Chapter 46: Opportunity Knocks
“Peng Kun, you’re on duty today, so be on duty! Don’t break the rules. I heard from someone that Professor Tong Yuan’an of Xiangya Hospital dislikes rule-breaking the most.”
“As for receiving Professor Tong for a meal, Tian Shan and I can handle it.” Peng Haibo instructed as he and Peng Kun left their homes in Tian Yue Residential Area, Long County, at 7:30 AM on July 31st.
“I’ve already contacted Professor Tong. He said he’ll arrive this afternoon at two o’clock and will come to the hotel himself, so there’s no need to pick him up at the station…”
Peng Kun nodded slightly, not objecting to Peng Haibo’s suggestion, but he did propose, “Wouldn’t it be better to have a drink with Professor Tong beforehand? After all, you’re going to acknowledge Professor Tong as your teacher.”
“Not meeting him at the first opportunity is a bit negligent, isn’t it? I can ask Yuan Zhenglin to switch shifts with me.”
Peng Haibo had indeed taught Peng Kun a lot about social graces, including how to receive people. At this moment, Peng Haibo said, “If you had known in advance that Professor Tong would be coming, it would have been fine for you to arrange your shifts.”
“But Professor Tong decided to come on short notice, and suddenly asking someone to switch shifts would look very bad. You have a Master’s degree, which already makes you more eye-catching in Professor Tong’s eyes, so there’s no need to make these futile efforts.”
“You’ve pursued graduate studies yourself; you should know what kind of personalities the younger associate professors at Xiangya Hospital and Second Hospital prefer.”
“Unlike attending physicians who are often idle and don’t have too many critical matters, associate professors tend to favor ‘rigorous’ individuals.”
Attending physicians at county hospitals might be able to handle things independently, but at Xiangya Second Hospital, most attending physicians are senior chief residents and are at most responsible for handling emergencies. The regular surgeries performed in the department are too difficult; those are still procedures they need to learn.
Peng Haibo continued, “Director Xiang hasn’t come to the countryside, but Professor Tong’s visit is even more beneficial; we couldn’t have invited him otherwise.”
“I’ve also inquired about this Professor Tong. Currently, Professor Liao Fan, a newly promoted senior professional at Xiangya Hospital, is not significantly superior to him in terms of technique. It’s just that Professor Liao has more seniority and a stronger research background.”
“If you learn diligently from him, you can acquire genuine skills.”
“Although Lu Cheng’s talent is somewhat better, having a more specialized teacher to guide and instruct you will definitely allow you to compensate for shortcomings through diligence.”
Peng Kun agreed with Peng Haibo’s idea and replied, “Alright, I’ll tell Yuan Zhenglin later that I’ll be on duty as usual today. I’ve already made private arrangements, so I can either go or not.”
Peng Haibo was actually very satisfied with Peng Kun’s mature approach and preparedness.
Peng Kun just had bad luck and was not in a good period, but it wasn’t that his talent was too poor. Encountering a few difficult seniors plus Lu Cheng meant he was destined to be rushed and exhausted.
And these difficult seniors in the department were actually debts of gratitude that Peng Haibo owed, and debts of gratitude must be repaid…
Around noon, Peng Haibo finished his first surgery of the day, handed over the subsequent surgeries to Deputy Chief Physician Xiang Kuihua, and then, along with Luo Changwu, Tian Shan, and Tian Hongjian, prepared for the reception.
Luo Changwu was responsible for contacting a place to eat, asking the boss to reserve the best private room and to work overtime to prepare the dishes.
Tian Hongjian immediately left the hospital to prepare the celebratory wine.
Xiang Kuihua, in the Director’s Office, smiled broadly and said, “Director Peng, you were able to contact Professor Tong from Xiangya Hospital? When will it be convenient to invite Professor Long Haiyuan down?”
Peng Haibo’s eyes flickered. “Kuihua, I didn’t contact Professor Tong this time. Professor Tong himself came to our hospital to apply for a countryside visit.”
“As for Professor Long from Trauma Surgery, I’m even less familiar with him.”
If Tong Yuan’an was the first candidate for the Discipline Leader of Hand Surgery at Xiangya Hospital, then Associate Professor Long Haiyuan was the first candidate for the Discipline Leader of Trauma Surgery.
Xiang Kuihua was primarily engaged in Trauma Surgery at the hospital. If he could learn some true skills from Long Haiyuan, he would be exceptionally well-regarded throughout Xiangzhou.
“Director Peng, if you put it that way, it’s too biased,” Xiang Kuihua said meaningfully.
To suppress Lu Cheng and develop hand surgery, Tong Yuan’an was willing to go to great lengths to invite him, but he wouldn’t accept associate professors from other specialties.
Peng Haibo replied, “I’m just stating the facts. Xiang Kuihua, you know we are more familiar with the teachers from Second Hospital.”
“If there’s an opportunity, I’ll ask Professor Ding from the Trauma Surgery Department at Second Hospital and Director Huang if they can come down to the countryside, okay?”
Xiang Kuihua asked, “Professor Ding Gong is already a senior professional, and he still needs to come to the countryside?”
Peng Haibo said, “Not Professor Ding Gong, but Deputy Chief Physician Ding Fangming, who works under Director Song Mingye. He was just promoted to Deputy Director and Associate Professor last year, and he’ll be coming down to the countryside soon.”
These two were also individuals Xiang Kuihua couldn’t invite himself, so he had no choice but to listen to Peng Haibo.
The Orthopedics department had its own operating rules, and he couldn’t easily get involved in their affairs.
…
In the afternoon, at 2:30 PM, Peng Haibo and Luo Changwu led Tong Yuan’an to the ‘Qiao Family Courtyard Ecological Farm’.
The furnishings were elegant, the flowers and plants were abundant, the view was expansive, and it was situated by the river, giving a sense of a countryside outing.
Peng Haibo led Tong Yuan’an up to the second-floor pavilion. The view became even more expansive; a cool breeze brushed against their faces, and the sun shone intensely, as if they were in two different worlds. “Professor Tong, please take a seat. Long County may not have much else, but our ingredients are natural, and our mountains and waters are pure. Let’s take this opportunity to indulge in a bit of refined leisure.”
A server was preparing tea. Seeing that the main guests had arrived, she asked, “Boss, what kind of tea would you like? We have Longjing, Da Hong Pao, Pu’er…”
“Then Longjing it is,” Tong Yuan’an said without being overly polite. He stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance before asking, “Director Peng, is that crossing the provincial border across the river?”
Peng Haibo nodded and smiled, accompanying him. “Ah, yes, across the river is Feng County in E Province. There are also many delicious things there. If you’re interested, Professor Tong, we can take you for a visit in a couple of days…”
“We must try the good food. By the way, Director Peng, I need to make one thing clear with you all in advance today. I came to Long County with a mission.”
“So I’ll need someone to help…” Tong Yuan’an continued to explain leisurely and without favoritism.
“My classmate Chen Song is also visiting the countryside. He recommended Xiao Lu to me. You can also recommend a few people, and we’ll have a fair competition. Time is of the essence.”
“Let’s set the period for half a month…”
Tong Yuan’an looked at the strained expressions on Peng Haibo and the others’ faces and asked, “Director Peng, is that inconvenient?”
Peng Haibo snapped back to attention and quickly shook his head.
Damn, what was said online was just a joke. Tong Yuan’an was serious, bringing the competition of academic ideas with international friends to the table…
Could Peng Haibo dare to refuse?
“No, no, Professor Tong, of course, your plan comes first. We will definitely assist with this matter wholeheartedly.” Peng Haibo’s scalp was tingling, but his tongue remained agile.
He remained silent, withholding his true thoughts.
Although he felt that the fair competition Tong Yuan’an spoke of was not fair at all, he dared not say a word…
