Meanwhile, at Tong Yao's end.
Si Xiaohui, who had just given her medical registration slip, was worried because Zhang Lijuan hadn't yet returned. She left Tong Yao at the entrance of the outpatient room, saying, "You wait in line here and don't wander off. I'll go find Lijuan and be back soon."
Before Tong Yao could reply, Si Xiaohui had already run off.
Tong Yao stood in line at the entrance of the clinic, clutching her wounded arm. The middle-aged woman behind her saw her bloodstained arm, and the cloth covering her wound soaked through with blood. She couldn't help but show concern, "Young lady, how did you get injured like this? Why are you bleeding so much?"
Tong Yao gave a small smile, "A thief attacked me on the bus."
The people ahead in the line were drawn to their conversation and turned their head. Seeing Tong Yao's blood-soaked cloth and hands, they sighed, "Oh dear! That damn thief was so ruthless. You shouldn't be in this line. Go straight in and get it bandaged! That's a lot of blood. You could have hit a blood vessel!"
"Quick, quick, step to the front."
The others in line kindly let her get in front. Once the doctor was done with the current patient, she would be next.
Tong Yao felt a little embarrassed by the over-politeness and warmth. Although she knew her arm was bleeding quite a bit, she knew she hadn't hit a blood vessel and that it wasn't that serious.
People say those from the countryside in this era are illiterate and disorderly. Clearly, the people around her were country folks. Some even had patches on their clothes. Many people who went to the hospital were critically ill because most would rather see a doctor locally in their village. Yet, they were all generously letting her go first, proving that not all rumors should be believed.
Even though this era had its fair share of illiteracy, their inherent simplicity and kindness could not be denied.
"Whoever is wounded, please come in." A charismatic voice called out from the room, like an announcer's.
Tong Yao's heart skipped a beat. Was that Si Chen's voice?
Honestly, she clenched her chest at the thought of seeing her husband, whom she had never met. Her heart fluttered wildly. Si Chen had thought she had run away, but now she would suddenly appear right before his eyes. Would he be shocked?
"Stop holding up the line. The doctor's calling you. Quickly, go in!"
Seeing Tong Yao standing in place, an older woman in the queue gave her a little shove from behind. Tong Yao stumbled into the room, nearly falling over. The male doctor sitting on a chair instinctively tried to stand up to help, but when he saw that she regained her balance, he took back his hand.
The doctor wasn't expecting the injured person to be such a beautiful young woman. His eyes flickered for a moment before focusing on her arm. He frowned and automatically chastised her.
"How could you wait in line while bleeding that much? Aren't you concerned at all?"
Tong Yao hadn't noticed what the male doctor had said. She was too focused on the handsome man in front of her. He was definitely attractive with pleasing features and no noticeable flaws. He was also tall, at least 1.8 meters, standing straight up in front of her like a small mountain.
The man had a badge on his chest, but she could only make out the Surname 'Si'. The other character was blocked by the pen clipped to his pocket. Nevertheless, it had to be Si Chen. After all, the surname 'Si' was rare, and the chances of there being two young doctors with the same surname in the hospital were slim.
For some reason, her previously jittery and nervous feelings calmed down in front of this man, like a fierce wind swept past, and suddenly everything was calm.
The male doctor was focused on Tong Yao's arm. The blood had dried up on the wound and the cloth. He carefully pulled the cloth away and checked the wound. His brows furrowed, "The wound is deep. It looks like it needs to be stitched."
After waiting for a while and seeing no response from Tong Yao, he looked up only to find her staring off into space. Despite dealing with dozens or even hundreds of patients every day, it still felt uncomfortable being stared at so intently by such a beautiful young lady.
He cleared his throat and coughed. "Did the sight of the wound scare you? Don't worry. While the injury caused quite a bit of bleeding, it didn't reach the muscle or bone. Just avoid contact with water and it will heal over time."
Even the doctor himself didn't notice how his voice had softened. After he finished speaking, he took out some antiseptic from the drawer to disinfect her wound. This fair and delicate arm had been severely cut, which would heal faster with stitches, but it might cause a scar later on. He worried that she'd feel sad when she saw the scar.
Tong Yao blinked and considered how to introduce herself, "Dr. Si, I come from Shanghe Village."
Upon hearing 'Shanghe Village,' the male doctor looked up, "What coincidence, my colleague..."
He abruptly changed the subject as if he remembered something. "Let me disinfect this first. Later, when we give you anesthesia for the stitches, do you have a family member with you?"
"Yes, they went to the restroom. They should be back soon." Tong Yao glanced at the entrance, wondering why Si Xiaohui hadn't come back. If Si Xiaohui were here, she wouldn't need to introduce herself.
By now, the doctor had finished disinfecting the wound. He pointed at the chair next to her and said, "Sit for a moment and don't agitate the wound. I'll write a prescription. Once someone comes in, you can have them bring the medicine over, and I'll do the stitches."
Tong Yao sat on the chair, staring at the profile of the man writing the prescription. A playful idea suddenly struck her. She moved her chair slightly closer to him and said softly but distinctly, "Dr. Si, I'm Tong Yao, your wife."
The male doctor's hand jerked, causing his pen to make a long arc on the paper. He looked up at her in surprise, mouth agape, as if he had seen a gorilla escape from the zoo.
Tong Yao was delighted with his reaction. She giggled, "Your mom wanted you to come home, but I figured you were busy, so..."
Halfway through her sentence, she froze. Her breathing stopped for a moment and her mind went blank. The steel pen the male doctor held in his hand clearly revealed the name tag on his chest: 'Si Jun'. Accompanied by the male doctor's bewildering expression, it seemed utterly comical and awkward.
Just then, there was commotion at the door. Tong Yao turned to see a tall, broad-shouldered man in a white coat walking in. He was even more handsome than the doctor she was talking to. His long, amber eyes were mysterious as a vast starry sky. His perfectly-curved, lofty nose could save tens of thousands of plastic surgery expenses. His lips were as pink as a girl's, and his whole face, along with his features, were remarkably defined.
Tong Yao sighed at the man's good looks, even though she had seen countless handsome celebrities in her previous life.
Tong Yao glanced downward and almost fell off her chair when she saw the name on his chest badge.