The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Don’t Be Afraid

Even though she didn’t have the heart to discourage Xin Ziqi, Ji Huan still told him the truth.

Xin Ziqi asked, confused, "Why?"

This material was unlike any suture he had ever seen. He couldn’t understand why it was unusable.

The reasoning was actually quite simple.

Absorbable sutures, after being implanted in human tissue, could indeed be broken down and absorbed by the body, sparing the patient the pain of having stitches removed.

But they weren’t typically used for suturing tendons.

A ruptured tendon requires a long time to heal. Absorbable sutures, especially catgut like this, are absorbed too quickly—sometimes in just four or five days. They are mostly used for faster-healing tissues or closing infected wounds, which is far from long enough for a tendon to mend.

You have to understand, it’s very dangerous for the suture to start absorbing before the tendon has healed. If things go wrong, the sutured tendon could rupture again.

Regular thread doesn’t have this problem because it doesn’t get absorbed, remaining in place until the tendon has safely healed.

Besides, the sutures for the fascial layer don’t need to be removed. They have no effect on the body. You only need to remove the stitches on the outer skin.

"Besides, the vagrant’s injuries are much more severe than a typical case..."

After listening to Ji Huan’s simplified explanation, Xin Ziqi stared at the wooden box and sighed. "Then is it useless?"

"Not necessarily. We still haven’t determined the state of the vagrant’s left hand and right foot, have we? If they haven’t healed completely and need to be reinforced with stitches, we can use these."

Xin Ziqi nodded. "I suppose that’s our only option."

Ji Huan had already inspected the medicinal powder, which had been ground and filtered through a fine sieve, and confirmed it was ready. The next step was to prepare the anesthetic.

Ji Huan supervised while Xin Ziqi handled the practical work.

Although he had tried it the previous night, there were still some minor details he didn’t fully understand, so he asked Ji Huan questions as he mixed.

As Ji Huan answered, she secretly glanced at the vagrant.

It was hard to read any expression on his face. ’I wonder if he’s inwardly scorning Doctor Xin and me,’ she thought.

’It wouldn’t be surprising. We’re about to start, yet the two of us are still making preparations. We must seem so unreliable.’

Once the anesthetic was ready, Xin Ziqi found some four-finger-wide straps. He positioned the vagrant face down and bound him firmly to the wooden plank bed to prevent him from struggling if the anesthetic wore off halfway through.

After tying him down, they made other preparations.

For instance, they cleaned the wound with saltwater and sterilized the surgical knives by dousing them in alcohol and heating them over a lamp.

Ji Huan knew that Xin Ziqi’s methods were crude and had many issues, but under the current conditions, there was no better way. So, she didn’t say anything.

She brought the bowl of medicine to the vagrant’s side, dipped a small brush into the prepared medicinal liquid, and leaned over to apply it to his wrist.

While waiting for the anesthetic to take effect, she couldn’t help but voice the question on her mind.

"May I ask what suturing technique you’ll be using later? Of course, if this involves some family tradition or secret, then..."

Xin Ziqi waved his hand and demonstrated it for her directly, without any explanation, completely unafraid that she wouldn’t understand.

Because by now, he felt as if Ji Huan understood everything.

And Ji Huan did, in fact, understand.

For tendon rupture repair surgery, the most basic suturing techniques include the figure-eight suture, the double-cross suture, and the locking-loop suture.

And Xin Ziqi’s technique was similar to a figure-eight suture.

"What is it? If something’s wrong, just say it."

Xin Ziqi was very confident in his family’s ancestral technique, but seeing Ji Huan’s pensive expression after his demonstration, he became a little uncertain.

At the same time, a sliver of anticipation grew in his heart. ’Perhaps Ji Huan has a better method?’

"Your figure-of... method, it’s actually quite good. The tendon won’t tear easily after suturing. But it’s mainly suitable for tendons with low tension post-suture, like those in the hand. For the Achilles tendon in the foot, well..."

After so many conversations with Ji Huan, Xin Ziqi had learned that the technical terms she used for ’tendons’ and ’Achilles tendon’ corresponded to what he simply called hand and foot tendons.

"You have a better way?" His anticipation turned into certainty, and Xin Ziqi’s gaze burned as he stared at Ji Huan.

Ji Huan hesitated. "I do, but I’m afraid there isn’t enough time."

’Even if I teach it to him now, it’s a question of whether he can learn it on the spot. And even if he could, performing it without any practice... what if something goes wrong...’

A wave of regret washed over her.

’I’m so used to a clear division of labor with the lead surgeon. How could I forget this isn’t the modern era? I should have gone over the specific surgical plan with Xin Ziqi beforehand, not just the anesthesia.’

"There’s time. I have a certain talent in this area. Whether it’s memorizing prescriptions, identifying medicinal herbs, or learning new stitching techniques, I never forget what I see."

There wasn’t a hint of boasting in Xin Ziqi’s tone; he was simply stating a fact.

And there really was no more time to waste.

"Alright. To be safe, we’ll still use your original method for the hand tendons. But I have a ’three-bundle suture’ technique specifically for the Achilles tendon..."

The three-bundle suture technique involves trimming the ruptured ends of the Achilles tendon. The uneven ends are reconstructed into three "heads," which are then sutured individually using a specific tendon-stitching method.

Scholars have conducted follow-up studies. About eighty percent of patients treated for Achilles tendon ruptures with the three-bundle suture method can regain their pre-surgery level of athletic activity.

"This surgical method provides better mechanical strength, allowing the patient to begin functional rehabilitation earlier. Post-operative complications are also fewer than with traditional suturing methods..."

Ji Huan found a few strands of cotton thread and began to demonstrate as she explained the basic concept.

It sounded complicated, but once she demonstrated it, it was clear that it wasn’t difficult to learn or understand.

Xin Ziqi listened with intense focus, not daring to even blink for fear of missing some crucial piece of information.

And so it went, one taught while the other memorized. When Xin Ziqi felt he had grasped it, Ji Huan gave him time to practice on his own.

Meanwhile, she walked to the head of the bed, crouched down, and gently pressed the skin around the vagrant’s wound.

"Can you feel that?" Ji Huan tilted her head, staring intently into the vagrant’s eyes. "You’re not allowed to stay silent."

The vagrant clearly paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No."

Ji Huan switched from pressing to pinching. "How about this?"

The vagrant shook his head again. "No."

Pleased with his cooperation, Ji Huan repeated the action. No matter how much force she applied, the vagrant felt nothing.

Clearly, numbness had set in. The area was without sensation.

Xin Ziqi asked, "Has the Bone Healing and Tendon Repairing Powder taken effect?"

Ji Huan nodded. "Prepare for surgery, Doctor Xin."

"Alright. Let’s begin."

Xin Ziqi had prepared himself as much as possible, but when he actually uttered the word "begin," he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

This wasn’t his first time performing such a surgery. The only difference was that in the past, he had to work amidst the patient’s agonizing screams, seizing every opportunity to make a stitch. Not only would he end up a mess, but the constant wailing was mentally exhausting. Patients, driven mad by the pain, would often lash out and injure him.

This time was different. His first incision was made—the sound of the sharp blade slicing through flesh and muscle was clear in his ears—but the patient had no reaction at all.

There was no struggle, no cry of pain. Everything was calm, accompanied only by the gentle sound of Ji Huan’s voice.

She was talking to the vagrant.

"Don’t look at him, and don’t look at his knife. Look at me..."

"I’m telling you not to look at the wound because the more you look, the more scared you’ll get. Don’t be afraid. Just pretend it’s not happening..."

"Talk with me. How about we chat about what you used to do? Don’t want to talk about that?"

"Then is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you tonight. Seeing as you’ve been so badly hurt, I’ll let you place one order..."

Her chatter was incessant, yet not at all grating. Instead, it instilled a strange sense of peace in those who heard it.

Amidst her soft-spoken words, Xin Ziqi’s last trace of nervousness and self-doubt slowly faded away.

He took a deep breath, his focus absolute. The needle and thread began to weave through muscle and sinew with increasing speed and precision.

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