The boy was thin, around eleven or twelve years old. His long-sleeved T-shirt was filthy, covered in dust.
What caught Yu Zhiming’s eye was that both of the boy’s cheeks were swollen, bearing the clear imprints of an adult’s hand.
The boy stood there stubbornly, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. His eyes were brimming with tears, his mouth was set in a firm line, and his fists were clenched tight.
He was clearly holding back the pain, fighting not to let his tears fall or a sob escape.
As Yu Zhiming approached the boy, a man in his thirties with a buzz cut walked over.
"Doctor, he’s my son."
"He’s fine."
Yu Zhiming noticed the boy showed no unusual reaction to the man’s words, confirming that this was indeed his father.
He looked coldly at the man, who was much stockier but half a head shorter than him, and demanded, "What about the marks on his face?"
The man forced a smile. "Doctor, I did it."
"The little rascal skipped class to play soccer at the small park by the river, and the ball ended up hitting a pregnant woman right in the stomach."
"She’s in surgery right now, and we still don’t know what’s going to happen..."
At this, the man’s face twisted with anger, and he raised his right hand high again.
Yu Zhiming’s gaze turned sharp as a blade.
The man slowly lowered his hand and explained sheepishly, "This little rascal is always getting into trouble."
"Today he’s finally caused a disaster. A few slaps is getting off easy."
Knowing the full story, Yu Zhiming had to admit the boy hadn’t been slapped for nothing.
’He really deserved it.’
Yu Zhiming said coolly, "If you’re going to hit your child, it’s best to spank him. You’re less likely to cause serious injury."
"And after you discipline him, you need to apply ointment or get him proper treatment."
"It’s wrong to just leave him like this."
The man was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Doctor, you’re right. From now on, I’ll spank him instead of hitting his face!"
"I’ll take him to a doctor in a bit!"
Hearing this, Yu Zhiming guessed the man was delaying treatment as a show for the pregnant woman’s family.
He sighed to himself and placed a hand on the boy’s chest, intending to do a quick examination.
The moment his hand touched the boy’s chest, his heart sank.
The boy’s heart rate was tachycardic, over 140 beats per minute, and his cardiac output was well below the normal level for his age and size.
’Internal bleeding!’
Realizing this, Yu Zhiming immediately crouched down and pulled up the boy’s shirt.
His eyes narrowed.
The boy’s stomach was slightly distended, and on it were several distinct, overlapping shoe prints.
Yu Zhiming pressed and percussed the boy’s abdomen, instantly detecting that his abdominal cavity was filled with blood.
He focused his senses again, then said in a cold voice, "Ruptured left kidney, massive hemorrhage. He needs emergency surgery!"
Yu Zhiming glared at the man and snapped, "Some father you are! How could you be so cruel?!"
The man was dumbfounded. "Doctor, Doctor, I only slapped him a few times! I didn’t kick him, I swear I didn’t kick him!"
"He’s my son..."
The man suddenly had a realization. He turned to the boy and asked urgently, "Son, was it the pregnant woman’s husband? Did he kick you?"
At this question, the last ounce of strength the boy had been holding onto suddenly gave way.
The boy’s body went limp, and he collapsed into his father’s arms.
Terrified, the man held his son and screamed, "Doctor! Doctor, save my son! Please, save my son!"
After a few shouts, he saw Yu Zhiming, who had vanished moments before, running out from the surgical ward doors with another doctor.
"Your son has a ruptured and bleeding left kidney. This hospital can’t perform that kind of surgery. All we can do is give him transfusions while we transport him to a major hospital in the city for treatment."
"Hey, what’s your son’s blood type...?"
After handing the boy over to his colleagues, Yu Zhiming left Inpatient Building 1.
’The county hospital’s resources are just so inadequate.’
Strictly speaking, repairing a ruptured kidney isn’t a particularly major surgery. Director Liu, who was supposedly the hospital’s top surgeon, should have been capable of performing it.
But when Yu Zhiming had asked, Director Liu said he couldn’t do it and to arrange for an immediate transfer to a higher-level hospital.
Yu Zhiming suspected it wasn’t that Director Liu *couldn’t* do it, but that he lacked the confidence.
After all, for similar surgeries, patients didn’t trust the county hospital’s expertise and always went to the major city hospitals.
The doctors here lacked practice, making them even more hesitant to operate. Whenever a case like this came up, they just transferred the patient.
It was a vicious cycle that left the county hospital capable of handling only routine, minor surgeries.
"Binhai Huashan Hospital," Yu Zhiming murmured. "It’s both a must and a necessity."
As he finished his thought, he saw Yu Xiangwan running out of Inpatient Building 2.
"Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother, don’t go back to your room!"
"I’m telling you, the room is a total mess. A bunch of people are here, all trying to plead the case for the family that attacked you."
Yu Xiangwan handed a phone to Yu Zhiming. "Your phone."
"Fifth Brother, Mom, Dad, and Eldest Sister wanted me to tell you... this town is small. People know people, and you can always find a connection."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Even though you’re leaving for Binhai, Second Sister’s family and Third Sister’s family still have to live and work here. It’s not good to be completely unforgiving."
Yu Zhiming nodded. "I understand. I’ll let Mom, Dad, and Eldest Sister handle it."
"Fourth Sister, if we can’t go back to the room, let’s just go home!"
Yu Xiangwan asked with concern, "Fifth Brother, before we go home, do you want another doctor to give you a thorough check-up?"
Yu Zhiming chuckled. "I’m a doctor myself. Why would I need anyone else to check on me?"
"Fourth Sister, I’m fine now."
"When I get home, I’m going to get some real sleep..."
As he said this, something clicked. He smiled and asked, "Fourth Sister, you’re a real estate agent. You need a good reputation too."
"You didn’t mention yourself just now. Does this mean Mom and Dad agreed to let you come to Binhai with me?"
Yu Xiangwan grinned smugly. "After a whole lot of begging and promising, Mom and Dad finally gave in."
A second later, her smile vanished, replaced by a pout. "To be honest, they were mostly just worried about you."
"They only caved after I promised over and over again to take care of your every need and not cause you any trouble."
"I must be the adopted one!"
"My poor little heart is broken! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!"
Yu Xiangwan huffed, shot Yu Zhiming another glare, and stomped off toward the hospital parking lot.
Yu Zhiming smiled and followed her.
"Fourth Sister, we can stop by the Sunshine Cake Shop on the way. I’ll buy you a little cake."
Yu Xiangwan stopped for a beat, then started walking again.
"I’m furious right now. One won’t cut it. At least two. And I get to pick whatever flavors I want!"
"Deal."
Yu Zhiming had bought his apartment in town two years ago. It was a resale unit: a three-bedroom, two-living-room, one-bath with a loft. It was on the top floor—the ninth—in a relatively remote southwestern part of town.
The price at the time of purchase was nearly four thousand yuan per square meter, and Yu Zhiming’s monthly mortgage payment was over two thousand.
For most people, the apartment’s biggest selling points were its proximity to the County No. 1 High School and its expansive view.
For Yu Zhiming, its most irreplaceable quality was that it was quiet.
Currently, the apartment was occupied by Yu Zhiming and his sister Yu Xiangwan, as well as their niece, Fu Xiaoxue—Eldest Sister’s daughter—who was a senior at the County No. 1 High School.
Fu Xiaoxue’s college entrance exams were less than a week away, and she was in the final stages of cramming and preparation.
After Yu Zhiming and his Fourth Sister got home, they had a quick bite to eat, took hot showers, and then he retreated to his perfectly quiet bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.
He slept soundly until almost seven that evening.
Yawning, Yu Zhiming got out of bed and pushed open his heavy, soundproofed door, only to stop in surprise.
The living room was full of people.
His father, mother, Eldest Sister, and Fourth Sister were there, along with Second Sister and her husband with their two sons, and Third Sister and her husband with their son and daughter.
As soon as Yu Zhiming appeared, it was as if someone had unmuted the living room; the space instantly burst into lively chatter.
His Eldest, Second, and Third Sisters all got up and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
His second and third brothers-in-law congratulated him on the opportunity to advance his career at Binhai Huashan Hospital.
The two youngest children, feeling braver now, crowded around their grandmother, whining for her attention.
"Fifth Brother..."
His father said to him as he approached, "The other party has agreed to cover all your expenses and will pay an additional twenty thousand in compensation."
"What do you think?"
Yu Zhiming said nonchalantly, "I’m fine with it, Dad."
His father nodded. "Since you’re okay with it, go to the police station tomorrow and sign the settlement agreement..."
「County Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.」
Nurse Lv Fang pushed open the door to Deputy Director Wang’s office to find him sitting behind his desk, tapping endlessly on his phone.
"Director, it’s after hours. Aren’t you leaving?"
Without looking up, Deputy Director Wang replied, "I posted on my feed about that umbilical cord torsion case."
"A few jackasses are accusing me of bragging and making things up. I have to set them straight."
Lv Fang walked up to the desk and said conspiratorially, "Director, I heard a pretty solid rumor that Dr. Yu is leaving."
Deputy Director Wang looked up in surprise, putting down his phone. "Who told you that? Where’s he going?"
"They say the news came from the Hospital Director’s office."
"And that a major hospital in Binhai made him a generous offer, and that someone important from there came to recruit him in person..."