Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 234

Shen Wan could only nod. She held Wang Xueyan’s hand tightly and said with a firm expression, “Cousin, you’re going to be okay. Once you recover, we’ll go home together.”

Wang Xueyan gave a soft laugh. “Alright.”

“Home” was such a beautiful word. She had married far away into the Sun family, and out of concern for her mother and father, she hadn’t dared return home all these years. Sun Songwen was a disgrace, and every time she mentioned wanting to visit her family, he’d brushed her off.

Yu Jiao opened the lower compartment of her medical kit and selected several strands of catgut suture of varying thickness. After Yu FuLing cleansed her hands with Sichuan pepper-salt water, Yu Jiao had her thread the sutures through both round and curved needles.

“Miss Yu, are you starting the procedure now?” Wang Xueyan was already slightly drowsy from the anesthetic. She looked at Yu Jiao calmly. Whether it was due to the medicine or the drink, her heart felt unexpectedly at peace. Her mind was light and hazy. 

All these years, she had lived cautiously and submissively, constantly on edge. But now, for the first time since marrying into the Sun family, she finally felt a moment of true relief.

Yu Jiao studied her expression. Seeing her slowly close her eyes, Yu Jiao gently stroked Wang Xueyan’s forehead and softly said, “Sleep well, and have a good dream.”

The warmth of that hand on her forehead reminded Wang Xueyan of her mother’s gentle touch back when she was a young girl, still waiting to be wed.

She soon slipped into a deep sleep. In her dream, she was back in her maiden days, innocent and carefree, unaware of the hardships of the world.

Seeing that Wang Xueyan was fast asleep, Yu Jiao placed all the surgical tools on a tray at the foot of the bed. She turned to Yu Fuling and said, “Sister, I’m going to begin the operation. Help and assist me.”

With the experience from assisting during Xiao Ning’s bone-setting surgery, Yu Fuling was much steadier this time. She was also more familiar with the instruments.

Yu Jiao took this opportunity to offer a hands-on lesson. “The herbal decoction I had you brew earlier was Ma Fei San. It’s a full-body anesthetic that numbs pain during surgery. The dosage needs to be adjusted based on the patient’s constitution, I’ll explain it in more detail later.”

Yu Fuling’s eyes lit up with interest as she nodded eagerly.

Yu Jiao pointed to a spot below Wang Xueyan’s navel, two to three finger-widths down. “During pregnancy, the uterus stretches and thins. Making the incision here in the lower abdomen helps reduce bleeding. But the exact location must be adjusted based on the baby’s position.”

As she spoke, Yu Jiao skillfully made a curved incision on Wang Xueyan’s lower abdomen, cutting through the skin, fat, fascia, separating the muscle layers, and finally opening the peritoneum to reveal the uterus.

Her movements were swift and practiced. Though it was a live human body, and Yu Fuling felt a touch of fear watching, her previous experience reminded her to stay focused and be a reliable assistant.

When she noticed there was barely any bleeding from the incision, Yu Fuling was amazed. “Yu Jiao really is like a miracle worker.”

Yu Jiao then cuts into the uterine serosa and muscle layer, explaining, “This is the womb where the baby develops. This method isn’t just for removing a stillborn fetus, it can also help women who face complications during labor.”

Yu Fuling was deeply moved. Childbirth was already so dangerous, with countless women dying from it. If this method became widespread, it could save so many lives.

But the idea was daunting. Without absolute skill and confidence, who would dare cut open a person’s belly? One mistake could be fatal.

Yu Jiao quickly pierced the amniotic sac and handed the scalpel to Yu Fuling. “Gauze.”

Yu Fuling took the scalpel with one hand and passed her the prepped gauze with the other.

Yu Jiao gently soaked up the amniotic fluid with the gauze, then removed the fully formed but lifeless fetus and cut the umbilical cord.

Knowing girls tended to be more sensitive to such scenes, Yu Jiao spared Yu Fuling the emotional weight and directly wrapped the stillborn child in the swaddling cloth Wang Xueyan had prepared.

Next, she removed the placenta from Wang Xueyan’s abdominal cavity, cleaned the uterine cavity thoroughly, and checked for abnormal bleeding. Then she said, “Round needle.”

Yu Fuling handed over the round needle already threaded with catgut. Seeing Yu Jiao’s forehead glistening with sweat, she quickly pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped it without interrupting the operation.

Yu Jiao used surgical forceps to stitch up the uterus. She also checked the uterine appendages on both sides and discovered a cyst on the left.

“Scalpel,” she said calmly to Yu Fuling.

She casually removed the small cyst. When Yu Fuling saw the bloody, indistinct mass taken from Wang Xueyan’s body, her face turned pale. She held back her nausea and asked in a trembling voice, “What… is that?”

“A cyst on the uterine appendage,” Yu Jiao replied, too busy to explain further. She planned to explain more once the surgery was done. After another round of cleaning the abdominal cavity, she said, “Needle number two.”

This was the second pre-threaded round needle Yu Jiao had prepared earlier. Yu Fuling quickly handed it over.

Yu Jiao used it to suture the peritoneum, muscles, fascia, and fat layers in sequence. Then she tossed the needle into the wooden tray and said, “Curved needle.”

Yu Fuling handed her the curved needle, which had a thicker catgut suture.

After closing the skin, Yu Jiao dropped the curved needle and forceps into the tray, then carefully cleaned Wang Xueyan’s lower body. She wiped the stitched wound with Sichuan pepper-salt water, followed by licorice water, and finally bandaged it.

“Why use Sichuan pepper-salt water to clean the wound?” Yu Fuling asked eagerly.

Yu Jiao washed her hands in the same pepper-salt water as she replied, “It’s antiseptic and antibacterial. Germs can’t be seen with the naked eye, but if you’re not careful, wounds will become infected and fester. Licorice water has the same function.”

Yu Fuling was beyond admiration now, Yu Jiao’s medical skills and knowledge repeatedly shattered her expectations.

When Yu Jiao finished washing her hands, Yu Fuling handed her a clean handkerchief. Yu Jiao dried her hands, then checked Wang Xueyan’s pulse and thoroughly examined her condition. Seeing her vital signs were stable, she finally relaxed.

She packed up the instruments and told Yu Fuling, “Sister, go call Miss Shen in, and bring some paper and ink, I’ll write a prescription.”

Yu Fuling answered and left the room. As soon as she stepped out, everyone’s eyes turned to her. Shen Wan rushed forward anxiously. “How is my cousin?”

“She’s safe, the stillborn child has been removed. You may go in now,” Yu Fuling replied calmly.

Shen Wan nearly burst into tears. The string that had been stretched tight inside her finally loosened. She clasped her hands in gratitude. “Heavens be praised.” Then she hurried into the inner room.