Chapter 23 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Chores at the Clinic

The water in the wooden barrel had turned pale pink for the fourth time in the morning. Every time Tinh Yen dipped her hand into cleaning a batch of cutlery, the blood-stained sewing needle dried and hardened into layers that stuck tightly to the steel blade. The hands that once placed acupuncture needles precisely to each acupuncture point are now soaked in cold water all day, the fingers are wrinkled and numb, the nails are discolored from constant contact with antiseptics.

"You're too slow." Vu Khac Tuan passed by and glanced at the stack of tools that had not yet been washed. "In the afternoon, we still have to autoclave it in time for tonight's surgery. If we're too late, the whole hospital will have to wait."

"I know." Tinh Yen replied briefly, without raising her head, her hands still quickly cleaning. She had learned, after nearly two weeks of probation, that the best way to deal with Tuan's sarcasm was not to argue back, but to work faster and more accurately than he expected.

Every day's repetitive tasks seem endless: washing tools, washing old bandages for reuse because of limited stockpiles, boiling water, carrying water, cleaning up feces and waste in the isolation area, changing bed sheets for patients who cannot move on their own. Not once was she allowed to touch a diagnosis or prescribe medication, although many times she stood next to the hospital bed, clearly seeing the signs of a case being mishandled without being allowed to open her mouth.

Nhuoc Lan became her only companion during those days, giving her little tips to make the work less difficult - how to tie gauze quickly, how to arrange tools in order so as not to waste time searching in times of emergency, how to recognize which drugs need to be stored away from sunlight so as not to lose their medicinal properties.

"Are you paying attention to Captain Ky?" One afternoon, when the two of them were resting briefly by the well behind the tent, Nhuoc Lan asked in a whisper. "He's so strict, but these past few days I've seen him keep passing by the quarantine area, glancing at you working and then leaving without saying anything."

"Maybe he wanted to see if I would give up." Tinh Yen replied, rubbing her hands, which were calloused from the cold water.

"Or perhaps he was curious to see how the disciples of a lost royal physician do things differently than we do." Nhuoc Lan narrowed her eyes and smiled softly. "Anyway, keep it up. Three months isn't long, and you're already halfway through the first month."

At that moment, a noise suddenly rang out from the nearby tent - a young soldier named Khau Van Dat, who had been injured in the leg from a previous battle, was struggling on the bed, his face pale, sweat pouring out even though the weather was not hot. Another young physician was struggling and didn't know what to do. His hands were shaking, holding a bowl of medicine but not daring to let the patient drink it.

Tinh Yen stepped closer following her professional instinct, even though she knew she was not allowed to interfere. She saw that the wound on Khau Van Dat's leg was swollen, the skin around the stitches had turned dark purple, and a faint odor was rising - signs of necrosis starting to spread.

"His wound is gangrenous." She blurted out to the confused young doctor. "It's not a normal fever, it must be treated immediately, otherwise the whole leg will have to be amputated, or even life will be in danger."

"You are not allowed to say anything, this is none of your business!" As soon as Vu Khac Tuan heard it, he shouted and pulled Tinh Yen's hand back. "The captain has clearly told you not to diagnose yourself."

"But if we don't take care of it right away, he will lose his leg in the next few days!" Tinh Yen objected, refusing to back down, with a rare harsh tone. "You may not believe me, but at least call an official doctor to check right away, don't delay any more."

The tension between the two attracted the attention of an older medical officer on duty nearby. He quickly ran over to check, his face changed color as soon as he saw the wound. "It's really necrotic, we have to deal with it immediately, call Captain here!"

In the next chaotic half-moment, Ky Ba Nghiem was called in and personally treated the wound, cutting out the necrotic tissue, washing it with strong medicinal wine before stitching it up and applying special treatment. Tinh Yen stood outside, not allowed to intervene directly, but still watched every move, both worried and secretly comparing with the way her master had taught her to handle similar cases.

When everything was temporarily calm, Ky Ba Nghiem walked out of the tent, wiped his hands with a cloth, his eyes stopped on Tinh Yen's face for a long time.

"Who was the first to discover signs of necrosis?" He asked, his voice lacking any clear emotion.

"Captain, it's me." Tinh Yen replied, not avoiding, even though she knew she would probably be reprimanded for exceeding the assigned limit.

Ky Ba Nghiem nodded slowly, neither praising nor blaming, just saying a short sentence before turning away: "Next time, if you see any unusual signs, just report it to the on-duty nurse immediately, no need to diagnose it yourself. But this time... well done."

Tinh Yen stood silently watching him leave, a small warm feeling crept into her heart amid the tiring days of the past - even though it was just a short sentence, not a flowery compliment, but to her, it was more valuable than any words of praise.

Vu Khac Tuan stood nearby, his face complicated, no longer disdainful as before, but not enough to reveal an admission. He just quietly turned away and continued his work, leaving a silence that was different from the usual sarcasm.

That evening, when Tinh Yen was sitting alone on the bank of a small stream behind the barracks, taking advantage of a rare moment of rest to wash off the smell of antiseptic on her hands, a familiar figure appeared from the trail leading to the command camp area.

"I heard from Deputy General Lu that she applied to join the military hospital to work officially." Ve Thanh Phong said, sitting down on a nearby stone, his eyes observing her hands, which were still wet and red from the cold water. "But I didn't hear that she was having to do chores like a new recruit."

"This is the condition that Captain Ky proposed, I accept it." Tinh Yen replied, smiling slightly when she saw him. "Aren't you afraid that people will object when you come here at this hour? I'm just a probationary doctor, you're now a deputy general."

"I came because I was worried about you, not because of my status." Thanh Phong replied directly, his voice serious. "If Captain Ky makes things too difficult for you, I can—"

"No." Tinh Yen interrupted, resolutely. "If you interfere, all the effort I put into proving myself will be meaningless. I want to be recognized for myself, not because someone has my back."

Thanh Phong looked at her for a long time, in his eyes there was a mixture of admiration and helplessness - helplessness because he knew clearly that the gap between them, between a deputy general from the Marquis's family and a probationary medical student, lay not only in her dignity but also in the very principles that she always persistently maintained, principles that he both admired and could not break on her behalf.

"Okay, I won't interfere." He finally nodded, although there was still a hint of regret in his voice. "But if there comes a day when you need even just a word, I'm always here."

"Is the wound on your thigh okay?" She asked, her voice turning familiarly worried, as if a physician's habit never completely died even in private conversation. "Did you have to exercise vigorously during the recent march?"

"It's fine, just a little sore when it gets windy." Thanh Phong replied, gently lifting his sleeve to reveal a long, healed scar on his arm, a mark left from the first night the two met on the battlefield. "Every time I look at this scar, I remember that night, remember the shaking but still determined hand of a fifteen-year-old girl, daring to hold a knife and cut a stranger's flesh to save his life."

"I was very scared at that time." Tinh Yen confessed, laughing softly as she remembered. "I just don't dare reveal it, I'm afraid the young master will lose his confidence and struggle, making the wound worse."

"She hid it so well, I never noticed." He replied, his eyes softening. "Just like now, she hid her fatigue after every day of doing chores, just to maintain her own principles. I think, if her master was still alive, he would be very proud to see her still persevering like that, even though there was no one around to teach her every step anymore."

Mentioning Lieu Nguyen, the corners of Tinh Yen's eyes were a little teary, but she did not let the tears fall, just nodded slightly, looking down at her calloused hands reflecting in the water under the moonlight.

"There are times when we wonder if we are on the right path." She spoke softly. "Washing instruments all day, not touching a single case properly, sometimes I feel like I'm wasting what my master taught me."

"It's not a waste." Thanh Phong shook his head. "I have seen that in the military for many years, everyone has to start from the lowest level before being given greater responsibility. It is that foundation of patience that makes people stand firm when the real responsibility comes. She is not wasting time, she is building something that no one can take away - the trust of the people who work with her."

Tinh Yen looked out at the gurgling stream under the new moonlight that had just risen behind the mountains. Her heart suddenly felt lighter after a long and tiring day. She knew the road ahead was long, with more challenges than cleaning a stack of bloody cutlery, but at least, in the midst of those arduous days, she was not completely alone.