Chapter 57: Let Go Of Obsession
“You call this Bao Mian here? Not Wonton, and not Chaoshou?” Chen Song, who works on alternating days, had arranged to meet Lu Cheng at a breakfast shop early.
Lu Cheng brought over a plate of ‘hot chili pepper’ and asked, “Teacher Chen, is it to your liking? If it is, I’ll call the boss for another bowl.”
Lu Cheng and Chen Song were both eating Bao Mian. The dining hall was spacious, and the sun had not yet reached it. Only seven or eight people were scattered around the hall, with the breeze circulating, dispersing the warmth from diners eating breakfast.
Bao Mian is actually wonton, but the wrapper is thicker than wonton, and the filling is larger than Chaoshou. It is a unique way of eating specific to the border regions near Long County.
“No need for another bowl, it’s just too numbing. The beef bone broth base is quite rich, so it tastes good.” After Chen Song gave his objective review, he popped another one into his mouth.
After the soup splattered, a unique sensation burst in his mouth.
“Tong Yuan’an hasn’t been to the Emergency Department for three days. You’ve been the only one admitting patients for tendon suturing these past few days.”
“Was he sent for special training by Peng Kun? Should I ask for you?” Chen Song glanced furtively at Lu Cheng’s expression.
Today was already August 13th, and according to the timeline, it was estimated that Peng Kun from Orthopedics would soon emerge from the training room and begin tendon suturing.
Peng Kun’s current surgical practice was different from a regular Master’s student; he could focus entirely on practicing without having to work for the boss and produce research output papers like doctoral and master’s students.
In a short period, he could dedicate a greater amount of time to intensive training.
“No need, Teacher Chen. Teacher Tong must have his own plans.” Lu Cheng’s eyes flickered.
He hadn’t expected that his visit to Tong Yuan’an’s home last time would not only silence him but also cause him to stop coming to the Emergency Department.
It was likely that Tong Yuan’an was also feeling particularly upset…
As one of the original creators of a new suturing technique, Tong Yuan’an would have definitely come into contact with and practiced it before Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng, on the other hand, in just ten days, not only surpassed Professor Tajima but also rendered the suturing technique he was so proud of, and which he intended to rival Professor Tajima’s with, ‘shattered.’
Although, according to the papers published by Professor Tajima, the ‘Tong’ method had a slight advantage.
But Mu Nanshu said that comparing a slightly advantageous suturing technique to it was like taking off pants to fart – it wouldn’t yield statistically significant results.
Therefore, Tong Yuan’an would have to thoroughly reform and reshape his technique, meticulously discussing and improving the strategy with several professors from the Hand Surgery department at Xiangya Hospital before daring to release it again.
Otherwise, if Lu Cheng were to learn both suturing techniques well, and the final score was 96/95, it would appear that Tong Yuan’an’s team was trying to piggyback on Professor Tajima’s reputation.
Clinical research projects aren’t conducted like this.
“Do you know the reason?” Chen Song raised his chin with a hint of curiosity and wiped his mouth with a tissue.
“It should be like this. On the 10th…” Lu Cheng concisely recounted what happened on the tenth.
Chen Song’s eyes immediately lit up, and his arched eyebrows straightened as his skin smoothed: “Elaborate, elaborate…”
Lu Cheng could only repeat it in more detail.
“Haha, serves him right!~”
Chen Song slapped his thigh, saying, “Let him show off. He really thought he was so capable that he started aiming for the impossible!~”
“Just because he created some operation, he dared to call it a technique. If surgical techniques were that easy to create, there would be countless surgical techniques by now.”
“Many professors, throughout their lives, take pride in originating one technique within their specialized field.”
“I actually thought Tong Yuan’an had such skill!~” Chen Song taunted unreservedly.
Previously, Chen Song dared not speak too freely because Tong Yuan’an was truly exceptional. Chen Song chose to believe him first, remaining silent.
Now that there was a problem, Chen Song sharply explained and analyzed for Lu Cheng the difficulty of originating a technique.
Lu Cheng listened silently.
It seemed to be the case. For instance, with tendon suturing methods, whether it’s Kessler, the Tang method, or the Jin Xia suturing technique, they are all the life’s understanding of a top professor, meticulously studied for at least half their lives, with all their output.
Even if the Tang method yields better results than the modified Kessler, one wouldn’t dare claim it could replace it in every anatomical location.
Naturally, such matters were too far removed from Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng said, “Teacher Chen, these kinds of things are for tall people to worry about. Anyway, my mission is to learn whatever Teacher Chen and Teacher Tong teach me!”
“If I learn it well and it benefits the patients more, I’ll use it on them.”
“Although the current Tajima suturing technique cannot be used for research projects, it can be applied to most tendon sutures, especially Achilles tendon ruptures.”
“It’s just a pity that Achilles tendon ruptures have always been surgeries performed by the Orthopedics department, and they achieve good recovery for patients.” Lu Cheng sighed.
A county hospital is, after all, just a county hospital. The patient volume is not high, so it’s truly difficult for Lu Cheng to compete for the types of diseases that the Orthopedics department can handle.
Playing the game of stepping on others to elevate oneself in a county hospital would only lead to Lu Cheng’s downfall and push others to a dead end.
“Since Orthopedics is doing well, don’t make unnecessary trouble. You came up this way yourself.”
“Surgery gets more proficient with practice, and skills improve with more experience. Leave some room for others to grow and develop.”
“This is called leaving a line for yourself.”
“Spleen preservation surgery, gallbladder preservation surgery – there are quite a few surgeries you can learn that no one will compete with you for,” Chen Song advised specifically.
Doctors in county hospitals naturally need to grow, and to grow, they must have patients on whom they can constantly perform surgeries.
“Yes, I know, Teacher Chen.”
“I haven’t neglected the study of spleen preservation and gallbladder preservation surgery either!~” Lu Cheng glanced at his two surgical procedures.
【 Spleen Preservation Surgery （ Proficient 3/10 ）（ +2）, Gallbladder Preservation Surgery （ Proficient 2/10 ）（ +1）, Liver Protection Surgery （ Proficient 1/10 ）（ +4）】
These procedures were not acquired by Lu Cheng through skill point allocation. Instead, he naturally improved by performing surgeries with Professor Chen Song, experiencing the feel of his hands, and familiarizing himself with the surgical process.
Of course, Chen Song’s guidance was also quite crucial.
The better the basic skills, the easier it is to learn surgery. Therefore, Lu Cheng planned to focus on improving his basic skills as much as possible when there was no urgency.
For example, if the opportunity arose, he intended to master the current mainstream laparoscopic surgeries in General Surgery. This would allow him to perform surgeries on patients with minimally invasive techniques, reducing their postoperative burden.
That would be another substantial source of skill points…
“Lu Cheng, Tong Yuan’an will no longer be coming to the Emergency Department,” Chen Song said as Lu Cheng was in a good mood.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng suddenly looked up, his expression a little fearful.
Chen Song explained, “There are three reasons. First, he has let go of his obsession; he truly is less skilled. Second, he taught you their hospital’s suturing techniques and the Tajima suturing technique without making you pay too much of a price.”
“It’s a fair exchange, you could say.”
“Third, Tong Yuan’an cannot currently achieve any further breakthroughs in his technique, so investing time would be meaningless.”
“Tong Yuan’an’s mission to Long County this time is to go down to the Orthopedics department, so… he will be working with Peng Kun in Orthopedics on specialized hand surgery procedures like tendon suturing and flap suturing from now on.”
Lu Cheng nodded and said to Chen Song, “Teacher Chen, I understand. I will not take on any more cases of tendon ruptures before Professor Tong leaves.”
Peng Kun made progress in his studies and reached the threshold for tendon suturing. Tong Yuan’an let go of his ‘obsession’ and taught what he could. The remaining materials and teaching videos for the ‘Tong’ method of tendon suturing were given to Lu Cheng.
He had no obligation to continue guiding Lu Cheng like a teacher. As a visiting doctor in Orthopedics, it was also an inappropriate situation.
With Tong Yuan’an in Orthopedics, the department could legitimately claim the surgical permissions for tendon suturing, and even Chen Song would not dare to object.
As for whether Peng Kun could surpass Lu Cheng’s current level in a few months and exclusively handle tendon suturing, that was a story for another time.
Chen Song said, “You should finish your meal first…”
