“Comrade, you cannot undress. I cannot perform the surgery.”
Qiao Xingyue did not realize that the injured man in front of her, whose most vital part was hurt, was actually her legal husband.
Five years ago, Qiao Xingyue had performed four surgeries in a row. Just after leaving the operating room, she felt her vision go black and then opened her eyes to find herself transported to the 1970s. She had become a village woman weighing over two hundred jin, known as Fatya.
At that time, Fatya’s mother had her eyes on the platoon leader who had come to the village on a mission.
Hearing that the platoon leader received forty-eight yuan in allowances every month, she became greedy and secretly prepared a bag of fertility medicine.
She mixed it into two bowls of sweet potato porridge.
One bowl went to the platoon leader who was staying with them, and the other bowl went to her unaware daughter, Fatya.
Qiao Xingyue arrived at this moment.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the medicine made her dizzy and weak, and she ended up entangled with the equally confused platoon leader.
The next morning, the man woke up in shock.
Even knowing he had been tricked, he saw Fatya’s mother crying and saying that her daughter had lost her purity. He gritted his teeth and acknowledged the situation, deciding to marry Fatya.
Qiao Xingyue was dizzy for several days. When she rode on top of the man, she could not even see his face clearly. When she finally regained her senses, she had a husband.
After the marriage, the man stayed in the army and did not allow Fatya to follow him. He only sent money.
All that money was kept by Fatya’s mother who did not give any to Fatya.
Soon, Fatya’s mother saw that the money was secure and lied to her daughter that the platoon leader had died in action and that she was keeping the compensation for her. She then kicked the pregnant Qiao Xingyue out of the house.
Qiao Xingyue, now carrying the body of Fatya, gave birth to twin daughters in a rundown house.
She had no postpartum care and no proper food, and she lost weight from over two hundred jin to ninety jin. Later, she regained her medical skills from her past life.
After five years of hard work, she changed her name back to Qiao Xingyue. She raised her two daughters, who were over four years old, and made a living wherever she could. Two years ago, she arrived at Shantang Village and began working as the village doctor.
She had no idea that the strong and handsome Xie Zhongming standing in front of her was the same unlucky man she had slept with years ago.
He also did not recognize that the slim and beautiful village doctor was his two hundred jin wife.
“Comrade Xie, you have injured an important part. If surgery is not done soon, you may never have children.”
He was in severe pain, sweating from his forehead, but he still held onto his belt and refused to loosen his grip.
His strong and lean arms were rolled up, revealing every muscle and vein. They were powerful and masculine, but covered in blood.
Qiao Xingyue was used to blood from surgeries.
She gently placed her hand on his blood-stained arm and coaxed him. “Comrade Xie, the operating table does not differentiate between men and women. Right now, I am only a doctor saving lives. Relax and let go.”
Only then did Xie Zhongming look directly at Qiao Xingyue.
He never gave any female colleague a second glance, but she was different. Her slim figure in a white coat made her look like an angel. Her single ponytail fell on her chest with a dark green ribbon at the end. Her almond-shaped eyes, fine nose, and fair skin made her both spirited and stunning.
Xie Zhongming was very reluctant to let this beautiful doctor undress him.
“Comrade, please assign me another male doctor. If you do not, I would rather die than have this surgery.”
Qiao Xingyue was furious. At a time like this, he was more concerned about modesty than his own injury.
“Which is more important, your life or your pride?”
Time was critical and his injury was serious. His groin was already soaked in blood. If she delayed, she might not be able to restore his function even if she wanted to.
“There is no male doctor here who can treat you. Today, you will undress whether you like it or not.”
She used a silver needle to prick a point on his arm and then quickly loosened his belt, pulling his blood-stained pants down.
Qiao Xingyue frowned at the severity of the injury.
Jiang Beiyang, watching her expression, was worried. “Comrade Qiao, is there no way to save him? Will Xie Zhongming really never have children?”
“There is hope, but the surgery fee will increase by thirty yuan.”
Jiang Beiyang clenched his fists. The injured Xie Zhongming did not expect the female doctor to raise the price.
“Will you do it or not? The longer we wait, the greater the risk. If the tissue dies, stitching it will be useless.”
Jiang Beiyang nodded. “Add thirty. Begin the surgery.”
Qiao Xingyue disinfected her hands and prepared to operate.
“The injury is serious. I cannot guarantee full recovery, but I will do my best.”
She signaled to the nurse to bring a razor to shave the area.
As she reached down, Xie Zhongming grabbed her wrist. His face turned red.
Qiao Xingyue injected another needle and started shaving. “Everything is already exposed. Do not move or you will suffer more.”
Xie Zhongming felt like he wanted to hide. Even his fat wife back in the village had never touched him like this, but now he had no choice.
After shaving and disinfecting, she told him that local anesthesia would be applied. It would hurt briefly but the pain would go away.
Xie Zhongming endured the pain, showing no sign of weakness. Qiao Xingyue noticed his bravery.
“Do you feel anything now?”
“No.”
“Then I will begin the surgery.”
He stayed fully conscious during the surgery, watching Qiao Xingyue carefully handle his injury.
The surgery lasted over an hour. Qiao Xingyue completed the final stitch and wrapped the wound. “The anesthesia will wear off soon. Do not wear pants during this time. Keep the area dry. I will check on you later.”
She covered him with a thin blanket. “Rest. I have to treat other patients.”
The tent was full of miners injured in the landslide. Her home had become a temporary clinic. She worked tirelessly to treat them.
Late at night, after two days and nights of continuous work, she finally had a moment. She checked on Xie Zhongming.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine.”
He was embarrassed because she had seen the private area of his body.
“Thank you, Comrade Qiao.”
“Payment for services, that is fair.”
She uncovered the blanket to examine the wound. He clutched the blanket tightly. “I am not wearing pants. The surgery is done, you do not need to look.”
“I must check the wound to ensure there is no infection or risk of reopening. Otherwise you might have difficulty even urinating in the future, let alone normal intimacy.”
Xie Zhongming understood and reluctantly let go.
Qiao Xingyue used a flashlight to inspect the wound. Knowing he was shy, she quickly covered him afterward. “Have you married?”