That afternoon, Song Jinzhao and Song Shixue went next door, where Ye Liangyu had been waiting for some time.
"The treatment is divided into two stages," Song Jinzhao said, holding up two fingers.
She bent one finger down. "The first stage is to remove the arrowhead fragments lodged in the cartilage."
She bent the second finger. "The second stage, after you've mostly recovered from the first surgery, I will break the bones in your knee and leg that have healed in a deformed position. I will then realign them and set them properly. The bone healing period will be roughly three months. After that, you'll need to do weight-bearing exercises for six months to a year and a half. The exact duration will depend on how well the exercises progress."
Ye Liangyu lightly tapped his fingers on the table, appearing to completely disregard the descriptions of cutting flesh to remove arrows and breaking bones.
He only cared whether his crippled legs could be cured. No matter how long it took, he was willing to try.
"So, at most in two years, I'll be able to walk like a normal person?"
Seeing he wasn't the least bit afraid, Song Jinzhao felt somewhat relieved.
What doctors fear most is uncooperative patients who give up halfway through the arduous weight-bearing training. At least for now, Ye Liangyu seemed to have the determination to persevere.
"As I said before, if the recovery doesn't go well, there's a possibility of limping."
"But if you follow my instructions, there shouldn't be major issues."
Ye Liangyu couldn't wait to ask, "When can we do the surgery to remove the arrow?"
Song Jinzhao crossed her arms. "In three days. Here are the preoperative precautions."
Song Shixue immediately pulled out a sheet of white paper filled with preoperative instructions and handed it over.
After reading it, Ye Liangyu nodded firmly, his heart filled with anticipation and a touch of nervousness.
Three days later, Ye Liangyu gave Song Qiming and the other two a two-day break.
Inside a sterilized, sealed room, Song Shixue, dressed in clean white linen clothes, stood opposite Song Jinzhao, assisting her.
The entire procedure lasted half a shichen. Looking at the silver fragments with bits of bloody bone on the tray, Song Jinzhao let out a heavy sigh of relief.
The situation was better than she had imagined; the adhesions weren't too severe.
Although Song Jinzhao had administered an anesthetic to Ye Liangyu, its effect was no match for modern anesthetics. During the cutting of flesh and scraping of bone, he was still in so much pain that sweat poured from his forehead. If not for the cloth stick clenched between his teeth, he would have surely ground his teeth to dust.
On the third day, when Song Qiming and the others went over, Ye Liangyu was leaning on his couch, the bandaged wound exposed, looking painfully sore.
Seeing him in this sickly state, Wei Qianliang, holding his book, hesitated, unsure whether to enter or leave.
"Sir, perhaps we should come back after your wound has healed?"
Though his leg throbbed with pain, Ye Liangyu's heart felt incredibly light.
"It's fine. Lying here is boring anyway. How did you fare with the assignments I gave the day before yesterday? Any questions?"
Song Qiming had already learned from Song Jinzhao that Ye Liangyu's surgery had been very successful.
Recalling the first time he saw him, although his hair was still white, he looked much younger now.
To repay Song Jinzhao for saving his life, Ye Liangyu held Song Qiming to even higher standards.
Before, he was merely fulfilling Scholar Zheng's request. Now, he wanted Song Qiming to pass the exam with certainty, preferably even coming first in his cohort, to be worthy of the immense effort Song Jinzhao was putting into treating his legs.
A month passed, and the wound at Ye Liangyu's cartilage had completely healed.
Song Jinzhao looked up, her expression serious as she stared at him. "Breaking the deformed, healed bones for realignment will be a thousand times more painful than before. If you're prepared, we'll begin tomorrow."
Ye Liangyu's gaze was resolute as he nodded decisively. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Before breaking the bones, Song Jinzhao had Ye Liangyu tied to the bed. His limbs and upper body were all securely fastened with sturdy hemp ropes; not even a heavenly king could break free.
At the peak of the agony, the cotton stick in Ye Liangyu's mouth was bitten to shreds. Howls of anguish erupted from his throat, shaking the entire house three times over.
In the next room, Song Qiming, who was writing an essay, felt his heart tremble, and ink dripped from his brush onto the rice paper.
Song Anhao, sleeping in bed, burst into loud cries.
Song Jinzhao frowned. "Prize his mouth open and stuff it full."
The servant boy holding down his shoulders involuntarily flailed his hands, grabbed a piece of cotton cloth, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into Ye Liangyu's mouth, nearly choking him.
By the end, all four people in the room were drenched in sweat, and Ye Liangyu had already passed out.
The next day, when Ye Liangyu woke up, he felt the lower half of his body was so painful it seemed numb. Lying in bed, he couldn't sleep day or night.
He wasn't dead, but he wished he could die immediately.
The day before the county-level examination began, Ye Liangyu called the three students before him and gave them individual instructions.
"Since Brother Zheng isn't here, I'll say a few more words. Tomorrow is the county exam. Success or failure hinges on this moment. Don't be nervous; just perform as you normally would."
"Your examination paper must be clean. The opening argument should not exceed twenty characters. The first sentence must directly hit the key point and firmly capture the examiner's attention."
"Lastly, and this is the most important point: if anything happens during the exam, you must immediately call out for the invigilator. Especially regarding cheating. Having your exam results voided this time is not the main concern; what's truly frightening is being implicated by others, ruining your chances at the imperial examinations for life."
Song Qiming and the other two nodded vigorously, stating with unwavering resolve, "We respectfully heed your instruction and will surely remember it."
