Chapter 190: Teaching the younger apprentice sister how to tie knots
Yes, in less than a second, Senior Cao finished tying the knot. In her heart, Xie Wanying could only say that this lightning-fast speed clearly showed that Senior Cao treated knot tying as if he were gobbling down meat with a bite.
That’s how it is with surgeons, when they’ve tied knots over and over, the brain doesn’t even need to think about it, their hands just move on their own.
This is what you call a master surgeon.
Having tied the knot, Cao Yong felt that something was off. It had been too long since he’d taught clinically, and he had forgotten how to teach. He turned to his junior sister and said, “I’ll demonstrate it in slow motion for you.”
He spoke of slow motion, but when he began tying knots, his hands moved on their own without knowing how to go slowly. He tied several simple knots in succession, transforming a simple knot into a square knot and then into a triple knot. Realizing something was wrong, Cao Yong quickly stopped his hands and at the same time signaled Junior Huang Zhilei with his eyes for help.
Receiving Senior Brother’s nonverbal cue, Huang Zhilei provided additional explanation for his junior sister, “Tying one is a simple knot, two simple knots make a square knot, and three simple knots make a triple knot.”
After finishing speaking, the two noticed she appeared to be in a daze, staring at the completed knot without blinking.
Xie Wanying was thinking: No wonder they say male doctors tie such beautiful knots. Truly nimble like a sewing girl, extremely fast. And there’s a sense of strength that girls lack, like the perfect combination of a sewing girl and an embroidery machine.
That’s why she had been watching intently, replaying the image of Senior Brother tying knots in her mind, trying to find out where the beauty and strength in the predecessor’s knot-tying came from.
Practicing on her own was different from being taught by a teacher. She doubted she could ever learn that sense of strength on her own.
Tapped on the shoulder by Senior Brother Huang, Xie Wanying came to her senses.
“What are you daydreaming about?” Huang Zhilei asked her.
She should have continued to admire Senior Cao’s handsome face and figure, yet she had been lost in thought staring at that knot.
“I am learning from Senior Cao,” Xie Wanying replied.
Hearing her response, Cao Yong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Turning back, he continued asking her, “Do you want me to hold your hand and try tying a few?”
Having forgotten how to go slow, he might as well hold her hands to let her feel for herself.
This would be good, having Senior Brother hold her hands to practice, she would be able to feel more acutely how the strength was transmitted to her fingertips. Xie Wanying nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, yes.”
Seeing her innocent expression, Cao Yong felt like looking up to the heavens: Was this really a fairy sent to test whether his mortal heart could handle it?
“Move over here a little,” Cao Yong made room for her.
Xie Wanying shuffled towards him.
Moving behind her, Cao Yong’s hands wrapped around both sides of her body, one hand covering her left and the other backing her right hand. Looking down, Xie Wanying noticed that Senior Cao’s hands were a whole size larger than hers.
Senior Cao’s hands were indeed beautiful, pure and clean, like meticulously carved jade, with clearly defined knuckles and exuding a sense of power. However, they were indeed much larger than hers by a whole size. Under the shelter of his palms, her hands seemed as small as a tiny figure under a huge umbrella.
This stark visual contrast made her marvel even more at how effortlessly his large hands manipulated the thread as fine as a strand of hair, with the agility of a girl’s delicate touch. If such skill were to be acquired, she wondered how many years of practice it would take.
“You take the thread,” Cao Yong whispered near her ear.
Xie Wanying took the suture thread with both hands.
“Do you know what to do next?”