Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shen Deguan parked his car by the roadside, a distance away from the Bazhaixiang hospital branch. The moment he walked over, he heard noises that were similar to the sounds pigs made when they were being slaughtered ringing out from the hospital branch.
His cousin, Cao Zhuang, who came along with him, smiled. “Small hospitals are pretty interesting. It’s quite lively inside, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t exactly describe this as lively.” Shen Deguan looked annoyed. Ling Ran would be performing arthroscopy on his mother. Right now, he was worried that Ling Ran would turn out to be a weirdo.
Even though his father had inspected Bazhaixiang hospital branch as the district head and met Ling Ran, Shen Deguan did not really believe in his father’s judgment.
Ordinary people always put on an act in front of government officials. After a person worked as a government official for a long time, they might come to believe that that was how ordinary people were like, and ended up having a skewed view of the world.
For as long as Shen Deguan could remember, this was how his father’s former secretary was like. He was a mere lowly cadre who played an assisting role in the department, but he had the guts to run several red lights along the way just to make it in time for breakfast.
Shen Deguan did not know how a person who was highly praised by an academician despite being only a little over twenty years old was like. But Shen Deguan felt that Ling Ran would definitely be an abnormality.
As he listened to the abnormal noises that rang out from Bazhaixiang hospital branch right now, Shen Deguan was overcome by a surge of irritation.
His mother had already flown back from Shanghai. They could not just send her back to the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center and ask Academician Zhu to operate on her. No matter how he thought about it, he did not find this plausible.
Cao Zhuang was the laidback one among the two of them. He said with a grin, “This is nothing. I have seen someone dancing in a funeral home before.”
“Dancing in a funeral home? That person must be crazy.”
“It seemed that the person was dancing to celebrate her ex-husband’s death.” Cao Zhuang was extremely good with words, and he easily changed the direction of Shen Deguan’s train of thought.
Shen Deguan’s expression relaxed a little. He disregarded the strange noises and entered Bazhaixiang hospital branch.
The moment he stepped into the hospital branch, he saw that all the doctors and patients were looking at the same direction.
“What’s going on?” Cao Zhuang took the initiative to go forward and asked a doctor who looked experienced.
The latter was tip-toeing so that he could get a better view of the commotion, and said distractedly, “The patient’s wife is making a scene. I reckon that they can’t afford the medical bills.”
“Huh? Can’t afford the medical bills?” Both Shen Deguan and Cao Zhuang got curious.
When the experienced-looking doctor turned and saw Shen Deguan and Cao Zhuang’s attire, he decided not to elaborate. “I have no idea what’s going on. Whatever it is, the woman had been shouting for quite a while.”
When Shen Deguan and Cao Zhuang heard this, they, too, tip-toed to take a better look at what was going on.
“It’s Ling Ran.” Cao Zhuang was taller than Shen Deguan, and he had a better view of the commotion.
Astounded, Shen Deguan said, “How did you manage to recognize him? Have you met Ling Ran before?”
“No, but didn’t uncle mention that Ling Ran is extremely handsome?”
“There are many handsome people in this world.” Shen Deguan laughed.
Cao Zhuang shook his head. “You wouldn’t say this after you see him.”
Shen Deguan could not see anything even though he was tip-toeing. Hence, he took a few steps forward before he tip-toed to look at the commotion again. Ling Ran happened to turn, and Yu Yuan was the first person he noticed. “I see a dwarf.”
The patient was moaning.
The patient’s family member was screaming.
The people who surrounded them were chatting.
A few hundred feet were rubbing against the ground.
A few hundred clothes were rubbing against one another.
It only took one look for Yu Yuan to spot Shen Deguan, and she fixed her gaze upon him like a hawk.
Shen Deguan, who was around ten feet away from her, smiled guiltily.
It was only then did Yu Yuan stop smiling.
Shen Deguan wiped away the sweat on his forehead and muttered softly to his cousin, “When two people of different viewpoints met each other, they can’t communicate because their worlds are too different.”
“What?”
“I don’t see Ling Ran.”
“Take a better look.” Cao Zhuang merely pursed his lips.
Shen Deguan tip-toed again. At that moment, Ling Ran had already turned toward him.
Shen Deguan immediately recognized him. He said, astonished, “No wonder…”
“I know right?”
“Yup…” Shen Deguan muttered, and his gaze was fixed on Ling Ran’s movements.
Ling Ran was suturing a patient’s wound.
As the patient’s arm was wounded, a chunk of the fabric of his shirt where the wound was located had been cut off. Aside from this, the patient looked extremely filthy. He was covered in dust, soil and blood. It was a gruesome sight.
Ling Ran was wearing a mouth face mask, and his eyebrows were furrowed. However, his movements were well-paced and almost rhythmic.
Shen Deguan then paid attention to Ling Ran’s clothes and hair. He instinctively noticed that Ling Ran seemed to be very obsessed with hygiene.
However, whatever he was doing right now was honestly far from hygienic.
The patient’s flesh was exposed, and the wound was dripping with blood… Shen Deguan glanced at Ling Ran again before he said slowly, “He does look like a doctor.”
“If I were this handsome, I would stay in the bar forever.” Shen Deguan’s cousin, Cao Zhuang had quite a good personality, and he was very well-versed in the ways of the world. However, he was unobservant.
Shen Deguan smiled and said nothing. He watched as Ling Ran finished suturing the patient and talked to the patient’s family members. He only went forward after the crowd dispersed.
“Doctor Ling,” Shen Deguan greeted Ling Ran.
“Wait a minute. This is a first come, first serve basis.” The voice of the woman who had been screaming was already a little hoarse, but she was being as domineering as ever. As she turned to look at Ling Ran, she could not even soften her expression in time. She merely lowered her voice and said, “Is stitching the wound like this enough? My kid’s father still needs to work to put food on the table, and he can’t afford to become handicapped.”
“He won’t become handicapped. It’ll heal,” Ling Ran replied. He then flashed Shen Deguan a socially appropriate smile.
Yu Yuan quickly dashed over and stood between the woman and Ling Ran. She said, “Your husband will be good to go after his wound is bandaged. Do follow me to get the paperwork done.”
“He’s not my husband,” the woman said assertively. “And I’m not getting any paperwork done. We can talk about this after he recovers.”
There was too much information packed in those words, and a few doctors turned to look at her.
Ling Ran, though, was already sick of the woman. He was not in the mood for this. He rose, sidestepped the woman, and left the treatment room.
Since he had already sutured the patient and prescribed medication for him, whatever happened after that was none of his business. He could not care less if the patient refused to pay the medical bills and made a scene.
Shen Deguan and Cao Zhuang immediately followed Ling Ran. They only greeted Ling Ran again after they were a distance away from the treatment room.
Ling Ran did not even stop to look at them.
“We made an appointment for you to operate on my mother.” Shen Deguan had no choice but to talk about his mother, and only then did he manage to capture Ling Ran’s attention.
“Oh, you’re Cao Lu’s son?” The district head’s wife was the only person Ling Ran had agreed to operate on lately, so he immediately knew who Shen Deguan was talking about.
Shen Deguan nodded furiously and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Has your mother been experiencing frequent pains?” Ling Ran followed up with a question.
“Erm…” Shen Deguan hesitated for a moment and said, “The edema at her knee seems to have worsened. She can still stand, but she is basically unable to walk now.”
Ling Ran hummed in acknowledgement. From a doctor’s perspective, Cao Lu’s condition was considered stable.
Shen Deguan, though, was a little nervous. When he saw how nonchalant Ling Ran was being, he quickly said, “Doctor Ling, I would like to ask for a favor.”
Ling Ran continued walking forward and did not respond.
“About this… Doctor Ling…”
Ling Ran quickened his pace.
Shen Deguan started running. Even though his legs were around 1.5 times the length of Yu Yuan’s legs, they were still considered short. He quickened his pace and caught up with Ling Ran before he continued, “Doctor Ling, can you return to Yun Hua for a while? Lately, my mother has been taking painkillers every day. It might be of great help to her to get operated earlier.”
Ling Ran stopped in his tracks and furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of the patient. “Under these circumstances, shouldn’t you guys be considering to have another surgeon do the job instead? Many doctors in the Orthopedics Department of Yun Hua Hospital know how to operate on patients with synovitis.”
It was considered one of the simplest surgeries among all the orthopedics surgeries. Ling Ran did not see the need to return to Yun Hua just for this. It was not like he could operate on all the patients who needed him. He would just waste more time if he were to travel back and forth.
Shen Deguan shook his head. “Since Academician Zhu recommended you, we would like you to treat our mother.”
“The patient is able to travel by car, isn’t she? You guys can send her over to Bazhaixiang hospital branch.” Ling Ran compromised a little. Even though the operating theaters in Bazhaixiang hospital branch were not that well-equipped, the patient was merely suffering from synovitis, and the equipment here was enough.
Cao Zhuang could not help but say, “We can’t just let a patient sit in the car for so many hours. The roads are bumpy, and she would be in a lot of pain.”
“You guys can use a helicopter too.” Department Director Hong appeared from behind a cloud of smoke. He looked like the King of the Golden Cape. [1]
The aura emanated by Department Director Hong was stronger than that of Cao Zhuang. Cao Zhuang muttered, “Isn’t it easier for the doctor to travel?”
“Doctors have things to do too.” Department Director Hong then changed the topic, “Ling Ran, if there’s nothing in particular that you need to do these few days…”
“Big sister, big sister!”
“Little sister!”
A few growls rang out from behind them and completely drowned Department Director Hong’s voice.
Everyone looked behind them and saw that the woman who was screaming just now had gone limp and was lying on the ground. Yu Yuan was already preparing to carry out CPR.
“Cardiac arrest. Bring the defibrillator!” Yu Yuan yelled before straightening the woman’s body and performing chest compressions.
Ling Ran immediately ran toward Yu Yuan and the woman.
