In Shen Qing's memory, there were Western medicine hospitals in Guangzhou during the late Qing Dynasty, but when she was actually in Guangzhou, she didn't know which direction the Western medicine hospitals were in or how far away they were from her.
She braved the wind and rain, asking passersby for directions along the way, until she finally arrived at the nearest market.
Several horse-drawn carriages were parked at the market entrance, available for hire. She went up to one and asked, "I'd like to hire a carriage to go to the Western Hospital. Is that possible?"
Perhaps seeing her elegant cashmere dress, which made her look like she could afford the fare, the driver immediately jumped out of the rickshaw and took out the footrest: "We can go! We can go! Let's go now!"
Shen Qing lifted her skirt and carefully got into the car.
Before drawing the curtain, she instructed the driver, "When we pass a barrel shop later, please buy me a wooden barrel."
"Alright, madam!" The coachman turned the carriage around. "We're off now!"
After a long and bumpy journey, Shen Qing finally arrived at a Western-style hospital in Xiguan.
She originally thought the Western Hospital was not far from where she lived, but it turned out to be dozens of kilometers away.
A wooden bucket filled with vomit was placed on the cart. She carefully got out of the cart, lifting her skirt, and handed a piece of silver to the driver: "I'll take your cart back. Wait for me here."
She gave him ten times the fare, and the driver, overjoyed, bowed repeatedly to her, saying, "Thank you, Madam! Thank you, Madam!"
Reassured, Shen Qing went to the hospital, but couldn't find the obstetrics and gynecology department.
She thought that the concept of obstetrics and gynecology might not exist in this day and age, and she endured the intense nausea and found the surgical clinic.
The doctor was a young-looking Chinese man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He was wearing a white coat and smiled at Shen Qing as she entered the consultation room. "Madam, where do you feel unwell?"
Shen Qing walked to the examination table, sat down on the small stool, and said clearly, "I am five weeks pregnant, but I am vomiting a lot. I feel that the frequency of vomiting is not normal. I am afraid that the high hCG caused by ectopic pregnancy is causing severe vomiting."
The doctor took out a blank medical form and wrote on it while listening: "You said hc?"
"hCG, a pregnancy hormone."
The doctor frowned, but still wrote it down as she instructed, even though he didn't know what HCG was.
After writing down Shen Qing's basic information, he looked at her and said, "Madam, I understand your situation. How about this, I'll introduce you to an experienced German doctor who can examine you."
Shen Qing quickly replied, "Okay."
Soon a white doctor came over to examine Shen Qing.
He had Shen Qing lie down on the bed in the examination room, carefully listened to her heart, lungs, and uterus with a stethoscope, and gave her a small cup to provide a urine sample.
After handing in the urine sample, Shen Qing sat outside and waited for the results.
I had to go to the toilet to vomit several times during the trip.
I waited from afternoon until evening before I finally saw the German doctor again.
The other party said, "Your uterus is healthy, but your cardiopulmonary function is impaired to varying degrees, especially your heart function, which is very weak. You may not be able to withstand the impact of childbirth in the future."
Upon hearing these words, Shen Qing's heart began to pound wildly, as if it were about to leap out of her throat.
She pressed her aching chest and asked, "What happens if you can't withstand the impact of childbirth?"
"The most serious possibility is that difficulties may occur during childbirth, which could threaten the lives and health of both the mother and the child."
Two words flashed before Shen Qing's eyes—
Difficult labor.
In fact, she had heard in modern times that doctors usually recommend cesarean section for people with heart problems.
The reason is that the heart cannot withstand the impact of natural childbirth.
She never imagined that one day she would face a difficult childbirth due to heart problems.
Since learning she was pregnant, this is the first time she has felt that the baby in her belly could leave her at any moment.
My heart is filled with fear and reluctance.
She didn't want to lose the child.
Sniffing, she asked the doctor, "I'm vomiting a lot, and I want to know if I have an ectopic pregnancy?"
She remembered that the doctor had just listened to her uterus with a stethoscope.
The doctor said, "Your baby is in a good position, and there is no ectopic pregnancy. The severe vomiting is indeed due to high pregnancy hormone levels, but it is within the normal range."
Shen Qing was relieved: "It's good that it's not an ectopic pregnancy."
She raised her hand to her lower abdomen, a resilient strength welling up within her.
She wanted to keep the child.
“Madam, I hope you live, so I suggest you give up the child,” the doctor advised.
Shen Qing snapped out of her reverie, thought for a moment, and asked, "I've heard of a fertility technique that involves cutting open the uterus. Does your hospital have this technique?"
The doctor shook his head: "This fertility technology exists in Europe, but it is still very dangerous. Some women have died from infections after their uteruses were stitched up. I think we shouldn't try this technology until better infection control techniques become available."
Shen Qing understood, stood up and bowed to the doctor: "Thank you, I'll be going now."
The doctor watched her leave with regret.
Shen Qing walked out of the hospital, looking dejected, and prepared to return to the Zhu family in Xiguan.
As she walked, she recalled what the German doctor had said.
She believed he wasn't lying to her.
She was well aware of her own physical condition.
Sometimes, even speaking a few words aloud leaves me exhausted, and when I'm emotionally stressed, my heart aches.
Actually, she already knew she had a health problem...
A natural birth requires a lot of effort and energy. Her body is so weak that she might not have the strength to deliver the baby. The baby might be trapped in the uterus, suffer from oxygen deprivation, and die in utero.
At that time, the mother will also be in danger.
But she really didn't want to give up the child.
Cheng Zhiwen's whereabouts are currently unknown. Even if he is still alive, given what he is doing, he will most likely not survive in the future.
Even if they didn't die at the hands of the Qing government, they would have died in various wars that followed.
Because throughout history, none of the people who lived to see the new world had the surname Cheng!
Thinking of Cheng Zhiwen's inevitable death, Shen Qing shed two lines of tears.
As she lifted her skirt to get into the carriage, a sentence suddenly popped into her mind—
"I think this Dr. Sun is a good fit for us. I'll head to Guangzhou tomorrow to meet him..."
These are the words that Mr. Cai and Cheng Zhiwen said.
They were planning to recruit a doctor named Sun from Guangzhou to join them in the cause of democracy.
Shen Qing stopped and turned to look at the wooden sign on the right side of the hospital entrance.
Boji Medical Bureau...
Dr. Sun...
A photograph from a modern history book appeared before her eyes. The man in the photograph had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked exactly like the young Chinese doctor who had just received her!
She turned back into the hospital and jogged to the last consultation room in the corridor.
The doctor had just taken off his white coat and was about to hang it on the hanger.
Shen Qing rushed forward and asked urgently, "Are you Dr. Sun Wen?"
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