"Dad, I was wrong." Liu Xiujuan's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, and she choked with sobs. "I was too willful. I... I want to go back."
The father sighed and patted her shoulder, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and heartache: "Child, it's not scary to make mistakes. What's scary is not knowing where you went wrong. I hope you can remember this lesson."
Liu Xiujuan nodded, tears finally streaming down her face, dripping onto her already stained army boots. She knew that her willfulness had not only cost her the chance to join the army, but had also disappointed her father. She raised her head and looked at her father with a determined gaze: "Dad, I will work hard and prove myself with my actions."
Her father looked at her with a hint of relief in his eyes: "Okay, I believe you. As long as you can understand the true meaning of being a soldier, I believe you still have a chance."
Liu Xiujuan bit her lip and vowed to herself that she would prove herself again. She knew it would be a difficult road, but she was ready for the challenge.
…
Meanwhile, after a long four-day journey, Wang Xiaolan finally arrived at a small border town. Outside the train window, beneath a gray sky, a desolate landscape unfolded. Distant mountains loomed in the mist, and a tense atmosphere hung in the air.
Wang Xiaolan was picked up directly by a small vehicle from a field hospital. Wang Shanhu and Dai Peipei were both picked up by various units. The atmosphere inside the vehicle was somewhat oppressive. Wang Xiaolan watched the fleeting scenery through the window, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She knew this would be her new battlefield.
The car drove into a valley and stopped in front of a makeshift hospital built of tents. She was greeted by a young female military doctor named Tan Xiaofang. She was wearing a dusty uniform, her face a hint of fatigue, but her eyes revealed a tenacity.
Tan Xiaoling enthusiastically took the luggage from Wang Xiaolan and smiled warmly, "Our dean said a few days ago that a doctor with rich clinical experience was sent to our hospital. I didn't expect you to be so young and beautiful."
Wang Xiaolan smiled modestly, a hint of humility in her eyes: "That's not the case. My clinical experience is not as rich as you doctors who have been on the front line for a long time. I still have a lot to learn from you."
As the two were talking, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly erupted in the distance, shaking the ground slightly. Wang Xiaolan looked at Tan Xiaofang in surprise: "Are we close to the front line?"
Tan Xiaofang shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "Not that close. The noise you heard was at least twenty kilometers away from us. However, the fighting here could spread over at any time. We are used to it. However, wartime is unstable, and our hospital is ready to evacuate at any time."
At this moment, a military vehicle braked suddenly and stopped in front of the hospital. A soldier jumped out of the driver's seat and shouted, "Doctor, come quickly and save our Battalion Commander Xiao!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaolan and Tan Xiaofang put down their luggage and ran towards the wounded who were being carried down from the car. Seeing a soldier lying on the stretcher, Wang Xiaolan hurried forward to check.
Battalion Commander Xiao was carried on a stretcher by the soldiers. He had been shot twice in the thigh and once in the chest, and the blood had soaked through the gauze. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was weak.
The young soldier cried, "Captain, you have to hold on. We are at the hospital now. The doctor will save you."
Battalion Commander Xiao, lying on the stretcher, moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out in the end.
Wang Xiaolan knelt in front of the stretcher, carefully examining the wounded man's condition. Her heart tightened. She knew that Captain Xiao's condition was extremely critical and required immediate surgery. She raised her head and said to Tan Xiaoling, "Hurry into the operating room. Surgery is necessary immediately."
Tan Xiaofang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. As she pushed the stretcher, she said, "We don't have enough surgeons right now. The other doctors who can perform surgery have gone to the front lines to treat the wounded. We simply don't have room here."
The soldier was so anxious that he squatted on the side and started crying: "Doctor, please, our Battalion Commander Xiao cannot die. He has an elderly mother at home and a paralyzed father in bed. His wife is still pregnant, and the child has not been born yet. We can't let the child be without a father!"
Tan Xiaofang was so anxious that she stamped her feet. "What should I do? The director is not here. He's back at headquarters for a meeting. I can't do anything either. We're short-staffed. The operating rooms are all occupied. There's no room to spare."
Wang Xiaolan looked at the wounded in front of her, and said with a determined heart, "We can't wait any longer. Time waits for no one. We must operate immediately. If it really doesn't work, we can operate here. I'll do it. You call a nurse right away."
Tan Xiaofang looked at Wang Xiaolan in disbelief: "Can you perform the surgery?"
Wang Xiaolan nodded, her eyes firm: "This is the only way now, otherwise the wounded can't wait!"
Tan Xiaofang hesitated for a moment, but seeing Wang Xiaolan's determined look, she nodded: "Okay, I'll ask the nurse to set up a temporary operating room."
When the soldier heard that they were going to build a makeshift operating room for their battalion commander, he volunteered, "I'll help you build it."
The operating room was set up in a short while. The soldiers carried Captain Xiao onto the operating table. Wang Xiaolan quickly disinfected her hands, and Tan Xiaoling stood by as her assistant.
Wang Xiaolan quietly used the spiritual spring water from the space to stop the bleeding from the wounded man's wound, her scalpel moving with fluidity. She carefully removed the bullet not far from the heart, then removed another bullet from the man's thigh. All in all, the operation was over in just two hours.
Tan Xiaoling, who was standing by, was stunned. She had seen many surgeries, but had never seen one completed so quickly. Moreover, the patient was able to complete the operation without any anesthesia. It was truly a miracle.
She thought to herself, "This Doctor Wang sent by the higher-ups is truly a miracle doctor. If any other doctor had performed the surgery, let alone a chest surgery, even if it were on his leg, the end result would have been amputation to save his life."
Wang Xiaolan sutured the wound and walked out of the operating room. The young soldier ran over breathlessly, his eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation: "Doctor, how is our battalion commander?"
Wang Xiaolan took off her mask and showed a tired smile: "The operation was successful, you can go in and see him."
The soldier saluted Wang Xiaolan and said with a choked voice, "Thank you!" and ran into the tent.
Wang Xiaolan looked at the young soldier's back, a tired smile on her face, and found a rocky spot to sit down and rest. Her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but a hint of relief flashed in her eyes.
At this time, Tan Xiaoling walked out of the tent and came to Wang Xiaolan, with an admiring smile on her face: "I'm sorry, I asked you to perform surgery on your first day here. The director asked me to treat you well before leaving. But I...
Wang Xiaolan quickly waved her hand, interrupting her and smiling, "I'm a doctor. I can't just ignore it. This is my duty as a doctor."
Tan Xiaoling said, "Since there are no new casualties, I'll take you to our dormitory to rest."
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