Chapter 239: 238: Spare Tire
Chapter 239: Chapter 238: Spare Tire
Yu Zhiming was drenched in sweat from treating the man and inducing vomiting. He was also covered in some vomit and dirt.
Back at the villa, Yu Zhiming took a shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and went to the living room.
He found Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan had changed into pajamas and were slumped listlessly on the sofa.
“You showered? How come your hair is still dry?”
The two girls sat up a little straighter.
Fu Xiaoxue chuckled. “I didn’t wash my hair, just rinsed off. I’ll give it a proper wash tonight.”
“Uncle, is that guy going to be okay?”
Yu Zhiming replied cautiously, “There’s a high probability he’ll pull through.”
Fu Xiaoxue said, “Oh,” then added mysteriously, “Housekeeper Yan says this mountain area is a real hotspot for that kind of thing.”
“They carry out at least seven or eight people every year, and she said the number is trending upward.”
Yu Zhiming sighed softly. “The pressure from all sides is mounting. Social classes are becoming more rigid, and there are fewer and fewer opportunities for upward mobility.”
After a moment’s pause, Yu Zhiming changed the subject and said admonishingly, “You two already have it much better than most people your age. You need to focus on your studies and not get caught up in comparisons.”
Fu Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan both readily agreed.
Just then, Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning came downstairs, also dressed in pajamas with their hair wrapped in towels.
“Fifth Brother, I’ve ordered lunch. It’s mostly fish, with a few other light dishes.”
Yu Zhiming grunted in acknowledgment as Yu Xiangwan continued.
“Housekeeper Yan said the lodge just got in some farmed deer and donkeys.”
“They’re having a venison feast and a donkey meat feast tonight.”
“Housekeeper Yan also mentioned a roasted deer fetus dish, but there’s only one, and someone has already reserved it.”
Yu Zhiming said, “Oh,” and added, “We’re heading back tomorrow morning, so we should have a big dinner tonight.”
Fu Xiaoxue immediately perked up. “I’ve never had venison before! It must be delicious, right?”
Zeng Yan also looked expectant. “There’s a saying, ’Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth.’ The donkey meat must be really good, right?”
Yu Zhiming smiled. “Tonight, we’ll order a few venison and donkey meat dishes to try…”
Just then, there was a noise outside the villa. A server from the Lake and Mountain Lodge had arrived with a food delivery cart.
However, the first person to enter the villa was Yan Ling.
“Dr. Yu, everyone, I just got word that the man was successfully transported to the nearest hospital.”
After a brief pause, Yan Ling smiled faintly. “Tonight, Phoenix Legend has been invited to come and perform.”
Hearing this, Yu Xiangwan asked excitedly, “You mean the duo, Phoenix Legend? The ones famous for all the square-dancing music?”
Yan Ling nodded with a smile. “The very same.”
“An important guest’s mother is celebrating her 80th birthday. She’s a huge fan of Phoenix Legend’s music, so he invited them to perform.”
“Dr. Yu, that guest heard about how you’ve been helping people, and he has extended a special invitation for you to attend the private concert tonight.”
Yu Zhiming asked, to be sure, “Just me? Can I bring them along?”
Seeing Yu Xiangwan and Fu Xiaoxue staring at her with eager eyes, Yan Ling could only reply truthfully, “The small theater has limited seating, so the invitation was extended only to you, Dr. Yu.”
Yu Zhiming said, “Oh. Please thank the esteemed guest for his invitation on my behalf.”
“Just tell him I have prior arrangements for tonight, so I must decline his kind offer.”
After seeing Yan Ling out, the server finished setting out the food.
After a morning of hiking, sightseeing, and incidentally saving someone’s life, Yu Zhiming and the others were exhausted and starving. They wasted no time sitting down to eat.
After lunch, they chatted for a while to let their food settle before heading to their respective rooms to rest.
Yu Zhiming also went back to his bedroom, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes to rest.
Before long, his phone rang.
Yu Zhiming picked up his phone and saw it was a call from Luo Qing.
“Dr. Yu! Dr. Yu! I have light perception!”
The moment he answered, Luo Qing’s voice came bursting out, unable to wait.
“Dr. Yu, it’s true! I can sense changes between light and dark, and I can faintly see twinkling dots of light.”
“Dr. Yu, I’m positive. It’s not a trick of the mind, it’s really not, and it’s not a hallucination.”
Yu Zhiming suppressed his own joy, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “Luo Qing, it’s been nearly a month since your surgery to remove the blood clot.”
“If your recovery is going well, developing light perception around this time is a normal phenomenon.”
“Luo Qing, I can’t get back to the hospital right now. Go to the ophthalmology department and get an examination first.”
Luo Qing said excitedly, “Okay! Okay! Okay! I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up right away.”
“Dr. Yu, I just… I just wanted to tell you the news the moment it happened.”
Yu Zhiming smiled. “I understand how you feel.”
After a short pause, he added a reminder, “Luo Qing, gaining light perception is just the first step. It will still take a long time to recover—at least one or two years—to reach your best possible outcome.”
“You can’t be impatient.”
“Also…”
Yu Zhiming added, feeling a bit cruel, “Luo Qing, you also can’t have expectations that are too high.”
Luo Qing’s voice came slowly through the phone.
“Dr. Yu, I know my vision will never return to what it once was.”
“I’m just hoping that I’ll be able to see the faces of my family and friends again…”
After ending the call with Luo Qing, Yu Zhiming was filled with emotion.
’Seeing faces… considering the actual extent of the damage to her optic nerve, that will be quite a challenge.’
’All he could do was hope that anything was possible…’
「Around three in the afternoon」
Yu Zhiming received a call from Doctor You Weixian.
The 3D rendering of the intraspinal tumor that Yu Zhiming had drawn the previous night had been sent to Doctor You that morning.
The two of them discussed the surgical plan for Mr. Cao on the phone for over half an hour. They unanimously decided to schedule the surgery for 2:00 AM on the fifth.
“Dr. Yu, as far as I know, those doctors from Johns Hopkins Hospital are still waiting for you.”
Yu Zhiming laughed. “If they want to wait, let them wait. It’s not like they’re monsters who are going to eat me.”
You Weixian chuckled. “With the way they’re insisting it has to be you, I bet our hospital’s leadership is starting to get nervous. They must be worried you’ll get poached by a foreign hospital.”
“Dr. Yu, honestly, would you leave?”
Instead of answering, Yu Zhiming asked, “Doctor You, with your level of skill, I’m sure there are plenty of hospitals, both here and abroad, that have tried to recruit you.”
“Why have you never left?”
You Weixian laughed heartily. “I came up through Huashan Hospital, and the hospital has treated me well.”
“The main reason is that all the places trying to recruit me have been cheap. If any of them had dared to offer me a settling-in bonus of a few tens of millions, I’d have been out of here in a heartbeat.”
After a moment, You Weixian’s tone turned serious. “But you’re different, Dr. Yu.”
“If I were the head of a foreign hospital, I would greenlight ten million US dollars and spare no expense to recruit you.”
“Dr. Yu, your value is immeasurable.”
Yu Zhiming laughed. “Doctor You, thank you for the high praise. I honestly never thought I’d be worth that much money.”
He paused, his laughter fading, and said with earnest seriousness, “Huashan Hospital is the one that gave me my big break. They gave me the opportunity to learn and realize my potential. I wouldn’t just irresponsibly walk away.”
You Weixian said emotionally over the phone, “I knew it. You’re a man of integrity and conviction, Dr. Yu.”
“Dr. Yu, I have very high hopes for you. I’m certain you will become the pride of Huashan Hospital, and even of our country’s entire medical field.”
“Thank you for your praise and expectations, Doctor You…”
After ending his call with Doctor You, Yu Zhiming heard a noise outside his bedroom.
He went out to the living room and saw Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan carefully making their way down the stairs, leaning on each other for support.
“Your legs are sore, huh?”
Fu Xiaoxue nodded with a grimace. Then she asked curiously, “Uncle, aren’t your legs sore?”
“You walked almost as much as we did this morning, didn’t you?”
Yu Zhiming scoffed. “You two were bouncing all over the place this morning, running here and darting there. You covered at least fifty percent more ground than we did.”
He pointed to the living room sofa. “Come here and lie face down. I’ll give you a massage.”
Fu Xiaoxue was the first to shuffle over to the sofa and lie down.
The moment Yu Zhiming started massaging her legs, she started yelping, “Ow, ow… gentle, be gentle…”
Yu Zhiming ignored her, giving her legs a deep massage amidst her loud protests.
Massaging Zeng Yan next was much easier. At least she didn’t cry out, just quietly endured it.
As Yu Zhiming massaged the area around Zeng Yan’s waist and lower back, he suddenly let out a curious “Hm?”
Then, he began to repeatedly pat and press around her left side and lower back.
Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning, who had come downstairs when they heard Fu Xiaoxue’s earlier shouting, saw this, and worried expressions appeared on their faces.
“Fifth Brother, did you find something?”
“Is it serious?”
Zeng Yan turned her head to look. “Uncle, is there something wrong with me?”
Yu Zhiming pulled his hands away and stood up straight.
“I found an anomaly, but it’s not really a problem.”
Yu Zhiming continued, “Zeng Yan, you have three kidneys. Two on the right side, one on the left.”
“One of the two kidneys on your right is a bit small, but its function is normal.”
“To put it simply, all three of your kidneys are functioning normally. So, even though you have an extra one, your body is normal and you’re perfectly healthy.”
Zeng Yan touched her right lower back and stood up.
Fu Xiaoxue asked worriedly, “Uncle, is that really not a problem? How does something like that even happen?”
Yu Zhiming explained, “It’s caused by an abnormality during embryonic development. It’s quite rare.”
He reassured her, “Zeng Yan, you don’t need to worry.”
“They’ve been with you your whole life without causing any issues, and the chance of them causing problems in the future is also very small.”
“Just think of it as having a built-in spare kidney. Your body’s backup system is top-notch.”
Zeng Yan kept rubbing her lower right back. “I can’t believe it. I actually have an extra kidney.”
“Uncle, does that mean I can donate one?”