Chapter 30 - Old Sixth Truly Has Courage

“Stop fiddling with that plastic spring knife,” Lu Ming admonished. “It’s giving me discomfort in my liver, spleen, and kidneys.”

And there was one more thing he hesitated to admit—it was making him feel uneasy, too. Sitting across from the barbecue table, Tang Xiaorou stashed the spring knife away.

“Come on, tell me what’s on your mind,” Lu Ming inquired as soon as the knife disappeared. Given the familiarity, he knew she had invited him for a late-night barbecue to discuss something important.

Tang Xiaorou nodded and got straight to the point.

“You’re aware of the pay cut, right?”

Lu Ming didn’t expect this topic to come up. Due to changes in salary structures and related policies, the monthly incomes of 80% of healthcare workers have taken a hit. For top-tier doctors, it might not have a substantial impact since they had some extra income. But for those in the middle and lower ranks of healthcare workers, it was a setback.

“So, what’s your point?” Lu Ming looked at Tang Xiaorou with a puzzled expression.

“At work today, I overheard Director Xu and others discussing the idea of you taking the lead in addressing this issue,” Tang Xiaorou shared what she had witnessed during the day.

“Me?” Lu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tease me. I’m just an average doctor, maybe a bit more skilled than others, heading the emergency department. But when it comes to salary matters, what can I do?”

Lu Ming shook his head, not eager to get involved in this situation. Going against higher-ups was not a good idea.

“I know you won’t be keen on this,” Tang Xiaorou acknowledged. “That’s why I’ve thought of a compromise. See if this could work.”

“The maximum bonus is currently capped at 25%, right? Most people are in the 10% to 15% range. We can slightly increase the bonus percentage to offset the impact of this salary cut. Bonuses are something we can set ourselves, aren’t they?”

Lu Ming hadn’t anticipated Tang Xiaorou’s strategic approach on his behalf. She was right. Their healthcare staff salary structure primarily consisted of base pay, hospital bonuses, and departmental bonuses. Lu Ming couldn’t interfere with the base pay or hospital bonuses, but…

“That’s a good idea,” Lu Ming admitted. “But to change the bonus percentage, we’ll need approval from higher-ups. It won’t be easy.”

Tang Xiaorou shrugged, “I’ll handle that part. You just focus on your job.”

Lu Ming nodded, appreciating Tang Xiaorou’s willingness to assist.

Moreover, the departmental bonus could be applied for by individuals at their level and then reported to the hospital for approval. Lu Ming carefully considered this and found it feasible. As fellow doctors, only they knew how meager doctors’ earnings were. Outsiders might not realize that for a major surgery worth tens of thousands, a doctor might only receive a few hundred dollars as a bonus. This was why some respected doctors performed “off-site” surgeries during their free time.

“Off-site” referred to when doctors were invited to perform surgeries in other locations. The compensation for these surgeries was indeed quite substantial, tempting many doctors. After all, they were all human, and they had families to support and lives to lead.

“It seems like you’re considering my idea,” Tang Xiaorou guessed from Lu Ming’s expression.

“I haven’t even walked down the aisle, and I’m already being a helpful adviser,” Lu Ming quipped.

“So, you’re treating me to this late-night snack,” Tang Xiaorou said with a playful grin.

Lu Ming shrugged, “I’ll foot the bill. I’ll foot the bill.”@@novelbin@@

“Alright, let’s change the topic,” Tang Xiaorou said. “I want to test you now.”

She suddenly pointed to a nearby table of customers.

“Test what?” Lu Ming looked a bit puzzled.

“I recently came across a scenario,” Tang Xiaorou began. “You see that table over there with eight well-built adult men? Imagine if they suddenly approached me and demanded my contact information. If I refused, they seemed inclined to use force. What would you do?”

Lu Ming furrowed his brow, looking somewhat speechless.

“Why are you reading about these things lately?” He asked.

“Because I wanted to know how important I am to you,” Tang Xiaorou replied with a mischievous smile.

Lu Ming rolled his eyes and said, “You’ve got quite a sense of humor.”

“In case something like that happens, I hope your response will be to stay quiet. I’ll give them my contact information, and then we’ll just leave,” Tang Xiaorou explained.

“There’s no need to confront them for the sake of pride. It’s not about being afraid or not. It’s about being smart enough not to provoke unnecessary trouble.”

Lu Ming took a deep breath. This was one of the reasons he liked Tang Xiaorou—she would tell you exactly what to do.

“But when faced with someone aggressive, we might have to stand up,” Lu Ming said with a smile.

Tang Xiaorou laughed along with him.

“Here comes the barbecue!” The owner then brought their freshly grilled barbecue platter to the table. “Enjoy!”

As the owner left, Lu Ming and Tang Xiaorou were about to dig in when they heard a noise—a chair being knocked over, followed by the thud of something hitting the ground. They both turned to see that it was the table they had discussed just moments ago. One of the men at that table was now lying on the ground, apparently having fallen off his chair. Had he had too much to drink?

“Haha! Looks like Old Six can’t handle it. He’s already passed out?” One of the men said.

“Guess Old Six will be treating us tonight!” Another chimed in. “He’s never been drunk before, but it looks like we finally have a chance to get him back!”

“Come on, Old Six, get up and keep drinking!” Others urged, teasing their fallen friend.

He really had overindulged.

Lu Ming and Tang Xiaorou continued to enjoy their barbecue without paying much attention to the commotion at the nearby table.

“Old Six?”

“What’s wrong with Old Six?”

“Hey! Wake up, Old Six! Stop pretending!”

One of the friends at the table kicked Old Six, who was lying on the ground, but he showed no response. The friends realized something was seriously wrong, and they gathered around Old Six, calling out to him.

“Seems like something’s happened,” Tang Xiaorou said as she chewed on her barbecue, watching the commotion.

Lu Ming frowned. Had Old Six suffered from alcohol poisoning?

“Oh no!”

“It looks like Old Six isn’t breathing!”

“We’re in trouble. Call an ambulance!”

The friends were starting to panic. Lu Ming and Tang Xiaorou exchanged glances and immediately put down their barbecue. They got up and rushed over to where the incident had occurred.

“Excuse me, I’m a doctor,” Lu Ming said as he approached.

The seven big guys quickly made way for him. Lu Ming knelt down, checked Old Six’s breathing, and then felt his carotid artery for a pulse. Old Six’s breathing was extremely weak, almost non-existent. The pulse in his carotid artery was barely perceptible.

“What did he eat?” Lu Ming asked, but the symptoms didn’t seem like those of alcohol poisoning. He suspected it might be food poisoning.

“Just… the barbecue on this table,” his friends replied, looking worried.

“What’s wrong with Old Six?”

“Could there be something wrong with this barbecue?”

At that moment, the barbecue stall owner, who had arrived after hearing the commotion, also looked anxious. He said, “No, it can’t be. My barbecue is clean and fresh. There shouldn’t be any problems!”

Tang Xiaorou gestured with her hands, indicating that they should give the patient some space to breathe fresh air. Lu Ming looked at the barbecue on the table. It consisted of common skewers. Food poisoning was likely not the cause.

“Hmm?” At that moment, Lu Ming felt something in Old Six’s chest pocket.

“What’s this?” Lu Ming took out a box of cefuroxime from Old Six’s pocket.

“Is he taking medication?!” Lu Ming held up the cefuroxime and asked if anyone knew whether Old Six had taken this medicine before drinking.

“This…” Everyone exchanged glances.

“He should have taken it.”

“A while ago, he had a urinary tract infection, so he got some medication.”

“It should be this medicine.”

Someone who knew the situation explained what they knew. Lu Ming rubbed his temples, feeling a bit overwhelmed. To take cephalosporin antibiotics and still drink alcohol? It seemed like he was pushing his luck.

“Quick, bring some boiled water.”

“Did you call 120?”

Lu Ming started administering first aid.

“I’ll go get some boiled water.”

The barbecue stall owner immediately sprang into action. He didn’t want a tragedy to occur at his stall. Even if it weren’t his fault, it would still affect his business.

“I’ve already called an ambulance,” one of Old Six’s drinking buddies said.

Soon, the boiled water arrived. Lu Ming intended to try to revive Old Six’s consciousness and encourage alcohol metabolism by having him drink water to alleviate the adverse effects.

But at that moment…

Old Six began to vomit! Lu Ming quickly adjusted his position to prevent the vomit from blocking his airway. At the same time, Lu Ming had a sinking feeling. The appearance of vomiting symptoms indicated that Old Six might have already experienced a “disulfiram-like reaction”!

This is a toxic reaction caused by the combination of cephalosporins and alcohol!