Chapter Thirty-two: One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

  Kneeling to beg for recommendation votes, rolling on the ground to ask for collection! The night is as quiet as water, washing away the hustle and bustle of the city's daytime, Lin City has fallen into a deep night, in this quiet night, Lin City People's Hospital is still brightly lit, with people coming and going.

  Chen Zhiyuan walked down the hospital corridor, smelling the familiar yet strange scent of disinfectant, looking at the white-clad figures, his expression dazed. When had he also been like these medical staff, wearing a white coat, shuttling through the hospital? At that time, his identity was just an intern, and his greatest dream was to stay in that hospital, to see that face as beautiful as a lily every day. But life was harsh and cruel, dreams were just a beautiful bubble, he eventually left for distant lands, only seeing that lily-like face again in his dreams.

  I don't know if she's married now, whether she still plays with her fingers while complaining about the heaviness of work, or whether she still remembers that chubby figure.

  Geng Ming saw Chen Zhiyuan standing still in a daze and pulled him over: "Brother, the elevator is here!"

  "Oh, let's go!"

  Geng Ming looked at Chen Zhiyuan's worried expression and didn't dare to say much, all the way leading him to the ward. Geng Jianmin's ward was a 4-bed room, the other patients had already fallen asleep, occasionally making a faint painful moan.

  Chen Zhiyuan's eyes landed on Geng Jianmin lying in the hospital bed, and he walked over in a few steps. The man in the hospital bed was no longer the young man with strong arms who had carried him on his shoulders, nor was it the middle-aged uncle who had chatted and laughed with him. Instead, it was an old man with a pale face and white hair at his temples, hanging his head low. If it weren't for the familiar face, Chen Zhiyuan would not have believed that this was the Uncle Geng who had accompanied him through his confused youth.

  Geng Jianmin's wife, Zhao Yulan, looked at the young man who had suddenly burst in with a mixture of shock and sadness on his face. The pain in the young man's eyes was so intense that it seemed to be welling up like tears. This pain caused Zhao Yulan's heart to ache as she gazed at her husband lying motionless on the hospital bed, and she burst into tears, covering her mouth with both hands to stifle a mournful cry.

  Geng Ming's eyes were also red at this time, and he was holding back tears. He silently walked to his mother's side and stretched out his hand to hug her.

  Zhao Yulan leaned on her son's shoulder, her body constantly trembling. The pressure of life and her husband's serious illness had completely crushed her nerves.

  It wasn't clear how much time had passed, but Chen Zhiyuan rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, reached out and put his hand on Geng Jianmin's arm, and opened his eyes again to take another look.

  Geng Ming knew that Chen Zhiyuan was studying clinical medicine in college. After Chen Zhiyuan finished the examination, he hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Brother, how is it?"

  Chen Zhiyuan turned his head and said: "The diagnosis is correct, hemorrhagic stroke, are there CT or MRI scans?"

  "Yes, yes!" Geng Ming said, taking out a piece from the cabinet and handing it over.

  Geng Jianmin had undergone CT and MRI scans, with the latter being enhanced. Lincheng People's Hospital was a top-tier hospital after all, so the images were exceptionally clear. Chen Zhiyuan carefully examined them, and his brow furrowed immediately.

  Geng Ming saw his face was not right and hastily asked: "Brother, what's wrong?"

  Chen Zhiyuan put down the film and said, "It's already at level 3, the hematoma has entered the brain chamber, what did you just tell me that Doctor wants to operate on Uncle Geng?"

  "Yes, isn't that urging me to hand over the money? What's wrong with that?" Geng Ming felt something was off from Chen Zhiyuan's tone.

  Ischemic stroke is divided into three levels. For patients with grades I and II, if the patient has no major underlying diseases and their overall condition is good, surgical treatment is allowed. However, for grade III, where the hematoma has broken into the ventricle or is a deep-seated intracerebral hemorrhage, surgery is absolutely not suitable, with extremely high risks, and ninety percent of patients will die.

  Geng Jianmin's situation clearly belongs to grade 3, and surgery is not possible from the start. Lin City is a second-tier city, but Lin City People's Hospital is a top-ranked hospital in the province, how can they not know this basic knowledge?

  "Tell me, what did the doctor actually say to you?" Chen Zhiyuan felt that something was off about this whole thing.

  "Just told me I need surgery and pay money, nothing else was said!" Geng Ming felt uneasy.

  "What's that doctor's name? I'll go ask him tomorrow!" Chen Zhiyuan decided to go find the doctor and ask him clearly since he couldn't get a clear answer from Geng Ming.

  Zhao Yulan suddenly said: "That doctor is on night shift today and just made his rounds!"

  "Alright, you guys wait here, I'll go ask about the situation!" Chen Zhiyuan furrowed his brow and stepped out of the door in a few strides.

  Chen Zhiyuan went straight to the doctor's office, knocked on the door, and a male voice came from inside: "Come in!"

  Chen Zhiyuan pushed open the door and entered. Inside, a man in his 40s wearing a white coat sat in front of a computer and asked upon seeing Chen Zhiyuan enter: "Can I help you?"

  "Hello, I am a family member of Geng Jianmin. Can you tell me about his condition?" Chen Zhiyuan asked directly.

  The middle-aged doctor pointed at the stool and said: "Sit down, what is your relationship with him?"

  "I'm his nephew, I heard that the medical expenses weren't enough, so I rushed over to pay, and also asked about my uncle's condition. It's late, sorry to trouble you, what's your surname?" Chen Zhiyuan was polite with his words, but in his heart, he was entangled by a mass of dark fog, this matter absolutely wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface.

  "My surname is Zuo, and I'm called Zuoming Shan. Your uncle's illness doesn't look good, he needs to have surgery immediately or his life will be in danger!"

  "Yes, yes, we're not in a hurry either. I just want to ask, if my uncle has surgery for this illness, what's the success rate?"

  "Any surgery is risky, even a simple appendicitis has risks, we doctors dare not guarantee 100% success. Even if you go to those big hospitals in the capital, those expert professors don't dare guarantee that the surgery will be successful. But your uncle's illness won't get better without surgery, and if he does have surgery, there is still a chance. Moreover, our hospital has invited experts from the capital, their level of expertise must be much higher than ours. With an expert performing the surgery, the chances are even greater!" Left Ming-shan said with a serious face.

  "But please ask the expert to come and pay the consultation fee for the expert, this expense is not included in the reimbursement. The day of the operation, just hand it over to me, 20,000 yuan. I've already told Geng Jianmin's family about this during the morning rounds!"

  "What are you talking about? All nonsense, not a single useful sentence. Are you an expert in Beijing? If you're an expert, shouldn't you know that this situation can't be operated on at all? Two thousand bucks? Chen Zhiyuan's eyes flashed with a hint of darkness: 'Is it open craniotomy or minimally invasive surgery?'"

  Zuo Mingshan's facial expression changed slightly, but immediately returned to normal. He picked up his cup of water, blew off the hot air and took a sip, laughing: "You young fellow also know medicine?"

  "I didn't know that, I just searched online before coming here today, isn't this also showing concern for my uncle's illness?" Chen Zhiyuan said calmly.

  "Open craniotomy, your uncle's hematoma has already entered the brain chamber, minimally invasive surgery is not possible!" Left Ming Shan had a hint of doubt in his heart, but looking at Chen Zhiyuan's young face, this hint of doubt also dissipated. Even if you're a medical professional, what can you do? Once the surgical consent form is signed, there's no way for you to stir up any trouble!

  "Then I'll trouble you, I'll go pay the fee tomorrow, please prepare the surgery for us as soon as possible, and we will definitely thank you sincerely then!" Chen Zhiyuan emphasized the last "thank you".

  Zuo Mingshan thought the young man was going to give him a red envelope, and his heart relaxed again. He politely said a few words to Chen Zhiyuan and confirmed that the surgery would be performed this Sunday.

  Chen Zhiyuan left the doctor's office and went to Geng Jianming's ward, gave some instructions to Geng Ming, and then left.

  Back home, Chen Zhiyuan used the global positioning system to track down Zuo Mingshan. At this time, Zuo Mingshan was making a phone call. Chen Zhiyuan took out his mobile phone and recorded the entire video, sneering: "Old man, I really have to thank you! I thought I'd have to waste more fat points to exchange for this tracking system, but unexpectedly, I caught your handle in one go! It saved me some fat points. When I get back, I'll definitely thank you properly!"