Su Tong had already made up her mind. Since Qin Yi chose to trust her, she was willing to prove herself.
She was unwilling to cause trouble, but she was not afraid of it either—and she had no intention of doing anything against her own will.
“Comrade Qin, I can cure Ma Liu, but I need an operating room and a set of silver acupuncture needles. Also, I don’t want a third person to know about this.”
This answer was somewhat beyond Qin Yi’s expectations.
He knew she must have had some idea in mind. He had originally thought she might offer some useful insight—after all, she had a “remarkable” track record—but he never expected she would dare to treat Ma Liu on her own.
And to open with the claim that she could cure him.
“Think it over. Let me know once you’ve decided.”
Su Tong nodded at him and turned to return to the ward.
She knew it was difficult for Qin Yi to make this decision. After all, her own background was so tragic, and she had never demonstrated any “medical talent.”
And from how seriously they treated Ma Liu, it was clear he was an important criminal. Any mistake could not only affect Qin Yi but might also delay the investigation.
“I only have one question.”
Qin Yi’s voice came from behind her.
Su Tong turned around and saw him standing in the snow like a pine tree resisting the frost. His voice was low and firm as he asked seriously:
“I want to know—when you were hesitating just now, was it because of Ma Liu’s condition, or because you were afraid I would learn more about your secrets?”
Su Tong curved her lips slightly, her gaze confident and steady.
“Ma Liu’s condition isn’t enough to make me hesitate.”
Qin Yi no longer hesitated.
“Alright. I’ll wait for your news.”
With that, he strode away.
Su Tong watched his back and let out a long breath.
If he dared to trust her, she would not let him down.
Besides—it was a life.
She was a doctor.
Before returning to the ward, Su Tong went to the restroom at the end of the corridor. When she came out, she noticed a washbasin sitting by the sink, along with toiletries. Beside it was a medium-sized round mirror on a metal stand—likely left behind by someone who had finished washing up.
She paused.
She had been here several days and still didn’t know what she looked like.
The mirror was an old-style one on an iron stand. She leaned closer, slightly crouched by the sink, and saw her reflection.
The moment she saw it, she was startled.
This… this was clearly her own face. Identical to her modern self.
Though her skin was in poor condition—dark, yellowed, thin, and somewhat youthful—her features were unmistakably the same.
Su Tong couldn’t quite process it.
Aside from the surname, this world’s Su Tong shared the same name as her—and even the same face.
Was it coincidence?
Or some hidden causal connection?
“Pfft—”
Someone laughed at the doorway.
“Oh, little girl, all grown up and stuck in front of a mirror you can’t move away from.”
Su Tong snapped back to reality and saw the chubby head nurse standing at the door, smiling warmly.
“Head Nurse, hello!” she greeted quickly.
The head nurse held a towel and walked in while drying her hair.
“You’re recovering well. Much better today!”
“Yes, I’m much better now. Thank you all for taking care of me.”
“No need to be so polite—that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
The head nurse tidied up the basin, then leaned in and whispered:
“Don’t worry, girl. My father-in-law is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. He has an ancestral scar-removal ointment. I’ll get you a jar later.”
Su Tong paused, then immediately realized the misunderstanding. The nurse thought she had been staring at the mirror because she was worried about scars on her head. Her bandages hadn’t been removed yet, and she hadn’t even seen the wound. Judging from the nurses’ reactions when changing her dressings, it was probably not a small injury.
She quickly waved her hands.
“It’s okay! Even if there’s a scar, it doesn’t matter!”
“How can it not matter? Girls care about appearance! When you’re discharged, I’ll give you the address. Once your wound fully heals in a few months, come get the ointment. It only works if it’s freshly brewed!”
The head nurse’s round face was lively as she spoke.
“Alright, I’m off night shift now! Get some rest!”
With that, she left with the basin.
Su Tong felt a warmth in her heart. Although conditions in this era were difficult, people were simple and sincere. Trust and kindness were everywhere—it wasn’t so bad.
Her ward was on the east side of the second floor, a triple room.
Originally, she was the only patient, but in the past two days, as her condition improved, another woman surnamed Dong had been admitted.
Sister Dong was a local from the county and only stayed during the day for IV drips, returning home at night because she had children to take care of.
When Su Tong returned, Sister Dong was already on a drip.
“Oh! Comrade Xiao Wu, you’re back! A friend from your village just came to see you. She waited a long time but just left!” she called out.
“A friend from my village?” Su Tong was confused.
“Yes! A young girl, very polite and gentle-looking!”
“A girl?”
Based on the description, it didn’t sound like Wu Dongling. Su Tong had almost no friends in the village, and she couldn’t think of who would come to see her.
She went to the corridor railing and looked around, but didn’t see anyone familiar.
“It’s okay! I told her you wouldn’t be gone long. She said she’d come back later,” Sister Dong added loudly.
“Ah… thank you.”
Su Tong searched through her limited memories but found nothing useful. The thought of dealing with the original owner’s social connections in the future gave her a headache.
Most of her previous life had been spent either in laboratories or operating rooms, occasionally leading medical teams to frontline support or even battlefields. Her social circle was extremely simple—comrades, orders given and received. That was her entire world.
She entered medical school at eighteen, joined a major military hospital at twenty-four, deployed with peacekeeping forces at twenty-five, and died in action at twenty-seven. She had long been used to a minimalistic life.
But the original owner was an introverted, insecure girl, burdened with an “unlucky” label. There were very few people she could actually talk to in her memories.
When Nurse Xiao Li saw Su Tong return, she pushed in a trolley, hung up her IV drip, and prepared to change the dressing on her head wound.
At that moment, Sister Dong across the room called out warmly toward the door:
“Oh! Girl, you’re here again! Comrade Xiao Wu is already back!”