Chapter 39: The Nouveau Riche

Wu Jinxi left the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine with his two apprentices. Because things had become quite awkward between him and Old Gao toward the end, no farewell party was held in the department. Old Gao was likely relieved by his departure; he had been growing weary of their constant bickering.

Wang Yanan was determined to pursue surgery. Since Zhang Fan was highly skilled and she was eager to learn, she made rapid progress after following him for over a month. Having joined the hospital in the same year, they shared a bond closer than that of typical colleagues—much like newcomers in a group who huddle together for warmth. Medicine, especially surgery, requires one to first be unafraid of filth and fatigue. Wang Yanan could handle the fatigue, but the filth was a bit of a challenge. Her white coat always looked brand new, while Zhang Fan’s was often spotted with stains. It wasn't that Zhang Fan was sloppy; a surgeon encounters all sorts of situations in the emergency room. Blood can spray all over a doctor, and one must often kneel on the floor to perform resuscitation on fainting patients. Whenever such moments arose, Zhang Fan was almost always the one rushing to the front.

When Zhang Fan and Wang Yanan were on night shift, the associate chief physician did not stay. There were two attending physicians in the department, along with a few rotating residents. During night shifts, Zhang Fan couldn't spend his time in the emergency room; he had to keep an eye on post-operative patients in the department, handling any complications that arose. At 12:40 AM, just as he was about to turn off the lights to rest, the night nurse called out, "Dr. Zhang, hurry! To the emergency department. They say several patients have arrived in serious condition; they need you there quickly."

Zhang Fan grabbed his stethoscope and dashed toward the elevator. The emergency department was in chaos; families were crying and screaming, patients were groaning, and the hall was packed. "Make way!" Once inside, Dr. Lao Jiang from the emergency department saw him and urged, "These are all from the coal mine. Four were injured in a collapse, and they’ve been crushed quite badly. Take a look."

At first glance, they were unrecognizable. They were black—covered in coal dust from head to toe. The wounds were a mix of black and red, and even the blood flowing from them looked dark. Zhang Fan performed a preliminary assessment: the most severe case was a lumbar fracture, while the other three were relatively lighter, though still not optimistic.

"Call the chief," Zhang Fan said to Wang Yanan, and then he began contacting the surgical departments. Four casualties required at least twelve doctor-shifts, so Zhang Fan started making calls one by one. Within half an hour, the staff had arrived. After the families were briefed and the consent forms were signed, just as they were about to enter the operating room, they heard the worker who had brought the patients say, "Doctor, our boss is here."

The man who arrived was middle-aged, flashing a set of gleaming gold teeth. "Chief Gao, I presume? Sorry to trouble you all in the middle of the night. Please take good care of my workers." With that, he nodded, and a man who appeared to be his secretary began handing out envelopes to each doctor.

The atmosphere felt like a visit from a superior official. Old Gao squeezed the envelope and said, "Saving lives is our duty. Since they are admitted, it is our responsibility. We don’t need this!"

"This is just a token of appreciation, a personal donation. It has nothing to do with bribery. Four workers, four lives—if you can save them all, there will be even more generous rewards." He was arrogant—extremely arrogant. Zhang Fan felt the envelope; there was about ten thousand yuan inside. He liked this kind of arrogance. Old Gao was in a dilemma; refusing would displease his team, but accepting felt like taking charity. He decided to set it aside for now and get to the surgery. He, Cui Pingjun, and Xue Fei took a rotating resident to handle the lumbar fracture case. Zhang Fan led Old Li and Wang Yanan to operate on the second patient, who had a shoulder joint injury combined with humerus and pelvic fractures. Zhou Chengfu took a team to handle the third case, a clavicle fracture. The fourth was just a superficial wound; it looked gruesome with blood everywhere, but it just needed disinfection and debridement.

Both Old Gao’s and Zhang Fan’s surgeries were difficult. The lumbar fracture could easily lead to paraplegia if not handled correctly. As for Zhang Fan’s patient, the shoulder joint was shattered; it would inevitably become stiff, with limited range of motion, leaving the arm essentially decorative. After more than four hours, Zhang Fan’s team finished first. When they exited the operating room, they found Old Gao was still working. Zhang Fan didn't scrub in again; the four tables were full, and there was still the debridement patient outside. He wasn't sure how the rotating resident was faring with that one.

There are many mines in the border region between China and Kazakhstan. In the early years, they were state-run, but somehow, they had gradually become private. In the autumn, they had to rush to mine as much coal as possible, as the peak demand season was approaching. In the frontier, stability is paramount; accidents aren't feared as long as the families don't cause trouble, which is only possible if the victims are saved and paid handsomely.

This was the first time Zhang Fan had encountered a tycoon of this level. He was extraordinarily generous. After the surgeries, he had a banquet set up directly in the doctors' office, leaving Old Gao at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. "Sorry to trouble you all today. Just eat something simple. In a few days, when my workers are doing better, I’ll come back. I have business to attend to today—please, eat up." He left with his entourage, looking very much like a gang leader.

It was the middle of the night, and no one had an appetite for a feast of fish and meat. It was hard to imagine how much money had been spent; it must have been difficult for the chefs to prepare at such an hour. Old Gao looked at the boss's retreating figure and sighed, "Eat if you want, or clear it away if you don't. Leaving it here isn't right. That boss speaks nicely, but he’s implying the opposite: if they survive, all is well; if they don't, he won't let it go. Fortunately, the surgeries were all successful. Everyone, pay close attention to the patients, and Head Nurse, please keep a close watch." With that, he told everyone to get some rest.

A week later, the two lighter cases were discharged, and although the other two couldn't leave yet, their recovery was just a matter of time. This time, the coal boss was even more imposing. Instead of the middle of the night, he invited the Orthopedics Department to dinner, sending several Audis to take them to a manor in the mountains. They were hosted by the boss’s female assistant, a master’s degree holder from a top university, whose looks and education were outstanding for such a small town. Old Gao didn't go, but he didn't stop the others.

The manor covered dozens of acres, with a vineyard outside and small villas inside, complete with fish ponds and kennels. The drinks were Moutai, and the cigarettes were Zhonghua. Cold-water fish head, deer velvet, pheasant, and matsutake mushrooms—every dish was more exotic than the last. The female assistant toasted them and left after a few words, implying that her boss was a man of class and they should enjoy themselves. When they left, each person received two cartons of cigarettes, two bottles of liquor, and a ten-thousand-yuan red envelope. On the way back, the atmosphere in the car was subdued. They had been well-fed and well-treated, but they were also shocked—it was pure, naked envy. Zhang Fan didn't think much about it; he was wondering whether to sell the gifts or take them home for his father to try. Moutai! His father had heard of it but never seen it.

"Take this; bringing it home would just be a waste on my father. It’s your gain." Wang Yanan handed the two cartons of cigarettes to Zhang Fan. Not only did Zhang Fan not refuse, but he stared longingly at the two bottles of liquor in her hand. "You really have no shame! I’m taking these home. Let’s go—a single tycoon has managed to fool the lot of you!"

In 2009, money was still quite valuable. A meal like that was worth nearly half a small apartment—how could they not be shocked?