Chapter 04: Seven Years
Seven years later.
At the entrance of the Provincial Hospital, a young man and woman were looking around, craning their necks until they almost broke. Finally, they spotted a youth with yellow hair across the street.
The two waved and shouted.
“Shi An, hurry up!”
“What time is it already?”
Shi An slightly quickened his pace, his eyes barely open.
The reporting time was 8 AM, and it was not even 7:30 yet. Shi An couldn’t understand their enthusiasm.
After seven years of hard work in school, he had finally begun his residency. Unfortunately, his first rotation was in the emergency department.
As a department that never closed, the emergency department was where the nightmares of all residents began. The first batch of unlucky ones, besides Shi An, included Zhao Kang and Chen Xiaoman beside him.
Chen Xiaoman complained while rummaging through her bag, “If you’re this lax on the first day, what will you do in the future?”
“You two live nearby, of course, you’re fast,” Shi An yawned, “I had to wake up at least an hour earlier than you two.”
Chen Xiaoman gave him a sidelong glance, “Who told you to oversleep and miss the arrangement.”
The Provincial Hospital had a shortage of dormitories and had stopped providing accommodation for residents in recent years. Fortunately, they had a residency exchange group where senior residents would transfer their housing to junior residents.
The deadline for submitting the housing application form was 10 AM. Shi An started sleeping at 8 PM the previous night and didn’t wake up until 2 PM the next day, completely missing the registration opportunity.
Actually, even if he hadn’t overslept, Shi An didn’t plan to rent. His grandmother had sprained her back half a month ago, and he was responsible for massaging her and making sure she took her medicine.
But Shi An underestimated the distance from home to the hospital. Not considering the extreme traffic congestion, his daily commute alone would take three hours.
“Let’s put the housing issue aside for now, there’s something more important,” Chen Xiaoman opened her notebook, “Since we’re assigned to the emergency department, we need to be prepared and aware.”
The Provincial Hospital’s emergency department had three chief physicians, five deputy chief physicians, eight physicians, and the rest were doctors rotating from other departments. As the hospital’s first stop for emergency treatment, the emergency department was the most comprehensive and busiest department in the entire hospital, and the doctors here were also known as “crazy machines.”
Among these crazy machines, there was one person who had to be mentioned. Chen Xiaoman cleared her throat, “Do you know who it is?”
Shi An was yawning and rubbing his empty stomach, regretting not having eaten a couple of buns before leaving home.
Zhao Kang pricked up his ears, “Who?”
“Zhong Yan.”
Zhao Kang scratched his head, “Sounds familiar, what are his achievements?”
According to Chen Xiaoman, Zhong Yan was the youngest chief physician in the emergency department. He came from a family of doctors, his ancestors were imperial physicians. Zhong Yan perfectly inherited the family’s medical talent, with exceptional qualifications, top-notch skills, and no shortcomings. He was an invincible, all-around genius.
Zhao Kang’s eyes widened, “Damn, he’s that awesome!”
Shi An rubbed his eyes, still thinking about buns.
Chen Xiaoman’s eyes sparkled, “If I were half as good as him, I would have no regrets in life.”
“Hah, stop dreaming,” Zhao Kang waved his hand, “No matter how good he is, it’s his business, it has nothing to do with us.”
“How can it have nothing to do with us! His excellence means he has extremely high standards for his students.” Chen Xiaoman lowered her voice, “He has a nickname in the Provincial Hospital, do you know what it is?”
Zhao Kang waited for her to say it.
Chen Xiaoman: “The… Big… Devil.”
“What kind of devil is he?”
“Dark and gloomy, tortures you to death.”
“That’s bullshit,” Zhao Kang was skeptical, “Is it that bad?”
“I don’t know if it’s that bad or not,” Chen Xiaoman covered her mouth with her notebook and giggled, “But I’ve seen his photo, he’s super cool and handsome in person.”
“He became a chief physician in his early thirties, tall with long legs, a great body, and he comes from a medical family. He has money, looks, and ability,” Chen Xiaoman screamed while holding her notebook, “Oh my god, he’s the perfect male lead in a novel!”
Shi An rubbed his aching ears, yawning and looking around for a breakfast stall.
Zhao Kang couldn’t relate, but he respected her opinion, “I hope you get assigned to the Big Devil then.”
“No, no, no!” Chen Xiaoman shook her head like a rattle, “Ptooey, ptooey, don’t jinx me!”
This kind of man was only suitable for living in novels, ordinary people couldn’t handle him. Chen Xiaoman flipped open her notebook, “I’ve already done my research, I’m going to volunteer to follow Dr. Chen Man.”
As one of the few female doctors in the emergency department, although Chen Man wasn’t as legendary as Zhong Yan, her skills and abilities were first-rate. More importantly, she was gentle and easy to talk to, responsible and patient, like an older sister, and was called “Angel Man” by the senior residents.
Chen Xiaoman: “Besides, our names are so similar, it’s fate, Dr. Chen will definitely accept me!”
Who wouldn’t like an easygoing leader? Zhao Kang leaned over to look at her notebook, “Are there any other pretty sisters? Get me one too.”
The two chatted excitedly, Shi An only cared about the street across the road, “I’m going to buy some buns first.”
Chen Xiaoman closed her notebook and grabbed Shi An’s backpack strap, “There’s no time, comrades, let’s go.”
Shi An was dragged along, getting farther and farther away from the breakfast stall, “Sis, there are still twenty minutes left.”
“No teacher dislikes a hardworking and well-behaved student. If we go now, we’ll be fifteen minutes early, which is the perfect time.”
Chen Xiaoman held her head high and strode forward, “Come on, future doctors, the development of medicine in our country depends on us!”
Zhao Kang: “…”
That’s not necessary.
Shi An: “…”
Freshly steamed buns.
At 7:50, Zhong Yan, with a stethoscope around his neck, walked into the emergency department office.
Director Zhang had three application forms in his hand, “Xiao Zhong, you’re not taking any residents this year either?”
Director Zhang and Zhong Yan were both directors of the emergency department, the former was in charge of internal medicine, and the latter was in charge of surgery. Director Zhang had over thirty years of experience, was more senior, and was respected by everyone.
Zhong Yan had also mentored a few residents. Besides those who graduated successfully, one was so scared he needed to see a psychiatrist, another cried and gave up medicine to become a writer, and another ran away and never came back.
Although it was acceptable to be strict within the regulations during the teaching process, scaring the kids into changing careers was not worth it.
Zhong Yan unscrewed his water bottle, “Yes.”
Director Zhang nodded in satisfaction and said to the others, “Xiao Ma, Xiao Chen, each of you choose one, and I’ll take the remaining one.”
Chen Man took the forms, “I’ll take Chen Xiaoman, it’s fate.”
Director Zhang nodded, “That’s what I was thinking too. Men are too rough, it’s more convenient for you to take her.”
Chen Man flipped to the next page, her gaze fixed on the photo, “There’s a handsome guy too, with that hair, he’d be eye-catching in any department.”
“Don’t be fooled by this kid’s unruly appearance, his grades are excellent, he gets scholarships every year,” Director Zhang said with a smile, “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
“Such a handsome guy, even I’m tempted,” Chen Man joked, “Director Zhang, can I take two?”
Others also came over to take a look.
“He’s really handsome, fair-skinned.”
“Our department needs some fresh blood.”
“The nurse’s station will explode when he arrives.”
“He’s already here, at the triage desk.”
Three young people were standing outside the glass window, two men and one woman. Two of them looked a bit awkward, looking around, while the remaining one was the most conspicuous.
He had short, light blond hair, the ends lazily sticking up. He was wearing a clean, neat T-shirt and a black canvas bag slung across his body. He was leaning against the table, dozing off, oblivious to his surroundings.
“Is he still half asleep?”
“It’s rare to see such a relaxed attitude in the emergency department.”
“He clearly hasn’t been oppressed yet.”
“Seven years of medical school didn’t sharpen him?”
Zhong Yan didn’t participate in the conversation. He took the application forms and lingered on the page with the blond youth.
Shi An, Clinical Medicine, Provincial Medical University.
The name was unfamiliar, but he would recognize this face even if it turned to ashes.
In the past seven years, Zhong Yan had visited every bar, nightclub, and trendy place in Yang City, but he never expected to meet him again in such a place, in such a way.
Zhong Yan took Shi An’s form, “I’ll take this kid.”
Chen Man tilted her head, a little surprised.
Director Zhang’s expression wasn’t very good, “Didn’t you say you weren’t taking any?”
“I changed my mind,” Zhong Yan’s attitude was firm, “I want him.”
“Go easy on him,” Director Zhang couldn’t bear it, “The kids have it hard enough, studying day and night for so many years, try to let them graduate smoothly.”
Zhong Yan’s face was expressionless, which was considered an agreement.
The residents were assigned, but Chen Man’s curiosity remained, “May I ask Director Zhong, what caught your eye about this kid?”
In the past, Zhong Yan wouldn’t even bat an eye at such a casual and unruly student, let alone actively ask for him.
Zhong Yan held the form, and only said three words, “Good waist.”
For their first rotation, residents had to follow the head nurse to familiarize themselves with the department’s configuration.
When patients came for treatment, they would go to the triage desk to register. A doctor or nurse would then decide the patient’s subsequent destination based on their condition. Seriously ill patients were taken directly to the resuscitation room, while those with minor illnesses or no life-threatening conditions would stay in the triage area, also known as the “flow area.”
In addition, the emergency department also had a resuscitation room, observation room, EICU, etc., making it the most comprehensive clinical center in the hospital.
The emergency department’s scheduling system was complex, and there were usually two doctors on duty in the office to take care of patients.
There was a first-line and second-line order for scheduling. During the day, there were early, middle, and day shifts, while at night, there were middle, night, and on-call doctors. During peak hours, there would be a large number of doctors interspersed, and the residents’ working hours usually coincided with their mentors’.
Shi An took the doctors’ schedules and looked at them three times. He didn’t understand why his mentor’s working hours were significantly longer than others’.
After touring the department, understanding the daily arrangements, and undergoing pre-job training, the three of them got their meal cards and received their white coats.
On the way back, the other two found their mentors in the hallway and at the triage desk. Only Shi An’s mentor was waiting for him in the office, like a revered Buddha.
Before reporting, Shi An hadn’t listened to a word Chen Xiaoman said, but he remembered Director Zhang’s earnest words.
“Young man, you’ll be following Director Zhong from now on.”
“Director Zhong has skills and ability, you can learn a lot from him. But he has high standards and is demanding. Be smart, diligent, sweet-talk him, don’t be lazy, go along with him, and if there’s anything you don’t understand and don’t dare to ask him, come to me.”
Before they parted, Director Zhang pressed his shoulders tightly, as if leaving his last words, “Young man, it’s going to be tough for you.”
Director Zhang was over sixty, but his grip was strong, and it sobered Shi An up. His usual carefree attitude was replaced with a hint of nervousness.
Was this Director Zhong really that scary?
Shi An stood at the office door, cautiously knocking.
“Come in.”
The office was empty, and a man was sitting by the window. From Shi An’s angle, he could only see his back. Sunlight streamed through the window, clinging to his dark hair.
Even though he couldn’t see his face, he exuded a gloomy aura.
Shi An swallowed, feeling like he was walking to the gallows, “Dr. Zhong, I’m here to report.”
The chair slowly turned, and the man’s features became clear in his field of vision. A surprisingly cool face, he tilted his head and met his gaze.
Then he said, “Do I look familiar?”
