Chapter 803 - Pushed Down

Guo Fu saw off the female orderly, then sat down to write sick-leave notes for each patient, stamping them with the Health Station's seal. While she was busy at this, she looked up and suddenly noticed Hippo standing in the doorway of the emergency room.

"Teacher Hippo—" She stood up in a fluster.

Hippo gently made a "quiet" gesture with his finger. He said softly, "I saw everything. You did very well."

"Thank you, Teacher," she said shyly.

"How is the situation so far?"

She briefly summarized the case history, her diagnosis, and the treatment administered.

Hippo nodded. "Send the mushroom fragments to the lab for analysis later. Get someone from the Tiandihui to come take a look—they have extensive experience with fungi."

"Yes, Teacher."

"Your judgment today was very decisive." Hippo said approvingly, "Being a doctor requires not just the ability to handle emergencies, but also the courage to make quick decisions—especially in moments when a patient's life hangs in the balance. The slightest hesitation can cause fatal delays." He continued, "But decisiveness must be built on a solid foundation of medical knowledge. Otherwise, it's just recklessness with human life. Your grasp of knowledge is solid, and your treatment was decisive. You'll make an excellent doctor someday."

"Thank you for your kind words, Teacher," Guo Fu said with embarrassment. She studied Hippo's face. To her, it reflected his thoughts, character, and understanding and sympathy for others. His greatness was natural, not contrived—that was what made it feel genuine.

This made his assessment of her abilities all the more meaningful and heartwarming. Suddenly, as if receiving some revelation, she broke through the mystery that had been building over the past few months. She realized with startling clarity: she had fallen deeply, passionately in love with this man. At the thought, her ears burned. How embarrassing! She hoped it didn't show on her face.

Hippo said apologetically, "We'll leave it here for now. Today's schedule is packed. I need to go teach." He smiled at her. "Anything else?" As he spoke, he gently patted her cheek.

That touch felt like an electric current running through her entire body, leaving her breathless and dazed.

"I need to go inspect the pharmacy," she said, her heart pounding wildly, her emotions churning like waves.

"If there are any problems, let me know. I didn't have time to check your homework this morning—I'll come by tonight."

She lowered her head. "Mm." The door closed behind her, and she stood there with her eyes closed for a moment.

For the rest of the day, Guo Fu went about her routine. First she took inventory at the pharmacy, then attended Hippo's lecture. She and several second-cohort students were receiving training to become medical practitioners. After class, she rushed through lunch in the Health Station's cafeteria, then accompanied Hippo on outpatient rounds. That afternoon, a patient requiring emergency orthopedic surgery was brought in. Hippo went into the operating room while Guo Fu handled the outpatient clinic alone. Today was exceptionally busy—a train derailment had occurred at Tiandu Town, killing one person and injuring thirty. The small train had delivered a stream of casualties, and stretchers filled the corridor. By five o'clock, Guo Fu had seen forty-one new patients, debrided and sutured wounds for fourteen, kept seven for observation, performed bone immobilization on two (pending Hippo's attention after surgery), and treated over twenty minor cases with wound care and prescriptions. A few who needed rest were given sick leave.

Five o'clock was the end of her shift, but Guo Fu worked until nearly six before finishing with all the accident victims. After a final round of the ward and observation room, she left the clinic. Exhausted from the long ordeal, she breathed a huge sigh of relief, grateful to finally be free to return to her small dormitory room. Every muscle in her body ached for her comfortable bed, and she longed for eight or nine hours of uninterrupted sleep.

The Health Department provided dormitories at every medical facility. As a head nurse and future medical practitioner, Guo Fu's room was a double—she shared it with a second-cohort student.

Despite her exhaustion, she still wanted to shower first—after encountering so much pain, blood, and filth at the clinic, she was desperate to wash it all away.

The bathhouse was quiet again; the nurses coming off and going on shift had already left. The room was heavy with steam, the walls and floor slick with moisture. She exhaled deeply—the relief after such intense tension made her limbs feel weak. She removed her nurse's uniform and tossed it in the laundry basket. The laundry team would collect it for washing and steam sterilization. She turned on the shower, and the hot water washed over her, bringing a sense of liberation from the day's work.

Guo Fu let the hot water fall on her face. The sensation of Hippo's hand on her cheek hadn't entirely faded. She replayed that moment, gently touching her own cheek. Her skin felt unusually sensitive... the warm water splashed over her chest, her belly, her thighs...

"Mm..."

Guo Fu sighed deeply. The gleditsia pod felt as heavy as a thousand jin and slipped from her hands to the floor. She stood there weakly, leaning her back against the tiled wall for support—the cold on her back and the warmth on her front created a strange sensation throughout her body.

"It's all... Teacher's fault..." She gently closed her eyes, Hippo's face and voice filling her mind.

...

After her shower, Guo Fu changed into a fresh uniform—unless she was on an outside call, she had to be ready for summons at any time. She came up the back staircase to the director's office on the third floor and knocked lightly.

"Come in!" came Hippo's rich baritone from inside.

She hesitated a moment, touched her cheek again, then pushed the door open. Hippo was standing before a wall-mounted X-ray viewer, studying several bone X-rays.

"Teacher Hippo," she called respectfully.

Hippo glanced at her, but his eyes remained fixed on the X-rays in the viewer.

"How did outpatient go today?"

"Fine." She gave a brief report on the clinic situation and placed the case file on his desk.

"Mm," Hippo said. "Come look at this."

Guo Fu approached the illuminated panel. The backlit films glowed brightly.

Reading X-rays was a fundamental skill for any doctor. Hippo not only taught this as a dedicated course, but also seized every opportunity to have future practitioners make real-world assessments.

"The patient has an ulnar fracture..."

"I can see the obvious," Hippo said.

"Yes." Guo Fu examined the film closely. "An old healed fracture of the femur."

"Exactly." Hippo nodded. "In fact, the tibia also shows signs of a healed injury." He pointed with a pencil. One hand came to rest on Guo Fu's arm.

"Mm... but... these two fractures would have been very difficult to heal on their own..."

"From the healing pattern, both fractures clearly occurred during childhood and likely received some form of traditional bone-setting treatment," Hippo analyzed, his commentary thoroughly professional.

Guo Fu realized the X-ray belonged to one of the workers injured in today's derailment. After examining him, Hippo had decided a simple cast wouldn't suffice; he was planning to insert a few steel pins for stabilization.

"You'll assist me in this surgery," Hippo said. "Are you prepared?"

"Yes. But you've said orthopedic surgery is physical labor—I'm afraid I don't have the strength."

"It takes more than strength—it takes skill." Hippo smiled faintly. For some reason, Guo Fu's heart gave a sudden jolt, pounding hard.

"Teacher..."

Before she could finish, his arms were already wrapped tightly around her slender waist.

Teacher Hippo's hands kneaded her lower back, waves of tingling spreading up and down her spine, making her shift involuntarily. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear a word. His voice sounded nothing like before: soft and magnetic. His breathing came faster. She felt a warm, comfortable response building within her. She knew instinctively this was dangerous, yet reason had long since been flung far behind.

"Teacher—" She shook her head lightly, as if trying to clear it. "Don't... don't..." she said softly. Even she didn't find her protest convincing. As she spoke, Hippo lowered his head, pressing his lips to her neck. She tilted her head back involuntarily, giving him better access. When his lips reached hers, she felt a surge of desire.

Guo Fu's lips parted willingly, receiving his tongue... an indescribable fire spread through her body along with the twining of tongues, and time and space seemed to cease to exist. The world stood still: they heard no sound around them, felt no breeze stirring, saw no dazzling sunlight.

She felt like a cloud, drifting freely across the sky. She was made for this man—only he could bring her such joy. Yet at the same time, a voice kept whispering: "Enough, enough."

But she didn't want this feeling to end. When at last her body was pressed down onto the office's rattan sofa, and Teacher Hippo's hand cupped her breast, a shock of tingling shot through her spine, making her cry out. Her whole body felt ablaze. Never before had she been so aware of being a woman, so full of vitality. Hippo's powerful body pressed against her, making her heart race wildly. Her arms moved involuntarily, caressing his shoulders, his chest—she loved all of him, from head to toe.

"Teacher—"

"Don't speak." Hippo's voice seemed to come from the heavens, one hand stroking her hair, making her feel both safe and content—and then her back touched the rattan surface.

(End of Chapter)