Li Yue Shu looked directly into Madam Zhou’s eyes. "Any surgery carries risks, but I have over a ninety percent chance of success with this operation."
Sensing her confidence and honesty, coupled with Sun Mingda’s hopeful gaze, Madam Zhou finally nodded. "Alright, we'll do this… surgery. But… how much is the consultation fee?"
Since they had previously agreed to owe each other nothing, she couldn't let Li Yue Shu do this for free.
Noticing her intention to settle accounts clearly, Li Yue Shu pondered for a moment. "Given your family's current situation, you won't be able to afford the consultation fee, nor the costs for post-operative rehabilitation and physical recovery."
Her words made the Sun Mingda couple's hearts sink.
But in the next instant, Li Yue Shu's tone shifted. "If Mrs. Sun is willing to continue participating in my pharmaceutical training, these expenses can be deducted from her wages."
On one hand, this would allow her to help the Sun family legitimately, preventing them from feeling pitied.
On the other hand, to better protect the pharmacy's formulas, the best approach was to have her own people handle the drug preparation and dispensing.
Although she currently had Shen Tan's seven children and Old Man Liu and his wife, the pharmacy would require more trustworthy individuals as it grew.
From their interactions during this period, Madam Zhou had made a good impression. Repaying a favor while laying a foundation for future development was a win-win situation.
Madam Zhou knew very well that Li Yue Shu was helping them in a roundabout way, and this method indeed made both parties feel at ease.
Therefore, after a moment's hesitation, Madam Zhou agreed.
And so, the matter of Sun Mingda's surgery was settled.
However, surgery wasn't something that could be performed as soon as it was agreed upon. Before that, Li Yue Shu needed to prepare the operating room at the pharmacy and communicate with Doctor Chen to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances during the operation.
During this time, Madam Zhou, besides staying home to help Sun Mingda prepare for surgery, would also visit Old Man Liu's home and learn drug preparation from Aunt Liu.
She already had a foundation in pharmacology, and within two to three days, she was able to directly start preparing drugs and earning wages.
As previously agreed, forty percent of her monthly wages would go towards Li Yue Shu's consultation fee, and the rest would be used to cover the family's expenses.
The villagers, who had been keeping an eye on the Shen Laosan family since Steward Li's visit with the deed of sale, naturally noticed Madam Zhou's daily visits to Old Man Liu's home and her occasional trips to town to buy things.
Instantly, everyone began to speculate about what had happened between the two families, and many people, openly or covertly, tried to pry information from Old Man Liu and his wife.
Aunt Zhao, who lived closest to the Sun family, was the first to consider probing the Sun family for information. However, before she left, she saw a yellow talisman pasted on their door and felt a chill down her spine.
She now slept clutching the peach wood sword and yellow talismans given by the Daoist priest. If she couldn't control her mouth again, and that little vixen's ghost came back to haunt her…
Aunt Zhao dared not think further, hastily closed the door, and lost all desire to gossip.
…
Li Yue Shu was oblivious to all of this.
The Sun family's affairs were temporarily resolved, and the operating room was ready. It could begin tomorrow.
But before the surgery, Li Yue Shu made a trip to Qingfeng Pavilion.
She had previously promised to provide ten portions of Immortal-Freezing Cuisine to Qingfeng Pavilion each month, and Hong Dai had set a rule that to dine at Qingfeng Pavilion, reservations must be made three days in advance.
Today, Li Yue Shu was there to deliver the portions reserved from the previous few days.
The reputation of Liuxian Restaurant had spread far and wide. Besides the promotion from the carpentry shop, Qingfeng Pavilion's assistance was the main contributing factor.
The twenty portions of Immortal-Freezing Cuisine she had given to Qingfeng Pavilion last month had received rave reviews from everyone. Consequently, even before the restaurant officially opened, many people had already started making reservations.
Li Yue Shu had only asked Shen Can to reserve ten portions. The remaining ten, she kept for other purposes.
After handing over the dishes to the staff at Qingfeng Pavilion, Li Yue Shu looked around. "Is your Pavilion Master not here?"
The attendant replied with a chuckle, "The Pavilion Master went home long ago."
Li Yue Shu knew that Hong Dai had left Tongmu County some time ago, but she feigned surprise. "Are her family not in Tongmu County? Then why is she living here alone?"
The attendant, feeling no suspicion towards her, stated plainly, "The Pavilion Master came here with someone. After that person left, she intended to leave Tongmu County as well, but she happened to meet Mrs. Shen, which is why the Pavilion Master has stayed here."
Li Yue Shu hadn't expected her to stay because of her. She wondered who had instructed Mingyue Tower to investigate her, leading Hong Dai to personally try and elicit information from her.
"Tongmu County is a remote place. Who did she come here with?" Li Yue Shu asked, seemingly casually.
The attendant paused, then chuckled and shook his head. "How would I know about the Master's personal affairs? If Mrs. Shen is curious, perhaps you can ask her when the Pavilion Master returns."
Li Yue Shu could see that the attendant was either genuinely ignorant or pretending to be. However, she did not call him out.
Seeing that she couldn't get any information, she didn't linger and left after a few pleasantries.
But her mind couldn't help but ponder.
Did Hong Dai truly have family?
Yet, in the original book, Hong Dai only had a nemesis and no friends besides Li Xiangru.
Could the plot be altered to change a character's background to help Li Xiangru, the chosen one?
If that were the case, could the children truly overcome the male and female leads and survive unharmed?
…
Li Yue Shu was filled with worry.
These matters could not be shared with anyone. There were no precedents to learn from, and even the conclusions she had reached so far were mere speculation, with less than a fifty percent chance of being correct.
Li Yue Shu felt a sense of powerlessness. But upon returning home and seeing the children, seeing the warm and affectionate smiles on everyone's faces, all her anxieties seemed to dissipate instantly.
Regardless of the outcome, she just needed to do her best and enjoy the present moment.
With this thought, Li Yue Shu's mood brightened considerably, and she immediately called the children over.
Shen Wei, who was always by her side, clearly sensed her emotional fluctuations but couldn't fathom the reason.
She often looked at Amin and the others with a worried and lost expression.
…
Li Yue Shu, unaware of the gaze beside her, asked Mo Lian to retrieve the small box from under Mo Mu's bed.
Opening the box, it was neatly filled with wooden blocks of the same size, one hundred and eight in total.
Shen Zhi Yu, nestled on Mo Mu's lap, stared curiously at the contents of the box. "Mother, what is this?"
Li Yue Shu took out a few wooden blocks. On one side, circles or long strips were clearly carved.
"This is called Mahjong. I've already carved the designs. You just need to help me with the coloring," Li Yue Shu said, taking out a box of paints. "You can color the patterns with whatever colors you like. For the back, we'll use this blue for all of them..."
As she spoke, she painted one as a demonstration.
She had heard from people online that the most lively family activity during the New Year was gathering to play Mahjong.
Now that she finally had the chance to experience the New Year, she wanted to try that atmosphere.