CHAPTER 73: 073 SPIRITED YOUNG MAN, LIU BANXIA

Some say money is a bad thing, that people of true principle should treat it like dirt. But if Liu Banxia had his say, anyone with too much of that "dirt" was welcome to send a few baskets his way.

Liu Banxia was in high spirits when he arrived at work today. With money in his pocket, his heart was truly untroubled.

"You seem so spirited; it looks like your trip went well," Zhou Li teased.

"Of course, stick with the boss, and you’ll eat well. Calling me ’teacher’ like that makes me feel embarrassed. Eat up. Savory crepes with egg and sausage," Liu Banxia said.

"Dr. Liu, you can’t be like this. We think you look spirited too! Just giving one to Sister Li isn’t fair," the nearby nurses chimed in.

"Haha, I knew you’d all say that. A set for everyone," Liu Banxia said, opening the bag he was carrying.

The nurses were delighted. Not only were there savory crepes, but there was also soy milk inside. No wonder he was carrying such a large bag; Dr. Liu was really thoughtful.

Actually, eating it or not was secondary; the main thing was the lively atmosphere and knowing that Liu Banxia seemed to have encountered some good fortune.

After some boisterous fun, Liu Banxia also hurried off to clock in. He had to get to his daily tasks and also research how this thesis was supposed to be done.

For him, he was truly a novice at this point. He knew about these things, but he didn’t know how they should be handled. Although it seemed a bit premature to be considering such matters now, Shi Lei had already revealed some information yesterday: his chances of securing a permanent position at the hospital were very high.

And where was Shi Lei now? He was sitting in Zhou Shuwen’s office, reviewing the video of Liu Banxia’s surgery from the previous day.

"Director, Liu Banxia really gave me a surprise," Shi Lei said after the video ended.

Zhou Shuwen nodded. "Although his aptitude is excellent, can he change that impulsive streak of his? I could mention it to the hospital administration, but I am worried."

"Director, I actually don’t think it’s a big deal. Besides, if you don’t bring it up, Director Jiang certainly will," Shi Lei said with a smile.

"To be honest, his rapport with people in our Second Hospital is quite good. Even the nurses in the departments he frequently visits are very fond of him. If Director Qin hadn’t made it clear he couldn’t stand him, it wouldn’t have caused so many problems."

"This is indeed a problem," Zhou Shuwen said.

"Does this kid have any other hidden agendas? If he messes up later, where will we hide our faces? Is he usually careless about maintaining boundaries when interacting with the opposite sex?"

Shi Lei paused. "Director, this... I haven’t noticed anything like that. Anyway, I haven’t discovered it. But I think it’s very normal for him to have a good relationship with the nurses. If the nurses are more attentive, the doctors can also relax a bit more during their shifts."

"Isn’t that sometimes just the nature of our work? Otherwise, even if there are no emergency patients, you can still be kept up all night."

"But his small-incision appendectomy is truly superb. Yesterday, I served as his first assistant and also watched two more up close; every single one was performed perfectly."

"You think that highly of him? You’ve spoken up for him several times now?" Zhou Shuwen asked with a chuckle.

"Director, aren’t you the same? It’s really so hard to be a doctor these days; finding a good seedling is even harder," Shi Lei said.

"I’ll consider it further. I’m just worried this kid will cause trouble in the future. The hospital’s medical work is already more than we can handle; where would we find so much time to clean up his messes?" Zhou Shuwen nodded.

"Director, then I’ll go on my rounds first," Shi Lei said, standing up.

After Shi Lei left, Zhou Shuwen clicked open the video on his computer again and watched it carefully.

This time, however, his focus wasn’t on Liu Banxia’s surgical technique but on his expression. In all the surgical videos, Liu Banxia exuded a sense of confidence, which was very rare.

He was a renowned associate chief physician in the Second Hospital’s general surgery department. He could effortlessly handle all Level 4 general surgeries, but even he couldn’t perform this small-incision appendectomy as deftly as Liu Banxia.

How long had it been since he’d last performed an appendectomy? With so many patients queuing up, where was the time to research these things?

A small-incision appendectomy could be a signature procedure for a small hospital; in fact, it’s the same for a large hospital. The more surgeons who master unique skills, the better.

Just like large hospitals don’t mind their doctors going elsewhere to perform "freelance surgeries." After all, when a doctor’s reputation grows, it also enhances the hospital’s prestige.

Based solely on the small-incision appendectomy skill Liu Banxia currently displayed, I could propose to the hospital administration that an exception be made to keep him.

But he was genuinely worried. It was good for young people to have vigor and drive, but if you charged too fiercely and couldn’t hit the brakes, you would eventually cause a huge mess.

He didn’t agree with Qin Hai’s extreme methods, always taking things to an unnecessarily critical level. But he also had to admit that Qin Hai’s concerns weren’t entirely without basis; it was just that Qin Hai targeted Liu Banxia too much, which had caused general dissatisfaction.

After some thought, he copied the video again; he had to let others see it too. Even for him, this matter needed to be handled with caution.

"You’re looking quite energetic today, kid. Did something good happen?"

Liu Banxia had just finished changing dressings for the patients when Jiang Tao beckoned to him.

"Director Jiang, Dr. Shi took me to Jinshui District Hospital yesterday," Liu Banxia ran over and quickly said.

This wasn’t something that could be kept secret anyway; it was just normal medical work.

"Old Xu called me yesterday and talked for a long time; he’s really taken a liking to you. Not bad, keep up the good work," Jiang Tao nodded.

"Uh..., Director Jiang, is there nothing else you want to say?" Liu Banxia asked, momentarily stunned.

"What else is there to say? If saying more would get you to come to our Colorectal Department, then I’d say a lot more. Anyway, there are no surgeries today, so it doesn’t matter," Jiang Tao said with a straight face.

"Hehe, Director Jiang, please spare me. Ahem, I need to get back to my post in the ER," Liu Banxia said and promptly fled.

Jiang Tao shook his head helplessly, a sense of regret in his heart. He knew it was too difficult to get Liu Banxia to stay in the Colorectal Department. Now, the only hope was for Zhou Shuwen to disregard everything else, but judging from his call with Xu Chengjun last night, that too would be difficult.

"No wonder Banxia was so pleased today. He was full of energy and much more talkative while changing dressings," Guan Wei said with a laugh.

"This kid is going to make it big; we were just a bit too late in trying to recruit him," Jiang Tao said, his tone tinged with regret.

"Director, you think that highly of Banxia?" Guan Wei asked, surprised.

"You don’t know this, but at the hospital meetings, many of the senior directors have an impression of this kid. When have you ever seen a resident physician like this?" Jiang Tao said with a smile.

"But this kid is also too good at attracting trouble. If even one thing goes wrong, it’ll be enough to give him a serious headache. But then again, out of all the resident physicians in the Second Hospital, hasn’t Liu Banxia been the only one to emerge?"

Guan Wei chuckled; that wasn’t an unfair assessment. He too had come up from being a resident physician, and back in his day, he had lived by three words—"Avoid trouble."

Because if trouble occurred, one’s career might be over before it even started. Someone like Liu Banxia, with no background yet so audacious, was truly an anomaly.