Chapter 114: 0112 The Spoiled Child

A quiet morning passed.

In the afternoon, Zheng Ren's phone rang; the Emergency Department had a patient who needed his consultation.

Zheng Ren rushed to the Emergency Department, where a middle-aged woman awaited his decision on whether to admit her; the ER diagnosis was acute appendicitis.

A glance showed the System Panel clearly stating: acute, simple appendicitis.

Admit her—there's nothing to consider. Whether it's an evening emergency surgery or insufficient fasting time, surgery tomorrow would require taking a history first.

Zheng Ren had the orderly bring a wheelchair and sent the patient to the Emergency Ward.

The patient curled up, lying on the bed in the surgical ER exam room, with no family in sight; she seemed a lonely, pitiful soul coming alone for surgery.

Zheng Ren stepped forward to help, and together with the orderly they gently lifted the patient onto the wheelchair and pushed her out of the ER exam room door.

Although Su Yun followed all the way, she didn't lend a hand, standing aside and watching coldly.

Zheng Ren never wanted to understand the inner mind of someone like Su Yun with a complex personality; why she was sometimes cold, sometimes warm toward patients.

Her psychological trauma couldn't be fixed by surgery, so Zheng Ren never thought of doing anything to make that long‑ago scar disappear.

"Xiao Heng, Xiao Heng." the middle‑aged female patient kept calling from the wheelchair, her voice low, full of pain.

This must be her son's name, Zheng Ren guessed.

Hai Cheng has been declining under the investment rules of Shanhaiguan, especially among the young; anyone with talent chooses to stay in the south.

Because there the pay is higher, the opportunities more, the future better.

It seems the middle‑aged woman's son works out of town, so when she got acute appendicitis she had no one to care for her.

"Where are you taking my mother?" Zheng Ren was pushing the wheelchair when, before he even turned the corner of the ER, a voice came from behind.

Eh? Zheng Ren froze for a moment.

Family members are actually here? Is this "Xiao Heng"? Why did no one answer when she called him so many times just now?

A young man in his twenties with a pale face held a phone, his hands constantly swiping; he glanced at Zheng Ren and the middle‑aged woman ahead, then lowered his head to keep fiddling with the phone, following them by feel.

"…" This kid really loves to play, Zheng Ren felt a heavy stone in his chest, stifled.

"What's your relation to the patient?" Zheng Ren asked.

After a few seconds the young man replied, "I'm her son."

He didn't even lift his head while speaking.

Is he playing a game? Zheng Ren knows the hot games lately involve pesticides and chicken‑eating, but he's never played any.

When he has time he reads books; if tired he browses web novels; games have never appeared in his world.

"Your mother has acute appendicitis and needs surgery." Zheng Ren pushed the wheelchair toward the Emergency Ward, casually updating her condition.

It's just a habit—after walking silently with the patient's family back to the ward, the atmosphere is too oppressive.

"Hmm." The young man kept his eyes on the phone, answered absentmindedly, unclear whether he truly understood Zheng Ren's explanation.

"When did you last eat or drink?" Zheng Ren continued asking.

After a long silence—at least ten seconds—by the time they reached the elevator, the young man finally recalled Zheng Ren's earlier question: "What did you just say?"

"…" Zheng Ren cursed inwardly.

What a damn patient and family; though not an endangered or precious breed, they're still not common.

"When did your mother last eat or drink?" Zheng Ren repeated his question.

"I don't know, ask her." Seeing they were about to enter the elevator, the young man hesitated, "I'll take the stairs— which floor?"

"Second floor." Zheng Ren's expression grew stern.

"Wait for me by the elevator on the second floor." The young man said that, clutching his phone, and headed straight for the stairs.

"Doctor, I took a pill around noon and drank a sip of water; nothing else." The middle‑aged woman on the wheelchair, gripping her stomach against severe pain, answered Zheng Ren's question.

Zheng Ren's face went cold, silent; the elevator's atmosphere felt odd.

The middle‑aged patient sensed Zheng Ren's mood and, enduring the pain, explained: "Xiao Heng is a good kid, just fond of youth, a bit too playful."

Playful… a bit? Are you serious?

From the middle‑aged woman's words Zheng Ren sensed endless indulgence.

But as a doctor, as long as I cure the disease I'm fine; I can't really manage this sort of thing.

Even the police can't handle it, let alone doctors.

Arriving at the second‑floor elevator entrance, the boy hadn't appeared. Zheng Ren stopped and said, "Fasting time is sufficient; notify Xie Yiren and Xiao Chu to come for surgery."

Su Yun hovered like a ghost behind Zheng Ren, replied with a sound, acknowledging his instruction.

"We'll do the surgery soon; it's minor, don't be too tense." Zheng Ren said.

"Remove the appendix—when can I get out of bed?" the middle‑aged woman asked.

"You should be able to get up to use the toilet in about a day, but avoid pulling on the incision. Stitches come out in five to seven days, same as before."

"That's too long—I can't cook; what will Xiao Heng eat?" the middle‑aged woman said, cold sweat pouring from her pain, yet her worry remained on that missing boy.

"…"

Zheng Ren is an orphan; the teachers and aunts in the orphanage were kind to him, but they certainly didn't dote on a son as this middle‑aged woman does.

Preparing for surgery, his mind dwelled on the fact that the child couldn't eat his own cooking.

…

"Order takeout, it's the same."

"How could that work? Takeout is gutter oil— toxic and tasteless; Xiao Heng surely wouldn't tolerate it." The middle‑aged woman looked guilty, "It's all my fault; why did I have to get sick?"

Zheng Ren fell silent again, feeling he and this middle‑aged woman inhabit different worlds, unable to grasp what she's thinking.

Two doctors, one patient, stood in the hallway waiting nearly a minute before the patient's son arrived, clutching his phone and walking slowly forward.

The phone's multicolored light shone on his face, light and shadow distinct, somewhat ferocious, like a vicious ghost.

Zheng Ren stopped speaking, pushed the wheelchair, and headed for the Emergency Ward.

Zheng Ren guessed that this kind of patient's family would also be difficult for Chang Yue to communicate with.

Arriving at the ward, they arranged a room for the patient. But the person didn't go onto the bed; instead, they were directly pushed to the treatment room to prepare the skin.

Anyway, Shou Bing is coming up soon, so there's no need to trouble the patient.

Su Yun went straight to the Operating Room, preparing for Shou Bing.

The preoperative preparation for acute appendicitis wasn't too difficult. After Zheng Ren learned the medical history, he had Chang Yue make a simple record, then he began writing and printing a set of preoperative instructions and an authorization signature form for admission communication, and went to find the son of the middle-aged female patient.

Just now he went to handle the admission procedures, but it took a bit too long, I guess.

But when Zheng Ren arrived at the treatment room, he couldn't find any trace of the patient's family; only the patient was curled up in a wheelchair in a posture that looked painful to watch.

Indescribably bleak.

++++++

This is a patient I personally experienced; later I heard from others in the same ward that the child got angry and slapped his mother. I made many phone calls, and for the first time I encountered a situation where immediate family members refused to answer the doctor's call. The patient had late-stage liver cancer, could not lie down, the preoperative assessment showed extremely high risk, Shou Bing could not be performed, and in the end they were discharged with regret.