Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 485: Chapter 487: I Want To Marry Her

Meng Liangshen wasn’t scared of the ”Official Yichun” standing before him. After all, their gap in ranking was quite wide, and Official Yichun was just from the Tongzhi Bureau. He paid him some respects due to his position and because he indeed was at fault in this situation. Even if this case was brought before the Emperor, he would still be the one to be disciplined, despite the issue being the result of his wife’s foolish action.

”A good wife is indeed valuable,” Meng Liangshen sighed, rubbing his temples gently, and then said in a bitter smile, ”Official Yichun, could you stop lecturing me? There was already a man who almost lost his life over this yesterday.”

”I heard you had quite the drinking session with him, Meng. Just so happens that I have some free time today so why don’t we enjoy a few drinks?” said Jiang Yichun, his tone laced with provocation.

Feeling an involuntary twitch at the corner of his mouth, Meng Liangshen was unsure whether his visitor was attempting to restore Bai Zepei’s reputation. He hadn’t taken advantage of Bai Zepei, and he himself was too drunk yesterday. He couldn’t risk getting drunk again.

At that moment, he heard Yichun speak again, ”Meng, have you ever thought about how the Tongzhi Bureau discovered Bai Ruozhu, or how she was able to present the suturing technique to the Emperor?”

Quickly looking at Yichun, Meng wondered about this question too. After all, Ruozhu didn’t have any significant background and used to live in a small village. How could the Tongzhi Bureau have discovered her?

Jiang Yichun stared intently at Meng Liangshen, saying slowly, ”It’s because she saved my life, and she cured my no-longer-usable arm. Not to mention, I am to marry her soon. Naturally, I will not tolerate even a hint of injustice against her. Now with all these rumors spreading, do you think it is appropriate?”

Meng Liangshen gasped, thinking to himself: When you first asked me to keep Ruozhu under my care, why didn’t you say you planned on marrying her? If you had spoken clearly before, I would have been more cautious!

However, Meng Liangshen kept these thoughts to himself, primarily because he had already been cautious enough. He was wary of the Duke’s people finding out about the situation but failed to guard against his wife’s recklessness and irrationality. Even if he had known earlier that Ruozhu was Yichun’s fiancée, he feared the resulting situation would be the same.

”Official Yichun, rest assured. I promised Bai’s younger brother that I would have my wife publicly apologize to Miss Bai. If my wife stubbornly refuses, I shall divorce her and make a public apology to Miss Bai myself.” Meng Liangshen gritted his teeth, finding it hard to accept the fact that, despite his long tenure as an official, he had never been pushed into a corner as he was now. However, there was not even a shred of resentment within him, and thus he had to bear it all.

If anyone was to blame, it was his foolish wife.

With a slight nod, Jiang Yichun was thoroughly satisfied with how his future brother-in-law, Meng Liangshen, handled the situation, and it wasn’t a wasted effort to defend him.

Seeing Yichun nod, a resigned Meng Liangshen waved his hand, urging, ”You’d better leave now. Let me handle the rest so I can give you a proper resolution.”

Jiang Yichun didn’t waste any more time with words. After paying his respects, he left, making his way quietly to the Yard where Ruozhu resided. How can he not know about the place where the Tongzhi Bureau had accommodated her?

...

Meanwhile, Bai Ruozhu wasn’t aware of Jiang Yichun’s arrival. As she checked the sutures done by the four practitioners, she found that only the person she had previously guided had shown some improvement.

Pointing at the suture wound, she said: ”Okay, let me demonstrate the process of removing a suture. It’s much simpler than the suturing process itself.”

She then fetched a small pointed pair of scissors and a pair of tweezers, sterilized them with the strong liquor from a jar on the side. The four practitioners watched curiously, wondering why she always used strong liquor for sterilization.

After finishing her demonstration, she washed her hands before delicately cutting and removing the stitches. Even though she was working on a piece of dead pork without any sensation of pain, she was still very gentle, gently cutting the stitches and carefully pulling them out.

”When you actually remove stitches, it won’t be as easy as this instance of a recently sutured wound. So, be extra gentle. There may even be some bleeding at the stitching holes, and you can clean it with strong liquor afterward,” said Ruozhu, before taking a simple version of rubbing alcohol for wound disinfection.

”Doctor Bai, can we use Yunnan Baiyao?” asked one of the doctors, who was used to asking Ruozhu for advice, regardless of whether it was embarrassing or not.

Ruozhu nodded, ”Yes, you can. Or you can use other medicinal materials to prevent infection. If you’re outdoors, you can also use resources at hand. Now continue practicing. Once you feel confident enough to suture a real person, find an opportunity to practice on a real subject.”

Upon finishing her instructions, she turned to one of the guards standing by, Xing Sui, ”Tell Officer Meng to find some severely injured people with deep wounds, so they can have a chance to practice.”

With a calm expression, Xing Sui replied, ”Doctor Bai, there’s no need for that trouble. Any one of us guards would be willing to receive an incision to provide a training opportunity for the doctors.”

Ruozhu grimaced, taken aback by the ruthless suggestion. The idea of using human subjects for practice wasn’t acceptable in her book.

Firmly, she said: ”No, if I ever discover that you have deliberately injured yourselves, don’t blame me for being merciless. A doctor’s job is to treat diseases and save lives, not to practice on self-inflicted injuries. Otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse.”

Xing Sui hadn’t expected Ruozhu to become so incensed, and quickly apologized, ”I was being naive, please forgive me, Doctor Bai.”

Ruozhu remained stern, saying, ”Remember my words. Otherwise, I will not only ban them from assisting you, but I will also ensure your wounds never heal.”

Seeing the fierceness in Ruozhu’s eyes made Xing Sui shudder. As a guard of the City Lord, he had encountered all sorts of villainous characters. Yet, he was startled by a mere woman. Once the surprise wore off, he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

The tallest among the doctors, clearly upset by her control over the situation, retorted, ”By what right do you dictate our actions? If you say we can’t suture, then we won’t?”

The man was clearly picking a fight. Ruozhu chuckled, retorting, ”You can do as you please. But as I’ve said, I assure you their wounds will never heal. Can you imagine, the wounds you sutured refuse to heal? Would that make you proud?”

”You... you witch!” he gasped in rage.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, reprimanding the four men, ”How dare you! Do as Doctor Bai instructs, or leave now and take your punishment!”

Instantly, the four lowered their heads, not daring to utter another word.

Looking at Jiang Yichun, who had appeared out of nowhere, Ruozhu began to contemplate. The four men didn’t seem to fear Meng Liangshen as much as they feared Jiang Yichun. Could they be from the Tongzhi Bureau, or were they specially chosen by the Bureau?

Jiang Yichun turned to Ruozhu and nodded, asking, ”Doctor Bai, do you have any other instructions for them?”

Seeing Jiang Yichun backing her, Ruozhu’s mood instantly elevated. Walking at a leisurely pace, she said, ”This secret mission for them to learn the suturing technique should not be prolonged. How about this: we will have a test in three days. Those who pass can stop wasting their time here. As for those who don’t pass, well, the Officer can handle it as he sees fit.”

Three days? All four men became nervous. What were the criteria for passing anyway? Wasn’t that at Ruozhu’s discretion?

Jiang Yichun’s eyes twinkled with amusement. When looking at Ruozhu, his gaze held a touch of affection. ”Doctor Bai, your words are wise. We shall proceed as you have planned,” he added.