Chapter 585: Chapter 585: The Price of Friendship

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was a night without any dreams.

When Ling Ran opened his eyes, the curtains shone with yellowish-red light, which was the result of the blazing sun shining on it.

“What a sunny day.” Ling Ran opened the curtains. He shielded the sunlight with one hand and looked outside. He saw a thick green pasture not far away.

In Bazhaixiang, there were only two or three streets of buildings in total, but there was a rather large square in the center. Although it was early in the morning, many people were walking their dogs, jogging, holding devil’s ivy, or hugging their cats while wandering between the streets.

Across the square was a small hill that was not too high or low, and it was separated by a street and a river. When Ling Ran stood in the hotel, he could see the pavilions and temples on the hill. The small winding roads made it clear that those paths were not easy to traverse.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he went downstairs. He planned to have breakfast in the small building next door. When he got out of the door, he smelled the familiar smell of a car.

Although it was only a small town with three streets, the three streets were full of cars, and there were also a lot of e-bikes as well as motorcycles on the road…

Ling Ran frowned in disdain. He had a great dislike toward dirty artificial buildings and chaotic order, and it was second to his dislike of primitive forests.

It was pretty impressive that Bazhaixiang had both things together.

*Shick.*

The sound of the oil pan could be heard from the small canteen ahead. Ling Ran could not help but think of the surgeons during the Napoleonic Wars. At that time, the best way to stop external trauma was to spill oil on the wound and use a soldering iron on it.

“We recommend fried pancakes for breakfast, it’s a specialty of ours.” The staff sitting at the entrance of the cafeteria had her head lowered and played with her phone as she spoke when she heard the sound.

Then she looked up again, and she saw Ling Ran’s chin. She could not help but tremble. She put down her phone and even stood up before he said, “We also made porridge and five dishes today, all of which are self-service, and there’s also soymilk with white sugar next to it, you can put it if you like it…”

“Thank you.” Ling Ran nodded and went to find a plate.

The staff at the door felt as if she had lost something, and she whispered, “If I knew, I wouldn’t play with my phone.”

“You said the same thing the last time you were caught by the boss.”

“Being fired by the boss is no big deal. I can just find another job. That can’t be compared with this opportunity. I’ll not play my phone tomorrow and just stay here and wait for Doctor Ling to talk to him.”

“Talk about what?”

“I can introduce him to our fried pancakes…”

The most famous thing in Bazhaixiang was their fried pancakes.

No one knew how it became famous and when it became famous.

The method was nothing special as well. The skin was just a bit crispier, the inside was slightly soft, and it won in its flour and aroma in oil… Taste-wise, if it were from the capital, Beijing, people from all over the place might praise it, but in a village like Bazhaixiang, it was naturally regarded in disdain.

It would only be mentioned once when the people here served guests in banquets.

Ling Ran ate fried pancakes with porridge and a few other small dishes. He did so quietly.

In only half a minute, Hua Tao received news and rushed over. He held a plate of meat in his hand.

“This is Wuding chicken, Doctor Ling. You have to try it.” The Water Conservancy Bureau Head smacked his lips. He raised his chin and puffed his chest. He was in high spirits.

“Eating chicken for breakfast?” Ling Ran was a little hesitant.

“This is not an ordinary chicken.” Hua Tao put the plate in front of Ling Ran and smiled before he said, “Wuding chicken is Yunnan’s specialty, but this Wuding chicken I have here is the most authentic and most powerful of all Wuding chickens. It seems like a rooster, but it’s not. ”

Department Director Hong passed by with a plate and saw it. He sat down and took a look at Hua Tao’s plate. He smiled and said, “This must be a capon since you described it so mysteriously, let me have a taste of it.”

“It’s for you to taste, but you might not be correct in saying that it’s a capon.” Hua Tao pushed the plate forward and said, “It seems to be a rooster but it’s not a rooster, but it’s not a capon as well.”

“It’s not?” Department Director Hong took out a cigarette and looked at Ling Ran. He did not light it up, but sniffed it and placed it beside his ear.

Hua Tao liked Department Director Hong cooperating with him in the conversation, and he said decisively, “No. If it were a capon, it wouldn’t be anything special.”

“A capon is also very special. In my impression, Hainan chickens are capons, that’s why it’s so tender.” Director Hong shook his legs like an old landlord of the Republic of China.

“A neutered hen.” Hua Tao did not keep him guessing anymore. He just repeated, “A neutered hen.”

“Can a hen also be neutered?” Department Director Hong sat down and was interested in the plate of chicken in front of him.

Hua Tao said with a smile, “That’s why I said it’s a specialty of Wuding. There’s nowhere else that has it, and we have the skill of neutering hens.”

“It’s that great?” Department Director Hong did not quite believe and said, “I guess neutering a hen is similar. A rooster would have its testicles castrated, so a hen will have its ovaries removed. Doctor Ling should also know that. He performed several cases of orchiectomies.”

“The hens that have their ovaries removed would have prolonged growth,” Ling Ran said at this moment, “They will not lay eggs either.”

“Yes, so the cost of neutered hens is high. However, the nutrition that should have been given to the eggs would also go inside the meat. There’s something else…” Hua Tao chuckled and said, “You doctors may feel that castrating a hen is not difficult, but the people who raise chickens don’t think so. Let’s pick an example. We have a girl in our unit who raised a cat, and she sent it to a veterinary clinic, and neutering female cats is more expensive than a tomcat…”

“That makes sense.” Department Director Hong nodded continuously and even gave a cigarette to Hua Tao before he picked up the chopsticks and looked at Ling Ran. “Doctor Ling, if you’re not eating it, then I’ll start first.”

“Go on ahead.” Ling Ran did not hold back either. He picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of chicken.

“How’s it?” Hua Tao asked.

“It’s very tender.” Ling Ran nodded.

“Isn’t it?” When Hua Tao saw that Ling Ran was satisfied, he laughed and said, “Our Wuding chicken places an emphasis on freshness and tenderness. Moreover, hens who have been neutered have a long period of growth, but they taste better, it’s just that the cost is high. There’s another thing; after the hen has been neutered, it will have a long crown, and it will become heavier. When you taste it, it would feel like a rooster, which means that it has the advantage of both sexes…”

Hua Tao himself picked one piece, and he spent the rest of the time introducing the dish.

Ling Ran and Department Director Hong took turns eating the chicken piece by piece, but they finished up that plate of half a chicken.

At this time, Hua Tao said inadvertently, “Doctor Ling, I heard that you and the Academician Zhu of Shanghai’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center know each other?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Um… could you introduce him to me?” Hua Tao’s eyes were full of expectation.

Ling Ran did not have any intention to beat around the bush and directly asked, “Why do you want to be introduced to him?”

Hua Tao said with a smiling face, “It’s also a coincidence. Our head of the district’s wife recently got synovitis on the knee. I heard that the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center is the best in our country, so I went to Shanghai, but I’m not too familiar with the place and the people there. Although we could call an expert through some connections, after some consideration, it would be more reassuring if we can invite Academician Zhu to take a look at it.”

“Academician Zhu has not provided consultations since a long time ago,” Ling Ran said.

“Yes, yes, I understand. The main problem is that I’m worried. If you can ask Academician Zhu to look at it, then I can feel at ease.” This was actually purely Hua Tao’s idea. The head of the district had more connections than him, and he had already found someone and arranged an expert to look at her, but it was more difficult to contact Academician Zhu.

When Hua Tao saw Ling Ran and learned about his relationship with Academician Zhu, he had an idea.

Department Director Hong coughed and said, “Department Director Hua, there’s no need to find Academician Zhu. Synovitis of the knee joint can be handled by any specialist in Shanghai.”

“Sigh, I know what you’re saying. But when a person is sick, we just get worried,” Hua Tao said with a chuckle, “It’s mainly because we can’t get the best even when we bring the best gifts. How about this? We will pay according to the price of a freelance surgery.”

When Hua Tao’s wife underwent a finger replantation surgery, he learned about freelance surgeries. Now, if he were able to contact Academician Zhu, he was prepared to pay for it himself.

When he said that they were unable to get the best even when they offered the best gifts, he was also referring to himself.

Department Director Hong raised his eyebrows and said, “Academician Zhu’s freelance surgery is not at a general price. Even with friendship prices, it would cost around 70,000 and 80,000 RMB.”

People at Academician Zhu’s level would only perform freelance surgeries for friends.

Hua Tao felt that it was a little expensive. He gritted his teeth and still said, “Even 80,000 RMB is not a problem.”

Ling Ran took out his phone and said, “Let me send a message through WeChat to ask.”

“Oh, okay, great, thank you, I will cook fish at night. It would be absolutely delicious!”