Having organized the medicinal herbs and surgical tools, Yingbao donned a mask that her mother had made specifically for her, carefully cleaned her hands, and started making an incision on the patient's sore.
Her senior apprentice brother also wore a mask, thoroughly cleaning his hands and assisting from the side.
The patient's wife gave him a bath, cleanly washed his hair with scented soap, and dried it.
The patient then lay face down on a small bamboo bed. His hair was wrapped in a cloth to prevent it from getting in the way of the procedure.
Yingbao, with an expressionless face, poured some strong liquor onto his back, indicating to his wife and brother to hold his arms and legs down, and then she started cutting open the sore with a knife.
The patient was shivering in pain, biting hard on a cloth gag.
This was Yingbao's first time looking inside a sore, which resembled a bee's nest. Numerous maggots were squirming in it, making her feel sick.