Luo Shu and Wang Fei came to Old Lady Bai’s room and saw Old Lady Bai sitting on the bed with a pair of reading glasses on, looking at the newspaper.
On the sofa beside her, Old Master Bai was also reading a book, chatting idly with Old Lady Bai every now and then. Recently, his spouse had not been in good health, and this weighed heavily on his mind.
"Maternal grandfather! Maternal grandmother!" Wang Fei called out to them with a smile.
"Fei Fei, come sit by Grandma. And who is this?" Old Lady Bai smiled and beckoned Wang Fei over, looking somewhat surprised to see Luo Shu beside her. The family had not told her that Luo Shu was coming to treat her.
"She’s my roommate, Luo Shu, a very skilled doctor." Wang Fei walked over and sat down next to Old Lady Bai.
Luo Shu smiled and nodded to the two elderly people. She had heard from Wang Fei that her maternal grandparents were an old couple who had both been on the battlefield when they were young and had fought against the people of MD country.
Her maternal grandfather had been shot when he was young, and to this day, he still had a bullet fragment embedded in his right leg that could not be removed. The fragment was too close to a major artery, and they feared removal would be dangerous, so it had been left in place until now.
Old Lady Bai smiled kindly, took Wang Fei’s hand, and patted it. "You thoughtful girl! Grandma’s illness isn’t a big deal, just the cold weather. It will pass after a while; there’s no need for treatment." She understood her own body—it was stubborn ailments left over from her past, and there was simply no curing them.
"Young lady, don’t just stand there, have a seat." Old Master Bai said with a smile as he glanced at Luo Shu, motioning towards the sofa. He knew about Luo Shu coming to treat his wife, but he wasn’t holding much hope. In Jinchen, they had nearly exhausted the list of renowned doctors, but to little effect.
Luo Shu shook her head with a smile, walked over to the bedside, and said to Old Lady Bai, "Grandma Bai, let me take a look at you."
Old Lady Bai looked at Luo Shu and hesitated for a moment before smiling and nodding her head. "Okay!" A look wouldn’t hurt, she thought—after all, she expected the outcome to be the same.
Luo Shu stepped forward and asked Old Lady Bai to extend her arm, then gently placed her fingers on the elderly woman’s arm. She had a clear understanding of Old Lady Bai’s condition.
After a brief pause, Luo Shu withdrew her hand. "Grandma Bai, your conditions are chronic ailments from your youth, especially that stab wound on your back. It wasn’t treated properly at the time, leading to infection. That’s why you feel excruciating pain there every winter. Let me give you acupuncture first, then I’ll prescribe some medicine for you. It won’t be long before you see results," she said.
"You can tell I was injured on the back?" Old Lady Bai looked at Luo Shu, astonished. Apart from her husband, nobody knew about her back injury—she was amazed that Luo Shu could discern that just from checking her pulse.
Old Master Bai also looked incredulous, but after coming to his senses, a faint smile appeared on his lips. Maybe this time it was worth a try.
Luo Shu looked at Old Lady Bai with a smile. "If you trust me, I can give you the acupuncture right now."
"Okay!" Old Lady Bai nodded with a smile. Seeing Luo Shu gave her a glimmer of hope; at her age, enduring such piercing pain every day was truly unbearable.
"Wang Fei, go find some alcohol cotton for disinfection," Luo Shu instructed her roommate.
"All right!" Wang Fei replied cheerfully and quickly got up to fetch the medical kit from downstairs.
When Wang Fei returned with the alcohol cotton, Luo Shu took out the Silver Needle and began to cleanse it before giving Old Lady Bai the acupuncture treatment.
"Maternal grandfather, don’t worry! Luo Shu’s medical skills are well recognized at Jinchen University," Wang Fei reassured Old Master Bai, seeing his worried expression. Her grandparents had a love that had lasted fifty years, inspiring envy among the younger generations.
Old Master Bai nodded with a smile. It wasn’t worry he was feeling, but anticipation for a miracle that might spare his spouse the agony.
"Grandma Bai, I’ve removed the cold stagnation from your body," said Luo Shu as she put away the Silver Needle. "If you take a few prescribed medicines to regulate your health, you should recover."
"Thank you!" Old Lady Bai expressed her gratitude joyfully. She felt no pain at all after the acupuncture, marveling at Luo Shu’s miraculous medical skill.
"You’re welcome," Luo Shu said, shaking her head with a smile. Even if they weren’t Wang Fei’s grandparents, knowing about their younger days, she would have chosen to treat them anyway. Such elders deserved respect.
"Girl, I can’t thank you enough," Old Master Bai said, standing up and walking over to shake hands with Luo Shu in gratitude. Seeing his wife looking so much better, he knew the improvement was significant. It seemed they had truly found a divine doctor this time.
"Grandpa Bai, I can help to remove the bullet fragment from your leg," Luo Shu suggested, after scanning him with her Divine Sense. She saw a fragment the size of a fingernail lodged in Old Master Bai’s right thigh.
Old Master Bai was tempted, but the thought of undergoing surgery at his age made him hesitate. After a lengthy pause, he shook his head. "Let’s forget about it." He had only a few years left to live and didn’t want to suffer through an operation.
"Maternal grandfather, you should take it out. Keeping the bullet fragment in your body could still affect your health," Wang Fei urged.
"Yes, old man, get it removed," Old Lady Bai also encouraged. That bullet fragment was her constant worry—it was dangerously close to a major artery, and any accidental severance could have led to fatal internal bleeding. Now that they had met Luo Shu, a divine doctor with a chance of removal, she did not want to miss the opportunity.
"Grandpa Bai, don’t worry! The surgery won’t take long, and you’ll recover quickly," Luo Shu assured confidently. Indeed, having the fragment so close to the major artery was like a time bomb, posing a constant threat to his life.
After much hesitation, Old Master Bai clenched his teeth and finally agreed, "Okay!" He was ready to take the risk this time.
The Bai family was astounded to hear that Old Master Bai had decided to let Luo Shu perform the surgery to remove the bullet fragment; their faith in Luo Shu’s medical skills had been limited, acceding only because of Wang Fei’s persistent recommendations.
With the prospect of Luo Shu performing surgery on him, the stakes seemed much higher. They were willing to agree, but if anything went wrong, the Bai family would not be able to bear the consequences.