The doctor became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally looked at Zhou Jing'an and asked, "Sir, may I ask which famous doctor performed this surgery on you? It's truly amazing."
Zhou Jing'an then realized that his wound was perfectly comfortable; he had just been discussing with Ning Huan when to remove the stitches. It seemed he was incredibly lucky to have encountered such a skilled doctor as Dr. Si.
Ning Huan, who was bringing in tea, also heard what the military doctor had just said. She thought that Zhou Jing'an's wound wouldn't fester because she had disinfected it before the operation and given him an antibiotic injection.
This doesn't exist in this world, which is why they think it's amazing that the wound didn't fester after surgery.
The doctor went on and on about the potential side effects of the surgery, but he didn't see any of them in Zhou Jing'an, which made him even more agitated.
Zhou Jing'an silently made a note of it, thinking that this Doctor Si was so capable that he would definitely remember this kindness and repay him when he had the chance in the future.
Tao Fuyuan was overjoyed to see that Zhou Jing'an was perfectly healthy, and chatted with him for a while. Zhou Jing'an then told Ning Huan to cook a couple more dishes for dinner, inviting Tao Fuyuan to stay and eat with them.
Ning Huan nodded in agreement and turned to go to the kitchen to prepare some ingredients, but then she heard Tao Fuyuan say with some regret, "If Jing An, you hadn't been so ill before, the top spot this time might have been yours."
"Your leg is in this state again. Many of your classmates at the academy are very worried about you. They will be very happy if they know that you have recovered."
Ning Huan pursed her lips, thinking to herself: That might not necessarily mean he's truly happy. As the saying goes, heaven is jealous of talent. Someone as capable and talented as Zhou Jing'an probably has countless people secretly envying him and hoping he'll suffer.
Zhou Jing'an was seriously ill before, and his leg was injured. Many people were probably gloating over his misfortune. If they heard that Zhou Jing'an's leg injury had healed, they would probably feel extremely sad.
Zhou Jing'an seemed to know this as well, and he brought up the matter from last time with Tao Fuyuan: "Brother Fuyuan, do you remember what I told you last time?"
Tao Fuyuan immediately became serious: "You said back then that the top-ranked article was clearly yours, but the name on it wasn't."
Zhou Jing'an nodded, while Tao Fuyuan said incredulously, "How is this possible!"
Tao Fuyuan couldn't believe it, but he knew Zhou Jing'an's character; he would never say something baseless, and Zhou Jing'an was certainly talented enough to be ranked first.
But if what Zhou Jing'an said was true, wouldn't that mean that someone tampered with the imperial examination? This was something he couldn't believe. Who would dare to be so bold?
Zhou Jing'an recalled how incredulous he was when he saw the list that day: "I went early on the day the results were released, and the first-place essay was indeed mine. At the time, I thought I had passed the exam, but when I saw that the top name wasn't mine, I realized something was wrong."
Tao Fuyuan continued, following Zhou Jing'an's words, "This year, there is only one top scorer in the county, and that is our classmate from the academy, the current Juren, Guo Hongwen."
If Zhou Jing'an is telling the truth, then Guo Hongwen, who is currently at the top of the list, must be problematic.
Zhou Jing'an's expression was icy: "He is now a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, while I am just a failed candidate with little influence. Even if I can't say anything now, one day I will make sure to get to the bottom of this matter."
This was no small matter, and Zhou Jing'an didn't want to involve Tao Fuyuan, so he didn't explain it to him in too much detail.
Just as he was about to ask something else, Ning Huan brought in some fruit for them to eat.
She had overheard Zhou Jing'an's words outside the door. She had previously discussed with Zhou Jing'an the possibility that the poison and injuries he sustained might be related to the upcoming imperial examination.
Ning Huan also realized that Zhou Jing'an didn't want Tao Fuyuan to know too much about the details of these matters, so she brought in fruit to interrupt them.
They called four more little ones into the room to chat with Tao Fuyuan and the others. Seeing how lively and adorable the little ones were, Tao Fuyuan genuinely sighed, "They are much happier now than before."
Not only that, the four little ones were fair-skinned and clean, smelled nice, and wore very thick clothes, which showed that Ning Huan took good care of them.
Zhou Jing'an nodded gently: "They have their mother taking care of them, and she teaches them very well."
Hearing Zhou Jing'an's words, Tao Fuyuan became even more certain that Zhou Jing'an and Ning Huan got along very well. He had never heard Zhou Jing'an praise his family before.
Ning Huan prepared a lot of delicious food that evening. Tao Fuyuan was quite surprised when he served them one by one. Even though he had eaten at many restaurants, he was still amazed that the dishes on this table were no worse than those in restaurants.
Ning Huan generously introduced the dishes she had prepared to Tao Fuyuan, then used serving chopsticks to serve him. The four little ones, also being guests, politely used the serving chopsticks as well.
Occasionally, the four little ones would ask questions, and Ning Huan and Zhou Jing'an would answer them, after which the four little bundles of joy would burst into laughter.
This heartwarming scene made Tao Fuyuan take a closer look at Ning Huan. He realized that all the changes in the house seemed to be related to this woman.
Upon closer inspection, Tao Fuyuan also noticed that Ning Huan seemed to have changed quite a bit. He had heard that this woman was extremely ugly, and she was indeed very unattractive when he saw her before, but when he came last time, she seemed to have changed subtly.
Tao Fuyuan noticed that the pustules and red bumps on her face had disappeared, and her skin was now fair and delicate. The woman also seemed to have lost a lot of weight, but unlike those who lose weight due to overwork at home, Ning Huan's weight loss was very healthy.
It was as if she had always had this figure, and her behavior was no longer as crude and domineering as before; every gesture carried a different feel.
However, Zhou Jing'an noticed that Tao Fuyuan was looking Ning Huan up and down, which made him a little unhappy. Although Tao Fuyuan didn't have any other intentions, he was still uncomfortable with Ning Huan being looked at.
However, instead of reprimanding him, he interrupted Tao Fuyuan's gaze and asked, "Brother Fuyuan, it's getting late. Would you like to stay at my house for the night?"
Tao Fuyuan had already been planning this, and since Zhou Jing'an had brought it up, he naturally agreed: "That would be wonderful. I was just about to have tea and reminisce with Brother Jing'an. We could chat all night long and still not be satisfied."
Zhou Jing'an was very happy to see that Tao Fuyuan had agreed.
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