The singing was gentle and melodious, the spoken parts clear and powerful.

Ruan Qingsi, able to surpass all the oiran headliners in Dongshan City and become the hottest figure in the music world, truly has some talent.

Lin Miao stayed in Pei Jian’s box for a while, then got up and returned to his own box.

He really didn’t have too much to talk about with Pei Jian.

He’d rather accompany his senior sister and Lianxin; it’s much more relaxed and free, and he can hold hands and interact with them sometimes.

Although the story was rather conventional, the actors performed quite well, singing with effort, winning rounds of applause from the audience...

It was supposed to be another perfect performance, but when it came to the last scene, where Ruan Qingsi sorrowfully committed suicide by jumping into the river, after she finished singing, she lay motionless on the stage...

This frightened both the audience and the other performers on stage.

This was an accident during the performance.

Fortunately, the performance was mostly over, and the audience was persuaded to leave gradually, while Ruan Qingsi was directly carried backstage by the troupe members.

Lin Miao and Sun Youwei saw this scene but didn’t think much of it; actors making mistakes or fainting on stage due to various reasons are common.

Most often, it’s due to nervousness or fatigue, typically resting for a while will help recovery.

Helping Sun Youwei into the carriage, just about to go home for a meal, they saw a carriage hastily rushing out from the theater.

The driver, still in costume, was a troupe actor, waving a whip in hand: "Excuse me, make way, make way..."

"Junior brother, what’s this?" Sun Youwei lifted the carriage curtain.

"Inside the carriage should be Ruan Qingsi, going to see the physician." Lin Miao guessed, "The direction should be towards the Xu Family’s Baoan Hall, the closest place."

"Junior brother, should we go take a look?" Sun Youwei asked.

"What are we going to do? Let’s go home for a meal. It’s midday, rushing there might seem like we’re causing trouble." Lin Miao replied.

"Youwei, let’s go home, the Xu Family’s Baoan Hall has the famed physician Mr. Xu An, there won’t be any trouble." Lianxin also advised.

Sun Youwei thought for a moment and found Lianxin’s words sensible, so she didn’t insist further.

It’s quite a distance from the theater to Xiuyue Square home, where Xiaolian and others were already waiting eagerly.

The main thing was, lunch was ready, waiting for them to come back to eat; the dishes cooked, reheating wouldn’t taste as good.

Wash hands and sit down.

Dishes laid on the table.

Usually, at home, meals consist of five or six dishes, typically four dishes and a soup, more would be too much to eat and a waste.

Insisting on a lot of dishes each meal honestly has no meaning, unless there’s a large crowd, then it’s different.

If more people dine at night, there will also be more dishes.

Lunch companions with Lin Miao vary, sometimes four or five, at times as many as seven or eight...

Xia Zhu used to come often, but since she’s been with Wen Ruyu, they eat at Yongning Hall or out, not coming back for lunch.

Yun only returns at night, Shi Yin is at Huaye Tower.

Though martial artists consume more physically and eat more, it depends on their ability to digest and absorb; if efficient, they may not need much food to sustain their energy consumption.

If there’s not much energy consumption, then not much food is needed, otherwise, excess leads to fat accumulation, resulting in obesity.

Upon attaining the Innate Realm, one can directly absorb energy from the external environment to sustain oneself, eating might be just to satisfy appetite.

"That fallen princess is indeed pitiful, trusting a man’s sweet nothings, losing her life in vain."

"Had she not revealed her identity, nothing would’ve happened..."

"Not really. Even if she didn’t confess, it couldn’t be kept secret; Marquis Xiliang was attracted by her beauty, that man was powerless to protect her, ultimately ending in separation!"

"That Du Sheng really was useless and weak, meeting such a man was sheer misfortune!"

...

The three women continued to discuss the storyline of the ’Baochai Chronicles’ at the dining table, sympathizing with the female lead while condemning the male lead’s heartless betrayal and the Marquis Xiliang’s desire to possess the female lead.

"Junior brother, do you think Du Sheng should report his lover?" Sun Youwei suddenly asked Lin Miao.

"Certainly not."

"But he’s an imperial scholar, discovering his wife is a princess from the former dynasty means, publicly, he shouldn’t conceal it."

"Yes, he’s aware his wife is a former dynasty princess, but who can prove it? Just because of that one golden phoenix hairpin?"

"The former dynasty has perished for many years, what’s one golden phoenix hairpin supposed to prove? Many royal items have scattered among the people; even if this hairpin was the princess’s sole token, so what? Can she still pose a threat now?" Lin Miao answered, "Historically, there’s a tradition to protect one’s close ones; reporting the closest beloved ones would be too selfish. This Du Sheng doesn’t truly love his wife; he’s merely a selfish and self-serving individual."

The women all nodded in agreement.

"Let’s eat, let’s eat, if we don’t, the dishes will get cold..."

It’s just a play, no need to take it too seriously. However, this story indeed has many thought-provoking elements, especially the exploration of human nature, which could be expanded into a long essay.

Lin Miao finished the last bite of his meal, and Dong Fei, temporarily replacing Mr. Xie’s work, came in briskly, followed by Xu Qixi.

He instinctively put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Xiao Xi?" Sun Youwei also saw Xu Qixi shortly afterward.

"Mr. Lin, Youwei, my grandfather requests you both to quickly go to Baoan Hall. That Three Elements Troupe leader, Ruan Qingsi, is in critical condition, and only you can save her now, Mr. Lin." Xu Qixi’s face was filled with urgency.

"Don’t panic, Xiao Qi, first tell me Ruan Qingsi’s symptoms." Lin Miao quickly ordered.

"High fever, severe abdominal pain, pale face, cyanotic lips, red tongue, yellow thick coating, thin rapid pulse. Mr. An gave her Rhubarb and Peony Decoction with little effect, and she vomited it all out!"

"Is her abdomen swollen?"

"Abdominal distention, painful to touch, there seems to be a mass upon examination..."

"Has the patient eaten anything before this?"

"This morning, she only had a small bowl of porridge, a plate of pickles, and two small pastries, that’s all."

"The appendix may have already perforated. At this point, simply administering medicine won’t work, she needs surgery immediately." Lin Miao made a simple judgment since Xu Qixi’s description was very detailed.

"What to do, Baoan Hall is not equipped for surgery." Xu Qixi said anxiously. She knew that for surgery, Baoan Hall clearly lacked the necessary facilities, but the patient couldn’t endure any more travel either.

"Youwei, quickly gather all necessary surgical supplies. Lianxin, go get the carriage." Lin Miao immediately commanded, "Xiaoqi, return immediately and have Baoan Hall prepare an empty room. You learned acupuncture, have you used it on Ruan Qingsi?"

"Yes, I applied pain-relieving acupuncture points to ease her pain, but it won’t last long." Xu Qixi nodded.

"Then hurry back, boil more hot water, prepare warm saline, you know, as much as you can..."

"Yes."

Saving lives is like fighting a fire.

Lin Miao and Sun Youwei shouldered the medical kit, boarded the carriage, and Lianxin drove it swiftly from their home towards the Xu Family’s Baoan Hall.

"Where is the patient?"

As soon as Lin Miao entered Baoan Hall, he saw Mr. Xu coming out to greet him and asked directly.

"Lin, you’re here, great, the patient is inside, come with me quickly..." Though nearly seventy, Mr. Xu was in very good health, walking briskly, not a bit slower than a young man.

Lin Miao had never been to the Xu Family’s Baoan Hall. Without a guide, he wouldn’t know where to go.

Baoan Hall was quite large, with over a dozen physicians and medical scholars across nine major departments, and the dispensary alone covered several hundred square meters.

It also had a medicine storage, rest room for physicians, patient treatment room, decoction room, raw medicine storage, and a pharmaceutical workshop among others.

If Baoan Hall was considered a county hospital, then Anning Hall would at most be a community health center, with a significant disparity between the two.

Baoan Hall covered seven to eight acres, divided into front and back courtyards. The back courtyard was large, with a courtyard for drying herbs. When herbal materials became damp, they had to be taken out to dry, some even needed sorting, requiring a vast space.

Thus, Baoan Hall not only employed members from the Xu Family but also many others relied on this work to support themselves and their families.

A spacious room.

Ruan Qingsi lay on a bed, with her parents, Mr. Ruan, the master of the Three Elements Troupe, anxiously keeping vigil by her side. One had red eyes, while the other kept wiping away tears.

"Family members, please step out; the room temperature is too low. Quickly bring all the copper warmers available, fetch clean cotton quilts, hurry!"

As soon as Lin Miao entered, he immediately commanded; saving a life was like fighting a fire, every moment counted.

"Mr. Xu, this..." Ruan Fu was a bit at a loss, as he didn’t know Lin Miao.

"Mr. Ruan, if you don’t want your daughter heading towards death’s door, you should heed his words." Mr. Xu advised straightforwardly.

"Oh, okay, okay." Ruan Fu hurriedly pulled his wife out.

"Youwei, the silver needles."

Sun Youwei and Lin Miao worked together seamlessly. The needle pouch containing the silver needles was already in hand, ready for him to use.

"Prepare Mafeisan, about two qian, and once prepared, administer it to her." Lin Miao began the acupuncture.

He needed to stimulate Ruan Qingsi’s vitality to see if she could endure the duration of his surgery.

The surgical preparations progressed rapidly, and as soon as the necessary items were in place, they commenced immediately.

Screens were drawn around them, and everyone not involved was cleared out.

Only Sun Youwei remained to assist him, and Xu Qixi, whom he needed to help wipe his sweat and observe Ruan Qingsi’s condition.

Once the patient was in a deep coma, Lin Miao cut a hole in the undergarment over the abdomen, found the appendix, and made an incision.

Upon opening the abdominal cavity, yellow pus was visible, along with a pungent odor.

"Syringe!"

With the availability of glass, they finally managed to create a few syringes, making it easier and more convenient to draw pus and clean during the surgery.