The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 674 - 663: Apologies

Chapter 674: Chapter 663: Apologies

As soon as Manbao stepped out of the tent, she scanned the surroundings and headed straight for Bai Shan.

Bai Shan was already waiting nearby and, upon seeing her approach, reached out and pulled her to the side.

Wei Ting, who was dumbfounded, saw her and immediately followed...

Once the two had moved away from the tent, and Wei Ting, still in a daze, followed behind, he stopped them with red-rimmed eyes and asked, "How is Ji Hao?"

Manbao said, "The bleeding has stopped, but it’s still uncertain if he will survive."

She looked at Bai Shan, sizing him up, and asked, "You’re covered in so much blood; are you really okay?"

Bai Shan shook his head, "I’m not injured; it’s all Ji Hao’s blood."

It was then that Wei Ting interjected, "Didn’t Doctor Fan just say that the bleeding had been stopped? Why is it still uncertain if he will survive?"

"He lost too much blood," Manbao explained, "and nobody knows if the wounds will worsen. He has so many injuries, and they are deep. If any of them become inflamed, it could lead to a fever, and by then, even if his blood volume is restored, it might be hard to save him."

Wei Ting was, after all, just sixteen or seventeen years old. Ji Hao was his good friend, and they had grown up together. Upon hearing this, tears surged forth.

Manbao searched herself but couldn’t find a handkerchief, so she said, "Use your sleeve to wipe your tears. Doctor Ji is very skilled, and I saw that the Imperial Physician is also quite talented. As long as he makes it through the first three days, his chances of survival are high."

Wei Ting wiped his tears with his sleeve before remembering to express his gratitude, "Thank you."

After thanking her, he suddenly realized something was amiss. He looked her up and down, gobsmacked, "You, you’re a lady?"

Manbao gave him a disdainful glance. Considering his concern for his friend, she refrained from voicing her contempt. She grabbed Bai Shan and, feeling her strength wane, simply plopped down on the grass. Curiously, she asked, "How did he get wounded like that?"

She also said, "That Imperial Physician is incredible. It’s no surprise he’s an Imperial Physician. I’ve seen Doctor Ji sew up arms and legs for patients with external injuries, but I’ve never seen someone sew up a stomach, including the internal organs."

Bai Shan’s mouth fell open, while Wei Ting stuttered in disbelief, "What, what do you mean, sew up organs? Sew up what organs?"

"Like the spleen, intestines, liver inside a person."

Wei Ting, shaking, asked, "Can, can one survive after that?"

Manbao thought for a moment and then said, "Theoretically, it’s possible, but I’ve never sewn up a real person, so I’m not entirely sure."

Anyway, when she sewed up mannequins, three or four out of ten times they ’survived.’ Later, it was eight out of ten times. It seems she needed to intensify her practice, ideally reaching a point where ten out of ten could survive.

She had always thought that she could only sew up external wounds because Teacher Mo had said their conditions weren’t good enough. Even if people survived opening the abdomen, the aseptic management was a significant challenge.

Thus, she had been focused on simulating acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine for stopping bleeding, covering both internal and external hemorrhages.

But after witnessing Doctor Fan’s suture skills today, Manbao realized such procedures were possible even then.

She wasn’t fazed by the idea of sewing and patching up inside someone’s stomach, but Wei Ting was in tears, convinced that Ji Hao was truly done for.

Bai Shan, having some knowledge of medical theory, managed to stay composed and asked, "Will there be a need for another abdominal surgery?"

Manbao shook her head, "That shouldn’t be necessary. Abdominal surgery is very risky. Generally, unless the abdomen is already open, they wouldn’t perform such surgery."

Therefore, Manbao thought that Ji Hao was also lucky in a sense. Although his misfortune was evident, she had seen his wounds, and the bleeding from his spleen and liver wasn’t due to the branches’ cuts but to the impact. It was just that the branches had cut open his stomach.

If it hadn’t been cut open, even if Doctor Fan and others had arrived, they would’ve only used medicine and acupuncture to stop the bleeding and wouldn’t have considered performing surgery.

From the wounds she saw, trying to stop all the bleeding with medicine and acupuncture seemed very difficult, even more challenging than the current situation.

So, perhaps Ji Hao ought to be thankful for that cut from the branch.

In those times, the idea of abdominal surgery was taboo, and with childbirth, it was only when the mother died during a difficult labor that they would open the abdomen to extract the child. Very few dared to perform the surgery while the mother was still alive.

However, Doctor Ji had confided to her that he believed many women with difficult labors could survive if the abdomen were opened earlier, the child extracted, and the wound properly cared for post-surgery.

Unfortunately, there are very few female medical practitioners in the world, and due to the differences between men and women, even if he was capable and willing to perform the surgery, no one would allow him into the delivery room to operate.

After crying for a good while, Wei Ting finally wiped his tears and answered Manbao’s question, "It was Ying Wenhai. He lashed Ji Hao’s horse with a whip so fiercely that it caused him to fall off."

No sooner had he spoken than a clamor arose from the direction of the tent. The three quickly stood up to look and saw a man dragging a young man towards the tent, making him kneel and apologize.

A flash of anger crossed Wei Ting’s face. He said, "What is the Ying Family trying to imply? Ji Hao is still fighting for his life, and yet they have him kneeling here at this time, are they trying to add fuel to the fire?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Second Madam Ji rushed out from the tent, hand raised to strike the kneeling youth, only to be caught by an elderly maid who closely followed. The maid embraced the Second Madam Ji firmly and pushed her back into the tent, then raised her voice to the standing middle-aged man, "Lord Ying, our Old Madam says that, as my young master’s life hangs in the balance, she has no excess energy to deal with these matters for now. Everything will be addressed after our young master wakes up. As for Young Master Ying, deal with him as you see fit. Above us, we have the Prince, and below, the County Magistrate Tang. The Ji Family trusts the laws of our dynasty; there’s nothing more to say."

The middle-aged man, Lord Ying, had a face that was a patchwork of green and black, but he still had to muster a smile to speak to the maid. However, she did not wait for him to speak and turned to order the Ji Family’s servants, "Bring the soft couch here, the carriage is too jolting. Call for a few more strong men to carry the young master back."

"Yes," the servants of the Ji Family scurried off.

Manbao and Bai Shan watched as the smile Lord Ying had forced disappeared instantly, and then he stood there with a stony face, unmoving.

This was the first time for both of them to witness such a confrontation, and they stood there, dumbstruck.

After taking a deep breath, Lord Ying suddenly kicked his kneeling son, sending him flying, and roared in fury, "Look at the mess you’ve made. If anything happens to the Ji Family’s young master, I will send you to the Ji Family..."

County Magistrate Tang arrived just in time to see Ying Wenhai sent flying, and, coincidentally, the youth landed right at his feet.

Noticing the blood at his mouth, he couldn’t help but frown slightly, then crouched down to help him up and handed him over to the constables behind him before addressing Lord Ying, "Lord Ying, it would be best if Young Master Ying were to remain in my custody for now."

Lord Ying had not expected Tang He to arrive and, hearing his words, his pupils shrank as he quickly said, "Lord Tang, this is a family matter of the Yings; there’s no need to trouble you."