CHAPTER 188: STRENGTHEN WHERE YOU LAG BEHIND.

Although this meal was in the cafeteria, Liu Banxia and his group ate very well. Especially Qiaoqiao, who ate so much that she started to hiccup.

"How long has it been since you had a proper meal? Are you eating as if this is your last?" Liu Banxia teased.

"Mind your own business! Don’t you know food tastes better with good company? Carry the bags; that’s a man’s job, not a woman’s." Qiaoqiao shot him a glare, then turned to Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa.

"Are you two busy tonight? If not, come with me to Langtaosha for a good soak. Our place has authentic hot spring water; it’ll be wonderful."

"Yes, yes, I want to go!" Qing Kewa said enthusiastically.

Liang Xiaolin thought for a moment and also nodded with a smile. Going out to have fun occasionally seemed like a very good idea.

Liu Banxia could only shake his head helplessly. Qiaoqiao’s personality was completely different from the other two, yet somehow they’d hit it off and were now able to hang out together.

「 」

They arrived at the VIP ward of the Proctology Department, where Qiu Huaili was sitting on the bed, playing with the little one. The child wasn’t very energetic, as she had just had surgery. Besides, the anesthesia still hadn’t fully worn off.

"Uncle Qiu, I wasn’t sure what to get for a child, so I just bought some toys I saw," Qiaoqiao said with a laugh.

"She likes everything, but her interest only lasts a few days. Help yourselves to these fruits; don’t wait for me to offer," Qiu Huaili responded with a smile.

"Heh, I definitely won’t be polite. These grapes look so fresh and juicy. I’ll grab a couple of bunches later," Liu Banxia said without any hesitation.

The little one spotted him too. She stood up on her little legs and toddled towards Liu Banxia with her arms outstretched. However, still a bit wobbly from the anesthesia, she plopped right down on her bottom.

She looked a bit distressed herself, her big eyes glancing around in confusion.

Liu Banxia picked her up, and the child quickly forgot her earlier tumble. She wrapped her small arms around Liu Banxia’s neck, looking quite content.

"This is the first time she’s smiled since the surgery. I was so worried when I saw her coming out of the operating room," Qiu Huaili said.

"No worries, children are resilient and heal quickly," Liu Banxia reassured him with a smile.

"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you come. The little one is so taken with you she’s forgotten all about the toys," Qiaoqiao, who was taking out toys, grumbled playfully.

"See? We just click! Brother Qiu, where’s sister-in-law?" Liu Banxia asked.

"She went home to cook. I couldn’t stop her. I just casually mentioned I was craving her wontons, and she rushed home immediately," Qiu Huaili said earnestly.

"Brother Liu, see? This is what they’re like at home, always so lovey-dovey. Is there any hope for me?" Qiu Mingyuan said with a wry smile.

This amused Liu Banxia and the others, but it also clearly showed how genuinely strong Qiu Huaili and his wife’s relationship was.

After chatting for a while, Liu Banxia grabbed a plastic bag and shamelessly helped himself to some fruit.

Qiu Huaili praised Liu Banxia for not acting like a stranger. "That’s how it should be," he said. "Otherwise, all this fruit in the room would go bad."

「 」

"Hey, Comrade Old Liu, hold on a second!" Qiaoqiao called out to Liu Banxia just as he stepped out of the elevator.

"What is it? I don’t have time to hang out with you all. I only get one day off a week," Liu Banxia said.

"If you want to take a bath, go by yourself! Are you expecting us to bathe with you or something? What nonsense are you spouting? Was I even talking about bathing? I’m asking you, are you trying to take advantage of me?" Qiaoqiao glared at him.

Liu Banxia was dumbfounded by Qiaoqiao’s barrage of questions. "How did I take advantage of you? Weren’t you the one talking about baths in the first place?"

"How come I call President Qiu ’Uncle,’ but you call him ’Brother’?" Qiaoqiao asked, hands on her hips.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "We address people as we see fit. If you want to call me ’Uncle’ too, that’s fine by me. I won’t be the one losing out."

Qiaoqiao menacingly waved her small fist, but she also knew that in a real fight, she’d definitely be the one to lose, so she strategically changed the subject.

Liu Banxia felt quite smug. Qiaoqiao, that girl, probably because she’d gotten quite familiar with him, would sometimes act completely unruly.

「 」

"Come on, everyone, fruit for all! These are spoils from the ’local tyrant,’ help yourselves!" Liu Banxia announced after returning to the Emergency Department.

No one there stood on ceremony with him. There were no patients at the moment, so it was the perfect time to feast on fruit. Could fruit from Qiu Huaiyuan possibly be bad?

Of course, there was one exception: Qi Wentai. Forget offering him fruit; even if you brought him mountains of gold and silver, he wouldn’t spare them a glance.

"I heard from Director Jiang that you’re operating on President Qiu tomorrow afternoon?" Shi Lei asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "He developed it two years ago and kept putting off treatment. Now, another sinus tract has formed from the buildup. He’ll stay in the hospital with his daughter. I estimate he’ll need at least ten days to be discharged."

"That’s good. At least our fruit supply is guaranteed for this period. Why don’t you go get some rest now? You’re working consecutive shifts; you’ll be exhausted tomorrow during the day."

"It’s fine, I’m used to it. I couldn’t sleep now even if I tried," Shi Lei shook his head.

Just then, a patient walked in from outside, clutching his head. Without Liu Banxia needing to say anything, Qi Wentai proactively went to attend to him.

Liu Banxia was quite pleased with Qi Wentai for this. Truthfully, he wasn’t really holding anything against Qi Wentai anymore. Even though Qi Wentai had snitched on him in the past, the bigger picture was what mattered now.

And it had to be said, the grapes they brought back were delicious. Liu Banxia chatted with Shi Lei while eating, personally finishing off half a bunch.

"When did you become such a big eater?" Shi Lei asked with amusement.

"Do you know how much energy I expend every day? I have to replenish my nutrients. Boss, how did you get through it back then? Weren’t you the chief resident in General Surgery at the time?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"You said it yourself: just one word—endure. There are no shortcuts. You’re actually managing quite well; it’s not overwhelmingly tiring for you yet," Shi Lei replied with a smile.

As they were talking, a young man walked in, his right hand gripping his left wrist, from which blood was dripping.

"Boss, this one’s mine. Help me book an OR. Sister Li, please run a rapid blood test and preoperative checks," Liu Banxia said.

However, his muscle strain still somewhat affected his movement; he hobbled a bit as he went towards the patient.

"How did you get injured?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I stabbed myself. Then I thought about it again and realized it wasn’t worth it," the young man said in a low voice.

Liu Banxia glanced at him. This young man has a story. His eyes were red and swollen, and his expression was dejected.

After a quick examination, he said, "That’s quite a deep cut. You’ve severed your radial artery and tendons. Do you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other family history of illness?"

The young man shook his head.

"Alright, we’ll get you on an IV in a moment, then we’ll suture it," Liu Banxia said.

In the treatment room, Qi Wentai, who was suturing a patient’s head wound, felt a bit frustrated. If I had been a little later in seeing a patient, would this one have been mine?

But no one cared what he was thinking. For Liu Banxia, an injury like this would have absolutely required a call to orthopedics in the past. Now, though, he wasn’t too concerned about it.

While the patient was undergoing examinations, Liu Banxia pulled up his attribute panel.

Liu Banxia: Level 34 (59,607/62,084 XP)

Title: Somewhat Knowledgeable Doctor

Stats:

Mental: 62 (Understanding, Memorization, Concentration +10.71%)

Agility: 65 (Stability, Speed, Dexterity +20.37%)

Strength: 52 (Strength, Instrument Proficiency, Instrument Effect +20.93%)

Stamina: 49 (Endurance, Physical Energy +25.64%)

Attribute Points: 15

Glory Points: 86

Skills:

Dressing Skill: Level 2 (17,688/19,999 XP)

Suture Technique: Level 2 (17,474/19,999 XP)

Diagnostics: Level 3 (32,528/49,999 XP)

Looking at his level and attribute points, Liu Banxia could only manage a wry smile.

When he first started leveling up, it was exhilarating, just WHOOSH, straight up. But after his Dressing Skill and Suture Technique both leveled up, his progress slowed considerably.

He didn’t dare use the attribute points for now. He’d thought about it last time when he socketed the stamina gemstone: the remaining slot couldn’t be left empty; it had to be filled.

Based on his understanding of the system’s enhancements, the principle was ’strengthen what you lack.’ His Strength and Stamina were the weakest of his four attributes. Next, he needed to perform an actual vascular anastomosis. Compared to Stamina, he was more inclined to choose Strength.

He spent 40 Glory Points to exchange for a yellow gemstone that increased Strength.

DING! Gained 5 Strength. Current Strength: 57. Strength, Instrument Proficiency, Instrument Effect +32.56%.

Although it added another five points, his Strength still hadn’t surpassed sixty. There was still a significant gap compared to his Mental and Agility stats.

「 」

He scrubbed in and went to the operating table. As luck would have it, Wang Lei was on duty today.

"What’s the patient’s condition today?" Wang Lei asked.

"Severed radial artery and tendons. It’s nothing, a minor procedure," Liu Banxia said casually.

"Heard you were stirring up trouble again today, kid?" Wang Lei asked.

"I’ve noticed, whatever I do, news seems to travel incredibly fast," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

"Good thing the outcome was positive; otherwise, the Medical Affairs Department would be knocking on our door again. I’m on pins and needles every single day. Life is tough."

"You should be pleased, what’s there to complain about? When there are achievements, everyone sees them. Two lives, added to your credit," Wang Lei said.

"Your performance has been more than adequate. At least, since I came to Second Hospital, I haven’t seen any trainee or resident as outstanding as you. Even Shi Lei wasn’t this good back in his day."

"Heh heh, thanks for the praise, Old Wang. Alright then, I’ll really give it my all today and try to set a speed record," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

He was genuinely confident now; the points invested in Strength hadn’t been for nothing.

When the young man was prepped and brought in, he sensed that the atmosphere in the operating room was a bit off. Why is everyone staring at me so intently?

"Don’t do such foolish things in the future. It harms your health and wastes money," Liu Banxia said.

"Sigh... Never again. I originally wanted to give her a surprise, but damn it, I was the one who got surprised in the end," the young man sighed.

Although it was just one sentence, everyone present could piece together the story. They had only heard stories like this before; this time, they were seeing a live example.