This was precisely the plan from the start, which is why Su Xiaoqi had people prepare surgical knives, catgut sutures, and gloves.
Upon hearing how serious the situation was, the old madam frowned and looked at Su Xiaoqi earnestly. She said she trusted her, of course. But if it caused Su Xiaoqi any trouble, she wouldn't mind. After all, she had endured for so many years, and the pain would pass when it came. Besides, it didn't hurt all the time, only when it was windy and rainy, or when the north wind blew…
Su Xiaoqi shook her head, saying she was confident she could cure it. It was just that the method was a bit different, and she was afraid they wouldn't accept it.
"If it can be cured, any method is fine," the old madam declared with great spirit.
Su Xiaoqi was moved by her courage. She couldn't help but take out the red wooden box and place it before the old madam. She said softly, "If… if I were to use this knife to cut open your arm and remove the arrow from inside, would you be afraid?"
The old madam froze for a moment, then quickly realized that the little girl in front of her wasn't joking; she was serious. She glanced at her arm, which had been throbbing faintly. For years, an arrow had lodged inside her arm. Although the arrow had broken at the time, the arrowhead had remained, tormenting her ever since. Su Xiaoqi's intention now was to perform surgery on the old madam to remove the arrowhead.
Out of responsibility for her patient, Su Xiaoqi explained her plan to the old madam. She hesitated, thinking that if the old madam showed even a hint of fear, she would immediately abandon the idea. However, after a moment of deliberation, the old madam nodded.
Lin Momo, who was serving nearby, listened with great surprise and turned pale with fear. She kept hinting and gesturing for the old madam not to do it. "Old madam, that involves… cutting open the flesh… This, this is too frightening." Lin Momo pleaded softly, thinking, if one's flesh was cut open, wouldn't all the blood flow out? Could they still live?
"What is there to be afraid of? Back on the battlefield, we went through worse," the old madam reprimanded them. She said that when they were injured on the battlefield and there were broken arrowheads in their wounds, the army doctors would do the same. However, they didn't have specialized surgical knives back then. They would just use their everyday daggers, sterilize them with wine, and directly cut open the flesh to dig out the arrowheads. During the process, sometimes there wasn't even any anesthesia, so they just had to endure it. Those who survived, lived; those who didn't, couldn't be helped. The temporary pain was still better than the recurring discomfort.
The old madam was very understanding. She extended her hand and gently pressed on the spot on her arm. She had always felt something inside, but the incompetent doctors in the capital had all said there was nothing. She figured they simply didn't dare to operate to remove the arrowhead, which was why they denied it. But it made sense; their practice usually involved treating minor ailments like headaches and colds. They rarely encountered the bloody realities of army doctors. It was normal for them to be afraid.
"When do we begin?" the old madam asked Su Xiaoqi with complete trust.
"I'll make some arrangements first," Su Xiaoqi replied, her expression somewhat complex. She was both happy that the old madam trusted her and felt a pang of sympathy for her. The battlefield was the most brutal place, and she hadn't expected someone of the old madam's status to have fought on the battlefield. In both her lives, she had admired soldiers, considering them the most lovable and admirable people. Although this era was different from her previous one, they were all protectors of their country. Suppressing the stirrings in her chest, she carefully drew up a list. She mentioned that while she had prepared the main items, some miscellaneous things would still need to be prepared by Lin Momo's side: hot water, alcohol for disinfection, clean gauze, and various small items.
Lin Momo left with great trepidation. However, the items were quickly prepared. Along with the delivery of the supplies, she also invited Madam Wen. When Su Xiaoqi arrived, she had already heard from Lin Momo that Madam Wen was visiting other families. It was clear that upon receiving the message sent by Lin Momo, Madam Wen, worried about the old madam, had rushed back. As soon as she heard that a knife would be used on someone, she was immediately frightened and busily tried to persuade the old madam not to take such a risk.
"Enough, all of you, go back. I have Xiaoqi with me," the old madam said impatiently, tired of their dissuasions. All she wanted was to remove what was inside. They could advise her all they wanted, but they had no idea how much her hand hurt whenever it acted up. Sometimes she wished she had never had this hand. In the past, no doctor dared to do it. Now that someone finally could and dared to do it, why would she let the opportunity pass? It didn't matter that she was old.
The old madam reprimanded Madam Wen with a stern face. It was then that Su Xiaoqi realized how very serious the old madam looked when her face turned cold. Her eyes were sharp, and the atmosphere was somber. She sighed and said, "Aunt, please don't worry. Xiaoqi will take good care of Grandmother." If she weren't confident, she wouldn't have agreed to do it.
Madam Wen’s face fell after being reprimanded by the old madam. When she looked at Su Xiaoqi, she also seemed somewhat resentful. She thought, why did treating an illness have to involve cutting flesh with a blade? However, no matter how displeased she was inwardly, she didn't dare to show it to Su Xiaoqi in front of the old madam. She said she would stay nearby to watch. Su Xiaoqi remained noncommittal, neither accepting nor refusing, but she requested that Madam Wen not be frightened by anything she saw. Madam Wen agreed, suppressing her anxiety. Lin Momo also took the opportunity to offer her service. Su Xiaoqi understood their concern and agreed.
As per Su Xiaoqi's instructions, the East Wing was arranged accordingly, and the old madam moved to lie down. Besides Madam Wen and Lin Momo, who insisted on staying to watch, Su Xiaoqi also called for Zhang Yu. Although she hadn't shown anything out of the ordinary in front of her, Su Xiaoqi could tell that she was different from ordinary maids. Even though she wore the same water-green sleeveless jacket as Guo'er and had her hair in a bun, her bearing and gaze were entirely different. At first glance, one could tell she had experienced things others had not. Furthermore, Shen Yun had also subtly hinted that she knew martial arts. Su Xiaoqi wanted to take this opportunity to test her and also have her assist by handing things over.
With all preparations complete, she first gave the old madam the anesthetic she had prepared. Once the medicine took effect, she began the surgery. She came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and had also studied Western medicine, giving her ample experience in treating external injuries. However, in her previous life, she hadn't liked these bloody matters, which was why she had chosen to study agriculture. She enjoyed watching a handful of seeds sprout and grow robustly under the sun and rain…
From the moment Su Xiaoqi started the surgery, half an hour passed. She put down the knife, removed her homemade gloves, mask, and inverted cloak, and looked at Madam Wen and Lin Momo, who were visibly stunned. She said, "It's done."
"Done, done?" Madam Wen’s courage was not small; at least when she saw Su Xiaoqi's scalpel cut through the flesh, she didn't scream out loud. She merely flinched and instinctively closed her eyes. So, even though she had said she would stay and watch, she had only done so in essence, with her eyes closed the entire time.