The Surgeon's Studio

Chief Kong took the radiographic films and put them into the bag. He handed them to the patient’s family and said, “Do as Boss Zheng says and take the time to do the examination. The examination doesn’t need to be done at the 912. It takes a long time to do this. Just go directly to Sun Ming.”

The patient’s family did not understand what Zheng Ren said. They agreed and left reluctantly.

In their opinion, Chief Kong was just perfunctorily telling them that he did not want to be their doctor at all.

He did not give them a diagnosis. He only asked a junior doctor to look at the radiographic films and give them a diagnosis. It was not a lie, it was a perfunctory act, or something else.

However, in the 912, they could not say anything and could only leave gloomily.

After leaving the hospital, one of them looked at the bustling crowd and sighed. “It’s really difficult to see a doctor now.”

“There’s no other way. It’s already very difficult to get someone to find Chief Kong.” The other person also felt the same way and sighed.

“Is it because we don’t have the hospital appointment register that Chief Kong won’t let us see him? I told you to give Chief Kong a big red packet, but Director Sun refused to let us. What should we do now?”

“Let’s go and look for Director Sun. Didn’t Chief Kong say that we can do the checkup with the help of Director Sun?”

“He’s just trying to fool us. If we don’t show our attitude, he won’t even treat us. I heard that red packets for surgeries from other departments only cost three to five thousand yuan. For the Department of Brain Surgery, we need at least one red packet.”

After thinking for a while, the two of them stared at each other. Neither of them could do anything about it. They could only sigh and walk out of the hospital of the 912.

The patients and their families rubbed shoulders with each other, causing fear to rise in the hearts of the people who saw them.

It was already the best result to be able to find the chief of department of the 912 to treat the patient. They could not ask for more. They only regretted giving not Chief Kong a big red packet. They should not have listened to Sun Ming and come empty-handed.

This time, they were kicked out. Although they looked good, they still did not get sick.

They did as they were told. They paid the 912 and withdrew money from a nearby bank. They bought a brown paper envelope and stuffed the money in.

Holding the thick envelope, the two of them suddenly had confidence.

“Bro, have you given money before?” the younger man asked. He had an honest and earnest look on his face. He was very nervous, and his hands were shaking unconsciously.

“It’s okay. Wait for me outside when the time comes,” the middle-aged man said. “It’s a gift. Just go in alone.”

“Will Chief Kong accept it?”

“Are you stupid? There’s money in the world that can’t be given away?”

“That’s true. Bro, I’ll wait for you outside later.”

“Don’t worry. Take the radiographic films. Chief Kong will accept the money. Come in again and let Chief Kong take a look at the radiographic films. What should we do?” the middle-aged man touched the thick envelope in his arms and spoke confidently.

The two of them went back to the 912’s Department of Interventional Medicine.

There were extra beds on both sides of the corridor. The corridor was very narrow. All the doctors in white coats were busy. No one noticed the change in the minds of the two of them.

They came to Chief Kong’s office. The two of them looked at each other. One of them coughed lightly and knocked on the office door with a calm and determined expression.

“Please come in.”

The door was pushed open and only the person who knocked on the door entered.

Although they rarely gave gifts, they at least understood the rules. If one person went in, it was the so-called ‘law that does not pass on six ears.’

If it was two people, an experienced doctor would definitely not accept a red packet.

He thought that he had already considered it very carefully. He suppressed his nervous mood and closed the door with a smile on his face.

“Why are you back? Did you forget something?” Chief Kong asked in surprise when he saw that it was him.

“No, no,” the man said in a low voice. “There were too many people just now, so it wasn’t convenient. This is a little novelty. Please accept it.”

“What are you doing?” Chief Kong’s face immediately turned serious.

‘This is all a trick, a trick,’ the middle-aged man thought. ‘Can it still be like what was shown on TV? Please don’t insult my profession!’

What a joke.

What era was this? The people who made the atomic bomb earned much more than those who sold tea eggs.

“This is a small gift from my family. You must accept it. You don’t know that it’s difficult to come to the Imperial Capital to see a doctor. With you showing us the radiographic films, we can save time and save...”

As he said this, he wanted to give Chief Kong a way out and then accept the red packet half-heartedly. Then, he could begin the next step.

However, Chief Kong waved his hand impatiently and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Hurry up and go for a check-up. Boss Zheng is going abroad tomorrow. If you’re late, you won’t be able to see him.”

‘Uh...’ The middle-aged man’s hand that was holding the brown paper envelope froze in mid-air. It did not seem right to give it, nor did it seem right to take it back.

What did this mean? Boss Zheng was going abroad. What did it have to do with seeing a doctor.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten that the young doctor’s surname was Zheng. With his life experience, he could not understand what Chief Kong meant.

Why did he feel that something was wrong? Did he think that the gift money was too little? He could not do that. Ten thousand yuan for a look at radiographic films? Was that not enough?

“I still have things to do here, so I won’t send you off,” Chief Kong said coldly.

The middle-aged man could feel an extremely strong aura. He was very clear in his heart that if he put the brown paper envelope on the table, he might not be able to enter this door in the future.

Strangely, there was really money that could not be sent out? Was there anyone who was afraid that money would be hot?

He looked at Chief Kong in a daze with an awkward smile.

“Hurry up and do the examination. Go quickly. Don’t waste your time here,” Chief Kong said impatiently.

He had to see many patients every day. There were people from all over the world. If it was someone else, he would have accepted it. However, Chief Kong did not understand this patient’s illness, so he could in no way accept the money.

Accepting money from others and eliminating disasters with others was the rule.

If he did not understand it, he would have to accept the money. That would be tasteless. Chief Kong was too lazy to explain all of it to the patient’s family. He was still in a daze. He could not explain to the patient’s family either.

The middle-aged man was puzzled when he was kicked out of the chief’s office.

“Bro, how was it?”

“It was confiscated...” the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

“...”

“Let’s go and look for Director Sun,” the middle-aged man said.

“But haven’t we already seen Director Sun?”

“We’re going for a check-up, not to see a doctor. Just say that Chief Kong asked us to do it.”

The two of them walked out of the 912 with hesitation.

* * *

Sun Ming, the director of a community hospital not far from 912.

Although he was called the director, he was actually just a department-level director of a community hospital. There was a CT machine, but nuclear magnetic resonance imaging was too expensive, so it was not equipped as one of the facilities. There were more than 100 beds, and the main treatment was to treat colds and fevers.

He was almost 50 years old, and he did not have much ambition. As long as nothing happened, he could just retire peacefully.

Sitting in the office drinking tea and reading newspapers was also the kind of life he lived. In Sun Ming’s opinion, it was a hundred times better than the many chief physicians of the 912 who stuck out their butts and went to surgery every day.

Although he earned less, it was better to be free and unfettered, was it not!?