The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 408 Parents Arrived

He arrived leisurely at the cafeteria, and Zhou Qiang was overjoyed to see him.

"Manager Zhou, what are you up to? Why do I always feel like there’s some sort of plot?" Liu Banxia asked.

"What plot? I just missed you. Can you take a photo with me later? There were too many people when you normally came for dinner; I couldn’t bring myself to ask," Zhou Qiang said.

"You’ll have to add a chicken leg," Liu Banxia replied seriously.

"Of course! Not just one. Even if... you want two," Zhou Qiang said, gritting his teeth.

"I thought you’d say it was an all-you-can-eat offer. In that case, I’d have at least five or six," Liu Banxia said.

Actually, it was just banter. Zhou Qiang managed the cafeteria quite well. Although he seemed meticulous about costs, the food was clean and safe to eat, which undoubtedly increased his expenses.

Although the food prices were slightly higher, the cafeteria was still very popular.

After getting his food, he glanced around and saw Wang Lei and his group also eating there. Liu Banxia carried his tray straight over to them.

"I thought you’d already eaten. Why are you only just getting here?" Wang Lei asked.

"I went to the ICU to check on another patient—viral myocarditis. They’re currently on extracorporeal circulation to maintain their condition," Liu Banxia said.

"You guys must be pretty tired lately, right? I see the surgery schedules are packed. How’s Xu Dan doing with her work? I haven’t seen her for a few days."

"She’s progressing quickly, but we need her to get familiar with more types of surgeries," Liu Mei, the scrub nurse, said with a smile.

"I heard the Emergency Center is getting more staff? What about the Anesthesiology Department? Can they push for more too?" Wang Lei asked.

"To be honest, the General Surgery Department is currently the only one in the Emergency Center not under immense pressure. All other departments are short-staffed. The staffing plan has been submitted; now it’s up to the hospital administration to make the arrangements," Liu Banxia said.

"The hospital administration definitely pays a lot of attention to us, that’s for sure. But attention alone isn’t enough; we might not be able to recruit suitable people."

"Take the current interns in General Surgery, for example. I’d be satisfied if four of them could stay on. I don’t even know if they’ll switch specialties when it’s time for them to choose their careers."

"It’s even harder to say for the two interns in our department. One is definitely going back to their local area. They don’t expect to earn big money and were frankly scared off after seeing our workload," Wang Lei said.

"However, I heard from Sister Li that we might get some additional nurses. It just depends on whether the hospital administration gives the green light," Liu Mei said.

"There should be some personnel reinforcement. Our patient intake has already doubled, and everyone is swamped," Liu Banxia said.

"But what I’m hoping for more is to fully staff all departments, especially Otolaryngology. If things could be even more ideal, we’d get one more pediatrician."

Hearing his words, everyone laughed. He didn’t seem picky, but he was actually incredibly particular.

Everyone knew pediatricians were in extremely short supply; it was a severe problem faced by all hospitals nationwide.

And Otolaryngology? That department was also quite unique. It relied heavily on specialized equipment, and the discipline had developed rapidly in recent years. It was considered easy to learn but difficult to master.

Despite its name, those who could truly claim comprehensive expertise across all areas of otolaryngology were top-tier specialists. Even at the Second Hospital, doctors usually specialized in one particular area, possessing only a basic grasp of the others.

Compared to other departments, it was in a somewhat awkward position—neither here nor there.

Consequently, finding suitable candidates for this department was even more challenging. Training them was laborious, and there was always the risk of them leaving. Capable individuals might not choose the Second Hospital when more prestigious institutions offered a broader stage.

After finishing his late lunch, Liu Banxia checked the time. He could cover the dinner shift and then grab a late-night snack to make up for his missed meal.

Just as he turned around, he saw Shi Lei attending to a patient. Only then did he remember—that young man had surgery today, and he’d completely forgotten about him.

"Boss, the surgery was a success, right?" Liu Banxia asked, approaching Shi Lei after he finished with his patient.

"Very successful. I heard about what you handled when I got back. You did a great job," Shi Lei said.

"Boss, why do I get the feeling your praise is a bit perfunctory?" Liu Banxia said.

"How else am I supposed to praise you? Tell you what, how about you let me remove those stitches from your waist?" Shi Lei asked.

"Er... you carry on with your work. I’ll just snip them myself when the time comes," Liu Banxia said and quickly slipped away.

It seemed everyone was fascinated by his sutures and eager to have a go at removing them. He couldn’t let them get their hands on him; they might use it as an opportunity for payback.

"Teacher Liu, could you come over here? Your parents are here," nurse Zhou Qian called out just as he stepped out.

Liu Banxia quickly looked over. His parents were sitting in the lounge area, with Zhou Li chatting beside them.

"Dad, Mom, what brings you here?" Liu Banxia hurried over.

"Where did you get hurt? Let Mom see! Is it serious?" Peng Xiuqin asked anxiously.

"Mom, it’s really nothing. Otherwise, how could I be moving around so energetically? How did you find out? Did Qiaoqiao tell you?" Liu Banxia asked.

"She wouldn’t dare tell us; you made her promise not to. We heard it from your Third Aunt. Why didn’t you tell us? You had your father and me worried sick!" Peng Xiuqin said.

"There’s nothing to worry about now. See? He looks perfectly fine," Liu Qingdong interjected.

"That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you—I was afraid you’d worry. You haven’t booked a hotel yet, have you? I’ll call Qiaoqiao and have her arrange things," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Why bother her? Can’t you just book it for us on your phone? We’re heading back tomorrow. Just seeing you safe and sound puts our minds at ease," Peng Xiuqin said.

"Mom, actually, you and Dad can’t really leave just yet. Qiaoqiao’s father is here too. Since you’ve come, you should meet him," Liu Banxia said.

"Uncle Qiao had originally planned to drive to our home with Qiaoqiao to formally settle the matter of our engagement. He was worried that his family’s wealth might make our side feel burdened."

"What burden could there be? Just get married and give us a grandchild. As for where you live, that’s up to you," Liu Qingdong chimed in.

"Uncle, it’s not like that at all. Qiaoqiao is a wonderful girl," Zhou Li said with a smile.

"Now that Banxia is here, I need to get back to my duties. Patient numbers have increased recently, so it’s hard to get away. But please, don’t rush off. You must let my husband and I treat you to a meal at our home."

"Haha, Sister Li, your soy-braised pork bones will be perfect!" Liu Banxia responded.

"This boy, what nonsense are you spouting!" Peng Xiuqin glared at him.

"Lily, just let Banxia treat us. You’re all so busy with work; how would you find time to cook? You go on ahead. We can’t leave in a hurry now anyway," Peng Xiuqin said.

"That won’t do. Banxia helped me out a lot when I bought my apartment. We absolutely must have this meal," Zhou Li insisted, then hurried off to work.

"Quick, let Mom see the wound. How does it look? I can see it, right?" Peng Xiuqin, her concern about the wound resurfacing, urged.

Liu Banxia had no choice but to lift his shirt and peel back the cotton dressing, letting his mother see.

Seeing the sutures, Peng Xiuqin’s tears started to fall.

"Mom, it’s really fine now," Liu Banxia said, scratching his head.

"Stop crying. Our son is a significant figure here. It wouldn’t look good if others saw you like this," Liu Qingdong said.

"Banxia, is there anything we should be mindful of when we meet Qiaoqiao’s father? Our family’s financial situation is indeed not on par with theirs. Tell us, so your mom and I can be prepared."

"Dad, there’s no need to prepare anything. Uncle Qiao and I get along very well," Liu Banxia said.

"This is just how our family is. In the future, Qiaoqiao and I will be building our life together. If she truly cared about such things, she wouldn’t have chosen me in the first place."

"When you meet him, just be yourselves. Don’t be too reserved; chat as you normally would. I probably won’t be able to join you, though. I just finished a two-day break, and it wouldn’t be right to ask for more time off now."

Liu Qingdong nodded. "I can see that. The hospital is much busier than the last time we visited. You must be swamped too, right? Just book a hotel for us, and we’ll take a taxi there ourselves."

"I should probably check with Qiaoqiao first. She might insist on having you stay at her family’s home," Liu Banxia said.

"Banxia, would that be alright?" Peng Xiuqin, her worry shifting from Liu Banxia’s wound to this new matter, asked.

"Her family has plenty of rooms. Besides, Qiaoqiao and I are a proper couple now, already discussing marriage, so it’s not a big deal," Liu Banxia said, taking out his phone to contact Qiaoqiao.

Unsurprisingly, Qiaoqiao replied quickly. Her message was unequivocal: she would personally come to pick up his parents and take them to her home. Stay in a hotel? Absolutely not!

"See? That’s just her personality," Liu Banxia said, showing them his phone screen.

"Well, in that case, we’ll go. We can even save a couple of bucks," Liu Qingdong remarked.

"Since her family isn’t bothered by our financial situation, we shouldn’t be bothered by their wealth. Can her father drink? For a first meeting, we should definitely have a couple of drinks together."

"Drink, drink, drink, that’s all you ever think about! After a few drinks, you just spout a load of nonsense," Peng Xiuqin said grumpily.

Liu Banxia was pleased. It seemed his parents had relaxed. He didn’t want them to worry about his injury, nor about the meeting with Qiaoqiao’s father.

It was good that his parents had found out about his injury. This way, they could deal with all the necessary matters at once.

He truly couldn’t get away from the hospital. It was so busy that he’d feel guilty taking a vacation even if it were offered.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. The meeting of both sets of parents—this event had already escalated to a significant level. He just hoped today’s meeting would be a complete success, without any hitches.

Moreover, this wasn’t something he could ask Old Qiu to help oversee. After the meeting, though, finding Old Qiu for a drink would be perfectly fine.