Chapter 516: Chief Expert (Requesting Subscription)

The National Day holiday was a bit long, yet also a bit short.

The weather was changeable; outside had already turned from the bright sunshine of the days before the holiday into a drizzling light rain.

Occasionally raindrops struck the glass window with a pattering sound, making Fang Ziye, lying on the bed in the Inpatient General Office, toss and turn unable to sleep.

Today was the evening of October 8th, and also the last day of the National Day holiday.

Unable to sleep anyway, Fang Ziye simply yawned and sat up, rubbing his eye sockets while glancing at the time.

The time was still early, not yet eight o'clock.

The crackling sounds outside had not stopped, and the lights under the night curtain were dim; actually it was very suitable for sleeping.

After Fang Ziye took a bottle of iced drink from the small refrigerator and opened it, he gulped down a mouthful before feeling a bit more spirited.

"Knock knock knock!" The knocking sound rang out.

Fang Ziye was bored; after hearing the knocking, since he did not directly push the door open and enter, he knew it was not an acquaintance: "Come in."

"Doctor Fang, there are two people outside in the office looking for you."

"One says he is your uncle, and the other says he is your father, Doctor Fang." Hu Qingyuan did not push the door open and enter, but whispered this sentence.

Hearing this, Fang Ziye was stunned, put the drink down on the table, and then hurriedly pulled open the door and went out—

Without time to change into his work uniform, he ran in small steps to the Doctor's Office.

The double doors of the office were wide open; inside sat two middle-aged men, each with a wet plaid umbrella by their feet.

But even with umbrellas, both men's shoulders were wet.

One of them wore green-soled black rubber Liberation shoes; the shoes were new and very clean, only the insteps were somewhat damp.

He wore black cloth pants and carried a brownish-yellow leather bag, which was bulging.

He was not tall, his frame was not broad, his head was even somewhat small, he was slightly hunched, and his buffalo hump was very prominent. His hair was sparse, its color grayish-white; on his upper body he wore a jacket, looking very simple and honest.

Not having seen him for nearly a year, Fang Ziye found that there were a few more wrinkles on his face, and more importantly, his eyes looked very cloudy, and also seemed to be full of bloodshot veins...

At the moment he saw him, the man also saw him.

"Xiao Ye'er!" Fang Nan shrugged his shoulders and bundled his brownish-yellow bag.

"Xiao Ye'er."

Beside him, his maternal uncle Liang Renyi also called out his childhood name.

Xiao Ye'er was a childhood name often called by relatives on his mother's side; if at his uncles' or grandfather's home, they did not often call him that.

Fang Ziye's thoughts were slow for a few seconds, then he hurriedly put away his complex emotions and replied: "Dad, Uncle, why did you come? Why didn't you call me in advance?"

"I could have come to pick you up?"

After Hu Qingyuan heard Fang Ziye call someone, he confirmed the other person's identity and hurriedly went to prepare tea and such things silently.

"Your father and I just came to see you." Liang Renyi said with a smile.

"We came on a sudden impulse, so we didn't say hello to you in advance..."

Fang Ziye hurriedly said: "Dad, Uncle, did you bring clothes? Your clothes are all wet; let's go change into a set?"

"I have spare clothes in the department!"

Fang Ziye could not figure out why his father and uncle suddenly came to visit; he only looked at his father coming to Han City to see him so late, and felt a bit of heartache.

Fang Ziye was not someone who never called home or made video calls to report his situation, nor was he someone who never told them about some of his achievements.

By rights, he could be considered to have achieved some success; his father's sudden arrival left him not the slightest preparation. And they looked so pitiful; at this moment Fang Ziye felt a strong sense of guilt.

There must be something that had not been explained clearly to him, which made his father worry so much.

"It's fine, we brought clothes. We'll change later." Fang Nan gestured toward his bag.

Fourth Uncle Liang Renyi carried another kind of large leather bag, also the kind that could hold a lot.

"It's nothing, Dad; we have showers in the department anyway. You go change into a set of clothes; don't catch a cold being all wet."

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Let me order some takeout for you first..." Fang Ziye's first reaction was still to ask whether his parents had eaten.

This emotion was somewhat similar to when parents call and ask whether you have eaten, whether you have slept, whether you are wearing enough clothes.

When far apart, the first thing considered is whether they have eaten enough.

"No need, no need, later?" Fang Nan still wanted to refuse.

Fang Ziye said: "I've already ordered; you wait a bit. Now it's a bit late, and I'm at work right now; otherwise I would go out to eat with you."

"But it's raining outside too."

While speaking, Fang Ziye took the two men to the Inpatient General Office; at the same time, on the way, Fang Ziye sent a message to Luo Tingzhu.

He asked Luo Tingzhu to help book a hotel room online opposite Han City University Medical Department, preferably a suite.

It was not that Fang Ziye could not afford two rooms; rather, he knew that even if he booked two rooms, they would think it too expensive and cancel them.

It would be better to directly book a suite: two bedrooms, two beds; the money would be spent, and his father would surely not decline...

After Fang Ziye saw the two men into the office, he personally stood guard at the door for them.

After Luo Tingzhu came to ask about the basic situation, Fang Ziye then sent a message explaining: "My dad and my fourth uncle suddenly came to Han City; they just arrived."

"I still don't know the reason for now; I guess they came by car, not by train."

Luo Tingzhu immediately said: "Do you want me to take Uncle and your uncle out to eat?"

"I can have Lan Tianluo go with me."

"Not needed for now; let me first find out clearly why they came..." Fang Ziye replied.

"Tell me after you've booked the room; just book it directly with my ID card. That hotel is only twenty meters from the Emergency Department; I can rush to the Emergency Department anytime, so it's fine." Fang Ziye replied.

"Okay! ~" After Luo Tingzhu made an OK hand gesture, she disappeared.

Fang Nan voluntarily pulled open the door; he had already put on his striped long-sleeve hoodie, and his pants were not very wet, so he did not change them.

He had not brought shoes either, so he did not change them.

My own uncle was about the same.

Fortunately, Fang Ziye had spare shoes here; regardless of whether he had worn them himself, he directly handed a pair to each of the two, and then carefully packed the shoes the two had taken off into garbage bags.

"Dad, the shoes are put away. I'll take them back to wash tomorrow. You two sit and have a cup of water first. This is tea prepared in our office; the taste is pretty good too." Seeing Hu Qingyuan bring in tea, Fang Ziye also helped explain.

The two hurriedly stood up to thank Hu Qingyuan, then looked around and let out a long sigh of relief.

Liang Renyi said: "Ziye, you don't know. Look how scared you made your dad and mom."

"Your dad hasn't closed his eyes for several days."

"Huh? Why?" Fang Ziye was a bit stunned.

He then looked at Fang Nan: "Dad, if you have any doubts, you can just call me and ask directly?"

"Could your phone get through? It was always busy." Liang Renyi said.

Fang Ziye thought for a moment; it seemed his phone had indeed been abandoned for a while.

However, Fang Ziye said again: "Dad, didn't we just make a WeChat voice call a couple days ago?"

"What are you worrying about?"

Fang Nan was extremely embarrassed, his face flushed red at this moment.

Fang Nan had always been a person with a dull mouth, finding it hard to quickly express his meaning; honest and simple.

It was still Uncle Liang Renyi who told the truth: "If not for who knows who from next door, saying they saw you on TV, saying you encountered telecom fraud and might have been cheated abroad."

"So now you've been repatriated, and they're saying it with great certainty that everything you told your dad and mom is a lie. How could an ordinary doctor possibly be on the news?"

"Maybe the repatriation news just happened to capture you..."

"After this person said this, your dad and mom started calling you, but couldn't get through the whole time."

"You only made a voice call with them a few days ago, but didn't turn on video. You said you were busy, so they started worrying blindly."

Hearing this, Fang Ziye was full of surprise: "Ah?"

"On TV?"

"Oh, you're talking about that Longtai Technology Channel program, right?"

"No, this program is a Technology Channel documentary. What does it have to do with telecom fraud repatriation news?"

"Dad, who told you these things?" Fang Ziye asked.

"The car repairman across the way." Fang Nan said a sentence, and even directly locked onto the other's identity.

Fang Ziye recognized him!

When Fang Ziye used to return home, he also knew this "Know-It-All," who boasted of wide experience, spoke with logic, and enthusiastically helped people analyze many things.

In local dialect, that's a 'gossipy mouth'.

Fang Ziye took a deep breath, sat opposite Fang Nan, reached out and seriously held Fang Nan's hand, then said: "Dad, this?"

"I don't even know how to say it."

"Being interviewed by Longtai Technology Channel and filming a documentary — this was originally a very, very good thing. How did it become, when it reached you, that I turned into someone cheated and repatriated?"

"You didn't even watch it again yourselves?"

Fang Nan raised his head: "You didn't say either?"

Hearing this, Fang Ziye fell silent for a while, nodded: "Sorry, Dad. I indeed didn't tell you this part."

"But, how could a scammer video call you every week and report the situation to you?"

"Look, isn't this the room I usually video call you from?"

Liang Renyi continued: "Yes, this room. The neighbor opposite said it looks very much like a little black room. Look in here — besides the bed there's only this small fridge."

"You never video called them from home..."

Fang Ziye indeed had never video called them from the house Luo Tingzhu rented, mainly because it was too inconvenient.

That was Luo Tingzhu's home turf; almost every corner bore traces of Luo Tingzhu.

Many color tones, including the chairs they sat on, were that kind of cute style; one look and it didn't look like a boy's room at all.

Luo Tingzhu hadn't even met them yet; Fang Ziye didn't dare say he was cohabiting with her.

His parents were very conservative people. Even though he was a boy, if his mother knew he was cohabiting with Luo Tingzhu, she would diss him for a long time, and might often call Fang Ziye to lecture him.

You must respect girls; she is also someone else's daughter. If you're dating you can go out together, but you can't live together...

The elderly have this kind of thinking; Fang Ziye couldn't say it was bad either.

"Dad, looks like you trust that big uncle across the way more, and don't trust your son me?"

"Is it because I said I'd come back for May Day but didn't, so you started doubting me?"

"Mainly I applied for early graduation and just started work; it was basically a seamless connection..." Fang Ziye 'talked nonsense' with a straight face, but in his heart surged a strong sense of guilt.

On May Day, I went out gallivanting.

Fang Nan shook his head, then kept shaking his head: "From now on we'll all believe you."

Fang Ziye continued: "So, Dad, you didn't trust me, and insisted on inviting my uncle to personally come to Zhongnan Hospital in Han City, and specifically to the Trauma Surgery Doctor's Office at Zhongnan Hospital that I told you about, and only after seeing me there did you feel assured I wasn't trafficked or scammed?"

Fang Ziye elucidated the information very clearly.

A son travels a thousand miles, his mother worries — perhaps this is the generation gap.

Technology develops rapidly, but his parents still lag far behind this development rhythm.

That 'big uncle' across the way is also a nutcase; half-understanding, what the hell is he meddling for?

Get on TV and you're cheated and repatriated?

Kidding?

Fang Nan stopped speaking, and after setting his mind at ease, looked at Fang Ziye and laughed.

Immediately after, he went out with Fang Ziye to look at Fang Ziye's work environment, then gave a thumbs up: "Little Ye, so this is what working in an office feels like — the sun can't bake you, the rain can't soak you."

"No matter what happens, you're guaranteed to have your salary to some extent."

The greatest expectation his parents had for him was simply that he wouldn't need to rely on the land to make a living; beyond that, they didn't have too many expectations or hopes for him.

In his parents' view, as long as he could work in a hospital in town, he would already have broken free from their original social class.

"Dad, that's true."

"Now you've seen it, so you can rest assured, right?"

"Dad, I've discovered you don't really remember the 'suffering' I told you about either. I'm the Chief Resident now — Chief Resident means I'm constantly in the hospital!"

"If I'm not in this little office, where else can I go? Even if I rented a place outside, I'd still have to stay here. That's the principle."

"Also, the reason I didn't tell you about the documentary is that I've been way too busy lately, and explaining the TV appearance would be too complicated."

Liang Renyi cut in to ask: "Ziye, what have you been so busy with?"

"Can you really be that busy?"

Fang Ziye nodded: "Really busy, Uncle. I'm not making excuses for myself. You guys take a look at my call logs first……"

Fang Ziye then displayed his call logs for them to see.

Looking at eight days' time, with over a thousand missed calls and one or two hundred answered calls, Liang Renyi fell silent.

Because he was literate, although he didn't know a lot, he could roughly tell that the people Fang Ziye had noted in his contacts were far more impressive than the department directors at Enshi Central Hospital.

"These?" Liang Renyi pointed up and down.

"Mm, they're all some seniors and teachers. We discuss some problems together — the microcirculation instrument that Longtai Technology Channel reported on before."

"They all came for this……" Fang Ziye explained in a soft voice.

After chatting with his father and uncle for a while, the takeout arrived.

Fang Ziye ordered four dishes for the two of them and added an extra portion of rice. He kept them company eating for less than five minutes before his phone rang again……

The call was from Deng Yong. Fang Ziye set down his bowl and chopsticks and explained: "It's my Master's call. I'll take it first."

"You go be busy, go be busy." Uncle and Fang Nan both hurriedly said, as if afraid of delaying Fang Ziye.

"Master! ~" Fang Ziye didn't walk far.

"Ziye, you're in the office right now? I'm coming to find you right away. I've already run down the procedures for you. If nothing unexpected happens, after you finish your Chief Resident term in October, you can step down……"

"There are some documents here that need you to sign." Deng Yong said.

"Master, let's sign tomorrow. My dad's here. I'm in the office keeping him company eating. Later I'll send him to the hotel to rest. It's also late." Fang Ziye politely refused.

Originally, signing this kind of thing earlier would have put his mind at ease sooner.

Deng Yong said: "Ah?"

"Oh, okay!"

"Then tomorrow."

Deng Yong said with a laugh: "Treat your dad well. He raised you this well."

Deng Yong thought Fang Ziye's father had come specially to celebrate for Fang Ziye. He had no idea of the actual situation.

After Fang Ziye hung up, Fang Nan said: "Ziye, you don't need to worry about me. Later Uncle and I will find a guesthouse to stay in. When I came I saw there are many guesthouses nearby."

Hearing this, Fang Ziye cracked a joke: "Uncle, you bear witness. My dad said I don't need to worry about him, and I won't need to when he's old either."

Fang Ziye finished speaking and continued sitting down to eat together.

Liang Renyi raised his fist and also joked: "I'm telling you, Fang Nan. I said before, you've video chatted with Ziye, done voice messages, made calls. He's definitely not locked up. You just didn't believe me."

"You insisted on me accompanying you here. Look?"

"Caused trouble, didn't it?"

Facing Liang Renyi's PUA of his own father, Fang Ziye immediately felt heartache: "No, Uncle. My dad didn't cause me trouble. It's me who didn't explain clearly."

If his parents were even a little careless, he really might have been scammed, and they wouldn't have been able to react in time.

It was precisely because they cared too much about him that their worry led to chaos.

"Dad, Uncle, I've booked you a hotel. I'll take you over later, okay?"

"I don't have a rental right now. My previous lease expired, and I basically haven't gone home. You'll have to make do for now."

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow I'll have Tingzhu take you guys out for some good food……" Fang Ziye said with a smile.

If it were before, Fang Ziye might have just taken his father and left.

But the current Fang Ziye, even if sitting on pins and needles, had to keep his buttocks steady within a radius of several hundred meters of Zhongnan Hospital.

The more critical the moment, the more he had to steady his nerves. He couldn't go around talking nonsense like before.

Still that saying: when you're unknown, even if you PC, at most people just condemn you a few sentences.

But if you've gained some reputation and you have stains on you, even just a little bit, it could become the last straw that crushes you.

"Tingzhu? Your girlfriend?" Liang Renyi asked.

Fang Ziye nodded: "Yes, Uncle."

"You guys stay here a day or two before going back. But my work nature means I can't leave the hospital right now, otherwise I'd take you out to play." Fang Ziye explained.

Liang Renyi then said: "Fang Nan, this trip, getting to see your daughter-in-law early, is actually not bad."

Fang Nan shook his head: "Not suitable. Ziye's not here. Why would I go look at someone else's daughter?"

"Ziye likes her, her family doesn't mind. Then she's my daughter." Fang Nan didn't look.

"Whoever Ziye likes, I'm definitely satisfied. Just won't disturb her then. When the opportunity is suitable, I and Liang Xia will go look together."

Fang Nan is a very conservative person. Father-in-law avoids daughter-in-law, let alone before she's even married?

Meeting alone — this Fang Nan absolutely would not do.

Fang Ziye: "……"

This point of his father and mother is both good and bad. Good is they're very proper with etiquette. Bad is they're too rigid……

That's why Fang Ziye didn't dare tell them about his cohabitation. He really would get scolded.

……

At nine-thirty, after Fang Ziye had arranged rooms for Fang Nan and the others, he silently handed Fang Nan a bank card.

He said, "Dad, there are three hundred thousand yuan inside. It's the talent introduction reward the hospital gave me when I found a job; actually, it was also distributed by the province."

"You and Mom take it back and use it..."

"Keep your own money..." Fang Nan hurriedly refused.

"I have money. This was a reward from work, and I still have my salary—over twenty thousand yuan a month. I've already saved over a hundred thousand. I think it's not suitable to carry so much money on me."

"You and Mom look at what needs fixing around the house and get it fixed. By then, you'll also need to bring Tingzhu back."

"What about buying a house?" Fang Nan asked somewhat hesitantly.

"The unit gave me a house." Fang Ziye simply expressed his stance in terms the other could understand.

Buying a house himself—anyway, his father and the others wouldn't inquire too much. Fang Ziye's current savings were indeed enough to buy a house.

He'd go after he became Chief Resident.

"The renovation will still take a long time. By then, you and Mom will have to come over and supervise the renovation for me," Fang Ziye said.

Hearing Fang Ziye explain so much, Fang Nan hesitantly put it away.

He still said, "I'll keep this money for you. Originally, your mother and I had prepared a sum of money for you to use as a down payment for a house."

"Your unit gave you a house, so you don't need it for now. We'll see about saving it for you to marry a wife later..."

"When you have time, ask the girl's family how much the bride price and such should be. Don't ask for too much; our family isn't well-off either," Fang Nan said.

"I'll tell you when the time comes! ~"

"Dad, you rest first. I'm going back to work."

As Fang Ziye spoke, looking at his father's aged appearance, which had completely changed from the "middle-aged" man in his memory, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

"Dad, rest early. Don't work so hard from now on."

Fang Nan hurriedly waved his hand: "You hurry to work. Earning this salary, you must live up to this salary..."

At exactly seven the next morning, Fang Ziye received a call from his uncle.

His uncle Liang Renyi had already gotten into the return car with his father Fang Nan, and they were almost on the highway.

"Uncle, why are you in such a hurry? Stay a few more days," Fang Ziye said.

"You're at work, and staying at a hotel costs money."

"I asked last night. The hotel you booked costs over nine hundred yuan a night. Who can afford the room you booked?"

"Your dad and I saw that your work is going well and you're healthy, so we're relieved."

"I've already criticized your dad and mom for you!"

"Being uneducated is one thing, but you still like to speculate wildly."

"They're just worried sick. From now on, don't cause such farces again."

"Also, I told your mom to go out less and chat less with others. Spreading rumors takes one mouth, but refuting them runs your legs off," his uncle said.

"Uncle, have you had breakfast?" Fang Ziye hurriedly asked again.

"We had it. We ate a bowl of hot dry noodles when we went out," his uncle said.

Fang Ziye swallowed the words in his heart. Actually, the hotel had a free buffet breakfast.

"Uncle, be careful on the road."

"This New Year, I'll see if I can come back," Fang Ziye said.

After hanging up, Fang Ziye called his mother. After explaining things properly, Liang Xia started scolding on the phone.

"I told you, what could he understand? He's just at a junior high level. He can read a few words, but what does he know about scams or not?"

"Ziye, is this TV thing of yours very impressive?" Liang Xia asked.

Hearing this, Fang Ziye knew Liang Xia wanted to show off.

He shook his head and said, "It's alright, not that impressive."

"It's just simply recording something! ~"

"If it were truly impressive, the county might come looking for you and your dad." Fang Ziye gave them a relatively clear answer.

Actually, the microcirculation instrument Fang Ziye had developed was long enough to be promoted as a typical example.

It was just that there had been no movement at all.

Fang Ziye didn't care. Do your own thing well, have a clear conscience—fame and profit are just external things!

His mother Liang Xia was somewhat disappointed, but she still said, "Being somewhat impressive is fine too. Anyway, being on TV is a kind of honor."

"Ziye, you go to work first. I'll ask your dad and your uncle what's really going on."

Liang Xia was far away a thousand li, so she wanted to hear more about Fang Ziye.

But she was afraid of disturbing Fang Ziye, the only one of the Fang and Liang families to go to the big city with prospects, so she didn't even dare call often.

"Okay! ~" Fang Ziye hung up the phone.

The time had already reached seven-thirty.

But Deng Yong had already arrived at the department early!

He had left Trauma Surgery for over three months. Now returning, after swapping places with Liu Huanglong, he once again sat in the position of Trauma Surgery Administrative Director.

Since Deng Yong's Administrative Director position was removed last year, this was his return to this position after nearly two years.

However, although it had been a long time, Deng Yong's professional proficiency and authority had not diminished at all.

Yuan Weihong had already applied for the procedure to go abroad for a visit before National Day. At the end of National Day, he boarded a flight to the United States.

Yuan Weihong chose the Mayo Clinic in the United States for a visit and study, for a period of one year...

Naturally, the personnel changes in the department were still not great. Apart from Nie Mingxian leaving, most others were still there, and there was also Jie Han, who had returned from the animal laboratory.

There was also Ning Wuyang, who had run out of the basic laboratory, and there was also Hu Qingyuan, Fang Ziye's long-time follower intern.

……

At the handover meeting, Teacher Deng's nonsense was not much; he only said: "The current systems are generally no different from when Professor Liu was here; personnel will not be adjusted or changed in any way, and work assignments will not be adjusted or changed."

"Ziye remains the Chief Resident carrying three groups alone!"

"However, once Ziye steps down as Chief Resident, he must return to normal and can only operate within one group."

"Therefore, I hope everyone can cherish this hard-won opportunity and learn more from Ziye……"

After quickly finishing the handover, Fang Ziye was then secretly brought by Deng Yong into the Director's Office.

After the two leisurely brewed a pot of tea, they each slowly took a sip.

Deng Yong lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then said: "Ziye, you must look carefully at the signature column!"

"After this, when you say it out there, you will be someone with status."

"The National Health Commission and the education-related departments have specially approved your Deputy Chief Physician professional title; our school's Science and Technology Development Division has even highly affirmed your medical achievements, granting you the treatment of Researcher Chief Physician."

"All of this, after signing, you will no longer be a mere Chief Resident or Director Fang, but will truly become an Associate Professor."

Fang Ziye carefully read the contents, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile, his heart as sweet as if dipped in sugar.

"Master, as long as I sign these and then fax them out, is that all?" Fang Ziye counter-questioned.

"Where is it that easy? I still need to find someone to stamp it, and find several famous experts and academicians to sign their names; after signing, I will send it to where it needs to go."

After Deng Yong finished speaking, he shook his head slightly and said: "This requires a certain amount of time, but the waiting process is worthy of expectation."

"Additionally, because of the strong intervention of the National Health Commission and the attention of the education departments, some relevant departments within the province have already contacted our hospital."

"What the final result will be, a final conclusion cannot yet be drawn for the time being!"

"But for now, the only thing Master can guarantee you is that, starting from October, your performance coefficient has already risen from who knows what before to the current 2.5!"

With a performance coefficient of 2.5, the monthly performance should be at least 2.5; adding the basic salary, after deducting the Five Insurances and One Fund, the amount received should be around 30,000.

If adding teaching subsidies and other miscellaneous items, Fang Ziye's monthly income is very likely to break through the forty-thousand mark!

Breaking through the threshold from 30,000 to 40,000 is very difficult in the medical industry.

Many people may not be able to break through it in their entire lifetime.

A Ten-thousand-year Attending Physician, how could they possibly have such high income?

Fang Ziye heard this and said with a beaming smile: "Thank you, Master! ~"

"No need to thank me; if you want to thank someone, you must also thank those benefactors who supported you."

"During October, the Wuhan Medical Association will take the lead in carrying out an Autumn Academic Conference, titled the Limb Replantation Seminar; you are the Chief Expert……" Deng Yong looked at Fang Ziye, filled with comfort and envy.

(Chapter End)