The Sheng Family.
Although Sheng Xinhao had been discharged from the hospital, his hand still required treatment.
Currently, he was undergoing conservative therapy, but he was still leveraging his connections to search for doctors who could perform surgery or acupuncture on his hand.
Fearing that competitors might catch wind of his condition and take advantage of it, he dared not conduct the search openly.
He could only entrust the task to confidants or those he trusted implicitly.
However, after all this time, there had been no leads.
Until today, when a glimmer of hope finally appeared.
“…You have no idea. My son said the situation was critical at the time. If it hadn’t been for that young woman stepping in, the old man would have been a goner.”
“Similar cases have happened before, and almost all of them ended in death due to delayed treatment.”
“But that girl just used a few silver needles to pull the man back from the jaws of death.”
“My son couldn’t stop praising her. You know his personality—he’d never genuinely admire someone unless they had real skill and he witnessed it firsthand. So, I think even though the girl is young, her acupuncture technique seems extraordinary. Maybe she could treat your arm.”
This came from an old friend of Sheng Xinhao’s who held a leadership position in the railway department—one of the people he had asked to inquire about doctors.
Unexpectedly, today, this friend called to say that his son, who worked as a train conductor, had come home and told him about a young woman who used a few silver needles to save an elderly man who had fallen critically ill and was on the verge of death.
The friend thought this girl might be able to treat Sheng Xinhao’s arm and thus made the call.
Though it wasn’t a certainty, it was still a glimmer of hope.
“Then, what’s the girl’s name? What’s her background?” Sheng Xinhao suppressed the excitement in his voice as he asked.
“That, I don’t know. But if you really want to give it a try, I’ll have my son investigate and see if he can find out. It seemed to be a married couple, and they got off in Beijing. They might still be in the city now.”
“Alright, then I’ll trouble your son to look into it.”
“Sure.”
After hanging up, the man suddenly paused and slapped his forehead. “Ah, I forgot to tell Brother Sheng—the girl was heavily pregnant, and the man next to her, presumably her husband, looked like a military man.”
Perhaps Sheng Xinhao could check within the military system himself—it might be faster.
So, he picked up the phone and called again.
But after two attempts, the line was busy.
“Ah, forget it. I’ll just have my son look into it first.”
Meanwhile, Sheng Xinhao felt that fate was still on his side.
No sooner had he finished his call with his trusted contact in the railway department—who had possibly found an acupuncture master—than he received another call from an old friend who had previously served in the Northwest Military Region.
“I have a former student who’s currently stationed in the Northwest Military Region. He told me that a genius doctor recently arrived at the military hospital there. Her medical talent is extraordinary—she was even taken under the wing of Elder Chen.”
“She managed to save someone who was critically ill with tuberculosis, practically on death’s door.”
“Not only that, but her surgical skills are also remarkable. There was a battalion commander in the Northwest Military Region whose leg had been injured with shrapnel embedded inside. Even the director of the military hospital didn’t dare operate—the shrapnel was too close to a major artery, and the slightest mistake could be fatal. So, they could only stick to conservative treatment.”
“That battalion commander had a bright future ahead of him, but because of his leg, he was considering leaving the military.”
“But guess what? As soon as that doctor arrived, she performed the surgery right away and removed the shrapnel from his leg.”
“Now, his leg has fully recovered, and he doesn’t have to leave the service.”
“Lao Sheng, I think this doctor might be able to help with your hand.”
On the other end of the line, Sheng Xinhao nodded. Indeed, this doctor’s skills sounded impressive. The battalion commander’s leg injury involved shrapnel, which was similar to the grenade fragments in his own arm.
He thought—if that doctor could extract the shrapnel from the battalion commander’s leg and successfully perform such a delicate surgery, then his own arm, which didn’t even have any remaining shrapnel, should be even easier to treat.
Sheng Xinhao was overjoyed and immediately asked his old friend to gather more information about the doctor.
“However, Lao Sheng, I heard she’s a female doctor. You…” His friend hesitated, worried that Sheng Xinhao might distrust her because of her gender.
Sheng Xinhao was slightly surprised—another female doctor? Just moments ago, his trusted contact had also mentioned a female acupuncture master.
Given his position, Sheng Xinhao had always believed men were naturally more capable than women. But with the national campaign promoting that “women hold up half the sky,” he had also seen many outstanding women excelling in various fields around him.
So, he didn’t look down on women.
That said, he didn’t assume these two female doctors were young—he imagined they must be older, experienced physicians.
“Lao Xiao, what’s wrong with a female doctor? Women hold up half the sky. As long as someone is capable, why should it matter if they’re a man or a woman?” Sheng Xinhao replied frankly.
On the other end, Lao Xiao was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “You’re absolutely right.”
“In that case, I’ll keep digging for more details for you?”
“Please do. I appreciate it.”
“By the way, Lao Sheng, isn’t your eldest son stationed in the Northwest Military Region? You could ask him—he might even know this female doctor.”
Sheng Xinhao thought of Sheng Zexi’s still defiant and unruly demeanor when he had seen him a few days ago, and anger surged in his heart.
As a father, his dignity would never allow him to lower himself and beg Sheng Zexi for help.
Moreover, Sheng Xinhao was convinced that if the boy knew about his hand injury, he wouldn’t lift a finger to find him a doctor—he’d probably be thrilled if he just dropped dead.
The thought filled Sheng Xinhao with bitterness and resentment. He had always cared so much for his son, yet the boy showed no gratitude—even wishing him dead.
But these were private family matters, not something to discuss with outsiders.
“That boy is on a mission right now. I don’t want to disturb him. Besides, I haven’t told him about my injury—no need to worry him.”
On the other end of the line, Lao Xiao was slightly taken aback. This didn’t match the rumors he’d heard.
Wasn’t it said that ever since Lao Sheng remarried, his eldest son had been estranged from him?
But Lao Xiao didn’t press further.
“Alright, I’ll help you look into it and let you know as soon as I have news.”
“Good, thank you. If this works out, Lao Xiao, I’ll owe you a huge favor.”
After hanging up, Sheng Xinhao felt unusually refreshed, the frustration of his fruitless search for a doctor finally lifting. It seemed heaven hadn’t abandoned him after all.
He, Sheng Xinhao, can still fight for another twenty years!
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