Chapter 165: People Of Society And Social Affairs
“Director Du, you specifically had both aunts leave. Is there something you need to discuss with me privately?” Lu Cheng politely served Director Du Qiang a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.
Although the voices of Aunt He Shanshan and Wei Cheng were fading into the distance, they still reached his ears, growing fainter and fainter.
The light in the Doctor’s Lounge was slightly dim, but the light from the window perfectly illuminated the faces of Lu Cheng and Director Du Qiang, their shadows unpredictable.
Du Qiang had a standard square face, his forehead and jaw almost the same width, with distinct edges. His expression was solemn yet gentle: “Xiao Lu, you don’t need to be nervous.”
“Regarding Professor Chen and my child, I didn’t have the courage to knock on their door myself. It’s a failure on my part as a father, but I won’t resent you for it.”
“Your Aunt Wei is just a woman; she might be a bit emotional and unable to comprehend things immediately. You don’t need to pay it any mind.”
Lu Cheng sat down without replying, still observing Du Qiang’s expression, lost in thought.
“The main reason I’m here today is to thank you on behalf of my brother. If you hadn’t invited Professor Chen Song, he might not have been in life-threatening danger, and it would have been very difficult for him to have the current outcome.”
“One thing is one thing.”
“Looking at your expression, I assume you’ve heard about what happened at the department weekly meeting.” Du Qiang stated directly.
Lu Cheng replied casually, “Director Lin mentioned it in the department, but those are matters for the directors to consider. I’m just a junior doctor who does his job; I do as the leaders arrange.”
“The directors and hospital leadership certainly have their own considerations.”
Lu Cheng’s response was not airtight but did not offend anyone or express dissatisfaction with his feelings.
Du Qiang said directly, “Xiao Lu, you should be a smart person.”
“Why couldn’t I be the one to play the benevolent person and do these favors for you, instead of having your Director Lin from the Emergency Department do it?”
“Honestly, I really didn’t know you and my brother Wei Ying had such a connection before. If I had known, we should have had a drink together long ago…”
Long County isn’t small, but it’s not big either. Strangers can connect through two or three people.
The old Du Qiang would not have paid attention to a junior doctor in the Emergency Department, but with Wei Ying as the link, Du Qiang naturally conducted a background check on Lu Cheng.
“Director Du, actually, my father and Uncle Wei know each other. They were friends before, and now my father helps Uncle Wei with delivering goods…” Lu Cheng explained his relationship with Wei Ying, without any undue attempt to cling to him.
While their connection might not be a deep friendship, Du Qiang and Wei Ying’s relationship could be considered genuine ‘affection’!
Du Qiang nodded: “It’s not about fighting to know someone, but rather that getting to know someone requires a certain catalyst.”
“I’m going to act like an elder; you can call me Uncle Du. My intentions are very clear.”
“I want to reclaim some emergency surgeries from General Surgery. It’s not that I want to do them in our department, but rather to hand over the surgical assignment authority to you!”
Lu Cheng’s muscles trembled slightly upon hearing this: “That’s not appropriate, Director Du.”
Du Qiang waved his hand, saying, “There’s nothing appropriate or inappropriate about it. I have my own requests.”
“In your opinion, who among us in General Surgery has a better foundation for learning Spleen Preservation Surgery and Gallbladder Preservation Surgery compared to those in your Emergency Department?”
Lu Cheng fell silent and cautiously replied, “Director Du, if your department wants to learn surgeries, shouldn’t you be going for further training or having doctors from higher-level hospitals come to teach in the countryside?”
“Hospitals like Xiangya Hospital and Xiangya Second Hospital don’t perform emergency Spleen Preservation Surgery; their General Surgery departments are mostly focused on oncology.”
“Provincial People’s Hospitals and similar institutions that perform such surgeries do not have a ‘matching relationship’ with our hospital. If we were to go for training now, we generally wouldn’t go to Provincial People’s Hospital.”
“Besides, training courses are usually just a superficial overview…”
“And the surgeons who perform Spleen Preservation Surgery at Xiangya Hospital wouldn’t come to our General Surgery department. Do you understand this awkwardness?”
Long County People’s Hospital is located in a remote area and belongs to a less developed county town. It receives policy preferential treatment and has a matching assistance relationship with Xiangya Second Hospital and Xiangya Hospital.
This is good; many techniques can be learned.
However, a rather awkward point is the vast gap between the average level of the county hospital and Xiangya Hospital. Even if doctors at Xiangya Hospital want to impart their techniques, there isn’t enough opportunity.
Du Qiang then asked, “And what else?”
“I know better than you what kind of disposition countryside doctors usually have; they often treat this as a vacation and don’t genuinely engage in teaching.”
Du Qiang added after speaking, “Therefore, the Professor Chen Song you encountered is an exception.”
“The current development direction of our department is to barely dabble in oncology, but the scope is too broad… In reality, it’s not done well, and it’s very strenuous…”
“I’ve thought about it for a long time and have always wanted to proceed step by step, hoping to be able to retain the techniques of Spleen Preservation Surgery and Gallbladder Preservation Surgery during my tenure.”
Lu Cheng asked in confusion, “Director Du, since your department has already started with oncology, you should continue with it, right?”
“There should be quite a few oncology patients in our county’s general surgery cases, shouldn’t there?”
Du Qiang replied, “It’s not a problem with the patient source…”
“You don’t need to delve into the specific reasons, Xiao Lu. Right now, I need your word. We are going to take back most of the surgical permissions to learn Spleen Preservation and Gallbladder Preservation Surgery.”
“Xiao Lu, do you agree or not…”
Du Qiang had stated his intentions so clearly that Lu Cheng found it difficult to speak.
This was not something that could be easily brushed aside.
If General Surgery wants to learn, the Emergency Department will certainly want to learn as well.
As things stand, Director Lin and the others in the Emergency Department have treated him well, so Lu Cheng couldn’t be too disloyal by making any promises to Du Qiang behind Lin Qianlong’s back.
“Director Du, you also know that our Emergency Department’s situation is quite awkward, especially our Emergency Surgery. The range of surgeries we can perform is very narrow.”
“Currently, we can barely make a living,” Lu Cheng explained his predicament.
“Let us handle more of your other emergency conditions.”
“Director Lin and I have also discussed this, and Director Lin has already agreed.” Du Qiang suddenly said something astonishing.
Lu Cheng’s back straightened immediately, very surprised: “Director Lin agreed?”
“Yes, I told Director Lin that I would release digestive tract perforation and intestinal obstruction!”
Du Qiang also knew that Lu Cheng wouldn’t easily believe his words, so he added, “Specifically, you can ask Director Lin and then give me your reply.”
“Xiao Lu, no matter what Director Lin decides, you must understand him. Actually, with their technical accumulation, whether they are suitable for Spleen Preservation Surgery and Gallbladder Preservation Surgery.”
“The scope is too broad; they are more suited for basic emergency surgery. Specialized surgeries should be handled by specialized doctors.”
“Learning techniques is not easy, and finding a suitable learning path is even harder… You should understand this better than I do…”
After speaking, Du Qiang took a sip of tea, stood up, and said, “Xiao Lu, think it over carefully. I’ll await your news.”
“We’ve already added each other on WeChat anyway.”
Du Qiang left.
Lu Cheng watched Du Qiang’s retreating figure, lost in thought.
It was evident that Director Du Qiang was a smart person, at least not someone who would blindly create enemies.
October 1st, Thursday, noon.
The weather was slightly chilly.
There were no patients in the Emergency Surgery Clinic, so Lu Cheng and Zhang Tiesheng were eating in the clinic.
Zhang Tiesheng had ordered their meals. Before National Day, Lu Cheng had treated the entire department to a meal, which had already cost quite a bit.
The takeout from He Dagan Bowl Restaurant cost twenty yuan per portion, the same price as eating in the restaurant.
“Brother Zhang, today Director Du Qiang from General Surgery told me that in the future, our hospital’s Spleen Preservation and Gallbladder Preservation Surgeries will be transferred to their department, and Director Lin has agreed to this matter.”
“Is he tricking me or is it real?” Lu Cheng handed back the initiative, proving he hadn’t made the decision unilaterally.
Lu Cheng and Zhang Tiesheng’s previous agreement was that all learning resources during Professor Chen’s tenure would be given to Lu Cheng, and after Lu Cheng learned the surgeries, he would then gradually teach them how to perform Spleen Preservation and Gallbladder Preservation Surgeries.
No other variables had been discussed until now.
Zhang Tiesheng’s large black-rimmed glasses jiggled up and down as he took several large bites of food, chewing quickly: “Director Lin has spoken to us privately about this matter.”
“Strictly speaking, the difficulty of Spleen Preservation Surgery and Gallbladder Preservation Surgery is far beyond the current level of a few of us.”
“Xiao Lu, you haven’t fully grasped it after learning for so long. If we spend more time learning, we might end up in an awkward middle ground.”
Zhang Tiesheng said frankly, “After all, Xiao Lu, you’ll be going through the prefecture’s talent selection exam. You’ll only be in Long County for at most a year.”
Zhang Tiesheng put down his chopsticks with a light laugh: “According to what you said before, even in a year, I might not be able to learn much.”
“It’s better to hand this opportunity back to General Surgery and exchange it for something more practical.”
The decisions Lu Cheng made with the hospital leadership could not be treated as if they never happened.
In principle, the establishment at Long County People’s Hospital is managed by the prefecture’s personnel department. Lu Cheng’s personnel change within Xiangzhou is reasonable and lawful.
It is also a very normal personnel change within the autonomous prefecture.
Lu Cheng quickly said, “Brother Zhang, aren’t you losing out? When Professor Chen was here, all the resources went to me.”
Regardless, Zhang Tiesheng and Zeng Huanqi had yielded the learning opportunity. Although they didn’t give it to Lu Cheng immediately, he remembered their kindness.
“What’s there to lose? General Surgery wants people from our Emergency Department to help them with advanced surgeries. They can’t expect that without some compensation!”
“It’s just that on this matter, Director Lin and I have a slight difference of opinion.”
Zhang Tiesheng glanced at Lu Cheng, smacked his lips a couple of times, and took four or five hearty mouthfuls of rice before continuing: “This approach, knowing that Xiao Lu is leaving, is essentially using you as a bargaining chip.”
“Precisely because of this, Director Lin probably hasn’t figured out how to approach you.”
“And the more realistic problem is, once you leave, our Emergency Department will be back to square one. We won’t even be able to do tendon suturing, manual reduction will be impossible, and spleen and gallbladder preservation will still require referrals.”
“The surgical volume will decrease, and everyone’s belts will have to be tightened again.”
The salary slips for September were calculated this morning, and Zhang Tiesheng’s actual performance bonus was 10002.32!
It had an exact decimal point.
In the past, Zhang Tiesheng wouldn’t have dared to imagine that the Emergency Department could still issue such a large performance bonus.
Lu Cheng was silent for a moment and said, “Brother Zhang, I did not discuss the matter of participating in the prefecture’s talent selection exam with Director Lin beforehand.”
Zhang Tiesheng chuckled, “What’s there to discuss?”
“Who wouldn’t want a good job? Zeng Huanqi and I apply every year, we just haven’t passed.”
“You’re just making a personnel change within the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture; who dares to stop you?”
Zhang Tiesheng then looked at Lu Cheng: “However, you also need to be prepared for a back-and-forth struggle. These selection exams aren’t something you pass in one go.”
“Of course, it’s not impossible to be selected in one attempt,” Zhang Tiesheng said rather vaguely.
They were all adults, so they understood Zhang Tiesheng’s meaning.
Naturally, Zhang Tiesheng went on to analyze Lu Cheng’s strengths: “However, Xiao Lu, unlike others, your reserves perfectly address the weaknesses of those directors in the prefecture.”
“Bringing your own research projects… this is very attractive to teaching hospitals… they might not be able to resist such temptation.”
“Many chief physicians at the Prefectural City Hospitals have been wanting to be promoted to professor for a long time.”
Prefectural City Hospitals do not engage in scientific research, but that’s the general trend.
If one wants to be appraised as a professor, they cannot advance without research. If someone can conduct research, chief physicians will welcome them.
Currently, many prefectural city hospitals only recruit individuals with master’s or doctorate degrees for this very reason.
While they are hiring because departments are short-staffed, they also hope that new blood can help them climb higher.
“Therefore, we all judge your probability of being selected to be very high,” Zhang Tiesheng explained in great detail his and Director Lin Qianlong’s considerations and responses.
It couldn’t be that Lu Cheng pulled the ladder out, and Lin Qianlong and the others would passively wait for death.
“Brother Zhang, are there many pitfalls in this selection exam?” Lu Cheng no longer dwelled on it but continued to seek advice.
“To be clear, there are quite a few ‘sweetheart deals’ (lit. radish pits). For many people, working in a county hospital is just a stepping stone to Jishi City.”
“There are too many people who need this stepping stone, and not everyone has the opportunity to pursue a master’s or doctorate…”
“Of course, truly capable people are also scarce. If you are genuinely talented, the prefecture will also give you priority consideration.”
“After all, the medical profession is different from most other professions. It’s roughly a 60/40 split. For example, if there are ten positions, at least four must be for those who can do the work,” Zhang Tiesheng’s attitude was clear and direct.
The medical profession is different from other professions. Take the selection exam for teachers, for example. Whether one’s abilities are good or not won’t lead to more deaths, so there’s more room for maneuverability.
In the medical field, some second-generation individuals without ability go into administrative routes early on to enjoy a comfortable life. Ordinary people cannot endure the hardships of clinical practice.
“Brother Zhang, haven’t you also failed the exam several times?” Lu Cheng’s gaze held a hint of surprise.
Zhang Tiesheng’s family connections were not ordinary. When he was working, his father was still working in Long County and had now gone to the prefecture’s Development and Reform Commission.
Moreover, Zhang Tiesheng had an aunt who worked in the prefecture’s Discipline Inspection Commission and held considerable power.
Logically, with Zhang Tiesheng’s connections, it should have been easy to move positions.
Zhang Tiesheng’s expression was a half-smile: “Personnel changes in Xiangzhou have been very chaotic in recent years, making it difficult to trace the origins, so it’s best not to move around too much.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng was inwardly startled: “Brother Zhang, what does this mean?”
Zhang Tiesheng replied enigmatically: “It just means what it says.”
“Xiao Lu, don’t worry, just go and apply.”
