General Victor Wei was probably stunned by Serena Feng. As soon as Serena was ready, he rushed in carrying the child.
Just as he said, the child was barely breathing, his little face pale and sallow, with a gaping bloody wound on his forehead that still hadn't stopped bleeding.
He looked about four or five years old, but at this moment he was curled up in General Wei's arms like a little kitten, completely motionless.
"Put him on the bed." Serena didn't spare even a glance at the sweating General Wei; her eyes were fixed only on the dying child.
He must live. I have to save him.
For some reason, this conviction was stronger than ever before. She could even feel the Smart Med-Pack heating up, eager to treat this patient.
"Alright." The little wooden hut was heavy with tension; even General Wei didn't dare to speak.
"Careful." Seeing General Wei's clumsy movements, Serena quickly stepped forward to help.
At that moment, the child's mother—Mrs. Steel—finally caught up, and as soon as she saw Serena, she dropped to her knees with a thud and cried out in grief:
"Miss Serena, please, have mercy and save my son. I'm begging you."
Her voice carried a faint undertone of despair.
Mrs. Steel had borrowed ten taels of silver from the Wei household, and carried her son everywhere seeking help, but every doctor just shook their head—he couldn't be saved. They said only a thousand-year ginseng could keep him alive.
A thousand-year ginseng—how could they possibly afford that?
Without a thousand-year ginseng, the child could only wait to die.
Poor children are just doomed to such thin, fragile lives. The Steel couple were in despair; Mrs. Steel clung to her son and wept endlessly, hating her own helplessness, aching for her child...
But just then, General Wei suddenly rushed to their home and said that Miss Serena could save their son.
At first they didn't believe it, but when they saw General Wei carrying the boy into Fenton Manor, they realized it was real. Mrs. Steel was so overwhelmed she couldn't speak for a long time, and by the time she came to her senses, General Wei had already brought the child inside.
Mrs. Steel hurried after them...
"Evan Zhou, clear the room. No one is allowed in."
Serena didn't help anyone up. Instead, she pushed the operating table into the inner room and shut the door behind her, her cold, detached manner nothing like a typical compassionate doctor.
Mrs. Steel was stunned, forgetting how to cry; General Wei was at a loss too.
Was Miss Serena really here to save lives?
How could she be so cold?
Only Evan Zhou remained calm, politely escorting everyone out and refusing to let anyone disturb Serena.
After finishing the examination, Serena immediately began hemostasis and wound treatment. At one point, she came out to call in the Steel couple, blindfolded them, drew and tested their blood, and then sent them out again without a single word of explanation.
The Steel couple were anxious but didn't dare ask anything. All their hopes rested on Serena.
General Wei and Madam Wei didn't dare leave either; they stayed outside, keeping vigil from morning till night. Serena never came out, not even once.
The Steel couple grew even more uneasy; their tears, barely dried, started falling again. They kept asking, but even Evan Zhou had no idea what was happening. All anyone could do was wait.
Inside the operating room, Serena had no sense of time passing.
The child was so young, and his wound had reached the bone. With so much blood lost, his life hung by a thread. Every minute and every second, Serena fought death itself. She had no mind to care how the adults outside were feeling.
All she knew was that she had to save this child. Nothing could happen to him—absolutely nothing.
As for why, Serena couldn't explain it. It was just an overwhelming feeling—if she didn't save this child, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. Not even when she saved Adrian Eastlyn under the Emperor's threat had she felt so strongly.
Despite her urgency, Serena never lost her composure; her hands moved with perfect control, never a hint of panic.
After the surgery, Serena didn't leave the room. She stayed by the child's side until dawn, when the Smart Med-Pack finally confirmed that he was out of danger. Only then did Serena let out a long breath and collapse into a chair.
She didn't notice that the Smart Med-Pack on her arm suddenly flashed with a notification: Medical Ethics +1.
After resting for a quarter of an hour, Serena got up and cleaned the operating room. As she worked, tears streamed down her face.
Serena decided she had to find someone trustworthy and train them as a surgical assistant as soon as possible. If she kept doing every operation alone, she'd work herself to death.
Her limbs ached and she was dead tired. Serena pinched her own face, forced herself to stay awake, and pushed the child out together with the bed. The moment she opened the door, she was startled by what she saw.
"What's going on?"
The area outside the operating room was packed with people—half were disabled, all wore ragged clothes, and there were old, weak, women, and children. Their eyes were red, their faces sallow, their bodies frighteningly thin. It looked just like a refugee camp.
Serena understood in her heart, but she didn't say much.
"Miss Serena, Miss Serena, my child..." Mrs. Steel rushed forward, tears streaming down her face as she saw her son lying on the little bed. She asked anxiously, eyes full of hope but too afraid to come closer.
Beside her stood a middle-aged man leaning on a crutch. He didn't look that old, but his hair was already streaked with white—clearly worn down by the hardships of life.
So this was how wounded veterans lived—Serena's heart ached for them.
"Are you the child's parents?" Serena asked, taking a deep breath.
General Wei had kept vigil all night too, and now hurried forward: "Miss Serena, they're the Steel couple. That child is Ironhead Steel, their son. These people all live with them—they're General Feng's old subordinates from back in the day."
Serena nodded in acknowledgment, saying nothing more.
"Uncle Steel, Mrs. Steel, you may get up now. Ironhead is fine—just needs a few days of rest to recover."
"Miss Serena, is it true? Ironhead is all right—really all right?" The Steel couple couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Serena gave a firm nod, and the couple immediately knelt: "Miss Serena, thank you, thank you so much! You're truly a savior—your kindness is something we'll never forget. We would gladly work ourselves to the bone for you."
"Get up—this is simply what I ought to do." Serena helped the Steel couple to their feet, her heart aching.
No matter the era, the poor can't afford to see a doctor. If they fall seriously ill and can't pay for treatment, all they can do is tough it out. If their bodies fail, they have no choice but to wait for death.
Ironhead's injury wasn't even half as severe as Adrian Eastlyn's, but because he didn't get prompt treatment, he almost lost his life.
Looking at Ironhead's parents, Serena finally understood why she was so desperate to save this child.
Because if she didn't save him, he would surely die...
Saving this child felt far more fulfilling than saving Adrian Eastlyn.
Looking at the struggling veterans before her, Serena resolved to care for them as best she could on her father's behalf—at least making sure the sick could get timely treatment.
"I..."
Serena had just opened her mouth when the world spun, darkness closed in, and she collapsed...
"Miss Serena..."
"Serena..."