“Come, try some Australian spiny lobster. Everyone, please help yourself.” Huo Congjun was calling for the group to eat, and even his fierce expression became gentle. “Young He, don’t be shy. You’re still young and have a good appetite, so please, eat more… Come, let’s have a toast!”
He Liang immediately lifted his glass, leaned across the table, and knocked it against Huo Congjun’s glass. Then, he drank it in one gulp before he took a big piece of lobster meat from the plate held by the young and beautiful waitress who kept sneaking glances at Ling Ran, and he stuffed it in his mouth.
When the spiciness from the Baijiu matched the aroma of the Australian spiny lobster, He Liang felt the guilty pleasure of eating such an expensive item bloom on his taste buds.
When He Liang looked at tens of waiters around him, the private room that was large enough for a basketball game, the delicacies that were served, and the old guests who had wrinkles, he was even more fascinated.
Before he decided to join the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, this was how He Liang had imagined a doctor’s life to be, or at least, this was how an attending physician’s life should be.
But after he joined the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, He Liang realized that everything shown on the TV was a lie.
There was no laughing and talking among the experts, no formation of a large network of connections, no eating of food made meticulously…
He was a normal cardiologist facing normal patients, had endless calls, and could never finish the food he ordered through delivery…
The first time He Liang saw a hot Australian spiny lobster was two years ago, when he was a fresh-faced resident doctor. At that time, he already knew that a small department like the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery would not be able to afford Australian spiny lobsters, and he would only be able to eat scalloped spiny lobsters during Chinese New Year.
Of course, in the past, the Emergency Department could only afford scalloped spiny lobsters. Even when the department had expanded, the doctors were still not rich, could not eat well, and they still had to share if they had food. If they wanted to eat Australian spiny lobsters, the doctors should probably join the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine or Ophthalmology Department…
“Young He, what are you thinking about? You’re so absorbed with your thoughts. Do you want to perform surgery? Is it too boring to have meals with old people like us?” Huo Congjun tried to interact with He Liang again. Compared to the other person, Department Director Kang, who was his other target to form connections with, He Liang was obviously a more suitable option for him to break the wall between him and the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery.
He Liang immediately shook his head. “No, how would I? I’m just not good at talking…”
“I can tell. Those who are good at talking will definitely be talking now. You’re not old yet. You’re still young and energetic, and you don’t have prostatic hyperplasia yet… Hahaha…” Huo Congjun laughed loudly and held his glass, which was filled with Baijiu. “Come, let’s drink…”
The atmosphere at the banquet was really good, and even Associate Hospital Director Zhou lifted his glass and took a sip.
Every doctor had a need to make themselves numb to their surroundings, and seldom were there any exceptions.
Ling Ran also lifted his glass, but his glass was filled with another beverage. He was usually an exception, and nothing was surprising about it.
Ling Ran sipped his beverage but put his focus on Department Director Kang and He Liang.
The system mission had explained things very clearly. He had to show his skill outside the operating theater and make Kang Jian and He Liang give him Peer’s Admiration Basic Treasure Chests. Then, it was practically set in stone that he had to save these two people outside the operating theater.
Ling Ran observed these two men carefully and was ready to carry out visual inspection anytime to avoid missing even the slightest symptoms hinting that they might be sick.
Department Director Kang and He Liang were doctors from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. In order to get their admiration, it would definitely be easier if he used a cardiac surgery technique to save them. However, the requirements would be stricter if he were to use a cardiac surgery technique outside the operating theater. He needed to capture every single moment and used all the abilities he had.
When he thought about this carefully, the operating theaters used by the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery were the most high class Class 100 Laminar Flow Operating Theater, and even so, they still cannot avoid some patients dying from infection. Therefore, it was even more dangerous to perform a surgery in the private room of a hotel. This was unlike the early eighteenth century, where doctors could use a scalpel however he wanted, killing multiple people in a go, and continue performing surgery in the afternoon…
Ling Ran had made up his mind. Regardless of whether it was Department Director Kang or He Liang who collapsed first, he would prioritize saving them. As long as the patient could last through emergency treatment, he would then send them to Yun Hua Hospital before he operated on them.
He could take up another mission if he failed this one, but if a patient died, that was the end of the patient’s life.
The people drank three rounds… four rounds… five rounds…
Department Director Kang and He Liang had still not collapsed.
Ling Ran gradually felt that it was impossible for him to complete the mission by today.
But that was only logical. The mission did not mention that the task needed to be completed by today. However, if he did not complete the task by today, he would need to spend the next few days at the hospital. If Department Director Kang and He Liang collapsed, even if they did not want to enter the operating theater, they would still have to be pushed inside.
Ling Ran could not help but think about it.
There did not seem to be any loopholes he could exploit in the mission.
*Bang*
A loud crunch could be heard from Department Director Kang’s direction.
Ling Ran immediately looked at him, and he saw… the lobster shells in front of Department Director Kang had dropped on the floor.
“I’m old, you see?” Department Director Kang shook his head, and his face was slightly flushed.
Ling Ran observed him carefully for half a minute, and when he became certain that Department Director Kang only had a red face and was not suffering from thrombosis, and he looked away.
At that moment, He Liang—mildly drunk—proposed a toast. He lifted his glass and came in front of Ling Ran before he said, “Doctor Ling, a toast to you. I’ll be drinking it, and you can do whatever you like.”
Once he finished talking, he drank everything in one shot, and he asked with a slur, “Doctor Ling, you… How d’you bracdiceee?”
Ling Ran could not help but think before he said slowly, “I have less time to practice now.”
“Dat’s true. You need’ta perform surgery everyday, so iz only natural that yer skills are trained from dere.” He Liang was quite obsessed with surgery volume as well. For doctors who were attending physicians, surgery volume not only meant training, but also their income and status.
The number of cardiovascular surgeries was reducing, and this was the part that displeased He Liang and the other young doctors the most.
Ling Ran smiled. His skills were not merely trained by performing surgeries, but he knew that this was not the right time for him to explain things.
“D’you know how we usually bracdiceee?” He Liang asked. The alcohol in the Baijiu had already made his mind clouded.
“How do you practice?” Ling Ran was really curious.
“We use eggssss.” He Liang said and shouted at the waiter, “Get me an egg.”
“Is it okay to use the eggs for eggnog?” The head waiter asked politely.
“Suuure,” He Liang said and took out an osteotome before he said, “The game dat we always play is carving words on the egg using an osdeodome. S’long as the egg doesn’t break, we win. Doctor Ling, you wanna try?”
He Liang looked excited when he said this.
Opportunities need to be sought. With He Liang’s status and experience, he would not show his skills in front of people such as Associate Hospital Director Zhou or Huo Congjun.
Besides, the Department of Cardiovascular Surgeries of Yun Hua Hospital was so weak that their existence could be ignored. Even if their existence was recognized, they needed to perform high-end surgeries to be able to invite the hospital leaders to come over and watch them.
And at the current Department of Cardiovascular Surgeries, the department director was the first to choose the normal surgeries, and the high-end surgeries also solely belonged to the department director, thus, He Liang would have no chance to show his skills.
However, He Liang had the chance to show his skills right now.
After one to two minutes, the head waiter brought the eggs over. He Liang immediately took one, placed it in front of him, and said, “Doctor Ling, lemme give youu a demonztrazioon.”
As he spoke, he held the osteotome and cut into the raw egg.
The incision was quite deep, so much so that the outer layer was crushed, but the egg white and egg yolk did not flow out.
He Liang gulped and pretended like he was relaxed. He said slowly, “Even though the outer layer of the egg shell iz removed, the internal membrane iz well preserved. If dere iz time, you can even carve words on the shell!”
