Song Chunfang, who had little appetite due to her weakness and the after-effects of anesthesia, caught the enticing scent. Her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the spoonful of glistening, warm porridge, and she instinctively swallowed.
As the warm porridge entered her mouth, an indescribable warmth carrying a light sweetness and a soothing quality flowed down her throat, instantly relieving the thirst and faint discomfort from the surgery.
Song Chunfang chewed and swallowed instinctively, then opened her mouth again, waiting for the next spoonful.
Fang Rong was a little surprised by her teacherâs sudden appetite, but she was more happy than anything, and quickly continued to feed her one spoonful after another.
Song Chunfang ate faster and faster with almost no pause. In no time, the small bowl of thin porridge was wiped clean.
She let out a soft sigh. A hint of color returned to her pale face, and her eyes looked a little brighter.
Only then did she realize she had lost her composure. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said, "I guess I was really starving."
"Itâs good that youâre eating. The more you eat, the faster youâll recover, Teacher Song."
"Yeah, thatâs right. Surgery takes a lot out of you. You need to replenish your energy."
...
Fang Rong, He Yuan, and the others quickly reassured her, their faces lit up with joyful smiles.
They just assumed the surgery had gone smoothly and the porridge was particularly fragrant, which had stimulated their teacherâs appetite.
Yang Qi agreed with them, but a thought stirred in his mind.
âIt seems that since Teacher Song just came out of surgery, her body is weak and her senses and thoughts are a bit dulled. She didnât notice anything unusual about the porridge, chalking it up to simple hunger and a fragrant aroma.â
âThis is for the best. It saves me the trouble of having to explain.â
They chatted with Teacher Song for a little while longer.
Song Chunfangâs eyelids grew heavy. Amidst the groupâs quiet chatter, she drifted back into a hazy sleep, her breathing steady and deep.
Seeing she was asleep, Yang Qi and the others stood up and tiptoed out of the room.
In the hallway, Yang Fan, Wei Zhongting, and the others who had been waiting crowded around.
When they heard that their teacher had eaten something and fallen peacefully back to sleep, relieved smiles appeared on everyoneâs faces.
"That was some good porridge you bought, Little Junior Brother. Our teacher really enjoyed it!"
Xia Xiaomin patted Yang Qiâs shoulder, praising him with a smile.
Yang Qi responded modestly.
He, however, was thinking, âWith the help of the Nourishing Essence Pill, Teacher Songâs recovery should be much faster than expected.â
...
Song Chunfang slept soundly, not stirring until after eleven oâclock the next morning.
The first thing she felt upon waking was an intense urge to urinate.
She quickly called out that she needed the bathroom, so Fang Rong called for a nurse.
The nurse on duty came in when she heard the call. She was startled to see Song Chunfang already sitting up by herself and quickly urged, "Teacher Song, please donât move! Youâve just had lumbar spine surgery, you mustnât move around! We have a catheter..."
"Take out the catheter. Iâll go to the bathroom myself."
Song Chunfang frowned. Her lower abdomen felt uncomfortably full, and the tube in her body was making her extremely uncomfortable.
The nurse didnât dare make that decision on her own.
She hurried off to get the attending physician, Director Jiang.
Director Jiang rushed over, assuming the patient was experiencing post-operative pain or discomfort, and prepared himself to offer reassurances and explanations.
But when he walked into the room and saw Song Chunfang leaning against the headboardâher complexion normal, her eyes bright, and her spirits clearly highâhe froze for a moment.
When he heard her speak, her voice was also much stronger than he had anticipated.
"Director Jiang, I really feel fine. Please let me go to the bathroom. Itâs miserable just lying here," Song Chunfang insisted.
Astonished, Director Jiang stepped closer to carefully observe Song Chunfangâs complexion and pupils. He saw none of the typical post-operative symptoms he expected, such as severe pain, nausea, or extreme fatigue.
After a few seconds of deliberation, he nodded. "Alright. Be careful. Remove the catheter."
He then stepped outside.
After the nurse had removed the catheter.
Director Jiang returned and, along with Fang Rong, prepared to help Song Chunfang out of bed.
But what happened next made Director Jiang, Fang Rong, Zhang Liping who had just walked in, and the two nurses all stare wide-eyed in astonishment.
Song Chunfang gently propped herself up with her hands on the edge of the bed, swung her legs over the side, and stood steadily on the ground. Her gait was perfectly natural.
As the others stared in a stupor, she walked steadily into the roomâs private bathroom and shut the door.
Director Jiang: "..."
Fang Rong: "..."
Zhang Liping: "..."
The two nurses: "!!!"
Director Jiang was dumbfounded. He had been a surgeon for decades and had performed countless spinal surgeries. Heâd seen his fair share of recoveries.
Even the fastest recoveries required at least 24 hours in bed before a patient could cautiously attempt to sit or stand with assistance, and even then, it was always accompanied by intense pain and limited mobility.
But for a patient like Song Chunfang to wake up post-op, get out of bed on her own, and walk so "briskly" to the bathroom...
It was unheard of!
He whipped his head around to face the equally bewildered Fang Rong and Zhang Liping. "This..." he asked in a hushed voice, "Teacher Song... did you give her anything special? Use some kind of alternative recovery method? Has anything unusual happened between yesterday and now?"
Fang Rong and Zhang Liping looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Nothing at all."
Fang Rong recounted, "Yesterday, after she came back from the operating room, she woke up for a bit, drank a small bowl of thin porridge from the hospital cafeteria, and then fell asleep again. Sheâs been asleep ever since."
"Other than the nurses coming by on schedule to monitor her vital signs and change her dressings, she hasnât had anything else to eat or received any special treatments."
"We were actually getting worried that she was sleeping for so long, but her vitals on the monitor were always stable, so we didnât wake her."
As a doctor herself, Zhang Liping found it even more incredible. "Momâs condition is almost too good. The anesthesia should have completely worn off by now, so the pain should be kicking in. But she didnât even mention being in pain..."