The Surgeon’s Studio

The patient suffered from an acute but simple case of cholecystitis.

During the transfer of the patient to the emergency department, Zheng Ren noticed that Su Yun and Xie Yiren had gone to prepare for the surgery.

Under normal circumstances, informed consent procedures were handled by a junior surgeon. The junior surgeon would transport the patient to the operating room and begin anesthesia and disinfection. Once surgical drapes were in place, the junior surgeon would notify the senior surgeon.

Zheng Ren’s “junior” had declared himself flawless but had left Zheng Ren here to handle the informed consent procedure. In Zheng Ren’s eyes, such disrespect was a major failing.

It was not a simple blemish on Su Yun’s character, but a crater.

Fortunately, it was still daytime. The emergency ward was relatively quiet, so Yang Lei and Chang Yue came upstairs to assist with the patient, relieving Zheng Ren of his task.

Half an hour later, the patient was ready and the family was informed of the ins and outs of the procedure. Yang Lei wheeled the patient into the operating room.

Zheng Ren was appreciative of the advantages granted by his status as chief resident.

The downside of such a position, though, was that he was responsible for anything that went wrong with the surgery as the most senior staff member. If complaints and accusations came up, the chief resident or department chief would not be long for the hospital.

Zheng Ren had once heard of an obstetrics and gynaecology department chief in another hospital who pushed the blame onto their subordinates whenever a problem arose.

In the end, their subordinates resorted to calling the chief whenever something happened to a patient. They recorded the chief’s instructions on the patient’s charts. If the chief did not pick up their calls, the subordinates would note that down as well.

It did not take long before lack of sleep caught up to the department chief. They were demoted as a result of their deteriorating health.

It was an extreme example of the responsibility of a senior surgeon. Zheng Ren was only a chief resident. Moreover, with the aid of the System, his diagnoses and treatment selections were infallible.

He changed his clothes and entered the operating room.

The Chu sisters had completed anesthesia and Su Yun was arranging the surgical drapes over the patient’s body.

Zheng Ren had arrived just in time. He washed his hands, put on the surgical scrubs and stood at the lead surgeon’s position.

The patient had a mild case of cholecystitis that necessitated only a laparoscopy. Su Yun got the necessary instruments ready while Yang Lei scrubbed in. The surgery commenced.

It was a simple cholecystectomy. Zheng Ren took less than 20 minutes to remove the gallbladder. He took the specimen out of the operating room to show the family.

Su Yun and Yang Lei performed the rinsing and closing of the wound.

The whole team functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Yang Lei made the last stitch. Soon, the patient stirred from anesthesia.

Yang Lei admired the Chu sisters’ ability to time their anesthesia accurately. They had to be extremely familiar with the patient’s rate of drug metabolism and the surgeon’s speed in practice.

It would be disastrous if the patient were to wake up mid-suture.

The surgery had taken less than an hour. Yang Lei waited for the patient to be fully awake before moving them. Once they were gone, the operating room was quiet again.

The three ladies snuck off to the on-call room with snacks in hand. They whispered conspiratorially like schoolgirls as they munched on their junk food.

Once the patient had left the operating table, Chang Yue got to work. The surgery journal was the only paperwork Zheng Ren had to do. Everything else fell under Chang Yue’s job scope.

She was happy to do it.

Zheng Ren’s surgeries were always neat, which made paperwork a breeze. Furthermore, she did not have to work night shifts.

Hence, Chang Yue never grumbled about her job. She happily tended to patients in the ward and the paperwork.

On the other hand, Yang Lei’s existence was immaterial in the emergency department wards. The same had happened when he was stationed at the first general surgery ward. Most patients did not even know he existed.

He made rounds three to five times a day to record case progression, and yet patients could never remember his name.

There had been only one emergency case in the day shift so far, which made Zheng Ren uneasy. He had a superstition: a day without at least three surgeries meant a large-scale emergency was looming around the corner.

Seven in the evening was peak hour in the emergency department.

Zheng Ren went to check on the patients in the observation ward. He felt reassured when he found no cases of severe or rare illnesses.

As he walked to the treatment room, he passed security and noticed a familiar man.

He stopped and took a closer look.

It was Fan Tianshui, the man who saved him a few days ago.

“Brother Fan, what are you doing here?” Zheng Ren said in surprise.

“Good day, Dr. Zheng.” Fan Tianshui stood, tense like a wound-up javelin. His movement was swift and steady, a stark difference from when he first arrived in the hospital.

“Manager Lian assigned me here to the hospital.”

“Little Six?”

“Yes.” Fan Tianshui smiled and said, “The guards stationed here were from another security company, but the manager said they were not up to par. So, rather than making me oversee their work, I might as well take up the job.”

Zheng Ren knew that the hospital’s housekeeping staff were supplied by a certain agency but was not aware that the same applied to security.

He was enlightened by Fan Tianshui’s explanation.

“Thank you for your work,” Zheng Ren said sincerely.

“This is a good place, so I should thank you instead,” Fan Tianshui replied with a sheepish look. “They’re paying me 3000 yuan a month, with food and accommodation. And the job isn’t even physically tiring.”

‘A man of simple pleasures,’ Zheng Ren thought.

“Brother Fan, if someone makes a ruckus here, don’t hesitate with your course of action,” Zheng Ren reminded Fan Tianshui.

“Don’t worry. We’re all civilians here. If anything happens, adjudication is up to the public security bureau. My responsibility is just the safety of the emergency department,” Fan Tianshui said with a smile.

“Good.” Better to leave it to government agencies to bicker over the law. Zheng Ren did not want any major incidents in the hospital. “Want a light?”

“Sure.” They went to the smoking room outside the emergency department. Fan Tianshui opened a pack of Reishi and offered a stick to Zheng Ren.

The brand of cigarette was too strong for Zheng Ren’s taste, so he declined.

“Busy these days?,” Zheng Ren asked.

The two men lit their smokes. Fan Tianshui took a deep drag and said, “The manager informed certain people around Sea City General Hospital to keep a lookout and take care of any organized attempts at trouble, so it has been pretty peaceful these days. Anyone who wants to pick a bone with medical professionals is directed to other hospitals.”

Zheng Ren was taken aback by the revelation. He had not expected himself to have a hand in contributing to the hospital’s safety.

Although Zheng Ren felt a moment of sadness, he was the one reaping the rewards of Fan Tianshui’s employment.

Moreover, anyone could appreciate a safe working environment.

Even with his top-notch surgical skills, Zheng Ren appreciated security guards who kept the situation under control.

“How’s life with the company?” Zheng Ren asked casually.

The clear difference between the Fan Tianshui now and the Fan Tianshui on the hospital bed previously more or less hinted at the answer.

“Dr. Chang and Manager Lian said you were the one who found this job for me. I will never forget this favor. The company is good. I can save up around 1000 yuan a month after giving some assistance to the families of my fallen comrades.”

“That’s good.” Zheng Ren nodded.

They exchanged a few more words before their cigarettes went out. The conversation came to an end.