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Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Looking for the Patient’s Family
"What’s up?" Deng Wenwen stopped, looking at Liu Qing confusedly.
A feisty eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, she had grown close to Tong Yao and knew Liu Qing talked about her behind her back. This sparked a sense of loyalty in her. Whenever she saw Liu Qing, she felt as irked as an old man sizing up his son-in-law.
She had a feeling that Liu Qing was about to stir up some more trouble.
If she hadn’t been so young or naive enough to believe Liu Qing’s exaggerated stories, she wouldn’t have put on a show in front of Si Chen. Now she felt embarrassed around him.
Judging by hindsight, it was quite humiliating.
Liu Qing gave a backward glance and seeing that Tong Yao hadn’t followed, she asked in a low voice, "I heard you say that the milk tea shop is owned by Tong Yao, is that true or false? Wasn’t she a cashier there? How did she become the boss?"
How did managing the cash turn into managing the store?
Despite the small size of a milk tea shop, it could earn quite a lot in a month, much more than doctors made at the hospital.
"She is the cashier!" Deng Wenwen exclaimed in a maddening tone: "She just pockets the money, and she never said that the milk tea shop wasn’t hers."
Deng Wenwen’s nature differed from Si Xiaohui’s; while Si Xiaohui was meek, Deng Wenwen was friendly to her friends, but not so to strangers. Trouble her friends, and you trouble her.
Confirming that Tong Yao was indeed the owner of the milk tea shop, Liu Qing felt sour and her face soured. Sarcastically, she remarked: "No wonder you’ve grown so close to her, you learned that Tong Yao was the owner. So young, and you already know who to get in good with and who to step on."
After saying that, she snorted, turned around and took the stairs. Deng Wenwen made a face at her back, wondering what kind of person she was.
*
Tong Yao made two of Si Chen’s favorite dishes and even specially boiled a pot of lotus seed lily porridge. Yet, it was seven in the evening and Si Chen still hadn’t returned. Remembering Liu Qing’s words, Tong Yao felt uneasy. Taking off her apron, she decided to head to the hospital.
The hospital at night was quiet. Aside from the doctors and nurses on duty, there were few patients.
In those days, people rarely visited hospitals unless they were about to pass away. Private clinics in towns and villages took care of most of the surrounding patients. Even when women gave birth, they often opted for midwives at home. Only those in cities and a few well-off families in rural areas chose to have their children in hospitals.
Many women, having not passed the hurdle of childbirth, confronted the threat of death in an era replete with inadequate transportation and medical care. This wasn’t an exaggeration.
The on-duty nurse recognized Tong Yao and pulled her aside to a quiet spot, whispering, "You’re here to see Dr. Si, aren’t you? He’s currently in a meeting with the Dean; Professor Qu is also there. Everyone’s claiming that Dr. Si took a bribe, but I don’t think he’s like that. Don’t worry too much. If he didn’t do anything wrong, it’ll surely come to light."
"Thank you." Tong Yao asked softly: "How long has he been in there?"
"Dr. Si was called in right after he left the operating room. It has been over half an hour." The nurse grumbled: "The patient’s family is really something else. Dr. Si dedicated himself to providing medical care for them and their attitude towards him was nothing short of perfect. Unexpectedly, they secretly reported him. Speaking praises to his face while backstabbing him."
Tong Yao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Was the surgery successful? Where are the patient’s family members now?"
"The operation was very successful. The patient is currently in Ward 304 of the Inpatient Department." The nurse just finished telling her the ward number when she suddenly thought of something and rushed to ask: "You’re not going to find them, are you?"
"I’m going to see the patient." Seeing the nurse worried, Tong Yao reassured her, "Don’t worry, I’m just going to see the patient. I won’t argue with them."
The nurse saw that Tong Yao was calm and felt a bit relieved. She cautioned, "You really must keep your temper in check. Don’t argue with the patient’s family. Otherwise, if they report it to the Dean, it won’t be good for Dr. Si."
"I know, thank you."
Tong Yao gave the nurse a sweet smile before heading towards the Inpatient Department.
The Inpatient Department appeared extra quiet during the night. Even though it was the middle of summer, the corridor carried a coolness, causing goosebumps, and footstep sounds echoed, seeming particularly stark.
Tong Yao, usually not timid, found herself filled with trepidation.
The lights were still on in Ward 304, and murmurs laced with a distinctive Kyoto accent drifted from within. Confirming that the occupants were still awake, Tong Yao gently knocked on the door. In a moment, a man in his forties opened the door.
The man was dressed in a Zhongshan suit, his facial features kindly though dignified, not like a scheming scoundrel.
Seeing a young woman at the door, the man was momentarily taken aback, asking curiously, "Whom are you looking for?"
There was only his son in the ward and no one else, and he was certain he didn’t know the woman standing before him.
"Hello, I’m Tong Yao, a family member of Dr. Si who operated on your son." Being polite, Tong Yao decided that it was best to remain pleasant, affable, and smile genuinely.
"You’re Dr. Si’s wife?" Recalling something, the man’s expression turned odd, even seemed a bit embarrassed.
"Yes, I am." Tong Yao nodded and then said straightforwardly: "Speaking frankly, when I came here, I wanted to ask about the matter of him receiving your red envelope."
"Let’s talk in the corridor."
The man went back to inform his wife before closing the door to the ward and returning to Tong Yao. Without waiting for her to say anything, he started, guilt on his face.
"I’m sorry about the complaint against Dr. Si. I was upset when I found out that Dr. Si was performing his first surgery on my son, assuming that the hospital was using my son as a guinea pig. It was out of anger that I reported him. I’ve informed the Dean that the red packet was given willingly and doesn’t need to be returned."
The man seemed remorseful and embarrassed. He gave Si Chen the red envelope hoping that Si Chen would perform the operation excellently to increase the success rate. But he only found out after his son was wheeled into the operating room that it was Si Chen’s first time performing a surgery.
Wasn’t his son then essentially a guinea pig for Si Chen to practice on?
Overwhelmed with worry for his son, the man rashly reported Si Chen to the Dean for alleged bribery. It was only after he found out that the operation was a success, and his son could be transferred to general ward the next day that he cooled down. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
He also learned from the Dean that Si Chen had attended many surgeries before and there were professors assisting him in this operation. His son was far from being a guinea pig.
He regretted it very much. He had told the Dean that he would not pursue the matter of the red envelope. The money was willingly given to Si Chen, and he thought the matter was over. He didn’t expect Tong Yao to show up.
