Chapter 29: The Most Vulnerable Time (Asking for Favorites, Asking for Follows)

October 6th, 12:57 PM.

Fang Ziye got off the high-speed train at Han City Railway Station in Han City.

National Day has a seven-day holiday; professional master's students don't technically have "time off," but if they privately arrange shift swaps and temporarily hand over their assigned patients to others, superiors will turn a blind eye and let you go home or go out and "have fun" for a day or two without saying anything.

Fang Ziye used this method to take compensatory leave from the 4th to the 6th. His fellow trainee Jie Han, on the other hand, went out to "wander unrestrained" for a few days right at the start of the October holiday.

"Dad, I've already gotten off the high-speed rail. Don't worry, I'm taking the subway, I'll be at the dormitory soon." The dormitory Fang Ziye referred to was his own rented apartment, not the graduate student dormitory.

"As long as you've arrived. You just focus on your own work, don't worry too much about home. Your mom and I are both in good health."

"You finally got some rest, yet you ran all the way home. You must be exhausted from the travel, right?" His father's heavy voice on the phone gave Fang Ziye an indescribably grounded feeling.

Fang Ziye's hometown was in a small town under Ba County in Hubei Province; the round trip wasn't particularly far.

But his parents knew exactly what their child's situation was like, especially with a medical student in the family — they also knew how fiercely competitive medical student employment was, and they knew Fang Ziye wanted to pursue a doctorate.

They could only provide a certain amount of financial support; everything else depended on Fang Ziye himself.

"Pretty good, took the chance to nourish myself a bit."

"If I didn't come wreak a little havoc, wouldn't the chickens and ducks Grandma raises have practically become spirits?" Fang Ziye joked.

"All for you alone. (I owe you.)" His father casually scolded, then hung up.

Fang Ziye squeezed onto the subway.

Thinking back seriously, the reason he didn't tell his parents this trip that he was almost certain to get into a PhD program was mainly because the paperwork hadn't been finalized yet.

Without written commitment, it's all fake; if it falls through at the last minute, the joy would be in vain, and that would be worse.

Better to wait until the college's documents come down, or the list is announced, then tell Dad and Mom the good news.

【Current Knowledge Points Balance: 57.1!】

Fang Ziye immediately checked his panel balance, his thoughts stirring for a moment.

On October 2nd, during the teacher's outpatient clinic, Fang Ziye saw four patient numbers again, not asking for more, because he still felt his level wasn't as good as the teacher's, so he shouldn't be too excessive.

Insufficient level actually means letting the visiting patients become your "growth material."

A certain quantity is enough; you still have to be worthy of the patients who came specifically for Yuan Weihong's consultation.

However, among these four patients, there was a fellow trainee younger than himself. While performing a physical examination on him, Fang Ziye felt something he shouldn't have felt; on the X-ray, a sunburst pattern appeared.

At that moment Fang Ziye immediately suggested he go check the neighboring Bone Tumor Department.

A full 48 Knowledge Points instantly landed in Fang Ziye's pocket.

However, Fang Ziye wasn't particularly happy. This patient, after ending up in the Bone Disease Department, was assigned to his own classmate, who suspected osteosarcoma; the prognosis for such osteosarcoma patients wouldn't be good.

"Sigh—" Fang Ziye let out a soft sigh.

Truthfully, it wasn't that Fang Ziye was being noble; if he could choose to swap it out, discard fifty Knowledge Points, and make a patient's osteosarcoma disappear, he wouldn't blink an eye.

But such a reversal is impossible.

One can only say: early diagnosis, early treatment; as for the rest, everything is up to fate.

This fellow trainee was a genuine Han City University Medical College Clinical Medicine Five-Year Program fourth-year student, but after this incident, his life trajectory would likely be completely altered.

So, no matter what, physical health really is the first priority.

After a brief moment of melancholy, Fang Ziye composed his mood. As the subway crossed the Yangtze River one stop, he chose to allocate a portion of these Knowledge Points to Hemostasis Technique, raising its level to Level 3.

With this, the stone in Fang Ziye's heart finally settled.

The Training Room passage standard that guarantees you can pursue a PhD during the master's stage has now been thoroughly concluded.

And Fang Ziye believed that with Professor Deng Yong, the Orthopedics Chief Director, and even the hospital placing such importance on Training Room passage, they couldn't possibly treat the standards they usually talked up as a joke and then ignore them in the end.

After crossing the Yangtze on the subway, Fang Ziye sent Teacher Yuan Weihong a message to share the good news: "Master, are you home now? I brought some specialty products from my hometown for you."

"Songshu Mushrooms, foraged myself." This was indeed foraged by Fang Ziye himself, and his luck was decent; on October 4th he found quite a quantity, so he packed some of the more tender, better-looking Songshu Mushrooms for Yuan Weihong to try.

Such good things generally only grow abundantly in southwestern Hubei, northwestern Hunan, and the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region; they're rarely seen elsewhere.

"Sure, come straight to the house for a meal. My wife and I cooked at home today." Yuan Weihong replied.

Fang Ziye unceremoniously headed straight for the neighborhood where Yuan Weihong lived.

Just, after entering the room and finishing the meal.

Fang Ziye solemnly added one more thing to Yuan Weihong: "Master, I feel my Hemostasis Technique is about ready too." Upon hearing this, Yuan Weihong's expression froze.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he looked at Fang Ziye, his gaze complex.

Even his wife at this moment was extraordinarily shocked.

Passing the Training Room, generally speaking, not a single person passes in one or two years.

Of course, you can't judge by current strength after passing; no matter how impressive a master's graduate who passes the Training Room is, could they surpass Yuan Weihong? Could they be more badass than Associate Professor Xie Jinyuan?

Impossible.

Rather, you have to see his growth potential.

Fang Ziye being able to pass demonstrates his qualification, not his capability.

"That's a good thing—" After a long moment, Yuan Weihong finally took a slight breath, rubbed the corner of his eye, picked up a cup of tea from the table, took a sip, found it lacking, then took a big gulp.

Turning his head, he said: "Truthfully, Little Fang, generally speaking, every supervisor's first student, while a kind of fate, is often also a kind of regret."

"Because at this time, in the supervisor's field, it is the most vulnerable time..."

Yuan Weihong's voice trembled slightly.

How many years had he Yuan Weihong studied, how many years climbing through clinical practice, how many papers published, how much hardship endured, how many sunrises seen only after all-nighters in the lab?

Securing the National Natural Science Foundation, clawing his way up — only then did he have today. Yet even as an outwardly impressive young talent, in the hospital he was just a "little brother."

When taking his first master's student, every supervisor is only a master's supervisor, unable to promise a doctorate.

Even when helping him find a job, you have no standing in the field, might even have to pull some personal connections...

"Master." Fang Ziye suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Work hard from now on. Strive to stay at the hospital." Yuan Weihong didn't break down either, just took a deep breath and encouraged him with this sentence.

Fang Ziye nodded heavily.

With books to read, he naturally had to strive even harder to grow, and go forward toward the distance.

(Chapter End)