"Professor Tong, Professor Chen said you are friends. He was supposed to be off today, but when he heard you were coming, he especially came here to wait for you." Lin Qianlong, with a pockmarked face and short chin, grinned broadly, his Adam's apple almost visible.

If it weren't for the rural policy, Lin Qianlong wouldn't have gotten acquainted with Professor Tong Yuan'an from hand surgery.

"Director Lin, you go about your business. I'm just following Xiao Peng here to represent orthopedics on standby in the emergency department..."

"Brother Song even came especially to wait for me. That's truly kind of him." Tong Yuan'an's chubby face was all smiles, looking harmless.

What is called orthopedics on standby in the emergency department is actually imitating top teaching hospitals by establishing an orthopedic emergency 'unit' within the emergency department. If there is an orthopedic emergency, orthopedic doctors will promptly handle the diagnosis.

Tong Yuan'an said he wanted to tackle tendon suturing, so Peng Haibo dared not refuse to support Tong Yuan'an's work.

"Hello Professor Tong, my name is Zeng Huanqi, you can call me Xiao Zeng."

"Professor Tong, I am Zhang Tiesheng, you can call me Xiao Tie..."

Zeng Huanqi and the others also came forward to exchange pleasantries. After getting to know each other, everyone went back to their positions.

In the lounge, the on-call Han Xiaoping and Lu Cheng went to the general ward for rounds, leaving only Tong Yuan'an and the others.

Tong Yuan'an crossed his legs, enjoying the coffee offered by Peng Kun, and asked, "Young Master Kun, that's how everyone calls you, right?"

Peng Kun quickly said, "Teacher Tong, that's just teasing from other guys. I hardly qualify as 'young master.' If anything, I'm 'learning less,' please don't take it seriously."

"I love studying the most."

"However, if you want to have fun in Long County, just point me in a direction, and I should be able to find the right way."

"Do you have a cadaver teacher?" Tong Yuan'an asked, looking harmless.

"Pfft..." Chen Song sprayed a few drops of coffee, laughing hysterically.

"Cough cough..." Peng Kun coughed twice: "Teacher Tong, that's too advanced, can't get that."

Top surgical professors love cadaver dissection with utmost reverence, but demand for cadaver teachers far exceeds supply.

"So at what level is your suturing skill now? Can you sew tofu?" Tong Yuan'an asked.

"Just barely." Peng Kun showed a bit of humility.

Tong Yuan'an paused: "If it's just barely, I think you don't need to follow my class. You won't learn tendon suturing that way."

"For the progression from superficial tofu suturing to suture with retraction pressure bands, even with the best talent, it takes about three months of serious practice."

"After three months, I'll be gone, and your tendon suturing still won't meet the entry standard..."

Tong Yuan'an directly buried Peng Kun's humility.

Peng Kun immediately said: "Teacher Tong, I've practiced superficial tofu suturing quite thoroughly, but when suturing the pressure band, I often cut it."

Tong Yuan'an directly pointed out: "That's because you're not applying even pressure. You haven't controlled the force and direction, this requires slow practice..."

Peng Kun asked: "Professor Tong, to grasp tendon suturing, does basic suturing skill have to be up to standard? If it's subpar, I can't suture, right?"

"You can, as long as you explain to the patient that it's prone to breakage and post-operative hand limpness. If the patient accepts it, then yes."

"Patient consent, unconditional consent, proactive strong demand, are also surgical indications," Tong Yuan'an said quirkily.

Peng Kun quickly smiled and asked: "Teacher Tong, does mastering retraction pressure band suturing mean I can do all tendon suturing?"

"Clink!" Tong Yuan'an smoothly lit a cigarette, tossing one to Chen Song and Peng Kun, asking: "Who told you that? Someone from the emergency department?"

"You're teaching, don't take jibes at us." Chen Song raised his chin.

Peng Kun quickly shook his head: "I didn't know, that's why I'm asking... Teacher Tong."

Tong Yuan'an exhaled a smoke ring, though his eyes widened, he couldn't cover his big face.

Looking calm yet high-cool, Tong Yuan'an said: "If you can suture the retraction pressure band, your suturing skill foundation is sufficient to study the modified Kessler. If you can sew floating foam boards, you can comfortably study Tsuge suturing techniques."

"Of course, you can also embark on Tsuge suturing techniques before floating foam boards."

"But if you wish to practice the modified Tang method in a clinical setting with a good success rate, without mastering artificial microvascular suturing, or chicken leg microvascular suturing, it's impossible."

"From your current progress, gradually advancing, in two to three years, you should be able to breakthrough upper limb tendon suturing."

Peng Kun was stunned, lips twitching, expression rigid, slightly delicate face looking a bit distorted: "Lu, Brother Lu..."

Tong Yuan'an took a deep breath, gave no face to Young Master Kun, laughing lightly yet bluntly: "Yeah…he needs only a month, while you need two to three years, any problem with that?"

"If you were Lu Cheng, you wouldn't even need to learn from me!"

Tong Yuan'an's mind went through precise calculations.

For Peng Kun to achieve tendon suturing breakthroughs in three years, it requires undivided attention and enough diligence; otherwise, it will take even longer.

Peng Kun's general learning curve was evident; Tong Yuan'an also went through this back then, so he understood it intimately.

Peng Kun felt a bit defeated: "Teacher Tong, when I do retraction pressure band suturing, can barely complete half, can the time be shorter?"

Tong Yuan'an said: "Hmm, it might be shorter by a few months… depends on your personal improvement speed…well, roughly like this."

"My advice is, starting now, order a large quantity of pressure bands and operation boards online, and then start isolating yourself; in about twenty days or so you can emerge and learn the modified Kessler," Tong Yuan'an was specific in his guidance.

Ignoring Peng Kun's look of despair, Tong Yuan'an's tone turned formal: "Learning from me, you can't joke around, at least I won't joke with you."

"Before hitting the standard, if you try hands-on, I'll leave; if you truly commit, I'll teach carefully."

"Actually, with your current suturing skill foundation, doing flap incisions and flap suturing in your orthopedics should be sufficient."

"But if you want to independently perform flap transplantation surgery, then the suturing skill foundation is indispensable. Mastery in suturing is our hand surgeon's lifeline..."

"A poorly done suturing skill can't be learned, no shortcuts."

Peng Kun left, his back a bit lonely, expression complicated and bewildered...

Bewildered because Lu Cheng hadn't retaliated against him, conflicted because to hone tendon suturing skills he needed about twenty days of rigorous isolation, while within a month Lu Cheng had already mastered tendon suturing.

This was really disheartening...

"Old Tong, weren't you a bit harsh?" Chen Song asked with a faint smile.

Tong Yuan'an replied:

"If I say nice things, he wouldn't learn any faster."

"Among our department students, who hasn't faced more PUA than him?"

"It's common to see junior students surpassing seniors, students outperforming teachers, where do you find reasoning in such situations?"

Chen Song was taken aback and asked, "But you still can't surpass Professor Zhou, right?"

Tong Yuan'an rolled his eyes: "Not that I'm stronger than my mentor, but in our department, there's Xie Ziyuan who accepted a foster student, daily apprehensive…constantly PUA'd by Professor Liao…"

Xie Ziyuan is an associate professor, a doctoral supervisor, and Professor Liao is a full professor and a major figure.

Chen Song was dumbfounded, mouth opening and closing for a while, he uttered: "That's…truly…unbearable!"