Chapter Sixty-One: Examining Elder Chen

After returning to the hospital, Chu Feng didn’t head straight to Elder Chen’s room, nor did he seek out Han Xuefang. Instead, he paused in the smoking area, lighting two cigarettes before making his way inside. Having killed twelve people in one stroke, Chu Feng felt a lingering discomfort, yet he had always acted with a clear conscience. In matters such as these, he harbored no guilt—only a sense of duty.

Once he’d finished smoking, Chu Feng walked to Elder Chen’s ward, where he encountered a figure he often saw on television.

“This is the miracle doctor Chu I mentioned to you. If not for him, this old man’s life would have ended right here,” Elder Chen said, hastening to introduce Chu Feng to the middle-aged man seated beside him.

“Chu Feng, I’ve heard your name long before. Thank you for treating Elder Chen.” The middle-aged man showed not a hint of arrogance, rising to greet Chu Feng and shake his hand.

“Elder Chen, I have a meeting to attend. I’ll come visit you again when I have time. Take care of yourself here in the hospital, and don’t dwell too much on things,” the man said, chatting briefly with Chu Feng before taking his leave.

“Chu Feng, you must be wondering how I’m connected to that fellow. Normally, we’d have nothing to do with each other,” Elder Chen remarked, noticing how Chu Feng’s gaze lingered on the departing man and guessing his curiosity about their relationship.

“Let me tell you—his father was my old squad leader. Back then, it was his father who saved my life,” Elder Chen explained. It turned out the middle-aged man’s father and Elder Chen were former comrades-in-arms.

That man was none other than Liu Jianxue, captain of the Revival, China’s aircraft carrier.

“Elder Chen, I’ll come by this afternoon to give you a thorough examination and see if I can remove the two shrapnel fragments from your body,” Chu Feng said, accepting Elder Chen’s explanation without further comment, instead mentioning the check-up he planned for later.

“You’re the doctor—do as you see fit. I’ll entrust these old bones to you. If I can live another day, I’m already ahead,” Elder Chen replied calmly, viewing life and death with equanimity and never dwelling on mortality.

Chu Feng recounted his outing that day to Elder Chen, including the details of the one million yuan distribution.

Elder Chen was momentarily stunned by Chu Feng’s account, then nodded heavily. After all, his two assistants had already been killed—dead men could not be brought back to life.

Chu Feng’s actions were understandable. Most importantly, he could not bring himself to be utterly heartless; there remained a soft place in his heart.

“I don’t blame you for what you did. Those were twelve families—you can’t let them lose their means of livelihood. They were simply blinded for a moment,” Elder Chen said, a trace of helplessness in his tone. But there was nothing he could do, since Chu Feng had already made his decision.

After chatting with Elder Chen for a while, Chu Feng went off to assist Han Xuefang. He hadn’t seen her all morning, and found himself missing her.

Perhaps Chu Feng didn’t even realize he was experiencing the feeling of love. When you’re fond of someone, not seeing them leaves you longing, and even work becomes a distraction.

Han Xuefang was busy administering an IV to a patient. As a nurse, her responsibilities included infusions, changing dressings, and measuring blood pressure.

Originally, she only needed to look after Elder Chen, but every day, after caring for him, she would voluntarily lend a hand with other patients.

As she put it, “If I’m idle, I might as well gain some experience.” Among the nurses, Han Xuefang was the most popular.

Chu Feng approached Han Xuefang from behind and gently covered her eyes with his hands. Startled, she quickly reached up and pulled his hands away.

“Let me help you—see how my technique fares,” Chu Feng said, taking the needle from Han Xuefang and, barely glancing at it, deftly inserted it into the patient.

“You can’t just stick the needle in like that—what if you hit an artery?” Han Xuefang exclaimed, hurrying to pull him aside.

“Take a look at the needle placement. Is it correct? Ask the patient if she felt any pain,” Chu Feng replied, leaving Han Xuefang to inspect his work.

“This young man is truly a miracle doctor. When he inserted the needle, I hardly felt a thing. Young lady, you should learn from your boyfriend,” said the patient, a slightly overweight middle-aged woman whose veins were tricky to locate.

Han Xuefang blushed at the woman’s remark. She had thought Chu Feng wouldn’t be able to handle the needle, but hadn’t expected him to be so skilled.

Chu Feng accompanied Han Xuefang for lunch, then returned for a restful nap. At three o’clock in the afternoon, he took Elder Chen to the examination room.

The Air Force hospital’s equipment was far superior to that of Chu Feng’s previous workplace, much of it imported from abroad.

Chu Feng guided Elder Chen through an X-ray, then took images of the locations where the two shrapnel fragments lay.

The examinations were finished by nearly four o’clock. Since Elder Chen didn’t need to wait in line, the process was swift; otherwise, it would have taken until five or six.

Soon after, the hospital delivered Elder Chen’s test results to Chu Feng. He first examined the X-ray images, finding that aside from the two shrapnel fragments, Elder Chen’s body was otherwise in good condition.

Chu Feng then picked up two additional images, each corresponding to one of the fragments. He scrutinized them carefully.

The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt. The fragments had lodged beside Elder Chen’s bones, likely a result of the explosive force at the time, driving them deep into the flesh.

Finally, Chu Feng took the images to the doctor’s office, comparing them meticulously once more. Only then did he discover the true issue.

The shrapnel inside Elder Chen had begun to rust, and the iron was gradually leaching into his body, damaging his physical functions.

The priority now was to condition Elder Chen’s health, then swiftly operate to remove the two fragments.

With the examination report in hand, Chu Feng returned to Elder Chen’s ward, explained the findings, and asked about the original injury.

“You needn’t go to so much trouble. These fragments have been in my body for decades. If you take them out, I might even feel out of place. ” Elder Chen said, chiefly concerned about troubling Chu Feng. Given the limited medical conditions at the time, the fragments had never been removed.

Now, feeling he didn’t have much time left, Elder Chen didn’t want to inconvenience Chu Feng by having surgery to extract them.