133: Chapter 133 Dr. Lu, you are the best doctor I have ever met.
7:30 PM.
Lu Chen finished treating the last patient and prepared to get off work.
As he passed the inpatient building, he remembered that the middle-aged man who had undergone the stripping surgery was staying in the observation area, so he decided to stop by and take a look.
The lights in the observation area had been dimmed.
Lu Chen walked over on tiptoe and reached the man's bedside.
The man was already asleep, his breathing steady, the pressure dressing had not shifted, and there was a small amount of light red exudate in the drainage tube, which was within the normal range.
After checking, Lu Chen turned around and walked back.
When he reached the stairwell, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
The fire exit door was ajar, and a faint light shone through the gap.
He hadn't intended to look, but he vaguely heard the sound of two people talking.
Very soft, very low.
Lu Chen didn't push the door open; he just looked through the crack and saw the scene inside.
The Middle-aged woman and The girl were sitting on the stair steps.
In front of them was a stainless steel lunch box containing half a portion of soup; judging by the color, it was the kind patients in the ward hadn't finished.
In a plastic bag next to it were two cold steamed buns.
The Middle-aged woman broke a bun open, soaked it in the soup, and handed it to her daughter.
"Eat something first to settle your stomach."
The girl took the bun and took a bite.
"Mom, you eat too."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten since noon."
"I'm really not hungry, you eat yours."
The girl chewed on the bun for a few bites, and suddenly her eyes turned red again.
But she held back her tears.
She pushed the bun toward her mother's mouth.
"Mom, when Dad's leg is better, I'll go to town and find another job, and things will get better."
The Middle-aged woman looked at her daughter and reached out to stroke her hair.
"Yes, things will get better, everything will be fine."
The girl handed the soup-soaked bun over again.
This time, the Middle-aged woman didn't refuse; she took it and took a small bite.
The two of them sat on the stair steps like that, sharing the half portion of soup and two cold buns, and finished eating quietly.
Although it was leftover food and soup, there was a very real sense of satisfaction on their faces.
Because the husband's leg was not cancer.
Because the surgery went well.
Because they could afford the 637 yuan.
Lu Chen stood outside the door crack, not moving at all.
He watched for about a minute.
Then he turned around and walked away on tiptoe.
After a few steps, he stopped again.
He thought for a moment.
Then he took out his wallet from his pocket and flipped through it.
Inside were three twenty-yuan bills, one ten-yuan bill, and some loose change.
He pulled out two twenty-yuan bills and one ten-yuan bill.
Fifty yuan.
He couldn't spare any more.
There was still money on his salary card, but that was reserved for the Orphanage and had to be sent back every month; he couldn't touch that.
The only spare cash he had on him was this fifty.
Lu Chen took the fifty yuan and walked to the observation area.
Next to the man's bed was a small bedside table.
Lu Chen folded the fifty yuan and placed it under the water cup on the bedside table.
He didn't leave a note.
He didn't let anyone see.
After placing it, he turned and left immediately.
...
Duty Room.
Lu Chen finished showering and sat on the bed.
There were several unread messages on his phone.
Shen Xiaoning had sent one.
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu, was the surgery fee for that man today really only six hundred something yuan? When I heard Dr. Sun say it, I thought he was joking.]
Lu Chen replied.
[Lu Chen: 637]
[Xiao Ning: You are really amazing. I don't mean your surgery is amazing, I mean you as a person are amazing. Do you know that the man's daughter stood at the door the whole time when she left? I asked her who she was waiting for, and she said she wanted to thank you again, but she was afraid of disturbing your work.]
[Lu Chen: No need to thank me, it's all standard treatment.]
[Xiao Ning: It's not standard at all! Other doctors might have just prescribed an 18,000 yuan treatment plan; they wouldn't have even thought about a 600 yuan option.]
[Lu Chen: I grew up in an Orphanage; I know what it feels like to have no money.]
Shen Xiaoning was silent for a while on the other end.
Then she sent a message.
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu, you are the best doctor I have ever met.]
Lu Chen didn't reply to this.
It wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know how to reply.
He put down his phone and opened the system panel.
First, he did today's final inventory.
[system panel update]
[Host: Lu Chen]
[Identity: Resident Physician (Jiangcheng City Central Hospital · Emergency Department)]
[Skill Panel]
[Suturing (God Level! Reached the limit!)]
[Basic Surgical Operations (Master Level): Progress 77/100]
[Internal Medicine Diagnostics (proficient level): Progress 63/100]
[Manual Hemostasis (Master Level): Progress 69/100]
[Laparoscopic Appendectomy (Master Level): Progress 96/100]
[Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine (Skilled Level): Progress 58/100]
[Tracheal Intubation (Master Level): Progress 54/100]
[Closed Thoracic Drainage (perfect level): Progress 38/100]
[Comprehensive Trauma First Aid (perfect level): Progress 34/100]
[Ultrasound-Guided Puncture (Master Level): Progress 79/100]
[Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Master Level): Progress 16/100]
[Vascular Anastomosis (perfect level): Progress 19/100]
[Current total gratitude points: 1194 points]
[Available lucky draws: 1 time]
[Title Column]
[Currently equipped: enemy of yama (Primary), newcomer: surgical blade, one needle to settle the world, First Step into the Academic Hall]
[Physical enhancement status: genetic enhancement serum (Primary) has taken effect, stamina limit +20%, energy recovery +15%, sleep efficiency +25% (permanent)]
Basic Surgical Operations increased from 73 to 77.
Internal Medicine Diagnostics increased from 59 to 63.
Comprehensive Trauma First Aid increased from 32 to 34.
Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine increased from 56 to 58.
With 1194 gratitude points, he could draw a prize once.
But Lu Chen decided not to draw yet.
The provincial assessment was in three days.
He planned to save this chance for a lucky draw until before the assessment, in case he drew something useful that might come in handy.
Lu Chen closed the system panel.
He picked up the Emergency Medicine textbook by his bedside and flipped to the airway management chapter.
The provincial assessment would have random questions.
He didn't know what he would get, but he could review all possible assessment content in advance.
For the theoretical written test, his Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine was only at the Skilled Level, with 58 progress, which was his biggest shortcoming at the moment.
He wasn't too worried about the practical part, as the twelve skills on the panel covered a wide enough range.
But he couldn't drop the ball on theory.
Lu Chen began to read page by page.
After reading for about ten minutes, his phone vibrated again.
It was from Shen Xiaoning.
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu, I'll bring you chive and egg dumplings tomorrow morning! I practiced making dumplings tonight; although the first few didn't look very good, they got better and better! Just you wait!]
Lu Chen replied with one word.
[Lu Chen: Okay]
...
Three days is neither long nor short.
Every day, Lu Chen went to work and saw patients as usual, and at night, he huddled in the Duty Room, gnawing on the Emergency Medicine textbook.
He flipped through the theory chapters on airway management, trauma assessment, and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation three times back and forth.
The progress of Basic Theory of Emergency Medicine increased from 58 to 62.
Not much, but better than nothing.
On the day of the assessment, at 6:00 AM.
Before Lu Chen's alarm went off, his phone vibrated first.
A message from Shen Xiaoning.
[Xiao Ning: Dr. Lu!!! The dumplings are already on the way!!! I got up at five to make them!!! They are cooked and packed in a thermal container!!! Arriving in three minutes!!!]
Starting with three exclamation marks, this was already Shen Xiaoning's standard configuration.
Lu Chen replied with one word.
[Lu Chen: Okay]
He got up, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes.
Just as he opened the door to the Duty Room, Shen Xiaoning appeared in the hallway.
She was wearing her Nurse uniform, holding a pink thermal lunch box in her hands, her hair tied up neatly, and the smile on her face was bright enough to light up the whole corridor.
"Dr. Lu, eat while it's hot!"
She handed him the thermal lunch box, and Lu Chen opened the lid to take a look.
The chive and egg dumplings were neatly arranged in two layers, uniform in size, with wrappers of consistent thickness.
It was more than a level better than the practice photo she had sent three days ago.
"Big improvement."
"Of course, I practiced for three days!"
Shen Xiaoning stood with her hands behind her back, her chin slightly raised, with an expression waiting for praise.
Lu Chen didn't say much and sat down at the small table in the Duty Room to start eating.
The taste of the dumplings was indeed good; the wrappers were chewy, the filling was seasoned just right, and the freshness of the chives was very authentic.
"Delicious."
Shen Xiaoning's eyes immediately curved into crescents.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then I'll make pork and cabbage ones for you tomorrow!"
"No need, just go to work as usual tomorrow, don't get up too early."
"I'm not sleepy, I'm very energetic when I'm cooking for you!"
Lu Chen didn't take up the subject, finished the dumplings, closed the lid, and handed it back.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome!"
Shen Xiaoning took the lunch box, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Dr. Lu, are you nervous about the assessment today?"
"Not nervous."
"Not at all?"
"Not at all."
Shen Xiaoning looked at his face, confirming that he wasn't putting on a brave front, and was truly not nervous at all.
She muttered softly, "What exactly is your heart made of..."
"Made of normal myocardial cells, just like everyone else's."
"You are really hard to talk to."
Lu Chen smiled, picked up the phone on the table, and checked the time.
6:20.
The assessment location was at the Provincial Medical Association Academic Exchange Center, which was about a forty-minute drive from the Hospital.
Zhao Yaqin had said to gather at the Hospital entrance at 7:00 and take a group vehicle over.
There was still time.