Song Qingling said in a tone that brooked no argument:
"You have to listen to me this time. Otherwise, I'll tell Mother when we get home, and you won't be allowed out of the manor again."
At that, Song Yaoyao immediately admitted defeat:
"All right!"
Compared to losing her freedom, going to the Medical Hall was a small price to pay!
When the crowd heard that Song Yaoyao was going to the Medical Hall, many of them spoke up, hoping for a better chance to tag along and feast on the gossip:
"Little Lord Song, shall we escort you to the Medical Hall?"
Song Yaoyao quickly waved her hands. "No need. It's nothing serious."
Song Yaoyao thought, It's nothing serious. Besides, I don't even know these people. There's no need to trouble them!
But everyone began urging her all at once:
"Little Lord Song, you must take care of yourself!"
"Little Lord Song is a role model for us women, the only woman who can attend Morning Court. You must look after your health!"
"Exactly! We simply must escort you to the Medical Hall ourselves!"
"Protecting Little Lord Song is something every woman should do!"
"Protecting Little Lord Song means protecting all of us women!"
Listening to their earnest appeals, Song Yaoyao felt utterly numb!
She had only strained her back. Since when had her back become tied to protecting women?
These people were utterly baffling!
Come to think of it, this was only Song Yaoyao's second time out shopping. When had she become so popular?
Song Yaoyao began questioning herself!
Could she have some innate charm that made people like her so much?
Looking at all the people urging and comforting her, Song Yaoyao could no longer bring herself to refuse!
The crowd had one overriding goal: follow Song Yaoyao and feast on the gossip, no matter what.
They had finally run into Little Lord Song today, and they were determined to gorge themselves on gossip to their hearts' content!
In the end, the whole crowd followed Song Yaoyao to the Medical Hall.
Song Yaoyao was just one injured patient, yet over a hundred people trailed behind her in a great, bustling swarm.
What a spectacle!
Passersby cleared a path for the entire group!
How did this look like escorting a patient to the Medical Hall? Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were heading there to stir up trouble and start a mass brawl!
If this had been modern times and everyone had changed into black suits, the procession would have looked exactly like a gang of street thugs!
When they arrived, a young apprentice at the entrance saw the crowd and began trembling at the knees, so frightened that he could barely speak:
"W-who are you people?
"I'll have you know, this is the Century-Old Clinic, and we have powerful people backing us!
"Don't you dare cause trouble!"
At those words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances!
They had only followed Little Lord Song here for gossip, not to cause trouble!
Someone hurriedly explained that there had been a misunderstanding: they were only here to see the doctor, not to pick a fight!
Though still frightened, the young apprentice asked:
"Where is the patient?"
Only then did Song Qingling help Song Yaoyao down from the carriage.
Song Yaoyao raised her hand. "I'm over here."
Seeing how slowly Song Yaoyao moved, the apprentice finally believed that the crowd really had come to escort a patient, not to smash up the clinic!
The young apprentice said to Song Yaoyao:
"Miss, please come in!"
Song Yaoyao entered the Medical Hall, and everyone else wanted to follow!
But the Medical Hall was only so large. How could it possibly hold so many people?
Once Song Yaoyao and Song Qingling were inside, the apprentice summoned his courage and blocked the doorway, saying:
"Please wait here. The Medical Hall is small, and there isn't room for all of you!"
Everyone looked at one another, agreed that he had a point, and consented to stay outside.
They could hear Song Yaoyao's thoughts from the doorway anyway!
Only after seeing that the crowd really was waiting outside did the apprentice hurry back into the Medical Hall.
He had to tell his master about this at once. What if his master slighted that young lady, angered the crowd, and got them all beaten up?
The apprentice ran over to an elderly physician with snow-white hair and a goatee and whispered a few words in his ear.
The old physician froze for a moment, then composed himself. He glanced toward Song Yaoyao and her sister, withdrew his gaze, and continued taking his patient's pulse as though nothing had happened.
There were quite a few people in the Medical Hall, with more than a dozen patients ahead of Song Yaoyao.
Song Yaoyao and her sister would have to wait a while before their turn!
While they waited, Song Yaoyao couldn't help looking around the Medical Hall!
Wasn't this supposed to be a century-old establishment?
It certainly has a full range of medicinal herbs!
An hour later, it was finally Song Yaoyao's turn.
The old physician grew noticeably cautious. After asking about Song Yaoyao's condition, he prescribed some medicine for sprains and bruises and brought out a medicinal oil he had prepared himself.
The old physician instructed Song Yaoyao to take the decoction on schedule and thoroughly massage the strained area with the medicinal oil once she got home, so she would recover faster!
After collecting the medicine and paying, Song Yaoyao and Song Qingling were about to leave when a man rushed into the Medical Hall with a child in his arms.
The child's eyes were rolling back, and he seemed unable to breathe properly.
The old physician immediately stood up and pointed to a curtain nearby.
"There's a bed behind that curtain. Hurry and lay the child flat on it."
The bed was one the old physician normally used when examining patients.
In a few strides, the man reached the other side of the curtain.
Once he had laid the child down, the old physician hurried over and asked:
"What exactly happened?"
Only then did a woman come running in behind the man, crying as she ran:
"Jinbao! Jinbao!"
The old physician motioned for the man to leave the woman who had just entered alone and explain the symptoms first.
The man was on the verge of tears:
"My wife and I were busy, and our boy was playing nearby. He picked up a jujube to eat and swallowed the whole thing. Then he ended up like this."
The old physician knew this man. He ran a pastry shop just a few steps from the Medical Hall.
The child was choking!
The old physician pried open the child's mouth, examined it, then shook his head and said, "My condolences."
The man dropped straight to his knees:
"Doctor, please save my son! He was running around full of life just a moment ago. We can't live without him. You have to save him!"
The woman knelt as well:
"Doctor, you must save my child! We were already in our forties when we finally had this one precious seedling. Nothing can happen to him!"
The physician understood how they felt, but he had no way to provide emergency treatment.
At this moment, with a life hanging by a thread, Song Yaoyao endured the pain and hurried over.
"I can save him."
Seeing such a young girl, the old physician hesitated.
But the couple had already seized upon Song Yaoyao as their last straw of hope.
Song Yaoyao didn't want to waste any more time either. Any later, and it would be too late.
Song Yaoyao went over and had the man support the child. Then she stood behind the boy, wrapped both arms around his waist, made a fist with one hand, and grasped it with the other. She delivered quick, forceful upward thrusts into his abdomen. After she repeated this several times, a jujube finally flew out of the child's mouth.