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

Chapter 160 An Invitation to the Director!
"Why don't you drive the car back? Taking a taxi is such a hassle," Mu Leng said bluntly in the underground parking lot of Chengxin Plaza, a cigarette between his fingers.

"No, Uncle, you'll need the car tomorrow too. My dad and I will just take a taxi back."

"I don't have to go to work tomorrow, so there's no rush," Lu Cheng waved his hand in polite refusal.

Lu Nanjia also said, "Uncle Mu is here, and it's inconvenient for you without a car. We can just take a taxi outside."

"Old Wei should wake up by noon tomorrow. We'll see you at the hospital then."

"Or you could bring Xiaoshu and your younger siblings over for dinner," Lu Nanjia invited.

Mu Leng replied, "Xiaoyue will be going to the countryside with my dad tomorrow, so she probably won't be coming. Let's wait a few more days... there's still time..."

"Uncle is going back to his hometown?" Lu Nan's eyes flickered.

"Heh... He wants to treat everyone equally, and I'm too lazy to bother with how he uses the money I give him for his retirement."

Mu Leng glanced at Lu Cheng: "Since Xiao Lu is still here, let's not talk about these trivial matters. Otherwise, we'll just make a fool of ourselves."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Go home and rest early. Xiao Lu has had a tough day too."

Mu Leng patted Lu Cheng on the shoulder: "You've worked hard, Lu. I'll remember this favor."

Lu Cheng replied more tactfully: "Uncle, whether you remember or not, I should do it."

Mu Leng didn't want to talk about those messy things at home anymore, so she turned around and went into the elevator shaft.

When Lu Cheng and Lu Nanjia walked out of the underground parking lot together, Lu Cheng asked about the situation at Lu Nanjia and Mu Leng's house.

After asking a few questions, Lu Cheng learned that Mu Leng had encountered a financial crisis when he first started his business!

Mu Leng's younger brother had also invested some money, which was agreed upon, but after seeing that Mu Leng was about to collapse, Mu Leng's younger brother changed his mind and said it was a loan, kicking Mu Leng when he was down and demanding that Mu Leng repay the debt.

Although there was no contract, the money was indeed taken from his brother. After many arguments, Mu Leng couldn't take it anymore.

At that time, Mu Leng was in dire straits, so he went to Lu Nan's family to borrow money, and Lu Nan's family lent him the money without hesitation.

Of course, Mu Leng later changed his mind and said that the money was invested by Lu Nan's family, but the honest and upright Lu Nan's family did not agree.

If your own brother kicks you while you're down on your luck, how can the relationship between the two families be maintained?
After Mu Leng became successful, he decisively stopped bringing her along, right?
But later, the two brothers had a falling out. Mu Leng's brother started talking about partnerships and investing money, but Mu Leng wasn't a three-year-old...

"Dad, you've lost out. I should have been a rich kid too," Lu Cheng teased.

Lu Nanjia glared at Lu Cheng: "Ill-gotten gains cannot be taken. It was agreed that it was a loan, so it is a loan. Investing money will result in losses."

"Mu Leng even paid me interest, so I still made a profit. Money that shouldn't be taken isn't rightfully mine, and we need to be clear about that."

“Even though our family isn’t well-off, we can’t do something so unreasonable.”

Lu Nanjia's character has always been honest and upright, and it is this uprightness that has made Mu Leng and Lu Nanjia like brothers.

“Dad, you’re much smarter than Mom.” Lu Cheng suddenly gave a thumbs up.

Lu Nanjia is truly wise in his apparent foolishness. Once you make friends with someone like him, no matter how clever the other person is, they generally won't spend their time on such an honest person.

Even the most cunning person needs a few true friends.

"Forget about being smart or not, it's just the most basic truth: putting yourself in someone else's shoes may not guarantee a sincere response, but only sincerity can win sincerity in return."

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"Not a young man..." Lu Nanjia muttered, but thinking that these words would not be good for Mu Nanshu's reputation, he did not continue.

Taking a taxi is convenient, but it's a bit expensive. After 10 a.m., taxis in Longxian County start raising prices on the spot. For less than three kilometers, the fare that usually costs at most ten yuan is charged as fifteen yuan.

But it was getting late, so Lu Cheng had no choice but to give it to them.

As they neared home, Lu Nanjia suddenly asked, "What's the current agreement between you and Mu Nanshu?"

"If you can't reach an agreement, then make it clear sooner rather than later. You're both getting on in years."

"If there's still a chance, then it'll be a bit tricky. Now that Xiaoshu has come to our family, it's like she's marrying down."

Lu Cheng glanced at Lu Nan's house and replied, "We haven't talked about these things yet. Xiao Shu and I just ran into each other again."

"Let's focus on finishing our collaborative research project first. Uncle Mu didn't mention anything about whether or not she'd marry down when he called me!"

"We don't need to be so competitive."

"There may be differences in family background, but the people themselves aren't that different."

Lu Nanjia said, "Mu Leng would definitely not bring that up, he's not that kind of person. But you should keep that in mind."

Lu Cheng nodded and agreed...

Lu Cheng, who should have been having a good night's sleep, was woken up by a phone call around 3 a.m.!
This time, the caller wasn't Du Qiang, but Wei Ying's wife, He Shanshan.

Lu Cheng hadn't slept for long. He looked out the window and saw no light at all, and instinctively frowned.

But considering that Aunt He Shanshan was still watching over Uncle Wei, he rubbed his eyes before answering the call: "Aunt He, what's wrong? Is Uncle Wei awake?"

Lu Cheng was afraid that Wei Ying would die in the ICU.

“Xiao Lu…” He Shanshan hesitated, but another unfamiliar woman’s voice rang out: “Speak, sister-in-law.”

He Shanshan then said, "Xiao Lu, your Uncle Wei hasn't woken up yet. The doctor in the ICU just came out and said that his vital signs are relatively stable, but his lactate is a little high. However, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"It's your Uncle Wei's brother-in-law, who is also Director Du Qiang of your hospital. He still wants you to help him out, Xiao Lu, because he's run into some trouble."

After He Shanshan started, she explained the matter clearly, both openly and subtly.

The truth of the matter is not the family dispute about the "second wife" that Director Lin Qianlong mentioned, but that Du Qiang's son accidentally pushed his girlfriend off the roof while arguing with her.

People might die right now.

Even if you miss a chance to kill someone, it's still killing someone. Although the girl was rushed to the hospital immediately, Du Qiang mobilized all his resources, and even when his wife's older brother, Wei Ying, was injured and hospitalized, he didn't leave the operating room immediately.

The problem now is that even with Du Qiang and the general surgery team, and even everyone in the hospital involved, they can't get enough patients.

Chen Song completely ignored the phone call from the hospital...

Du Qiang called immediately. At the time, Chen Song said he was eating, but later Lu Cheng called Chen Song to the hospital. Now he has run away and cannot be contacted.

"Auntie, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, I did call Professor Chen, but he didn't answer."

Lu Cheng said, "I've already troubled Professor Chen once, you can't make me lose face again."

"For Professor Chen, his trip to the countryside was to support our hospital's medical services and to teach."

"Working overtime is a favor, not working overtime is one's duty."

He Shanshan said, "Xiao Lu, that makes sense, but isn't the situation special right now?"

"Du Qiang's child is also your Uncle Wei's nephew!"

“I can’t just stand by and watch him make an irreversible mistake because of a small oversight, right, Lu?”

"If the girl can be saved, there shouldn't be a conviction for assault. After all, it's normal for young couples to bicker."

Lu Cheng replied, "That makes sense, but Aunt He, you need to understand the relationship between me and Director Du."

"Should I knock on the door now???"

"Aunt He, do you think this is appropriate?"

"Aunt He, you're my aunt, do you think I should do this?"

He Shanshan's phone was snatched away: "Dr. Lu, hello, I'm Wei Ying's sister, shamelessly pretending to be your aunt, Dr. Lu."

"Dr. Lu, please, I'm begging you."

"If you help me with this, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. I would even kneel down to you."

"Du Yanli is still young, he's thinking of joining the army someday..."

Lu Cheng said, "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I have to be a decent human being first."

"Professor Chen was clearly already exhausted and didn't want to work overtime anymore."

"I can't be ignorant again and again! If this is the first time I've called Professor Chen, I won't hesitate."

"Dr. Lu! Please listen to me..."

"No matter what, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Professor Chen is a doctor, so he must know that your intention was to save a life."

“Your Uncle Du and I just wanted to save people. No matter what, human life is innocent, right?” Wei Cheng put it rather tactfully. Lu Cheng interrupted again: “Um… Aunt, since you are Uncle Wei Ying’s sister, you can’t make things difficult for me at this time.”

"You were able to get Professor Chen Song to come, that's your effort. Don't force me to do something immature. I'm not a child anymore..."

"Please understand!"

Lu Cheng hung up the phone unilaterally, took a deep breath, put the phone on silent, and went back to sleep.

Lu Cheng's phone flashed for a while longer, then went dark, and no more calls came in.

……

September 28, Monday, 5:49 PM, Longxian North Railway Station.

As the autumn breeze caressed their faces, Lu Cheng proactively opened the trunk and helped Chen Song and Tong Yuan'an carry their suitcases.

The National Day holiday in 2023 is scheduled from September 29th to October 6th, which means that Tong Yuan'an and Chen Song are now on a 'complete' holiday.

Chen Song and Tong Yuan'an each had their own plans, as they were going on a trip with their families. It was said that both families would also be going to Beihai for two days, after which they would each have their own itineraries.

“Teacher Chen, Teacher Tong, you haven’t even had dinner yet, and you’re already rushing to catch the train. It’s not appropriate for you to travel for several hours on an empty stomach.”

“People who don’t know the situation might think that I, Lu, am being unreasonable, not even providing meals.” Lu Cheng was pushing two large boxes horizontally with both hands in the underground parking lot.

Chen Song arrogantly raised his chin: "Going hungry is our own choice, so we deserve it."

"We mainly want to go back and get some good food. Why don't you take a day off and come with me?" Chen Song had lived in Shashi for many years and had developed a taste for the local cuisine.

The cuisine of Longxian County was a bit too strong for them.

Lu Cheng said frankly, "Teacher Chen, I have to be on duty during the National Day holiday. I already took five days off last month, so it would be really unreasonable to ask for another day off."

"When you two teachers return, I will definitely prepare a feast to welcome you back."

In fact, even during the National Day holiday, Chen Song and Tong Yuan'an wouldn't be this carefree if they were in their respective workplaces.

However, the holidays during the rural work period were very free.

"Alright then, we'll go up to security first. Xiao Lu, you can go straight back." Tong Yuan'an waved his chubby hand.

"We're already so familiar with each other, you don't need to be so polite."

"I still need to save room for rabbit." Tong Yuan'an's saliva increased as he spoke.

Lu Cheng ignored Tong Yuan'an's advice: "Teacher Tong, we've come all this way, let me see you off a bit more."

……

No matter how important work is, everyone longs to return home.

Longxian is a township in Lucheng, not in the hometown of Chen Song and Tong Yuan'an. The two of them simply smoked their last cigarette outside the high-speed rail station before going through the security checkpoint.

After watching the two enter the door, Lu Cheng turned around and went down to the underground parking lot.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Lu Cheng's expression was conflicted. He looked at the dinner invitation sent by Xiang Kuihua on his phone and hesitated for a long, long time.

Lu Cheng couldn't understand why Xiang Kuihua would invite him to dinner.

Should they break off relations? Plead for mercy? Or try to pull off some kind of humorous joke?
At approximately 6:05, about ten minutes later, Lu Cheng said, "Director Xiang, I was just seeing Professor Chen and Professor Tong off at the high-speed train station when I saw your message."

"Then I'll just drive over."

“Come, come…you come here.” Xiang Kuihua replied quickly.

……

Tujia Dingguan Local Cuisine Restaurant, main hall.

The number of customers was not very high, so Lu Cheng and Xiang Kuihua were able to enjoy a large table by the window.

This restaurant specializes in old-fashioned rice cooked in an iron pot over a wood fire. In the local slang, this type of pot is called a "dingguan," hence the name.

After sitting down opposite Xiang Kuihua, Lu Cheng smiled like a sly old man and said, "Director Xiang, Professor Chen and Professor Tong have both gone back. If you have any instructions, please speak freely."

Xiang Kuihua was tall and robust, with a typical orthopedic physique, but his face was relatively small.

With arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and a rounded, upturned nose, he has a fairly standard central facial structure.

Xiang Kuihua's eyes narrowed to slits as he poured Lu Cheng a cup of tea: "Lu Cheng, do you think that since Professor Tong Yuan'an and the others are on holiday and have gone home, and you no longer have anyone to protect you, I'm going to start messing with you?"

Lu Cheng shook his head, replying rather insincerely: "Director Xiang, no, I know you're not such a petty person."

"Besides, we're not exactly enemies."

Xiang Kuihua's skin was very dry, and the occasional acne scars would scab over and peel off. Seeing Lu Cheng speaking like that, he simply replied, "Actually, I have thought about that."

"You son of a bitch, you dug my neck out in the ER, making it so I haven't been able to do many surgeries in the last few months. How dare you?"

Lu Cheng's expression was calm, but his eyes flickered with a hint of caution.

"You even forced me to go out and spend a lot of money to learn manual reduction techniques, which was a waste of time and money..."

At this point, Xiang Kuihua's voice took a turn: "But after experiencing all of this, I realized that Director Peng's skills were utterly worthless."

Lu Cheng's expression froze, and he looked at Xiang Kuihua with a slightly surprised expression.

"You've been in orthopedics for so long, you must know that PFNA in traumatic tibial plateau fractures and femoral neck fractures has always been blocked by Director Peng."

"The same applies to pedicle screw fixation in spinal surgery..."

“We have always felt that this kind of technology requires a high level of expertise, and we haven’t even gotten started yet.”

"But in reality, this is just a smokescreen put out by Peng Haibo... These technologies are nothing, how difficult are they?"

"I learned it in five days."

"Brother Luo also went out for a trip this month, and when he came back, his lumbar spondylolisthesis surgery was performed flawlessly..."

Lu Cheng looked at Xiang Kuihua and found that Xiang Kuihua's expression did not show anger, but rather a hint of mockery.

"Director Xiang, what do you mean by telling me all this?" Lu Cheng was unsure of Xiang Kuihua's attitude.

Xiang Kuihua looked at Lu Cheng, glanced around, and then leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice: "It doesn't matter whether or not Director Peng is in the first orthopedic ward!"

"With him, the ward can operate normally; without him, it might operate even better."

"Moreover, the network of connections he originally controlled was actually just so-so."

"The true nature of the object was only revealed after the smoke screen cleared."

"To be honest, I should thank you, which is why I came here specifically to invite you to dinner," Xiang Kuihua said earnestly.

Lu Cheng didn't take Xiang Kuihua's tone seriously and replied, "Director Peng's skills are quite good."

Xiang Kuihua nodded: "His skills are good, I'm not saying his skills are bad, but they're not as good as he always claims."

"Once I've mastered intramedullary nailing fixation and once Executive Director Luo has nearly mastered minimally invasive pedicle screw fixation, he'll be just like that."

"Lu Cheng, really, sometimes I feel like we've been wronged."

"For an individual, poor skills are a matter of accumulation, but a lack of understanding is truly pitiful... We were all completely fooled by Peng Haibo."

"Sigh...he deserves it!"

"After all, it's our own lack of ambition." Xiang Kuihua's face turned bitter at this moment.

In Longxian County, the basic operating rule is that technology is king, and Peng Haibo, as the director of orthopedics, certainly has some skills.

However, when Luo Changzhang and others were working, there was no such thing as standardized training. When they went for further studies later, they were relatively young and had not been exposed to many surgical procedures, nor had they accumulated enough experience, so they failed to fully understand the difficulty of the surgery.

So I always thought Peng Haibo was amazing, but after performing surgeries for many years and then studying him again, I realized that Peng Haibo's amazingness was just so-so.

It's not that they can't be replaced, it's just that they've always been locked up in the county and haven't been willing to spend money to learn real skills.

After returning, I realized that Peng Haibo was nothing special, and now I can finally accept it.

"Xiao Lu, listen to my advice, come back. Let's work together to truly establish the subspecialties of orthopedics."

“We have Director Liu for joints, Executive Director Luo for spine, Tian Shan for sports medicine, you for trauma and hand surgery, that’s enough!” Xiang Kuihua’s expression and eyes were very sincere.

(End of this chapter)