chapter 18

Damn it.

Damn bastards.

"They all seem similar, huh?"

"Our hospital is definitely the best."

Alfred and Joseph, both clueless, were muttering like that.

I wanted to do the same, but I just couldn't.

'No one's washing their hands?'

In fact, most of them seemed proud of not washing their hands.

Maybe they all think that way, but if that's really the case, it's just too depressing, so I decided to think like this for now.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Anyway, the carriage was now heading back home.

Senior and Joseph chatted the whole time.

"Our hospital is definitely the best!"

"No wonder Dr. Liston is at our hospital!"

Bastards.

Do you even know how many people die in that so-called great hospital every day?

"Of...."

"What?"

"No, nothing.

I just realized something.

Yeah, I really... I didn't know much about what happens here either.

I didn't want to know, but....

If I want to change something, I guess I need to know.

It's going to be painful for me, though.

But still... I need to know.

Damn it.

'Tomorrow. I'll start tomorrow.'

I'll procrastinate as much as I can.

Having made up my mind, I took Senior to the kitchen.

I had to relieve my stress somehow.

Anyway, as I thought about it, curses came out.

"Is it all healed?"

"Huh? Really? Wow... That's such a relief."

No matter how stressed I was, I couldn't just stitch up a perfectly healed hand.

If it's healed, I'd have to suture it, but that was also worrisome.

First, the needle...

'Is this even clean? What if it rots after suturing?'

The thread was the same.

There's no way it's sterilized.

I'd have to boil it to use it.......

After going through all that trouble to cut out the rotten flesh, I couldn't do that again.

But leaving it as is wasn't an option either.

"Hmm... this... hmm."

I had to immobilize it.

And prevent anything else from getting in.

For that, I'd need to stitch it up a bit.

"First... boil some water."

"Yes. I'm boiling it now."

"I'll boil the alcohol too."

"Okay."

I didn't warn them beforehand.

They'd probably run away if I did.

Instead, I used Joseph, who understood me with just a look, to hold Senior in place.

"Huh, huh?"

"Just stay there. This will be over today."

"But why aren't you holding a knife or fork... why are you holding... something weird?"

Something weird.

Yeah, that's right.

It was weird.

'Sorry... Senior.'

What else could I do?

There's no proper suture thread even if I wanted to use it.

But I had a needle and thread for sewing.

I carried them around thinking I might need them someday, and today was that day.

Bubble, bubble.

I put the thread and needle into the boiling water.

Then I wiped my hands with distilled alcohol and poured it on the wound.

"Hmm."

It used to hurt like hell before.

But now, either I've built up an immunity or the alcohol's toxicity has damaged my nerves, it was bearable.

Probably the latter.

Pain doesn't build immunity.

In fact, if the body doesn't react to moderate pain, it tends to increase the pain threshold.

That's why doctors don't hesitate much when taking painkillers.

Anyway.

'Well... maybe this won't hurt either?'

I wiped my hands with alcohol that was at least 70% strong, ridiculously strong, and examined the wound.

It definitely seemed ready to be stitched.

Whatever bacteria were on the corpse, they're all dead now.

Definitely dead.

"Alright, then... I'll stitch it up."

"Huh? Like this, while it's hot?"

"It'll cool down quickly. And this is how it's supposed to be done, originally."

"What are you talking about? Everyone just stitches it up."

That's why they die.......

The survivors are the really strong ones......

If we keep going like this without any progress for a few hundred years, maybe we can aim for the title of the strongest land animal in the world?

Only the strong will survive, after all.

"Ugh."

Anyway, I pierced Senior's flesh with the cleaned needle.

It should make a popping sound as it goes in.

"OO..."

"Why is it like this?"

"Maybe... we should call Dr. Liston......

"Stay still. Don't move."

"Can't... can't stay still! It hurts! It hurts!"

It didn't go well.

'Is it supposed to be like this?'

I couldn't tell.

Honestly, it's my first time stitching human flesh with this kind of needle.

'Wow... I've really been a sheltered flower.'

From the beginning, huh?

I've only done surgeries with prepared tools, haven't I?

I need to gain experience with things like this.

'No... no!'

I knew there was no need to try it, but.

Anyway, imagining such things, I barely managed to pull the needle through the other side of the flesh.

By then, Senior's face was drenched in cold sweat from enduring what felt like torture, or rather, the procedure.

Only then could I check the tip of the needle.

'I didn't pierce it... I tore it.'

The tip of the needle wasn't sharp enough.

It could pierce fabric, but it was too blunt for flesh.

'Damn it.'

I still had two more stitches to go.

I looked at Senior with an apologetic face.

'Next time, I'll sharpen it... make it sharper.'

Next time, I'll do that.

This time, let's just finish it.

Since I've started stitching... let's see it through.

"O..."

"Pyeong-ah. Are you okay?"

Senior was on the verge of passing out.

Joseph looked at me with concern, but I didn't care.

"We have to do it now. It'll hurt less."

"Hurt less? It feels like I'm dying."

"You're not dying. I'm saving you."

"Ugh."

Of course, since I was being firm, Joseph, without much thought, helped me hold Senior down.

"You... bastards."

Senior seemed to curse, but I decided not to hear it.

Squish.

Anyway, I pierced and pierced Senior's flesh.

The needle wasn't straight, making proper suturing quite difficult, but my experience as a surgery professor wasn't for nothing, so I managed to achieve a satisfactory result.

"Is the flesh supposed to flip up like that?"

Joseph made a disgusted comment while watching.

Bastard........

Actually, when suturing, the flesh should slightly protrude upward.

Otherwise, it won't heal properly.

"Hey... maybe we should call Dr. Liston......

Senior was the same.

Well, immediately after suturing, Dr. Liston's work would look prettier.

He just stitches human flesh like sewing.

But that's not right.

Actually, the flesh stitched by Dr. Liston or whoever, it gapes a lot.

If it were the abdomen, they'd be dead because of that.

"It'll heal like this. I told you, in Joseon, they do it this way."

"But, that country called Joseon... isn't it a hermit kingdom?"

"Who said that?"

"My dad."

Dad?

Ah, our patron?

If it's from him, I can't really argue.

Actually, in the early 19th century, they probably called it that.

"But that's true. Anyway, their medical skills are quite good, right?"

I quickly changed the subject and started rationalizing what I was saying.

Before,

I mean, before I died once, my evaluation of our country's traditional medicine, Han medicine, was extremely low.

But being here... at least at this point, Han medicine was better.

I hadn't seen it, but I was sure.

It was hard to imagine anything better than this.

"Hmm."

"See. Senior survived. Normally, he'd be dead, right?"

"How can you say that when the person is right here.......

"Whether it's this or that, it's the truth."

"Well... that's true. You do show quite a bit of medical insight at times."

It's not just insight... it's real.

I'm the best doctor in the world, you know.

At this point, no one can even compare.

"So, listen to me."

"Alright, fine... I will."

You should consider it an honor to be talking to me.

For some reason, Senior nodded with a reluctant face.

Bastard.

We'll see later.

When I become a real doctor... I'll make a name for myself as a renowned physician.

'Ah... I'll work at Senior's hospital.'

I'll do well, Senior.

Where's the pregnant woman?

As I was thinking that, there was a commotion outside.

Then someone started looking for the pregnant woman.

Pregnant woman?

Could it be...

'Senior's mom?'

Come to think of it, I've never seen Senior's mom.

Is she pregnant?

I doubt she has that level of hygiene awareness?

Thinking like that, I stared at Senior, who gave me a bitter smile.

"My mother passed away."

Unexpectedly, he dropped a bombshell.

I didn't even ask, so it felt a bit unfair, but.

If I reminded him of his late mother, I should apologize.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. She passed away while giving birth to me... I don't remember much."

"Still."

"Anyway... one of our maids is pregnant, so the baby must be coming soon."

I bowed my head deeply to apologize.

Senior accepted it more coolly than I expected and looked outside.

A well-dressed elderly woman in white and a middle-aged man in a suit were entering.

As the butler led them somewhere, a thought crossed my mind.

'Wait a minute... isn't this another one about to die?'

The two were walking and laughing, looking pleasant.

But to me, they just looked like two murderers.

I owe this family a lot, and I'll owe them even more in the future, so I should clear some debts beforehand.

It'll be easier to deal with them than the hospital people.

My lies worked well, so this family thinks I'm some kind of noble from Joseon.

In this life, I'm not sure, but in my past life, I was definitely a commoner with a fake family tree, so I felt a bit guilty.

But in the face of saving lives, what does it matter?

"Senior."

"Yeah?"

"We've done obstetrics and gynecology practice, let's go there too."

"O...?"

"Ah, hmm. Should we? But that lady... hmm. Is she a midwife?"

Bastard........

What if she's a midwife, or not?

Do you think you're doctors?

Talking nonsense, you bastards.

I wanted to curse, but I held back.

Sigh.

It's tough.

"Yes, well... in Joseon, there's a saying called 'Tasanjiseok.'"

"Tasanjiseok?"

"It means even the stones from another mountain can help me... meaning even others' mistakes can be helpful."

"That makes sense."

"So, let's go take a look."

"Alright, then. Let's go."