Hearing Liu Pucheng’s exclamation, Qi Yue didn’t stop her movements.
“Pay attention to packing the gauze,” Qi Yue reminded him, having no time to explain anything to him.
After a moment of panic, Liu Pucheng collected himself and steadied his movements.
“Remember how many pieces of cloth you’ve used, so I can avoid leaving any inside the body when I suture,” Qi Yue said.
Liu Pucheng nodded.
“Blood pressure is rising,” A’Ru called out from the side. “Young Madam, time is almost up…”
Qi Yue nodded and quickened her movements. Sweat covered her forehead, continuously dripping into her eyes and affecting her vision.
“Help me wipe the sweat,” Qi Yue said.
A trembling hand reached over and wiped her face with a cloth.
Only then did Qi Yue see it was Zhang Tong. It was rare that he hadn’t vomited uncontrollably like Hu San did when first witnessing surgery. He truly was worthy of being Liu Pucheng’s eldest disciple.
She smiled at him briefly to show her gratitude and praise.
“Give me the drainage tube,” Qi Yue said again.
Zhang Tong stumbled slightly as he turned to fetch two sterilized tubes. What had originally been one tube had become two, which had now been cut into three pieces. She estimated it wouldn’t be usable much longer. Qi Yue looked at it with some melancholy.
The things she had brought were becoming fewer and fewer. Perhaps one day only she herself would remain—no, this soul…
“How’s the heartbeat?” Qi Yue asked, having completed the drainage.
A’Ru hurriedly took the stethoscope and placed it in her ears.
Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief. The heartbeat was stable.
After cutting the last suture thread, the sky had already grown dim. By the light of the lamp Hu San was holding, Qi Yue inserted the urinary catheter, and the surgery was finally completely finished.
Everyone was soaked with sweat, their faces pale, as if they had just come down from a battle.
When Qi Yue announced the surgery was complete, A’Ru, Hu San, and Zhang Tong couldn’t control themselves and sat down on the ground.
Though exhausted, everyone’s faces showed some relief and joy.
Qi Yue’s expression remained serious.
“Hey, I know everyone wants to catch their breath, but…” she said in a low voice, “…the real battle is just beginning now…”
What? Just beginning? Wasn’t it already over?
Everyone looked at Qi Yue in surprise.
When the courtyard gate opened, the first person Qi Yue saw was actually Chang Yuncheng.
He stood at the entrance like a door god, firmly guarding the gate. Facing him were the magistrate and his wife, along with Marquis Dingxi and his wife.
Although chairs and soft couches had been set up, not a single person was sitting. Instead, they were all tensely watching the courtyard.
When they heard the door open, the magistrate couple’s hearts had already jumped out of their chests. When they saw Qi Yue emerge, they almost stopped breathing.
“It’s done. The surgery went smoothly,” Qi Yue said, removing her mask.
The magistrate’s wife’s body went limp, collapsing into the arms of the women supporting her on both sides.
Qi Yue’s gaze fell on Chang Yuncheng. Although she saw that he had kept his back turned and hadn’t looked at her, she still noticed that when he heard those words, his upright posture relaxed slightly.
The magistrate couple, wiping their tears, were about to be helped into the courtyard by their servants.
“You can’t enter the room to see him yet. You can look through the window crack,” Qi Yue said, knowing they were desperate to see their son. This unprecedented treatment was truly too shocking—it was already quite remarkable that this couple had waited until now.
“Ah? Why?” the magistrate asked.
“Because he just finished surgery and his body is very weak. He needs quiet rest,” Qi Yue explained, trying to use the simplest words possible.
“We won’t disturb him. We’ll be very quiet,” the magistrate’s wife said hurriedly.
“Well, inside is very clean, and his body is weak. We…” Qi Yue gestured at herself, “…are not clean outside, which would be bad for him.”
The magistrate couple were completely bewildered by this explanation. Being told they were unclean was unprecedented. Everyone instinctively looked at themselves. These past two days, because of their child’s injury, they hadn’t had peace—no eating, no sleeping, no washing, no changing clothes. They had been crying and worrying, so indeed they weren’t very clean…
“I’ll go change,” the couple said hurriedly.
“Wait until tomorrow to see him. It’s really bad for his health,” Qi Yue urged. “I’ll watch over him constantly. You can rest assured.”
The magistrate couple wanted to say more, but Chang Yuncheng stepped forward and looked at them.
“Then, then we’ll look through the window,” the magistrate immediately said.
Qi Yue nodded and stepped aside to let them enter. After a moment’s hesitation, Marquis Dingxi and Madam Xie followed them in.
Chang Yuncheng stood without moving.
“Thank you for standing there so long. You’ve worked hard,” Qi Yue said, looking at him.
Chang Yuncheng glanced at her, seeming somewhat unaccustomed to this, and raised his hand to touch his chin.
“What hardship did I endure?” he said, turning to leave. After walking a few steps, he stopped. “You worked hard.”
Qi Yue had already turned to enter the courtyard, but hearing this, she turned back in surprise.
Chang Yuncheng had already stridden away.