1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

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Not long after Sha Zhu left, Jia Zhang's uncontrollable heart drove her to rush to the hospital in a hurry.

It turned out that she had just heard an exciting news from Liu Haizhong - the injuries on their faces might be salvageable! This made Jia Zhang very happy. At this moment, the joy in her heart was exactly the same as that of Sha Zhu who had just left.

You see, even though Jia Zhang felt she was already half buried in the earth, her pursuit of beauty never diminished in the slightest. Deep down, she always believed that she still maintained the charm of her youth and did not look the least bit old.

Jia Zhang said to Liu Haizhong excitedly, "Second Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll rush to the hospital first!"

Liu Haizhong nodded with a look of relief and responded, "Go quickly, go quickly! The injury on your face won't wait for you. The longer you delay, the more dangerous it will be. In my opinion, you'd better rush to the hospital for treatment!"

Jia Zhang nodded solemnly, indicating her agreement, and then, like an arrow from a bow, she dashed straight towards the hospital. Her steps were so fast that passersby glanced sideways, but she paid no attention to their strange looks. She had only one thought in mind: get to the hospital as quickly as possible!

Finally, breathless, Jia Zhang arrived at the hospital entrance. Without a moment's rest, she rushed into the registration hall. After some searching and searching, she successfully secured an appointment with a specialist. This appointment wasn't cheap, costing her a full fifty cents! For the usually frugal Jia Zhang, this was a significant sum. Yet, for the sake of her family's health, she paid without hesitation.

Jia Zhang walked slowly in the slightly dim corridor of the hospital with a gloomy expression.

On her already unpleasant face, a shocking scar twisted and twisted like a centipede, making it intimidating. This scar not only ruined her already unpleasant appearance, but also made her look even more hideous and terrifying.

As Jia Zhang moved, passersby involuntarily stopped, their gazes drawn to the striking scar on her face. Some looked stunned, others whispered among themselves, and some even pointed and criticized her openly.

Suddenly, a clear, childish voice filled the air, "Mom, look! That uncle is so ugly!" The speaker was a little boy, about five or six years old. He pointed at Jia Zhang and asked his mother innocently. The boy's mother quickly covered his mouth and glanced apologetically at Jia Zhang, but her eyes still couldn't hide the tinge of disgust.

At this moment, Jia Zhang felt as if her heart was being stabbed by thousands of knives at once. The pain was beyond words. At this moment, she finally understood the endless pain brought by disfigurement.

Looking back, before her disfigurement, Jia Zhangshi, while not a stunningly beautiful woman, was at least a middle-aged woman with a rather pretty face. While not particularly striking or stunning, she certainly wouldn't have looked too ordinary walking down the street. At least, to the average person, she still possessed a certain amount of beauty and charm.

Under normal circumstances, faced with such an embarrassing situation, Jia Zhang would have been unable to contain her inner rage and would have rushed forward to curse at the other party. However, this time, for some unknown reason, the curse words that usually came out of her mouth were clearly stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered smoothly.

Jia Zhang, dazed and lost, walked to the surgical clinic door alone. She slowly pushed it open with a trembling hand, revealing a middle-aged male doctor, perhaps in his forties or fifties, sitting inside. Upon seeing Jia Zhang's bloodied and scarred face, the doctor quickly stood up, his face filled with concern, and beckoned her to sit down.

Jia Zhang opened her mouth with a confused yet hopeful look in her eyes and asked in a trembling voice, "Doctor..., look at my face, can it... be saved?" Her originally pretty face was now covered with hideous scars and bruises, which made people unable to bear to look at it.

The doctor looked at Jia Zhang's horrific face and couldn't help but feel a surge of pity. However, as a professional and experienced doctor, he knew he shouldered a heavy responsibility. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he paused, his mind racing with thought as to how to phrase them so as not to frighten the patient while still truthfully explaining her condition.

Because, as a doctor, he has a professional ethics. Usually, doctors will choose to downplay the injury as much as possible. The purpose of doing so is nothing more than worrying that the patient cannot bear the heavy blow, which will further increase the psychological burden and affect the subsequent treatment effect.

After a brief thought, the doctor finally spoke slowly: "Well, ma'am, please rest assured. As long as you actively cooperate with our treatment plan, there is still hope that your face will recover as before." His tone was gentle and firm, as if injecting a shot of cardiac stimulant into Jia Zhang.

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Hearing this, Jia Zhang's originally dull eyes instantly lit up with a glimmer of hope, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw, and responded eagerly: "Really? That's great! As long as you can cure my face, I will do anything for you, and I will definitely cooperate with you with all my strength!" At this moment, her heart rekindled the desire for life, and she was looking forward to getting rid of the shadow brought by this terrible face as soon as possible.

Then, Jia Zhang staggered to the doctor and slowly sat down. Her expression, slightly tired and painful, made people feel pity.

"Doctor, please help me check my injuries, and... please clean the wound." Jia Zhang said with a slightly trembling voice.

The doctor nodded, approached Jia Zhang, and began to examine her carefully. As the distance between them gradually closed, the doctor finally saw the specific injuries on Jia Zhang's face. Her cheek was swollen, covered with bruises and bloodstains, some of which were still oozing blood. There was a long gash at the corner of her eye, and blood was constantly flowing from it, staining half of her face red.

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At this moment, while Jia Zhang wasn't paying attention, the doctor gently shook his head. As the saying goes, "I'm not afraid of a smiling doctor, I'm afraid of a frowning doctor." Judging from the doctor's solemn expression and helpless shake of his head, it was clear that in his eyes, Jia Zhang's current condition was very serious and had reached a very dangerous level.

It is no exaggeration to say that the chances of completely curing Jia Zhang's injuries are extremely slim, so slim that it makes people feel despair.

The experienced doctor, wearing a mask and gloves, held a pair of delicate tweezers in his right hand, the tip of the tweezers carefully grasping a ball of pure white alcohol swab. The swab had been thoroughly soaked in the strongly pungent medical alcohol, as if ready to perform its vital disinfecting and sterilizing function.

The doctor looked at Jia Zhang who was sitting in front of him with a serious face, and said softly: "It may be a little painful later, please try to bear it." After that, he gave Jia Zhang an encouraging look.

Jia Zhang remained silent, but nodded slightly, indicating that she understood the doctor's meaning. However, when the alcohol cotton in the doctor's hand just touched the wound on her face, the situation changed instantly.

Suddenly, Jia Zhang let out a terrifying howl: "Hiss...ah...it hurts!" The sound was deafening, as if the whole room was about to be overturned by her screams.

Faced with Jia Zhang's exaggerated reaction, the doctor remained calm and continued his operation, patiently explaining, "I'm carefully cleaning your wound. If you can't endure this little pain, and if the wound on your face isn't thoroughly disinfected, the consequences will be very serious. If you're not careful, your face may be truly untreatable."

Hearing the doctor's words, Jia Zhang, fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, was still terrified, but she gritted her teeth and desperately tried to suppress her instinctive reaction. So, when the doctor once again picked up the alcohol cotton pad and gently wiped her wound, although Jia Zhang's body was shaking with pain, she forced herself not to make a sound.

However, a closer look revealed that Jia Zhang's brows were furrowed tightly together, forming a deep furrow, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Clearly, she was enduring immense pain that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

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After the wound was thoroughly cleaned, the doctor gently retrieved a large ball of pure, snow-white gauze. Layer upon layer, it resembled a blooming cotton cloud. Then, the doctor carefully began wrapping Jia Zhang's injured face.

In a short while, Jia Zhang's entire face, save for a small, delicate nostril and two large, round eyes, was tightly wrapped in gauze. This way, she could see the road clearly and walk freely, while ensuring that the air she needed to breathe normally could flow freely.

When the bandaging operation was complete, the doctor's tense expression finally relaxed a little, but he continued with a serious and earnest instruction: "For the next week, you must be extremely careful! Under no circumstances can you let even a drop of water touch the wound, or the consequences will be disastrous, and you might be disfigured! Please remember, not even a drop of water can get on it."

After hearing the doctor's solemn warning, Jia Zhang hurriedly patted her chest and vowed: "Doctor, please rest assured! I will definitely follow the doctor's instructions honestly and will never let even a tiny drop of water fall on my poor face!" Seeing Jia Zhang's sincere and firm attitude, the doctor nodded with satisfaction to express his approval.

"Now that the bandaging procedure has been successfully completed, please proceed to the cashier's window and settle the corresponding medical expenses," the doctor said with a smile. Jia Zhang then waved goodbye to the doctor and quickly walked toward the cashier's window.

Arriving at the small cashier's window, they saw a long, serene queue already thronging the area. Jia Zhang, a typically well-behaved woman, also stood obediently in the queue, quietly waiting for her turn to pay.

However, as time passed, Jia Zhang found that her position had barely budged. She couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on? I've been waiting in line for so long, and the people in front of me haven't moved forward at all?" Suspicious, Jia Zhang began to crane her neck to peer forward.

After careful observation, she finally figured out the reason—someone at the front of the line kept cutting in! These uncivilized, uncivilized individuals, relying on their physical strength or connections, completely disregarded the feelings of the many people waiting behind them and wantonly disrupted order.

Seeing this scene, Jia Zhang felt a nameless fire suddenly surge up from the depths of her heart. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She angrily said, "Well, you heartless people, all my hard work waiting in line for half a day has been for nothing!" At this moment, anger instantly filled her previously peaceful face like a blazing flame, making her look ferocious and terrifying, as if she was ready to devour anyone.

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