Chapter 1074: [Acute Abdomen] (Part 2)

Hong Lingxue clutched her lower abdomen, her expression agonized, she trembled: "I... my stomach hurts so much..."

Zhu Guanqi and his wife had always been deeply devoted; seeing her like this, the usually composed him instantly became at a loss, exclaiming, "I'll take you to see a doctor." He picked up Hong Lingxue and prepared to run out the door.

Hu Xiaotian, however, sensed something amiss, and said to Zhu Guanqi, "Brother Zhu, try not to move her as much as possible."

At that moment, Wei Sa also heard the commotion and rushed in; seeing the situation, he hurried to fetch a doctor. Fortunately, there was a Jishitang clinic next door, whose physician was quite renowned locally in Dongliang Jun, and he soon arrived with his medicine case.

Hu Xiaotian had already helped Zhu Guanqi move Hong Lingxue into a side room, but her lower abdominal pain showed no sign of easing—in fact, it grew worse. Based on his rich clinical experience, Hu Xiaotian judged that she likely had acute abdomen; given the location she described, the pain in the lower left abdomen suggested a gynecological emergency.

After the doctor entered, he set down his medicine case and said unhurriedly, "Don't panic; let me take the lady's pulse first." He was a phlegmatic sort, slow and deliberate, and after feeling Hong Lingxue's wrist for a long time, his brows were tightly knit, and he said nothing.

Worrying made him flustered; Zhu Guanqi broke into a sweat, and hearing his wife utter moans from the pain, he finally couldn't help asking, "Sir, what illness does my wife have?"

The doctor sighed, adopting an inscrutable air: "Abdominal pain—like this, I'll prescribe her a medicine; taking it might perhaps relieve it." He chose his words carefully, obviously lacking confidence.

Hong Lingxue gripped Zhu Guanqi's arm tightly, trembling as she said, "My lord... I... I can't endure this..."

Seeing Hong Lingxue's state, the doctor whispered, "I... I'll go write a prescription." He rose to do so.

Zhu Guanqi respectfully bowed to Hu Xiaotian and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Sir Hu, but my wife is unwell and it would be inconvenient to entertain you." This was a polite dismissal, hinting that Hu Xiaotian should not stay and should take his leave.

Hu Xiaotian naturally understood his meaning, but seeing Hong Lingxue's condition now somewhat dire—not only had there been no improvement, it had worsened—he said, "Brother Zhu, I also know a bit of medicine; I think your sister-in-law's condition is serious, and if delayed by a quack, it could endanger her life."

Zhu Guanqi, originally a man of outstanding wisdom, immediately grasped Hu Xiaotian's implication: he was hinting that the physician famed throughout Dongliang Jun was a quack whose methods were ineffective. Zhu Guanqi clasped his fists and said, "Then please trouble yourself, Sir."

Hu Xiaotian said, "However, my diagnostic method differs from others' and may require touching your sister-in-law's abdomen." It's better to speak plainly to avoid others thinking he is taking advantage.

Zhu Guanqi replied, "Life is paramount; Sir Hu, why stand on ceremony?"

Having obtained Zhu Guanqi's permission, Hu Xiaotian stepped forward, first feeling Hong Lingxue's forehead and noting her temperature was slightly low. He then had Wei Sa help undo her cotton outer garment, leaving only a close-fitting undershirt, and gently pressed on her abdomen, sensing muscular tension. A mass could be palpated in the lower left abdomen, with high tension and obvious tenderness. As for examinations like the three‑combination diagnosis that would challenge contemporary morals, Hu Xiaotian could not perform them, and he realized the need for a female assistant beside him.

After completing his preliminary examination, Hu Xiaotian told Zhu Guanqi, "Brother Zhu, your sister‑in‑law has acute abdomen. She must undergo an exploratory laparotomy to locate the lesion, otherwise her life is at risk."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Guanqi's face drained of color; though well‑read and widely experienced, the prospect of his wife undergoing a laparotomy still shocked him immensely—how could this newly appointed city guard propose such an outlandish treatment?

Zhu Guanqi's reaction was within Hu Xiaotian's expectations; limited by the era's technology, not everyone can accept modern medicine, so he did not persuade him but instead smiled at Wei Sa and said, "You stay here to look after my sister‑in‑law; I'll return first and come back if needed."

After returning to the Government Office, Hu Xiaotian had Liang Da Zhuang sterilize the surgical instruments he had brought; upon arriving, he also specially prepared a room as an operating theater, though it had never been used before. He anticipated that Zhu Guanqi would surely come to him, given that contemporary medical standards focus mainly on internal medicine, with surgical knowledge scarce, and the physician at Jishitang fundamentally lacked the ability to save Hong Lingxue.

As expected, not long after—about half an hour later—Zhu Guanqi hurried over; Hong Lingxue had already fainted from pain, and the doctor, seeing this state, was too frightened to administer medicine and urged that a more capable practitioner be summoned.

Hu Xiaotian had Liang Da Zhuang go over, and together several people lifted Hong Lingxue to this place.

At this moment, Hong Lingxue awoke from a brief faint; unable to bear the pain, her cherry lips had been bitten until they blistered. The couple shared deep affection—seeing her agony, Zhu Guanqi's eyes reddened, hating that he could not suffer in her stead, he clasped her hand and comforted, "Lingxue, don't be afraid; I am here, I will not leave."

Hong Lingxue tearfully said, "My lord, I fear I… may not survive… my greatest regret in life is that I have not borne you a son or daughter."

Zhu Guanqi fought back tears: "Lingxue, don't say that; as long as you recover, it doesn't matter if we remain childless." They had been married three years without conceiving, and Hong Lingxue, believing she would not escape death, spoke thus.

Hu Xiaotian, listening nearby, also felt moved; the couple was truly devoted, and he quietly instructed Wei Sa to hypnotize Hong Lingxue.

Wei Sa's soul‑capturing art had recently improved; her pair of ice‑Lan‑colored beautiful eyes fixed on Hong Lingxue as she spoke softly, "You're tired; rest well, and when you wake everything will be all right."

Hong Lingxue gazed at her beautiful eyes, her vision gradually blurring, and soon she drifted into a dream.

By then Hu Xiaotian had already donned surgical garb and gloves, and Wei Sa also put on surgical attire to assist him; watching her meticulous preparations, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help a satisfied smile, thinking he would one day design a fitted nurse's uniform for her—her front‑curved, rear‑raised figure would surely look extremely sexy in it.

Once Wei Sa had everything ready, Hu Xiaotian had Zhu Guanqi stand by the wall so he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the bloody scene, then he seized a willow‑leaf scalpel and swiftly cut open Hong Lingxue's abdomen.

Zhu Guanqi watched from afar; seeing Hu Xiaotian cut open his wife's belly, he nearly fainted, quickly turned away, and hot tears streamed down, regretting that he had listened to Hu Xiaotian and agreed to the laparotomy for his wife—now the incision was made, regret came too late. He glumly thought, if his wife suffered any mishap, what meaning would his life have? If she died, he would not live either.

Wei Sa, though also somewhat distressed by the sight, understood that Hu Xiaotian was acting to save a life; previously he had occasionally explained basic medical knowledge to her and specially coached her on disinfection and how to lay drapes, etc., but this was her first time putting it into practice.

Once Hu Xiaotian entered the surgical state, he became wholly focused and solemn; after opening the abdomen, he first exposed the ovary anterior to the uterus. Using a metal probe along the inner side of the ovary, he gently lifted the ovary outward and upward from the posterior leaf of the broad ligament, allowing the uterus to settle naturally backward, placing the ovary anterolaterally to facilitate manipulation.

In Hong Lingxue's left adnexal region there was a mass the size of an adult fist, already turned purplish‑black. Hu Xiaotian could definitively diagnose her as having ovarian cyst torsion, one of the most common gynecologic acute abdomens; the torsion pedicle of an ovarian cyst is formed by the pelvic suspensory ligament, the ovarian proper ligament, and the fallopian tube. After acute torsion, venous return is obstructed, causing extreme congestion or hemorrhage within the cyst, leading to rapid enlargement; subsequently, arterial inflow may be blocked, resulting in necrotic change that turns the tumor purplish‑black, with risk of rupture and secondary infection.

In cases of incomplete torsion, spontaneous reduction can occur and the abdominal pain eases. Hong Lingxue's ovarian cyst torsion was extremely severe, necessitating surgical intervention. Patients with ovarian cyst pedicle torsion often develop thrombi from excessive venous stasis; to prevent emboli from dislodging into the circulation, Hu Xiaotian first clamped the pedicle's base with a hemostat and then released it,

Hong Lingxue's ovarian cyst was too large, so Hu Xiaotian first attached a suction tube to a puncture needle, inserted it into the cyst, used the aspirator to evacuate the contents, then withdrew the needle, used a separating clamp to occlude the puncture site, lifted the cyst wall, and ligated the puncture to prevent further leakage of fluid.

He incised the cyst's surface, carefully avoiding vascular areas, and used a fluid‑injection technique to delicately peel away the cyst's capsule from the normal ovary, excising the cyst intact.

Hu Xiaotian then examined Hong Lingxue's right ovary, finding it normal, proceeded with hemostasis, returned the organs to their original position, and closed the abdomen. Though the surgery seemed shocking to others, for him it was straightforward—completed in less than half an hour. After suturing, he applied Mo Jade Regenerating Ointment; women are naturally ** beautiful, and if later they saw a centipede‑like scar on their belly, it would surely affect their mood, so he saw the task through to the end.

After the surgery, Hu Xiaotian removed his gloves and went out; the follow‑up would be handled by Wei Sa. Returning to the council hall and sitting down, he felt a little hungry, and just then Liang Da Zhuang brought a bowl of fragrant plain noodles; Hu Xiaotian smiled, took it, recalled that Zhu Guanqi had not eaten either, and told Liang Da Zhuang, "Go deliver a bowl of noodles to Mr. Zhu."

Liang Da Zhuang nodded, but at that moment a commotion arose outside; he set down his half‑bowl of noodles and went out, and Liang Da Zhuang hurriedly followed.

The two had just reached the doorway when they saw Prefect Li Mingcheng rushing in panic, calling from afar, "Sir Hu, terrible, terrible! Something major has happened!"

Please vote for recommendation! (To be continued~^~)