This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 128 A Unique 'Crematorium'!
Chen Linliang was the attending physician in Professor Liang Guocheng's group. He had a thin, angular face, sharp eyes, and a well-defined jawline.

He cautiously replied, "Original and effective clinical suturing techniques are sufficient to support this; such papers have little to do with impact factors."

Generally speaking, the quality of a paper is related to the impact factor of the journal in which it is published.

Articles on suturing techniques generally do not receive high-impact publications, and the actual clinical significance of such articles cannot be measured by impact factor alone.

Lu Cheng is indeed not young; he might be thirty-five or thirty-six when he finishes his doctorate. However, his resume, which includes his original suturing techniques, is quite impressive.

After all, there aren't many well-known suturing techniques in hand surgery worldwide.

Of course, Chen Linliang didn't dwell on this. Instead, she winked at Lu Cheng and asked, "Lu, have you added them all on WeChat?"

"All done, Brother Lang." Lu Cheng looked up and replied, putting his phone away.

Chen Linliang implied, "After you've finished adding it, hurry up and catch up with the boss; Professor Zhong is in a good mood today."

“Yes, right, Brother Lu, you need to go find Professor Zhong.” Another PhD student named Suobo quickly made way for Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng said, "Brother Lang, everyone, I'll head over now. Let's get together again next time..."

Lu Cheng did indeed have some things to discuss with Professor Zhong.

……

At 10:40 p.m., the sky was dark, the lights were dazzling, and the streetlights were even a little glaring.

In a residential area near Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the leaves were lush and the branches were spread out. Occasionally, mosquitoes would dart at Lu Cheng's arms, and Lu Cheng would gently shake them away as his arms hung down.

Professor Zhong Junyun put his hands behind his back, took a few more steps, and then nodded: "A person cannot stand without integrity, nor can he be virtuous without filial piety. Your idea is correct."

"Since your inspiration for this suturing technique came from Xiangya Hospital, and Xiangya Hospital has also invested a lot of time and energy, then as you said, you can take the research back and work on it."

“If you hadn’t brought this up, staying wouldn’t have been a bad idea,” Zhong Junyun sighed softly.

From Zhong Junyun's perspective, what does it matter if it's Xiangya or not? If Xiangya Hospital can do it, Peking Union Medical College Hospital can do it too. Whoever does it first is awesome. Whoever fails is none of my business.
But Lu Cheng's perspective was different. Lu Cheng recounted that Professor Tong Yuan'an of Xiangya Hospital taught him a great deal, not only the Tajima suturing technique but also the new techniques created at Xiangya Hospital.

Without these two techniques, Lu Cheng's current 'sewing technique' would not exist.

No one dislikes someone who knows how to repay kindness. On the contrary, Lu Cheng could take this opportunity to briefly conclude his past experiences.

Zhong Junyun couldn't force Lu Cheng to do anything, since it was still the crematorium period and Lu Cheng hadn't explicitly said he wanted to change his mind.

Zhong Junyun is now in a predicament.

Of course, after Professor Zhong Junyun finished speaking, he added, "Lu Cheng, you said you still want to improve your academic qualifications after you get promoted to associate professor."

Are you sure you can achieve something through self-study?

Lu Cheng lowered his chin, his expression respectful. After being polite to Zhong Junyun for a long time, he finally stopped being overly modest: "Teacher, it's not entirely self-taught; I also need your careful guidance."

"Combining teaching with private practice and clinical operations—that's the path I've taken."

Lu Cheng didn't exaggerate anything; he simply made it clear that this was how he got to where he was.

This made it even more convincing. Zhong Junyun pondered for a moment before slowly nodding: "Perhaps you are right. The starting point for the surgeries our hospital handles is too high!"

"Without an associate professorship, you really can't perform any real surgeries. We might really need to adjust the number and types of teaching surgeries."

"However, if the quantity and types are adjusted for the sake of teaching, it becomes a problem for patients who really need it and have special circumstances who want to be hospitalized for treatment earlier."

"It's not easy to manage both."

The hand surgery department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital handles cases that are typically beyond the capabilities of municipal hospitals or other general provincial tertiary hospitals. This isn't because Zhong Junyun deliberately inflated the difficulty of surgeries to set a benchmark for his department's capabilities; rather, it reflects the patients' passive choice.

Since they are capable of treating complex diseases and patients come to them for treatment, Zhong Junyun and his team cannot simply ignore them. Instead, they admit patients who could be treated at ordinary hospitals...

Lu Cheng quickly said, "Teacher, this is just my personal learning experience, and there is no need to share it with others."

“The teaching model in the hospital is a summary of many predecessors, and it certainly cannot be changed because of my individual case.”

Lu Cheng had to explain that since the others didn't have any special abilities, they could become stronger by healing. If Zhong Junyun really used his model on everyone else, he would be harming them.

Zhong Junyun raised his chin and looked at Lu Cheng: "But you don't have a research background, I'm afraid you can't handle this project on your own, and if you rely on others for everything, I'm afraid you'll suffer."

"This is a bit of a dilemma. If I were to send a PhD as your assistant, it wouldn't be proper..."

Do you have someone in mind?

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng immediately raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhong Junyun: "Teacher, do you know something?"

Zhong Junyun's words weren't just hints; he practically named Mu outright.

"Why don't you tell me yourself?" Zhong Junyun said.

Here, here, here, take it all, give me everything you want!

Lu Cheng then stopped being coy. In fact, Lu Cheng had also considered asking Mu Nanshu to help him with his research project, and Mu Nanshu should have been willing.

With her backing her up, she wouldn't need to rely too much on Tong Yuan'an's "power," which would give her a significant advantage in the order of the article's publication.

A gentleman helps others achieve their goals. Lu Cheng didn't understand how Professor Zhong Junyun knew about his relationship with Mu Nanshu and gave him this advice.

Lu Cheng still pleaded, "Professor, I know a suitable candidate, Associate Researcher Mu Nanshu, who currently works in the gastroenterology lab. She's my classmate..."

"I can try to persuade her to help me privately. If she agrees, I would also appreciate it if you could put in a good word for me with Professor Dong Chang in the Department of Gastroenterology..."

Many hands make light work; if Lu Cheng wants to move forward, he certainly can't go it alone.

It's nonsense to think that one person can complete a research project on their own.

"Sigh, if only you could have received formal training earlier..." Zhong Junyun looked at Lu Cheng with a mix of emotion and heartache.

First of all, it can be confirmed that Lu Cheng's learning attitude and aptitude are not a big problem. Putting talent aside for now, just his sensible nature makes Zhong Junyun feel that Lu Cheng has been wasted.

Lu Cheng replied with a smile, "Teacher, everyone has their own destiny, and I am still young."

"Actually, my path is pretty good right now. I was promoted to associate professor early on, and I can still earn some money... This will give me a big advantage when I go back to school and look for a job later..."

"As you know, it's incredibly difficult and competitive to get promoted to associate senior physician at Peking Union Medical College Hospital!"

Lu Cheng's smile was genuine; he truly showed no compassion or pity.

The traditional path of studying is certainly orthodox, but his unorthodox path of cultivation actually has a significant advantage.

It's common knowledge that it's easier to get promoted in rural areas. And once you're promoted, the title is valid nationwide and won't lead to demotion.

Lu Cheng's work experience at the county hospital was a wealth of 'grassroots' work experience, and he no longer needed to go to the countryside to provide assistance, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

"Then what about Huashan Hospital that Xie Xiao mentioned?" Professor Zhong Junyun seemed to have some obsession with it, and brought up the topic again.

Zhong Junyun wisely avoided mentioning yesterday's phone call. The matter of the crematorium had come out; that was something to pursue, not something to explain.

(End of this chapter)