"What happened?"
Tang Qiyue had just stepped outside when Zheng Hongjuan rushed up, grabbing her arm and pulling her along.
"Something terrible has happened! A woman in the fishing village insists on seeing you!"
Tang Qiyue saw the bloodstains on Zheng Hongjuan and the fear in her eyes. Something serious had clearly occurred.
"Don't panic. What happened?"
Tang Qiyue remembered Zhan Zeyi mentioning that Zheng Hongxia was in the fishing village promoting the marriage law. How could there have been an accident?
Zheng Hongjuan, Hongxia's sister, was supposed to accompany her, so Tang Qiyue wondered what had gone wrong.
"It's that woman called Fisherwoman. Her husband stabbed her twice, and Dr. Qin is there trying to save her, but she isn't cooperating. She insists on seeing you! That's why I came to get you!"
Zheng Hongjuan was still trembling. Tang Qiyue held her wrist to calm her down.
"No one's dead. What's there to be afraid of?"
Zheng Hongjuan stubbornly insisted she wasn't afraid, though her shaking hands said otherwise. Tang Qiyue didn't press further and followed her toward the fishing village.
Halfway there, they ran into Zhan Zeyi and Political Commissar Wu.
"Are you going to the fishing village too?" Tang Qiyue asked curiously.
Zhan Zeyi nodded. Someone had nearly died; of course, they wanted to check on the situation.
Seeing Zhan Zeyi and Wu, Zheng Hongjuan relaxed slightly. Political Commissar Wu asked what had happened. After a moment, she explained, leaving Tang Qiyue speechless.
Zheng Hongxia had taken Dr. Qin and several female comrades to the village to spread awareness and examine the women.
The fishing village had no doctors aside from a shaman, so women endured illnesses themselves. No one had taught them about gynecology.
Dr. Qin, being female, wasn't ostracized by the women. Things went smoothly—until the fisherwoman's husband suddenly rushed into the propaganda room and stabbed her twice.
Fortunately, the women Zheng Hongxia brought subdued the man quickly, and Dr. Qin prevented the fisherwoman from bleeding to death.
But the fisherwoman insisted on seeing Tang Qiyue.
Zheng Hongjuan stared at Tang Qiyue. "Why her? She's almost dead, and yet she insists on seeing you?"
Zhan Zeyi grasped Tang Qiyue's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm here."
Seeing Tang Qiyue silent, he offered instinctive support.
Tang Qiyue gave a small nod. There wasn't much else to say.
As they entered the fishing village, several children led the way. Tang Qiyue arrived at the fisherwoman's house and saw blood drops on the ground—she knew it was hers.
Inside, the fisherwoman lay on the bed, a stark contrast to her calm, vengeful demeanor yesterday.
Zheng Hongxia and Dr. Qin greeted Tang Qiyue. Zhan Zeyi and Political Commissar Wu stayed outside with the domestic abuser.
"How is he?" Tang Qiyue asked Dr. Qin, who, despite having bloodstains, remained calm.
"Fortunately, the wounds weren't too deep, but the curved blade made them large—requiring many stitches."
Dr. Qin didn't expect Tang Qiyue to move so close, lifting the gauze to examine the stitches. She commented, "Your stitching technique needs practice. For a woman, this is too rough!"
No one had ever criticized Dr. Qin's stitching before. Zheng Hongxia rubbed her face, not daring to intervene. One was Zhan Zeyi's wife, the other his former confidante. Outsiders were best left out.
Tang Qiyue looked at Dr. Qin.
Dr. Qin replied, taut-faced, "Saving her life is more important than how the stitches look!"
Tang Qiyue clicked her tongue. "But the wound is still bleeding. You didn't clean it thoroughly, and the damaged tissue isn't addressed. Are you letting her body absorb it?"
Despite her beauty, Tang Qiyue spoke seriously—and reasonably—pointing out the flaws.
Dr. Qin blushed slightly. She was trained in traditional Chinese medicine, not surgery.
Seeing Dr. Qin didn't argue, Tang Qiyue checked the medications given. No antibiotics or anesthetics had been used. Infection risk was high.
Fortunately, she had moved her first-aid kit to her bag after noticing Zheng Hongjuan's bloodstains. Without waiting, she took out gloves and a syringe, preparing to inject anesthetic.
Dr. Qin stopped her. "What are you going to inject?"
"Anesthesia. We need to clean the necrotic tissue before stitching again."
Dr. Qin was shocked. Tang Qiyue had medicine she didn't. But she knew Tang Qiyue wasn't lying.
"You're probably using acupuncture for pain relief, but your technique alone can't block all pain—otherwise, you wouldn't have left hidden dangers."
Tang Qiyue didn't deny Dr. Qin's skill—they simply had different specialties. Tang Qiyue ignored her and injected the anesthetic.
Once it took effect, she removed the stitches, cleaned the wound, trimmed damaged tissue, and confirmed bleeding points and wound depth before suturing from the inside.
Her technique wasn't flashy, but Dr. Qin's breath caught. Now she understood why Tang Qiyue disliked her rough stitching.
"What's wrong?" Zhan Zeyi's voice came from the doorway, bringing everyone back to focus.
Dr. Qin, flushed, walked up to him. "I finally understand why you married her!"