Chapter 157 - 0151: Pure Person

In the morning, Song Zimo stepped out of the laboratory and stretched. He happened to run into Yang Ping.

“Senior brother, how was the consultation at the hospital yesterday?” Song Zimo inquired, showing concern.

Yang Ping answered nonchalantly, “A patient with a loose Achilles tendon. A 5000m Olympic gold medalist preparing for Achilles shortening surgery.”

Song Zimo shook his head: “This is quite tricky. For a long-distance runner, a relaxed Achilles tendon is unacceptable. Once shortened, the strength of the tendon decreases, possibly causing surgical side effects. The chances of it are quite significant. Overseas, some use a Plasma Scalpel for shrinkage, but the effective range of the Plasma Scalpel is minimal. Your case might not work then; otherwise, a consultation wouldn’t even be necessary.”

“Yes, the patient requires surgery to shorten the Achilles tendon.” Yang Ping took a seat in the office.

Song Zimo followed suit and took the seat next to him. “So, what are your thoughts, from the consultation?”

Checking the time and seeing it was still early, Yang Ping said: “We won’t cut the Achilles tendon. Instead, we’ll use the method of lowering the Achilles stop point. This method involves resecting the Achilles stop point together with the bone tissue, drilling a little deeper into the bone tunnel, and then replanting the bone plug with the Achilles attached.”

Song Zimo pondered for a moment, eyebrows raised with newfound understanding: “Senior brother, did you come up with this?”

“No, perhaps you did?” Yang Ping said, taking a breather while waiting for the shift change.

Song Zimo slapped his forehead: “Senior brother, your surgical method is brilliant, but how will you adjust the tension? It seems quite challenging.”

“The shift change is soon, I’ll explain it to you in detail when I get the chance.” Yang Ping stood up.

They still had the same three patients, with no new admissions. Professor Zhang was good at controlling the pace and did not want to take in too many patients at once.

The goal of Comprehensive Orthopedics is not quantity, but the quality of surgeries. Otherwise, there would be no value in its existence. Put simply, Comprehensive Orthopedics exists to build a reputation, as it is a trump card in tackling tough projects.

Director Han is now very reassured and no longer participates in shift changes. Director Tian simply went over to the Overseas Chinese Building to participate in the shift change. The hospital there already had over a dozen patients. He is currently applying to Director Han to have Fang Yan and Chen Xiaobo transferred over to the Overseas Chinese Building.

Yang Ping led everyone on their ward rounds. The patient from Singapore, who is Chinese, was engrossed in reading a pile of newspapers. It seems like he bought all the available newspapers from the stand at the hospital entrance.

This patient was preparing to undergo a core decompression and ceramic rod implantation procedure. This procedure is quite new and should be one of the more advanced procedures for the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. It is designed to guide blood vessels from other areas into the necrotic region, similar to the South-to-North Water Diversion.

The patient with the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. The patient, a professional athlete, is diligently practicing quadriceps strength exercises. Compliance is indeed beneficial.

The little girl is quietly doing her morning reading. Apart from looking a bit pale, and her hair a bit thin due to chemotherapy, her spirits are high, and she always has a smile on her face.

Yang Ping checked on her last, so he could chat with her a bit more. He was quite taken with this little one. Her eyes were clear and translucent— so pure they seemed untouched by the dust and grime of the human world.

“Where’s your mom?” Yang Ping asked, seeing that she was quietly reading by herself.

The little girl answered with a smile, “My mom went to make breakfast, and she’ll bring it over for me to eat later.”

“So your home is not far from here?” Yang Ping asked her.

The little girl replied seriously, “We can’t casually ask people for their addresses!”

Yang Ping found her adorable, and he purposely apologized: “Sorry about that!”

The little girl giggled, “I was only joking with you. My house isn’t here. My parents rented a place, it’s our new home. My dad found a new job, and my mom takes care of me.”

“You are really lucky!” Yang Ping decided to chat with her a little more.

“You all go ahead. I’ll chat with her for a bit.” Yang Ping told Song Zimo, Little Five, and Zhang Lin they could leave.

“Can we chat? Become friends?” Yang Ping took a seat on the chair beside the bed. The curtains of the ward were open, and the sunlight streaming in was warm.

“Of course, I really like you. Can I call you Doctor Brother?” The little girl closed her book.

Yang Ping nodded: “Sure.”

“Why do you like me?” Yang Ping asked, looking curious.

“Because your eyes are very clear, not muddy at all.” The little girl replied.

Clear, not muddy. What does that mean? He didn’t quite understand children’s language.

“Can you explain it more clearly?” Yang Ping found her fascinating.

The little girl frowned, looking quite troubled. After a moment of thought, she said, “I don’t really know how to put it. It’s just– your eyes have high purity, and you’re a very pure person. That’s what I think.”

“So, you mean I’m a very genuine person?” Yang Ping rephrased her words, seeking understanding.

The little girl thoughtfully nodded her head, “Yes, that’s what I mean, you’re a very pure person.”

It was the first time someone had described her as such. High purity, that’s interesting. Yang Ping looked at the book on the table: “What are you reading?”

The little girl handed the book to Yang Ping herself– Oliver Twist!

“Can you understand this book?” Yang Ping was astonished.

The little girl was a bit unhappy, “You adults always underestimate children. I was already reading Andersen’s Fairy Tales when I was in kindergarten.”

“That’s amazing!” Yang Ping flipped through the book and gave her a thumbs up.

The little girl blinked, her eyes twinkling like little stars in the night sky, “I have read a lot of books, but certainly not as many as you.”

“How do you know I’ve read a lot of books?” Yang Ping became more and more interested in the little girl.

The child blinked again, “My intuition. Your eyes told me!”

“Eyes are the window to the soul, it seems the window has given my secret away.” Yang Ping returned the book to her.

After chatting with the little girl for a while, Yang Ping had to get going. He said goodbye to the girl.

Her calmness and composure was beyond Yang Ping’s expectations, after all, she was just a child who knew nothing.

Yang Ping returned to his office and carefully reviewed the little girl’s case again. Regardless of the treatment method, the cost was a problem. This problem had to be solved first.

She had already had two surgeries. The operative sites were all at the original lesion. A part of the left femur had already been replaced by a prosthesis, and now another tumor had grown at the original site. There were metastatic tumors at several other places. Even amputation wouldn’t help.

“Does our hospital have a Gamma Knife?” Yang Ping suddenly asked.

“Yes, we do!” Song Zimo replied, unsure of what Yang Ping meant.

“Are you planning to treat her with the Gamma Knife?” Song Zimo sat beside him, waiting for him to explain about the sinking of the tendon.

Yang Ping didn’t confirm or deny, “I need to figure out how to fund it. If nothing else works, I’ll ask Director Han to apply for a waiver from the hospital, or pursue it as a research case.”

Song Zimo paused for a moment, then said, “Let me handle the cost. You don’t need to worry about it, just focus on treating her illness.”

“I know you have money, but you’re not obligated to do this.” Yang Ping knew that Song Zimo was considering paying out of his own pocket and was capable of doing so.

Song Zimo lightly said, “Think of it as charity, my grandfather would be willing.”

“Count me in!” Tang Fei chimed in when she heard they were discussing the cost.

Yang Ping knew that they didn’t lack money. One had a BMW series 7, the other a Maserati. What a perfect pair, matched in both wealth and status.

If they were willing, Yang Ping wouldn’t stop them. This was voluntary, but wealth couldn’t morally bind people. After all, they were also doctors here, not a charity organization.

Someone knocked on the door. Huang Jiahui stood at the entrance. Seeing Yang Ping and the others discussing something, she realized she had interrupted.

She bowed slightly, “I’m sorry for the interruption. I’ll come back later.”

Yang Ping beckoned her in, “It’s okay, we’re just chatting casually. What’s the matter?”

She entered and respectfully said, “Teacher Yang, we need a set of consumables for tomorrow’s anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction patient. I came to resupply in advance.”

“Oh!” Yang Ping remembered.

These preoperative preparations, including calling for the equipment, were all handled by Song Zimo, Little Five, and Zhang Lin. Yang Ping now only handled the surgeries.

“The operation is at 8:30 tomorrow!” Song Zimo reminded her.

Huang Jiahui nodded, but her glance lingered on the radiographic images on the computer.

“Teacher Yang, may I ask about this patient?” Huang Jiahui asked nervously.

Song Zimo pointed at the screen, “No problem, it’s not a sports injury. It’s a little friend with bone cancer. The family is already destitute from her treatment. We just discussed waiving the fees.”

“I’m sorry to have interrupted.”

Jiahui left the office almost running, took the elevator to the first floor, and immediately made a call to her brother.