Yuan Haiou and Yuan Haizhong are two brothers, both butchers in Ciyan Town who slaughter pigs. Business is tough these days, so they usually work together to kill one pig, then split up to sell it in different villages.

Yuan Haiou, the younger brother, finally arrived at Renmin Hospital after getting a message from his sister-in-law. Standing by the bedside, he said, "Brother, I can finally relax now that your surgery is over."

"I'll take care of that pig back home too, and we'll split the money fifty-fifty as always."

"If I hadn't carelessly knocked the knife off, you wouldn't have worried about losing a foot, none of this would have happened."

"Can we carry on with business as usual in a few days?" Yuan Haiou asked.

Yuan Haizhong looked up and said, "If you're the one doing the slaughtering alone, then the profits or losses are yours alone. Why split it with me?"

Yuan Haizhong's wife added, "Haiou, you two have been at this for years. This was just an accident, there's no need to be so courteous."

Yuan Haiou said, "Sister-in-law, brother, we both rely on physical labor to make a living. This kind of work won't make us rich, but it won't starve us either."

"An accident is an accident. No need to be polite with me. Let's settle it as agreed. I can't fork out much money, but I'll cover half of today's surgery costs, and we'll still split the pig sale revenue fifty-fifty."

"We're brothers, so everything should be clear-cut. To be honest, it should've been me getting hurt this time."

"Sister-in-law, you also have to compensate for the wages lost accompanying my brother. I won't be so meticulous about it, because if we calculate it precisely, it would indeed be quite tricky." Shrugging off further thought, Yuan Haiou turned and left, his honest tone echoing in the room.

The elder brother needs care, but finances are tight at home, requiring he keep the business running to recoup losses and maintain a livelihood.

Ordinary folks don't make things complicated. He believes his big brother also doesn't need him there every day; might as well earn some extra tangible profits.

After Yuan Haiou departed, Yuan Haizhong exchanged a few more words with his wife, mainly reminiscing about the good relationship between the brothers. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The patient in bed 5 remarked, "Old bro, why did you come straight to the Renmin Hospital looking for Dr. Lu?"

"I heard from the lady in bed 4 that Dr. Lu works on the 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 schedule, while 2, 4, 6, 8 shifts are covered by the Renmin Hospital's orthopedic department for tendon ruptures. Some patients' outcomes aren't as good as Dr. Lu's surgeries."

Yuan Haizhong replied, "My brother-in-law is a doctor in the emergency department at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. He told us to, and specifically instructed us to only look for Dr. Lu."

"We didn't even register first; once we found Dr. Lu, then we registered. If we encountered another doctor, we wouldn't even bother."

Yuan Haizhong raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice, "My brother-in-law said Dr. Lu is very skilled, even better than the chief doctors at the State People's Hospital."

"But Dr. Lu himself is too modest to admit it!"

"So, how did you get injured?" Yuan Haizhong asked.

The patient in bed 5 was a young man in his thirties, with dark skin. He waved his right hand, gesturing, "Me? I'm a carpenter. Snap!~"

"It happened just like that. Luckily, I pulled back in time, or I'd have lost my hand. The fortunate thing is, Dr. Lu said the injury was only to the tendon. If it had gone another 5 millimeters deeper, it would have been bad."

"Oh, by the way, old bro, we have a WeChat group for fellow patients, all who have had tendon repair surgery. Many members share recovery reports post-surgery, and Dr. Lu often provides rehab guidance. You should join too," the young man suggested enthusiastically.

"There's a group? Sure!" Yuan Haizhong nodded.

The young man continued, "By the way, old bro, remember not to discuss surgery costs in the group, as many had surgeries at different hospitals."

"For instance, surgeries at the State People's Hospital and En Central Hospital in E Province cost this much more," the young man gestured with a "V" sign.

"How could it be that much more? I already paid over two thousand, and such emergency expenses aren't covered." Yuan Haizhong's expression was aghast.

"Right, over two thousand isn't cheap. But surgeries in the state cost more than in our county, and the materials also cost more. The surgery quality... let's just say it's okay."

"Some people even had to undergo a second surgery."

"But here with Dr. Lu, very few need a second surgery. Only one case, who didn't follow post-op instructions, rupturing the tendon again..."

Laughing, the young man said, "But you can't blame him entirely. He hurt his tendon again because he lifted water for his daughter."

"He was just discharged a few days ago."

"Dr. Lu is truly a good doctor and very detail-oriented. After your surgery, you'll often hear him reminding you of various things, though you might find it a bit annoying."

Yuan Haizhong said, "How could I find a doctor annoying? That would be ignorant. When I first got injured, I was terribly scared, hoping he'd come by a few more times."

In conversation, Yuan Haizhong noticed the patient in bed 2 had been quiet. He asked, "Sister, what's your injury?"

"Me? Gallstones. When I registered in general surgery, they suggested cutting out the gallbladder, but I insisted against it. Then they told me about Dr. Lu and Professor Chen in the emergency department doing gallbladder preservation surgery."

The patient in bed 2 was a young woman in her early twenties. Her face turned slightly red as she spoke, "Later I learned that gallbladder preservation surgery is very complex, and they don't even do it at the State People's Hospital."

"It's a technique brought from Xiangya Second Hospital, and many patients like me either endure the pain until it's unbearable and then cut it out, or run to Sha City..."

"I study in Sha City, but the pain struck suddenly over summer vacation. Heading over there would be costly, and my parents would have to accompany me."

At this point, the girl looked at big brother in bed 5, "Brother Zhuo, Dr. Lu isn't talkative at all. He's quite cool and aloof."

"Before, Sister Juan tried inviting Dr. Lu for a meal, but never succeeded in getting him out."

Brother Zhuo was taken aback, then instantly turned curious, "Xiao Xian, are you saying that Zhu Juan has a thing for Dr. Lu?"

"I know she sent flowers to Dr. Lu, weren't they orchids?"

Xiao Xian shook her head quickly, "No, that's not it. Sister Juan did a much more thorough background check on Dr. Lu than us."

"If she hadn't failed to invite Dr. Lu out, she probably wouldn't have told me."

"Dr. Lu is tall and handsome, that's apparent. But he's actually a top student too, having done his undergrad at Han City University."

"He's talented, but from what I hear, he's too diligent, always preferring to practice skills instead of accepting invitations from pretty women."

The young man said with a hint of regret, "But I understand why. Dr. Lu spends most of his time honing his medical skills, which explains his proficiency."

"It's a pity, Xiao Xian, you're still too young," the young man chuckled.

Chi Xiaoxian shook her head, still quite naive, her expression natural, "I'm only twenty-one and haven't graduated from college. I'm not planning to date."

Next door, Yuan Haizhong sighed, "Sister, you're too young, so you're unaware of Dr. Lu's charm."

"But you're still so young, and there's a long future ahead... With Dr. Lu's skills, he surely earns well, but he deserves it..."

Slaughtering an entire pig himself, selling it all would only fetch about six or seven hundred yuan, and often some parts don't sell and must be smoked into bacon for sale...