Chapter 41: I Am Not a Soft Persimmon

Li Fen, seeing that her soft approach has failed, conjures another plan. A sly glint flashes in her eyes, and with an undertone of threat and temptation, she says, “Yang Qingyan, don’t be too stubborn. If you are willing to listen to me and help me with this, it will benefit both you and Mu Nanhe. My husband is a prominent figure in the military, and if you know what’s good for you, I can help ease Nanhe’s path to promotion. He could save years of struggle. Just think about it. If you insist on refusing, as just a simple woman from the countryside, what can you do to stop my daughter from pursuing her happiness? In that case, Mu Nanhe’s life in the military might not be so easy either.”

Yang Qingyan’s chest heaves with anger upon hearing this. She points at Li Fen and glares fiercely, “You are simply unreasonable! Let me tell you, Mu Nanhe has come this far through his own hard work and military merit. He doesn’t need to climb up using such underhanded tactics. You think you can pressure people with power? I, Yang Qingyan, am not someone who can be easily intimidated. If you dare to keep bothering me, I am not someone to mess with; we’ll see!” With that, she leaves without looking back.

Li Fen is left sitting on the bench, her face alternating between white and red. She didn’t expect Yang Qingyan to be so unyielding, and her carefully laid plans were thrown into disarray. Frustrated and angry, she can’t come up with another strategy and can only grit her teeth in silence.

Originally, Bai Yiling had been nagging her mother about still liking Mu Nanhe and wanting her help. Li Fen had initially thought that with news of Mu Nanhe’s imminent death—even if he was saved, he wouldn’t return to the military—she would help look for another suitor for her daughter. However, after hearing from the white commander last night that Mu Nanhe’s surgery was successful and that he would soon return to the military and be promoted to a battalion commander, with a bright future ahead, along with her daughter’s heartfelt pleas, she decided to visit Yang Qingyan today.

When Yang Qingyan entered the ward, her displeasure was evident. Mu Nanhe was half-reclining against the head of the bed, reading a book. Upon hearing the noise, he quickly put down the book and asked with concern, “Wife, why did you take so long? What happened?”

Yang Qingyan hurried to the bedside, sat down, and recounted the entire conversation with Li Fen.

Upon hearing her words, Mu Nanhe’s face darkened immediately; veins bulged on his forehead. He clenched his fists and slammed them onto the edge of the bed, gritting his teeth as he said, “I’ve clearly refused her before, and I can’t believe she’s still pestering me! Her daughter is reckless and spoiled; instead of educating her, this mother just follows along, trying to achieve her goals with these dirty tactics. It’s shameless!”

After taking a moment to calm himself, he continued, “But Commander Bai is different; he’s more upright and wouldn’t take her whispers against me seriously. He values a soldier’s abilities and merits and won’t let her stir up trouble.”

Hearing Mu Nanhe’s words, some of Yang Qingyan’s anger dissipated. She nodded firmly and said, “Let’s hope they won’t come to bother me again, or I won’t hold back. I, Yang Qingyan, am not a soft persimmon for anyone to squeeze.”

Looking at Yang Qingyan’s determined expression, Mu Nanhe felt a surge of emotion and tenderness. He reached out his hand, gently holding hers, and said softly, “Wife, I’m here for you.”

After a while, the door to the ward was gently pushed open, and the dean entered along with Doctor Wang. The dean wore a smile, his eyes filled with admiration and anticipation. He was the first to speak, “Doctor Wang, this time your surgery for Commander Mu and Comrade Xia was truly outstanding! It has caused quite a stir in our medical community!” Doctor Wang nodded in agreement, adding, “Yes, Doctor Wang, your surgical skills exceed all expectations; we are all in awe.”

The dean paused slightly and continued, “We are eager for talent in our hospital, especially a remarkable doctor like you, so we would like to sincerely invite you to work at our hospital. What do you think?”

Yang Qingyan was secretly moved by this offer, reflecting on how coincidental this was—just before, Li Fen had threatened her with a position at Capital Hospital, and now the dean was personally extending an invitation.

After a moment of contemplation, she raised her head, looking determinedly at the dean and Doctor Wang. She spoke slowly, “Dean, I appreciate your good intentions and am truly grateful for the recognition you both have given me. However, my husband is stationed outside of Beijing, and once he recovers, we will have to return there. So, regarding the job opportunity, I must respectfully decline. Nonetheless, before we leave, if the hospital encounters any difficult cases that require my surgical assistance, I will definitely not refuse.”

The dean and Doctor Wang exchanged glances. Though they felt a bit regretful, they understood Yang Qingyan’s decision. The dean nodded and said, “Doctor Wang, since you have your own considerations, we will not insist. We hope to seek your assistance in the future.”

Yang Qingyan smiled in response. After the dean and Doctor Wang left, she resumed her seat by Mu Nanhe’s bed, preparing to give him acupuncture again while channeling her abilities to strengthen the recovery of his nerves.

In the following days, the dean indeed called for her to perform several challenging surgeries, each of which she completed excellently. In every surgery, Yang Qingyan was completely focused, leveraging her exquisite medical skills and decisive judgment to resolve one difficult problem after another.

The first case involved a young special forces soldier who, during a high-difficulty mountain combat mission, was unfortunately shot in the abdomen by stray bullets, causing multiple intestinal ruptures and severe hemorrhaging. When he arrived at the hospital, his situation was critical, and his vital signs were extremely unstable. His attending physician indicated it might be hopeless, but the dean asked Yang Qingyan to step in. After several hours of hard work, they finally managed to stop the bleeding and repair the damaged organs.

Another case involved an artillery soldier who faced an accident during training, suffering multiple rib fractures due to the recoil of a heavy artillery piece. One of the ribs punctured his lung, causing pneumothorax and difficulty breathing. Yang Qingyan stepped up to the challenge, using her advanced surgical skills and rich experience to successfully resolve the crisis.

There was also a marine who, after a long time executing missions at sea, developed severe appendicitis under harsh conditions. Due to delayed treatment, the appendix had already perforated, resulting in an abdominal abscess, complicating his condition. Yang Qingyan devised a detailed surgical plan, carefully clearing the pus in the abdominal cavity to prevent the spread of infection, followed by precisely excising the appendix and repairing the damaged abdominal tissues. In the end, this marine successfully recovered and returned to the sea to continue safeguarding the country’s waters.

The dean watched all of this unfold with great satisfaction and, as promised, provided her with a generous reward. News of the miraculous doctor spread quickly through Capital Hospital, attracting various patients suffering from complicated conditions, all hoping to regain their health under her capable hands.