on the grounds were quite curious about the strange porcelain basins, wooden tubs, and frames, but they dared not approach because the owners had explicitly instructed them that Madam Qi was engaged in very important work and must not be disturbed.
However, while some heeded the warning, others did not.
“Is this for bathing?” Wang Qiao’er asked, slapping a wooden tub, reaching to pull out the wooden plug underneath. “What is this for…”
Qi Yue walked over and pulled her aside.
“Why is this little menace here again?” she asked, frowning.
“This is my house!” Wang Qiao’er huffed.
“It’s mine now,” Qi Yue stated, dragging her toward the exit while calling out.
Several maids rushed over, seeing their young mistress held casually in Qi Yue’s grasp as if she were a little chick.
“This area is not for playing,” Qi Yue told them. “In a few days, I’ll be bringing in pathogenic bacteria. If someone accidentally gets infected, it could cost a life.”
The maids turned pale with fright and hastily pulled Wang Qiao’er away.
“Auntie.” Another child’s voice sounded.
Yan’er, dressed in a new outfit, fluttered over like a butterfly and, seeing Wang Qiao’er there, immediately looked ready for a confrontation.
See, see, she knew she had to come, otherwise Auntie would be stolen by that annoying brat.
Qi Yue slapped her forehead.
“Auntie, you’re busy. I won’t disturb you. I’m going to the orchard to pick fruit. Can I come back when you’re finished?” Yan’er said sweetly, with a touch of pathos. “Auntie, I haven’t seen you in so long…”
Qi Yue raised her hands in surrender.
“Alright, alright, go ahead,” she said, warning her not to approach the nearby building.
Yan’er nodded obediently.
“Why is she allowed to be here?” Wang Qiao’er demanded, glaring.
“Because she is more obedient than you,” Qi Yue replied.
Yan’er looked at Wang Qiao’er with a hint of smugness.
“Go on, go play,” Qi Yue patted her shoulder and walked away.
“She’s my Auntie,” Yan’er made sure to say with a touch of boasting before proudly walking off with her maids.
“That ugly thing, I’m better than her,” Wang Qiao’er declared, tossing her head. “Let’s go there too.”
Qi Yue paid no more attention to the two children. After changing into their lab coats, the group began inspecting the Penicillium mold in the Petri dishes.
Since it was an experiment, every disciple had prepared one, filling a whole table. Each looked at their own, and the room occasionally broke out in gasps of amazement and laughter.
“Alright, alright, now prepare for filtration,” Qi Yue stopped the chatter and clapped her hands.
The disciples promptly fetched the improved cotton cloths, stuffed with filter material, from the racks.
Extraction in pear-shaped porcelain flasks, followed by the addition of charcoal powder.
Because it was an exercise, all the disciples followed Qi Yue’s demonstration together.
“…First, add distilled water…” Qi Yue said while pouring in the water.
Since they were familiar with distilled water from extracting ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine injections, there was no confusion on that front.
Qi Yue circled around, guiding everyone on stirring while simultaneously explaining the underlying principles. As for the specifics of penicillin purification, she wasn't overly concerned; she cared more about framing it as a practical lesson.
“Master, should we add the vinegar water or the seaweed water first?” one disciple asked.
Qi Yue looked at the others.
“I’ve explained this several times; who can tell him?” she asked with a smile.
Immediately, a disciple answered with a laugh.
The experiment proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.
“Master, is this little tube here the penicillin that can rapidly kill bacteria?” the disciples asked, looking at the small vials in their hands with disbelief.
The extracted penicillin solution each student had prepared was filled into slender, white porcelain test tubes—vessels that Hu San had commissioned artisans to craft, mimicking Qi Yue’s syringes, complete with measurement markings just like the syringes, perfect for holding precise doses of penicillin.
Qi Yue held up her own sample, experiencing a strange feeling.
Is this… penicillin? So simple? Can it really work?
“Whether it’s effective remains to be seen in the next phase of testing,” she said.
“How do we test it?” the disciples inquired.
“Keep an eye out these next few days. If there are any patients with festering sores, carbuncles, or inflammation, we can collect the pathogenic bacteria,” Qi Yue instructed.
Glancing outside, she realized it was already past noon.
“That’s enough for today. The class is over; everyone clean up and prepare to head back,” she announced, clapping her hands.
After washing, sterilizing, and changing her clothes, Qi Yue stepped out and finally remembered the two children who had been left behind.
“They’ve probably left already? It’s hot and stuffy here, and past mealtime; no child can stand it,” she muttered, walking along the path until she reached the orchard area.
“…This is my family’s place!”
“…I picked this one first…”
“…Hey, hey, watch your tone, you call yourself a lady! Speak properly, don't use your hands…”
“…Who are you talking to? You mind yourself first…”
Qi Yue shook her head, fanning herself.
The area by the pond was still quite cool. By the time Qi Yue had the barbecue set up, Wang Qiao’er and Yan’er had also tidied themselves up and arrived.
“Look, so clean and pretty,” Qi Yue smiled.
Yan’er, holding her little braid with a bit of pride, earned an eye-roll from Wang Qiao’er.
“I’m not talking to you; no matter how clean you get, you won’t be pretty,” she retorted.
“Hey, Miss Wang, it’s time for you to go home,” Qi Yue stated.
Wang Qiao’er looked at the skewers sizzling on the grill.
“This is mine…” she began.
“This place is mine now; I paid for it,” Qi Yue interrupted, holding out her hand toward her. “Miss, your host needs to see you out.”
Saying this, she waved a perfectly grilled skewer toward Yan’er.
“Come on, Yan’er, you must be starving, have a taste,” she smiled.
See! Auntie loves me the most! Yan’er happily went over.
Watching the ugly girl eat so heartily while her young mistress stood by awkwardly, even the maids couldn't help themselves.
“Madam Qi, she’s just a child; don’t be like this,” an older maid said with a smile.
“Why shouldn’t I be like this?” Qi Yue looked at her, genuinely puzzled. “She dislikes me, and I dislike her. Besides, she won’t starve; why should I invite her to eat?”
Why…
The maid was struck speechless.
Wang Qiao’er ultimately didn’t get any food. She returned home in a huff by carriage and went straight to Madam Ning.
“Grandmother,” she called, throwing herself into Madam Ning’s embrace. “Send for Father to come back!”
Madam Ning smiled and helped her sit up properly.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Weren’t you staying in the countryside with your great-grandfather? Why do you need your father now?”
Wang Qiao’er couldn't be bothered to explain and grabbed some pastries from the side.
“Hurry and get Father back,” she insisted, having been hungry from arguing with Yan’er for so long, her stomach pressing against her back. She mumbled around the food she was eating.
“What do you need your father back for?” Madam Ning asked with a smile, accepting her tea.
“To marry that Madam Qi,” Wang Qiao’er announced.
Madam Ning, who was lifting her tea to drink, flinched at the words, spilling a drop.
This was a rare moment of loss of composure for her.
“What?” she looked at Qiao’er, thinking she must have misheard.
“Tell Father to hurry up and marry that Madam Qi!” Wang Qiao’er swallowed her pastry and stated clearly.
Madam Ning looked at Qiao’er in astonishment.
“Why?” she couldn't help but ask.
This was likely the first time Wang Qiao’er had said something so definitive since she gained the ability to articulate her thoughts.
“Because I don’t like her,” Wang Qiao’er said, taking a fierce bite of a pastry.
Madam Ning was utterly confused.
“Qiao’er, are you serious?” Being an adult, she knew how to focus on the key point. She asked with a smile, “I can truly ask your father to return, you know.”
Wang Qiao’er nodded, showing a trace of impatience, and even a bit of anticipation.
“Yes, yes, hurry, Grandmother, quickly tell Father to come back and get married,” she urged.
How dare she not fawn over me! How dare she drive me away!
Just wait until that ugly child has no recourse, wait until that hateful woman dares not treat me this way again!
Wang Qiao’er couldn't help but smile with a hint of satisfaction.
After hearing the disciples recount how aggressively Qi Yue had dealt with a small child, Hu San informed A’ru, who then came to question Qi Yue.
“You’re an adult now; why stoop to arguing with a child,” A’ru reasoned.
A’ru was no longer the deferential servant who once considered her mistress’s word absolute law.
“Firstly, this little menace truly scared me. I was genuinely afraid she’d accidentally burn down my laboratory…” Qi Yue chuckled, pausing. “Secondly, it’s about avoiding gossip, too.”
“Avoiding gossip?” A’ru asked, confused.
Qi Yue rubbed her hands and chuckled sheepishly.
“I am so beautiful, talented, and virtuous; it’s easy for rumors to spread… especially since the child has a father who is a confirmed bachelor of immense wealth,” she laughed.
A’ru barely understood the modern terms Qi Yue used, but it didn't stop her from grasping Qi Yue’s intent.
“I only just realized you’re quite narcissistic,” A’ru replied, using a term she had picked up from Qi Yue.
Qi Yue laughed heartily, and A’ru, reassured, dropped the matter.
In the front hall, several disciples were complaining.
“Did you hear? It’s infuriating! We were supposed to take the patient, but that family insisted we carry them over to the Hall of Benevolence…”
“That’s too much! Even worse, the clerk at the Hall of Benevolence was fanning the flames, saying the Hall of a Thousand Valuables prioritizes ‘thousand-worth ladies’; if you’re poor or without connections, don't even bother coming in…”
Hearing this from the back, Qi Yue burst out laughing.
It was just like that saying: the yamen gate faces south; if you have justice but no money, don't even try to enter.
“Master, you’re still laughing,” the disciples lamented. “We’re worried sick. If they keep slandering us like this, they’re trying to push us into a dead end.”
“No one can push us into a dead end,” Qi Yue asserted with a smile. “Our medical skill and our reputation won't be destroyed by a few words from them. Time will test everything.”
Although the outside world no longer held that quasi-divine trust in Qi Yue, her disciples remained steadfastly loyal.
If this woman said it, then it must be true.
A clap of thunder rolled, dark clouds gathered, and the people on the street quickened their pace.
“It’s going to rain, Master, let’s get inside,” the disciples urged.
Qi Yue agreed and glanced at the sky.
“The wind is rising before the mountain rain,” she murmured, turning to go inside.
Large raindrops began to crash down. In a small courtyard in the city, sounds of agonizing pain erupted, followed by the door flying open as an old woman crawled out.
“Help! Save me… find a doctor… I… I can’t hold on…” she screamed hoarsely, clawing at the dusty ground stirred up by the rain, crawling forward with immense effort.
The downpour drowned out her cries.
Soon, the old woman lay still, her hand still outstretched with a lingering attachment to life. The rain washed over her, revealing patches of dark purple on her arm, and blood soon began to seep from beneath her face pressed against the ground, spreading outwards with the rainwater.