Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Come on everyone, have a smoke.” The Water Monster was holding a box of Chunghwa cigarettes and distributing cigarettes to everyone present.
All the patients in the reception hall were basically locals from Bazhaixiang, and even though some of them were not acquainted, they had seen each other before.
The Water Monster was not stingy at all. He distributed cigarettes to doctors and patients alike. He lit up the cigarettes that were taken and did not bother to convince those who did not take his cigarettes to take one.
Hua Tao then asked someone to bring a box of vacuum flask and distributed one to everyone along with a box of tea leaves. He said with a smile, “I reckoned that none of you bought your own cup along. The tea leaves are native to Bazhaixiang. They’re not famous, but as they grow wild in the mountains, there’s a unique taste to them.”
“Then, I must definitely give it a try.” Department Director Hong had always been very fond of people who lit cigarettes for him. He immediately asked someone to make him some tea. He then smoked as he offered consultation to patients.
Hua Tao immediately felt that he and Department Director Hong were the same kind of person. He walked over with a smile and said, “I feel that tea from Bazhaixiang goes really well with cigarettes. Alternating puffs of cigarettes and sips of tea really makes you feel like you’re in heaven. And taking a sip of tea after every two puffs of cigarettes, this must be how being a God feels like.”
“This sounds like something beggars would say.” Wang Haiyang waved to get rid of the annoying layer of smoke that clouded his field of vision.
“I don’t think beggars can afford Chunghwa cigarettes.” Department Director Hong waved the cigarette in his hand and said rather happily, “From my observation, the average lifespan of people who smoke Chunghwa cigarettes are higher than people who don’t smoke.”
Huo Tao immediately became elated. “You can increase your lifespan by smoking? I must tell my wife this. Women nowadays are seriously annoying. Before we got married, whenever I smoked and drank, she said that it’s a sign of masculinity. However, after we got married, she kept nagging me to stop smoking. She complained that smoking is bad for health and that cigarette smoke is very smelly. What’s so special about Chunghwa cigarettes?”
“It’s because people who smoke Chunghwa cigarettes are richer.” Department Director Hong smiled.
Hua Tao froze for a moment and laughed out loud, “Isn’t it great to be rich? No matter what, it’s always amazing to live to a ripe old age. Oh, by the way, I bought two wild boars and two pheasants today. They are really nutritious. All of you can give them a try later.”
Department Director Hong nodded with a smile. Since he was in the village for a volunteer medical consultation, there was no harm in sampling some wild boar meat and other food exclusive to villages. It was an extra bonus, anyway.
One of the patients who were queueing up for a consultation took the opportunity to call out, “Director Hua, whoever heard what you said gets a share, right? I don’t mind not getting any wild boar belly, but you should at least let me have some meat, don’t you think so?”
“No, do you know how expensive wild boars are? I still need to save up so that I can enjoy a longer lifespan.”
“Hmph, you guys probably hunted for those wild boars in the mountains yourself.”
“What nonsense are you sprouting? Who dares to wield guns nowadays? I daren’t, anyway. These wild boars fell to their deaths.” Hua Tao made small talk as he distributed cigarettes. The entire reception hall of the hospital was full of smoke, giving everyone the illusion that they were in heaven.
Even though smoking openly in the reception hall of Yun Hua Hospital would definitely get doctors into trouble, no one in the Bazhaixiang hospital branch cared about it.
Some of the people decided to take out their own cigarettes to combat the secondhand smoke surrounding them by inhaling firsthand smoke.
There were also some patients who immediately turned and left. They did not even bother to queue up for a consultation anymore.
A few doctors from Yun Hua Hospital who were non-smokers furrowed their eyebrows. They wanted to comment on the situation but felt that they were not in a position to do so.
If the only people present were staff members of the Bazhaixiang hospital branch, these associate chief physicians and physicians would have started scolding people. However, since there were patients around, they could not put on such a crude act. Those doctors furrowed their eyebrows and tried their best to endure the smell. Some of them simply rose and went to the back to escape the smoke.
At this moment, Ling Ran entered the reception hall from the back, and the patient whose nails were just cut limped behind him.
“Is the reception hall a smoking area now?” Ling Ran instinctively furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the way the reception hall was full of smoke.
Ever since he started performing finger replantation surgery, Ling Ran was aversive towards cigarettes and secondhand smoke.
Hua Tao said with a smile, “Bazhaixiang is just a small village, and there’s no such thing as non-smoking areas.”
“Hospitals are non-smoking areas.” Ling Ran furrowed his eyebrows as he spoke. He then said to Yu Yuan and Lu Wenbin, “Go and open all the doors and windows.”
Lu Wenbin and Yu Yuan jogged toward the doors and windows and opened all of them.
At this moment, patients who were non-smokers started grumbling too.
“What’s so great about smoking?”
“Can’t you guys smoke outside if you want to smoke?”
“I know right?”
Now that so many people were making noise, the patients who were queueing up and the doctors who were offering consultation were no longer in the mood to smoke. They had no choice but to kill their cigarettes. They then cleared their throats to prove their innocence.
Department Director Hong, too, sighed and tossed the cigarette he was smoking on the floor. He stomped on it and shook his head. “I’ll just stop smoking for the time being and increase my lifespan by two days.”
Hua Tao, who was the one who started the smoking spree, too, tossed his cigarette on the floor. He laughed, “Then, I’ll increase my lifespan by two days too. Oh, the silk banner. Doctor Ling, I got you a silk banner.
As Hua Tao spoke, he asked someone to show Ling Ran the bright red silk banner.
The words written on the silk banner were golden, and the silk banner was as long and as wide as a human being. The tassels below it were as long as cats, and the silk banner looked extremely old-fashioned.
However, old-fashioned banners were still very eye-catching, and doctors usually loved them. If a patient were to get creative and send a doctor a digital silk banner, the doctor would probably prefer an old-fashioned silk banner to it.
“Thank you very much.” Ling Ran had received silk banners before.
A few nurses from the Bazhaixiang hospital branch walked over to Ling Ran and looked at the silk banner. They were a little envious and a little curious. Silk banners were rarely seen in local hospitals, as most patients only headed to those hospitals to receive fluid transfusion or minor surgeries. And even after that, they would still be extremely doubtful of the quality of the medical care they received. Why would they give the doctors a silk banner?
“Doctor Ling, go ahead and offer consultation. I’ll be back in the afternoon to treat you guys to a meal.” After Hua Tao gave Ling Ran the silk banner, he took his leave. Since there were many patients in the reception hall, Hua Tao did not find it appropriate to talk much either.
Ling Ran nodded and said, “Don’t smoke when you’re accompanying your wife in the ward.”
“Ah?” Hua Tao did not know what Ling Ran was talking about.
“Remember the test you were given after your wife’s surgery?” Ling Ran asked. “Taboos of finger replantation surgery. Does this ring a bell?”
Hua Tao slapped his head. “Yes, yes. I know what you’re talking about. I remember.”
He laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “I swear that I’ve never smoked in the ward in front of my wife before.”
Department Director Hong cleared his throat loudly a few times. He then said to Chief Physician Wang Haiyang, who was standing beside him, “The Hand Surgery Department really discriminates against smokers. It’s normal for patients to be banned from smoking, but why are the family members banned too?”
Wang Haiyang rolled his eyes and retorted. “As the department director of the Respiratory Medicine Department, should you even be smoking four packets of cigarettes a day?”
“These cigarettes are low in tar.” Department Director Hong took out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, placed it on the table, and cleared his throat a few times.
……
It was night.
Cangping District Hospital sent some people over to organize a banquet for the doctors from Yun Hua Hospital. District hospitals were a lot smaller than Yun Hua Hospital, and the people from Cangping District Hospital were being very careful around all the chief physicians who were involved in the volunteer medical consultation. As for the doctors from the Bazhaixiang hospital branch, it was already a privilege to be present at the banquet.
Now that four chief physicians from Yun Hua Hospital were here at the same time, the leaders of Cangping District Hospital had a lot to worry about.
Compared with fifty to sixty-year-old chief physicians who were of ordinary age, appearance, and experience, the leaders of Cangping District Hospital were more curious about Ling Ran.
However, Ling Ran was not interested in satisfying those people’s curiosity. He did not drink any alcohol, and only sampled a tiny bit of the pheasant soup Hua Tao asked the restaurant to make.
Even the wild boars tasted ordinary. Truth be told, if Ling Ran were to be more critical, he would have said that the wild boars had died in vain.
When Hua Tao, who shamelessly invited himself to the banquet saw that Ling Ran was not enjoying his food, he said loudly after having a few shots of alcohol, “I’ll treat you guys to another meal tomorrow. Doctor Ling, you’ll definitely enjoy it. Oh, by the way, Doctor Ling, do you like anything in particular? Do tell me beforehand so that I can get them prepared.”
“Patients.” Ling Ran felt a little lonely as he gazed at the dark night sky outside the window. The operating theaters in the Bazhaixiang hospital branch were definitely not good enough for doctors to operate at night, which meant that he would have to sleep like a normal person tonight.”
Hua Tao twisted his lips a little and turned abruptly. “Let’s drink. Come on, Chief Physician Wang, I’ll drink to you.”
