Chapter 537: 537 Zhou Li’s Decision

(Thanks to baochong for the ticket encouragement)

“Brother Zhang, you’ve worked hard,” Liu Banxia said gratefully as Zhang Jun, the attending physician from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, stepped down from the operating table.

“Don’t mention it. You got the news too, right? Huang Ying, Zhao Qian, and I will bring the residents over then. We just came by today to get a feel for the atmosphere,” Zhang Jun said with a smile.

“Heh heh, actually, when I asked them to contact you, I figured you’d come over if you didn’t have any patients,” Liu Banxia nodded.

“Honestly, we’ve been looking forward to you all coming for a long time. It’s always a headache when we handle emergency cases involving pregnant women. We’re terrified of it affecting the fetus.”

“Last time, there was a case of splenic torsion that Qi Wentai handled. Afterwards, he told me he’d rather work twice as hard than deal with pregnant women again. The pressure is just too immense.”

“It’s not that scary. That’s just how it is at the beginning. Once you’ve delivered a few babies and seen the newborns, you’ll be dying to come to the obstetrics department,” Zhang Jun laughed.

“I was actually assigned to obstetrics initially, and I was very resistant at first. But now, I’ve delivered so many babies, and it’s not too exhausting. I think it’s quite good.”

“No, no, you can keep that happiness for yourself. I’d rather do a kidney transplant; it’s easier than performing a C-section or delivering a baby,” Liu Banxia quickly shook his head.

“By the way, the plan is to set up the floors after the fifteenth. It’s going to be great; they’re allocating an entire floor for you. That should also help increase our emergency center’s profits.”

“Why are you pinning your hopes on us? Cardiology and Neurosurgery can make a lot of money just by having patients stay a few days, can’t they? How much revenue can our expectant mothers possibly generate?” Zhang Jun said with a wry smile.

“How could we not count on you? We still have a lot of unpaid medical bills with unclear accountability. When patients come to us, if it’s an emergency, we have to save them first. Otherwise, who would bear the responsibility?” Liu Banxia said.

“So, we’ll be counting on you then. You usually have more elective patients anyway. I think it’s a good plan, really. You’ll have to work hard.”

“Ha ha, if I work hard, do I get a chicken leg as a reward?” Zhang Jun joked.

This chicken leg remark had become a famous running gag in the Second Hospital. Anyway, whenever someone from the ER was seen eating a chicken leg, it meant someone had made another contribution.

After chatting with Zhang Jun for a few more minutes, Liu Banxia saw him off.

Not bad. Even though it was their first meeting, they got along well. What he worried about most was this aspect—interpersonal relationships were the most troublesome.

Actually, “Obstetrics and Gynecology” was just a general term. Zhang Jun and Huang Ying were obstetricians. He had met Huang Ying before, having called her for a consultation once.

He had also seen Zhao Qian from Gynecology, but they hadn’t interacted much. However, gynecology was relatively less demanding and generally didn’t involve emergencies, so it didn’t really matter.

“Alright, we can go eat in peace now. Let’s go first this round. When we get back, Dr. Wei and the others can get a longer rest,” Liu Banxia announced.

The interns regrouped, walking with a spring in their step.

“Not many days left, so you all need to be prepared. By the way, which of you two is going to the ICU?” Liu Banxia asked.

“Teacher Liu, I’ll go,” Su Wenhao raised his hand.

Liu Banxia nodded. “You’ll have to work hard when you get there. After we finish eating, I’ll take you two over to say hello. Actually, let’s all go. Everyone has to be ready to step up, after all.”

The other four gave him a helpless look; there was no escaping this.

Qing Kewa, however, was quite relaxed. None of this concerned her. Exchange students have it so easy.

Arriving at the cafeteria naturally meant a big meal. Although Xu Hui hadn’t given Liu Banxia an extra chicken leg, Liu Banxia smugly added a pig’s trotter to his own plate.

“Teacher Liu, is this how you set an example?” Xu Yino asked, exasperated.

“What about it? I’m spending my own money. Let others say what they want,” Liu Banxia said with a straight face.

Xu Yino was helpless. It’s useless saying anything to this version of Teacher Liu. It seems their Teacher Liu is becoming increasingly cheeky.

As they were eating, Liu Banxia saw Zhou Li also come in for lunch. He immediately took his plate and went over to her.

“What do you want?” Zhou Li asked.

“Firstly, I want to thank Sister Li again for those sauced bones. They were unforgettable,” Liu Banxia said earnestly.

“If you want more, just say so. But I won’t have time to make them for you these next few days. There’s not much fresh pork in the market; most of it is frozen,” Zhou Li replied.

“Heh heh, just make some when you feel like it. Sister Li, the second thing is also very important. Have you told Old Wang? I ran into him in the operating room today,” Liu Banxia asked.

Zhou Li nodded. “I told him. We’ll wait another year for the baby.”

“So, how’s Old Wang? Is he cooperating willingly, or did you have to coerce him?” Liu Banxia asked quickly.

Ever since I came to the Second Hospital, there haven’t been many people who genuinely cared about me. Even with Zhou Li, our connection grew slowly because of Shi Lei and Wang Lei’s good relationship with her. But she genuinely cares about me. That’s a bond, something to be cherished.

“I actually feel quite bad about it. Maybe I shouldn’t take this head nurse position? I haven’t officially told Sister Wang yet,” Zhou Li said hesitantly.

“That’s something no one else can advise you on,” Liu Banxia shook his head.

“If you let someone persuade you, you might regret it later, whether you do it or not. Just follow your heart. Once you’ve made a decision, stick to it firmly.”

“Sigh… I feel like quitting this job and just opening a small snack shop selling sauced pork bones,” Zhou Li said.

“Ha ha, you’re just saying that to vent,” Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

“When you first started, it was for the salary. You’ve been in this field for so long now, it’s about the work itself. In any case, whether it’s you or Old Wang, your careers in the emergency center won’t suffer.”

“Now, Old Wang can’t even get me for his surgeries anymore; I’ll probably be monopolized by the director. The only chance I might get is during an emergency surgery, if I can grab it.”

“As for you, whether it’s now or in a couple of years, I don’t think becoming head nurse will be a problem. The main issue now is the child. If you can coordinate that properly, I think everything else will be fine.”

Zhou Li nodded. “Let’s just carry on for now and see how things are at the end of the year. There’s still plenty of time. If I can get things sorted out, it’ll be smoother later on.”

“I’m just worried about the pressure when I first start the new role; that could be tough to handle. It’s not like you; you don’t have to worry about things at home at all. When are you and Qiaoqiao getting your marriage certificate?”

“Heh heh, we’re planning to go tomorrow. If it’s not too busy in the afternoon, I’ll take some leave, get the certificate, and then I have to go to the school to give a speech to the kids,” Liu Banxia said, beaming.

“Look at you, so happy. Qiaoqiao is a good girl. Let me tell you, you really can’t let her down. You already have so little time to spend with her,” Zhou Li said.

“Sigh… everyone tells me that, even my parents,” Liu Banxia sighed.

“It’s true. It should be you taking care of Qiaoqiao, but now it’s Qiaoqiao taking care of you,” Zhou Li said.

“Anyway, if I could remember this life, I wouldn’t do this job in my next one, nor would I marry a doctor. I’d just live a sweet, simple life, earning enough money to get by.”

“Ha ha, you’re just saying that. Who would believe you?” Liu Banxia said with a grin.

“Just think about how many of us here grumble about not wanting to do this job, yet we still come in every day and enjoy it. Saving lives is addictive, the kind you can’t just stop.”

“By the way, do we need to organize a farewell party or something for Sister Wang? Where will she be transferred? When is she leaving? There should be a specific date by now, right?”

“Look at you, firing off one question after another. Which one am I supposed to answer?” Zhou Li rolled her eyes at him.

“She’ll be transferred to the Medical Affairs Department. The hospital’s decision is probably also to ease the tension between Medical Affairs and the other departments. She officially moves on March 1st. Sister Wang doesn’t want a farewell party.”

“If you ask me, don’t bother with one. If you really want to do something, just take Qiaoqiao and treat Sister Wang to a meal when you have a day off. We’re going to be very busy around here for a while, right?”

Liu Banxia nodded. “Not just busy, extremely busy. And that’s with the director overseeing the setup of the new departments. Otherwise, I don’t know when I’d ever get a break.”

“Next month, various new departments will be established and staffed. All the departments our emergency center is supposed to have should be in place before May 1st.”

“Also, the director’s official appointment will probably be announced in the next few days, with a formal handover from Vice Director Zhou Zhiyong to take over the residency training program. I’m already worried; I’ll probably have to help coordinate that in the future.”

“You silly boy, isn’t that a great opportunity? It’s a chance to interact with all those important people. And it’s not just within our hospital, but also with the medical school,” Zhou Li said.

“Don’t look down on this residency training work. Even though our Second Hospital operates independently, we’re still under dual jurisdiction. The medical school still has a lot of influence here. You should visit them more often when you have time.”

“Get your doctorate in the future, and everything will be perfect. No one will be able to give you a hard time about your qualifications, and you can get promoted however you want.”

Liu Banxia chuckled. “I really haven’t thought that far ahead. Honestly, as long as I can perform surgeries every week, I’m happy. I haven’t really considered anything else. Is my outlook on things very noble?”

“You call that noble? I call it being completely oblivious,” Zhou Li said, slightly exasperated.

“Alright, I feel much better after scolding you. Let’s push hard this year, see if we can train a few more people. Then my workload will be much lighter.”

“It’s good that you’re feeling better. I’m taking my postgraduate courses during my days off now. I even missed two classes, but the director helped smooth things over for me. As for a Ph.D…. I really don’t want to pursue it,” Liu Banxia said.

“Well, that’s your own business. You think about it,” Zhou Li said with a smile.

It’s time to put some pressure on this kid. Otherwise, he always seems so unconcerned. Such a great opportunity, and he’s actually complaining about it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep