Chapter 754: Chapter 503: Surgery
Today’s second update is here.
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This breakfast was the most crowded in Zhou family history, with not just Zhou family members, but also Lin Baohe and his wife, Elder Wan, Sister-in-law Yin, Wang Jing, and Luo Xiaoqiong. As a result, the enormous dining table was fully occupied all around.
Liang Xiaohong, however, was somewhat eating without tasting. The Little New Year had passed, and the Big New Year was approaching. It was normal for Zhou Nanping, who was married, to stay with her husband’s family for the New Year, but for her son, Zhou Zhongkang, to stay away, how could she be at ease?
And her son was as stubborn as a mule. No matter how much she persuaded, he refused to come home for the Little New Year. She quietly asked if he was planning to spend it with the Mei family, and his response was, "I married a wife, not married into her family. Why would I spend the New Year there?"
As the whole family enjoyed a lively breakfast, the thought of her son and daughter-in-law in their quiet solitude brought a sourness to her eyes that she couldn’t hold back.
Sitting beside her, Lin Yanqiu noticed her anomaly and sighed quietly. Some matters were futile to persuade, especially the affairs of the younger generation. When it was difficult to let go, one could only let nature take its course.
It was the same with Zhou Mikang back in the day, wasn’t it? Speaking of which, the men of the Zhou family were indeed stubborn, every single one of them. She hoped that after Zhou Zhongkang’s stubborn phase, he would understand what he truly wanted.
After breakfast, Zhou Mikang was responsible for taking Chuxia, Luo Xiaoqiong, and Wang Jing to work. Yingying, already on winter break, looked longingly at Chuxia as she was leaving: "Auntie Chuxia, will you come back tonight?"
"I’ll be back." Chuxia smiled and patted her head, "What would Yingying like to eat? I’ll buy it for you when I come back tonight."
"I don’t want anything in particular to eat, I just want Auntie Chuxia to come back and teach me the piano." The little girl smiled shyly, "During the New Year, my classmates can sing, play the piano, dance, and even perform comic dialogues. I’m the only one who can’t do anything. Grandma said that Auntie Chuxia plays the piano beautifully, so I want to learn."
Chuxia suddenly realized and felt a little embarrassed. These past few days, preoccupied with Zhou Mikang’s affairs, she hadn’t paid much attention to the little girl. Even though she noticed that the girl had been clingy since the holiday began, she was too lazy to talk and would just toss a pen to her, telling her to draw on her own. The child, though young, was very perceptive. Seeing Chuxia’s impatience, she didn’t make a sound. Or perhaps, she was wondering if Chuxia no longer liked her.
It wasn’t easy to explain such things to a child, so Chuxia just rubbed her head: "Okay, whenever Auntie Chuxia is free, I’ll teach you. But you must not complain about it being tough."
The little girl nodded vigorously: "Mhm, I won’t. As long as I don’t feel ashamed, I’m not afraid of hard work."
Watching Chuxia leave, the little girl still looked reluctant. Wang Lei smiled and picked her up: "Auntie Chuxia will be back tonight. Yingying, let’s go inside. It’s cold out here."
"Your auntie is really good to Yingying." Luo Xiaoqiong turned to Wang Jing and said, "Your auntie seems like a kind-hearted person. Yingying is lucky to be looked after by her."
"Of course..." Wang Jing couldn’t help but shake her head, "But it’s not easy being a step-grandmother. Initially, Yingying didn’t trust her at all and didn’t want her to hold her.
If it had been me, I probably would have given up. Uncle suggested letting Yingying stay with Grandma Zhou, but my auntie disagreed. She said that if we ignored her while she was still young, she would trust us even less as she grew older.
My auntie doesn’t treat Yingying well out of any ulterior motives; she just feels sorry for the child, who at such a young age is without her parents by her side, and her grandmother calculating against her.
Of course, she knows that Grandma Zhou would raise Yingying well, but since she is married to my uncle, she wants to fulfill her responsibilities and leave no regrets in my uncle’s heart."
Chuxia, smiling, nudged Zhou Mikang who was driving, "Sister-in-law is saying this for your ears, so don’t forget to pass her words on to Grandpa and Grandma later."
"Stop it!" Wang Jing laughed, slightly embarrassed. Indeed, whenever she saw Zhou Mikang, she subconsciously treated him as a spokesperson for the Zhou family, hoping he would understand her aunt’s intentions and prevent any misunderstandings within the Zhou family members.
Or perhaps, it was a habit formed from being used by her grandparents from a young age. Subconsciously, she felt that others might have the same thoughts about them.
Luo Xiaoqiong playfully patted Wang Jing: "Sister-in-law, sometimes trust results in betrayal, but at other times, trust makes life feel very beautiful. The key is whether you’re trusting the right person or not."
"I can see it now, you’re cut out for political work." Wang Jing smiled and shook her head, "Can you tell me, how do you know when you’ve trusted the right person and when you’ve trusted the wrong person?"
"Trusting the right person means you trusted someone who should be trusted, trusting the wrong person means you trusted someone who shouldn’t be trusted."
Wang Jing: "..." Could you be any more tautological?
After the car stopped, Wang Jing and Luo Xiaoqiong quickly jumped out and slammed the car door with a "bang." "You guys chat more, we’ll stand guard." And truly, they went off to chat at the hospital entrance.
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Zhou Mikang looked at Chuxia seriously. "I mean it."
"No need." Chuxia quickly shook her head, jokingly thinking. She was going into surgery. Did she plan to have her husband as a spectator, setting the stage for her to become a laughingstock eventually?
"Fine, I know you don’t fancy me tagging along. Just do your best. I’ll update our family, and we’ll celebrate tonight."
To avoid worrying the elders, he had mentioned that he would be operating today, but he didn’t say that Chuxia would be the lead surgeon. That’s why Zhou Mikang said that.
Chuxia waved him off and stepped out of the car. Her legs went weak, and she nearly sat down on the ground... Really, trying not to be nervous was so hard, especially since she wasn’t just facing a little mouse...
Zhou Mikang’s mouth twitched as he fought the urge to get out of the car and support her. After she walked a few steps forward, he slowly started the car and drove away.
Wang Jing and Luo Xiaoqiong hurried over to support her from both sides. "What’s the matter? Feeling sad about the separation? Don’t worry, you’ll see him again tonight."
Chuxia gave Luo Xiaoqiong a disdainful look. She knew very well why she was nervous, yet Xiaoqiong had to say all these irrelevant and annoying things. Humph, she’d see how she’d deal with her later!
...
It was ten o’clock in the morning, and Chuxia had gone early to the practice room to review once more. At nine o’clock, she began the preparations. To set her mind at ease, Song Xiaoyu had Wang Jing accompany her as an assistant.
The two were changing clothes in the room, and Chuxia kept taking deep breaths. Wang Jing watched her with amusement. "Finally admitting you’re nervous?"
"I never denied it," Chuxia said with a smile. "Sister, thank you."
"It was Teacher who asked me to come, what’s there to thank me for?" Wang Jing made a face at her. "As if I don’t know what you’re thinking. You must believe I’m still as jealous of you as before, right?"
"That’s ancient history. Am I the kind of person to judge others behind their backs?"
"You might not think that way about me, but there’s still a bit of suspicion. Honestly, I really am envious of you, but not jealous.
I envy your talent, and of course, I envy your luck. If it wasn’t for Elder Yuan, no one would have the guts to let you try, not even Teacher Song.
So you have to grab this opportunity and prove yourself to those who are waiting to laugh at you. With Elder Yuan by your side, and me, that little surgery is just a piece of cake for you, right?"
"Right." Chuxia nodded but couldn’t help feeling even more nervous. Reassurances don’t easily alleviate such feelings. She knew this about herself well enough.
Perhaps once she was actually on the operating table, she would feel better. Of course, if she was still too nervous to operate by then, she intended to ask Elder Yuan to take the lead.
After all, she couldn’t gamble with a patient’s health.
The patient was a man in his forties, accompanied by his wife, a woman also in her forties. Elder Yuan had already done the psychological preparation with them, so when Chuxia introduced herself and indicated that she would be performing the surgery, the couple looked somewhat apprehensive but didn’t make any fuss.
"Elder Yuan, you’ll be in the surgery with us, right?" the wife couldn’t help asking.
"Yes, rest assured. My young apprentice might look young, but her skills are better than many. Trust me," Elder Yuan said kindly, smiling. "You have to believe in my medical ethics."
The man nodded vigorously. "Elder Yuan, we trust you!"
Elder Yuan pointed towards the operating room. "Let’s go in, then."
An apprentice just a few months into her medical training performing surgery was sensational in the hospital. Hence, before the procedure, many off-duty nurses and doctors came to gawk.
Seeing Chuxia about to enter, Ye Meiru shouted in a shrill voice, "Lin Chuxia, be careful not to cut your own hand."
Chuxia, who was already at the door, turned back and flashed a bright smile at Ye Meiru in the crowd. "If you’re brave enough, don’t squeak when you talk. You think I can’t recognize you just because you screech like a crow? Childish!"
Before Ye Meiru could respond, Chuxia had already entered the operating room, leaving the onlookers to turn their attention to Ye Meiru, who became the center of attention...
"What are you looking at? What’s there to see?" Ye Meiru glared randomly and turned to leave. Jiao Meiqin quickly supported her. "What are you getting so worked up about? You should be happy. You’ve successfully irritated her. Now, do you think she’ll have any confidence standing at the operating table?" The two, under the same mentor and sharing the same disdain for another, had grown quite close.
"Sigh, I’m just venting stupidly." Ye Meiru looked up and saw an approaching woman, her face registering surprise. "Aiai, what are you doing here?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit to read.)