Great Doctor Ling Ran

Chapter 273: Small Task

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Lu Wenbin waved his needle holder and forceps happily in the operating theater.

Upon continuously completing several steps in the procedure after Ling Ran broke them down, Lu Wenbin finally became the chief surgeon, he began to perform a standard M-Tang technique on a flexor tendon.

Although Ling Ran as well as Ma Yanlin watched and peeped from the side, Lu Wenbin still felt very pleased. It was like having a hot steamboat in a cold place, and even eating a popsicle after that.

“Push the needle in. Make sure the thread is turned towards you.” Ling Ran also wore surgical magnifying glasses and helped Lu Wenbin as his first assistant.

Ma Yanlin was jealous, but he could only be the second assistant and merely perform retraction.

Lu Wenbin was already satisfied with the chance to play with the needle. He listened to Ling Ran’s instructions and pushed the needle in.

“Too much.” Ling Ran stopped Lu Wenbin immediately and said, “Move two pinheads backward.”

“Yes.”

“It’s still slightly too much, you’ll have to push deeper for your next suture to cover the previous mistake. Don’t let your hand tremble. It’s okay to do it slowly.” Ling Ran was so meticulous when he performed surgeries that he calculated things based on millimeters. He did not relax even as he guided Lu Wenbin to perform the surgery.

“Yes,” Lu Wenbin replied, and he appeared full of excitement. He was not annoyed at all by Ling Ran’s remote manipulation. In fact, he was very happy right then.

If doctors could receive step-by-step guidance from their teachers, there would be fewer weak and unskilled doctors.

Most of the doctors were not patient enough in teaching their students hands-on, but most importantly, they were not capable of teaching their students that way.

If the student sent the needle in a little too much, how should the next needle be pushed in to reduce the bad tension caused by the previous needle?

Without Master Level skills, no one could understand how to do it.

A normal doctor followed a fixed method to suture tendons. If the course of the needle went slightly off to the left or right, then that was it. No matter what the results were, only fate could tell.

However, Master Level suturing did not work that way.

Master Level suturing required one to adapt to changes according to different situations. The tissues in each person was different. For example, shut-ins had loose muscles while the special forces had tighter muscles. The strength required to suture each was different. If the standard suturing method used for normal individuals was applied on shut-ins and soldiers from the special forces, neither would receive the best treatment.

In worst case scenarios, if something went wrong even during standard suturing, which was tailored specifically for normal people, the final results would be even harder to predict.

Ling Ran, on the other hand, had many types of suturing techniques in his arsenal. With his Master Level in Suturing, he had different ways to handle patients and even different ways to handle different needles. Plus, the situation was not just limited to him; he could do the same for Lu Wenbin even just by watching him.

Teaching someone else in such a manner was the epitome of hands-on education.

Of course, if Ling Ran left at that point, Lu Wenbin would have no idea how and where to begin suturing.

Nonetheless, after Ling Ran taught him for some time and Lu Wenbin tried to imitate as well as learn from him—even though he did not catch the essence of the technique—he slowly began to gain some perceptual understanding.

Lu Wenbin realized it, and he felt very excited. Even if Ling Ran asked him to wake up at two o’clock in the morning, he could still remain committed to his work.

Lu Wenbin also knew that it was just a sign of the Emergency Department in Yun Hua Hospital running out of beds again.

Ling Ran had booked a flight ticket to Shanghai the next day to attend the International Sports Orthopedics Research Conference. Hence, Lu Wenbin had a chance to use the remaining beds. He could even request for additional beds without worry.

However, if Lu Wenbin did not use those hospital beds to prove his worth, it would be difficult for him to obtain the chance again.

Lu Wenbin raised his neck and exercised it slightly. Then, he glanced at Ma Yanlin, who was performing the retraction. He became wary.

Ma Yanlin majored in the Achilles tendon repair technique, but that was not the problem. The main problem was that he competed for hospital beds too.

Lu Wenbin’s gaze turned abstruse, and his movements were now even smoother. He wanted to master the M-Tang technique before Ma Yanlin!

Lu Wenbin believed that as long as he could master the M-Tang technique, he could grab more hospital beds in Yun Hua Hospital. As for the the Achilles tendon repair technique… Heh, Lu Wenbin would have no comment if Ma Yanlin could operate at Ling Ran’s level, but if he could not, a normal Achilles tendon repair technique was only at the level of a junior attending physician. Did he think he could snatch beds from the Emergency Department? If that was the case, he would have underestimated Ling Ran, who woke up at three o’clock in the morning.

Ma Yanlin felt excited as well while he operated the retractor.

He was not jealous of Lu Wenbin for learning the M-Tang technique. For a houseman like Ma Yanlin, it would take him too long to learn the technique. In Yun Hua City, the number of people who knew the M-Tang technique could be counted with only one hand. The attending physicians under Department Associate Director Pan had yet to master the skill even after they had learned from him for three years. So, he did not believe that Lu Wenbin would be able to master the skill quickly.

Based on Ma Yanlin’s calculations, Lu Wenbin had worked as the first assistant for half a year. Even if the number of surgeries that he performed surpassed that of the other doctors by onefold or twofold, he had only participated in those surgeries as an assistant. If he wanted to master the M-Tang technique, it would still take him another year of learning even if Ling Ran taught him hands-on.

In contrast, Ma Yanlin would definitely not take such a long time to learn the Achilles tendon repair technique!

The one who became a chief surgeon first would definitely have a better advantage.

Ma Yanlin observed the surgical field. He felt like laughing when he saw how Lu Wenbin moved in a paranoid manner. He was slow, hesitant, and doubtful.

‘If the M-Tang technique was so easy to master, why don’t you learn how to perform a heart transplant instead?’

“Good job.” A deep voice was heard. Along with the voice came the sound of a breeze.

Ma Yanlin was shocked. The great rebuker…. No, Department Director Huo Congjun was there?

Ma Yanlin’s job was the most relaxing out of the trio. He looked back and saw Huo Congjun. The man had his bottom lip jutted out slightly, and he was dressed in scrubs. He had his arms around his chest, and there was a smile on his face.

“Department Director,” Lu Wenbin called obediently.

Ling Ran also greeted him.

“Good, very good. One of you is teaching seriously while the other is learning earnestly. Excellent!” Huo Congjun’s compliment came out of nowhere, but it was still extremely rare.

Lu Wenbin stopped whatever he was doing out of puzzlement. He had no idea what Huo Congjun wanted to do.

“You should continue with the operation, don’t stop.” Huo Congjun sounded very amiable and excited.

Lu Wenbin could only lower his head and push the needle into the tendon along the direction of the thread.

“It’ll be better if you move the needle slightly to the left, but what you just did doesn’t affect anything. Make sure the next needle goes in straight.” Ling Ran helped Lu Wenbin make adjustments bit-by-bit. With those adjustments, at least Lu Wenbin now knew what the criteria for a standard M-Tang technique surgery looked like.

If he did more surgeries later on, he could reach Specialist Level on his own.

Of course, he was not even at Novice Level yet, but Ling Ran was not in a hurry. Ling Ran taught Lu Wenbin slowly because performing surgeries on his own was definitely more fun than teaching someone else how to perform surgeries. Despite that, it was considered a good adjustment period for him.

Lu Wenbin looked a little nervous, and his next needle slightly deviated from its course again. He could not help but become even more nervous as a result.

The deviation was great from the view of the microscope. If a doctor’s strength in his fingers was somewhat imbalanced, he or she would be largely off course, and that was the toughest part in microsurgeries.

The requirement for fine details was too high.

Lu Wenbin had no choice but to stop.

Huo Congjun knew his appearance had affected the progress of the surgery. He quickly said, “I actually came to give an announcement. Ling Ran, bring Yu Yuan along to the conference organized by Academician Zhu Tongyi.”

Before Ling Ran was able to say anything, Lu Wenbin said, “Shouldn’t I be the one following him?”

“Didn’t you just go previously?” Huo Congjun sounded even more puzzled than he did.

“Are we doing equal distribution now?” Lu Wenbin immediately asked. “I’ve been with Doctor Ling for the longest period, and I’m the one most familiar with his operating habits. If there’s any surgery to perform at that time, wouldn’t I be the most suitable to stay beside him?”

Huo Congjun shook his head. “You were there for a month last time. This time, you should give a chance to your other colleagues.”

He deliberately talked about the matter from a non-medical perspective, and that prevented Lu Wenbin from arguing with him.

If attending a conference was considered a benefit, they should indeed attend it via rotation.

Both Yu Yuan and Lu Wenbin were resident doctors. It should not be any problem for Yu Yuan to attend the conference.

Only Lu Wenbin was unhappy. He was no longer the poor young man from back then. He was now a young man who had earned sufficient downpayment! He was no longer bothered by the prices of traveling and eating in Shanghai…

He truly wanted to attend the international conference.

Huo Congjun did not give Lu Wenbin any chance to choose. He turned around and asked Ling Ran, “You don’t have a problem with Yu Yuan, right?”

“No.”

“The cost for Yu Yuan’s travels will be reimbursed by the department. It’s not safe for you to go alone.” Huo Congjun shook his head and seemed worried.

Ling Ran was totally fine with it. For him, it would be useful to have an assistant whom he was familiar with. Nonetheless, it was still fine if he did not know the assistant. For instance, when he performed freelance surgery in Yiyuan County, not only was he not familiar with the assistant, but he also had to try to get to know the instruments and devices there. Still, he was able to perform the finger replantation surgery perfectly.

In comparison, the Achilles tendon repair technique was much easier to handle than finger replantations.

Only Lu Wenbin moaned and became lethargic.

Huo Congjun smiled and gave them a few reminders before he left the operating theater. Then, he asked someone to call for Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan was wearing her white coat, which hung down to her knees, and together with her big, black glasses, she gave off the feeling of a cosplayer. She stared at Department Director Huo, clueless about what she did wrong this time round.

“Yu Yuan, you’re a Master’s graduate. It has been three years since you first came to our department. Is it time for you to apply for an attending physician’s position?” Huo Congjun behaved in a very cordial manner.

“I haven’t worked as a chief resident yet.” Yu Yuan sounded slightly estranged. Based on the rules in Yun Hua Hospital, a surgeon needed to work as a chief resident before he or she could apply to be an attending physician.

Being a chief resident was very exhausting. It was the basic of all basics to be on call for twenty-four hours a day. Different departments had different working times, and it was normal for them to work between eighteen to twenty-four hours. Although this working period would only last for eight to ten months, their lives were definitely depleted at a higher rate than when they had to sit for college entrance exams.

Yet, such resident doctors were not people who did not know anything. They could only be appointed through the department’s recruitment process.

Yu Yuan had been moved between three treatment groups in three years, and none of the treatment groups wanted her to be a chief resident. So, it would be even more impossible for her to be promoted to an attending physician. Based on that alone, Yu Yuan’s career life was considered very bumpy because others did not even bother to exploit her.

Huo Congjun looked at Yu Yuan, but he could not get any useful information from her face.

“Yu Yuan,” Huo Congjun called out again.

“Yes.”

“I will take note of your interest in becoming a chief resident. From your recent performance, there shouldn’t be any problem for you to be appointed.” Huo Congjun had worked as the leader of the department for twenty years, so he was still good at giving nearly-impossible promises to newbies.

Yu Yuan felt very surprised. She knew that her surgical skills still needed improvement, but she never thought she would get a chance now.

Huo Congjun smiled and said, “Before that, I need to give you a task. The day after tomorrow, I want you to follow Ling Ran to the International Sports Orthopedics Research Conference. Your task will be very easy. I want you to follow Ling Ran and bring him back here.”

“Huh?” Yu Yuan did not seem to understand.

“You aren’t allowed to let anyone get close to Ling Ran, understand?” Huo Congjun’s tone turned stern. “Lu Wenbin’s too tactful, and he’s too easy-going. That’s why he allowed Ling Ran to have too much contact with the other party. Make sure you don’t make the same mistake as he did, this time.”

Yu Yuan did not understand, and asked, “Who’s this other party you’re referring to?”

“Everyone!” Huo Congjun looked at Yu Yuan and said, “You must make sure that you bring Ling Ran back, then your task will be complete. If Ling Ran doesn’t come back, you don’t have to come back too, understand?”

Huo Congjun’s military temperament exploded in an instant, and it made Yu Yuan, who was four feet and nine inches tall, tremble.

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