Su Muqing hesitated, thinking of the blood clots pressing on the old woman's nerves. If she told the truth, would Old Man Li agree to her performing a craniotomy on his wife?
The answer was almost certainly no. After all, with a hole opened in the head, where would there be a chance of survival? It would be better not to tell the truth and just say that her hair needed to be shaved off. Explanations could come after the surgery.
After considering it, Su Muqing tentatively said to Old Man Li, "Old sir, your wife's head is injured. I need to shave off all her hair to treat it, so..."
She knew that people in ancient times highly valued their hair. "The body, hair, and skin are received from parents; they should not be easily damaged," so this was something she had to inform her family about in advance.
Old Man Li hesitated upon hearing Su Muqing's words. He glanced at his wife's messy, white and gray hair, his thoughts drifting.
When his wife was young, she cherished her beautiful hair the most. It was black and shiny, as smooth as the finest silk sold in town. She was the most beautiful person for miles around.
But since marrying into their family, with endless chores and farm work every day, his wife gradually stopped tending to her hair. Later, her hair became worse year by year, eventually becoming as dry as straw.
Old Man Li touched his old wife's hair with a pained expression. As if making a great decision, he said to Su Muqing, "I... I understand. Doctor, please proceed with the treatment as you see fit! As long as, as long as her life can be saved!"
"Okay, I understand. Brother Huo, please take the spotlight out," Su Muqing nodded and then gestured towards the spotlight hanging high up to Huo Qiyuan.
Huo Qiyuan nodded. He knew Su Muqing intended to take the old woman into her space for surgery, as the environment of the room was too poor to perform surgery.
After taking down the light, he asked Su Muqing, "Do you want me to stay with you?"
Su Muqing shook her head and frowned at the old woman on the bed. "No need. You can stand guard at the door and make sure no one gets close, so as not to affect the treatment."
"Okay, I understand."
Li Hong and Li Yong helped Old Man Li to the main hall. Shopkeeper Tu followed behind the three. Little Overlord glanced back at Su Muqing and then left without a word.
Huo Qiyuan also glanced back at Su Muqing. At her glance, he gently closed the door, and the room was plunged into darkness.
After everyone had left, Su Muqing took out a soft light lamp from her sleeve pocket and placed it aside. Then, she reached out and lifted the blanket covering the old woman.
A strong, rotten, fishy smell wafted straight into her nostrils. She frowned uncomfortably. Under the old woman's panicked gaze, Su Muqing, enduring the unpleasant odor, injected her with an anesthetic, while also reassuring her.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine soon." Not long after the anesthetic was injected, the old woman slowly fell into a deep sleep. The next second, they appeared in the space.
The batch of robots purchased earlier were neatly arranged to the side. Su Muqing activated the first robot she had purchased and then, after clicking on "Craniotomy," it slid forward on its own to the patient.
While the robot was shaving the old woman's head and preparing for the surgery, Su Muqing began to tidy up the old woman's body. First and foremost was her clothes; they were too dirty!
With great effort, she managed to remove the old woman's outer garments. Now it was time to remove her inner wear. Clothing in ancient times was very troublesome, especially for women.
Even in this scorching heat, they would layer on one piece after another. Looking at the bloodstains seeping through her undergarments, she discovered that her bedsores had broken and stuck to the clothes when she removed them.
Su Muqing took scissors and cut the blood-stained clothes. When removed, the dirty and old cotton clothes were cut into tatters.
Seeing the dense, festering, pockmarked flesh holes on the old woman's body due to the pus, even Su Muqing, who was used to blood and flesh, couldn't help but look away.
This old lady could not speak or move, but the fear that flashed in her eyes indicated that she still had sensation. How much pain must she have been in with so many bedsores!
Su Muqing took a deep breath, then picked up the surgical instruments and iodine, and began to clean the old woman's bedsores one by one. She gently peeled off the clothes stuck to the bedsores, and then carefully dug out the festering rotten flesh inside.
On the other side, the robot's movements were very fast. The old woman's hair had already been completely shaved off. It had also used alcohol and iodine to clean the dirt attached to the woman's head several times.
A "shrieking" sound was heard, the sound of a knife cutting into flesh.
The robot's hands continued to move over the old woman's head. Apparently, it was running out of tools, and soon two more arms holding tools emerged from its back.
A large piece of scalp was completely peeled off. After wiping away the bloodstains on her head, it lifted a small electric saw and began to cut the old woman's skull according to the position of the compressed nerves. The sound of cutting the skull was very loud. Su Muqing paused her work of cleaning bedsores, forcing herself not to look at the scene.
After about an hour, the bedsores on the front of the old woman's body were almost cleaned. The detector showed that her back had more and larger wounds due to long-term pressure. However, the robot's surgery was not yet complete, and Su Muqing dared not move the patient.
Another hour passed. Su Muqing watched as the robot very smoothly put the old woman's skull back in place, even using small steel nails to secure the position. This smooth action made her scalp tingle.
The craniotomy was very successful, and now only suturing remained. Initially, to avoid making the wound too obvious, the robot had peeled off the scalp from the back of the old woman's head.
Coincidentally, Su Muqing needed to clean the bedsores on the old woman's back, and the robot also needed to suture the incision at the back of her head. So, the person was turned over to continue working.
Looking at the person who had been turned over, Su Muqing gasped. The condition of the old woman's back was even worse. Her shoulders, back, buttocks, and thighs were almost not a single intact place.
Especially the buttocks, which had slightly more flesh, had more and larger festering wound surfaces due to lying down for a long time without moving, combined with the constant presence of urine and feces on her body. Originally a frail old lady, her buttocks were swollen high due to festering, and the surrounding area was red and swollen, almost completely rotten.
Su Muqing sighed, her movements becoming even gentler. Whenever the old woman's body twitched involuntarily, her hands couldn't help but tremble, afraid of causing her more pain.
The robot had no emotions, so it didn't have as many concerns as Su Muqing. The speed of its two mechanical arms remained as fast as ever.
After it quickly sutured the wounds, Su Muqing clicked on "Clean Wounds" again. The robot, not yet in standby mode, quickly slid to the side of the sickbed and began to clean the wounds on the old woman's body.