Chapter 26
Surgery
In the past, people enjoyed watching plays. Back then, there weren’t many forms of leisure besides theater—especially for women.
In the countryside, it was extremely difficult to see a play. Even the nearest theater was located in town, and one had to bring a lot of coins just to get inside. As a result, rural folk rarely ever saw performances.
The grandmother couldn’t sing, but she could talk—and she talked in great detail.
“Where did you see a play?”
Gao Qiao stepped closer and asked.
“I don’t remember.”
The grandmother shook her head as she spoke.
Judging by her expression, Gao Qiao didn’t think she was lying. She asked again.
“Then do you remember anything else?”
The grandmother thought for a long time.
“No.”
“…Then don’t deceive people like this again.”
The grandmother pondered for a moment longer, then said,
“No.”
“……”
The end of the year was fast approaching. Gao Qiao grew busy and no longer had the time to keep a constant watch on the grandmother. The grandmother occasionally acted nasty, but unlike before, it was within manageable limits, and she no longer caused trouble for Gao Qiao or Xiao Yulang.
After that, Gao Qiao went to the temple again, but the senior monk in charge of finances still hadn’t returned. She decided to come back next year.
Before the New Year, the academy held another examination. Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the theft incident, Gu Da-sun’s performance declined noticeably. He placed tenth in the class, dropping sharply in the rankings.
Gu So-sun’s results were as steady as ever—still dead last.
Xiao Yulang’s ranking rose, but once again it wasn’t because he did well. Two students—one who usually ranked second from last and another who ranked fourth from last—had taken sick leave. As a result, he tied with Gu So-sun for last place.
Many instructors at the academy all knew about the eight-legged essay Xiao Yulang had written when he first enrolled. Yet after that, he never wrote another essay. His exam papers were always blank.
Some said his talent had been exhausted. Others suspected he had entered the academy through improper means. But the headmaster of the academy continued to firmly believe in Xiao Yulang’s talent.
No matter what others said, he didn’t want to give up on Xiao Yulang.
The imperial examination was held once every three years, and next year happened to be the autumn session.
If one missed it, one would have to wait another three years.
Only students who were shengyuan—that is, licentiates—could participate in the autumn examination.
During the New Year period, there happened to be a county examination. After hesitating briefly, the headmaster arbitrarily added Xiao Yulang’s name to the application list.
Gao Qiao knew none of this yet.
The academy was closed for the annual holiday, and tomorrow was the day Xiao Yulang would undergo surgery. She needed a good night’s sleep to put herself in optimal condition.
In truth, she had performed surgeries countless times in her previous life, so she shouldn’t have felt any psychological burden. But operating on a stranger and operating on Xiao Yulang were entirely different matters.
She couldn’t afford to leave even the slightest imperfection on such a flawless body.
Before going to bed, Gao Qiao checked her medicine box. As expected, all the anesthetics and injection medicines needed for surgery were present.
All of these drugs came from the research institute—they weren’t things one could easily buy at a pharmacy. As long as the institute didn’t collapse, the medicine box would probably continue to be replenished… Gao Qiao seriously speculated.
Well, that was a good thing!
She slept soundly, woke up, prepared breakfast, and brewed medicine for the grandmother.
When Gao Qiao brought the medicine into the grandmother’s room, the grandmother hesitated upon seeing the pills on the plate. Then she looked at the bowl of decoction and frowned.
“I think this decoction is something I could drink—or not drink.”
“Don’t overthink it. The decoction is just as important as the pills.”
Gao Qiao said calmly, without changing her expression.
The grandmother swallowed the pills and the decoction half-skeptically. It was so bitter that her eyes nearly rolled back. She seriously suspected Gao Qiao was taking revenge for her usual nastiness.
As before, Gao Qiao entrusted the grandmother to Xue Yingxiang, then rode Uncle Na’s cart with Xiao Yulang to the medical hall.
Such an important day was not something Feng Lin would miss.
He had already been waiting at the medical hall since early morning. As the weather grew colder, he stood outside until he was practically frozen solid.
When Feng Lin saw the young couple get off the cart, his expression darkened.
He felt the urge to curse, but forcibly suppressed it. Xiao Yulang wasn’t at fault—the problem was the woman constantly clinging to him. She was becoming more and more shameless.
By contrast, Gao Qiao remained calm when she saw Feng Lin.
“Didn’t you go home for the New Year?” she asked.
Feng Lin replied with displeasure,
“My home is so far away—how could I go back?”
Only then did Gao Qiao realize how inconvenient transportation was in ancient times. A distance that took one day by high-speed rail in her previous life could take a month here. The New Year holiday might be over before Feng Lin even reached home.
“Ah.”
Her reaction felt like punching cotton—utterly futile.
“……”
The date had been set in advance. As soon as dawn broke, Manager Wang and the old physician were already waiting in the consultation room.
Feng Lin and Gao Qiao followed them inside.
The old physician first asked Xiao Yulang about his condition over the past few days and whether he had been applying medicinal moxibustion at home.
“Every night, before going to sleep, I applied it,”
Xiao Yulang answered truthfully.
Each evening after classes, when he returned home, Gao Qiao had already prepared the food and boiled his medicine.
The old physician nodded.
Feng Lin asked,
“Physician Zhang, Xiao Yulang’s leg is almost healed now, isn’t it?”
“Whether it heals or not can only be known after the surgery,” the physician replied.
“What? Surgery?”
Feng Lin froze.
A flash of confusion also crossed Xiao Yulang’s eyes.
Gao Qiao hadn’t informed them in advance precisely because she anticipated this reaction. Surgery wasn’t common in this era, and people didn’t readily accept it. Most believed surgery was something used only on the battlefield.
Startled, Feng Lin exclaimed,
“Physician Zhang! You never mentioned this before!”
Physician Zhang, naturally avoiding the truth, said sternly,
“Back then, the conditions weren’t right. Today is different. After properly applying medicinal moxibustion, the meridians have opened, and surgery is now possible.”
Still, using a blade on the human body was a grave matter, and Feng Lin hesitated.
“Is there no other way besides surgery?”
“No.”
The old physician nodded.
“Are you confident of success?” Feng Lin asked again.
“That cannot be guaranteed,” the physician replied honestly.
“If it succeeds, he will be able to walk normally. But if it fails, it will likely be worse than it is now.”
He repeated exactly what Gao Qiao had said before. Even if she were the top physician of the research institute, she couldn’t boast that surgery carried no risks.
“Xiao Yulang…”
Feng Lin looked at him worriedly. Being conservative by nature, he didn’t want to take such a great risk.
Xiao Yulang calmly moved his lips and said casually,
“Then please proceed with the surgery. I’ll trouble Physician Zhang with it.”
His quick response made even Gao Qiao look at him.
Although she had known him for a long time, she realized she still didn’t truly understand what kind of person he was. Yet at that moment, she sensed a cold indifference in him.
It was as if… he didn’t care at all whether the surgery might fail.
Was he simply that bold?
Or did he truly not care what happened to his own life?
Feng Lin shot Gao Qiao a look, hoping she would persuade Xiao Yulang. But Gao Qiao pretended not to see it, angering him.
Before the surgery, the old physician handed over a strange document. Xiao Yulang hesitated.
“What is this?” he asked.
Clearing his throat, the old physician said,
“A surgical consent form. It requires a family member’s signature.”
…This was truly beyond comprehension.
He had practiced medicine for decades and had never done anything like this before!
But under Gao Qiao’s firm insistence, they had no choice but to comply.
Feng Lin couldn’t sign, and Xiao Yulang himself couldn’t either. Just as Gao Qiao was about to experience the feeling of being “family,” she sadly remembered that she didn’t know how to write her own name.
What kind of tragedy was this?
When she had first demanded a consent form for the second young master, she hadn’t considered this problem at all.
If she scribbled “Gao Qiao” in a doctor’s messy cursive like in her previous life, wouldn’t it look suspiciously clumsy?
Aside from the atmosphere suddenly turning awkward, it might still be okay…
Gao Qiao held the brush and scratched her ear, her small face reddening with anxiety.
She had tried to put on airs before Xiao Yulang—only to fail completely.
Seeing her take the brush, Xiao Yulang mistakenly thought she really knew how to write.
In the end, however, Xiao Yulang signed her name on her behalf.
Xiao Yulang was taken to a specialized side room. Methods like Anshen Decoction would be exposed too easily, so this time the physician directly gave him Ma Fei San.
Ma Fei San was an ancient anesthetic, said to have been created by the divine physician Hua Tuo. However, the true formula had long been lost. The Ma Fei San used by physicians today was mostly powder or extract made from datura flowers.
This drug sedated the patient, relaxed the muscles, and suppressed sweat secretion, which was why it was also known as a “sweat-masking drug.”
Because such drugs were highly toxic, Gao Qiao naturally wouldn’t use them on Xiao Yulang. What was in the bowl was actually a tranquilizer from Huichun Hall.
Not long after drinking it, Xiao Yulang fell into a deep sleep.
Gao Qiao made an excuse to send Feng Lin away. This time, it would take even longer than before. Instead of saying she was going to the latrine, she said she wanted to look around the market to see if there was anything worth buying for the New Year.
Feng Lin was so furious because of her that he could barely contain himself. Fine, she hadn’t stopped Xiao Yulang earlier—but now, with Xiao Yulang about to be cut open, she still had the leisure to shop for holiday goods?!
Truly a woman without conscience!
Gao Qiao circled around through the back door and reentered Huichun Hall. The old physician was waiting at the entrance of the side room.
He had worked at Huichun Hall for thirty years. Though his medical skills couldn’t compare to Physician Zhang’s in the capital, his virtue was known as the conscience of the profession.
Otherwise, the second young master wouldn’t have involved him in this matter.
The old physician was extremely curious about this surgery and even wanted to follow Gao Qiao inside.
But Gao Qiao entered the room and closed the door, as if making it clear he was not allowed in.
“……”
Feeling that the old physician had worked hard, Gao Qiao planned to teach him a few prescriptions later as compensation.
However, she had no intention of revealing the secret of the medicine box to anyone for the time being.
Opening the medicine box, Gao Qiao first administered a local anesthetic injection to Xiao Yulang.
