He heard one of the Chu sisters asking the patient upon entering the operating theater, "Uncle, are your legs numb?"
"..." The patient remained silent.
That was strange. Did an accident happen during anesthesia? The patient should be answering questions at this time, right?
That very thought instantly made Zheng Ren's hair stand on end.
He could only guarantee the success of the surgery, but there was nothing he could do about an anesthesia accident. Even if it was just an epidural anesthesia… If the patient had diplegia… It would be a major event, a medicolegal issue!
Zheng Ren quickly walked in and saw one of the Chu sisters standing at the foot of the operating table and using a blunt instrument to gently touch the patient's t.h.i.g.h. "Uncle, are your legs numb?"
"..." There was still no response from the patient.
Zheng Ren scanned through the System panel and relaxed only after reading that the continuous epidural anesthesia had been successful without any sign of failure.
Since anesthesia had been successful, why did the patient not answer the question?
Instead of getting impatient at the patient's silence, another twin stood closer to his ears and asked softly, "Uncle, I'm asking you, are your legs numb?"
Something peculiar flashed past the middle-aged man's expression… Was it a shame?
Why was he ashamed? Zheng Ren was puzzled.
"Mother1."
"..." Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.
There was pin-drop silence in the operating theater.
"Bang!" Xie Yiren accidentally knocked over an opened bottle of normal saline and spilled it all over the floor.
Zheng Ren walked to the other side of the middle-aged man's head and said with a grin, "Relax. They're asking you if your legs are numb and can't feel any pain. They aren't instructing you to address them as your mother."
Initially, the Chu sisters had no idea why the patient would address them as his mother, but after listening to Zheng Ren's explanation, they finally understood everything.
The atmosphere in the operating theater instantly became lively.
The great motherland was indeed mighty. How many dialects were there in total?
"Quiet. Anyone who makes homophonic jokes will have their salary deducted." Zheng Ren, who also felt helpless, f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y interrupted the laughter in the operating theater and urged everyone to prepare for surgery.
The anesthesia had been administered perfectly. The Chu sisters' standard was at least higher than Trainee rank, which explained why the anesthesiologist responsible for training junior doctors was absent from this surgery and chose to read novels in his room. He was waiting for his contract to expire so that he could go to work in the South.
Zheng Ren performed a surgical scrub and began applying the surgical dr.a.p.es.
The surgery had officially begun. This would be the simplest surgery Zheng Ren had done ever since he found the System. Are your legs numb (, pronounced as jiao ma ma) sounds almost similar to Mother (, pronounced as ma ma), hence the confusion.
Chapter 69 - A Surgery Without Highlights
The live broadcast in Xinglin Garden started at the same time.
Every doctor who received the notification immediately entered the live broadcast room to watch the surgery if they did not have any important duties to attend to.
[The god has started performing surgery again. I'm still watching the replay of his last surgery.]
[I watched it twice, but I still don't understand how the host surgeon removed the worms.]
[My intuition tells me that the host surgeon may be an e-sports expert. Look at that hand speed, he must've achieved an average APM of 500, superior to all e-sports gods! Apart from that, precision is the key, too. He manipulated a tiny pair of forceps outside the body, but every time he grasped a parasite, he didn't cause any damage to the mucosal layer. That was actually very impressive.]
[I just bought the freshest and most tender tofu ever and prepared thin cotton threads. I believe I can reach the host surgeon's standard after practicing for one week.]
[Dream on. You'll never achieve the skill level possessed by the great god in your lifetime.]
Everyone was chatting and exchanging their experience and thoughts in surgery, but this relaxing atmosphere would be short-lived and existed only when the host surgeon was still disinfecting the operative site and preparing for surgery.
Once the surgery had begun, no viewers wanted a crucial surgical step to get blocked by comments.
Xie Yiren gently placed the scalpel on Zheng Ren's palm, which he used to make an incision.
[Why do I have a feeling that this is an inguinal hernia case? It sure looks like it, judging by the location, but why would the god perform such a low-class surgery?]
[Didn't you read the case? This is an uncomplicated case of inguinal hernia. Young man, your speculation is correct.]
[What's there for us to see? Why didn't the god perform a laparoscopic hernia repair instead? Has he reverted back to simplicity?]
A hernia repair was actually uninteresting. Besides, the patient's condition was uncomplicated and Zheng Ren's surgery was plain and simple.
The anatomical structures were clearly visible, and every step was textbook. There was absolutely no deviation at all.
That was strange. The host surgeon had recently performed biliary parasite removal that no one had seen before, and this was the simplest hernia repair surgery possible. Did they possess a wide range of surgical knowledge and experience? Would he perform surgery from other departments in the future?
A few doctors' imagination began to run wild after recalling the first surgery in this live broadcast room—a simple wound debridement and closure.
[There's really nothing interesting to watch. It's just a simple case of herniorrhaphy and has been eliminated in our hospital fifteen years ago.]
[That's true. The host surgeon still has his usual standard. He used a continuous suture technique to reinforce the weak abdominal wall so that the risk of recurrence can be minimized. These are impeccable, but I really can't see anything special about this surgery.]
[Can anyone tell me what you've learned from this surgery?]
Three minutes later, the surgery ended.
Only a few comments flew weakly past the screen in the live broadcast room.
The viewers had become picky after watching numerous advanced surgeries performed by the host surgeon. A simple and flawless hernia repair surgery was unable to satiate the hunger that tormented their hearts.
Every surgeon knew how to repair hernias, especially through laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair using a synthetic mesh. Therefore, this surgery had no highlights, disappointing every doctor watching the livestream.
The surgery ended, and so did the stream.
[I heard that the professors in Imperial Capital and Sorcery Capital rarely take the patients' financial status into account. Those who can afford to consult them don't really care about the costs anyway.]
[Nowadays, this simple hernia repair surgery has become extinct. I really miss them.]
[:weary face: I've just learned laparoscopic hernia repair, but now I've a sudden, strong urge to learn herniorrhaphy. I think I should spend some time mastering it, just in case there are any poor patients that require me to perform this surgery.]
All of them were doctors and fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of these two surgical methods.
What was the purpose of the host surgeon's ordinary and boring operation? It was self-evident.
…
…
The patient was transferred back to the ward after the surgery was complete.
There was no patient-controlled analgesia pump as the patient would receive only the simplest and most basic treatment.
After knowing that the surgery was successful and the risk of recurrence was almost zero, the mother and daughter were finally relieved.
Heartfelt j
oy was written all over their faces.
Ding-dong!
[The first phase of the continuous mission Doctors with Parental Heart is complete.]
The System's robotic female voice rang in Zheng Ren's ears.
Huh? Was that not a general mission? Since when did it become a continuous mission?
Would it become a main mission in the future? Zheng Ren quietly griped about the System's unreliability.
[50 skill points and 1000 experience points obtained. Time used: 2 hours and 28 minutes. Task completed in advance, additional 163920 experience points awarded.]
Zheng Ren had expected a massive gift since the System had given him two days to complete the mission.
However, the number 163920 still gave him quite a big surprise.
If he were honest with himself, had the System informed him of a reward based on the remaining time of just below forty-eight hours for this particular mission, he would be unsurprised. However, showing him directly that he had received one hundred and sixty thousand points was simply jaw-dropping.
The System was a little too generous.
In Zheng Ren's view, that amount was just too huge. Exhilarated, he stared unblinkingly at the reward for three minutes.
That was equivalent to more than forty hours of intensive training time!
Ever since the mission Hostility From Peers, the System no longer calculated rewards in days or hours, but started distributing experience points based on seconds. Apart from that, he had even unlocked the Shop in the System. It was a trap. These were definitely traps.
Zheng Ren had a feeling that the System was constantly evolving. It was so fickle-minded.
Forty-hours of intensive training time. That was very nice.
The intensive training time was especially suitable for Zheng Ren, a single-minded, determined, opportunistic and ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e man. It was difficult for someone with a flexible mind to attentively and continuously perform the same surgery a thousand times for a dozen hours.
There could be surgeons who could perform the same surgery a thousand times, but hardly anyone could learn from their mistakes in each surgery and continuously improve their standard like Zheng Ren did.
Perseverant and brilliant. Apart from his lack of romanticism… he was plain-looking too. Appearance ruled the world; this saying was especially true in modern society. Thus, he had no choice but to hone his skills for survival.
Therefore, Zheng Ren saw these experience points as an essential tool and desperately needed them to survive in the medical world. How could he not feel happy?
After savoring his jubilation, Zheng Ren gave it some thought and figured that the System had a sunny disposition that could radiate positive energy to him.
Doctors with parental heart, a phrase rarely mentioned these days. Most of the time, patients and their family members would simply say, "Doctor Zheng, your services and attitudes are very good."
This statement always induced a slight discomfort in him.
Doctors had parental hearts.
The mission name met Zheng Ren's views of the world.
…
…
In the Sea City General Hospital emergency building, a shy and grubby girl with dark hair stood in a spacious corridor in the emergency ward located on the second floor. Her dirty and messy appearance failed to conceal the gleam in her eyes.
After scanning the area like a thief and ensuring that she was alone, she quickly opened a big, black plastic bag in the trash can and took out a few lunch boxes.
The girl and another middle-aged woman squatted in the hospital fire escape staircase and opened the lunch boxes; other than vegetable soup, there was nothing else in them.
The young lady was tall and had very long legs, which made her posture appear particularly strange when squatting. Holding a crumbly, dry bun, she carefully tore off a small piece of it and dipped it into the soup in the lunch box.
Their expressions were full of unpretentious joy as if leftover soup was more than enough to make their life better and fulfilling.
Chapter 70 - I Don’t Remember
It was an uneventful afternoon and the patients' conditions were stable. Zheng Ren was reading a book while Chang Yue walked around the wards, chatting with patients and family members after she finished doc.u.menting cases.
The Chu sisters and Xie Yiren were in the operating theater, missing the crazy night of forty-nine appendectomies. Chu Yanzhi wanted to burn calories, but there was no point in doing it right now. She could not possibly give Zheng Ren a whack and throw him onto the operating table, right?
Zheng Ren had already forgotten about his massive stash of experience points and was quietly reading his book in his office, waiting for the emergency department to call him to confirm the diagnosis of random patients.
Around three o'clock in the afternoon, footsteps were heard in the emergency ward corridor.
Zheng Ren was unconcerned as they could belong to visiting family members or friends.
The emergency wards could not possibly implement closed-off management as it took at least 1.4 nurses to take care of a patient.
Not only that, Old Chief Physician Pan had only managed to allocate the b.a.r.e minimum of nurses required of the emergency wards after plundering the entire hospital.
Thus, any visitor could come to and leave the wards at will. After all, upper management usually provided ideas or suggestions and subordinates would be those handling tiresome issues. Whoever took these seriously would just attract trouble to themselves.
"Hello, Doctor Zheng."
There was a knock on the office door. Several men stood at the doorstep headed by a woman who resembled a celebrity, especially in a black sweater and big sunglasses.
Who was she? Zheng Ren was stunned.
From her appearance… Zheng Ren's mind remained blank as he had no memory of her at all.
"I'm Zhou Jinxi. Doctor Zheng, do you still remember me?" The lady took off her sunglasses and wore a sweet smile on her face.
'Zhou Jinxi… Was she the patient who underwent an endoscopic transrectal appendectomy last time?' Zheng Ren was able to recall the patient's name and case details, but he failed to relate them to the lady smiling warmly before him.
Zheng Ren shook his head in response.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Hello, Doctor Zheng." A person standing behind Zhou Jinxi walked forward, gave Zheng Ren a professional, calm and elegant smile, and added, "I gave you a business card last time. Do you remember?"
"Not really." Zheng Ren scratched his head, completely forgetting the agent who had given him a business card in the corridor outside the endoscopic unit. She had also said that she would entertain Zheng Ren whenever he visited Sorcery Capital in the future.
"Great wits have short memories, Doctor Zheng." The smile on the agent's face froze a little, but she continued without losing her composure. "Miss Zhou won the championship in the modelling competition. Before we return to Sorcery Capital by flight tonight, we would like to thank Doctor Zheng for making this possible."
"Oh, please have a seat," Zheng Ren said, finally managing something sensible.
The pair of jeans Zhou Jinxi wore accentuated her slim t.h.i.g.hs and curvy body, and clearly showed her amazing elasticity with every move.
Zheng Ren's heart remained calm as a millpond as Zhou Jinxi, a beautiful angel, walked into the room. Then, he asked casually, "How goes your recovery?"
"Very good," answered Zhou Jinxi with a grin. "Ambulation on the first day, liquid diet consumption on the second and straight to the competition on the third. Sister Wu was worried about the risk of surgical wound breakdown, but everything seemed fine. Doctor Zheng, your surgery skills are incredible!"
Zhou Jinxi gave Zheng Ren a thumbs up and clicked the "like" button.
There was a warm l.u.s.ter on her hand as if she was carved out of a pure, white jade.
Zheng Ren confirmed that Zhou Jinxi had indeed recove
red completely without any risk of complications after reading her details in the System panel.
"Chief Zheng, the little girl wants to know when can her father get discharged from the hospital," asked Chang Yue, interrupting the conversation after squeezing through the crowd.
The girl in question was shy and dared not to follow Chang Yue after seeing the crowd in the office.
"Eh?" Zhou Jinxi's agent, who seemed to have noticed something interesting, stood up abruptly, walked toward the young girl and eyed her up in a domineering manner.
The agent was shorter than the girl, but her presence alone more than made up for it.
The young girl lacked self-confidence and asked weakly, "Why are you looking at me?"
"How old are you?" the agent ignored her question and asked.
"Seventeen."
"Studying or working?"
"I initially planned on working, but my father was sick and I had to take care of him. I'll start finding a job once we return home," answered the girl, gradually lowering her head, embarrassed and self-abased.
Chang Yue, who noticed the agent's overbearing attitude, turned around and stood between the girl and the agent. Then, she grabbed the girl's hand and took her into the office.
"Chief Zheng, the little girl wants to know: when can her father get discharged from the hospital?"
"In three days. If you're not in a hurry, I suggest you wait for a week and return home only after removing the suture. Otherwise, you can simply go to any rural health center for suture removal," answered Zheng Ren confidently.
If Zheng Ren had used an absorbable catgut suture to close the surgical wound, there was a possibility that a wound dehiscence could occur post-activity. However, a reverse cutting needle with a size seven suture thread had been used instead. It was strong enough to hold the wound edges together and Zheng Ren was certain about it.
"Little girl, did you hear him clearly?" Chang Yue said, "Don't worry too much. Even though Chief Zheng looks a little ugly, he is an expert in surgery. If he says everything is fine, your father will be alright."
The Surgeon's Studio c1-799 Page 40
