"Director Jin, I’m assisting with the surgery, and you can rest assured, it won’t hurt at all," Bai Xiao reassured the director, who clearly had no idea what he was dealing with.
Jin Junshan indeed felt no pain now, and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The pain he had just experienced made him wish for death, a feeling probably familiar to anyone who has suffered from acute appendicitis.
"You’re assisting... surgery? Don’t tell me the appendectomy you’re assisting with is mine?" Jin Junshan failed to grasp exactly what had happened; he genuinely didn’t know, since he had been too preoccupied with his pain, too focused on his own suffering to pay attention to anything else being said.
"Director Jin, I made the incision!" Zhu Jiang couldn’t hold back and added an extra comment.
It was mainly because he felt unsure.
What if he made the cut and the other person started screaming? What if his hand slipped?
The nurses and doctors nearby had already instinctively pinned down Jin Junshan’s arms and legs. No one was sure what to expect, even though Jin Junshan seemed to have stopped feeling pain for the moment.
But that could just be the pain from the appendicitis, maybe he was numb with pain and unaware of any sensations at all.
Jin Junshan was puzzled, "Director Zhu, what do you mean you made the incision?"
That phrase sounded so awkward.
"We are about to start the surgery!" Zhu Jiang almost laughed out loud.
This guy had no idea what was going on.
Jin Junshan nodded, "Start the surgery! I thought you had already begun. Weird, you didn’t cut, so why don’t I feel pain? Must be the anesthesia kicking in. Oh man, if it weren’t for the anesthetic, I really would have died from the pain."
This director was quite the chatterbox.
"Director Jin, we didn’t use any anesthetic," said a young nurse, unable to resist adding her two cents as she held onto his arm.
"Young lady, stop joking. How could there be no anesthetic? If there weren’t any, why don’t I feel pain now? Besides, how could Director Zhu make an incision without anesthesia? I would be in excruciating pain," Jin Junshan was feeling much better, at least his mental state had definitely improved.
A huge improvement compared to how he was earlier.
"We haven’t used it yet!" The young nurse couldn’t bear to lie.
Director Zhu coughed.
The young nurse fell silent.
Jin Junshan looked around at the people holding down his arms and legs, something seemed off. He could feel a tugging sensation on his stomach, "Really, no anesthetic?" his voice trembled.
"Old Jin, it’s okay, Doctor Bai has already used acupuncture to alleviate the pain. Your body has a high tolerance to anesthetic drugs, so we couldn’t use them," Zhu Jiang was definitely trying to comfort Jin Junshan.
Jin Junshan saw Bai Xiao right beside him! And that "silver needle" was trembling there.
He closed his eyes and turned his head to one side.
The young nurse jumped, "Director Jin has fainted!"
Zhu Jiang and the others checked the monitors; the heart rate and blood pressure were very normal and stable. It wasn’t that the analgesic effect had worn off, they knew that much—it was probably shock.
Who wouldn’t be terrified to hear they were having surgery without anesthetic?
It’s just that Jin Junshan was a bit more faint-hearted.
"Continue with the surgery."
Everyone threw themselves into the intense operation, and it seemed Bai Xiao’s acupuncture skills were no joke. Jin Junshan did not feel any pain whatsoever, all the way through until the end of the surgery, without waking up once.
Finally, the surgery concluded.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, it was over.
Good heavens, what a rollercoaster of a day.
Most people wouldn’t be familiar with using acupuncture instead of anesthetic drugs; they’d worked at the hospital for so many years and had never seen such a thing.
Today was truly an eye-opener.