Chapter 23: Uncle’s Intentions!
“Pah! What a fake person!”
It was 12:27 AM when Lu Cheng pushed open the door and heard his uncle, Lu Nanyong, cursing.
“Uncle,” Lu Cheng said enthusiastically as he squatted to change his shoes.
Uncles are like fathers. Although the internet says relationships between uncles and aunts, and brothers’ wives are difficult, his uncle, despite occasionally scolding him, genuinely cared for him, treating him like half a son.
“Lu Cheng, that Director Peng from your department, really, he’s just a man seeking fame and reputation.” Lu Nanyong took off his glasses, his high forehead furrowed like a riverbed.
After changing into his slippers, Lu Cheng walked in and stood directly in the path of the air conditioner. “Uncle, did you go drinking with Director Peng again?”
His mother, Tian Hui, brought over another plate of peanuts and seeds, and half of the watermelon on the fruit plate remained.
After filling a large plate with seeds, she explained to Lu Cheng, “Your uncle thinks it would be better for you to be in Orthopedics for your future development. After work yesterday, he arranged to have dinner with Director Peng of your hospital’s Orthopedics department.”
“Lu Cheng, you should listen to your uncle. He understands the hospital better than we do.”
Lu Cheng of course understood Lu Nanyong’s good intentions. As the warmth on his body dissipated, he moved closer. “Uncle, I was right, wasn’t I? Going drinking with Director Peng is useless.”
“The facts are right there. He can’t even help a few of the deputy directors in the department. Peng Kun is his own son. Asking him to make way for Peng Kun is like trying to rip out his heart.”
“I also know that Orthopedics is better, but staying in Orthopedics requires a long wait, waiting until the next director is decided, and until I’m over forty, before I can have the chance to see patients and perform surgeries.”
“But in the Emergency Department, with Professor Chen there, I can actually learn surgeries that are not commonly performed in hospitals.”
Lu Nanyong shelled two peanuts, popped them into his mouth, and said, “Lu Cheng, are you trying to treat your uncle like a foreigner?”
“Although I’m not a surgeon? Surgeries that your hospital can’t perform, are they really that easy to learn? You’re underestimating people…”
“Why can’t your hospital perform certain surgeries? Is it because they don’t want to?”
“It’s too difficult to learn, the entry barrier is too high.”
Lu Nanjia wasn’t trying to criticize Lu Cheng. “I’m not saying Director Peng should let you and his son compete for the same specialty. That’s truly leaving no room for you at all.”
Lu Cheng said with a low, amused tone, “Uncle, Director Peng convinced Dr. Xiang Daihong from Zhou People’s Hospital to come to the countryside today. Dr. Xiang Daihong is a hand surgeon.”
“He’s even better at handling tendon injuries than Professor Chen Song.”
Lu Nanyong grabbed the peanut shell in his hand and raised it, his eyes widening.
“Uncle, calm down… don’t hit the child…” Lu Cheng, fearing he’d be mistaken for Peng Haibo by Lu Nanyong, quickly interjected.
“What do you mean?” His father, Lu Nanjia, although he sensed the words were not good, couldn’t precisely understand what was bad about them.
“It’s nothing, second brother. It’s just that a doctor from their hospital came to the countryside,” Lu Nanyong sighed lightly.
“It’s getting late, and Suqin has called to hurry us. We’ll come visit again in a couple of days. Second sister-in-law, you have to make something good…” Lu Nanyong immediately put on a smiling, shameless face.
Lu Nanyong and Lu Nanjia had an exceptionally good relationship because Lu Nanyong had been “sponsored” by Lu Nanjia when he was in college. They were not only brothers but also family, bound by unbreakable ties.
Lu Nanjia’s entire family never treated themselves as outsiders, ordering food based on what tasted best.
“Okay!” Tian Hui, a bit “mercenary,” readily agreed.
…
After Lu Nanyong left, Lu Nanjia stood opposite Lu Cheng and tilted his head, looking at him. “Son, what did you mean by what you said earlier? Why did your uncle suddenly lose control and almost hit you?”
“It’s nothing, Dad… it’s just hospital stuff, isn’t it?”
Lu Cheng put his hands on Lu Nanjia’s sturdy shoulders and comforted him, “Your son has a stable job and works for the state. As long as you don’t go down the wrong path, you’ll never starve.”
“It’s just going to work, right? Isn’t it good to be relaxed and still earn money?”
If Lu Cheng starved while having a stable job at Long County People’s Hospital, at least sixty percent of the people in Long County would starve first!
“You’re always like this, only reporting good news and not bad.”
“You say it lightly, but you actually care more than anyone else…” Lu Nanjia rubbed his eyelids and sighed, “It’s a pity your father didn’t have the chance to study.”
“My grades back then were even better than your uncle’s, but your grandpa died early, and your grandma was in poor health. You hadn’t even been born yet. If I had known… alas…”
Lu Nanjia felt a bit guilty for emphasizing the phrase “the eldest brother is like a father” too much in his early years, and now regretted that he couldn’t help Lu Cheng much.
“Uncle has already been very good to me,” Lu Cheng said.
“A typical father can only do so much. I didn’t study traditional Chinese medicine, and Uncle is just an attending physician. What more help can he provide?”
“Dad, don’t you think Uncle’s situation at the hospital is much better than mine? That he’s living a life of luxury every day?”
“When I was in standardized training and studying, Uncle gave me plenty of pocket money.”
Tian Hui said, “Alright, alright, stop talking. Your son has worked all day. Let him go to bed early… to rest.”
“No rush, Mom, I’ll give you a neck massage…” Lu Cheng said.
Tomorrow, the 16th, Lu Cheng would have a full day off with Professor Chen Song, so he wasn’t in a hurry to sleep.
Tian Hui was tempted but worried that Lu Cheng wouldn’t get enough rest. With a conflicted expression, she was pushed onto the sofa by Lu Cheng. As Lu Cheng began to massage her muscles, Tian Hui forgot all her worries…
Lu Nanjia picked up a slice of watermelon and looked at his wife and son, feeling that his life had been worthwhile.
He had a house, a good life, a son, and a wife. His son had a stable job, was diligent in his studies, and used his salary each month.
He was just an ordinary person. What more could he ask for in this life?
The only drawback was that Lu Cheng hadn’t gotten married yet, but Lu Cheng was actively cooperating with blind dates.
Lu Nanjia then said, “Son, there’s a blind date tomorrow. You should put some effort into it. Don’t be too picky, but don’t settle for less either.”
“Mm… Dad, finding a wife is a lifelong matter, so I’ll have to be careful.”
“Take you, for example. You were lucky to find Mom, who is so virtuous…” Lu Cheng said.
Tian Hui said dismissively, “Back then… I wasn’t the most sought-after in ten villages, but I did have quite a few people come to propose.”
“Considering your dad’s conditions at the time, he was truly average or below.”
Lu Cheng said, “Who can you blame? You saw that Dad was honest and handsome, right?”
Tian Hui glanced at Lu Nanjia and smiled, “He’s quite honest. Is he still handsome now?”
“He’s just a simpleton… he’s not good at business either, he can only earn money through sheer strength…”
“Let me tell you, when he goes to haul goods and move things, he charges 150 yuan when others charge 200. With this kind of personality, he’ll never earn much money in his life…”
Lu Nanjia said with great satisfaction, “As long as I don’t have an empty trip, there’s money to be made. Compared to my coworkers, I still get more phone calls.”
“Earning money honestly and living a principled life, what’s wrong with that?”
The frustration in Lu Cheng’s heart vanished.
Looking at his remaining skill points, he no longer felt the weight of the hospital matters.
