Chapter 459: Working Early in the Morning

Wuxin City had always been renowned for its beautiful scenery.

Half of the national AAAAA level[1] scenic spots within Changxi province were located in Wuxin City.

Ever since the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City was first constructed, those involved had placed a lot of emphasis on the aesthetics of the buildings and surrounding plants. The plaza in front of the hospital itself had almost a hundred types of plants, causing plenty of patients to develop allergies every year.

Elder Mei traveled to the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City by car, and he was unwilling to be in a wheelchair no matter what. He supported himself with his walking stick as he walked at a snail’s pace toward the entrance of the hospital.

Now that the hospital director and the others who were welcoming Elder Mei at the entrance saw him in real life, all of them straightened their backs.

“I’m just suffering from a minor illness. There’s no need for so many of you to be here.” Elder Mei was born with a fierce countenance. Or rather, he developed it after scolding a lot of people.

The hospital director and the other people quickly flashed a bright smile. They looked as obedient and brilliant as wintersweet.

“Doctor Ling.” Elder Mei did not have any intention of greeting those who had come out to welcome him. When he turned and saw Ling Ran, he totally ignored the rest of them.

“Elder Mei.” Ling Ran sized Elder Mei up from top to toe. He looked at his fleshy shoulders, fleshy chest, and large belly in the process. He then asked, “How many pounds have you lost?”

“Sixteen pounds!” Elder Mei raised his chin proudly and finally flashed a smile. “I’m already nearly eighty years old, and my legs are no longer working well. Losing weight was seriously tough.”

Ling Ran inspected Elder Mei a little suspiciously using the visual inspection method, which was part of the physical examination process. He then shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

“How is it impossible!?” Elder Mei got annoyed. “Why would I lie to you?”

The hospital director and the others quickly lowered their heads. They could not really stand the sight of a senior citizen throwing a tantrum.

Elder Mei’s oldest daughter was also rather embarrassed by her father’s antics. She grabbed her father by the arm and said, “Dad, let’s go in. It’s very chilly outside, and you could catch a cold.”

“Okay.” Elder Mei was also feeling a little diffident. With a sway of his fleshy butt, he turned and entered the hospital.

His gait was extremely authoritative, as though he had specially practiced it before. If it were not for the fact that he possessed such a large belly, he would have seemed rather agile.

The crowd immediately followed him.

Professor Huang breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Ling Ran over and spoke to him as they walked at the back of the crowd, “You should put things a little more mildly. Elder Mei has always been the type of person who means what he says. Don’t end up in trouble while you treat a patient.”

“He’d be the only one who’s at a disadvantage if he didn’t lose weight,” Ling Ran said.

“Yes, he knows that too. Besides, even if he didn’t lose eighteen pounds, he must have lost at least thirteen pounds. It’s not easy to lose thirteen pounds either. Take a look at me. I’ve been trying to lose weight for three or four years, but I’m still as fat as a pig.”

Ling Ran looked at Professor Huang like he was looking at a pig before flashing him a socially appropriate smile.

Professor Huang did not know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and said, “No matter what, watch your words. The opportunity to treat Elder Mei is hard to come by. Other old cadres would have opted to head to Beijing or Shanghai for treatment.”

“Why didn’t he go to those places then?”

Even if a person were to select a middle-class tertiary Grade A hospital from Beijing at random, that hospital would be more well-equipped than the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City. This was especially true when it came to doctors, because there were way too many excellent doctors in Beijing.

Professor Huang smiled and said, “I’ve heard some rumors, and I have no idea which ones are true and which ones are false. Whatever it is, since he’s here for treatment, you have to try your best to nurse him back to health, all right?”

“Sure.” Ling Ran agreed with that.

“Elder Mei was the one who kickstarted the agricultural industry and the tourism industry in Wuxin City many years ago. A few of the large drains and dams as well as intertidal zones in Changxi Province were also built under Elder Mei’s supervision. All the older farmers right now still remember how good Elder Mei was as a leader.” Professor Huang chuckled and continued, “Elder Mei himself loves food very much, and even founded a food magazine many years ago. He was willing to lose weight after you asked him to, and it must have been hard on him too.”

“Hmm… with his body constitution, he has to reduce his food consumption in order to lose weight easily,” Ling Ran concluded after he listened to what Professor Huang said.

After Professor Huang stared at Ling Ran for a few seconds, he gave up on trying to correct Ling Ran.

The hospital was in a flurry of motion the moment Elder Mei arrived. Firstly, Elder Mei had to undergo all kinds of tests.

No matter how many medical staff a hospital had, in the end, there was a limit on the number of tests that could be done on the same person at one time.

Even though everyone in the hospital tried their best to speed things up, the tests lasted until late at night.

There were just way too many tests that had to be carried out.

If Professor Huang had not been present, the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City would have probably let Elder Mei undergo every single test the hospital had to offer.

While Elder Mei was undergoing tests, his oldest son, Mei Tiangui got worried again. Hence, he gathered plenty of doctors and held a pointless consultation.

Zuo Cidian felt extremely uneasy as he sat next to Ling Ran. He advised Ling Ran in a hushed tone, “Doctor Ling, you must not act wilfully.”

Ling Ran hummed in acknowledgement and nodded.

“No matter what they say, we can only discuss whether certain objective conditions can be achieved. You must remember that.”

“Okay.”

“Doctor Ling, even if they’re being rude, we must not fly into rage, don’t you agree?”

“I do,” Ling Ran answered in a level-headed manner.

However, the more obedient Ling Ran sounded, the more worried Zuo Cidian became.

When Zuo Cidian saw that there was no one around them, he asked in a hushed tone, “Doctor Ling, what do you think? Why don’t you tell me?”

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“What are you talking about?” Ling Ran asked Zuo Cidian.

Zuo Cidian panicked internally and quickly said, “The Mei family members’ attitude. What’s your opinion on them? Let’s discuss this privately, all right? Don’t raise your voice, just whisper to me.”

Ling Ran thought about it and shook his head. “I don’t have any opinions on them.”

“Huh, you don’t?”

“We come across this type of family members all the time, don’t we? Especially those of patients who suffer from serious illnesses,” Ling Ran said, showing that he had a different opinion from Zuo Cidian.

Zuo Cidian was stunned when he heard that. “All the time? How is it possible? It’s the Mei family we’re talking about.”

Ling Ran nodded. “It’s only because they’re the family members of a powerful and influential patient. Don’t you guys secretly rank the patients and their family members according to how difficult they are to deal with? If you don’t take the Mei family’s power and influence into account, they’re not more difficult to deal with compared to the others, are they?”

“Hm… you’re right.” Zuo Cidian glanced at Ling Ran and said, “I didn’t expect you to see things from such a simple perspective.”

“Yes.” Ling Ran nodded. He then rose and said, “So, I’ll leave the rest to you. Don’t forget to ask the patient’s family members to sign the informed consent forms.”

After he said that, Ling Ran left.

*Creak.*

The shrill sound of a chair being pushed backward rang out.

Mei Tiangui raised his head in shock and noticed that the chief surgeon was the one who was leaving.

“Doctor Ling…” Mei Tiangui furrowed his eyebrows.

“Your father’s surgery is scheduled for seven in the morning tomorrow. We have already decided on a surgical plan. Since I still have a lot of preparation work to do, I’ll be taking my leave first.” As if he was dealing with family members of an ordinary patient, Ling Ran nodded slightly, turned, and left.

Mei Tiangui could not help but stand up, but all he did was stare after Ling Ran as Ling Ran walked away.

The data of all the hepatectomies Ling Ran had performed throughout his time in the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City had been gathered and passed to the members of the Mei family. Even though they were still considering the possibility of enlisting the service of other chief surgeons a week or two ago, right now, they no longer had any other candidate in mind.

…..

At four in the morning, Ling Ran walked quietly down one of the corridors in the First People’s Hospital of Wuxin City with his team members.

Lu Wenbin, Yu Yuan, Zuo Cidian, and Ma Yanlin looked refreshed and alert as well.

They were already used to waking up at three in the morning to make ward rounds. As they got to sleep for an extra hour that day, all of them were feeling pretty good.

Suddenly, a gray figure flashed past the corner where the water cooler was located.

Ma Yanlin who was walking at the back of the group could not help but stop in his tracks. He hesitated before calling out, “Who’s there?”

The hospital corridor was extremely quiet at four in the morning.

“Who’s there?” After Ma Yanlin raised his head and looked at the others, he felt a little more at ease. He asked, “Did you guys see anyone?”

“There’s someone.” Ling Ran nodded firmly. He then turned and switched on the pantry lights.

In the corner, a rather flabby belly could be seen jutting out from behind the table.

Ling Ran waved.

Lu Wenbin, Yu Yuan, Zuo Cidian, and Ma Yanlin formed an arc as they stood behind Ling Ran.

Ling Ran whipped out a glove from his pocket, put it on, and poked the belly gently.

“It’s me!” The voice of its owner was majestic, and there was a hint of fierceness in his tone.

“Elder Mei?” Ling Ran asked.

Behind the table, the owner of the flabby belly sounded annoyed, but his voice was muffled. “It’s me! I’m just taking a walk.”

“It’s time to head to the operating theater.” Ling Ran furrowed his eyebrows.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”

Ling Ran laughed. He turned and said to Lu Wenbin, “Carry Elder Mei out of there.”

The belly behind the table rose and fell a few times. Elder Mei’s voice then rang out, “Wait… I’ll go out by myself.”

A few seconds later, Elder Mei placed his hand on the edge of the table to support himself as he wriggled out. His Adam’s apple even bobbed a few times.

This was Lu Wenbin, Yu Yuan, Zuo Cidian, and Ma Yanlin’s facial expression: O_O

“Did you eat something?” Ling Ran’s tone was solemn.

“No.” Elder Mei straightened his back as he supported himself with his hand on the edge of the table. He looked like an elegant, old, and fat cheetah with a large belly.

“You’re not allowed to eat before surgery,” Ling Ran said.

“I know, and I didn’t!” Elder Mei said authoritatively.

“There’s chocolate at the corners of your lips,” Ling Ran said.

Elder Mei stared fiercely at Ling Ran and slowly said, “It’s the cream filling from the waffle bar.”