In the 1970s, only a handful of doctors in the provincial capital were capable of performing cesarean sections.
Song Qingsong finally snapped out of his daze.
“What are we standing here for? Let’s go find Director Zhang!”
Director Zhang, the head of the Provincial Hospital’s obstetrics department, was highly experienced in cesarean deliveries.
Dr. Xu sighed helplessly.
“Unfortunately, Director Zhang is in Beijing attending a conference. Given the patient’s current condition, I recommend stabilizing her first and then transferring her to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”
“All right.”
Tan Zheng had just agreed when a piercing scream came from inside the operating room.
Dr. Xu quickly pulled on her mask and rushed back inside.
The doors slammed shut.
Tan Zheng stood outside, his face grim.
Less than ten minutes later, Dr. Xu burst out again, her voice filled with urgency.
“This is bad! The patient’s condition has worsened!”
Even under the best circumstances, transferring her to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital would take at least twenty minutes.
She likely wouldn’t survive that long.
“We have to perform a cesarean section immediately!”
It was their only chance.
Lives were hanging by a thread.
If they delayed any longer, both mother and child would most likely die.
As a doctor, Song Qingsong understood exactly what Tan Xiwen was facing.
He clenched his fists and asked bravely,
“Dr. Xu… is there any other option?”
“The patient requires an emergency cesarean section, but it’s a technically demanding procedure. It requires specialized training and practical experience.”
Dr. Xu looked conflicted.
She had assisted Director Zhang during cesarean operations before, but she had never performed one herself.
Commander Tan’s family clearly had influence.
If anything happened, she couldn’t bear the responsibility.
“Dr. Xu, the patient wants to speak to her family.”
A nurse hurried out from the operating room.
The moment he heard that, Tan Zheng strode inside.
Tan Xiwen lay on the hospital bed, an IV dripping into her arm, her lips deathly pale.
The moment she saw Tan Zheng, she grabbed his hand tightly.
“Little Brother… tell the doctor… save the baby, not me.”
She understood exactly what Dr. Xu had meant.
Only one of them—she or the child—might survive.
Severe eclampsia had already ruled out natural delivery.
Combined with the baby’s breech position, a cesarean section was the only option.
But Dr. Xu had never performed one before.
Of course she would hesitate.
“I can’t let Dr. Xu bear the responsibility.”
“I’ll sign the consent form myself… and write a liability waiver.”
Before she could finish speaking, another violent seizure overtook her.
She suddenly lost consciousness.
The nurses immediately called Dr. Xu back in to begin another round of emergency treatment.
“Dr. Xu… my sister means…”
Faced with enemies, Tan Zheng never hesitated.
But faced with family, he simply couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
If they chose to save only the baby…
That child would enter the world without a mother.
Song Qingsong’s eyes reddened.
“Tan Zheng, decide now! We don’t have time!”
“Isn’t there anyone who knows how to perform a cesarean section?”
Qin Man slowly closed her eyes.
In the end, she made her decision.
She would save them.
In her previous life, she had been a doctor herself.
She understood exactly what the patient’s family was going through.
Even if this had been a complete stranger, she would still have stepped forward out of a physician’s duty.
She simply couldn’t stand by and watch lives slip away.
Especially not when both Tan Zheng and Song Qingsong had helped her.
“I can do it.”
Her eyes were unwavering.
Tan Zheng took two steps forward, cornering her against the wall.
His normally calm voice had turned hoarse.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
At such a critical moment, he had never imagined Qin Man would volunteer.
“Trust me.”
She had no time to explain.
To everyone’s surprise, Song Qingsong immediately supported her.
He ran off, grabbed paper and a pen, and hurried back.
“Comrade Qin Man, you’re trying to save lives. Even if…”
“…even if something happens, no one will blame you.”
Everyone knew how critical Tan Xiwen’s condition was.
Ignoring him, Qin Man rushed straight into the operating room.
The white hospital sheets had already been soaked crimson with blood.
The sight was shocking.
She accepted the surgical gown, mask, and sterile latex gloves from the nurse before thoroughly disinfecting herself.
Dr. Xu didn’t know Qin Man.
Assuming she must be some outstanding young surgeon, she immediately stood beside her as an assistant.
“Continue the magnesium sulfate.”
“I’m observing severe hypertension. Start antihypertensive medication immediately and monitor her blood pressure closely.”
In those brief moments, Qin Man had already completed a thorough assessment.
Fortunately, the baby had passed thirty-four weeks of gestation, and the lungs were already mature.
After anesthesia had been administered, Qin Man asked another question.
“Does the hospital have enough blood in the blood bank?”
During a cesarean section, sufficient blood had to be prepared in advance in case of massive hemorrhaging.
From her examination, she suspected the patient also had mild clotting dysfunction.
“We do.”
Dr. Xu never took her eyes off Qin Man.
The young woman looked no older than twenty, yet every movement was calm, precise, and practiced.
Having spent years working under Director Zhang, Dr. Xu noticed Qin Man making a horizontal incision.
She hesitated.
“Dr. Qin… your technique is different from Director Zhang’s.”
“That’s right.”
Now that the patient’s condition had stabilized somewhat, Qin Man operated with effortless confidence.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to both horizontal and vertical incisions.”
“This patient doesn’t have a giant baby or placenta previa, so exposure isn’t an issue.”
Then she explained the advantages.
“A low transverse incision heals faster, leaves a better cosmetic result, follows the natural direction of the abdominal muscles, and causes less muscle damage.”
If they hadn’t been in the middle of surgery, Dr. Xu would have wanted to grab a notebook and write down every single word.
The cesarean section lasted an hour.
Without relying on an assistant, Qin Man completed a flawless closure.
When the newborn’s cry finally echoed through the delivery room…
Tan Zheng’s legs suddenly gave out.
He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold floor, utterly drained.
A long while later, he climbed to his feet.
On the rooftop terrace of the hospital, he stood silently beneath the falling snow with a cigarette between his fingers.
The tiny ember glowed faintly against the dark winter night.
Song Qingsong stood behind him.
“The nurse just came out.”
“Both mother and baby are safe.”
Tan Xiwen had long suffered from high blood pressure.
Her legs and feet had been badly swollen.
But she had been so busy with work that she’d neglected her prenatal checkups.
“The pregnancy-induced hypertension caused the complications.”
“The baby is underweight—just over three jin.”
Because the surgery had been performed in time, the baby had avoided fetal distress.
Though premature, the infant appeared healthy.
After being carefully wrapped to keep warm, the newborn was transferred to pediatrics for observation.
“This time…”
“We owe everything to Comrade Qin Man.”
Song Qingsong finally relaxed and removed his glasses.
“I’d only just managed to make up for my previous mistake.”
“And now I owe her an even greater debt.”
Qin Man hadn’t simply saved two lives.
She had saved the entire Tan family.
“The nurses all said her surgical skills were extraordinary.”
“They even claimed she surpassed Director Zhang.”
Song Qingsong spoke with complete certainty.
“Some talents can be self-taught.”
“But medicine isn’t one of them.”
Even Dr. Xu, after years of working beside Director Zhang, hadn’t dared perform this operation.
So the question was…
How could someone Qin Man’s age possibly take charge of such a surgery?
He lowered his voice.
“Do you think she might be…”
He didn’t finish the words enemy agent.
Meeting Tan Zheng’s sharp gaze, Song Qingsong awkwardly laughed.
“I’m just making a reasonable guess.”
Tan Zheng looked toward the snow-filled night.
“No.”
“My instincts tell me…”
“She isn’t.”