Chapter 20: This Thing Is A Bit Hot Potato
After finishing the meal, Lin Xin tidied up the mess and sat in the courtyard watching Lin Nan and the Big Cat play. As she watched, her brows slowly furrowed because she noticed the Big Cat’s right hind leg was lame.
Last time she saw its lame leg, she thought it was from fighting the Wolf Pack, but now it clearly wasn’t!
After thinking for a bit, she walked over and felt along the lame leg from top to bottom. Sure enough, in the skin and flesh below the leg bone, she felt a hard thing. Every time she pressed it, the Big Cat’s leg would instinctively spasm—it must hurt.
But due to her prestige, it endured the pain without daring to move.
“Older Sister, is Big Cat’s leg broken?” Lin Nan came over and squatted beside her, asking while reaching out his little hand to touch the Big Cat’s hind leg.
Lin Xin feared he might be too rough and hurt the Big Cat, which might bite him in retaliation, so she quickly stopped him and solemnly told Lin Nan: “Nan Nan be good, Big Cat is injured inside its leg. If not treated, its hind leg might end up lame forever. With a lame leg, it won’t catch prey and might starve to death!”
“Ah?” Lin Nan immediately widened his eyes in worry. “What should we do? Older Sister, help Big Cat, okay?”
“Older Sister wants to help it, but she can’t do it alone. She needs Nan Nan’s help.”
“Okay okay, Nan Nan will definitely help seriously. Older Sister, hurry and help Big Cat!”
“Older Sister needs to cut an incision in Big Cat’s leg, take out the bad thing inside, then suture the incision for Big Cat. That way it won’t become lame. Nan Nan, can you help comfort Big Cat and keep it from moving while Older Sister operates?”
Lin Xin actually had anesthetic, but she wasn’t sure about the dosage, so she could only try the smallest amount first.
“No problem. If it wants to move, Nan Nan will lie on it and hold it down. That way it can’t move.” Lin Nan thought his idea was really great.
Looking at innocent Lin Nan, Lin Xin couldn’t bear to tell him that even three of him couldn’t hold down the Big Tiger.
“Alright then, that’s the plan. Older Sister will go prepare things, and we’ll start right away.”
“Good, Older Sister, go quickly!”
The Big Tiger, the party involved, had no say whatsoever. In just a few words, its fate was decided: a cut on its leg and flesh dug out.
Soon, Lin Xin took out a surgical knife, gauze, anesthetic needle, iodine, suture thread, suture needle, and medicine cotton from the space, lining them up neatly beside the Big Cat’s leg.
The Big Cat didn’t know these things were for it and foolishly sniffed each one. The alcohol smell made it sneeze. If Lin Xin hadn’t quickly turned its big head, all the things would have been ruined.
“Nan Nan hold it down, Older Sister is starting!”
Hearing this, Lin Nan pounced and lay on the Big Tiger’s back, swinging his little legs to add weight and suppress it, squeezing out a “Okay!”
The silly Big Cat thought Lin Nan was playing with it and gently swatted his little butt with its thick tail.
Lin Xin didn’t hesitate. Before the Big Cat could react, she jabbed an anesthetic needle into its hind leg. This was an improved version post-apocalypse specifically for mutant beasts, with very strong effects. Sure enough, right after injection, it struggled once, but only that once—no second time. The Big Tiger passed out on the ground.
Lin Xin’s hands moved extremely fast. She immediately sliced through the fur on the Big Cat’s hind leg, cut open the fascia, and found the hard thing beside the leg bone. It was a metal tubular object about the thickness and length of a little finger. The skin and flesh where it touched had already turned black and necrotic. If not removed soon, this leg would likely be thoroughly deposed.
She first set the metal tube aside, scraped off the rotten black dead flesh on the Big Cat’s leg with the knife, then slightly repaired its fascia with wood element ability to avoid sequela, sutured layer by layer, applied medicine, and bandaged it up.
The whole process took less than half an hour—quite impressive handiwork.
“Older Sister, is it done?” Lin Nan had been pressing hard on the Big Cat and was drenched in sweat. Hearing different sounds from Older Sister, he quickly asked.
“Done. Nan Nan can rest now.” Lin Xin packed up the surgical tools. Seeing the Big Cat wouldn’t wake for a while, she sat aside to study the metal tube.
She first wiped the blood and flesh off with iodine, revealing its true form: a hollow tube made of purple copper. Gently shaking it produced a “puff puff” muffled sound inside—something was in there. Lin Xin was curious: who did this copper tube belong to? Who thought of stabbing it into the Big Cat’s leg? Weren’t they afraid of not getting it back?
“Older Sister, what’s this?” Lin Nan came over, looked curiously, and asked.
“Older Sister doesn’t know. Picked it up at the door this morning. But it’s definitely not something important, or it wouldn’t be thrown away randomly. Right, Nan Nan?” Lin Xin didn’t tell the truth. This thing looked unusual, and she feared Lin Nan might blab and bring trouble home.
“Older Sister is right. Nan Nan’s important things wouldn’t be thrown around.” Lin Nan nodded seriously in agreement.
“Good boy, go watch Big Cat. Older Sister will handle this thing.”
“Good, Older Sister go ahead!”
Lin Xin went into the house and examined the copper tube closely. Gripping both ends and gently twisting, it split in half, and a gossamer-thin silk cloth fell out, densely covered in tiny regular script characters.
She glanced at it. Due to the ancient vertical writing habit, it was hard to read, but she could vaguely make out names, each followed by corresponding official positions, plus some marks she didn’t understand—probably special codes.
After reading, Lin Xin concluded this was likely a secret list of court officials. The owner must have been chased to desperation and, to keep it from enemies, hid it in the Big Cat’s leg. Today, she stumbled upon it by chance.
Lin Xin suddenly had a headache—this thing felt hot potato in her hands!
What to do?
After thinking for a long time, Lin Xin decided to let nature take its course! At most, pay more attention to the Back Mountain later to see if she could discover something.
Looking at the hot potato in her hand, she once again resented the certain tiger in the courtyard—this guy only brought her trouble. Next time, she’d deduct several beggars’ chickens from it!
Lin Xin had used little anesthetic on the Big Cat, so it soon woke from anesthesia. Upon regaining consciousness, it sensed the difference in its hind leg—not the bone-deep pain from before, but only skin and flesh hurting.
Though its simple tiger brain couldn’t figure it out, instinctively it felt this was related to that fierce two-legged beast.
“Big Cat you’re awake! Older Sister just fixed your leg. Don’t move yet. You’re so strong, the wound Older Sister cut will heal fast. You won’t limp when walking anymore!” Lin Nan was thrilled to see it awake and chattered while touching its gauze-wrapped hind leg.
