Healing Doctor

Chapter 218 Yoshiharu Yoshimatsu's Past

The system NPC looked at Ji Xiang very seriously, listened to him explain Mr. Wu's understanding, remained silent for a long time, and then smiled slightly.

"Dr. Xiao Ji, the surgical procedure is not a simple treatment issue, nor is there a definitive answer. Whether it's a total resection or a partial resection plus lengthening, each has its own significance."

"The choice is yours."

Ji Xiang received an answer that said something but didn't say anything at all, leaving him slightly disappointed.

"There's nothing I can teach you about this," the system NPC said. "You can't go wrong with any choice... Remember the first assignment I gave you?"

Ji Xiang nodded at the homework assignment.

Ji Xiang vividly remembers the patient who couldn't pass his kidney stones due to poverty and had to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy repeatedly.

But the deepest memory is not the pain, but the scene of accidentally falling while carrying steamed buns, and after getting up, picking up the buns and eating them without checking where I was hurt.

"Most people would be at a loss to handle similar patients, but the head of your department easily untangled this deadlock through his relationship with the medical affairs office and his understanding of the hospital's policies."

"Perhaps the analogy is a bit inappropriate, but the principle is similar. Don't think that partial resection plus lengthening is simple; there aren't many people who can master the lengthening procedure alone."

The system NPC looked at Ji Xiang kindly, smiled, and said nothing more.

"Teacher, let me think about it carefully."

"Hmm," the system NPC said, "You're still a resident physician, but you're a resident physician for the system. Thinking about it carefully, that makes sense."

Ji Xiang went to the system operating room, but instead of figuring out what was going on, he became even more confused.

Lying in bed, Ji Xiang stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep no matter what he did.

Ji Xiang felt uneasy because he hadn't had any surgical training today.

A few minutes later, Ji Xiang sat up, put on his pajamas, and went downstairs.

Although his father was taciturn, Ji Xiang was willing to talk to him when he encountered problems, and his father always managed to subtly change Ji Xiang's values.

So the father and son are becoming more and more alike.

"Dad, are you busy?"

The study door was open, but Ji Xiang didn't go in directly. Instead, he stood outside and knocked on the open door.

Ji Yongchang turned to look at Ji Xiang, as if he could see right through Ji Xiang's heart. He stood up and said, "Let's talk. You haven't told me anything since you went to university. I'm curious too."

When the father and son came to the living room, Ji Xiang didn't hide anything and directly told them about the patients he had encountered and Mr. Wu's answers.

"That's normal." Yoshinobu sat on the sofa, his hands clasped together in front of him, and smiled. "Just do what you're capable of, not everything has to be done perfectly."

Ji Xiang stared intently at his old man.

"Let me tell you a story," Yoshiaki Yoshiaki said casually.

"Story? What story?"

"It has nothing to do with medicine; it's a story about a child I met more than ten years ago."

Ji Xiang listened intently.

"The subprime crisis had already broken out by then, and that year the world was generally blessed with good weather and a good harvest. In the futures market, there was a large supply of physical goods, causing prices to fall. Don't you think that was to be expected?"

"Yes." Ji Xiang nodded obediently.

My father is a professional in this area.

"At that time, the short-selling forces were stronger than ever before, and soybean prices were driven very low. Suddenly one day, news broke that swine fever had appeared in Africa."

"One of my partners at the time was a gifted and down-to-earth young man who didn't believe in the research reports and news from international investment banks. He bought a plane ticket and went to Africa to conduct on-site investigations himself."

"This guy is good, quite capable. No wonder the old man gave him such a down-to-earth evaluation," Ji Xiang thought to himself.

"The extent of the swine fever outbreak has been exaggerated. I believe in his research capabilities. He came back saying that fewer than 10,000 pigs died from swine fever in the entire African continent, which is a significant exaggeration. Moreover, the cause of swine fever is also very strange, unlike usual."

"Poisoning?" Ji Xiang asked.

"No." Yoshiaki shook his head. "They don't do it, not for moral reasons, but because it's completely unnecessary."

"After returning, this kid spent a whole night modeling and created a mathematical model, concluding that the bulls were lying and that the big bears were preparing to launch a counterattack, creating their own opposing side."

"He suggested that the company should place short orders, as there was definitely a chance for huge profits."

"My views differed from his, which led to a heated argument."

Arguing with his own father, Ji Xiang chuckled, guessing that the other man would likely lose more often than he would win.

"Because I couldn't convince either of them, I finally used my status as a shareholder to forcefully suppress his opinion. The kid left in a huff and went to a similarly sized company next door, where he convinced the big boss to short sell."

"Finally, forced into bankruptcy, the child jumped off a building in New York."

"..." Ji Xiang stared in disbelief.

The jumping off the building is one thing, but the old man's story is just too far-fetched.

"Dad, what else happened in between? Tell me in detail," Ji Xiang complained.

"They're all just little tricks in finance."

"Since you've brought it up, go into more detail," Ji Xiang insisted.

"Satellite data reveals a bumper harvest of grains this year, with a surge in soybean production. Therefore, if all soybeans are not purchased, prices will plummet; if they are purchased, some will inevitably become stockpiled."

Ji Yongchang began to explain the specific process to Ji Xiang.

"International speculators release news of a bumper soybean harvest—note, this is genuine news—to create expectations among farmers that soybean prices will fall. Then their sales agents approach farmers to lock up their positions and buy them out."

"Then place short orders in the futures market, and the price keeps falling, as mentioned earlier."

"Then swine fever appeared."

"Dad, you said that the swine fever only killed less than 10,000 pigs and had no impact at all," Ji Xiang said, puzzled.

"Those were pigs that died from swine fever. More than a million pigs were subsequently euthanized," Yoshiharu Ji said with a laugh. "And this is in Africa. If we look at the global picture, their media would hype up even more pigs being euthanized."

"!!!"

"The surge in pork prices is a small price to pay because the number of pigs has decreased, leading to a drop in soybean demand and a further decline in soybean prices."

"Up to this point, my little friend was right, which is where our disagreement lies," Yoshiaki said. "But he doesn't know how much money those people have. The giants own huge quantities of soybeans, not only in warehouses but also in the fields."

It's like having both spot and futures contracts in hand; everything's stable. Now they'll start stirring things up.

"Even 100 days of hog production can't make up for the previous losses. Prices have soared, and more people are starting to replenish their hog stocks. As the piglets grow up, the demand for soybeans has surged."

"So, in just two months, soybeans went from short to long, basically pushing the price as high as they wanted. The international market was turbulent, and many people went bankrupt and jumped off buildings, including my little friend."

(End of this chapter)