Chapter 30: Sincere Gratitude
On July 24th, outside clinic room 7 of the outpatient department at Long County People’s Hospital.
The fluorescent lights in the corridor shone brightly, and the white, anti-slip ceramic floor tiles reflected the ‘slender’ leg shadows and plaster cast shadows of everyone present…
Zhou Migguo sat patiently in the waiting hall for his number to be called. He turned his head to the side, about forty-five degrees to the left, and also saw someone practicing functional exercises with intense focus…
“Uncle, did you also injure your hand before?” Zhou Migguo smiled and asked politely, holding up his right hand and turning his body to initiate the conversation.
A middle-aged man in his fifties, with slightly singed black hair, replied with a sigh, “I cut myself while mowing grass a few months ago. I didn’t get to plant the grain, and all the harvest from my few acres of land was lost… How did you get injured?”
“I accidentally scraped it… I had surgery about two weeks ago,” Zhou Migguo replied.
“You only had surgery two weeks ago? Why are you here for a follow-up? Didn’t Director Liu ask you to go to Xiangzhou People’s Hospital for a follow-up?” The middle-aged big brother was taken aback.
“He specifically told me to go to the prefecture for a follow-up. This is my fourth month of follow-up,” he recalled for a moment before earnestly informing Zhou Migguo.
“Uncle, I had surgery in the county, but the doctor who operated on me was too young, so I decided to come to Orthopedics to see a director…” Zhou Migguo explained with a humble smile.
The middle-aged big brother said, “Impossible?”
“It’s not like I haven’t been injured before. They don’t perform this kind of surgery in the county. Did you have your surgery in En City?”
“En City isn’t that far. The early follow-ups are still very important; if you don’t recover well, you could end up with a crippled hand.”
“It’s best to find the director who performed your surgery for the initial follow-up,” the middle-aged big brother advised earnestly. He then looked around and lowered his voice:
“Director Liu from the prefecture said that Director Peng and the others in our county can’t perform this type of surgery. They can only be responsible for long-term functional rehabilitation follow-ups. Because they don’t perform the surgery, their precision rehabilitation training guidance for the short term isn’t detailed or professional enough…”
As the two were talking, a quarrel could be heard from the clinic room: “Director Peng, isn’t this situation your fault?”
“If you can’t do it, you can’t do it, you should have told me you couldn’t do it and let me get a referral. Now that something has gone wrong, you’re not taking responsibility?”
The patient then raised their voice: “Don’t talk to me about probabilities. One person having a problem is a low probability event. Three people in our county have had problems after surgery in a single month. Are you telling me this is about surgical probability?”
“Are you treating us, the patients, like playthings?”
The patient continued to raise their voice, cutting off the doctor’s response: “Why can’t I make a fuss? Everything I’m saying is fact, not personal attack. While we follow procedures, I’ve also sued you. But my condition has been delayed, who else should I turn to if not you…”
The middle-aged big brother pursed his lips and said to Zhou Migguo, “Did you hear that? Many doctors in our county still lack the skills; they’re only half-competent.”
“But your flexion and extension movements look pretty good. Did you really only get injured half a month ago?”
“Is En City Central Hospital’s technical level so much higher than Xiangzhou People’s Hospital’s?”
The middle-aged man didn’t believe his recovery was worse than Zhou Migguo’s due to lack of effort; it must have been a difference in the chief surgeon’s technique.
The commotion from over there had initially made Zhou Migguo’s expression a bit reserved, but upon hearing the middle-aged big brother’s praise, Zhou Migguo’s face lit up slightly: “I didn’t have it done in En City. Doctor Lu Cheng from the Emergency Department performed my surgery.”
“But Doctor Lu used to be an orthopedic doctor too.”
The middle-aged big brother’s eyes widened in shock: “Director Peng Haibo, the head of orthopedics, couldn’t do it, so how could Doctor Lu, even if he was an orthopedic doctor before, be able to do it?”
“You were also very careless… Think about it, Director Peng of Orthopedics was also trying out and practicing on patients before. I guess you also encountered Doctor Lu trying to practice on you.”
“You should go get a proper check-up elsewhere quickly. Carefully observe if you feel any discomfort, any pain, or any catching sensation when you move,” the middle-aged big brother said, sharing the medical orders he had brought from a higher-level hospital with Zhou Migguo for free.
Zhou Migguo performed the movements according to the rehabilitation techniques guided by Lu Cheng, then shook his head: “It’s fine. I haven’t been in much pain since my surgery.”
“When I move, there’s only a slight, dull ache…”
“Only a little pain? Is that true? Tendon rehabilitation exercises are very painful. When I was at the prefecture hospital before, some patients who couldn’t bear the pain were crying out in agony…” the middle-aged big brother looked surprised.
“You’re quite lucky.”
“From an outsider’s perspective, you seem to be recovering well. I’ve been post-surgery for over four months now, and I’m only slightly better than you.”
……
Inside the clinic room.
After examining Zhou Migguo’s finger extension, flexion strength, paper grip test, and other professional physical examinations, Peng Haibo fell silent, staring intently at Zhou Migguo.
“Director Peng? Don’t scare me, is something wrong with me?” Zhou Migguo’s eyes widened, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down nervously.
Peng Haibo reached out and scratched his head, then closed the medical record book in front of him: “I don’t see any problems, but since Doctor Lu Cheng was your chief surgeon and you’re recovering well, you should still go back to him for a follow-up.”
“He will be more professional and detailed…”
What Peng Haibo disliked was that ‘Lu Cheng’ might push his son down and make him unable to recover, not that he was trying to ‘belittle’ Lu Cheng for the sake of it!
If you can’t perform surgery, you can’t. Opportunities must be earned.
Peng Haibo would never do anything to lift one up while stepping on another. They were all in the same system, and no one was inherently ‘nobler’ than another.
“So, there’s no problem? Director Peng?” Zhou Migguo finally felt at ease, his tense expression relaxing, and a smile appeared on his face.
“I didn’t perform your surgery, so I can only conclude from the superficial physical examination results that there are no immediate problems. As for how well you ultimately recover, that will depend on the facts.”
“You should still go back to Doctor Lu for your follow-up. I don’t have X-ray vision; I can’t see what’s going on inside.”
“Here’s your medical record book…” Peng Haibo’s thirty years of Tai Chi practice were enough to handle most situations. If it wasn’t surgery he performed himself, he was too lazy to say much more…
Zhou Migguo then emerged from the Orthopedics clinic room, discarded the medical record book and registration slip he had just received, went down to the Emergency Department, and retrieved a new medical record book.
Pushing the door open, he smiled sincerely: “Doctor Lu, good morning. Sorry to trouble you again… I came to find you as soon as I got time off.”
What Zhou Migguo didn’t know was that Lu Cheng could see his medical records on the computer system, as well as Director Peng Haibo’s outpatient clinic records.
Of course, Lu Cheng saw through it but didn’t say anything: “Thank you for your trust… I just finished my rounds, let me check you first.”
“There’s no wound now. The rest is about persistent rehabilitation training. How do you feel now? Does it hurt? Is there any numbness?”
Zhou Migguo shook his head: “No, only occasional dull pain… No numbness.”
“Thank you, Doctor Lu. Not to mention anything else, you’ve saved me a lot of money on travel and transfers.”
“If you’re not sick, you really don’t know the actual benefits of encountering a good doctor…” Zhou Migguo’s expression was slightly fawning, as if he had met a ‘treasure girl.’
