The surgery began, leaving only Song Jinzhao, Song Shixue, Liu Xuanqing, and Mu Songnian in the room.
After drinking the medicinal decoction, Old Lady Meng fell into a deep coma.
Song Jinzhao, holding a specially crafted No. 10 scalpel, made a ten-centimeter incision below the patient's right abdomen.
"The appendix is inflamed. The greater omentum and appendix have adhered, forming an inflammatory mass. Give me the No. 15 scalpel."
Song Shixue immediately passed the No. 15 scalpel over.
Liu Xuanqing and Mu Songnian, wearing masks, stared at the tray holding surgical tools of various sizes and shapes, astonished and somewhat unable to gather their thoughts.
Every move Song Jinzhao made was an assault on their years of medical knowledge, shattering their minds to pieces, held together only by a thin layer of skin to keep them from falling apart.
Time passed minute by minute. The Meng family waiting outside the room was already anxiously pacing in circles.
Madam Meng clenched her handkerchief, her heart in turmoil. "We still don't know what's happening inside. There's not a single sound."
Meng Hechuan sat on a chair with his head bowed, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the door, not uttering a word.
Song Shixue used gauze to wipe the sweat beading on Song Jinzhao's forehead.
The adhesions were severe; separating them required extraordinary effort, all while trying to minimize the surgery time. Song Jinzhao's entire focus was now on her hands.
Although it was only her hands and mind at work, her whole body was tense, the inner layer of her clothes already half-soaked with sweat.
In modern times, appendicitis is a minor surgery, but here, the difficulty was amplified at least tenfold, and it could be fatal at any moment.
"Clamp."
Her voice showed not a trace of fluctuation; Song Jinzhao was the picture of absolute calm at this moment.
She severed the mesenteric vessels and swiftly ligated them to stop the bleeding.
"Catgut suture."
They watched as Song Jinzhao deftly used a needle holder to perform a double ligation at the base of the appendix, then cut it off and placed it on the tray.
Mu Songnian, over ninety years old, had poor eyesight. He rubbed them a few times before clearly seeing Song Jinzhao's actions.
Liu Xuanqing stared at the small, intestine-like object on the tray. Was this the inflamed appendix?
After burying the stump into the cecum, suctioning out the pus from the abdominal cavity, and rinsing it once with medicinal solution, she finally began suturing the peritoneum, muscle, subcutaneous tissue, and skin.
Song Jinzhao: "Don't suture the wound completely here. Leave an opening at the end and insert mulberry bark paper for drainage."
Song Shixue asked curiously, "If an abscess hadn't formed from perforation before the surgery, would drainage not be necessary?"
Song Jinzhao nodded: "Correct. Adding this step increases the risk of wound infection. So, once appendicitis recurs after treatment, the best method is excision, the sooner the better."
Seeing the wound suturing completed, Liu Xuanqing cautiously checked Old Lady Meng's pulse. Only after confirming the pulse was stable did he suppress the excitement in his heart and let out a sigh of relief.
The door opened, and the Meng family rushed forward in a crowd, urgently asking, "How did it go? Was the surgery successful?"
Liu Xuanqing stepped aside. "Better let Physician Song explain to you, sir."
Song Jinzhao walked out holding the tray. "The appendix has been removed. The next three days are the most critical. As long as there's no infection, it can be considered a success."
Madam Meng saw the contents of the tray clearly, covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and retreated several steps.
Meng Xiaozhe stared at the pinkish-red object on the tray, his neck retracting, somewhat frightened.
"Physician Song, what is this?"
Song Jinzhao offered the tray towards him. "Your grandmother's appendix. Didn't you say she wanted to be buried whole after death? Burn this, and when the time comes a hundred years from now, place it in the coffin with her. That way, all her organs will be complete."
Meng Xiaozhe's mouth twitched. His eyes darted between Song Jinzhao and the tray several times before he finally, with trembling hands, took the tray. His gaze was conflicted, as if he had grievances he couldn't voice.
"My previous remarks were improper. Thank you, Physician Song, for considering my grandmother's wishes."
Song Jinzhao relaxed her expression and glanced at Meng Hechuan. "The old lady will likely wake in about half an hour. She must abstain from food and water for three hours. She can get out of bed and walk moderately to prevent internal adhesions from prolonged immobility."
Meng Hechuan quickly spoke up: "We have guest rooms in the residence. To guard against any unforeseen complications while my mother recuperates, could Miss Song possibly stay temporarily?"
Considering she would need to change the drainage mulberry bark paper frequently over the next few days, Song Jinzhao glanced at Song Shixue and then nodded in agreement.
Gu Zhongheng stepped forward to help Mu Songnian out of the room. "Master, did Song Jinzhao really cure Old Lady Meng?"
Having stood for so long, a wave of fatigue washed over Mu Songnian as he relaxed.
He shook his head. "It depends on her recovery over the next few days. But at least for now, the patient is still alive and well after having her appendix cut out."
Gu Zhongheng's arm stiffened. He clenched his lips, a pang of panic in his chest.
Meng Hechuan had someone escort Song Shixue home first, while Song Jinzhao returned to the guest room to rest.
Three quarters of an hour later, Old Lady Meng woke up.
The ordeal of the past few days, combined with the surgery, made her feel as if she had crawled back from hell—her head throbbing, her entire body weak and feeble.
Three hours later, two maids helped Old Lady Meng out of bed.
After just two steps, she shook her head uncomfortably at Song Jinzhao. "It hurts. Can I not walk? Lying down doesn't hurt as much."
Song Jinzhao firmly refused: "No. Walk back and forth in the room once. Lying down can cause internal adhesions in the abdomen. That can be fatal."
Hearing it could be fatal, Old Lady Meng had no choice but to continue taking slow, plodding steps.
Once she had finally managed the number of steps Song Jinzhao required, she immediately had the maids help her back to bed to lie down.
"Physician Song, when will I recover?"
The hole in her belly wasn't fully sewn up yet; the mulberry bark paper plugged the opening. She always felt an unsettling emptiness inside, as if her internal organs were exposed, which gave her the creeps.
Song Jinzhao leaned over to check the drainage from the pus. The color and viscosity appeared normal.
"As long as you can get through the next three days, the stitches can be removed after seven days. You'll be able to walk normally after half a month, and be completely recovered in a month."
Old Lady Meng grabbed the back of Song Jinzhao's hand. "Are you sure it won't recur again?"
She truly didn't want to endure such pain a third time.
Song Jinzhao offered a faint, reassuring smile. "I'm sure. How can it recur when the appendix is gone?"
She changed the mulberry bark paper twice daily. By the second day, the amount of pus discharge had significantly decreased.
On the fourth day, Song Jinzhao applied anesthetic to the affected area. "Bear with it, don't tense up. Just two stitches."
Old Lady Meng turned her head away and shut her eyes tightly, not daring to look. Who would have thought the day would come when her own flesh could be sewn like fabric.
After finishing the sutures, Song Jinzhao packed her things and took her leave from Meng Hechuan. "Old Lady Meng has safely passed the critical period. I will return when it's time to remove the stitches."
Meng Hechuan bowed gratefully towards Song Jinzhao. "Miss Song's medical skills are extraordinary. I apologize for my previous lack of trust and ask for your understanding."
Song Jinzhao smiled lightly, unconcerned. "Lord Meng, please don't dwell on it. Most people would choose to see an older physician. There's no need to apologize."
Madam Meng approached Song Jinzhao holding a wooden box, which she opened. "This is the consultation fee and payment for the medicine. We've troubled you these past few days, Physician Song. Please, you must accept it."
