The woman seemed to scarcely believe what she was hearing, not expecting that her chronic illness of many years might still have a chance to be cured.
"I need to cut your hymen, drain the accumulated blood, trim the edges of the hymen, and suture the incision. Can you accept this treatment process?" Shao He felt it was best to clarify these matters before the surgery to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The woman was astonished that she could truly be cured of her terminal illness, but she found the described treatment process somewhat hard to accept.
Understanding her dilemma, Shao He stood up and said, "Take your time to think about it, I'll go out and see other patients."
Once Shao He left and began her consultations, the crowd surged forward, keeping her so busy that she barely had time for herself.
It wasn't until the last patient came over that she asked without looking up, "What's wrong with you?"
"My leg."
At the sound of the familiar voice, she looked up and saw a man wearing a mask, her eyes revealing a surprised expression.
"Why have you come? Didn't I tell you to come back after seven days? It hasn't been seven days yet, is your leg uncomfortable?" Shao He stood up and walked towards him, asking as she moved.
"Hmm."
Shao He stopped in her tracks, her brows slightly furrowed.
That shouldn't be right?
She had already drained the blood stasis from the masked man's body, his leg shouldn't be causing him issues these days.
Shao He knelt down to examine his robe and found no apparent issues.
"There's nothing wrong. What's making your leg uncomfortable?"
"It feels better now," Pei Huaian said, his expression unchanged.
Shao He was baffled by his act but didn't dwell on it, returning to her chair to start writing prescriptions.
Pei Huaian showed no intention of leaving. Observing the elegant handwriting on the paper, he asked, "Seeing that you are young yet so skilled in medicine, did you start learning from a young age?"
"Mm," Shao He responded indifferently without raising her head.
Upon hearing this, Pei Huaian's expression grew more complex.
He had never heard that the Imperial Censor's daughter practiced medicine from childhood...
After finishing the last prescription, Shao He put down her pen, ready to rest and check on the child. Turning around, she entered the inner hall and fetched the baby.
Yet, upon looking up, she saw the masked man who hadn't left, and the infant in her arms surprised her by grinning at him, drool trickling down from the corner of his mouth.
A strange feeling welled up inside her, and Shao He frowned at him for a long while.
Pei Huaian, feeling the intensity of her gaze, met it directly with his deep eyes, wheeled over with a smile, and said, "It seems I really have a connection with this child."
"This little guy rarely smiles at anyone."
Shao He couldn't understand why the baby in her arms liked this masked man so much; it had been his intervention that stopped the baby from crying last time, and now he was grinning at him.
The masked man raised his hand, wanting to caress the cheek but hesitated, fearing he might hurt the infant with his touch.
"This child is really adorable," Pei Huaian said with a doting tone.
The guard watching from a distance felt a chill run down his spine; was this really his master?
Why did he seem like a different person?
And furthermore, his master's leg wasn't really uncomfortable, so why come here for treatment?
This tender scene was interrupted by the arrival of Yun Qian, who approached Shao He and said, "Miss, I couldn't buy the cow's milk. I heard that a concubine of a local gentry had just given birth and bought up all the milk. I can only try to procure some from the city tomorrow."
Seemingly aware of the lack of food, the baby in her arms suddenly burst into loud crying.
With no other choice, Shao He had to ask a shop assistant to prepare some millet porridge for the child to drink; it was better than letting the baby go hungry.
As the millet porridge was brought over, Shao He coaxed the child to drink, but a newborn could hardly be accustomed to millet porridge. The baby spit it out with his tongue and then broke into heart-wrenching sobs.
Pei Huaian's handsome brows furrowed tightly, his hands clenching slowly on his wheelchair as he watched the child cry.
He quietly left, instructing his guard to purchase some cow's milk and bring it over.
"Master, you... I'll get right on it," the guard said, bowing his head under the stern gaze, not daring to ask further questions and only doing as commanded.