Bai Ruozhu went into the yard and saw Mister Meng. She held Dengdeng as she greeted him. Mister Meng was taken aback at seeing the child in her arms and said somewhat helplessly, "You always have to carry the child with you wherever you go?"
Bai Ruozhu replied a bit sheepishly, "I wanted the old lady to watch him for a little while yesterday, but he wasn’t settling down. I was afraid of disturbing the old lady."
Mister Meng didn’t comment further upon hearing this, knowing that in ordinary families, it was normal for children to cling to their mothers, as they didn’t have a nurse.
He sent a close servant to bring in the other doctors and then took Bai Ruozhu to check the prepared items, asking, "Is there anything else you need?"
"This is enough," Bai Ruozhu said.
Soon, the doctors were brought in, but Bai Ruozhu was astounded when she saw them.
Four people came, all dressed in ill-fitting black clothes and veiled with black masks, obscuring their faces and bodies. But that wasn’t the most surprising thing to Bai Ruozhu; it was the way they arrived – they hadn’t entered through any door but seemed to descend from the sky, held by guards.
Well, the Imperial Court’s secrecy was quite impeccable.
Once the four people had settled, they all stared coldly at Bai Ruozhu. The tallest of them showed discontent and said, "Is this woman going to teach us? Why is she still carrying a child? We don’t have time to babysit!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man who seemed to hold some status and spoke arrogantly.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes. You’re arrogant for what? Aren’t you still going to learn from me? If you think you’re too good, then get lost.
Meng Liangshen’s face remained impassive. He said coldly, "The Imperial Court sent you here to learn skills, not find faults."
Despite the arrogance of the speaker, he didn’t retort, given who Meng Liangshen was. However, he radiated an aura of displeasure.
Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow. Now they were acting cool with her; wait until she dealt with them later!
"All right, I won’t be wasting more time. Since we’re here to learn suturing techniques, I’ll demonstrate and explain along the way. Feel free to ask me anything unclear. Then you’ll practice on your own, and I’ll take some time each day to guide you." Bai Ruozhu’s tone was devoid of modesty. She was the teacher now, and it was good that she wasn’t too overbearing.
The four people who heard her were a little taken aback. The one who spoke first even gave a cold snort.
Bai Ruozhu smiled slightly, not bothering about their reactions.
She found a chair to place Dengdeng on. Meng Liangshen, after taking a glance, told a guard nearby, "Get a crib. It’s going to be in this yard for the next few days."
Bai Ruozhu gratefully bowed to Meng Liangshen, "Thank you, sir."
"Not a problem. I will look after the child while you teach them," said Meng Liangshen.
The four insiders standing nearby were visibly shocked. They had heard about this woman; she was just a simple village woman with no significant background, that’s why they didn’t take her seriously. But now that the lord of Beiyu City offered to look after her child, could this person be extraordinary?
Bai Ruozhu walked over to the table, pointing at a piece of pork and said, "This pork is a dead object; it won’t bleed like a human wound. So, it’s best to stop the bleeding first before suturing, this making suturing less complicated."
She raised an eyebrow at the four people, "I presume you all know how to stop bleeding, right?"
Without waiting for their answer, she opened a nearby box and took out a curved needle. The man who was about to respond was captivated by the needle, swallowing his words.
"This is a suturing needle; it can be used with ordinary thread or catgut sutures. The difference is that with ordinary thread, the stitches need to be removed after a few days depending on the wound; whereas catgut sutures will dissolve on their own. However, catgut sutures are complex to create and not always readily available. Furthermore, they are harder to use than ordinary threads and can be easily broken if not handled properly."
As Bai Ruozhu spoke, she picked up a suturing needle and black thread. She cleaned and disinfected them with strong liquor and also cleaned and disinfected her own hands. Although she was about to suture a piece of dead pork, she still meticulously followed each step.
She threaded the needle and began demonstrating suturing of the wound. The four people huddled around her, watching intently.
"This is not like sewing clothes. After each stitch, you need to tie a knot. Also, the movement should be as gentle as possible to lessen the pain for the injured."
"Furthermore, the place where the needle is inserted needs to be chosen wisely. It can’t be too close or too far from the wound. If the suture is too close to the wound, the wound might rip open, which will make the injury even worse. On the other hand, if it’s too far away, it won’t support wound healing. Also, stitches can’t be too wide or too dense. You should pay careful attention to the spacing of my stitches," Bai Ruozhu continued.
The first speaker was a bit irked and said, "How do you know what size is suitable? Who knows if you just made this up?"
"Then I suppose you can take the time to experiment. It’s just that I pity the wounded who will be your test subjects," Bai Ruozhu shrugged.
By this time, a guard had brought over a crib, Liangshen picked up Dengdeng and placed him in it. Finally, he didn’t have to keep his eyes on the child all the time.
A guard whispered something into Meng Liangshen’s ear. He raised an eyebrow and said, "That’s a coincidence. Bring Bai Bu over."
Bai Ruozhu had good hearing and had already heard the guard’s words. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly in amusement. This was indeed a coincidence; she could conveniently treat the named guard.
Bai Ruozhu had just finished suturing the wound and cut off the thread. She then told everyone, "To prevent the injured person’s wound from getting infected and ulcerous, it’s best to keep it clean and bandage it with a clean cloth. If it’s very hot, the wound should be aired."
The first speaker smelled the small bottle she was holding and asked in surprise, "This is strong liquor, right? Won’t it intensify the pain when applied to a wound?"
"Suturing itself will cause pain, so you can use anaesthetic powder. Of course, that’s not easy to find either. So, I suggest you also consider using acupuncture to help alleviate the patient’s pain," said Bai Ruozhu.
Another person whispered, "It’s easier said than done. Not every doctor knows how to use acupuncture methods to relieve pain."
Bai Ruozhu was surprised and asked, "Then none of you know?"
"How is that possible? Considering our qualifications, how can we not know how to relieve pain?" The person got angry and his voice turned somewhat shrill.
Bai Ruozhu evaluated him quietly. He wasn’t very tall, and his robes were quite large. He was probably a woman.
"Then you can teach those who don’t know, can’t you?" Bai Ruozhu spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
The woman doctor cried out, "You speak so lightly, but how can one simply share their unique needlework techniques?"
"Well then, I teach you one, and you teach it to those doctors who don’t know the pain-relieving needlework. That way, it won’t count as you passing on your unique technique to others, right?"
All four were taken aback by her words and looked at Bai Ruozhu in disbelief, thinking she had gone mad.