Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic-Chapter 86: Not Easy to Become a Disciple of a Renowned Master
Tang Weilin saw that he refused to take the red packet and looked at Li Jingsheng with more appreciation, but felt slightly uneasy.
Taking money motivates people to act, that’s common knowledge.
Refusing money might mean that Li Jingsheng won’t put forth effort or might work sluggishly, leading to a poor outcome.
"You see, we’ve only just met, we’re neither relatives nor friends, and asking you to help me solve such a big problem without giving a token of appreciation, I feel guilty!"
Tang Weilin certainly wouldn’t foolishly voice his worries directly.
Instead, he used the excuse that asking Li Jingsheng to help for free made him feel uneasy.
"It’s nothing, we help each other, maybe in the future when I’m in trouble, I’m sure you’ll be willing to lend a hand," Li Jingsheng resolutely refused the red packet while suggesting subtly that everyone helps each other. "The patient’s son looks like a very serious person and might not be easily persuaded, how do you plan to reconcile with him?"
Since he planned to be the mediator, he definitely needed to understand the hospital’s attitude and sincerity.
Some families only want a sincere attitude from the hospital, while others want economic compensation.
"Well... how about you first communicate with the family, probe their stance, and then we’ll figure it out together. Is that okay?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Sure enough, Tang Weilin was just Director Mu’s proxy.
He came with a red packet but had no authority.
Couldn’t make any decisions.
"Sure, I’ll make a call tomorrow to ask."
Li Jingsheng agreed very straightforwardly.
Tang Weilin left a contact number, then gave Li Jingsheng the patient’s and family’s number, and left with many thanks.
That family is probably still at the designated hospital receiving treatment.
If tuberculosis is mild and treated timely, hospitalization usually lasts about ten days for recovery. More serious cases might require over two weeks.
Now, it’s less likely to meet them.
Just have to make a call to communicate tomorrow and see how things go.
...
Early the next day, before Li Jingsheng opened his clinic, staff from disease control arrived.
Because he stayed up late reading last night, they had to call him three times before waking him up.
The disease control staff first praised Li Jingsheng for promptly identifying a suspected infectious disease and reporting it. Then they inquired in detail about the elder who contracted tuberculosis and the family’s condition in the clinic, asking if there was any spitting or risk of transmitting to others.
Li Jingsheng stated that he wore a mask throughout the process.
It was almost closing time, so there weren’t many customers in the clinic, and disinfection measures were promptly taken.
Still, they collected a respiratory secretion sample from him to take back for examination.
Tang Ping happened to arrive for work at that moment and was also required to provide a sample.
It seems the local disease control is very vigilant about infectious diseases.
Not feeling secure, they had staff in protective gear disinfect the entire clinic inside and out with a sprayer.
Li Jingsheng silently prayed that he wouldn’t contract tuberculosis.
Otherwise, his small clinic closing for ten days, the hard-earned booming business would immediately collapse to a freezing point.
Fortunately, he maintained good habits throughout, whether diagnosing patients or selling drugs to customers, paying careful attention to personal protection.
Tang Ping was even more thorough in this aspect than he was.
Healthcare workers must be vigilant against occupational exposure.
Otherwise, a single infection could ruin a lifetime.
For example, occasionally treated AIDS patients in clinical settings, taking blood or performing surgeries require extreme caution.
In hospitals, drawing blood from AIDS patients, the procedure normally isn’t done by inexperienced doctors or nurses.
Nervously waiting until around eleven in the morning, Li Jingsheng received a call from disease control, his specimen tested preliminary negative. But they still advised him to report immediately if he has a cough or fever.
Not long after, Tang Ping also received a notification, the results were similarly negative.
With this, the hearts of the two people settled down.
This incident served as a reminder to them both, when dealing with patients or customers in the future, extra caution is necessary.
The clinic’s business was slightly slower than yesterday, but overall it was still good.
Fewer patients were seen, but wellness and tonic medicines sold well.
Nearing noon around twelve o’clock, seeing only one customer in the clinic, Li Jingsheng stood up and said to Tang Ping, "Sister Tang, I’m going out for a bit and might come back late. I’ve ordered food, it’ll be delivered later, I’ll leave the place to you."
"Alright!"
Tang Ping agreed with a nod.
She knew Li Jingsheng was likely going to Second Hospital to seek mentorship.
Seeing the boss so motivated, she was quite supportive.
...
Due to tight timing, Li Jingsheng indulged himself by flagging down a cab to Second Hospital.
The distance isn’t far, about a ten-minute ride.
Arrived quickly.
He headed straight to the bone setting consultation office in orthopedics.
Easy to locate.
The wall had prominent signs.
He arrived just in time, there were two doctors on duty in the bone setting consultation office, plus one female nurse, totaling three people.
Currently, an eight-year-old child had a dislocated left shoulder.
Undergoing treatment.
Crying in pain, struggling continuously.
This little boy was very chubby, fairly tall, the petite nurse and boy’s mother each held down a leg, barely able to control him.
"Let me hold the leg!"
Li Jingsheng walked over to help.
The nurse glanced at him, assuming he was a helpful family member, nodded in agreement.
The boy’s mother certainly had no objections.
With Li Jingsheng joining, they finally managed to restrain the wildly struggling little boy.
Kids these days, spoiled rotten by adults at home, behave like little tyrants, throwing tantrums and listening to no one.
A dislocated shoulder should be the easiest to treat among all joint dislocations and misalignments.
Provided the patient cooperates.
Like this little boy, struggling desperately, no doctor would dare perform a bone setting.
Another young male doctor, just in his twenties, held the little boy’s body, securing his right hand.
The older doctor, around fifty, not very tall, at most about one-meter-sixty, with a square face, big eyes, and thick eyebrows. As if someone had drawn two large strokes with a brush.
Counted as plain-looking.
Faint wrinkles could be seen on his forehead.
His hair was shaved short, yet it couldn’t hide the gray-white covering his head.
Some men, even at seventy, have very few white hairs.
Others start graying in their thirties.
If not genetic, ten out of ten in the latter category suffer from stress—work, study, family—enough to turn one’s hair white young.
The medical profession is exceptionally unique—a high-risk occupation requiring frequent study and examinations. Doctors with gray hair in their forties and fifties are quite common.
Li Jingsheng glanced at the work badge on the chest of the older doctor.
His arm blocking the way, he could only make out the character "Xu".
No mistake indeed.
This must be the eccentric Doctor Xu that Ou Qinglan mentioned.
Doctor Xu grabbed the boy’s left arm with one hand, holding the left shoulder with the other, saying gently, "Close your eyes, kid, and you won’t feel pain."
The little boy skeptically closed his eyes.
Doctor Xu gently rotated the boy’s left arm in a small circle and pushed it upward.
"Snap!"
The sound of the bone successfully slipping back into the joint capsule rang out.
"Ah..."
The little boy screamed in agony, starting to struggle violently, yelling loudly.
"It’s done, it’s done, it’s back in place, great!"
The child’s mother noticed her son’s left hand could be raised, unable to contain her joyful incoherence.
Li Jingsheng looked on enviously.
Indeed, Doctor Xu had genuine skills.
"Kid, the joint just got reattached, and it’s unstable now. If you keep making a fuss, and it falls out again, you’ll be in pain once more."
Doctor Xu scolded the boy sternly.
"Liar, you’re a liar; closing my eyes clearly made it hurt more. I won’t believe a word you say anymore."
The boy shouted this, but his left hand behaved much more calmly.
"Dr. Chen, wrap the kid’s arm in a sling. Hanging from the neck for about half a month should make it better."
The latter sentence was probably directed at the family and the child.
"Thank you, thank you so much. I was scared he’d need surgery..."
The child’s mother smiled upon seeing her son’s arm reattached, relieved enormously within.
Doctor Xu stood up, "Once you’re done, clock out as well!"
With these words, he left the patients and family, heading straight out.
Li Jingsheng quickly followed, forcing a smile and greeting, "Doctor Xu, sorry to interrupt. My name’s Li Jingsheng; I came specifically to find you and hope to learn bone-setting techniques from you to help more patients."
Ou Qinglan had mentioned this yesterday.
Now that he stated his intention, Doctor Xu would certainly know his identity.
"I don’t take apprentices."
The cold four words brushed Li Jingsheng off.
"Don’t worry, I won’t disgrace you. Learning bone-setting will surely benefit the public."
Li Jingsheng noticed Doctor Xu’s extraordinarily fast pace.
He almost moved like the wind; he had to exert great effort to keep up.
Yet now, there wasn’t even a hint of a response from him, pretending not to hear.
If it were before opening a clinic, after such rejection, Li Jingsheng would definitely have sulked away long ago. He was particularly thin-skinned back then.
It wasn’t until he opened the clinic himself that he realized so-called face meant nothing.
At this moment, he put on a thick skin, catching up again, trying a different approach.
"Are you worried I’ll learn and then steal your livelihood?"
This was a risky attempt to use reverse psychology.
"Nonsense!"
Doctor Xu cussed in anger.
"Then why can’t you take me as an apprentice? Medical skills should be passed down generation after generation, not kept like your precious possession."
Li Jingsheng realized reverse psychology worked, so he boldly continued.
Different methods for different people.
For someone like Doctor Xu, eccentric as he was, being overly refined in his presence would likely leave one without a chance to speak.
Just like Ou Qinglan, who couldn’t even get a chance to talk.
"No is no, no need for explanations. Just go away."
This was the third sentence Doctor Xu uttered to him.
"I want to learn bone-setting techniques because I heard you have real skills, so I came specifically to learn from you."
Li Jingsheng certainly wouldn’t just pick any master randomly.
Doctor Xu still ignored him, heading straight to the hospital cafeteria.
