Chapter 27: He’s in the operating room, he’s still in the operating room

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu

Zhang Fan became even busier after his System leveled up. In fact, he almost never showed up at the traumatic injuries department anymore. He was now basically permanently staying in the operating room. The head nurse of the operating room was really impressed with Zhang Fan’s work ethic. She even had a bed specially set aside for Zhang Fan’s personal usage in the male nurses’ rest area.

“Director Lin Cong, this is such a large hospital. I truly value this opportunity I have to study and work here. I’d also like to study under other departments. Could you please ask the hospital for me if I can try more surgeries in other departments?”

“Haha, sure. Joints or the spine?” Lin Cong thought that Zhang Fan wanted to study other subjects under orthopedic surgery.

“Both of those, and I also want to study general surgery!”

“You also know how to perform general surgeries? Which surgeries do you know how to do?”

“Regular appendicitis, thyroid disease, ulcers, intestinal obstruction, all sorts of hernias, and so on. I can do most of the basic surgeries.” Zhang Fan had been constantly studying through his System over the past few days since his System was the most important to him.

“Oh!” Lin Cong’s mouth was wide open for quite a while. This was just too astonishing to hear. Was Zhang Fan still human? He was an absolute genius! Even though Lin Cong was a veteran doctor and department director, even he didn’t know how to perform some of the surgeries Zhang Fan just listed.

“Okay, I’ll ask the superintendent. It should be no problem.” After Zhang Fan left, Lin Cong wondered to himself, ‘Is this how they train doctors out in the border province?’

Lin Cong personally reported Zhang Fan’s situation to BCU Hospital’s superintendent. As the superintendent was also formerly a general surgeon himself, he was also quite astonished to hear this.

“Okay, we’re not afraid of him learning, we’re only afraid of him not wanting to learn. Open up all departments’ operating rooms to Zhang Fan, even including the gynecology department. As long as he’s willing to, he can personally perform any surgery that he wants. I’d also like to see just how far he can go here.” This was truly a scholar’s attitude. This was a completely different realm and way of thinking!

The next morning, Zhang Fan performed surgeries for joints and the spine. Later that afternoon, he was performing general surgery. He decreased his sleep time to only four hours per day, and those four hours weren’t even consecutive.

The System’s requirements for Zhang Fan were too high, so he didn’t dare to slack off one bit. After his study opportunity at BCU Hospital finished, he would still need to wait several months before he could test for and obtain his medical license. Only then would he be able to actually work for real at a bigger hospital. There was also the issue of that hospital perhaps being unwilling to let him freely perform all the surgeries he wanted like BCU Hospital did.

Since the highest-ranking boss of the hospital had given the orders, all the departments cooperated quite well.

Later, during a gallbladder stone surgery using laparoscopes at the general surgery department.

“Doctor Zhang, it will be safer if you perform ligation slightly closer to the front.” The director of the general surgery department personally acted as Zhang Fan’s surgical assistant and gave him advice.

“How about you come to our general surgery department? Orthopedic surgeries aren’t difficult at all. I’ll show you a gastrectomy that’s scheduled in a few days. Now that’s a major surgery that requires real skills! Even a good carpenter will be able to perform orthopedic surgery.” The director of general surgery was trying to lure Zhang Fan to transfer to his department. Since Zhang Fan was skilled, a fast learner, hard working, and humble, everyone loved him.

“The hell? You just try finding a carpenter who can perform a hip replacement surgery. Zhang Fan, the general surgery department is all about cleaning up literal sh*t or cutting off pus sores. You’ll feel much more accomplished in the orthopedic surgery department.” It turned out that the hospital’s different departments also looked down on each other!

Zhang Fan was tired, incredibly tired. However, he didn’t dare to rest. Zhang Fan hadn’t even gone out or seen the sun in the past two months. Markings could be seen on his face, left from constantly wearing a surgical mask all the time.

“Where’s Zhang Fan?” Batu was checking in on Zhang Fan. Batu was also studying hospital management at BCU Hospital, and it was likely that he could obtain his desired position of Director of the Bureau of Public Health after he finished his studying here.

“In the operating room.” The director of internal medicine at Kuake City Hospital was in the same dorm as Zhang Fan. However, he hadn’t seen Zhang Fan even once after coming to BCU Hospital since the first day.

Several days later, Batu came back to check on Zhang Fan again. “He’s still in the operating room. He hasn’t come out once since going in there. He’s already become a legend in BCU Hospital.”

“That brat, he doesn’t want to live anymore?” Batu immediately called Zhang Fan’s cell phone. “Where are you right now?”

“Superintendent Batu, I’m currently in the operating room.”

“Come out immediately. Do you still want to sign up for the medical license exam or not? I’ll be waiting for you outside the surgical department’s building.”

Zhang Fan would have forgotten entirely that he still needed to sign up for the medical license exam if not for Batu’s reminder. Half an hour later, Zhang Fan went to ask Lin Cong for a small break. Although Zhang Fan was now also performing general surgeries, he still counted as personnel in the traumatic injuries department under Lin Cong.

“Director, I’d like to go out for a few hours. My hospital’s superintendent is here to see me.”

“No worries. I’ll give you three full days of vacation time. Go check out the sea around Bluebird City. Tomorrow night, our department is hosting a seaside activity. You absolutely must participate. You’ve been here for several months already, but I haven’t gotten to treat you to dinner even once.” Zhang Fan’s excellent work and behavior had already caused Lin Cong and the other BCU Hospital doctors to treat him as one of their own.

“Superintendent Batu! I missed you so much!” Zhang Fan was exhausted from constantly performing nonstop surgeries for more than two months in a row, but now that he was resting and not thinking about his worries in leveling up his System, it was as if great pressure had been removed from his heart. He seemed like the young person that he was again. He even hugged Batu as he said this.

“You little brat, you smell just like disinfectant. You’ve become so much skinnier. You can’t just be all work and no play.” Batu was also quite happy to see Zhang Fan. Humans were emotional creatures, after all. After interacting with Zhang Fan for more than half a year already, he was liking Zhang Fan more and more.

“Could it be that you came all the way to Bluebird City just for the sake of helping me sign up for my medical license exam?”

“Ha, you’re really arrogant to think so, aren’t you? I’m also here to study hospital management for a period of one month. I just arrived a few days ago. I tried to look for you several times, but couldn’t find you at all.”

“Then why didn’t you call me earlier?”

“I’m only here to see how you are. There wasn’t anything important, so I didn’t call you. However, today’s the signup date for the medical license exam, which is why I called. I’ve already filled out all the paperwork for you to sign up already. The only thing it lacks is your photograph.” Zhang Fan had prepared plenty of his own photographs before. All he had to do was call Li Liang back in Kuake City and the arrangements were made.

“Come with me, let me show you the world.” Batu invited Zhang Fan along after Zhang Fan finished the remaining requirement for the paperwork.

Zhang Fan was also quite happy that Batu had come to visit him. Batu took Zhang Fan to a five-star hotel.

“Today, we’re going to eat a buffet here. It costs more than 800 yuan for one person here. I’ve never eaten something like this before, either, so let’s see what it’s like.” Zhang Fan had only eaten one good meal in Bluebird City—on the day he came here, when the government hosted a welcoming party for all the border province doctors. Every day since then, he had been eating prepared meals from the hospital cafeteria. Zhang Fan almost drooled when he heard that he was going to eat at a five-star hotel’s buffet. He felt like his taste buds had almost stopped working after eating hospital cafeteria food on a daily basis for more than two months.

Fish, bigger fish, meat, so many kinds of meat, shrimp, and bigger shrimp. Zhang Fan kept changing out the plates in front of him. Batu had already eaten his full more than half an hour ago, yet Zhang Fan was still eating. In fact, Zhang Fan was so busy eating that he had barely spoken a single word all meal.

“Slow down there and drink something. It’s such a good deal to treat you to a buffet. You should cover your face when you leave, otherwise this place will refuse to let you in next time,” Batu teased Zhang Fan while sipping on some red wine.

“I’ve already been eating hospital cafeteria food for two straight months. I’ve been really looking forward to a meal like this.”

“How about I take you and the other Kuake City Hospital directors out for a trip on the sea? It seems so regrettable to come to a seaside city and not visit the sea.”

“Forget about me. Just give me my salary.”

“Haha, you’re so young, don’t be in such a rush to work yourself into your grave. You still have so much time ahead of you. What do you intend to do after you finish your medical license examination?”

“Erm! I haven’t thought about it yet.” Zhang Fan was too embarrassed to tell Batu the truth. After all, he had just been treated to such a nice meal. It would be too rude of him if right after that he said, “Hey, I want to go to a bigger hospital after getting my medical license because Kuake City Hospital is too small for me.”

“Psh, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Our Kuake City Hospital is too small for someone of your talent. I know that I shouldn’t be holding you back. Let’s just see what happens, then. If I’m unable to get the position of the Director of the Bureau of Public Health, I’ll go to a bigger city hospital. Don’t refuse me if I need help from you then.”

“Rest assured. Just call me anytime, I’ll be willing to climb mountains and move oceans for your sake.”

“Haha, you sound so youthful and spirited.”

Batu’s son was also currently studying in undergraduate medical school, and almost about to graduate. However, his son’s studies were quite average, so graduate medical school wasn’t even within consideration.

After eating their fill at the buffet, Zhang Fan and Batu returned to BCU Hospital. Batu’s “studying” at BCU Hospital was basically nothing more than a big excuse for a vacation. Over the next few days, Batu took the other three Kuake City Hospital department directors here for studying out to the sea to have some fun. He also invited Zhang Fan, but Zhang Fan didn’t go. Zhang Fan felt like he would have plenty of opportunities in the future to have fun on the sea.