Chapter 947 - 949: Share the Burden for Her_1
Li Ming’s eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Madam Jiang is skilled in the suturing technique?"
Bai Ruozhu had presented the suturing technique to the Imperial Court, which was exactly what they wanted to control and pass on to the trustworthy military doctors at the frontlines. Initially, those four individuals learned the suturing technique from Bai Ruozhu with the intention of teaching it to reliable military doctors in several major army camps. However, due to an unforeseen event, they were captured by Zhou Jue, and in the end, only two were rescued. Consequently, the dissemination of the suturing technique slowed down considerably.
As the most important military doctor of the Northwest Army, Li Ming was also privy to these matters. He was supposed to learn it as well, but those who were to instruct him hadn’t been able to come and teach him yet.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu merely smiling without saying a word filled his heart with turmoil. He had heard that it was a divine doctor from among the common folk who presented this technique to the court. The court kept a tight grip on it, planning to use it exclusively within the army. If Bai Ruozhu knew the suturing technique, could she be the one who had offered it?
Li, the military doctor, began to tremble with excitement. To have the honor of meeting such a master physician in his lifetime was indeed a tremendous privilege.
At that moment, a person from the Firehead Camp brought in clean water. The one who came was none other than Old Feng.
"Madam, the water is ready. We understand your intentions and will cooperate fully. Just command us as you see fit!" Old Feng said respectfully.
Bai Ruozhu remembered him and knew he was a man of loyalty. She smiled and said, "Make sure the medicine soup is prepared well. There must be no mistakes."
"Certainly, if any problems arise, I’ll present my head to you!" Old Feng promised and then excused himself.
Bai Ruozhu went to fetch Zhou Ying’s clothes to start cleaning his skin. Jiang Yichun’s expression turned grim. He strode forward, grabbed the cloth, and said, "Let me do it."
Li, the military doctor, who had been eagerly watching every move Bai Ruozhu made, only then realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "How can we let you do such menial work, my lord? I am fully capable of doing it. Madam, please instruct me."
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at Jiang Yichun helplessly. They were in the midst of a medical emergency, and there he was, getting jealous again.
Under Bai Ruozhu’s direction, Li Ming cleaned Zhou Ying’s body, and at this point, it was already clear that Zhou Ying’s abdomen had swollen up alarmingly.
Bai Ruozhu stretched out her hand to measure the affected area and muttered something under her breath. Then, suddenly, she took out a small bottle from her sleeve, dipped it, and applied it to Zhou Ying’s skin, quickly making Li Ming catch the strong scent of alcohol.
She then rapidly inserted needles into Zhou Ying’s abdomen. Li Ming couldn’t quite understand the needlework because it was too fast; he admitted to himself that he would never be capable of such speed.
Afterward, he watched Bai Ruozhu pour alcohol on a dagger, which made him grow nervous. The operation was about to begin!
But before he could react, Bai Ruozhu’s movements were so swift, her hand raised, the dagger fell, and she had sliced open Zhou Ying’s abdomen...
Li Ming jumped with fright. Although he was a middle-aged man of considerable composure, he couldn’t help but cry out. Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s calm and steady manner made his face warm with embarrassment. He was of such an age, yet he wasn’t as composed as a young girl.
But soon after, Li Ming gazed in astonishment at Zhou Ying’s wound. There was hardly any bleeding, nothing like the spatter he had imagined would occur!
Bai Ruozhu looked extremely serious. In truth, this was her first time performing such surgery on a person. When she was young and learning medicine from her grandpa, she had encountered a similar situation. However, it was grandpa’s chick that had eaten a large dry corn kernel and couldn’t excrete it, nearly suffocating to death.
Her grandpa performed surgery on a chick, using acupuncture to stop the blood flow, then opened up the chicken’s belly to remove a corn kernel, and then stitched the chick back up. Such a small body, she thought it couldn’t possibly be saved, but against all odds, the chick survived and eventually grew into a rooster, albeit with a crow not as loud as the others.
She was filled with admiration at the time and determined to learn medical skills from her grandpa. Later, she also performed similar surgeries, such as operating on a friend’s dog that had developed a tumor, which also ended up being very successful, although this was her first time opening up a human.
After all, the one beneath the knife was a person, and Bai Ruozhu’s hands trembled slightly. Suddenly, Jiang Yichun reached out and took her delicate wrist, saying in a low voice, "Let me do it, just tell me what to do."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t insist on being strong, she handed the dagger to Jiang Yichun, as his knife skills were better than hers and he could make cleaner cuts.
There was blood in the wound; Bai Ruozhu pulled it open with her hands, her pair of snow-white hands became stained with red, looking exceptionally terrifying. Even Li Ming, the military doctor who was used to seeing blood on the battlefield, couldn’t help but tremble.
Jiang Yichun also had medical knowledge, so with just a hint, he got the point. Following Bai Ruozhu’s instructions, he swiftly cut out the tumor, and more blood followed. Bai Ruozhu quickly stitched up the layers, and Li Ming, though unwilling to blink and miss a thing, still couldn’t make out the suturing technique used by Bai Ruozhu.
Stitching up human flesh isn’t as simple as embroidery, is it?
"Okay, he’s temporarily safe now, but his fate from here on out is out of our hands," Bai Ruozhu called someone in to fetch water for cleaning her hands, then went on to clean and bandage Zhou Ying’s wound.
"The tumor is removed, but I’m afraid there may be other lesions in his body. But since they’re not showing for now, just carefully treat him with medicine and therapy," Bai Ruozhu looked at Jiang Yichun, "He can’t return to the battlefield, you should find a proper place for him."
Jiang Yichun snorted coldly, meaning Zhou Ying had offended his woman and there was no way for him.
Bai Ruozhu laughed at his teasing. He was fiercely protective of her; he didn’t care about anything to keep her safe – reputation, military regulations, public opinion - nothing mattered as long as no one hurt her in the slightest.
Thinking this, her heart warmed. She tugged on his hand, then turned to Li Ming and said, "Military Doctor Li, please look after him. If he develops a fever, come and call for me immediately."
"Yes, yes, Madam, please rest assured and go get some rest," Li Ming looked at Bai Ruzhou with eyes filled with reverence at that moment.
Bai Ruozhu pulled Jiang Yichun back to the tent, laughing softly, "I didn’t expect you to be my surgical assistant today."
Jiang Yichun reached to pinch her nose, "I just didn’t want you to get scared and have trouble sleeping tonight." He lifted her hand and gently kissed it.
Although she had just washed her hands clean, they were stained with blood not long ago. Seeing him kiss her hands without any hesitation, her heart melted inch by inch, turning into a spring of emotion.
Inside the tent, the temperature gradually rose. They held each other tightly. They had escaped pursuit together, shared secrets together, and now they had also jointly operated on a person to save a life. These shared experiences brought their hearts even closer.
Zhou Ying had a strong constitution and good luck; he did not develop a fever that night, woke up for a while the next day, and even spoke a few words with Li Maoshi. After learning that Bai Ruozhu had saved his life, he was so ashamed he couldn’t lift his head.
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