Madam Zhou and the county magistrate waited anxiously outside.
Also with them were those who had heard that Li Yue Shu was going to perform surgery and wanted to witness it.
After an unknown amount of time, the tightly shut door finally opened.
Li Yue Shu and Doctor Chen changed out of their surgical gowns. One looked exhausted, the other ecstatic.
Even with Doctor Chen assisting, the workload on Li Yue Shu alone was considerable.
Doctor Chen spoke first, his face filled with excitement, "It's too miraculous, truly miraculous! To witness such marvelous medical skill firsthand, I would die content!"
Madam Zhou, ignoring his exclamations, rushed to Li Yue Shu's side, "How is Ming Da?"
Li Yue Shu smiled faintly, "The surgery was a complete success. As long as he rests well afterward and undergoes rehabilitation training, he will be able to stand up completely."
At this moment, the heavy worry that had been weighing on Madam Zhou's heart finally lifted. "I'll go see Ming Da."
Saying this, she was about to go in directly but was stopped by Li Yue Shu. "You can't go in yet. Wait until I've finished with the follow-up arrangements and settled him into the clinic's ward. Then it won't be too late for you to see him."
When she had first built the Heng De Pharmacy, she had specifically instructed people to construct a few wards according to modern standards, forming a small inpatient department.
Although Madam Zhou was anxious, since Li Yue Shu had said so, she could only wait outside obediently.
Shen Wei, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, finally walked over, holding a clean handkerchief and gently wiping the sweat from Li Yue Shu's forehead.
His brows were tightly furrowed. "Ah Shu, you've worked hard."
Li Yue Shu blinked, looking at the concern in his eyes, and felt as if something had struck her heart.
Only then did everyone notice that Li Yue Shu's complexion was a little pale.
At this moment, Madam Zhou's long-held hostility seemed to dissipate instantly.
She pursed her lips, her gaze filled with sincerity. "Thank you."
Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing, accepting her thanks.
Afterward, she moved Sun Ming Da into the ward and meticulously explained all the subsequent precautions to Doctor Chen and Madam Zhou.
The county magistrate had many questions, but seeing Li Yue Shu's unwell appearance, he said nothing and instead turned to question Doctor Chen.
Self-made potent elixirs, reshaping fractured bones, replacing damaged internal organs…
He was certain that this Madam Shen would become a renowned figure throughout the land, someone even those in power would respect!
Li Yue Shu was unaware of the county magistrate's thoughts. On the way back, she asked Old Man Liu to drive the carriage while she rested her head on Shen Wei's shoulder.
She rarely performed surgeries; back in her organization, she mostly did research. Therefore, she was always exhausted after an operation.
It was precisely because she anticipated this that she had brought Old Man Liu along.
With the weight off her mind, Li Yue Shu inadvertently fell asleep.
Feeling the steady, deep breaths beside her, Shen Wei carefully shifted his position, instinctively wanting to make Li Yue Shu more comfortable.
He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on Li Yue Shu's forehead, her high-bridged nose, and her pale complexion.
Her skin was fair and delicate, so flawless it seemed breakable, unlike those village women.
Shen Wei remembered that she seemed to spray strange things on her face every night, which she called skincare products.
He roughly understood what she meant; the noble ladies in Chong Zhou spent considerable effort on their faces, but he had never seen the kind of bottles she used for her skincare.
She called them glass bottles, but he had read extensively and only heard of the extremely precious琉璃 (liú lí - colored glaze/glass), never of anything called "glass."
He had many questions, but he knew that in his current state, it was inconvenient to ask them.
Looking at the person leaning against him, completely defenseless, something stirred in Shen Wei's heart.
He unconsciously reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Li Yue Shu's ear, his movements so gentle he didn't even notice it himself.
Li Yue Shu, how many secrets do you hide?
...
With Sun Ming Da's situation resolved, Li Yue Shu spent her days at home preparing for the New Year.
The stove-offering and house-cleaning before the New Year, as well as the New Year's greetings and temple fairs afterward, all needed to be prepared in advance.
After tidying up the house inside and out, Li Yue Shu entrusted the most important tasks to Shen Yi Min and Mo Lian.
She took out the red paper she had bought earlier and solemnly handed it to the two of them. "These two couplets are for you to handle. One for our doorstep, and one for Uncle Liu's house."
These two had innate literary talent; the academy's tutors often praised them, so this task was a piece of cake for them.
If she were to do it herself, she might only be able to come up with "The sound of firecrackers bids farewell to the old year."
After assigning the task, Li Yue Shu went to the kitchen.
Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, and also A Min's birthday. She had to prepare in advance!
Looking at the red paper in their hands, Shen Yi Min and Mo Lian felt a hint of helplessness, but their hearts were warm.
Mo Lian turned to look at the person beside him, "Yi Min, do you have any good couplets in mind?"
Shen Yi Min shook his head and smiled wryly, "It's been a long time since I've written, so I'm a bit rusty."
Hearing this, Mo Lian felt relieved, "I was actually afraid you would nod. I've been thinking about the Tong Sheng exam soon after the New Year, so I've indeed become less practiced at writing couplets."
Mentioning the Tong Sheng exam, a flicker of something crossed Shen Yi Min's eyes, but it was so quick that no one noticed.
The Tong Sheng exam was his first step. Even though it was fraught with danger, he had to return to that place to see his Imperial Consort mother one last time.
Shen Yi Min lowered his gaze, concealing all his emotions. "Let's set them aside for now. This is our first New Year. Let's think about it tonight and write them out to post tomorrow."
The future of these two was destined: one, a great eunuch with the talent of a top scholar, and the other, a Prime Minister renowned throughout the land. Writing a couplet would surely not be difficult for them.
The next morning, Shen Yi Min picked up his brush and jotted down his inspiration from the previous night on scrap paper.
He needed to think of several options and choose the best one to present.
When Shen Wei entered, he happened to see him engrossed in writing.
He instinctively softened his footsteps, slowly moving behind Shen Yi Min and looking at what he was writing.
"These couplets are written very well, and your calligraphy has also improved considerably."
The sudden voice from behind startled Shen Yi Min, and the ink on his brush landed on the red paper beside him.
Recovering his senses, Shen Yi Min frowned at the inkblot. "She only bought two sheets of this paper."
Shen Wei's mind involuntarily went to the person who had diligently prepared for this New Year. His gaze then fell on the inkblot.
The next moment, he took the brush from Shen Yi Min's hand, smoothed out the long paper, and directly began to write.
In a short while, an elegant couplet covered the paper, the inkblot cleverly incorporated into one of the characters.
This couplet was one of the lines from Shen Yi Min's draft, but Shen Wei had slightly altered a few words to make the overall structure more balanced and rhyming.
Looking at the completed couplet, a bright spark flashed in Shen Yi Min's eyes.
Just as he was about to praise it, a surprised voice suddenly rang out, "Are you two father and son practicing calligraphy?"