“Your father is in such a state, there’s no way he can get better.” Xu Zhiwei stood to the side and stated the facts earnestly.
"Shut up!" Tang Yue gave Xu Zhiwei a cold look, and the chubby boy trembled and hid behind Xu Erye.
Master Xu slapped Xu Zhiwei on the head. "This kid's good in every way, except he's too sharp-tongued. Doesn't he know the truth hurts people?"
Xu Zhiwei rubbed his head; he was used to his grandfather hitting him on the head. But, oh my god, this little skinny monkey's eyes were terrifying, so scary!
Master Xu stood by the kang (a heated brick bed), his gaze fixed on Tang Shengkai's festering leg for a long time. His brows were furrowed; although he was surprised by Tang Yue's suggestion, he had to admit that it might be a feasible solution.
"Cuicui, how about I give it a try? It can't go on like this forever..."
Lin Cuicui was unsure of herself; the thought of cutting flesh off her body with a knife was unbearable.
"Mom, let Second Uncle try it. Dad's wound will only get worse and deeper if it stays like this."
Tang Bei and the other two stood silently to the side. Their younger sister was incredibly brave; it was a little frightening to them.
After listening to Tang Yue's words, Lin Cuicui realized she had no other choice. Since she was just waiting to die anyway, she might as well take a gamble.
"Then, Second Uncle, please take care of it."
Master Xu took a deep breath, turned around and took out a sharp scalpel from the wooden box. This was his only tool for treating wounds, and he treasured it very much.
"Cui Cui, go boil some water and find some clean cloths." Master Xu's voice was steady, carrying an undeniable strength, and this energy also influenced the others in the room.
Lin Cuicui didn't ask any more questions and immediately ran to the outer room to boil water.
Tang Bei, Tang Nan, and Tang Dong stood to the side, their faces filled with tension and worry. They wanted to say something, but swallowed their words, clenching their fists tightly and silently praying for their father.
Tang Yue stood on the other side of the kang (a heated brick bed), her small hands gripping the lifted corner of the quilt tightly, her eyes filled with determination. Her strength was limited; to stop Tang Shengkai's illness from spreading, she first needed to clean the wounds.
Master Xu began his attempt. He first cleaned the scalpel with strong liquor, then carefully cut open the rotting flesh on Tang Shengkai's leg.
As the rotting flesh was cut off, a foul and nauseating odor immediately filled the room. Xu Zhiwei was the first to be unable to bear it and rushed out of the room.
Master Xu remained unfazed, each cut extremely difficult. He had never done this before, but now he was the only one who could help.
He was careful, trying not to touch the good areas. On Tang Shengkai's legs, pus and blood mixed together, irritating everyone's eyes and nerves.
Lin Cuicui brought over hot water and a clean cloth. She stood beside Master Xu, ready to help at any time.
Her hands trembled involuntarily, but her eyes remained resolute. Despite the foul smell in the room, a glimmer of hope rose within Lin Cuicui. Perhaps, her husband really could get better.
Seeing that Tang Yue was still staring at the bed, Lin Cuicui went over and picked her up, taking her to the west room.
"Yueyue, be good. Play with Zhiwei in this room for a while. I'll wrap it up for your dad later, then you can come over."
She simply couldn't bear to see her little girl, so young, being traumatized by such a scene.
When Lin Cuicui arrived, she saw a pained expression on Tang Shengkai's face. His brows were furrowed and his lips were pressed tightly together. Although he was almost unconscious due to the high fever, the pain still caused his body to twitch involuntarily.
Master Xu's movements grew slower and slower, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. He had never actually performed surgery before; this was his first time. If Tang Shengkai hadn't looked like this, he really wouldn't have dared to start.
After all, they had only heard the word "surgery" from outsiders; they didn't understand any of the specific details of how it was performed. They only knew a few of the technical terms.
The severely rotten parts at the front have been cleaned up, and the process becomes increasingly meticulous as you go further in; one wrong move and you might scrape off good meat. Master Xu's hands began to tremble slightly.
Finally, the last piece of rotten flesh was cut away. Master Xu wiped the wound with a clean cloth and then applied his homemade hemostatic ointment. His movements were meticulous and careful, showing how seriously he took this matter.
"Alright, for the next few days, you need to change his dressing every day and keep the wound clean." Master Xu's voice was filled with undisguised exhaustion, but even more so with relief.
He's done everything he could; as for the rest, well, let's leave it to God.
Lin Cuicui nodded repeatedly, thanking Master Xu with eyes full of gratitude. She understood that if Master Xu hadn't taken action, her husband would truly have had no chance of survival.
Tang Bei, Tang Nan, and Tang Dong stood to the side, their faces also showing joyful smiles. Perhaps their father could be saved and wouldn't die.
But the scene in the east room was quite different.
Xu Zhiwei was driven out of the house by the smell of rotting flesh, but it was too cold outside, so he went back into the east room.
After Lin Cuicui brought Tang Yue over, the two little ones stared at each other.
"Little skinny monkey, look at me!"
Xu Zhiwei's words were truly annoying, but Tang Yue, having lived for twenty or thirty years, naturally wouldn't argue with a seven or eight-year-old child.
"Your name is Xu Zhiwei?"
"What's wrong? Let me tell you, don't try to get close to me. Even if you do, I'm not going to take you out to play."
Xu Zhiwei looked at Tang Yue warily. There were plenty of children in the village who wanted to go out and play with him; he was used to it.
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