Under the candlelight, Er Fu washed and disinfected her hands, then placed the necessary needles and thread in boiling water to sterilize them for later use.
She wiped the wound on Heizi's forearm with iodine, then began suturing.
Qin Sang saw beads of sweat forming at her temples and took out a handkerchief from her bosom, gently wiping them away:
"Your hand is very steady. You can do it."
Er Fu did not look away. Hearing Mother's encouragement, she was very happy and became even more focused.
Beside them, Eldest Brother's Wife, Si Jin, and Wen Mo were all watching from the side. Third Brother's Wife was afraid of frightening the child in her womb, so she didn't come over. Eldest Girl was also too young and unsuitable for such a bloody scene.
The needle threaded back and forth on the forceps in Er Fu's hand. Heizi's gaze was entirely fixed on Er Fu's serious little face before him, so he didn't feel much pain.
It took about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea for Er Fu to finish the suturing. Only after she raised her head did she notice Heizi's face looked very pale under the candlelight. Er Fu asked with some concern:
"Brother Heizi, are you alright?"
Heizi cleared his throat:
"Yeah, I'm fine, very fine. I think I'll be able to wield a knife again tomorrow."
Er Fu said anxiously:
"No, you can't. If you exert force with this hand, the wound will tear open even if it's sutured. You can't wield a knife."
Seeing her worriedly admonish him, Heizi chuckled happily:
"I won't, I won't. Auntie said we won't be going out these next few days. Even if I wanted to wield a knife, I wouldn't have the chance."
Only then did Er Fu feel relieved. After applying medicine again, she bandaged the wound:
"Don't get it wet, and don't eat things like eggs or other 'fa wu' (inflammatory foods). Eat a light diet for a few days. Once a scab forms, the stitches can be removed."
Heizi was taken aback:
"They need to be removed? Can't we leave them in?"
Er Fu found this strange:
"Why not remove them? Are you afraid of the pain?
If the thread is left inside, it can cause other illnesses. They must be removed."
Hearing her say this, Heizi could only nod and cautiously asked:
"I wasn't afraid of the suturing, so naturally I'm not afraid of the removal. But... when it's time to remove them, will you be the one to do it?"
Er Fu was tidying up the suturing tools, cleaning and boiling them for sterilization. She hummed in affirmation and said:
"Not just for the removal. You also need to come every day so I can clean and disinfect it for you. Mother says the weather is hot, it's easy for bacteria to grow. If you get a fever tonight, you must send someone to notify me. It can be fatal."
Only then did Heizi happily stand up:
"I'll definitely come on time."
His excited demeanor startled Er Fu:
"You... why are you so happy?"
Beside them, Si Jin covered her mouth and teased:
"I think Brother Heizi has been quite happy all along. Just now during the suturing, the corners of his mouth were turned up, as if he didn't feel any pain at all."
Heizi's face reddened a bit. He touched his face with his other hand, trying to look serious, but it seemed his attempt to control his expression failed:
"Really? Was it? I didn't know."
Tian Wenmo affirmed:
"Yes, I saw it too. Brother Heizi, does such a serious wound really not hurt at all? Didn't the suturing hurt?"
Eldest Brother's Wife laughed: "Probably because Er Fu's technique is good."
Heizi immediately agreed:
"Right, right, right. It's because Sister Er Fu's skill is good, so I didn't feel any pain at all."
Tian Sijin burst out laughing:
"Second Sister, Brother Heizi is praising you."
Qin Sang saw these youngsters egging each other on, and Er Fu's face was turning red with shyness. She hurriedly came to Er Fu's rescue:
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. Heizi, you should go back and rest early too. If anything happens, have someone else come and call for us, understand?"
"Alright, Auntie. Thank you, Auntie. Thank you... Sister. I'll head back now."
Er Fu nodded:
"It's dark on the road, watch your step."
Heizi smiled:
"I will. It's such a short distance, I could walk it with my eyes closed. Don't worry."
After Heizi left quickly, Er Fu finished tidying up.
Qin Sang had her sit down to rest. The whole family also gathered around. Tian Wenmo asked:
"Mother, will there really be a big battle?"
Qin Sang told the family about the many Rebel Soldiers entering the mountains, so they could be mentally prepared.
"This is just the worst-case scenario. You don't need to be too nervous. If there really is a big battle, they won't send you children to the front. You should all carry on as usual.
By the way, Wen Mo, has Old Village Head selected the candidates for the bookkeeper you're supposed to train?"
Tian Wenmo answered seriously:
"Not yet. Village Head Grandfather said the candidate for this bookkeeper position shouldn't be too young, and we can't choose from the Tian Family again. We can only choose from other surnames.
That leaves only Brother Huzi, the few brothers from the Zhao family, and Brother Heizi and his group. But Brother Huzi... learns arithmetic a bit slowly.
The Zhao brothers say they are carpenters and are very busy every day. Brother Heizi and the others often miss classes... their handwriting is... average, so..."
Tian Wenmo was putting it very politely. In reality, these older brothers usually attend classes only sporadically and aren't very dedicated.
"Those uncles and elders all say their hands tremble holding a pen, that holding a hoe or a carrying pole is more comfortable. They don't want to be the bookkeeper with such heavy responsibility."
After listening, Qin Sang roughly guessed Old Village Head's intention.
After all, both the village head and the warehouse keeper in the village are surnamed Tian. If the bookkeeper were also surnamed Tian, over time, people would inevitably gossip. Qin Sang also agreed with choosing someone from another surname. This would ensure a clear separation between public and private matters and better unite people's hearts.
As for the candidate issue:
"I heard Osmanthus and your eldest sister-in-law's younger sister are very good at arithmetic and learn writing quickly. Why not let them try?"
Tian Wenmo was somewhat surprised:
"Mother, you mean to have girls become the village bookkeeper?"
"Why not?" Qin Sang retorted as if it were obvious:
"Girls are bold and meticulous, less likely to make mistakes, aren't they?"
In later generations, many accountants were women. Qin Sang certainly didn't think women couldn't do these things.
"If you're worried about one of them being too young, the two of them can work on it together."
Tian Sijin, who was closest to Osmanthus, immediately agreed:
"Mother is right. Osmanthus is the most meticulous. After just studying for a while, she's already caught up to me. If the Village Head didn't forbid family members from being the bookkeeper, I should be the one chosen for this position."
Eldest Brother's Wife was very happy her Mother-in-law thought of her sister. However, being accustomed to being virtuous, she wasn't as bold as Si Jin:
"I'm just afraid the Village Head won't agree. After all, it seems there's no precedent for girls being bookkeepers anywhere."
Qin Sang smiled:
"Eldest Brother's Wife, you're mistaken about that. In wealthy households, women are in charge of managing the household and checking the accounts. How can you check accounts if you don't know how to keep them?
It's just us small households that aren't so particular. But we still have to manage the household's daily necessities, don't we? That's also part of managing accounts. It's just that a bookkeeper records all the accounts in a ledger for people to consult."
"Of course, we also need to consider whether Er Hua and Osmanthus are willing, as this matter likely requires appearing in public.
When I say appearing in public, I don't mean dealing with outsiders, just the villagers.
If they are willing, I'll speak to the Village Head."
Si Jin immediately stood up:
"I'll go ask Sister Osmanthus right now. I think she'll definitely agree."
Eldest Brother's Wife also couldn't sit still:
"Then I'll also go ask my sister."
Qin Sang reminded them:
"Alright, take a lantern with you. Go early and come back early."