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“Dean, please go ahead. If I can help, I will do my best.”
“It’s like this—we have a surgery scheduled. The patient has a tumor on her neck. She’s a young woman, not yet married, and we worry a scar would be too unsightly. Your suturing skills are remarkable. Would you be willing to handle the closing?”
The demonstration with the eggshell had left them all thoroughly convinced. In later generations, this would be considered basic training, but at present, few could achieve it. That was why the dean made this request; after all, for a young woman, the scar mattered.
“Of course. When does the operation begin?”
“In half an hour.” The dean checked his watch.
“The,n please issue my medical license first. Without it, I can’t legally enter the operating theater.”
She was strict about such matters; without a license, it would count as illegal practice.
“One moment.”
The dean pulled out a blank certificate, ink pad, and stamp. For the first time, Momo saw what a medical license looked like in this era: a single sheet with printed text, blank fields for name, age, date, and a photo. Fill in the details, paste the photo, stamp it—and it was done.
“If you didn’t bring a photo, you can add one later. I should have reminded you on the phone that was my oversight.”
“I brought one.”
She pretended to pull it from her pocket, when in fact it came from her hidden space.
The dean glued on the photo, pressed down the red seal, and just like that—her license was complete. It looked a bit rough, but the weight it carried was immense. With this, she could work at any hospital.
“Comrade Su, it’s ready. Let’s head to the operating room—the time has come.”
Momo nodded, then handed the license to Xingchen.
“Keep this for me. I don’t know how long the surgery will take. If it runs long, it may be evening before I’m out.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
“Mm. I’ll go in now.”
Inside, the doctors and nurses who had prepped for surgery were puzzled to see her, but when they noticed the surgical director at her side, they held their tongues.
“This is Dr. Su. She is highly skilled in surgery, particularly in suturing. You’ll see for yourselves soon enough. This is an excellent chance to learn. Any questions can wait until afterward. Now—let’s begin.”
……
Xingchen waited outside. As he sat there, his thoughts kept drifting back to the conference room earlier—how even the dean and senior physicians had treated his wife with such respect. His chest swelled with pride. This is my wife.
If only Su Tingjie or Su Tinghao were here, he thought, he could brag endlessly and they’d join in, singing her praises. Among friends, he was perfectly talkative; he just wasn’t the type to open up around strangers.
Time ticked on. The sky grew dark. After five hours, even Xingchen began to feel anxious. He had seen comrades go into long operations before, and remembered doctors staggering out pale and exhausted, drained from hours of focus and standing. He worried for her strength.
At last, after what felt like forever, the operating room doors opened. Momo stepped out with four other doctors and nurses, right in the center of the group. The others looked at her with admiration shining in their eyes.
“Dr. Su, you truly opened our eyes today.”
“Yes, yes. We were far too arrogant before. Now we see—there’s always someone stronger, always a higher sky above.”
Just then, a middle-aged couple rushed over.
“Doctor, how’s our daughter?”
“She’s doing very well. The surgery was a complete success. This is Dr. Su, the lead surgeon. Without her, things would not have gone so smoothly. We had estimated eight hours. Thanks to Dr. Su, not only was the time greatly shortened, but when we saw the tumor’s complexity, we realized—without her here, the outcome might not have been good.”
“Thank you, thank you, Doctor!” The couple bowed repeatedly.
Momo quickly helped them up. “There’s no need. This is my duty. I also tried to make the incision neat—her scar won’t be very noticeable in the future.”
“That’s already more than enough. As long as our daughter can live normally, a little scar is nothing. Thank you, truly, thank you so much.”
After exchanging a few words with the dean, Momo finally left with Xingchen.
Inside the jeep, he reached out to rub her head. “Tired?”
“A little. But I’m young, so it’s fine. Still, it reminded me—I need to train daily. Otherwise, I won’t last through surgeries that run ten hours or more.”
“Then run with us each morning. You’re a military doctor, part of our army family. Join our drills—it’ll be good for you.”
“Mm. Let’s get some food, then head home.”
By the time they returned to the family quarters, it was nearly midnight. Momo handed the trunk items to Xingchen. She couldn’t help noticing his meticulous habits, even stronger than her own. Likely, the military had ingrained them. His little vegetable patch was lined up like soldiers in ranks.
Whatever she arranged, he mirrored precisely, never needing to be told. That neatness made their life together so harmonious—they never quarreled over trivialities.
In later generations, many couples’ flaws emerged after marriage. With Xingchen, those troubles didn’t exist. Her only complaint was at night—he wore her out, then fussed over her with baths and massages so thoroughly that she couldn’t even muster the chance to scold him.
The next morning, Momo didn’t wake until ten. Opening her eyes, she saw a note left on the pillow.
**“Momo, breakfast is ready.
Come to my office once you’re rested, and we’ll get your work arranged.
Love,
A-Chen.”**
The handwriting was elegant, as though carefully trained. Smiling, she tucked the note away in her space—it would be a precious memory for the future.
She ate a simple breakfast—porridge and an egg—then brought out pork trotters and two apples from her supplies. By the time she finished cooking, it was nearly noon, perfect to bring lunch to Xingchen.
She packed pork trotters, stir-fried celery with shredded potato, scrambled eggs with tomato, some pickles, and two apples into food tins. Since she was bringing food to Xingchen, she prepared an extra portion for her brother as well. The staple—steamed buns—she would buy from the canteen.
At the office building, she signed in at the gate. The soldier on duty gave her Xingchen’s office number, and she thanked him before heading up.
She knocked.
“Come in.”
She pushed the door open. “A-Chen. Regiment Commander Meng.”
“Ah, the younger sister-in-law is here.”
“Regimental Commander, we should go see the Division Commander now.”