The guards hurried back again, pushing Pei Huaian away.
Leaning against the door, Shao He tossed and caught the silver in her hand, uncertain whether saving this man was right or wrong.
Forget it, nobody would quarrel with silver, besides, what she and her child lacked now was silver.
"He's awake, he's awake."
A voice pulled Shao He out of her reverie and she looked up to see one of the doorways being opened.
A woman ran over, pointing excitedly into the room, "Doctor, my son, my son is awake."
Shao He collected her thoughts, nodded at the woman, and followed her into the house.
Behind the screen, the little boy on the bed weakly opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, blinking in confusion.
"My child, my child!" cried the woman, collapsing to her knees and sobbing as she held her son.
The little boy froze, distressed to see his mother so upset, he tried to raise his arms to hug her but couldn't lift them.
"Mom, it hurts."
The woman dried her tears and looked up into her son's worried eyes, nodding with a smile, "Oh my child, you've finally woken up, you scared me to death."
Shao He pulled her back, admonishing, "Be careful, don't touch his wound."
"Right, got so excited I forgot about that," the woman quickly stood up and stepped aside so Shao He could examine her son's wounds.
Seeing this, the little boy lay obediently, letting Shao He tend to his wounds, not crying out in pain from start to finish.
Shao He closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she held a bottle of disinfectant and cotton swabs, applying them gently to the wound on his abdomen.
The little boy looked up at the beautiful sister before him, enduring the pain, he asked, "Pretty sister, am I going to die?"
"No."
The little boy suddenly looked up at her, unsure whether he had heard her correctly.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Shao He put away the items in her hand and turned to face the mother, filled with worry, "He's out of danger, but he needs to stay for two more days so I can handle any unexpected issues promptly."
Relieved, the woman said with immense gratitude, "Okay, thank you, thank you for saving my son."
"You're an angel!" At the end, the woman knelt down, not knowing how else to express her gratitude.
Shao He reached out to help her up, "No need to thank me, it wasn't his time to go. In the next few days, make sure he doesn't stretch the wound or get it wet."
After giving instructions, she turned and walked out of the room.
Two days later, the little boy's wounds had healed nicely, and the woman prepared to take him home.
Before leaving, the woman had the little boy kneel down and kowtow to Shao He, promising to find a way to repay her someday.
Shao He smiled and escorted the little boy to the door, waving goodbye as they left.
The little boy's mother was a simple and unadorned peasant woman with an ordinary figure and plain looks.
Sitting the little boy on a donkey cart, the boy leaned on her shoulder and stealthily looked back at Shao He until the carriage vanished from sight.
Just as Shao He was about to return to the shop, a carriage stopped in front of her.
The curtain was lifted, and a maid helped a cloaked woman down from the carriage. Seeing Shao He standing there, she paused in surprise.
"Are you the Female Doctor?"
"Yes." Shao He nodded.
The two followed Shao He into the clinic, and upon seeing others waiting, the maid whispered, "Could you give our young mistress a private consultation?"
"Sure, go wait in the rear hall for a moment," Shao He said before turning to leave.
After dealing with the last patient, Shao He stood up and walked to the rear courtyard's examining room.
The woman sat poised in a chair, Shao He took a pulse pillow from the cabinet, placed it on the table, and extended her right hand, gesturing for the woman to extend hers.
Laying her hands on the pulse pillow, the woman quietly watched Shao He through her cloak.
Shao He remained impassive, focusing intently on taking the pulse.