Zhang Aifang was a little stunned. She felt that Shen Qingli had been too reckless—how could she just perform surgery without family consent? But since it had already happened, she could only hurry to handle it.
The other nurses helped the elderly man onto a hospital bed and pushed him toward the operating room.
Shen Qingli hurried along, putting on her sterile gown before entering the OR. The anesthesiologist had already administered spinal anesthesia and confirmed its effectiveness.
Shen Qingli began by thoroughly disinfecting the man’s lower right abdomen with iodine and alcohol. After draping sterile sheets, she reached for the scalpel, signaling to her surgical assistant, Li Yuncheng, to hand it over.
Li Yuncheng was nervous. Shen Qingli was a relative unknown, had only been there a few days, and now she was performing surgery, with him as her assistant. To make matters more stressful, the patient’s consent form hadn’t been signed. If anything went wrong, he would be held accountable.
He picked up the scalpel but didn’t hand it over, preparing to say:
“Dr. Shen, maybe you should just help retract the incision and suction the fluid.”
Shen Qingli furrowed her brow but didn’t give in. She had taken responsibility for this case. If he didn’t trust her, why should she trust him? If anything went wrong, she wouldn’t even be able to explain herself.
She said firmly:
“No need, Dr. Li. I’ll handle it.”
A shadow of irritation flashed in Li Yuncheng’s eyes. Shen Qingli made a six-centimeter incision in the patient’s abdomen, and his heart sank, fearing she might accidentally cut too deep and damage internal organs. But soon, she didn’t need his help at all. One hand deftly retracted the incision while the other swiftly suctioned the pus. She located the infected appendix precisely, disinfected, excised, tied off, and sutured it. Her movements were fluid and professional.
Li Yuncheng was dumbfounded.
“…She did all that by herself?”
Shen Qingli set down the surgical instruments, letting the circulating nurse Wang Xiangxiang count them, then looked at him calmly:
“I may come from a small county hospital, but I’ve performed many surgeries there without so many assistants. Next time, Dr. Li, please refrain from meddling.”
Li Yuncheng was speechless. He was astonished that she could complete the surgery alone, but also a bit annoyed. He hadn’t wanted her to succeed alone—he had only been worried about the risk. And now she was being proud about it.
She saw his displeasure but didn’t care. Once the elderly patient was wheeled out by the nurses, she removed her sterile gown, changed into a white coat, and exited the OR.
Zhang Aifang approached and lowered her voice:
“Dr. Shen, that was extremely reckless. Do you know how much trouble you’d face if something went wrong? At best, criticism; at worst, a patient death would ruin your career prospects.”
“I know,” Shen Qingli replied with a smile.
Zhang Aifang urged:
“Then why did you still do it? In a hospital, survival is all about self-preservation.”
Shen Qingli smirked:
“Nurse Zhang, tell me—can you still call yourself a doctor if you stand by and watch someone die?”
Zhang Aifang was speechless, then felt uneasy:
“I was just trying to teach you the rules of survival. How did it end up like this? I almost feel my thinking is wrong.”
Shen Qingli lifted her lips slightly:
“Self-preservation is correct in a hospital. But I’ve seen this man before—he’s kind-hearted and wouldn’t fake injuries for compensation. I also knew I could successfully perform the surgery, so I couldn’t just let him die.”
Zhang Aifang finally relaxed:
“That’s a relief. I was worried you’d cause trouble, and Liu would definitely blame you.”
Shen Qingli smiled faintly. She liked this place. In her past hospital at Xia’an, no one had ever spoken like this to her. Her supervising doctor, Qi Lianfen, treated her like a silent machine, and her fellow interns often ostracized her because of her skills. She didn’t know whether Zhang Aifang was speaking to her out of acquaintance with Zhou Taimin or some other reason, but as long as there was no malice, it was fine.
She walked with Zhang Aifang toward her clinic.
Meanwhile, Li Tieye’s family had arrived to care for him. A whole family, old and young, patched clothing, not wealthy, but they didn’t question the hospital fees. After pooling their resources and paying the hospital, they returned to the ward.
Li Tieye couldn’t help but say:
“This time, you really need to thank Dr. Shen in General Surgery. I had originally gone to Dr. Liu, but seeing I was poor and without family, he wouldn’t help me.”
Li Jianguo, the eldest son, became indignant:
“This is outrageous! Even if we’re poor, that doesn’t justify refusing to pay for medical care.”
The second son, Li Jianmin, said:
“I’ve never seen someone look down on others like this.”
The youngest, Li Jianjia, rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to rush out:
“I’d beat him up myself.”
Li Tieye immediately scolded:
“This is a hospital. Fighting might cause trouble for us, but more importantly, it could negatively affect Dr. Shen. She saved us—we can’t repay kindness with enmity.”
The three brothers reluctantly stopped, though still fuming.
Li Jianguo said:
“If we can’t fight or make a scene, I’ll feel restless all night. Second brother, you’re usually full of ideas. What should we do?”
Li Jianmin thought for a moment:
“I have an idea that will both shame Dr. Liu and properly thank Dr. Shen.”
Li Jianjia, impatient, said:
“Don’t keep us in suspense. Just tell us!”
Li Jianmin whispered the plan to his brothers.
Li Jianguo’s eyes lit up immediately:
“This is perfect. I’ll go handle it right now.”