After a long while.
Merely returning the intestines back into the abdomen, then using needle and thread to fix and stitch up the child's belly, was this really enough to save the child?!
"Come in."
Shao He did not attend to his astonishment but simply moved the screen aside with her hand.
"My child!"
The woman rushed into the small room in a hurry.
Her steps were somewhat faltering, but upon seeing her child with the abdomen stitched up, her legs softened, and she suddenly fell to her knees!
"Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Doctor!" She cried tears of joy, kowtowing several times forcefully, until her forehead was bleeding from the impact.
"There's no need for such formalities."
Shao He cradled the child in her arms while helping the woman to her feet with the other hand.
"Though the child has been saved, he still needs to remain here for observation."
"Yes! Yes!" The woman nodded hurriedly and, trembling, took a pouch of copper coins from her bosom, "This is the fee for the consultation, please Miss, you must accept it."
"Hmm." Shao He, without ceremony, took the consultation fee and tossed it into the man's embrace.
The man subconsciously caught the fee, yet was somewhat perplexed, "The child was saved by Miss, the consultation fee should be for..."
"Keep it." Before the man could finish speaking, Shao He interrupted with a cold voice.
"This money is to thank you for taking in me and my child last night, and the remainder is for you to acquire some medicinal herbs for this child." After saying this, she looked around until she spotted a small cabinet in the corner with ink brushes and paper, then stepped forward, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to the man.
"Use the money to obtain these medicines. Although the child is no longer in immediate danger, continuing treatment with medicine is necessary to truly ensure his survival."
The man's gentle eyes momentarily stilled, then took on a touch of complexity.
"Miss..." the woman cautiously lowered her head, "may I stay to take care of Yeye? I am afraid that he..."
"Of course you may."
Shao He walked outside cradling the child, "During these days, do not let the child catch cold, administer the medicine daily three times without fail. If the child develops a fever, just call for me."
"Miss, wait!" Just as Shao He was about to step past the screen, the man suddenly spoke up.
He held his fists in front of him and bowed slightly toward Shao He, his gentle face now quite serious.
"I am Yun Qian. Miss's medical skills are so profound; may I ask who was your teacher?"
Who was my teacher?
That naturally couldn't be said.
Shao He slightly lowered her phoenix eyes, glossing over the question.
"My master does not like publicity. When I completed my apprenticeship, he had already reminded me not to publicize his name to others."
"Wow—"
No sooner had Shao He finished speaking than the child in her arms suddenly burst into loud crying.
Sensing that the child's crying was growing weaker, Shao He's brows involuntarily knitted together.
With her other unoccupied hand, she felt around at her waist, but found nothing.
Only when the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a gold ring on her little finger did she vaguely remember that the ring seemed to be the only dowry she had retained when married into the Marquis's Mansion.
"Here, take this."
She slipped off the ring and handed it to Yun Qian, "Please buy some cow's milk for me."
She was weak and had hardly any breast milk. If she were to let the child remain hungry, he probably wouldn't last through the night.
Yun Qian, however, shook his head and stepped back.
"Miss has already given me a bag of copper coins. Even though it's for the child's medicine, there will inevitably be some left over. I suppose Miss is worried the child won't be well-fed? My medical skills may not be as profound as Miss's, but I do know some effective remedies."
His voice trailed off, and Yun Qian's cheeks suddenly flushed with a hint of red, "I can prepare some galactagogue for Miss..."
"In that case, I'll be troubling you."