Chapter 23: A Little Demonstration of Skill (2)

“Miss Chen, the wine and water are here.”

Mrs. Lu carried the wine, followed by Xiao Ju, who had originally gone to make tea, carrying the water. Both hurried to Chen Xin’s side, waiting for her instructions.

Although they didn’t understand what these things were for or what surgery was, Mrs. Lu didn’t dare to waste time. She had nearly misunderstood Chen Xin once before and didn’t dare to speculate anymore. After all, thinking back to what Chen Xin had said before made sense, and it was unheard of.

“Mm.”

“Your father’s appendix must be removed immediately. I’m going to perform the surgery now. You two can leave things on the table and go out.” Chen Xin said while washing her hands with the basin of water brought by Xiao Ju.

“Oh.”

Both Mrs. Lu and Xiao Ju looked puzzled and confused. Mrs. Lu couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Chen, what is appendicitis? And what is surgery?”

Hearing this, Chen Xin felt that Mrs. Lu had the right to know, so she explained simply, “It means there’s a small part of the intestine in the belly that has died and needs to be removed to save your father.”

Intestine? Mrs. Lu didn’t understand, but she understood ‘removed’. Looking at Chen Xin, she asked urgently, “How do you remove it?”

“If you want to know, you can stay, but no matter what you see, you must remain quiet.” Chen Xin, about to start the surgery, had a solemn expression and a commanding presence, which stunned both of them into nodding.

And surgery was another task that couldn’t afford any mistakes. Even though removing the appendix was a minor surgery, Chen Xin would still take it seriously and not allow any mistakes.

She then took out one of the two items tied to her leg earlier this morning, a dagger.

The handle of the dagger was adorned with white tassels, each one distinctively clear.

Chen Xin removed one of the tassels and soaked it in the wine, then poured some wine into the bowl to disinfect the dagger. Although Chen Xin felt it unnecessary—after all, a dagger forged through countless days and nights with a mysterious iron wouldn’t have any bacteria—her pursuit of perfection reminded her that disinfection was also necessary for surgery and couldn’t be neglected.

“Someone, help me undress the patient and expose his abdomen.” Chen Xin, while disinfecting, instructed Mrs. Lu and Xiao Ju.

However, both Mrs. Lu and Xiao Ju’s hearts skipped a beat, and their eyes met. They both thought, didn’t Miss Chen know about the boundaries between men and women? Even if he’s old, he’s still a man!

Seeing them still not moving, Chen Xin’s expression turned slightly displeased. The last thing you could afford during surgery was mistakes and delays. Every second was a life, as the bloody lessons taught people that the distance of just one second could cost a life.

“Hurry up. Right now, there is only a doctor and a patient here, with no distinction of gender.” Chen Xin’s stern gaze turned towards Mrs. Lu as she spoke lowly.

She knew it was the wicked thoughts of female supremacy at play again. Despite feeling helpless, she could only accept it. No matter how much she said, she couldn’t erase the deeply ingrained female supremacy ideology in their bones, so she might as well take a break.

Startled by Chen Xin’s tone and expression, Mrs. Lu hurried forward to do as Chen Xin instructed, then returned to her original position to observe how the procedure would be carried out.

Chen Xin raised the dagger and lightly made a cut on Mrs. Lu’s father’s right abdomen. Before Mrs. Lu could react, something red flew up into the air and landed at Xiao Ju’s feet, who almost fainted at the sight. With widened eyes and trembling, she asked Chen Xin, “Miss… Miss Chen, what… what is this?”

Meanwhile, Chen Xin was holding the white tassel soaked in alcohol, leaving a length for stitching with her fingers, softening the rest with her internal force to turn it into a thread. Then, she began to suture the incision on Mrs. Lu’s father’s right abdomen without a drop of blood flowing out.

In just a few moments, Chen Xin said, “Done.”

The incision sewn with protein thread was barely visible. Chen Xin, who pursued perfection in surgery, felt very satisfied. She sighed, “Everything is perfect!”

Turning to the table to clean her hands, she picked up the remaining half-bowl of wine and poured it over her hands. In this ancient era without gloves, this was the only way to disinfect.

Catching sight of the shocked expressions of the mother and daughter who hadn’t recovered yet, Chen Xin sat down on a stool and said softly, “Mrs. Lu, since Xiao Ju is here, she might as well take a look.”

Mrs. Lu’s eyebrows twitched, finally coming back to her senses, and she trembled as she said, “Oh… okay.”

She pulled the stunned Xiao Ju onto the stool, grabbed her hand, and placed it on the table for Chen Xin to check her pulse.

Seeing Mrs. Lu’s expression and actions, Chen Xin couldn’t help but smile faintly. After checking Xiao Ju’s pulse for a while, she said, “Xiao Ju usually likes to eat sweet food.”

“Yes! I’ve advised her not to eat too much of it, but she says she can’t help craving it and spends almost half of her wages on sweets.” Mrs. Lu looked at her daughter, who had a ‘strange habit’, with a helpless and resigned tone.

Hearing this, Chen Xin briefly explained the theory that eating excessive sweets could impair memory. Xiao Ju nodded, seeming to understand.

Seeing the sky outside indicating it was time for lunch, she said to Mrs. Lu, “Since we’ve found the cause, start gradually weaning her off her ‘sweet addiction’ tomorrow. It can’t be rushed, just wait until she returns to normal. Otherwise, it will be worse. Also, your father needs to rest and recuperate now. The wound will heal on its own in a few days, and he can eat. Just let it merge with the flesh.”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Mrs. Lu suddenly knelt down and loudly declared, “Miss Chen’s great kindness, I, Lu will never forget it. I only ask to follow Miss’s side ^[1]“Like an ox or horse” — means Mrs. Lu is willing to work tirelessly and obediently, undertaking any task required, just as these animals work hard without complaint.like an ox or horse¹, working hard without complaint.”

Seeing this, Chen Xin helped her up with one hand and said with a gentle smile, “There’s no need to be an ox or horse. Just help me make money.”

“Yes, boss.” Mrs. Lu immediately took on the role of a subordinate.

Looking at her boss in front of her, Mrs. Lu felt that she was truly a divine doctor! She hadn’t misjudged her. Mrs. Lu thought that the people in the Medicine Valley couldn’t compare to even one finger of her boss.