Chapter 373: Playing It Extremely Safe

The Emergency Department was very busy; Meng Qingfei was called back to see patients before he even had time to think.

The Emergency Internal Medicine Doctor went to the ICU, and Lu Gang, not being one to stand on ceremony, sat directly in the Internal Medicine Consultation Room and began seeing patients.

Half an hour later, Ji Xiang and Zhao Zhe returned.

After Meng Qingfei finished seeing the patient, he pulled Ji Xiang aside and asked, "Xiao Ji, was it really an Addisonian crisis?"

"Yes." Ji Xiang nodded.

"You knew from the very beginning?"

"I didn't." Ji Xiang lied through his teeth. "The doctor over at the ICU requested a bedside Ultrasound, and that's how we found out."

"..." Zhao Zhe was speechless.

It was clear that as soon as Ji Xiang entered the ICU, he had demanded a bedside Ultrasound, yet after returning, he flatly denied it, lying through his teeth.

He couldn't understand why Ji Xiang was so low-key; no matter how you looked at it, the diagnosis and treatment of this patient were extremely impressive. If it were him, it would be enough to brag about for three days and three nights, with great flourish.

Yet Ji Xiang was very low-key, unexpectedly low-key.

"Xiao Ji, don't hide it, tell me about it." Seeing Zhao Zhe's constipated expression, Meng Qingfei had an idea and said with a smile.

"I really didn't discover it; it was just that the patient's condition wasn't right, so I performed a defibrillation. I only performed the chest compressions because the patient was failing, and I didn't even know if I had done it right. I was a bit anxious at the time; this matter is better handled by you."

Meng Qingfei looked at Ji Xiang helplessly; perhaps this was the truth?

Today, Ji Xiang's performance could already be described as monstrous; Meng Qingfei found it incredible.

The dumplings had already gone cold, but having dumplings for dinner was indeed not bad, even if they were cold, unlike other dishes.

It was just that with Lu Gang there, there weren't enough dumplings.

After eating a few bites haphazardly, Meng Qingfei was constantly called out to see patients.

Past ten o'clock, seeing that there were fewer patients, Ji Xiang said a word to Meng Qingfei and rode his bike home.

Zhao Zhe's Rental House was close to the hospital, and when he wanted to leave, he was pulled back by Meng Qingfei.

"Zhao Yisheng, let's go smoke a cigarette." Meng Qingfei pulled Zhao Zhe toward the Fire Exit.

"Brother Meng, don't ask me, I don't know anything." Zhao Zhe knew what Meng Qingfei was keeping him for; he had a strange expression and refused directly.

"Heh, what's there to ask? Just chatting a bit. By the way, how is it working with Xiao Ji?" Meng Qingfei changed the subject.

"Pretty good!" Zhao Zhe suddenly became spirited. "Brother Meng, let me tell you, I never knew how much money one could make at a top-tier hospital. I heard people say about 200,000 a year, but I didn't believe it; I thought it was impossible."

"How much do you make a month over in Yuanliao?" Meng Qingfei asked.

"After deductions, I take home 3,500 a month, and counting the year-end bonus, it's about 50,000 a year." Zhao Zhe said. "Xiao Ji doesn't have much work; he just buries his head in doing surgeries. I really hit the jackpot."

"I tried every method over in Yuanliao, but Brother Meng, you know how it is for us doctors; how much a junior doctor can earn depends on whether the Director is greedy and how loose their fingers are."

"Heh." Meng Qingfei nodded.

"I worked in the Urology Department for ten years, then spent two years in the Outpatient Department, but in the end, I felt that Orthopedics made money, so I specifically took the exam for an Orthopedics Attending Physician certificate. But having the certificate is useless; those lucrative spots never come to me, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get into the Orthopedics Department."

"You even took a separate exam for a certificate? You're quite determined." Meng Qingfei wasn't surprised, just smiled.

You aren't limited to just one Practicing Certificate; as long as you have the heart, you can take as many as you want. In the Second Affiliated Hospital, Meng Qingfei knew someone who had four Practicing Certificates.

But a person is only one person and cannot clone themselves, so having many Practicing Certificates is useless.

"After I divorced my wife, I felt I couldn't be poor for a lifetime. To tell a joke, when I was young, I thought money wasn't important, that ideals, struggle, and saving lives were what mattered. But look at me; although I haven't reached the point of a broken home, I'm essentially separated from my wife and child. Is it useful? Not a damn bit!"

Zhao Zhe shook his clothes and sighed. "But we're just ordinary people; what I can see, others can see too. Our Orthopedics Department has the most doctors; the Urology Department has a shift every 3 or 4 days, while Orthopedics has one every 10 days. You tell me how much the on-duty doctors differ."

"That's true, the Second Affiliated Hospital is the same. In Orthopedics, they don't even want doctors with PhDs from overseas," Meng Qingfei said.

"But it was a coincidence; the second department Ji Yisheng Xiang rotated through was Orthopedics, so I hit the mark by accident. My Intermediate Certificate is practically something I earned for Xiao Ji!"

"Is there a lot of work in the department? When will you be promoted to Deputy Director?"

Meng Qingfei asked.

At this, Zhao Zhe's eyes lit up.

"Brother Meng, Ji Yisheng Xiang is truly a lucky charm, really."

"Oh?"

"I've been doing data statistics for over a decade; Ji Yisheng Xiang found someone to write the copy, and it's already been emailed to the editorial department." Zhao Zhe said with a smile. "The national-level journal is publishing a Gegan baodao, and The Lancet is publishing the full text."

"Even The Lancet!"

"Heh, I used to dream about it, but I never dared to think about it in reality. It has to be young people like Ji Yisheng Xiang; not only do they dare to dream, they dare to think."

"If you take too big a step, be careful not to tear your crotch." Meng Qingfei laughed. "But I am very envious."

"It seems there's also the Provincial Natural Science Foundation; Bai Chuzhang helped facilitate it, and Director Liu has already greeted all the big shots in the province."

"!!!"

Meng Qingfei never expected that Ji Xiang could cause such a stir.

But in a flash, he remembered that when he called the ICU to ask for a bed, he couldn't get one, yet Ji Xiang called Bai Chuzhang directly; he had more face than he, an old doctor at the Second Affiliated Hospital, did.

They say heroes have emerged from the youth since ancient times; it really is true.

"Zhao Yisheng, congratulations," Meng Qingfei said.

"It's all thanks to Ji Yisheng Xiang." Zhao Zhe knew his place and said very earnestly, "Unlike you, Brother Meng."

"Me?"

Zhao Zhe smiled and didn't continue.

"Dad, the article is published!" Zhao Tianjiao stayed up all night, finally waiting for the new issue of the Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics to come out; seeing the article he had been longing for, he roared with excitement.

"Keep it down, the neighbors are asleep." Zhao Jixiang wore a smile.

Although everything was under control and he had paved the way for his son long ago, being able to turn his vision into reality step by step was quite pleasing.

Zhao Jixiang felt deeply gratified.

"Heh! Let's see what Ji Xiang has to compare with me!" Zhao Tianjiao said triumphantly.

"Ji Xiang?" Hearing this name, Zhao Jixiang felt exceptionally awkward inside.

His son actually bringing him up was a bit of a mood killer.

"Dad, you don't even know how annoying Ji Xiang is."

"He can publish papers too, don't get cocky too early," Zhao Jixiang cautioned.

"When I went back to the Orthopedics Department, I heard his article had already been uploaded and emailed. I just took a look, and there is no article by Ji Xiang in this month's Urology Department journal," Zhao Tianjiao said smugly. "I told you, the stuff he fumbles around with on his own definitely wouldn't pass the review."

(End of chapter)