The Surgeon's Studio

Zheng Ren stepped down and allowed Su Yun to maintain pressure on the wound for hemostasis.

“That was smooth,” Old Chief Physician Pan complimented after witnessing the speedy surgery, its results completely different from that of the previous operation.

“So far, so good.” Zheng Ren smiled. “The artery has been fully embolized, so the patient may feel pain and nausea after surgery. Just administer drugs accordingly and she’ll be fine.”

The latter statement was meant for Chang Yue, who was waiting in the operating theater.

Chang Yue joyfully agreed.

Even though interventional radiology was alien to her, the tumor’s disappearance on the angiographic footage was easy to interpret.

The surgery’s success signified that Miss Yun would live past half a year, which was undoubtedly good news.

After changing his attire, Zheng Ren answered Old Chief Physician Pan’s questions about interventional radiology on their way back to the emergency ward.

Even though most of his questions were basic, Zheng Ren clearly explained the answers to him in vernacular without losing his patience.

Old Chief Physician Pan was exhilarated, whereas Zheng Ren was surprised at his intense desire for knowledge despite his advancing age.

“Chief Physician Pan, why are you so interested in interventional radiology?” asked Zheng Ren, unable to contain his curiosity.

“My old age restricts my ability to learn or perform surgery myself, but it’s better to learn everything that can save lives,” Old Chief Physician Pan replied, “Sometimes I wonder how many lives we could have saved if such technologies had existed back in the day.”

Zheng Ren remained silent.

He presumed that Old Chief Physician Pan was thinking about the bloodshed on the battlefield many years ago.

If current technologies—interventional radiology, central vein catheterization, surgical resection and so on—had existed in the past, many lives could have been saved.

It was a pity.

Zheng Ren kept quiet, not knowing how to console the old man.

“You must seize this opportunity when you visit Imperial Capital,” Old Chief Physician Pan advised again, “With a better platform to accommodate your high skill, your true power shall be revealed. Sea City General Hospital is too low-standard for you.”

“What about our emergency department?” asked Zheng Ren casually, knowing full well the answer Old Chief Physician Pan was going to give.

He was not the brightest bulb in the room.

“Will the Earth stop spinning in your absence?” answered the old man, his tone full of love.

They both remained silent afterward.

Old Chief Physician Pan went directly to the licensing agency, claiming that he wanted to acquire a license for the emergency department to perform interventional radiology as soon as possible.

Zheng Ren returned to the ward. Upon reaching the corridor, he saw a few men in black suits carrying a coffin.

The elderly man had passed away?

Zheng Ren quickened his pace to take a look at the situation.

The white-haired madam noticed Zheng Ren and bowed slightly, her manners still graceful and gentle despite the tears welling up in her eyes. “Doctor Zheng, thank you.”

“Auntie, that’s too polite of you, I don’t deserve it,” Zheng Ren quickly said. “Uncle has passed away?”

“Yes, he is gone.” Her tone was soft like a drizzle in early spring, leaving no trace as the clouds dissipated. “Peacefully, without any suffering. That is good.”

Zheng Ren felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do. He had done his best by arranging a single room for the old man to depart this life in peace.

“Thank you so much. My son will return from the United States in two days. After the funeral is over, we’ll visit you again to express our gratitude.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, I’ll trouble you no more.” The more gentle the white-headed madam’s tone, the more uncomfortable Zheng Ren felt.

Decades of proper upbringing was forcing the madam to suppress her intense sorrow and calmly converse with him. This type of person undoubtedly made the world a better place.

After sending the serene old man off, Zheng Ren stared at the unoccupied room, feeling the emptiness in his heart.

Even though they had gotten along only for a day, the memory of the elderly woman reciting the Biography of Xiang Yu by the bed last night still played out before his eyes, embedding itself firmly into his mind.

‘Perhaps this is also a good ending.’ Zheng Ren shook his head after a long while and comforted himself.

Life and death were fated. It was all one could ask for to leave this world without suffering.

Soon, Zheng Yunxia was transferred back to the ward, accompanied by Chang Yue, Su Yun, Xie Yiren and the Chu sisters. It was a magnificent scene.

A random family member asked Zheng Ren, curious, “Chief Zheng, why are there so many doctors escorting her, is she a director?”

Zheng Ren froze for a moment before replying with a smile, “No, she isn’t.”

“Good joke, Chief Zheng. Why are so many doctors escorting her if she isn’t a director? Let me guess, she has to be a chief of department or a wealthy woman. I saw her yesterday, she must be the type who tends to keep a low profile.”

‘Of course, she has nothing to maintain a high profile with anyway,’ Zheng Ren thought.

However, there was no need to explain the situation in detail to the family member. Besides, Zheng Ren was not the kind who loved to gossip, so he merely smiled and helped transfer Zheng Yunxia to the hospital bed.

There had been no adverse reaction post-surgery thus far.

“Chief Zheng, I saw that the tumor had completely disappeared,” Zheng Yunxia said excitedly to Zheng Ren.

Patients were given local anesthesia in interventional radiology, thus remaining conscious throughout the surgery. They could simply turn their head left to observe the angiography.

Generally, any attentive patients could become semi-experts after undergoing interventional radiology once or twice, or could at least judge the situation based on the angiographic broadcast.

Zheng Ren smiled. “This time, the embolization has been successful, but you may feel uncomfortable after surgery, so don’t forget to tilt your head to the side. Otherwise, if you suddenly feel nauseous and vomit, the contents could enter your lungs and suffocate you. Inform Chang Yue if you experience any pain as well. She’ll give you painkillers.”

“I do feel a little nauseous now,” Zheng Yunxia said seriously.

“10mg of metoclopramide, intramuscular injection,” Zheng Ren instructed.

Chang Yue acknowledged it and ordered a nurse to administer the drug.

It had been fortunate for Zheng Yunxia to encounter Chang Yue and Zheng Ren on a snowy night, opening a door for her to enjoy a brand new life.

Every cloud had a silver lining.

Zheng Ren was also aware that Chang Yue had been secretly looking for a job for Zheng Yunxia—cleaning the emergency wards, for example—as she was too embarrassed to trouble him any further.

Since the emergency wards had just been established, there was no cleaner yet and hygiene was currently maintained by cleaners seconded from other departments. If Old Chief Physician Pan could put in a good word, this issue could be easily resolved.

Chang Yue had troubled Zheng Ren too many times, and her conscience demanded she handle this matter herself.

However, despite easily becoming as close as family to patients, she would instantly put on an indifferent and cold expression when speaking with her superiors. He had no idea if she had a rare personality disorder.

Following the intramuscular injection of metoclopramide, Zheng Ren once again examined the dressing around the puncture site to ensure the absence of bleeding. In addition, a salt bag had been placed atop the pressure bandage to speed up hemostasis and would be removed in six hours.

After everything was complete, Zheng Ren returned to his office for revision. As he approached, he saw two strange men in worn clothes waiting at its doorstep.