Dinner was at the affordable and fragrant “Piaoxiang Lou” restaurant near the school. A group of about ten people occupied the largest table, ordering over a dozen dishes and three cases of beer. The bill came to less than three hundred yuan, which didn’t put too much of a dent in Zhang Ziyang’s wallet.
At the table, everyone raised their beer glasses, toasting and cheering. They patted Xu Ze on the shoulder, asking about his basketball achievements before college and trying to get him to drink more. Xu Ze, however, had to head to the clinic later, so he only sipped a couple of glasses before excusing himself. After finishing two bowls of rice, he politely bowed out amidst the group’s protests, leaving them to grumble about his “cunning” as he walked away.
Only Zhang Ziyang muttered under his breath, “This guy doesn’t seem like much of a drinker. Hmph… Now that he’s joined the team, there’ll be plenty of chances to mess with him later.”
After dinner, the clinic was still busy. While there weren’t many new patients, many people came in for IV drips. As soon as Xu Ze stepped into the clinic, Nurse Luo called him over to help.
It took about half an hour for Xu Ze to assist Nurse Luo in setting up all the IVs. Straightening his sore back, he glanced around the injection room. Aside from three or four new patients he didn’t recognize, the others were familiar faces.
One patient stood out in Xu Ze’s memory—the elderly man with coronary heart disease whom he had performed an ECG on last time. Xu Ze walked over with a smile and asked how he was doing.
After getting an update on the man’s condition, Xu Ze grabbed his stethoscope to check on his progress. He also reviewed the medication Dr. Zhang had prescribed, hoping to learn from the treatment plan.
After all, severe cases like this weren’t common, and Xu Ze wanted to make the most of the opportunity to study and learn.
As Xu Ze examined him, the old man smiled and asked, “Are you Dr. Zhang’s apprentice? How long have you been studying under him?”
Xu Ze listened carefully with his stethoscope and replied, “Almost two years.”
“Oh, that’s good. Dr. Zhang is an excellent physician. If you learn well from him, you’ll have a bright future!” The old man then turned to his son, who was sitting beside him, and said, “Look at how diligent this young doctor is. He’s definitely going to be a great doctor someday.”
Xu Ze listened carefully and noted that the wheezing in the man’s lungs had decreased compared to the last visit. However, his heart rhythm was still irregular, and heart murmurs were still present. Overall, though, his condition had improved significantly.
Xu Ze then checked the prescription Dr. Zhang had written for the old man. It included medications to dilate the coronary arteries and protect the heart. Xu Ze nodded to himself, as the treatment plan aligned with what he had expected.
Seeing that all the patients in the injection room were now hooked up to their IVs and Nurse Luo could handle things on her own, Xu Ze decided to sit in the consultation room. He picked up a drug manual and began studying, just like Dr. Zhang, who was quietly reading a book. These materials were essential, and Xu Ze knew he had to master them.
He had just flipped through a couple of pages when a young man walked in. Xu Ze looked up and recognized him—he often accompanied his father to see Dr. Zhang. Today, however, the young man had come alone.
The young man approached Dr. Zhang and said with a smile, “Dr. Zhang, my father’s condition has flared up again. Could you come and take a look?”
“Your father’s condition has worsened?” Dr. Zhang frowned and glanced at the young man. “I’m tied up here right now. There are several critically ill patients receiving IVs.”
“Dr. Zhang, please, just take a look. My father can’t move, and I’ve brought the car. It’ll only take a moment, twenty minutes at most. It won’t interfere with your work here,” the young man pleaded.
Dr. Zhang looked at the injection room, then back at the young man. He was in a tough spot—this was a regular patient, and it would be rude to refuse. But he also had two critically ill patients to attend to.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, “Alright, I’ll go, but I need to return as soon as possible.”
“Of course! I’ll bring you back right away,” the young man quickly agreed.
Dr. Zhang grabbed his medical kit and turned to Xu Ze. “Xu Ze, stay here and keep an eye on things. I’ll be back in ten or twenty minutes.”
“Got it. I’ll hold down the fort,” Xu Ze nodded.
Once Dr. Zhang left, Xu Ze decided to check on the patients in the injection room. After all, there were several people on IVs, including the elderly man with the serious condition. This was not something to take lightly.
Even though he was only there to supervise and wouldn’t be held responsible if something went wrong, Xu Ze felt a sense of duty. He carefully checked on each patient, asking if they felt any discomfort and verifying that the medications on their IV bags matched their charts to avoid any mishaps.
After making his rounds and confirming that everyone was stable, Xu Ze felt a bit more at ease. He returned to the consultation room and continued studying the drug manual.
Xu Ze wasn’t entirely familiar with the classifications of antihypertensive drugs, so he flipped to the marked pages and began reading intently, murmuring to himself, “Antihypertensive drugs include: 1. Diuretics; 2. Beta-blockers; 3. Calcium channel blockers; 4. ACE inhibitors; 5. Angiotensin II receptor blockers…”
Just as Xu Ze was engrossed in his reading, a panicked shout interrupted him. “Dr. Zhang! Dr. Zhang, come quick! What’s happening to my dad?”
Xu Ze’s heart sank. It was the voice of the elderly man’s son. Something must have gone wrong with the old man. But Dr. Zhang wasn’t here—what should he do? If the patient died without a doctor present, the clinic would be in serious trouble, and who knew how big the fallout would be.
“Should I step in and take a look? But can I handle this?” Xu Ze hesitated.
At that moment, Nurse Luo rushed into the consultation room, her face pale. “Dr. Zhang! Dr. Zhang!”
But when she saw that Dr. Zhang wasn’t there and only Xu Ze stood with a grim expression, her panic deepened. “Xu Ze, where’s Dr. Zhang?”
Xu Ze quickly made up his mind. He took a deep breath, grabbed his stethoscope from the table, and said firmly, “Dr. Zhang’s out on a house call. I’ll go take a look first.”
“What? Dr. Zhang’s gone?” Nurse Luo’s face turned ashen. She knew that if something happened to the patient without a doctor present, the consequences would be severe.
But Xu Ze was already on his way to the injection room. Nurse Luo had no choice but to follow. At least if someone was there to assess the situation, the clinic’s liability would be somewhat reduced. And Xu Ze, despite his youth, had some medical knowledge. His presence might help mitigate the damage.
The old man’s son, seeing Xu Ze approach, was both anxious and furious. “Where’s Dr. Zhang? Why isn’t he here? If something happens to my dad, who’s going to take responsibility?!”
