Xu Qinghuan remained calm. She stepped forward to examine Xu Manman’s wound; although there was quite a bit of blood, the injury was not severe. Xu Manman appeared to be unconscious, but her eyelids were fluttering incessantly.
Having assessed the situation, Xu Qinghuan pushed Jiang Chengxu’s bicycle over. Once he had helped Xu Manman onto the bike, they swapped roles, with Jiang Chengxu pushing the bicycle while Xu Qinghuan supported the patient as they headed to the hospital.
Seeing Xu Manman leaning against Jiang Chengxu, Xu Qinghuan didn't interfere. Let her lean. Jiang Chengxu was walking a bit too fast for her to keep up, so she suggested, "Why don't I tie Manman to your back? You can ride, it'll be faster."
Seeing the blood spreading across Xu Manman’s face, Jiang Chengxu was deeply worried and replied, "That works!"
Xu Qinghuan borrowed a hemp rope from the gatekeeper and tied Xu Manman to Jiang Chengxu’s waist. With a push of the pedals, the bicycle took off.
The gatekeeper stood at the entrance watching, and when he saw Xu Qinghuan calmly dusting off her hands, he asked, "Huanzi, didn't they say you were engaged to that young man?"
Xu Qinghuan smiled. "Grandpa, even married couples get divorced. A lot of things aren't set in stone until the very end."
The old man looked thoughtful.
"Grandpa," Xu Qinghuan continued, "you see people coming and going here every day. Have you heard of any factories currently hiring?"
The old man shook his head. "I'll ask around for you later. Several of our people work as security guards at various factories; I'll check if they have any news."
Xu Qinghuan thanked him and continued her walk. She wandered over to Yong'an Department Store when she heard a sudden exclamation, followed by a crowd gathering. She hurried over to see what was happening, pushing through the crowd and asking, "What's going on? What happened?"
"A pregnant woman fell. Oh my god, she’s lost so much blood!"
"My daughter, what's wrong? Don't scare your mother! Someone, please, help get her to the hospital!"
Xu Qinghuan shouted, "Clear a path, everyone, please move back! Let me through!"
In her past life, she had specialized in neurosurgery and had never delivered a baby, but her skills in traditional Chinese medicine were even better than her Western medical training.
Hearing her authoritative call, the onlookers parted like the Red Sea, and Xu Qinghuan could see the pregnant woman clearly. She was lying on the ground with a large belly, and a pool of blood was spreading beneath her, appearing to grow larger by the second.
Xu Qinghuan stepped forward and took the woman’s wrist, quietly checking her pulse. It was extremely critical.
The surrounding crowd looked at Xu Qinghuan and grew skeptical; the girl looked far too young.
"Is she even qualified? She’s so young—is she just a nursing apprentice?"
"Who knows? She might end up killing them both!"
The pregnant woman’s mother had hoped for a miracle, but seeing such a young, inexperienced-looking girl, she was deeply disappointed. However, since the girl had already taken charge and she herself was at a complete loss, she could only stand by as a passive observer.
Xu Qinghuan pressed down on a pressure point on the woman’s waist, and the bleeding stopped instantly.
"The fetus is in an abnormal position, she's eight months pregnant, and there are signs of severe hemorrhaging. She must give birth immediately. Find a vehicle and get her to the hospital as fast as you can."
The mother snapped back to reality and grew so anxious she nearly fainted on the spot.
Fortunately, Yong'an Department Store had a cargo cart. Two men helped lift the pregnant woman onto it.
Xu Qinghuan kept her hand pressed firmly on the pressure point and explained the technique to the mother. "Ma'am, keep pressing here; it stops the bleeding. When you get to the hospital, tell the doctors not to release this point until they have administered medication to stop the hemorrhage."
The woman had a clotting disorder, making this a very tricky case.
The mother was overwhelmed. "No, no, comrade, I can't do it! Please, come with us, I beg you!"
She had seen that the bleeding indeed stopped when Xu Qinghuan pressed the point, so she knew it was effective.
Given the emergency, Xu Qinghuan didn't refuse. The trip to the hospital took about ten minutes. Doctors rushed out with a gurney and asked, "What’s the situation?"
Xu Qinghuan explained the pregnant woman’s condition. The doctor frowned and consulted with a colleague. "If there is a clotting disorder, our hospital isn't equipped to handle this case at the moment. However, please rest assured that we will arrange a transfer and ensure the next hospital performs the surgery as soon as possible."
In a case of obstructed labor, a cesarean section was the priority.
Upon hearing this, the mother’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Xu Qinghuan asked, "Are you lacking clotting agents?"
The doctor saw the professional nature of her question and nodded. "We’ve just run out of thrombin. The next shipment doesn't arrive until tomorrow morning, and this patient certainly cannot wait that long."
Xu Qinghuan said, "The journey is bumpy, which increases the risk of bleeding. Does the hospital have silver needles?"
The doctor looked at her, then nodded.
"The bumps during transport pose a significant risk," Xu Qinghuan said, habitually assessing the danger. Guided by professional instinct, she offered her solution: "I will be responsible for stopping the bleeding while you perform the surgery. Do you dare to try?"
The doctor hesitated. "This... this requires the family's consent."
The pregnant woman cried out, "Please, save my child! As long as my child is safe, I’ll do anything!"
But the decision didn't rest solely with her. The mother had just regained consciousness, and realizing her daughter had lost so much blood and the child was suffering, she decided immediately. "Fine, we agree! Let this young comrade help!"
Otherwise, her daughter would have bled out long ago.
By now, a nurse had come to examine the woman and heard that her heart rate was poor. The doctor sighed, "Very well, let's proceed!"
The situation was simply too critical. They weren't sure the woman could survive the trip to another hospital, and more importantly, if the amniotic fluid were contaminated, the child could suffocate at any moment.
The woman was wheeled into the operating room. Xu Qinghuan took a silver needle and inserted it into the pressure point she had been holding. After the anesthesiologist administered the anesthetic, Xu Qinghuan—having finished her pre-op preparations—placed needles into several other major acupuncture points on the patient, which stabilized her condition.
The attending physician took the scalpel. As he prepared to make a vertical incision, Xu Qinghuan paused.
In the future, cesarean sections were almost exclusively performed with horizontal incisions, which hidden the scar, were more aesthetically pleasing, and allowed for faster recovery.
A horizontal incision was technically more difficult than a vertical one. Furthermore, given the woman’s thick abdominal wall, a horizontal incision was safer.
Xu Qinghuan hesitated, but as the doctor remained frozen, afraid to make the first cut, she reached out.
The doctor froze and arched his eyebrows. "Do you think surgery is a game?"
Just then, the operating room door opened, and another person walked in, fully scrubbed for surgery. It was the hospital director. For reasons unknown, he had come to oversee the procedure personally. Seeing the attending physician, he couldn't help but look stunned. "Why are you the one performing this surgery?"