Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Chapter 608 Definitely Poisoned

What? You want to turn a sterile scalpel into a fully sterile one? Is she trying to kill herself, or ruin her skills? When she's sewing later, should she put the thread in her mouth first, like when she's sewing shoe soles?

If killing Ma Chenfang now would force these bandits to surrender, she would be more than willing to lay her hand on him. However, there were still bandits lurking on the wall in the distance, not the kind of bandits who would scatter and flee after being leaderless.

These bandits had fought their way here with real swords and spears, while Huo Zhenglian's forces were mostly hastily assembled villagers and local militia. They were untrained and lacked proper weapons, making their fighting strength negligible. Even the county government's archers and soldiers were not elite; in a real fight, they would be no match for these bandits.

Ji Yongling smiled speechlessly and said, "You don't need to be so wary! This knife of mine is specially made and has been disinfected; there are no evil spirits on it. If you were to heat it with fire again, it would become unclean!"

"Don't worry, I guarantee this knife is cleaner and easier to use than any other surgical knife! If you don't believe me, I can cut your brother and see if he dies in a few days!"

Ma Chenfang turned her head and stared at Ji Yongling for a while before saying, "Fine, I know you wouldn't dare!"

Ji Yongling shook her head and said no more. She picked up the knife, found the right spot, and swiftly and deftly cut open the skin, removing the lump in just a few strokes. Then she plucked a strand of Ma Chenfang's hair to use as thread, soaked it in alcohol, and then stitched it up. The whole process was smooth and practiced, as if she had done it a thousand times.

As expected of a bandit leader, Ma Chenfang didn't utter a sound or even stammer without the use of anesthesia.

Ji Yongling thought that if this man hadn't become a bandit, he could have been a general. But a bandit is a bandit after all, and those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. Ma Chenfang's death is not far off.

Ji Yongling placed the cut lump on a birch leaf and handed it to Ma Chenfang, saying, "Look at this thing that was cut off from your body. It was pressing on a nerve, which is why you often feel pain. Now that it's been cut off, you won't feel pain anymore! Keep the wound dry for the next few days and don't get it wet. Come back in five days and I'll remove the stitches."

"Does removing the stitches mean cutting and pulling out the hair that was just stitched up?" Ma Anliang, who had been watching Ji Yongling's every move closely, asked.

"That's roughly the idea!" Ji Yongling nodded.

"The stitches can be removed in five days, and you'll be all better? It's that simple? No need for any more hemostatic drugs?" Ma Chenfang asked with some doubt as she got up with Ma Anliang's help.

His face was pale, his lips were covered in teeth marks, and there were faint traces of blood seeping out.

It wasn't that he doubted it, but rather that other doctors had previously said that removing this lump would have serious consequences, and they had advised him against it, saying that the lump was difficult to remove and that after removal, he would have a persistent high fever, which could be life-threatening.

If this lump hadn't grown so large and painful that he was constantly restless, he wouldn't have risked coming to Ningping County. But why was it that in this girl's hands, the lump was cut up as quickly and easily as cutting vegetables?

Ji Yongling smiled gently and said, "If you recover quickly, you'll be fine; if you recover slowly, five days won't be enough. It depends on the situation! You don't need to use hemostatic drugs for now. I tried to avoid blood vessels when I made the incision, so there wasn't much bleeding!"

"it is good!"

Ma Chenfang lowered her eyelids, enduring the pain as she prepared to get up and leave. Since she had chosen to let Ji Yongling handle this difficult situation, she decided to trust that Ji Yongling wouldn't dare to play any tricks; after all, she had plenty of hostages at her disposal.

Although Ji Yongling wasn't nervous during the initial surgical procedure, Ji Manchuan and the others were so frightened by her cutting, stitching, and even pulling the bandits' hair that they didn't even blink and were sweating profusely with tension.

Seeing that Ji Yongling had finished, they immediately stepped forward and pulled Ji Yongling back a few steps, waiting for Ma Chenfang to get up and leave.

Although Ma Chenfang had been enduring the pain, only he knew how excruciating it truly was. Supported by Ma Anliang, he stood up, coldly glanced at the people behind Ji Yongling, and then slowly walked away.

Seeing that all the bandits had entered the fort, Huo Zhenglian also came over to inquire.

Although Ji Yongling didn't say it explicitly, everyone could tell from the bandit's demeanor that the bandit who had just come to see the doctor was Ma Chenfang.

Huo Zhenglian bowed deeply to Ji Yongling and said, "Girl, I thank you on behalf of the people of Ningping County!"

Ji Yongling hurriedly returned the greeting: "Sir, you are too kind! I am also a commoner from Ningping County, and it is only right that I do my part!"

Huo Zhenglian shook his head: "You're taking a huge risk to your life. Alas, I don't know when the reinforcements from Qingzhou Prefecture will arrive. This siege isn't a long-term solution! It's already July, and the beginning of autumn is just around the corner. It will get cold later, so we definitely can't continue to hold this position."

Ji Yongling comforted him, "Sir, there are many bandits who came out today. These bandits who have been afflicted with malaria have all been poisoned. However, this kind of smoke poisoning takes a relatively long time to develop, and it may take several days for the poison to take effect. By then, these bandits will be weak in the limbs, powerless all over, and may not even have the strength to breathe. So, sir, you just need to wait patiently for a few more days!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhenglian looked at Ji Yongling with more appreciation in his eyes and said, "Alright, let's wait a few more days! In this way, we can avoid a direct confrontation with the bandits, reduce casualties, and ensure that they cannot escape."

Back home, Grandpa Ji and the others listened to Ji Yongling recount the day's events, feeling both excited and nervous.

Yang asked, "According to you, the bandit leader must have inhaled a lot of smoke. Is it guaranteed that he was poisoned?"

Ji Yongling nodded and smiled, "Grandma, don't worry, he will definitely be poisoned. This smoke is very toxic. It's just that the onset is slow, so we need to wait."

Madam Yang clasped her hands together and prayed, "May the Bodhisattva and the heavens protect us and ensure these bandits are poisoned to death!"

"Mother, aren't Bodhisattvas and the Heavenly Emperor supposed to protect people and keep them safe? Why would they take on the job of harming people?" Ji Manqing asked with a smile.

"Get out of here! What do you know? The Bodhisattva and the Heavenly Emperor protect good people and keep them safe. Bandits and other scourges are not within their protection!" Madam Yang said disdainfully.