System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

”Yes, a little to the left, move up two centimeters, press diagonally downward. Mm, yes, that’s the spot, this is the starting point of the scapular muscle, slide down along the levator scapulae to relax. Yes, yes, that’s it...” In one of the private rooms with three rows, Tong Yuan’an was providing detailed instructions on the massage position to the young female technician.

The technician, a woman in her thirties, continued massaging while blinking, and asked, ”Boss, what do you do for a living?”

Chen Song turned his head and said, ”This one? He’s a professor in hand surgery at Xiangya Hospital. If it’s about muscle recovery techniques and relaxation methods, you can’t go wrong listening to him.”

”At their hospital, the functional recovery after deformity surgery and muscle and ligament relaxation are all projects he leads.”

Tong Yuan’an looked up at the ceiling and explained, ”The levator scapulae is the muscle connecting the cervical vertebrae and the scapula, originating from the posterior tubercle of the transverse processes of the first to fourth cervical vertebrae and inserting at the medial border of the scapula. Its main function is to elevate the scapula and coordinate force when the neck is bent or rotated. Poor posture or overuse over time may cause strain in this muscle, leading to neck and shoulder pain.”

”Most people who feel fatigued and have neck and shoulder pain will benefit greatly if you relieve the origin and insertion points of this tendon.”

”As for the hand...”

Chen Song turned his head and scolded, ”Xiao Tong, stop rambling. I’m here for a relaxing massage, not to attend your lecture.”

”If you want to take over, come and give me a massage. You can even bring out a PPT for a lecture, I don’t mind.”

Lu Cheng, hearing this, turned his head while lying flat: ”Teacher Chen, Teacher Tong, how about I give it a try?”

”Get lost!~” Chen Song snapped.

”Maybe when you take us to a hot spring sometime. If you’re doing the massaging, then why did we even come here?”

”Just lie there. Didn’t you say earlier you were going to take us out of the province tonight to try Feng County’s special beef?” Chen Song added.

In the evening, both Chen Song and Tong Yuan’an overslept.

When they woke up, they didn’t pick up calls from the Orthopedics and Emergency Departments but instead called Lu Cheng, asking him to prepare to settle the bill—

They drank too much at lunchtime and needed to relax.

What else could Lu Cheng do? He could only report to Director Lin Qianlong honestly and then hustle over to settle the bill.

Indeed, Professor Chen Song picked up the bill at lunch, and Lu Cheng served the liquor... knocking back four bottles cost him a month’s performance bonus!

But Lu Cheng felt it was a worthwhile investment.

Three bottles laid out three people, and Lu Cheng, dragging two, crashed two parties...

Lu Cheng smiled and asked, ”Teacher Tong, Director Lin said to invite you for karaoke, aren’t you guys going to join?”

In a KTV, even the modest places can have a bit of flair; those who know, know.

”Nah, eating and drinking is enough!~”

Tong Yuan’an tilted his head back, revealing a barely visible collarbone, with a tight throat: ”Mainly, it feels like there are many offerings here, yet there can’t possibly be that many.”

Once you get involved in something suggestive, it never stops at the first time, and it might even be used against you as leverage.

Both Tong Yuan’an and Chen Song aren’t foolish!

Going to the countryside is one thing, but getting oneself into trouble isn’t; otherwise, what do you say when someone asks for a few training spots later?

Moreover, both Tong Yuan’an and Chen Song are approaching forty; they’ve long outgrown the wild, adventurous days.

In your thirties, before marriage, that’s the time for the best play.

”Teacher Tong, might not be the kind of flair you’re thinking of,” Lu Cheng replied.

Then a technician suddenly said, ”Boss, we have baths here if you’re interested...”

”No, no, no!~” Both Tong Yuan’an and Chen Song shook their heads vigorously, their tone decisive.

”We’re just here to wash our feet...”

Even if they were to bathe, certainly not with Lu Cheng present; that’s a strict rule.

Otherwise, what if they’re exposed, then how do they set an example as teachers in the future?

...

At 11 PM, under the dim night with a chilly breeze, and occasionally yellow leaves swirling up.

Lu Cheng sat on a yellow plastic chair in front of a barbecue stall and turned to shout, ”Boss, two more trays of raw beef. And three more bottles of milk.”

”Xiao Lu, what form are you filling out?” Chen Song curiously asked Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng looked up, ”Oh, it’s an enrollment form for a training class. I didn’t expect to be selected when I applied...”

”I’ll sign up first and decide later if I want to pay the tuition to attend. The fee is 25,000...”

Chen Song glanced at Tong Yuan’an, ”It’s people like you who make money with their skills...”

”Our department hasn’t opened any classes recently...” Tong Yuan’an rolled his eyes and took another look at the heading on the form Lu Cheng was filling out—

Huazhong University of Science and Technology Affiliated Union Hospital, which reminded him of a call he received earlier, and he said no more...

Chen Song picked up a piece of raw beef with his chopsticks and dipped it in mustard soy sauce, ”This is my third time coming to Feng County to eat raw beef, the texture is still so good, just not sure if there are any parasites, huh.”

Tong Yuan’an continued to roll his eyes, ”As long as it tastes good, you wouldn’t mind if there’s poop in it, would you?”

He then turned to Lu Cheng: ”Do you know what is your Teacher Chen’s most impressive feat?”

”Tong Yuan’an!~” Chen Song became anxious.

”Once, his wife got angry because we called him out for late-night lobster feasting, and the thing is, he actually showed up.”

”I bet he even... woo-woo, woo-woo.” Mid-sentence, Tong Yuan’an’s mouth was covered.

Chen Song pinched a chunk of flesh on Tong Yuan’an’s waist, ”Are you kidding without checking your audience?”

”Isn’t there a line in your head between what should and shouldn’t be said? Were you kicked by a donkey today?”

In front of peers, Chen Song could endure this from Tong Yuan’an. But Lu Cheng is a student—he’s supposed to set a good example.

Besides, in this world, the only thing never to be missed is good food.

Women, those matters, who doesn’t have them?

Moreover, during that time, there was an unknown precondition: Chen Song’s wife was in a ’special period,’ Chen Song was 34, and consecutively fought for five days, not to mention eating lobster!

Even for ’eating egg fried rice’, Chen Song had to slip away!

Tong Yuan’an defended, ”I said you were a foodie, I’m teaching Lu Cheng how to win your stomach, so what? Isn’t it okay to have someone nicely catering to you?”

”Just say I’m a foodie directly, don’t go through all that buildup, or else, the eggs...” This time, it was Chen Song’s mouth being covered by Tong Yuan’an.

To avoid arousing Lu Cheng’s suspicion, Tong Yuan’an turned his head and shouted, ”Boss, two servings of egg fried rice over here.”

These two are really a pair of clowns; their relationship truly makes Lu Cheng envious.

Nearing forty, both are associate professors about to be promoted; alone, they stand tall.

But together, they’re like two young, energetic boys.

Lu Cheng just listened in amusement, not digging deeper: ”Teacher Tong, based on what you said before, with my current suturing skills, can I start focusing on replantation of severed limbs, without deliberately honing basic skills anymore?”

”Yes, more or less, but still, you need to be careful with the timing.”

”At your level of suturing skill, as long as the procedures are followed correctly, replantation of severed limbs and fingers should be no problem. However, attention must be paid to the nodes and evaluation of nerve and vessel damage.”

”And, you’ll need to practice for a long time, aiming for an immediate vessel patency rate of at least 95% or above.”

”Well, this standard is high, but as you saw, in our microsurgery competition, vascular patency rates are required to be 100%.” Tong Yuan’an said.

To be cautious, Tong Yuan’an added, ”It’s close to 100%, roughly above 99% patency rate. There’s no perfect 100%.”

”The practice process also has its levels, for starters, you can use dead material, like pig hind legs or forelegs, for initial limb replantation.”

”Then use live rabbits, amputating and re-suturing them, which might be a bit brutal, but in the name of human health progress, we have to tough on these bunnies...”

”Speaking of rabbits, the two-flavor rabbit from Xiang City tastes great, but it’s just too far away.” Tong Yuan’an looked at Chen Song.

Chen Song, with his superior knowledge of food: ”Indeed, Xiang City’s rabbits and church chicken are both great with meals.”

Lu Cheng, hearing this, noted it down mentally.

There are things to eat, although a bit far, it’s not unmanageable...