Volume 1 / Chapter 43: Early Checkup
It was a bright Saturday morning. The sky was clear with barely a cloud in sight, and the sun hung high, casting its warm light over the world.
This was one of the most pleasant days of the yearâthe kind of weather where even aimlessly wandering the streets felt like a rare delight.
Her father pedaled leisurely through streets and alleyways with her on the back seat of his bicycle.
Some areas were quiet, some bustling.
Some were vibrant, others rundown.
Roadwork here, demolition there, new construction elsewhereâthe city pulsed with growth and vitality.
Today, they were heading to the hospital for a post-op checkup.
The so-called follow-up.
Normally, it would be scheduled once a month. But this time was special: not only was it her first checkup since discharge, catching potential issues early was betterâŠ
âŠand more importantly, MĂČ XuÄyĂĄo was due to start military training next Monday. Her parents wouldnât feel comfortable letting her attend unless her health was cleared in advance.
Her mother had already left the house at the crack of dawn. She had taken on a lot of domestic work lately, and even if it was still early morning, her destination varied depending on the day.
Her father, however, had a bit more breathing room now. The lease discussions with Auntie Jin technically Grandma Jin, considering XuÄyĂĄoâs generation had gone wellâthey just needed to sign the contract and pay the half-year rent.
He had originally planned to put down a deposit, but the landlord didnât ask for one, simply telling him to come directly when ready.
So now, what her father mulled over wasâwhat kind of shop to open?
The original plan was a fruit shop, but there were a few other options on the table too. Todayâs goal was to scope out the market and figure out what kind of store would be the best fitâone that could actually turn a profit.
The biggest concern with a fruit shop was losses. Fruit had to be fresh or it wouldnât sell, and unfortunately, it couldn't be kept for longâŠ
That was the core of his hesitation.
So today, while taking XuÄyĂĄo to the hospital, he also planned to visit a few fruit vendors around Hangzhou First Hospital to check the scene.
XuÄyĂĄo squinted into the sunlight and turned up her collar to shield herself from the breeze brushing past.
Since it was the weekend, she finally got a break from wearing the YÇkĆng High School uniform. Today, she wore a set of long-sleeved and full-length casual wearâunisex, comfortable, and modest.
The feeling of being fully covered gave her a great sense of reliefâat least she wouldnât have to worry about the wind lifting her skirt and revealing things sheâd rather keep private.
"Screechâ"
Her father pulled the brakes gently, bringing the bicycle to a smooth stop.
âHangzhou First Hospital. Weâre here, XuÄyĂĄo. Time to get off.â
âOkay!â XuÄyĂĄo hopped nimbly off the back seat and stretched her arms high in the air with a long yawn.
Theyâd already arranged the visit with the doctor the day before.
After all, XuÄyĂĄo was considered a special caseâshe was on file with hospitals in both Hangzhou and Shanghai.
The First Hospital here had already been notified. A few doctors had scheduled time to handle her examination.
This time, the hospital had assigned her a female urologist. From her voice over the phone, sheâd sounded barely out of collegeâŠ
But in person, it turned out she was actually thirty-four. Exceptionally well-maintained, though, and radiating that graceful charm unique to a confident, mature woman.
âHello, MĂČ XuÄyĂĄo. Weâll probably be seeing each other more in the future. Iâm YĂșn MĂšng ,â she said with a warm smile, extending a hand.
XuÄyĂĄo, a bit shy, reached out as well, letting the other woman give her hand a gentle shake.
âLetâs start with a blood test and urinalysis firstâto check your general indicators. Come back to me afterward for the clinical exam.â
With that, XuÄyĂĄo was escorted by her father to register and queue up for the tests.
After the blood draw, the lab tech handed her a small paper cup and pointed her toward the bathroom...
Honestly, XuÄyĂĄo wouldâve preferred another round of blood tests.
This was just too embarrassing.
And inconvenient too, doing this sort of thing in a public hospital bathroom.
Still, she managed to collect a proper sample and handed it in to the lab tech.
The tech, of course, didnât even bat an eyeâwhich somehow made XuÄyĂĄo feel more awkward.
After all that was done, she returned to Dr. YĂșn MĂšngâs office.
A young man had just finished his clinical exam and was walking out, clutching his backside.
In his hand was a small glass vial, containing a cloudy, semi-transparent liquid.
When he saw XuÄyĂĄo walk in, his face flushed a deep shade of redâlike pigâs liverâand he quickened his pace toward the lab, eyes down.
âAlright, MĂČ XuÄyĂĄoâcome in and sit down~â Dr. YĂșn MĂšng greeted her warmly, handing her a cup of tea. It was clear XuÄyĂĄo was getting VIP treatment.
Feeling a little stiff, XuÄyĂĄo sat down carefully. The doctorâs eyes were fixed directly on her, which made her fidget.
âNo need to be shy, XuÄyĂĄo. Just relax.â
â...Okay.â
âAny discomfort lately? Anything feel off?â
â...Not that I can think of,â XuÄyĂĄo said after a moment of thought, shaking her head.
âNo coughing? Fever? Cold symptoms?â
It was starting to sound less like a follow-up and more like a general physical.
Then again... they were kind of the same thing?
âNone.â
Dr. YĂșn nodded, then turned to her father with a polite smile.
âWould you like to wait outside for a bit? Weâre starting the clinical part now.â
âOh, sure!â Her father patted the pack of DĂ qiĂĄnmĂ©n cigarettes in his pocketâclearly, his craving had kicked in again.
âIâll be downstairs, XuÄyĂĄo. Come find me when youâre done.â
âJust say you want a smoke next time,â XuÄyĂĄo rolled her eyes.
Busted, her father let out an awkward laugh and quietly stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him.
âXuÄyĂĄo, could you lock the door? Just to be safeâdonât want anyone walking in by mistake,â Dr. YĂșn said, getting up from her chair. She tapped the narrow examination bed, adding, âThen lie down here for me.â
XuÄyĂĄo locked the door, then hesitantly made her way to the bed.
She watched as Dr. YĂșn spread a fresh sheet of sterilized plastic on it.
âThisâll keep things clean. Alright, up you go.â
âShould I... take off my shoes?â XuÄyĂĄo asked in a small voice.
âYes, please. What, afraid youâve got smelly feet?â the doctor teased.
âI... I donât have smelly feet...â XuÄyĂĄo mumbled as she crouched down, slowly untied her shoelaces, and gently slipped off her shoes before sitting on the bed and lying down, clearly stalling.
She moved slowly on purpose, trying to delay the inevitable.
But what had to come, would come.
Lying there, she felt like a white lab mouse awaiting dissection. Her eyes squeezed shut on their own.
âDonât be shy. Iâm a woman too, you know.â
Thatâs exactly why itâs embarrassing...
No, waitâeven if the doctor were a man, this wouldnât be any easier to endure.
Her legs trembled slightly as she felt Dr. YĂșnâs hands tug gently at her waistband.
Her pants slipped down slowly, and a cool, almost playful breeze brushed underneath herâlike it wanted to burrow into her.
But thenânothing happened.
Curious, XuÄyĂĄo cracked one eye open and saw Dr. YĂșn, now gloved in latex, leaning in to examine her lower body with focused attention.
âLooks like everythingâs healing well. Almost no difference from a typical girl now. Mmm... WĂĄng HÇifÄng really knows what heâs doing. The external work is quite refined.â
Then XuÄyĂĄo froze. She could feel Dr. YĂșnâs gloved hand touching herâgently parting things, carefully inspecting the internal area.
âMmm, nothing unusual. Though...â Dr. YĂșn sniffed lightly. âDid you not wash properly during your last shower?â
âEh!?â
âThereâs a bit of a smell,â the doctor chuckled. âAs a girl, youâve got to keep up hygiene, especially down here. Even if you donât shower, try to clean this area daily. And during showersâbe thorough. Gynecological infections are a pain to deal with.â
âUghâŠâ
âAll doneâletâs get your pants back on.â
The check was quicker than sheâd feared, and XuÄyĂĄo let out a breath of relief.
âNow sit up,â Dr. YĂșn instructed.
âMhmâŠâ
She pulled a small stool up to sit across from XuÄyĂĄo, tossing the used gloves into a disposal bin already filled with six or seven pairs.
She pressed a thumb into various points on XuÄyĂĄoâs abdomen.
âHowâs this feel?â
âTicklish...â XuÄyĂĄo said, trying not to laugh.
âAnd here?â
âStill ticklishâŠâ
âHow about here?â
âPfftâ!â XuÄyĂĄo burst out laughing, now sure Dr. YĂșn was doing it on purpose.
But when she met the doctorâs serious eyes, she felt a bit guilty for thinking that way.
After checking around her abdomen, the doctor finally looked toward her chest. She pressed lightly along the sides and asked, âHow does this feel?â
âA little sore.â
âAnd this spot?â
âKinda hurtsâŠâ
âNot bad! You're recovering well. Looks like youâre entering a growth spurt soon. Should see a decent height increase.â
âHow tall can I get?â XuÄyĂĄo asked eagerly.
âFour or five centimeters, maybe more. Hitting 170 cmâs not out of the question.â
âI hope I can get that tallâŠâ she murmured, full of anticipation.
âWell... maybe you should be wishing this part would grow instead.â Dr. YĂșn poked her chest and teased, âYouâre nearly 160 cm already, thatâs not bad at all.â
ââŠâŠâ
âAlright, Iâll go get your lab results. Just wait here.â
âOkayâŠâ
Before long, Dr. YĂșn returned holding two pages filled with medical termsâsome in English, some in Chinese.
Even the Chinese ones were hard to decipher, possibly phonetic loanwords.
âYour estrogen levels are already comparable to a typical girl entering puberty. We can cut your current dosage in half. AlsoâŠâ She continued with various details, carefully noting everything in XuÄyĂĄoâs medical file.
Amazingly, her handwriting was neat and preciseânot the usual scrawl most doctors left behind. Even if XuÄyĂĄo forgot what sheâd said, she could easily review it later without struggling to decipher anything.
âSo... is that everything?â
âYup, thatâs all for now. Come back in a month for the next checkup. But if anything unusual comes up before then, donât waitâcome in right away.â
âOkayâŠâ XuÄyĂĄo exhaled deeply, clutching her file and lab reports as she walked out of the hospital.
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