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

Chapter 235 A Familiar 'Old Friend'?
"Oh, Dr. Lu Cheng from the state hospital has arrived already? I'm so sorry, I'm a little late."

As Du Qiang took off his down jacket, he walked in, his tone a mix of laughter and pleasantries: "I'll definitely have to punish myself with two drinks later."

Seeing Du Qiang walk in, Lu Cheng and the others stood up. Lu Cheng said, "Director Du, please stop teasing me. A sheep in wolf's clothing is still just a little lamb."

Zhang Tiesheng, Du Daihua, Tian Zhuang, and the others also called out "Director Du" with varying expressions.

It's estimated that, apart from Zhang Tiesheng, Du Daihua and Tian Zhuang were also baffled by Du Qiang's bizarre actions.

Zeng Huanqi and Han Xiaoping are on duty today, so they won't be able to enjoy the food!

"Sit down, everyone, sit down. Our task today is to keep the experts from the state hospital company!" Du Qiang continued, then put down his coat and looked at Tian Zhuang:

"Tian Zhuang, no photos allowed! Delete the pictures!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhuang immediately withdrew his hand, then chuckled sheepishly and began deleting the photos.

After Du Qiang sat down, Lu Cheng said, "Director Du, the first thing I want to do is pass on a message from Professor Chen Song to you. Professor Chen may be a few days late in coming down."

Du Qiang straightened up, his expression serious: "Of course, you and Professor Chen Song are both highly sought-after experts in our department, so naturally we will give you priority in scheduling."

"Zhang Tiesheng, how about it? Now you understand Dr. Lu's methods, right? They're much more sophisticated than mine, aren't they?"

Zhang Tiesheng's dark circles had gotten worse recently, but he still looked refined and gentle. He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and his eyelids twitched: "You can't smell Xiao Lu's flirtatiousness."

Professor Chen Song has indeed left Longxian People's Hospital; this was confirmed during the National Day holiday.

Even Zhang Tiesheng and the others did not expect that after finishing his rural assignment, Chen Song did not return to Xiangya No. 2 Hospital, but was instead taken to Jishi by Lu Cheng.

You tell me, who in general could have thought of that?

In fact, if Professor Chen Song hadn't taken the initiative to contact Longxian People's Hospital, or if Lu Cheng hadn't proactively explained the situation to Du Qiang, no one would have thought that Lu Cheng would 'keep' Chen Song!
The fact that Lu Cheng and Chen Song were collaborating on a research project was not only outside everyone's view, but also completely unexpected.

Lu Cheng's identity is, after all, just a doctor in a county hospital. How could he keep an associate professor and a big shot who was about to be promoted to professor from the top teaching hospital in the province to do research?
Is the order slightly reversed?

Of course, speculation is now in the past; everyone has confirmed this, so all that remains is shock.

"Brother Zhang, Director Du, the matter from before has not been resolved yet, so I didn't dare to make a fuss about it, just in case everyone misunderstood."

"Actually, it was Teacher Chen who put in a lot of effort to help me take off. If you spread rumors like this, then you are discrediting me."

"After Professor Chen comes down, you guys won't be so quick to criticize me, will you?" Lu Cheng joked, but also reasoned with him.

While it's true that Chen Song worked on the project with Lu Cheng, if everyone keeps saying that, Chen Song might still feel uncomfortable.

“Look, being an expert really makes a difference. You can use foreign languages ​​so easily. You’re talking about turning me upside down and poking at me. This doesn’t sound like our Longxian dialect anymore, does it?” Du Qiang’s social skills are readily apparent.

Zhang Tiesheng readily agreed: "Hey, Director Du, the experts are doing this so they can keep up with the bigwigs at the provincial, municipal, and national levels. So they need to learn some colloquialisms and slang to facilitate communication."

"We don't need to learn it."

"I don't have much education, but Lu Cheng is awesome." Zhang Tiesheng deliberately made gestures and shouted slogans.

The Tai Chi of these two men left Du Daihua and Tian Zhuang completely bewildered.

Du Daihua was somewhat alright, but Tian Zhuang was even more confused.

He knew some people were joking, but he didn't know what kind of joke they were making.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Du Qiang finally spoke: "Xiao Lu, let's get back to the main topic. How is it feeling at the state hospital? It's much more formal than a small hospital like ours, right?"

Lu Cheng nodded and smiled, "That's quite formal now. Apart from the increased pressure of the rescue, I don't feel any other discomfort."

"That's right. The State People's Hospital is a top-tier tertiary hospital, and its performance evaluation and departmental division of labor are very mature systems. Even the emergency department is divided into much more detailed sections."

"And they also have emergency specialist clinics, such as gastroenterology emergency and neurosurgery emergency, unlike our small county hospital..."

As Du Qiang spoke, he looked at Lu Cheng again and said, "You seem to have gained a little weight."

Lu Cheng nodded: "Yes, my father-in-law invites me to drink every day, so I've gained some weight."

Aside from his shifts at the state hospital, Lu Cheng basically didn't have to worry about anything. He was either ordering takeout in the lab or drinking with Mu Leng. How could he not get fat?

Xiao Zhaoxi's requirement for emergency surgeons is that they should not enter the operating room during emergencies.

The job of an emergency surgeon is to provide timely emergency care and resuscitation.

If someone can't be saved in the emergency room, that's fate; if they can't be saved in the operating room, that's the specialist's problem.

All systems and procedures are in accordance with the current regulations and procedures of a top-tier tertiary hospital specializing in specific treatments.

Zhang Tiesheng was surprised: "The emergency surgery department at the state hospital is so comfortable?"

"The former head of surgery was fired from the department because he was meddling in other people's business."

Du Qiang made a startling statement, his voice low and somber: "If it were me, I wouldn't choose to do anything that goes even a millimeter over the line."

When Zhang Tiesheng was speechless, Lu Chengdu was greatly surprised: "Director Du, is this true? How come I've never heard of it?"

Du Qiang said, "Whether you can find out about this kind of thing depends on who the person who caused the injury is."

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. These kinds of people are just people we run into by chance."

"No one can guarantee that they will appear in a state hospital or a county hospital. There are plenty of people with mental illnesses."

"Just look at that guy in Feng County who hit someone with his car."

At this point, Du Qiang suddenly remembered the news report he had seen: "Hey, Xiao Lu, when that incident happened in Feng County, were you there at the scene?"

Lu Cheng said, "Director Du, don't mention it. I was almost sent away at the last minute. Professor Tong Yuan'an was also going to play in Feng County. He was in a worse situation than me, only half a minute less."

“If he were even slightly less agile, we might have already started the meal.”

Even now, Lu Cheng still feels lingering fear when he thinks back on it.

That indiscriminate attack made Lu Cheng realize that in front of a car, even the most powerful person is like soft tofu, unable to stand up for themselves.

If you get hit, even if you don't die, you'll be crippled for life.

"You're really unlucky. So you should stay out of the crowd." Zhang Tiesheng also remembered that it seemed Lu Cheng's rescue at the scene had been reported.

But as someone in the same industry, Zhang Tiesheng would probably choose to avoid it if he put himself in their shoes.

If the driver were to return while you were still rescuing people, you might perish there.

Having witnessed so many life-and-death situations in the emergency room, Zhang Tiesheng felt that nothing was more important than his own life, at least not honors.

"But we've received some compensation, so let's try to think of the good things," Zhang Tiesheng said.

After Zhang Tiesheng finished speaking, Lu Cheng bowed slightly to Du Qiang and said, "Director Du, thank you so much. If Professor Chen Song hadn't privately explained things to me before, I wouldn't have known that you had helped me so much."

Upon hearing this, Du Qiang rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, Lu. It's your own plan, why are you trying to pin it on me?"

"People can be hypocritical, but they can't be too hypocritical and be hypocritical to everyone."

"Peach picking happens from time to time, but it also depends on the structure of the peach tree and where it is located! I don't think as much as you do."

Lu Cheng smiled and said, "Then I must thank Director Du."

Lu Cheng didn't mention that Mu Nanshu was behind all of this; he hadn't thought that much before.

Zhang Tiesheng couldn't allow himself to be at a loss, and feeling that he had some 'weight', he quickly asked, "What? Director Du, my brother Lu, you two stop playing games."

Du Qiang said, "Lu Cheng is smart..."

"His research project is centered around our Longxian County, but he uses the banner of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the north and Xiangya Hospital and Xiangya No. 2 Hospital in the south. In this way, at least people outside the health system in our prefecture won't dare to act recklessly, right?"

Zhang Tiesheng nodded: "This research project spans multiple provinces, so of course we can't just do things haphazardly, or we'll become a laughing stock."

"If this kind of joke gets out of hand, the provincial leaders will probably be the ones who lose face."

If relatives of other leaders in Xiangzhou steal the research projects from top hospitals in neighboring provinces, will those neighboring provinces agree to that?

Du Qiang continued, "Secondly, Lu Cheng has placed his clinical research in our Long County, and he is now a doctor at the State People's Hospital."

"If the children of staff from the state hospital want to come to our Long County, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. What about the others from our county hospital who want to interfere?"

"And where does the prestige come from?"

Zhang Tiesheng suddenly realized: "Oh, so that's what it meant when Lu Cheng went to participate in the selection exam?"

Lu Cheng shook his head: "No, Brother Zhang, I didn't think that much when I went to take the selection exam."

"I only started thinking about these things when we were selecting a location for the clinical trial after the animal trials were completed."

"Actually, some people have approached me, but I turned them all down."

"That includes you, Brother Zhang," Lu Cheng said bluntly.

Du Qiang immediately turned his head towards Zhang Tiesheng, his eyes filled with amusement.

Zhang Tiesheng was somewhat afraid of Du Qiang, his expression slightly apprehensive. Not fully understanding the intricate relationship between Lu Cheng and Du Qiang, he quickly explained, "Director Du, I was just asking casually." "It's alright, everyone just hands in their own papers," Du Qiang smiled brightly.

"If you can cooperate with Xiao Lu, then it's good to keep the benefits within the family."

Zhang Tiesheng glanced at Lu Cheng with a hint of resentment, blaming Lu Cheng for telling everyone everything.

Quickly change the subject: "Xiao Lu, who has been coming to see you?"

"Some I know, some I don't. Most of them want to get their names listed on the hospital. It's only in the last two weeks that I've realized how complicated the relationships are at the state hospital."

“It reaches the provincial government and down to the village committee of our village in Zhaoshi Town, my hometown,” Lu Cheng replied with a light laugh.

“Well, Lu Cheng, you’re still the most resilient one. You rejected everyone from top to bottom,” Zhang Tiesheng said in a low voice.

Lu Cheng said, "I had my wife and her senior sister refuse on my behalf."

Mu Nanshu is an associate researcher at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Xie Yuan'an is an associate researcher in hand surgery. Neither of them works in Hunan Province, so they are not afraid of offending anyone.

As for whether they would prevent the research project from being conducted here because Mu Nanshu and Xie Yuan'an are from a neighboring province, that's even more impossible.

Relationships are complex and interconnected; having connections doesn't automatically grant you absolute power.

Aren't Tong Yuan'an and Chen Song still around?
Lu Cheng was practically a local bigwig in the state. Since he was still in the research group, Xiangzhou People's Hospital was somewhat of a name associated with him.

If you can't achieve your goal of using many names, using one as a backup is a good option.

While everyone exchanged pleasantries, the food was served, and then they enjoyed a few drinks to lighten the mood.

……

When Lu Cheng returned, he was neither drunk nor intoxicated.

In the eyes of most people in the department, three ounces is just enough to rinse one's mouth.

But after drinking the alcohol, I felt warm and cozy all over.

Lu Cheng called a designated driver to take him back to his apartment complex. After going upstairs, his parents still hadn't returned, but Lu Cheng still took the initiative to call them.

Soon, Lu Nanjia brought Tian Hui home.

Lu Chengdu hadn't even had a chance to go out to buy groceries before the two of them brought them back on their way.

Lu Cheng was in charge of washing the vegetables, and after Lu Nan finished chopping them, the kitchen was temporarily handed over to Lady Tian Hui.

It was still early, so Lu Cheng soon pulled Tian Hui out and said, "Mom, let's not rush to cook dinner. How about we go see a movie together?"

"Why watch a movie? It's better to just watch it at home," Tian Hui instinctively refused.

"Come on, come on... I've already bought the tickets. Dad wants to go see him, you forgot, his birthday is coming up soon." Lu Cheng knew how to handle his mother.

Tian Hui glared at Lu Nanjia: "Look how capable he is, daring to watch a movie on his birthday now."

"Mom, I'll give you a shoulder massage later."

"What we're saying is, don't allow yourself to eat meat, just let Dad have soup. Dad and I will be with you on your birthday too," Lu Cheng said with a smile.

Tian Hui's birthday is in April. On that occasion, Lu Cheng was still free in the orthopedics department. Lu Cheng drove Tian Hui to a camping and picnic in town.

"I think it's all a waste of money," Tian Hui stubbornly insisted.

Lu Cheng said, "Your son can make money, and I'm happy to waste it. Let's go, let's go."

"Did Xiaoshu come back with you?" Tian Hui asked.

When Mu Nanshu was in elementary and middle school, he was considered half a member of the family. Mu Leng and Yan Sangyue were often away from home, so Mu Nanshu was a day student. Back then, he ate a lot, so he always got a share of the late-night snacks and breakfasts.

"No, she's busy. I came down to prepare for surgery, but it's scheduled for tomorrow."

"We'll take a taxi; I had some alcohol at noon."

……

At 4:30 p.m., as they were leaving the movie theater, Lu Cheng asked, "Mom, how was it? Watching a movie in the theater is better than watching it on TV, right?"

My parents like to watch war films and period dramas, so Lu Chengxuan's movies are those period dramas.

"That's much better. Let me tell you, back in our childhood, there really wasn't much to eat."

“Where would I get the money to go to the movies? I’ve seen so many people starve to death…” Tian Hui started babbling again.

Lu Cheng: "..."

Before entering the movie theater, Tian Hui said it was a waste of money. Why is she still saying it was a waste of money after leaving the theater?
However, before Lu Cheng could speak, a shout from Lu Nanjia made him prick up his ears: "Hey, Hong Zhifei? When did you get back?"

Lu Nanjia casually handed him a cigarette.

Lu Cheng looked over and saw a person his age selling balloons in a circle at the entrance of the movie theater.

"I've only been back for a week. Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu."

When Lu Cheng looked at Hong Zhifei, Hong Zhifei also saw Lu Cheng and said with a smile, "Uncle Lu, this must be your son, right?"

"Brother, hello, I'm Hong Zhifei." Hong Zhifei, with a cigarette in his mouth, shook hands with Lu Cheng in a generous manner.

Lu Cheng: "Hello, I'm Lu Cheng!"

"Dad? Who is this?" Lu Cheng really didn't recognize this person.

When Lu Cheng learned his name, because Lu Cheng had a good memory, wasn't this the person Mu Nanshu said made him cry in kindergarten?
How did I actually run into him in Long County?

“You may not have met him or know him, but I used to see him often when I was doing business with your Uncle Mu Leng. He is your Uncle Mu Leng’s nephew.”

"Zhifei, Mu Leng and your mother are cousins." Perhaps because the memory was too distant, Lu Nanjia wasn't quite sure anymore.

Hong Zhifei had a round head and looked rather simple-minded: "Yes, Mu Leng is my uncle!"

Just then, a child asked him how much the balloons cost: "Five yuan each. If you buy a lot, I'll sell them for three yuan each."

"How many is considered a lot?" asked a person wearing a primary school uniform.

"Hmm, at least one." Hong Zhifei pondered for a moment.

The child gave him five yuan, and Hong Zhifei gave him two yuan in change. The child then ran away happily.

"Uncle Lu, are you here to watch a movie?" Hong Zhifei asked when he saw that Lu Nan's family was still there.

"Yeah, just came to join in the fun. I've never been to a movie theater before," Lu Nan said. "Zhifei, you go ahead with your business."

Hong Zhifei smiled and said, "Uncle, it's nothing. I was just busy doing nothing. If you want to see a movie next time, come find me."

"My prices are even cheaper than the group-buying prices."

"Of course, if you bring people with you, Uncle Lu, it will definitely be free."

"..."

After Lu Nan's family said goodbye to Hong Zhifei and left, they could still hear Hong Zhifei's voice: "Handsome guy, beautiful lady, want to see a movie? My tickets are cheap."

"It's cheaper than group buying."

As Lu Cheng listened to Hong Zhifei's voice echoing back, he became certain that, if they disregarded the fact that Hong had made his wife cry, this was a person who could let go of things easily.

I just heard from Lu Nanjia that Hong Zhifei used to be doing quite well outside, but his business failed, so now he's back home doing this kind of 'entrepreneurship'.

Lu Cheng and the others took a taxi back.

Lu Cheng sat in the passenger seat and shared what he had seen that day with Mu Nanshu.

Mu Nanshu said, "Hong Zhifei was so annoying when he was a child. He always stole my toys."

"He's younger than me, and I often beat him up."

“But once he started kindergarten, I couldn’t beat him anymore,” Mu Nanshu said quietly.

"I thought you were really holding a grudge. Turns out you've known each other for a long time," Lu Cheng joked.

"??? You're jealous of this?" Mu Nanshu asked.

"I'm afraid my wife will keep a record of this. Just think about how good your memory is from my perspective, right?" Lu Cheng said with a smile.

Mu Nanshu said, "Then you'd better watch out, don't mess with me."

"So what counts as provoking someone? Does what happened the night before last count? I'm asking seriously." Lu Cheng said earnestly.

"You... you decide!"

(End of this chapter)