Chapter 777: Rising Smoke

Early the next morning, just as Ji Xiang arrived at the hospital, he was stopped by Deng Chaohong.

Deng Chaohong was beaming, full of high spirits.

"Xiao Ji, I have some good news for you."

"Teacher Deng, what good news?"

"Remember when you were doing that variety show, Wembanyama said he wanted to come for surgery and even appeared on the television program?"

"I remember." Ji Xiang smiled. "Has he finally figured it out?"

Finally... figured... it out...

This was said with the utmost confidence, and with the utmost "Versailles" attitude.

Deng Chaohong was slightly stunned, then gave a bitter smile.

"Yes, Wembanyama's team contacted me yesterday, preparing to fly over for surgery in the near future."

"Isn't it in Shanghai?"

"There's still time; we'll go to Shanghai to perform surgery on Li Muzhi first. It will take a while longer for Wembanyama's side to come over."

"Alright then," Ji Xiang replied with a smile.

"Xiao Ji, come here." Deng Chaohong pulled Ji Xiang aside and looked left and right, acting just like a thief, yet he still felt uneasy.

They walked from the office to the Duty Room, and finally went to the restroom.

The hospital was full of people early in the morning. Seeing Deng Chaohong's cautious expression, Ji Xiang felt quite helpless, so he pulled him toward the Fire Exit.

There were Family Members secretly smoking in the Fire Exit; they walked down two flights of stairs before finding a place with no one around.

"Teacher Deng, you want to talk to me about the fees, right?" Ji Xiang brought it up directly.

Deng Chaohong was speechless.

"How much is Wembanyama's side offering? 3 million dollars or 5 million dollars? Any less wouldn't be appropriate. And what does the hospital say about the money?" Ji Xiang asked.

"!!!"

Deng Chaohong was completely dumbfounded, and then a sense of relief washed over his entire body; he even felt as if he were starting to lose his strength.

After hearing the incredible price yesterday, Deng Chaohong had harbored a tiny bit of selfish thought after the initial excitement.

Ji Xiang was just a Standardized Training Doctor, young, naive, and focused solely on surgery.

Regarding the Neymar surgery, Deng Chaohong hadn't heard any talk about surgical fees either.

What if he didn't bring up the fees, muddled through, and ended up putting it all in his own pocket?

Deng Chaohong had thought about it all night, but still hadn't made up his mind.

It was only when he saw Ji Xiang in the morning that he felt a pang of conscience, deciding to pull Ji Xiang to a secluded place to talk about the money.

Yet, Deng Chaohong never expected that Ji Xiang had already been clear-headed about it, and the price he gave was not far off.

"How did you know?" Deng Chaohong asked in a low voice.

"That's about the going rate for surgery for internationally renowned athletes," Ji Xiang smiled. "However, not many doctors dare to take on a secondary surgery, so Teacher Deng can ask for more."

"!!!"

"Exactly how much?"

"4.5 million dollars," Deng Chaohong said.

"Double it," Ji Xiang said calmly. "9 million dollars, take it or leave it."

"Holy shit!" A curse word slipped out of Deng Chaohong's mouth, completely contradicting his previously refined persona.

Ji Xiang really was... a lion opening its mouth wide.

In Deng Chaohong's view, a surgical fee of 4.5 million dollars was already an astronomical price, yet Ji Xiang was not only unsatisfied and unexcited, but felt the money was too little and demanded to double it right off the bat.

Moreover, doing so went against Deng Chaohong's long-held perception and understanding of doctors.

The person flying over for surgery was already showing trust in his own level... no, wait, trust in Ji Xiang and the entire medical team.

There should be a Flying Knife fee, but a hundred thousand or eighty thousand would be enough; why ask for several million dollars!

Besides, a doctor raising the price on the spot and talking about money so bluntly made Deng Chaohong feel even more uncomfortable.

Not to mention Ji Xiang asking to double it immediately.

There used to be a few jokes mocking surgeons for taking red envelopes.

For example, even if it were for their own father's surgery, they would still demand a red envelope first, otherwise, the surgery wouldn't proceed.

Deng Chaohong's worldview let out a creaking, shattering sound.

"Teacher Deng, he is a basketball star from Mei Di, and he's still on a rookie contract. As long as he plays well this season, he'll be getting a max contract of tens of millions next year," Ji Xiang said. "Don't worry, he doesn't care about this little bit."

"Xiao Ji, how much money did you take when Neymar came for surgery while you were doing the show?"

"I didn't ask for money," Ji Xiang answered righteously.

"!!!" The exclamation marks above Deng Chaohong's head grew more numerous, and black lines appeared on his forehead.

"We were recording a variety show at the time, and I'm not short on money. Neymar coming to China for surgery was a favor to me, so why talk about money? They didn't mention it, and I suspect there was a huge disagreement within their medical team. We should hurry and perform the surgery; once it's done, it's a done deal, and we can talk then."

"But Wembanyama is different."

Deng Chaohong felt like Ji Xiang was playing house, joking around with him.

"Seriously, no problem, Teacher Deng." Ji Xiang smiled. "My dad gave me some data yesterday; an actuary calculated that 9 million dollars is the upper limit they can afford."

Deng Chaohong was once again stunned by Ji Xiang's words.

An actuary—since when do doctors have to deal with actuaries?

"Don't you worry," Ji Xiang comforted him.

"Xiao Ji, aren't you not short on money?" Deng Chaohong asked in a low voice.

"I'm not short on money, but the others in the medical team are," Ji Xiang said. "Zhao Yisheng Zhe just settled down here and needs money for many things. The pocket money my mom gives me is enough for me, but it would seem a bit wrong to just give him money directly."

Deng Chaohong listened silently as Ji Xiang flexed.

"I'll take every bit of the money; I'm worried about the pressure on Zhao Yisheng. It feels more comfortable to spend money I've earned myself, don't you think, Teacher Deng?"

"Uh... I suppose so."

"You have to pay 45% in taxes; you could also tell Wembanyama's team that you need 4.5 million USD after tax," Ji Xiang suggested.

"Such a high tax?!"

Ji Xiang paused for a moment, looking at Deng Chaohong with a surprised expression.

Deng Chaohong scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He wasn't short on money, but the money he earned was rarely taxed; Ji Xiang understood the various implications of this in an instant.

"You keep a portion of what's left, and Zhao Yisheng and Lin will each take a portion," Ji Xiang divided the money very readily.

What a damn show-off!

Deng Chaohong was wailing inside.

The key was that Ji Xiang really didn't care about the money; he didn't even look at the millions of dollars, dividing it directly between himself, Zhao Zhe, and Lin Jiu... what was it? Deng Chaohong hesitated for a moment before remembering the name Lin Jiuze.

"Right, we still need to set some aside," Ji Xiang suddenly said.

Deng Chaohong smiled slightly. Heh, there's always a time when someone overdoes the act.

At the very least, he had to leave half for Ji Xiang.

"Give some to the Instrument Nurse Tang Yan as well. Teacher Deng, you come up with a specific plan, and when we have time, we'll sit down and discuss it. As for money, we can just earn more; there's no need to worry about the immediate amount. There will be plenty of opportunities to earn money in the future, don't you think?"

Ji Xiang waved his hand, speaking very casually.

Deng Chaohong was on the verge of tears.

Ji Xiang really, truly didn't give a damn about the money.

"Teacher Deng, when are we flying to Shanghai?" Ji Xiang asked.

"If we count Wembanyama's surgery, the sooner the better."

"Then let's go tomorrow or the day after."

Ji Xiang made the final decision; the leave request, along with the qualification review and filing, all had to go through the Medical Affairs Department.

Generally speaking, Flying Knife surgeries are performed at lower-level hospitals; the Second Affiliated Hospital is considered one of the top Grade A Tertiary Hospitals in the province, so there are quite a few Flying Knife trips.

But going upward to Shanghai for a Flying Knife surgery—this was a first.

Bai Chuzhang held the approval form and looked at it for a long time, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Doctor Ji Xiang, I'd like to take half a day off when we get to Shanghai."

Lin Jiuze didn't care about the money distribution. After the medical team sat down and finished their meeting to discuss how to split the funds, he whispered to Ji Xiang.

"Oh, that doesn't count as leave, as long as it doesn't delay the surgery," Ji Xiang smiled. "Is your home in Shanghai? Are you going back to visit your elders?"

Lin Jiuze suddenly seemed a bit flustered.

It looked like it wasn't that Ji Xiang had guessed his home was in Shanghai and he was surprised, but rather that there was something else going on.

Ji Xiang was slightly taken aback. He considered himself fairly knowledgeable about what kind of person Lin Jiuze was; his thoughts flashed like lightning, and then he felt confused.

Lin Jiuze was usually very aloof, and combined with his potential to be a "little transparent," Ji Xiang really couldn't figure out what Lin Jiuze had to be embarrassed about.

And it wasn't just embarrassment; Lin Jiuze's expression was strangely inexplicable. For a moment, Ji Xiang felt that Lin Jiuze's emotions were like a layered pastry—too complex to describe.

"Doctor Lin, what's wrong with you?"

"No, nothing," Lin Jiuze flatly denied it.

In an instant!

Shen Lang's gossiping nature surged within Ji Xiang's heart.

But this was Lin Jiuze's personal privacy, and by nature, Ji Xiang didn't want to get too involved.

Two forces intertwined within his heart; for the first time, Ji Xiang understood exactly what it meant for two little people to be fighting inside.

After the leave was approved, the group of 5 flew to Shanghai.

Tang Yan sat in her first-class seat, looking around; she was extremely satisfied with this "job."

She had originally thought that getting an extra income from Feng Yuqing every month was already the best of luck, but she hadn't expected that just being an Instrument Nurse would allow her to get millions!

She was a little excited, but on the plane, Ji Xiang's expression was hesitant, as if he had something on his mind. Tang Yan spoke to Ji Xiang several times without getting a response.

"Lao Zhao, what's wrong with Ji Xiang? Is the surgery difficult? Can't he perform it?" Tang Yan asked Zhao Zhe in a low voice.

Zhao Zhe had also noticed Ji Xiang's strangeness.

He scratched his head, "We're the ones doing the work; do more, ask less."

"Tch!" Tang Yan scoffed.

"Little Tang, let me tell you, earning money isn't easy, and don't think we're indispensable. As for us, anyone could replace us," Zhao Zhe lowered his voice to tell Tang Yan.

Some things didn't need to be said, but Tang Yan had a cheerful personality and was truly likable. Zhao Zhe was even less willing to see structural problems arise in their newly established, stable medical team, so he gave Tang Yan a heads-up first.

Some things needed to be done silently by an old Attending Physician like himself, even if Ji Xiang didn't know.

"Pfft, I know," Tang Yan chuckled, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, is that what you mean?"

"That's about the gist of it. Let me tell you something," Zhao Zhe whispered with a smile, "Isn't the New Year coming up? A few days ago, I went to visit the ancestral graves."

"..." Tang Yan glanced at Zhao Zhe.

"They're all small mounds, not a public cemetery, so it's very hard to find the ancestral graves," Zhao Zhe rambled on, "This time it was simple. I was holding our Second Affiliated Hospital ID badge and the medical team's audit documents, and I saw a wisp of blue smoke rising. I followed it and went straight to my family's ancestral grave."

"!!!" Tang Yan laughed out loud; Zhao Zhe really had no sense of propriety.

"Brother Zhao, you're probably the only one who would dare to joke about your own ancestral grave," Tang Yan said with a smile.

"It's not a joke. I reckon if my ancestors knew about this in the afterlife, they'd be very gratified," Zhao Zhe straightened his back and said solemnly, "When I was an Attending Physician in Yuanliao, the money was distributed from the top down. Everyone talks about how big the profits are, but the people at the bottom doing the work get the least."

"We don't even see the big money; the Director only gets a small portion, and as for the clinical doctors working like oxen and horses below, being able to drink a bit of soup is already considered having a good Director."

"By the way, Little Tang, do you have any extra income in the operating room?"

Tang Yan shook her head.

"Exactly." Zhao Zhe kept his voice low as he whispered to Tang Yan, "All the things used, the income is all taken by the Head Nurse and the department director. The people who are actually doing the work on the clinical front lines don't have much income."

"Look at this time, Xiao Ji didn't take any of it at all. Let's put it this way: if Xiao Ji had taken 80%, or even 90%, would there be anything wrong with that?"

"No, that's why I think there's something wrong with him; that's all money," Tang Yan said.

"Heh, encountering a good leader is like smoke rising from your ancestors' graves; this is absolutely not a joke."

Zhao Zhe was not a chatterbox this time; he seemed to have thought of something and shuddered.

"Zhao Ge, let me introduce a girlfriend to you." Tang Yan didn't notice Zhao Zhe's mood and suddenly changed the subject.

Zhao Zhe thought Tang Yan understood what he meant, so he started chatting about gossip.

"No, I'm not suited for marriage." Zhao Zhe sighed, "Let me tell you something. Do you know why I got divorced?"

"Why?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

"Because a few years ago, some scammers started with order brushing." Zhao Zhe sighed; although he was talking about past events, his mood still couldn't lift.

"My ex-wife did order brushing and was scammed out of more than 50,000 yuan."

"!!!" Tang Yan was surprised, "Are there really people that stupid? I always thought those were stories made up to trick people!"

"It's not stupidity. I've studied it; these things go straight to human nature. A few years ago, there was a case where a Tsinghua University professor was scammed out of millions by a Kill Pig Plate, do you know that? A Tsinghua University professor, they are purely high-intellect individuals."

Tang Yan shook her head.

"Let's not talk about that. My ex-wife was scammed out of over 50,000 yuan because of order brushing; making up the money would have been enough. I was even afraid she would get upset and comforted her for a whole day, but in the end, she came to a conclusion—that she only got scammed because she married me."

Tang Yan widened her eyes, not understanding the logic behind it.

That was just too unreasonable.

"Actually, I know what it's about, too." Zhao Zhe sighed again, "It's just that she disliked that I earned too little. Look at all the short videos and Little Red Book posts everywhere now, they're all about showing off wealth. The annual production of Rolls-Royce Phantoms doesn't even compare to the number of people on Little Red Book 'happily receiving' a Rolls-Royce. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Pfft, those are all bragging; you can't take them seriously. If you believe them, you've already lost," Tang Yan said very calmly.

"That's right, but my ex-wife believed it, so the scammers found a loophole and swindled 50,000 out of her."

"Ever since she cried and said that it was because she married me that she got scammed, I knew we had to get a divorce. At that time, my feeling... was like having a bucket of ice water poured over my head."

"I was truly disappointed to the core."

"Pfft, Zhao Ge, that's all in the past. You're not short on money now, are you?" Tang Yan persuaded.

"Not being short on money makes it even less necessary to find a partner," Zhao Zhe said with a smile, "My life is so free now, why bother?"

"But..."

"They want gifts on Valentine's Day, gifts on anniversaries, gifts on all sorts of days, but they can't remember my birthday. You tell me, why bother? I earn money to support the family, and watching livestreams in my spare time is also quite good."

"What will you do when the day comes that you can't walk anymore?"

"Aren't you still young?" Zhao Zhe said, "I'm not taking advantage of you; for now, we are comrades in the same medical team. At the very least, when I go to a nursing home, you can come visit me. If I'm lying in the ICU, you can push some medicine for me to let me go comfortably."

"Zhao Ge, you've lived these forty-plus years in vain. Don't you know that people are forgotten once they leave their posts?" Tang Yan said with disdain.

"If you don't do it, isn't there still Xiao Ji?" Zhao Zhe said very frankly, "Xiao Ji is very righteous. When I'm old, Xiao Ji will definitely let me go comfortably."

Tang Yan's expression changed slightly, and she looked up at Ji Xiang in front.

Zhao Zhe's evaluation of Ji Xiang was no longer just flattery; it was so high that she had never heard anything like it in her entire life.

Ji Xiang was chatting with Lin Jiuze, and Tang Yan pricked up her ears to listen for a long time but didn't hear what they were talking about.

"Doctor Lin, if you have any difficulties, just say so. I see you seem to have some unspeakable secret. If it's inconvenient, then forget it, but if I can help, I definitely will."

Ji Xiang hesitated for a long time, and in the end, he revealed his trump card.

He really wanted to know why Lin Jiuze was so troubled.

Just as he was speaking, a flight attendant walked over and squatted down beside Lin Jiuze.

"Mr. Ji, what would you like to drink?" the flight attendant asked attentively.

Ji Xiang glanced at Lin Jiuze, and seeing that he was already unfazed, he smiled, "Give me a glass of plain water. Doctor Lin, what would you like?"

After the flight attendant heard Ji Xiang's words, she finally saw Lin Jiuze.

She was startled and almost fell to the ground.

"Plain water," Lin Jiuze said.

The flight attendant fled in a panic, and as for asking Ji Xiang for his contact information, she had forgotten it completely.

"Doctor Ji Xiang, I... sigh." Lin Jiuze said in a low voice, "Family scandals should not be spread abroad."

Hearing the six words "family scandals should not be spread abroad," Ji Xiang's whole being boiled over.

Vaguely, the silhouette of Shen Lang rose up behind Ji Xiang, his ears perked up like antennas.

But since Lin Jiuze had said it like that, Ji Xiang had no choice.

"Sigh." Ji Xiang desperately suppressed the gossip in his heart.

"My father was a scientist, one of the first in our country to research electronic equipment and chips," Lin Jiuze suddenly said.

"!!!"

Ji Xiang pricked up his ears, listening intently.

"Unfortunately, when my father was young, he was sent to the former Soviet Union to study, and he took the wrong path."

"Oh, I know this," Ji Xiang immediately chimed in, fearing that Lin Jiuze would stop talking.

"The former Soviet Union followed the transistor route, while the United States followed the integrated circuit route, and the former Soviet Union used ternary."

"Yes, my father later also said that transistors had advantages, but in peacetime, the disadvantages were greater. However, ternary was particularly advanced, it's just a pity that there is no longer any soil to cultivate the fruits of ternary."

How is this considered a family scandal?

Ji Xiang was a bit confused.

To put it broadly, this was the lifelong exploration of an old scientist, even though the final result was a failure.

In this world that judges heroes by success or failure, perhaps they are not worth remembering.

However, in the education Ji Xiang received, he believed these people were all unsung heroes.

Only through constant trial and error can the correct path be found.

Many scientific researchers spend their whole lives studying something, only for it to be directly negated by the appearance of a certain paper, which causes all the researchers' hard work to go down the drain.

But is their existence meaningless?

Just as Ji Xiang was thinking this, Lin Jiuze continued, "My dad has become so obsessed with his research that he's gone off the deep end, which is why he had me quite late."

"How old is the Old Man?"

"Over seventy."

"That is indeed quite late."

"My dad..." Lin Jiuze spoke of his own father, his face full of worry, and then stopped abruptly.

Ji Xiang consoled him, "It's normal for an Old Man to become obsessed with scientific research, but you surely don't know if it's truly an obsession or just a persistence for scientific truth."

Lin Jiuze shook his head.

"If he lived in the laboratory every day, that would be fine."

"Oh?!" Ji Xiang's ears twitched.

"I..." Lin Jiuze hesitated as he spoke, turning his head to look at Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang displayed an unprecedented "thirst for knowledge," which made Lin Jiuze look at him sideways.

In his impression, Ji Xiang didn't have this attribute at all.

After a brief hesitation, Lin Jiuze said slowly, "A few years ago, I applied to Harvard and later got into medical school. I won all sorts of scholarships and thought I could bring the Old Man out."

"With me taking care of him, I could be more at ease. After all, my dad didn't have much going on back in the country; he was basically half-useless."

"And so, he came to the United States."

"But he was very unhappy in the United States. My mom passed away early, and my dad studied Russian; he couldn't communicate with anyone in Boston at all. Boston is different from those big cities; the Chinese community is relatively small, there aren't many people, and it's mostly young people."

"My dad wanted to go to Tang Ren Jie in Luo Shan Ji, but... you have to admit, if he ran off to Luo Shan Ji while I was in Boston, the distance would be too far."

Ji Xiang nodded, "In that case, it would be better to stay in the country."

"Exactly," Lin Jiuze said miserably, "My dad complained every day back then, saying he couldn't even find an old lady to chat with."

"Pfft." Ji Xiang couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud.

Lin Jiuze was slightly annoyed.

"Sorry, sorry." Ji Xiang apologized quickly.

At this moment, the flight attendant came over, carrying a glass of plain water.

Ji Xiang took it, handed it to Lin Jiuze, and smiled slightly, "I'll have another glass."

The flight attendant froze for a moment, looking confused, then bowed to apologize and went back to get more water.

"My dad was bored to death living in Boston, and later he insisted on returning to the country no matter what."

"Let him go back," Ji Xiang said, "The Old Man is a scientific researcher. The young people sent to the former Soviet Union to study back then were all the Elite of the Elite. His retirement pension is quite high, and his medical insurance is good, so he doesn't spend much money. If his legs and feet are mobile and he has few geriatric diseases, returning to the country is not a bad idea."

"That's what I thought too," Lin Jiuze said, "But my dad did come back, and when I went home for the first time, I was... I was left speechless by him."

"What happened?"

"I'll take you to see when we get off the plane." Lin Jiuze thought for a long time before making a decision.

Although family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, it didn't seem to matter much to tell Ji Xiang.

(End of this chapter)