Chapter 175: A Man Who Can Endure Loneliness!
Zhang Tiesheng’s glasses were very stylish, and his overall demeanor was that of a gentle intellectual. After listening to Lu Cheng’s explanation, he chuckled somewhat lewdly and lowered his voice, “Do you want me to take you to try it out?”
Lu Cheng’s eyes flickered, “Brother Zhang, with your wife around, you wouldn’t dare to play so wild, would you?”
Zhang Tiesheng insisted on maintaining his persona as the head of the household, folding his hands in front of his abdomen, “It’s a proper matter for men to go out and have fun. As long as you, little Lu, are willing to go!”
“Leave it to your Brother Zhang, I’ll make sure to find you some good-looking and skilled ones.”
Lu Cheng had heard of such people: those who were originally very devoted, but once they broke that persona, they would become quite promiscuous for a period.
Of course, Lu Cheng didn’t think Zhang Tiesheng was that type; he was most likely a playboy who only spoke big for the sake of winning an argument, “Brother Zhang, I admit defeat. I can’t keep up with you.”
Zhang Tiesheng put on a show of being understanding, “Little Lu, it’s boring when you talk like that. I was all set, and now you’re saying you won’t go.”
Lu Cheng yawned.
Zhang Tiesheng lowered his head and looked at his phone again, holding it to his ear for a while.
Zhang Tiesheng suddenly said, “Little Lu, what are you really thinking? With such good skills, why do you usually hide them? Can you stand it?”
This was what Zhang Tiesheng was genuinely curious about.
From the messages from the Urology Department colleagues, Zhang Tiesheng could almost conclude that Lu Cheng’s abilities were indeed quite strong.
But he definitely hadn’t become strong just today. However, it seemed that the current Lu Cheng was not the same as he was some time ago. He remained silent and inactive, pretending to be oblivious while clearly understanding.
Can he really stand it?
“Brother Zhang, what did you say?” Lu Cheng felt a bit sleepy and hadn’t heard Zhang Tiesheng clearly because of his yawn.
Zhang Tiesheng repeated himself.
“What is there to stand or not stand?” Lu Cheng replied with a smile.
Zhang Tiesheng then made a joke, breaking the ice, “Then you can bear to stand by and do nothing?”
During his shifts, Zhang Tiesheng had encountered so many different kinds of patients; he didn’t believe there wasn’t anyone suitable for Lu Cheng to operate on.
“Brother Zhang, you are my Big Brother. Please don’t try to trick me.”
“Some things cannot be done, cannot be done. Surgery also requires appropriateness and fate,” Lu Cheng took another sip of coffee.
Wondering if any patients would come in tonight, Lu Cheng chatted with Zhang Tiesheng. Without anything specific to occupy his mind, he truly felt a bit tired.
“What do you mean?” Zhang Tiesheng didn’t quite grasp Lu Cheng’s meaning for a moment.
Lu Cheng’s tone was casual, “Things that are not within our hospital’s positioning, we shouldn’t rush to do them.”
“Showing off is not suitable for our hospital. We are just a county hospital. If we do well, people will think it’s expected. If we don’t, they’ll call us reckless.”
“Severed limbs are manageable. At most, it’s just a hand, not a life.”
“No one expects a county hospital to save patients that even prefecture-level city hospitals cannot treat.”
“Each hospital has a different positioning.”
“Moreover, such matters are difficult for even colleagues to believe, so why waste time trying to convince the patients’ families…”
Like Director Du Qiang’s nephew today, he was definitely in life-threatening danger, possibly a matter of life and death.
If Du Qiang hadn’t helped vouch for him, Lu Cheng wouldn’t have proactively offered to save him.
Who asked your county hospital to perform blind hemostasis?
In medicine, are there such terms as blind hemostasis or hemostasis under no direct vision?
Certainly not. There is no official document that records it.
If you were to implement this at a top institution like Xiangya Hospital, that would be impressive. Hospitals like Huaxi Hospital, top-tier institutions, have the primary responsibility of saving lives.
You can implement slightly unconventional methods.
But to do this at a county hospital?
Lu Cheng wanted to be a doctor, not someone who would end his career just to save a life.
These are not matters that can be judged by performing surgery beyond one’s level.
Zhang Tiesheng thought for a while and summarized, “You’re afraid of causing trouble?”
Lu Cheng nodded.
“Then why did you choose to act today?” Zhang Tiesheng asked.
“If Director Du put his reputation on the line, even if I failed, I would have to accept my misfortune.”
Lu Cheng laughed, “Director Du is the Director of General Surgery. How could he easily risk his reputation?”
“Don’t you think so?”
Zhang Tiesheng felt he was on the same wavelength as Lu Cheng and didn’t hesitate to ask, “Then aren’t you afraid people will say you’re discriminatory and your skills only serve those with connections?”
Lu Cheng’s expression was simple: if a colleague vouched for him, he would drag someone down with him even if he died.
Without such backing, Lu Cheng would indeed stand by and do nothing.
Although Lu Cheng didn’t say it explicitly, that was the gist of it.
“Who would pay attention to a junior doctor like me?”
Lu Cheng continued, “Besides, Brother Zhang, would ordinary patients and their families believe me? If I don’t give them sufficient guarantees, will they agree to my surgery?”
“These life-and-death matters cannot be resolved with mere conversation and signatures.”
“Things that do not appear in guidelines, textbooks, or literature, even with a ninety percent success rate, I wouldn’t gamble on the ten percent failure rate and the patient’s family suing me.”
“I am insignificant and cannot afford such a high trial-and-error cost.”
“Brother Zhang, I’m going to get some sleep. I’m a bit tired.” Lu Cheng ended the conversation.
These words made sense but were also sensitive. If someone misunderstood, they could easily label you as obsessive.
Lu Cheng didn’t try to portray himself as noble, nor did he overtly write “I am a scumbag” on his forehead.
If someone died at Long County People’s Hospital, it was highly likely to result in a medical dispute.
Medical personnel were not supposed to perform unconventional procedures. While the hospital might provide endorsement, if you did something unconventional, the Medical Affairs Department, with their usual attitude, would not protect you.
Limited medical standards and insufficient ability leading to death are normal and understandable.
However, if you recklessly perform a procedure that shouldn’t be done, and the patient dies, both the patient and the leadership will ask you, “Why did you do this? Who told you to do this?”
How capable are you?
It’s best to honestly follow the guideline recommendations and the standard treatment procedures!
…
After Lu Cheng left, Zhang Tiesheng, with his chin in his hand, was lost in thought.
“This Lu Cheng? He used to take risks to perform surgery, but now he’s so cautious?”
“Which one is the more real him?” Zhang Tiesheng could understand Lu Cheng’s explanation.
He just couldn’t quite figure out Lu Cheng’s persona. After all, in his eyes, Lu Cheng was initially a reckless fool.
However, Zhang Tiesheng soon recalled subsequent events and mentally retracted the label of “reckless fool.”
The tip of his pen on the scrap paper wrote down the five characters ‘The unbeliever shall not be treated.’
Zhang Tiesheng could understand Lu Cheng’s choice. He didn’t want to argue with lay families and patients, but if there were colleagues from his own hospital to vouch for him,
even if Lu Cheng couldn’t win the argument and ruined his future prospects, it wouldn’t be easy for you to have a smooth career within the unit after backstabbing Lu Cheng.
The more people Lu Cheng saved, the higher the difficulty for others to backstab him.
No one could guarantee that their relatives or friends wouldn’t require Lu Cheng’s intervention.
Those techniques couldn’t appear in surgical records but could be incorporated into surgical procedures, encompassing everything under the practical term ‘hemostasis.’
There’s no need for innovation; the essential goal is simply to save the patient.
…
Lu Cheng tallied up his gains.
Adding CT image reading skills cost 20 skill points. Hemorrhage resuscitation immediately gained 8.2 skill points.
It was a loss, but not a significant one, as the CT image reading skill level had genuinely improved.
Calculating it this way, Lu Cheng gained a total of 11.4 skill points from today’s surgery shift. It was a highly profitable day.
【 Current Skill Point Balance: 96.1 points. 】
“Keep it well, this is my sharp weapon and trump card for professional competitions,” Lu Cheng muttered as he walked into the doctor’s lounge.
After taking off his white coat and work clothes, he lifted the corner of the blanket and lay down.
“Have you decided? Do you want to go to Shashi together? I heard Shashi has good crayfish.” Lu Cheng said.
Mu Nanshu replied, “Although I’m younger than you, don’t lie to me. It’s already October, long past the season for plump crayfish.”
“Crabs are what’s in season now.”
Lu Cheng directly asked, “Do you have other plans? If so, just tell me.”
Lu Cheng couldn’t understand why Mu Nanshu hadn’t agreed to go to Shashi with him.
Mu Nanshu hesitated for a long time before sending Lu Cheng a screenshot of a chat.
It was from Xie Yuan’an.
Xie Yuan’an was a hand surgeon at Xiehe Hospital, and she was a practicing clinician. Although she was currently honing her clinical skills, she was indeed a professional in hand surgery.
Therefore, she had been indirectly asking if Mu Nanshu’s research project needed assistance.
Furthermore, Xie Yuan’an made another request: if it was convenient for Mu Nanshu, could she return to Hanshi City for a period to help her organize a paper she had previously submitted?
Her paper had been “lettered” by other researchers.
A “letter,” in this context, meant that colleagues had reported her to the editorial department, and now she needed to provide a very detailed explanation.
Although Xie Yuan’an initially struck Lu Cheng as a gossip girl, this gossip girl had indeed brought him good fortune.
If he hadn’t attended the advanced study class at Xiehe Hospital, Lu Cheng might not have had the opportunity to independently develop a tendon suturing technique.
“Since Teacher Xie is in trouble, if you can help, you should. You’re from the same unit.” Lu Cheng said.
Mu Nanshu responded with a “??”
“You’re quite generous. I’m still agonizing over it, and you’ve already made the decision for me.”
Lu Cheng said, “It’s mainly because I asked Professor Tong a couple of days ago, and he said the competition schedule for those two days was very full.”
“On one of those days, Professor Tong will also introduce me to some people.”
Mu Nanshu replied, “Then you should have said so earlier. I was agonizing for a long time.”
“Then I’ll return to Hanshi City first. You can follow your Teacher Tong to build your own network. Is that okay…”
Mu Nanshu cared deeply and cherished the time they could spend together.
“Mhmm.” Lu Cheng agreed and then added, “Now it’s my turn to do sit-ups… and respond to Professor Tong about visiting the big shots.”
Mu Nanshu quickly responded, “You’re outright rejecting them???”
Lu Cheng explained, “I never intended to get involved in Xiangya Hospital’s circle. It’s better not to get too entangled, to avoid future complications.”
“I feel quite hypocritical. I never intended this from the beginning, yet I’ve been making excuses.”
“The main reason is that I’m afraid if I’m too direct, I’ll offend Professor Tong and Professor Chen, and they won’t be willing to teach me anything anymore.”
“I must make it clear this time.”
Hypocrisy is not a label for the young, but being capable of hypocrisy is a calling card for adults. Faking it is necessary, after all, reality is not a fairy tale.
Mu Nanshu was silent for a moment, then said, “You will have better development at Xiehe. I can guarantee you this!”
“Of course, if you have other ideas, we can discuss them.”
Mu Nanshu didn’t close off all possibilities.
Lu Cheng then said, “Bookworm, to tell you the truth, after hearing about Xiehe Hospital’s regulations, I’m afraid I’m being lured into a trap.”
“What do you mean?” Mu Nanshu asked.
“Didn’t you say that Xiehe Hospital allows any PhD with overseas experience to stay?”
“But they must secure a general project from the National Natural Science Foundation within a few years, otherwise, it’s a ‘non-promotion, non-retention’ situation.”
“The unit will not renew the contract.”
“This seems to be your hospital’s consistent practice, the overall atmosphere.”
“Is it possible that I’m just one of the ‘feed’ that Professor Zhong Junyun is raising?”
“A broad casting strategy?”
Mu Nanshu replied, “Survival of the fittest. Survival of the adapted.”
“That’s the law of reality. It’s similar everywhere. Instead, sometimes having a clear standard allows us to die more clearly, doesn’t it?”
Mu Nanshu was no longer the innocent little girl she used to be.
“That’s true,” Lu Cheng nodded.
…
October 20th, Tuesday, was another surgery shift for Lu Cheng.
The department’s shift schedule was a cycle, and Lu Cheng’s surgery shift coincided with Zhang Tiesheng’s emergency clinic night shift.
“Little Lu… this patient, they’re transferring him away. I don’t know if he’ll make it on the road.”
Zhang Tiesheng sighed in the emergency hall, looking through the transparent curtain at the flashing red and blue lights of the ambulance outside in the dark, his voice ethereal.
Lu Cheng’s expression was calm, “If the patient’s family doesn’t trust us, then there’s no need to say more. Didn’t you teach me that, Brother Zhang?”
This was a closed abdominal injury, and his vital signs were not stable.
Zhang Tiesheng, on his emergency clinic night shift, had immediately called Lu Cheng over. They were about to take the patient to the operating room when the family arrived.
They disagreed with discussing the risks and signing the consent form, strongly requesting a transfer, and had already signed.
The procedures were swift, and the patient was transferred from the emergency resuscitation room to the ambulance in three minutes!
The ambulance departed in four minutes.
“If it were you,” Zhang Tiesheng began, then stopped. He wanted to say that if Lu Cheng’s attitude had been a bit clearer earlier, perhaps the patient’s family would have agreed to the surgery.
During his previous surgery shift, Lu Cheng had been called by the General Surgery department to perform a surgery that was more complex than this patient’s condition.
Zhang Tiesheng was not in the operating room at the time. He only heard from the operating room staff that after Director Du Qiang of General Surgery called Lu Cheng in, within half an hour, the patient’s blood pressure had risen from a fluctuating 79mmHg to 84, and they were out of danger.
This operation made him famous in the operating room.
After that, Lu Cheng only intervened one more time. That was when the patient’s family explicitly agreed to record the procedure, give consent for Lu Cheng to perform the rescue, and entrust the county hospital with the resuscitation.
For other patients, Lu Cheng chose to respect their fate.
He was truly a man who could endure loneliness.
Lu Cheng said, “Brother Zhang, my coffee has arrived.”
A few minutes later, Lu Cheng called Han Xiaoping, who was on duty in the ward, to the emergency clinic for coffee and conversation.
There weren’t many patients in the county hospital’s emergency clinic, so it was acceptable for a few white coats to chat during their downtime.
Han Xiaoping, with his square head, said, “Brother Lu is still amazing, completely shutting down Professor Tong.”
“Brother Zhang, when was the last time you saw Professor Tong? I seem to recall that after the 16th, Professor Tong hasn’t been in the department?”
Zhang Tiesheng immediately replied, “No, Professor Tong made rounds this morning.”
“You, Han Xiaoping, should stop being lazy!”
As one of the few people who knew Lu Cheng’s little secret, Zhang Tiesheng not only knew that Tong Yuan’an had been demoralized by Lu Cheng but also that Lu Cheng possessed an emergency life-saving artifact, which he had kept secret.
Many hospital leaders were aware of this, but they hadn’t publicized it.
Because it couldn’t be publicized, and the authorities didn’t recognize it, a county hospital wouldn’t dare to publicize it.
There would certainly be others who possessed such skills as Lu Cheng, but rumor had it that this kind of technique couldn’t be passed down; it depended purely on personal talent.
Techniques that cannot be passed down are merely individual procedures, so they are not convenient to publicize broadly. They can be used internally, but not advertised externally.
Han Xiaoping’s face turned slightly red, “Brother Zhang, I’m not being lazy. I woke up at five this morning to practice my skills.”
“I’ve sent the videos to Brother Lu, ask him if you don’t believe me.”
Han Xiaoping’s voice carried a hint of playfulness.
You, Zhang Tiesheng, always say I, Han Xiaoping, am slacking off. Don’t you have any idea why I’m slacking off?
Before Lu Cheng arrived at the emergency department, what else could I do but slack off?
The surgeries in the department were basically monopolized by you, Zeng Huanqi, and Director Lin, leaving us only to be assistants.
And you don’t teach anything as an assistant. Do you expect me to learn by watching your surgeries, just by assisting?
Lu Cheng nodded, “Brother Zhang, Brother Han is very diligent. He’s been waking up at four or five to practice his skills recently.”
Zhang Tiesheng felt a sense of urgency and touched his chest muscles with his right hand, “Um?”
“It’s little Lu who’s made the atmosphere in our department so competitive. We weren’t this intense before.”
Although Zhang Tiesheng said this, he hadn’t slacked off on his practice recently.
In fact, Zhang Tiesheng’s current suturing skill level was second only to Lu Cheng’s in the entire department.
Previously, those like Tian Zhuang and Lin Qianlong, Zeng Huanqi, who had higher individual basic suturing skills, had all been quietly surpassed by Zhang Tiesheng.
Given his basic aptitude, if Zhang Tiesheng were ten years younger, Lu Cheng would even suspect that the current Zhang Tiesheng could perform all upper limb tendon suturing surgeries as the chief surgeon.
Of course, Zhang Tiesheng was not in a hurry to start tendon suturing surgeries in the department directly.
According to Zhang Tiesheng, with Lu Cheng still around and serving as a role model, he, Zhang Tiesheng, wouldn’t be so inconsiderate as to steal Lu Cheng’s exclusive surgeries.
Tian Zhuang and the others didn’t have their own surgeries, so it wasn’t easy for Zhang Tiesheng to take away tendon suturing.
After all, when Zhang Tiesheng was on duty, he could still perform surgeries like appendectomies and cholecystectomies.
Han Xiaoping also nodded, “Brother Lu has ruined our atmosphere. Especially Brother Five, Tian Zhuang. I heard he sometimes only sleeps four or five hours a day.”
“Brother Lu, can Tian Zhuang basically handle all upper limb tendons now?”
Lu Cheng nodded, “Apart from weave suturing, Tian Zhuang performs other tendon suturing quite well.”
“However, it will take some time and refinement before he can handle flexor tendon suturing in District Two.”
“Flexor tendon ruptures in District Two must be handled strictly. No trial attempts are allowed until the standard is met.”
“Peng Kun from Orthopedics faltered with this surgery.”
The reason Lu Cheng emphasized this was actually for Zhang Tiesheng.
He wanted Zhang Tiesheng to continue practicing his basic suturing skills. Although it would take more time, it would make Zhang Tiesheng more proficient in clinical operations in the future.
Actually, Zhang Tiesheng was also a determined person. In less than a month, his suturing technique had improved considerably.
This proved that although Zhang Tiesheng appeared carefree in the department, he had privately put in a lot of effort, possibly dedicating most of his time to technical practice.
Just as Lu Cheng was about to reply, the harsh sound of rolling wheels from a trolley outside broke the silence.
“Doctor, doctor!”
“Help!”
“Doctor,” the middle-aged woman’s voice called out from the hall outside.
Lu Cheng and the others immediately stood up and hurried out of the clinic.
With a single glance, Lu Cheng and the others saw the man on the trolley covered in blood, his face ashen white, being guided into the resuscitation room by an emergency department nurse and other family members.
“Doctor Lu and the others are here,” the nurse said to the middle-aged woman upon seeing them.
“What happened?” Lu Cheng asked the middle-aged woman while signaling Han Xiaoping to help straighten the patient’s trolley.
“My husband was walking home at night and fell. Something pierced him. I couldn’t pull him up by myself.”
“I called for help, and then we managed to drag him up. His stomach is full of blood…”
“Is there something underneath?” Lu Cheng asked.
“Someone was chopping wood, and a slanted stump pierced his abdomen. My husband turned over by himself, otherwise, we wouldn’t have dared to move him.”
“Doctor, please save him, I beg you…” the middle-aged woman pleaded.
After she finished speaking, another middle-aged man, who was helping to move the bed, said, “Doctor, how is my brother’s condition?”
Zhang Tiesheng immediately interrupted, “Don’t speak. We are currently assessing…”
“Blood pressure, 75/50. Blood oxygen 89. Temperature 37.9!” The nurse quickly measured the basic vital signs.
“There’s no time for a CT scan. Call the blood bank,” Zhang Tiesheng looked at Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng then looked at the middle-aged woman, “Your husband’s condition is very dangerous. He might not make it.”
“You have two options now: first, transfer him to a higher-level hospital, or second, go to the operating room and see if we can save him.”
The middle-aged woman immediately became flustered, trembled all over, and then froze.
“How do you decide?” Lu Cheng raised his voice.
The middle-aged woman remained silent. The other middle-aged man, who was apparently the patient’s brother, asked, “What are the chances of survival?”
“The situation is very critical, and the hope is slim. However, given his condition, if transferred to a higher-level hospital, he likely wouldn’t survive the journey.”
After answering, Lu Cheng shouted to the nurse, “Prepare for tracheal intubation immediately! Call the operating room, we need to start surgery right away.”
The patient’s blood oxygen saturation was very low; simple oxygen therapy would not suffice.
Tracheal intubation and immediate laparotomy for hemostasis were necessary to potentially stabilize his vital signs.
“Doctor, what exactly happened to my brother?” the middle-aged man asked.
“Trauma, bleeding, shock. It’s quite obvious. We don’t have X-ray vision, so it’s difficult to assess at a glance.”
After answering, Lu Cheng continued to instruct another nurse, “Get cotton pads and gauze! To temporarily tamponade the bleeding.”
Han Xiaoping quickly assessed the patient’s condition, “The patient is comatose and in shock. His lips are pale, and the blood color in his thumbs is very poor.”
“Pupils are slightly dilated, with a sensitive and symmetrical light reflex.”
Zhang Tiesheng listened to his chest and said, “No rales in the lungs.”
“You guys, speak up and decide quickly,” Lu Cheng urged the family again.
“He can’t be managed in the resuscitation room in this state.”
“Gauze and cotton pads have arrived.”
“Tracheal intubation is ready.” Two nurses arrived at the bedside almost simultaneously.
Zhang Tiesheng, along with Han Xiaoping, went to perform the intubation and gave instructions, “Prepare epinephrine, set up a norepinephrine drip, and open bilateral IV lines…”
“Doctor… Doctor…” Just then, a calling voice came from outside.
“Dr. Zhang is in the resuscitation room. Please wait a moment,” the guide nurse said.
“I’m in pain,” the patient outside shouted, “Where is the doctor?”
Zhang Tiesheng, Lu Cheng, and the others ignored him. Lu Cheng continued to look at the patient’s family, “Make a decision! Every minute you delay, his chances of survival decrease.”
With many people talking and the noise chaotic, the middle-aged woman was bewildered. She finally came to her senses, her voice jumbled and anxious:
“Doctor, you must save my husband…”
“Surgery offers hope. Without surgery, he will die one hundred percent.”
“The risk of transfer is also very high. What do you choose?” Lu Cheng stared intently, guiding them to give a direct answer.
“Surgery, we’ll do surgery. You must save my husband, doctor, please.” the middle-aged woman said quickly.
“Han Xiaoping, take them to talk and sign. Call Director Lin and ask for a General Surgery consultation.”
“We’ll take the patient to the operating room first!”
“This patient has active bleeding trauma to the abdomen: already in shock!” Lu Cheng gave a presumptive diagnosis.
