Great Doctor Ling Ran

The next day…

Ling Ran reported himself to the Emergency Department of Yun Hua Hospital as usual. The management in the hospital required medical interns to do almost the same routine as the doctors, such as reporting to work on time, clocking in, and so on; they had to do everything required of a doctor.

What was different from yesterday was that Student Ling Ran had brought with him lunch, prepared by his mother, on this day.

Tao Ping rarely cooked. She had to devote her limited time into the four arts[1], singing and dancing, tea drinking, collecting cups, making Hanfu[2], photography, embroidery, and so many more activities. Hence, it was naturally impossible for her to manage household affairs day in and day out.

But then again, it must be said that Tao Ping’s learning ability was as good as her gorgeous appearance. The food that she cooked sometimes would normally be so tasty that one would wonder what sort of pig food they ate themselves with the same bowl they used just the day before.

And because of that, Tao Ping had handed the lunch box she made to Ling Ran in the form of a reward. A lunch containing roast beef, roast goose, sausage, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, corn, avocado, pears, dragon fruit, and rice was neatly packed with soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili oil, and mustard into a traditional Chinese-style, three-layered lacquerware inlaid with pearls. It was enough to take one’s breath away just by how grand it looked.

It was rare that the aroma of food was good enough to match its visual presentation. Madam Tao Ping’s seriousness when she decided to do something was far greater than any ordinary person. She was only a little unproductive.

“Ling Ran, come with me.” Doctor Zhou waited at the office door. He began waving his hand the moment he saw Ling Ran.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Ran quickly entered the room, put down the lacquer box, and donned his white coat.

“The department director wants to see you.” Doctor Zhou seemed tense by the look on his face as he spoke, “It has never occured to me that you are actually an intern in the hospital. He wants to review all of yesterday’s medical records. Sigh, why didn’t you say so…?”

“Yesterday was the first day of my internship.” Ling Ran did not know the rules in the hospital.

Doctor Zhou was a good-hearted person, he patted the back of his head and said, “Well, the blame’s on me, too. I didn’t ask clearly. When I saw your suturing technique, I really thought that you were a doctor from another hospital who came here to undergo training.”

Although medical interns and visiting doctors from other hospitals were both here to learn, their standards and status were obviously as different as night and day.

Before Ling Ran could provide any other explanation, Doctor Zhou urged him forward again by saying, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Later, when the department director asks you questions, just don’t say that you have no idea about the regulations. Just tell him that I found your skills acceptable, which was why I’ve allowed you to perform the sutures, understand?”

“Yes,” Ling Ran replied very quickly.

Dr. Zhou found himself a little unable to continue the conversation, and he said, “You don’t intend to act even the least bit modestly?”

“Modest? In what sense?”

“How could you say that? I’m the one who has to bear the responsibility.” Doctor Zhou waved his hand and said, “Never mind. Medical interns are eligible to perform medical practices under the authority of the attending physician. Both of us would have to take responsibility if you performed any surgeries without the supervision and authorization of the attending physician. So you have to say that I have given you the authorization to do it.”

His explanations were absolutely clear and left nothing unsaid. Ling Ran nodded and said, “The entire operation was performed under your authorization and supervision.”

Doctor Zhou smiled as he said, “That’s what I meant. Relax a little. We might become colleagues in the future. You’ve really developed your suturing skills well. You did not learn that from your school, right? You look like you have a lot of experience.”

“I just occasionally help out in my family’s clinic.” What else could Ling Ran have said, right?

“Your family runs a clinic, I see. What’s your clinic’s name?”

“Lower Groove Clinic.”

Doctor Zhou secretly remembered the name as he wondered quietly to himself. ‘Could this be a private clinic run by the Japanese?’

Huo Congjun, the Director of the Emergency Department, was an old doctor with a face full of wrinkles. He asked Ling Ran a few questions and let him go. He only informed Doctor Zhou to provide more supervision for Ling Ran.

After stepping out of the room through the door, Ling Ran and Doctor Zhou let out a sigh of relief together. Then, they looked into each other’s faces and smiled.

Once Doctor Zhou was handed the role of being Ling Ran’s supervisor, he could not help but say a few more words, “Our department director used to be an army doctor back in the days. He pays a lot of emphasis on efficiency, but you shouldn’t let your guard down either.”

Ling Ran nodded in response.

Doctor Zhou sighed again. “As the saying goes, ‘to be a doctor, you need to rely on talent,’ and this talent of yours… is truly remarkable.”

It would be a lie if he said that he was not envious of Ling Ran’s talent.

He had been a doctor for ten years before he was able to become an attending physician. As far as the hospital’s organizational chart was concerned, he had only advanced up the chart slightly, and as far as the skill chart was concerned, it could be said that he was only at the starting line.

However, judging by his current perception towards surgical techniques, he could tell that Ling Ran’s suturing skills had truly reached a certain height.

It was not easy for anyone to polish their skills until they reached a certain level, and it was even more difficult with medical skills involving human lives. The slightest improvement in these skills were rare and priceless.

With Ling Ran’s current standard in suturing, even if he did not know any other skill, he could still just specialize in performing sutures, and he would not have to worry about feeding himself.

Otherwise, why would the department director, who had always been strict with the rules, let Ling Ran off the hook so easily? And even allowed him, Doctor Zhou, to continue supervising and granting authorization for Ling Ran to perform sutures?

Only doctors would be able to understand how difficult it would be to improve fundamental techniques such as performing sutures.

It would require an extremely rare talent for a young medical student who was only twenty-five years old to be able to develop such high quality suturing skills.

“Since the department director has agreed to this, I’ll let you handle all the patients who need sutures.” Once Doctor Zhou was done being sentimental, his urge to slack off rose again in him. Ling Ran agreed to it immediately.

As the two of them spoke to each other, they made their way back to the Emergency Department. Ling Ran followed Doctor Zhou into the treatment room straight away, causing the young doctors and the other interns who were waiting outside to feel incredibly envious.

At the same time, Yang Hu also brought his father Yang Zhongshu to Yun Hua Hospital, and he asked to see a specialist from the Hand Surgery Department.

Translator’s Note:

1. Four arts: Or the four arts of the Chinese scholar, were the four main academic and artistic accomplishments required of the aristocratic ancient Chinese scholar-gentleman.

2. Hanfu: Refers to the pre-17th century traditional clothing of the Han Chinese