Chapter 9- Save you with what? Comrades!
It is said wisdom is based on the cerebral cortex’s number of grooves and the size of your brain. On the morning of the 3rd day Yuan Zhan was gone, Yan Mo looked at the wooden needles, bone needles, several knives and the clearly purified yellowish white salt particles sent over by He Tu. He really wanted to open up the people’s brains here to take a look.
He considered himself to be equal and did not look down on the ancient people. The only thing ancient people lacked compared to modern people was the accumulation of knowledge. Wisdom was not worse than that of the modern people. On the contrary,the advantages of the modern people was just an accumulation of thousands of years of history, caused us to think divergently about things the ancients cannot fathom.
Now that He Tu sent over the things, it let him suddenly think about the methods of the ancient people. At least their comprehension and abilities were 2-3x better than what he expected,
Seeing Yan Mo’s surprised face, He Tu slightly laughed and explained, “You said the needle was this shape, I’ve also thought about it before. I was thinking about if there was anything that could pass through fur to let me turn the fur into a container. Put a leather rope at the opening then it would let Da He and I to bring back more items when we go out. Because all our things hang at the waist, if we’re not careful things will fall off.”
Yan Mo understood.
“I used to think about grinding a hole at the back with a bone spur, this way you can wear leather straps through the fur. But the leather is too thick, its no good using the bone spur, might as well use a stone to try to drill through it, then use a leather strap to string through the hole. I never thought to use hair or horsehair as a substitute for rope before, but these two items are not strong….”
“There’s no twine and thread so we can only use them instead. When there is an opportunity in the future I’ll teach you guys how to suture. Using that on a human body is better then using hair or a horse’s mane.”
He Tu nodded, silently noted all the things Yan Mo said. “Take a look and see if they can be used? If not I’ll go remake it. Those salts…. That’s all the salt from our combined three houses, repeatedly cooked with water and only able to make this small amount. I don’t know if that’s enough, but this is all we have. It was really difficult to make salt.”
“It’s enough, there will still be a lot left after using some.”
Hearing that there would be leftover salt, He Tu’s face brightened up with joy. I didn’t matter if her own home did not have any, if there was no salt to eat then there was no salt to eat, just endure for a little bit and it would be fine. But Da Shan and Da Diao’s family, if there was leftover salt to give them then next time they would split it, that would naturally be best.
Yan Mo looked at the 6 bone needles and the 6 wooden needles laying on top of the skin and was satisfied. He Tu was probably worried that she couldn’t understand his meaning, 12 different needles of different lengths and thickness, the thinnest one is made from a fishbone, the size was very similar to modern day sewing needles.
What was most splendid was the small knives.
Yan Mo only drew a scalpel and some commonly used medical tools. Did not think He Tu would provide him with these ones and also did not expect the other party to directly following his drawing of the scalpel’s size and shape. He dug out a few stone knives that looked right but was actually wrong.
He Tu’s face was full of apologies, “Xiao Mo, I’m sorry, time was too hurried. I, Cao Ting, Da Shan, and Da Diao couldn’t do what you had wanted. Those tweezers you talked about, the clips, the forceps; looking at it it seems simple, but when we made them it did not have the desired effect.”
“It doesn’t matter, just having these is enough.”
Cao Ting entered through the curtains, in a small voice said, “My Master and Master Da Shan have found a suitable place, my master told me to come ask, can we move Master Da He over now?”
“Move everything we need there first.”
Cao Ting replied, “It’s been secretly moved there already, now we only need to send over the person.”
“Then let’s go.”
After hearing the orders Cao Ting immediately came inside and lent her back to Yan Mo.
He Tu nervously asked Yan Mo if there was anything else needed to bring over.
Yan Mo asked her to carry the things she brought over, then also had her carry the peeled wooden planks he prepared at the door.
In order not to attract attention, He Tu brought the stuff over to her tent first. She and Da He had to wait a bit before setting off.
Cao Ting sealed the curtains, carrying Yan Mo, began to walk to the natural toilets. It was hot, they hadn’t walked that long before it began to smell of urine.
Walking past the latrines, looking left and right for anybody, Cao Ting carried Yan Mo to the back of the mountain.
Between the latrines and the tent area was an area with a few large rocks. Wearing a cheap leather skirt, a slave with a mark on his back stuck his head out from a rock. Looking at the backs of Cao Ting and Yan Mo, his face was puzzled, but his face also showed excitement from finding a secret,
He did not know what injury that new slave had, just saw that Cao Ting was always carrying him on her back every day. He had a good impression of Cao Ting, but Cao Ting belonged to Master Yuan Diao. Towards other slaves she never hid anything and was also direct, so wanting to be intimate with her was also hard.
He already paid attention to Cao Ting and the newly arrived one, the new slave hadn’t gotten a mark for the past few days. Today he felt that Cao Ting was being particularly sneaky, but didn’t know what was wrong. Doings of ghosts and gods (1), but when he saw Cao Ting carry that new slave again, he followed her up.
Cao Ting carrying the slave did not stop at the pit, instead walked to the back of the mountain.
Seeing this, the first thing that popped into his head was : Cao Ting was hiding from her master to mate with the new slave.
This kind of thing was not uncommon among slaves, most masters also don’t care, especially those warriors that are married and had female slaves. They didn’t need female slaves to birth them children, naturally they did not care who their female slave slept with. Soldiers often exchanging slaves to use was not uncommon as well.
But Cao Ting was not the same, everyone knew her master treated her very well, even heard that Master Yuan Diao was planning for her to have a child in the future, then would request the Yuan Ji Tribe to remove her slave status —- then they could obtain more food to exchange.
The man grew more excited! If he caught those two people being intimate, then he would have something to threaten Cao Ting with. If Cao Ting did not want to be beaten to death by her master or sold to other warriors, then she would obediently sleep with him.
The man was about to follow them up, but someone was coming towards here.
The man immediately hid behind the boulders.
It was He Tu’s group. Yuan Shan and Yuan Diao were both holding onto either ends of a fur. Carrying an almost dead Da He, went past the natural latrines. He Tu was holding onto a fur bag full of things, following closely behind them.
The man stuck his head out again and raised his hand to shoo the flies that had come to take a whiff of him. Looking at the backs of the group walking away, his heartbeat gradually grew faster, did he just sneak a peek at some amazing secret?
Talk about two stories, meanwhile Cao Ting carried Yan Mo to the back of the mountain.
Yan Mo looked at the gaunt stone forest from the bottom of the mountain till halfway up, immediately understood where all the stones in the tribe came from.
Looking up, he spotted a section of grassland. There seemed to be a lot of activity from people on that grassland. Look a little further and you could see the glistening of water, although he was not sure if it was drinkable water.
“The back of the mountain is the tribe field.”
“The field?” Yan Mo was surprised. Where? That grassland? Looking at it, it did not look like a decent field. The most important thing was that people here already knew how to raise crops? Then shouldn’t they have food to eat? Then how come he never found a single grain at home?
“Um, it’s all the elderly slaves that are planting and guarding. The harvest every year is terrible, whenever it’s ready to harvest there are many birds who fly by and steal it. You can’t even catch them. This type of broomcorn millet especially eats the ground, planted for many years, the land it is planted on will be sucked dry. It becomes a dry land where even grass won’t grow. If it wasn’t for the priests and elders who love eating it, this field would not be planted.” Cao Ting seemed as though she did not care about wretched situation.
Yan Mo knew exactly why. Even if he never planted crops before he had common sense. If the crop field was not fertilized, some fields with bad soil needed to take at least a year break, otherwise it would drain all the nutrients from the soil, eventually everything would be dead.
“The millet that the slaves plant, is it only for the Chief, the priest, and the elders to eat?”
“Of course, some wives of the third ranked soldiers can beg for some, but the amount is very small. Everyone is not satisfied. To represent fairness, the Chief does not have the millet split to the others so even he does not eat it, leaves all of it for the priest and elders.”
It seems the Chief here was not a selfish person who would deceive others. In his memories, Yanshan Tribe’s chief was not hereditary, instead they were elected by the people. Usually it was the person who had the best martial skill and was persuasive who became the new leader. The original leader would then abdicate as an elder. Don’t know if the Yuan Ji Tribe was also like this?
In between talking, Cao Ting made her way into the stone forest. Doesn’t know how she identifies directions; seven turns, eight turns, then turned into a clearing.
In the hidden clearing there was a high stone pillar in the middle, if we think that it’s hidden then it would be hidden.
The small stones and weeds in the clearing had vanished, within a ten feet radius it was clean.
A temporary fire pit was dug out in the clearing, there was also a simple stone platform. On top of the platform was a stone pot, next to the fire pit there was a jar of water.
Cao Ting let Yan Mo back onto the ground, following Yan Mo’s instructions, began to boil the water.
He Tu and them arrived as the water started. Yuan Diao looked at Yan Mo and his expression was quite strange. After setting down Da He, immediately walked to Yan Mo’s side, squatted down and pulled his cheek with force.
“Kid, you aren’t bad! Not only did you keep yourself alive, but can also teach others. Not bad, did not waste Da Zhan’s two fat rabbits.”
Yan Mo was holding onto his throbbing cheek, fearlessly looking at Yuan Diao.
It’s a pity that his honest and stocky face cannot portray the effect that he wanted. Instead it provoked Yuan Diao to use force and pull on the other cheek too. With a playful face, he smiled and said, “Fuck, don’t use that kind of expression to look at the adults. Makes me want to fuck you. Yuan Zhan, that guy, will blame me and fight me when he comes back!”
This primitive motherfucker only grew genitals in his brain? Yan Mo’s face changed colors, looked for help from He Tu.
He Tu came up and slapped the shoulder of Yuan Diao, “Last night Cao Ting screamed for an entire evening, still not enough for you! Don’t strike Xiao Mo’s decision, Yuan Zhan probably has not touched him yet.”
The corners of Yan Mo’s mouth twitched. Big sister, So when Yuan Zhan has touched me, then I can casually fuck someone else?
Looking very loyal, Da Shan smirked. In a low muffled voice, “Da Diao, my house’s Wen Sheng can endure fucking, do you want her? Use her once in exchange for two big pieces of good quality fresh meat will do. One piece of salted pork will fulfill it as well. “
Yuan Diao groaned, got up and embraced Cao Ting who was busy by the fire pit. He began to pull her toward the stone pillar—– using actions to inform everyone that he, Yuan Diao, had a slave ready for him to use.
Cao Ting stumbled as she was pulled, but did not refuse him.
He Tu spit in scorn, but also did not do anything. For these kinds of things, everyone here was already used to it.
Young warriors were always full of energy and desires were also strong. Sometimes after coming back from hunting for a long time, whether it was the wife or a female slave greeting them home, they would immediately push them down and engage in activities. Didn’t matter if anyone was watching nearby, some people were even excited to be watched.
Very quickly, sounds came from the stone pillar that at a regular serious surgical operation site, would never appear.
Yan Mo looked at Da He laying on he pelt, gritting his teeth in pain while displaying an understanding smile. Looking at the natural expression, he took over Cao Ting’s job, bringing He Tu’s bag of equipment and placing it in the boiling water, along with the stick Da Shan brought for swatting away mosquitoes and insects then was silent for three minutes.
The life of a primitive man was tragic compared to the modern people, but at the same time they were just as happy.
Yan Mo suddenly realized, maybe he should be glad that he came to a primitive society and not the ancient feudal era that already had a complete culture system. God doctor Hua Tuo (2) got locked in prison until death for suggesting a craniotomy(3). Meanwhile he was an ordinary man who transmigrated and was brave enough to reveal his knife to test?
The feudal society got the more feudal as the years went by. It might have been possible to do surgery in older times—- this was proved by China when they unearthed an early surgical knife. Wait until later, in the feudal era you weren’t even allowed to cut your own hair at will. How were you even willing to let other people cut your body? Even if the patient was willing, their family, the local government and rulers would not be willing.
The punished transmigrator was placed in a primitive society to transform it. Although it was a terrible situation, but it wasn’t the worst.
Everything had its advantages and disadvantages, the opposite was also true. A feudal society that had a complete cultural system may be more convenient and safer in terms of living, but there are also more restrictions.
Although the primitive society was more dangerous, it also held more opportunities.
Yan Mo couldn’t help but think, perhaps besides developing his medical skill, he should try to raise his own martial skill?
Finally Yuan Diao remembered there was other business to attend to. When He Tu began to wipe Da He, he and Cao Ting came back.
The conditions of this surgery were very simple and crude, even the surgeon had to sit on the ground to open the abdomen because of his leg injury.
Yan Mo first dealt with the abdomen wound on Da He.
He Tu wiped her husband over and over. Wiped so much that Da He felt that his stomach had never been this clean before.
Yan Mo told He Tu the proportions and let He Tu use the salt water to wipe the area around Da He’s wound.
Yan Mo had everyone wash their hands in the salt water as much as possible, even had them soak it.
All the equipment were boiled and sterilized. He picked up two pieces of self made wood pieces and gave them to Yuan Diao, “In a moment I will cut open Master Da He’s wound to remove the rotten flesh. When I tell you to, put the two pieces of wood onto the stretched wound and hold and open the two sides of the wound. Without my orders, you can’t let go in the middle, understand?”
Yuan Diao nodded his head, “No big deal.”
Little friend, don’t think that opening the wound is easy. Wait and you’ll cry.
“Sister Cao Ting wash your hands clean, you are responsible for handing me my tools and wiping the sweat, also wipe any bleeding with clean hay.”
Cao Ting deeply inhaled, “yes.”
“Master Da Shan is responsible for shooing away all the insects, absolutely do not let them near us.”
“Ok, don’t worry.” Yuan Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Sister He Tu, prepare a big setose thistle leaf and grind all of it.”
He Tu responded, holding onto the setose thistle like she was holding onto her husband’s life.
Yan Mo picked up a bone needle. He could make a name for himself in the medical circle, even surpass many masters of traditional chinese doctors and surgical specialists. In addition he had a solid understanding and skill in both chinese and western medicine, the cooperation of chinese and western medicine helped create his own path. He could also rely on his expertise in acupuncture.
No one knows who he learned his acupuncture from, this was his biggest secret and this secret was responsible for a big portion of his 100 million scum points. But they were still missing one thing that was indispensable to surgeries —– anesthesia. They would have to believe that Yuan He was heroic and could endure suffering, but he would most likely be unable to prevent his whole body from shaking. Anesthetics reduced the patient’s pain so that they would not be in so much pain that they’d die. It made it more convenient for doctors to treat. But the greatest issue was to reduce accidental injury caused by a patient’s instability during surgery.
No anesthesia, but he could use an acupuncture method to let the patient feel no pain and also be unable to move. In the past, he used this method several times on patients who could not be anesthetized for surgery.
But did he want to stop the pain for Da He?
Thinking about it he was quite unwilling. For this fellow, he was not only burned 8 times, he still had to do his best to save him.
So he decided not to stop the pain for Da He, only pricking an acupoint to prevent him from moving.
Placing the bone needle, Yan Mo smiled in his heart. At the same time, he would ensure that Da He retained a clear conscious for the entirety of the operation, so that he can feel himself being cut open alive, cut the meat, scrape the bones, puncture…. A series of vivid processes.
This is a rare experience, isn’t it?
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(1) Doings of ghosts and gods: Idiom for unexpected happening; an unexplained event
(2) Hua Tuo: a famous doctor in the Han Dynasty
(3) Craniotomy: surgical opening of the skull
T/N: I’ve realized that the names switch between Yuan and Da prefix a lot. So from my understanding, Yuan is given to warriors in the tribe and Da is just how they refer to each other. Yuan Diao is also Da Diao. I’ll create a character page with all their nicknames in the future so it’s less confusing as well.
In other news, the first chapter of my new translating series is out! You can read the first chapter here.
I’ve also made an announcement about the new series as well as my new donation page here.
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