System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

”Brother Lu, there’s a tendon injury patient outside. Professor Tong is not here today, and I’m still writing the medical record. Brother Zhang asked you to take over.” Tian Zhuang knocked on the doctor’s lounge door.

”Alright, got it!” Lu Cheng stood up. ”Have you checked on him?”

”Yes, I have. Brother Lu, it’s the B3 zone of the extensor tendon in the lower limb, damage to the quadriceps tendon-patellar upper transition part. It’s best to use the woven suture technique.” Tian Zhuang realized that Lu Cheng might be testing him, so he replied honestly.

”Well, tendon injuries at this location are quite rare, so you can save this for last to learn.” Lu Cheng responded.

Tian Zhuang obliquely replied, ”Brother Lu, I’ve heard from other colleagues that you have a shortcut for tendon suturing here?”

Lu Cheng thought for a moment then said, ”Tian Zhuang, I think this technique might be beyond your control and could easily lead to medical disputes.”

”You should stick to learning the classic suturing techniques!”

”You’re not good at communicating with patients. Once there’s an issue, you won’t be able to avoid it.”

Tian Zhuang was different from Zhang Tiesheng and Zeng Huanqi; Lu Cheng didn’t plan to teach him anything new.

Tian Zhuang asked, ”Why?”

Lu Cheng explained, ”This is something new; it requires clear communication with the patient.”

”I’ll explain it to you slowly later. Let me go see the patient first.”

Lu Cheng walked out the door.

After stepping outside, Lu Cheng realized that the injured person was his high school classmate.

This was the first time since Lu Cheng started working at Long County People’s Hospital that he encountered a real classmate as a patient.

Other times, it was mostly classmates accompanying their family members.

”Zhao Gao, what have you done? Didn’t I tell you not to come to my workplace just to chat?” Lu Cheng recognized him and directly called out his high school nickname.

Zhao Gao wasn’t his real name, but Lu Cheng had forgotten his real name, only remembering the nickname ’Zhao Gao.’

”Brother Lu... Oh yes, I heard you were here too.”

”I’m at the construction site now. A coworker’s misstep caused this injury... Since it’s you, I’m relieved...” Zhao Zhaixing replied with a calm expression.

In high school, Lu Cheng had excellent grades, leading most people to believe that if Lu Cheng became a doctor, he’d certainly be more knowledgeable and reliable than the average person.

If it were those classmates who got into County Hospital having only attended vocational colleges or lesser universities, Zhao Zhaixing would find a reason to avoid them.

”Alright, follow me to the operating room. Let me examine you; given your condition, you might need surgery.”

”Does your construction site have workers’ compensation insurance?” Lu Cheng asked in advance.

”Yes, it does!~” Zhao Zhaixing replied.

...

About an hour and a half later, Lu Cheng finished the surgery, but this time he didn’t send Zhao Zhaixing out of the operating room alone; Lu Cheng accompanied him all the way to the ward.

Once Zhao Zhaixing was transferred to the ward, Lu Cheng said, ”Sis-in-law, now there’s nothing special about Brother Zhao’s condition. His lower limbs must remain passive, and no aggressive functional exercises should be done early on.”

”I’ll thoroughly explain the later functional rehabilitation plan at the appropriate time.”

”Zhao Zhaixing, you should remember this too.”

Zhao Zhaixing’s wife is an ordinary-looking woman, currently the mother of a child, of medium height, and honest in character: ”Thank you, Dr. Lu.”

Zhao Zhaixing said, ”It’s more intimate to call him Brother Lu, Xiao Hua. Brother Lu was always among the top few in our class.”

”His skills are particularly good. Just now, in the operating room, others were saying the same thing. We were lucky this time, so next time someone wants to find connections, they should look for Lu Cheng.”

Lu Cheng laughed and said, ”Brother Zhao, didn’t we say during the reunion to invite me for a drink, not to meet here at work.”

”Lying there, you might as well invite me for a coffee.”

Zhao Zhaixing chuckled uncomfortably: ”Actually, I didn’t want this, Brother Lu.”

”I won’t become crippled, right?” Zhao Zhaixing asked the question that concerned him most.

”If you stick to your exercises, definitely not. However, if you avoid moving due to pain, joint stiffness is likely.”

Lu Cheng added, ”Of course, don’t overthink it; just treat it with the mindset of a superficial skin injury.”

”That’s how it is, right.”

Zhao Zhaixing sighed: ”Well, that’s true. Haha, Brother Lu, you guys have it good, working in the system, stable income regardless of drought or flood, and a high monthly salary...”

”My parents used to urge me to study medicine, but I was really resistant back then, now I regret it a bit.”

His wife jested: ”Was your grades good enough to go to a good university? If not, you wouldn’t have a chance here.”

”You’d likely be at a small clinic.”

Zhao Zhaixing said, ”A small clinic is fine. Starting a clinic myself earns as much as or even more than the hospital.”

Non-professionals don’t see the full picture clearly.

Though a small clinic has its perks, you bear all the responsibility, and if nothing happens it’s fine, but if something does, the trouble is enormous.

...

After chatting a bit more, Lu Cheng returned to issue medical orders and write the surgery report.

At that moment, Xie Yuan’an sent a message: ”Lu Cheng, my scores are out. The national competition’s scoring system is different from the provincial competition, but the full score is still 100!~”

”My score is 99.8, currently ranked first.”

Xie Yuan’an also sent a photo showing the substantive organ suturing track’s second-place score was only 90.6.

The gap between first and second can be described as leading by a substantial margin.

”Congrats!~” Lu Cheng quickly replied politely.