Chapter 102: The Gambler Father, the Sick Mother

Wang Chuan returned to the intern dormitory and found Li Wei hiding under a thin blanket, playing with his mobile phone.

Tapping the holographic screen, Wang Chuan upgraded his 【Hemostasis】 from the previous thirteenth and fourteenth virtual operations to 【Advanced Level】, adding another skill to his advanced-level repertoire besides Suture Technique.

Tonight, he decided to begin the fourteenth virtual operation, increasing his Microsurgery virtual training time from twelve hours to eighteen hours.

After completing one hour in reality, he would immediately fall asleep to restore his energy.

River Right Community, Building Seven, second floor, 201.

On the bed, Shen Mianshuang scrolled to her brother in her mobile phone contacts and sent a text: "Xiaobing, where have you run off to?"

She was born in the maternity ward of Mianshan Town Health Clinic, a poor county in Southwest Province.

On the day she was born, her father Shen Dafu discovered it was a girl, cursed her mother Shi Qiuhua, and fled the clinic, disappearing for months.

Her mother asked the doctor to name her; the doctor, referencing Baishuang Village in Mianshan Town, named her Shen Mianshuang.

Before Shen Mianshuang was born, Shen Dafu and Shi Qiuhua had been working in Guangdong Province.

Among their fellow villagers who left the Mountain to work, Shen Dafu started as a screw-tightening worker, and over several years rose step by step to Group Leader, Workshop Director, and then Factory Manager.

Eventually, he left his original factory and founded his own electronics plant, becoming a boss earning tens of millions annually.

Shen Dafu's mindset became unbalanced: he fumed daily about how this little, runny-nosed guy who once followed him around calling him "Big Gui Brother" had become a big boss, while he remained stuck working in factories.

Later, Shen Dafu heard that Shen Dafu had, by chance, gambled once on behalf of the then boss's younger brother. The younger brother always brought Shen Dafu along when gambling, always won, and believed Shen Dafu was a man who brought good fortune.

From then on, Shen Dafu began to be heavily relied upon and gradually prospered.

Shen Mianshuang's father, Shen Dafu, wanted to replicate this path, obsessively practicing gambling techniques and applying them in real life—but he lost more than he won.

Every time Shen Mianshuang's father recounted this story about Shen Dafu with clenched teeth, Shen Mianshuang harbored doubts.

From other uncles and aunts in her village who had also gone to work, she heard a different version: yes, it started with Shen Dafu meeting the factory director's younger brother during a card game, but he himself thought critically at work, humbly asked questions, and taught himself via distance learning courses.

His great achievements came entirely from hard work and diligence; meeting people was merely a starting point.

After Shen Mianshuang was born, her mother stayed home to raise her, while Shen Dafu wandered endlessly in Guangdong Province, returning home only occasionally.

Once, he returned and stayed for a long time—two full months—because he saw some coworkers having sons and remembered he only had a daughter.

He couldn't fall behind any further on this front.

On the day Shen Xiaobing was born, Shen Dafu was happy for only one day, stayed home for three days, then ran back to Guangdong.

So Shen Mianshuang's mother, Shi Qiuhua, raised her and her brother alone, and later developed rheumatoid arthritis, rendering her unable to perform heavy physical labor.

Every month, Shen Mianshuang spent hundreds of yuan buying medication to improve her mother's condition—anti-rheumatic drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—and mailed them home.

Blood sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and other tests cost hundreds of yuan each time, at least once every six months.

Besides her mother's medical expenses, Shen Dafu occasionally extorted money from her, threatening that if she didn't pay, he'd be killed on the street.

Originally, her younger brother had just come to Mingzhou to work in a restaurant, behaving properly.

Shen Dafu came to Mingzhou once and took Shen Xiaobing to a Casino; since then, Shen Xiaobing had become a gambler.

'Wang Chuan, why is this intern helping me?'

'Is it because, at the start of my internship, I showed him some concern due to our similar background, and we did a small surgery together?'

'Or is it because...'

Thinking of this, Shen Mianshuang's face suddenly flushed, and she dared not think further.

As the most beautiful doctor at Mingzhou First Hospital, many male doctors were drawn to her.

Even the Department Director frequently introduced her to Public Servants, teachers, and businessmen.

But once they learned about her parents' situation, they backed off.

Businessmen didn't mind—they could give her parents a sum of money, but demanded Shen Mianshuang stop caring for them.

These people didn't yet know her brother had become a gambler; if they found out, they'd surely be relieved they'd avoided disaster.

Others, unaware of her circumstances, were obsessed with Shen Mianshuang's beauty and kept trying to court her.

Shen Mianshuang murmured softly: 'I'm four years older than him.'

Soon after, Shen Mianshuang fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, June 14, 2004, 8:00 a. m., Emergency Department.

Wang Chuan, Attending Physician Zhang Yang, and Doctor Wu Qinghua were on the morning shift in Emergency, from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m.

Yesterday, Wang Chuan took leave for all three shifts—morning, afternoon, and night—and Attending Physician Zhang Yang was on the afternoon shift.

'Wang Chuan, you got punched yesterday—any problems?' Doctor Wu Qinghua asked, yawning.

'No problems. It just grazed me,' Wang Chuan replied.

Attending Physician Zhang Yang sighed and said: 'Wu Qinghua, after you clocked out at midnight yesterday, didn't you get up at 2:45 a. m. to watch France vs. England?'

Wu Qinghua looked slightly embarrassed: 'It was a classic match! Zinedine Zidane scored two goals in the final moments and turned it around! France revived—they're returning to their throne!'

Wang Chuan had woken up that morning to find an unread text from Wu Qinghua at 2 a. m., urging him to wake up and watch the game.

Hearing Zinedine Zidane's name today made him feel dazed. Back then, his favorite football star was Ronaldo.

But Brazil had lost the 1998 final to France, missing the championship.

France entered its golden era: winning the 1998 World Cup, the 2000 European Cup, and the 2001 Confederations Cup.

They were eliminated in the group stage of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

In a few days, the upcoming quarterfinals would be an upset: France, facing Greece's dense defense with no solution, would see Zinedine Zidane completely contained—marking the beginning of the end for the golden generation.

Wang Chuan said with deep meaning: 'Doctor Wu, France has reached its peak—it's about to decline.'

France's brief resurgence came in 2006, when they lost the World Cup final to Italy, after which their decline truly began.

Attending Physician Zhang Yang said: 'Wu Qinghua, I know you. You only watched the match because you thought having Wang Chuan here means you can slack off today.'

Wu Qinghua laughed: 'Tomorrow, June 15, is Wang Chuan's last day in Emergency. The day after tomorrow, he moves to Obstetrics and Gynecology. Let him train more—it's only right.'

Attending Physician Zhang Yang said gently to Wang Chuan: 'Wang Chuan, don't let go of your Replantation of Severed Finger training. Use your free time to practice in the training room. If you have any questions, come back to Emergency and find me.'

Wu Qinghua remembered something and said: 'Wang Chuan, Director Gao wants you, Attending Physician Zhang Yang, and Attending Physician Yang to represent our hospital in the three-city competition for Microsurgical Finger Replantation and Microsurgical Limb Replantation.'

"Wang Chuan, do not waste your Microsurgery talent; train more. Before the competition, you, Doctor Wu, and Doctor Sun Ke will hold a preliminary match; the winner will represent Mingzhou First Hospital."

After Attending Physician Zhang Yang finished speaking, he patted Wang Chuan on the shoulder, showing immense trust.

Wang Chuan nodded; tonight he would continue to apply his fifteenth training session to Microsurgery Training.

By around ten o'clock, Wang Chuan had completed two Case Records.

【Peak Medical Skill Experience Activation Progress: Received profound gratitude from patients and Family Members, cumulative 94/100】.

【Virtual Operation Training】 The fifteenth and sixteenth training sessions have been activated; the activation condition for the seventeenth is 0/6.

Wang Chuan returned to the Doctor Rest Room and drank some Water.

A female voice came from behind: "Director Wang, I have brought the materials."