The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: The Surgery is Over

Ji Huan then remembered she had prepared a few things earlier.

She got up and ran to the edge of the heated brick bed, rummaging around until she found a round wooden stick. She then hurried back to the vagrant’s side, squatted down, and held the stick to his lips.

"Open your mouth and bite down on this. Whatever you do, don’t bite your own tongue."

The vagrant didn’t react for a long time. Ji Huan knew that the extreme pain had dulled his response to the outside world.

Or perhaps, he had lost the ability to react at all.

Ji Huan had no choice but to pry his mouth open herself.

After a monumental effort, she finally managed to jam the stick horizontally into his mouth.

It was only then that she noticed the vagrant was soaked through.

Ji Huan never would have thought that after witnessing all sorts of bloody and horrific surgical scenes, the one that made her heart tremble the most would be this one right now.

"Y-you have to hang in there. It’s almost over. Just endure a little longer, it’s almost done..."

Even though the vagrant was tied down securely, she instinctively gripped his arms to prevent him from suddenly losing control and tearing open the freshly sutured wound.

No one knew how long the vagrant’s willpower could last.

Xin Ziqi clearly understood this as well and didn’t dare to relax for even a moment.

Beads of sweat, large as soybeans, poured down like rain, constantly rolling from his forehead.

Ji Huan had to watch the vagrant and couldn’t wipe the sweat for him. With a turn of his head, he wiped it all on his robe.

Strangely, the more urgent the situation became, the calmer his mind grew.

Because it was a new suturing technique he wasn’t familiar with, he hesitated on the first stitch. But then came the second, the third... He replayed Ji Huan’s demonstration and explanation over and over in his mind. His hands grew steadier, his movements more methodical, and his speed increased.

The vagrant’s entire face had turned a deep purplish-red, a color that spread to his neck and shoulders, making one worry that the blood vessels all over his body might burst at any moment.

His hair was also soaked with sweat; he looked as if he had just been fished out of the water.

But what worried Ji Huan the most was the trickle of blood that slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Ji Huan called out to the vagrant repeatedly, her voice trembling. She was truly afraid he would simply die from the pain.

"If it hurts, just scream. It’ll be better if you scream it out. Listen to me, okay..."

This was probably the gentlest she had ever been with the vagrant.

And as her words fell, the vagrant did let out a muffled groan.

The sound was very faint, but because she was so close, Ji Huan heard it clearly.

’It’s good that he’s making a sound.’ She felt a wave of relief.

However, after that one groan, no matter how Ji Huan tried to soothe and coax him, the vagrant made no further sound.

It was an ordeal—an ordeal for all three of them.

After what felt like an eternity, when the words "It’s done" finally came, Ji Huan let go of the vagrant and collapsed to the floor, almost completely drained.

Xin Ziqi wasn’t in much better shape, but he couldn’t relax just yet. The final steps still needed to be completed by him.

He meticulously stitched the flesh, layer by layer, from the inside out. He tied the final knot, applied a post-operative medicine to stop the bleeding, relieve pain, and reduce inflammation, and then finished bandaging the wound. Only then did Xin Ziqi’s movements finally cease.

He stood stiffly on the spot, not moving an inch.

His waist and legs had gone completely numb.

And after the numbness came the pain, a pain so intense it felt like they were about to break.

How could it not hurt?

From ten in the morning to four in the afternoon, for over six hours intermittently, he had maintained the same posture without eating anything, aside from the water prepared beforehand.

Ji Huan herself was stiff all over, let alone Xin Ziqi, the chief surgeon.

Fortunately, it was all worth it. The tendon was sutured, the surgery was a success, and the vagrant hadn’t died from the pain—he was still conscious.

Ji Huan let out a long sigh of relief.

After being in a state of high tension for so long, once she suddenly relaxed, she truly didn’t even have the energy to lift a finger.

Ji Huan and Xin Ziqi sat facing each other, not speaking for a long time.

In the end, it was Ji Huan who managed to get up first.

The vagrant was now in a drowsy state, hovering on the edge of sleep, but overall he looked to be in decent condition.

Ji Huan picked up the bowl of water and, using a cotton swab, moistened his pale, peeling lips. She had been doing this throughout the surgery, basically once every hour.

This time, the vagrant moved his mouth instinctively, but Ji Huan didn’t dare let him drink much.

Normally, a patient could only drink water without restriction six hours after a surgery with anesthesia. Although Chinese herbal anesthetics might not have as strong an effect as Western medicine, it was still better to be cautious.

Seeing the vagrant’s eyes had closed and his breathing had stabilized, Ji Huan set down the bowl and went to open the door.

Outside, only Ping’an was there; the Hu brothers were nowhere to be seen.

"Young Master, Miss Ji, you’re finally done!" Ping’an was so happy he nearly jumped for joy.

"Where are Hu Liang and Hu Dacheng? Did they take you to get lunch?"

"We went to the Hu Family’s place for lunch. On our way back, we were only halfway here when someone ran up shouting for Hu Liang, saying someone had hung themselves."

Ji Huan was startled and asked urgently, "Was it someone from the Hu Family?"

Ping’an scratched his head. "No, it seemed to be someone from another village..."

’Another village? Could it be the Cao Family? Cao Yunyun?’

Ji Huan frowned. The vagrant had just gotten out of surgery and wasn’t out of danger yet. She couldn’t leave for the time being.

"Who’s at the Hu residence now?"

"Hu Liang left with that person. Auntie Xie is at home with your younger brother and a few of their family’s children."

Ji Huan was immediately relieved.

With Widow Xie looking after Dabao, there certainly wouldn’t be any problems.

As for whether the members of the Cao Family lived or died, that was none of her concern.

’Cao Yunyun hanging herself... Maybe I would have believed it before, but after meeting her, I have my doubts.’

’A person like that is a genuine coward, but she also genuinely cherishes her life.’

’She wouldn’t be willing to actually die. The suicide attempt is more like a tactic to force Hu Liang to submit.’

’We’ll just have to see if Hu Liang can get through this.’

"Oh, right! Auntie Xie also had me bring you some food!" Ping’an ducked into the kitchen.

The food had grown cold after being brought over from the Hu residence. He knew his Young Master’s rules and didn’t dare knock and disturb them, so he had added some firewood to the stove and kept it warm until now.

Ji Huan called Xin Ziqi out, and the two of them made do with a simple meal in the kitchen.

With food in their stomachs, they regained a good measure of their energy and spirits.

Xin Ziqi started pondering again.

"Didn’t you say the plaster was also a crucial step? So why..."

"Don’t be anxious. You’ll see in a moment."

Ji Huan ran home to grab the things she had been working on for half the night. Just as she stepped into the main hall, she heard Xin Ziqi say, "He’s awake."

Ji Huan placed the items on the table and turned her head to look at the wooden bed.

The vagrant’s eyes were indeed open.

’After being in that much pain, I thought he’d sleep around the clock.’

’He woke up after such a short time?’

’What kind of constitution is this? It’s inhuman.’

"You woke up at the perfect time. If you’re hungry or thirsty, just bear with it for now. This is a good chance for us to take care of the last important task."

The vagrant tilted his head slightly, his somewhat blurry gaze falling on her face. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if she was real or an illusion.

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