Chapter 143: Circumcision
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu

The surgery was now finished. Vice Director Wang Weiping’s life had been saved. His recovery would now depend on the postoperative care. However, postoperative care for bone fractures with severe damage would be quite difficult.

The most severe problem would be fat embolism syndrome, which was a disruption to blood supply caused by fat globules entering the bloodstream, a common consequence of trauma such as bone fractures. In other locations, fat embolism syndrome could cause a cerebral embolism or pulmonary embolism. This complication could be fatal. Fat embolism syndrome also wasn’t that easy to defend against.

Other potential problems were hypostatic pneumonia, ischemic necrosis, osteoarticular necrosis, and so on. These were all potential consequences from the severe pelvic fracture. The true treatment for the patient would only begin after the surgery was completed.

Now that the surgery was complete, someone needed to report to Superintendent Ouyang. Zhang Fan didn’t want to go. Meanwhile, both directors were still resting, so Zhang Fan pulled over a chair and sat down to wait since the surgery was finished.

“Doctor Zhang, how about you go and change out of your surgical garb? The superintendent and the others are all waiting for you outside!” The head nurse told Zhang Fan.

“Oh! My legs are a little numb. Let me rest for a while!” Zhang Fan glanced at the two directors as he replied to the head nurse. If he went out at this time, he would doubtlessly receive so much glory, but Zhang Fan didn’t want to have all this attention. Before performing the surgery, everyone would be highly unified. However, things would be quite different now that the surgery had been successful. There would be plenty of people who would be envious, jealous, or even hate him. That was why Zhang Fan wanted the two directors to get the attention instead!

This was a negative trait of Chinese people. While the Chinese could band together and make it through any difficulty, they had far more trouble with sharing wealth and status! Chinese people would forever scheme against and backstab each other! At any rate, they were unable to peacefully share wealth and status together!

After everyone rested for a while, Zhang Fan followed the two directors out of the operating room. Zhang Fan quietly followed behind them without saying anything or showing signs of excitement. Gao Shijun and Wang Dehua nodded to each other upon seeing this. Zhang Fan’s behavior was much better than their own back in the day. His personality—calm and steady at all times—was the best type for achieving great things in the future as a surgeon!

Outside the operating room, in the doctors’ large resting area, Superintendent Ouyang led a huge group of people to start clapping their hands the moment that the three doctors appeared. There were countless flashes from cameras as well.

The head nurse of the operating room had already reported to Superintendent Ouyang when the surgery was almost finished. Superintendent Ouyang then swiftly gathered up all the doctors and nurses, and then brought reporters as well to meet the three surgeons in the spacious doctors’ resting area.

Such a large-scale welcome had never occurred before within Chasu City Hospital. The three surgeons were all rather shy in front of the cameras, no matter their age!

Superintendent Ouyang was incredibly skilled at stirring up good publicity! She told a story of Wang Weiping being the perfect doctor who was injured while working overtime to try and save a patient. The entire hospital then turned up to help out and support Wang Weiping. The surgeons worked hard and succeeded at saving him! The hospital leadership had even been the first to help donate blood to save him! What a perfect story this was!

Chasu City Hospital under Superintendent Ouyang’s leadership was able to absolutely suppress Chasu City Chinese Medicine Hospital, the only other Class A hospital in the city. This wasn’t merely because Chasu City Hospital had better medical equipment. Superintendent Ouyang was far more skilled than the superintendent of Chasu City Chinese Medicine Hospital!

Gao Shijun went with the superintendent to talk to the reporters. Zhang Fan was too young, and Wang Dehua had a bad habit of always wanting to contradict others, which was why Superintendent picked Gao Shijun to go with her.

Zhang Fan finished his rotation in the gynecology and obstetrics department. He was now truly famous within the hospital. People would always greet him everywhere that he went! Previously, others would at most nod at him in greeting, but now they would stop and chat a little with him. Actually, it wasn’t that they wanted to obtain anything from him. This was simply how people were. They would flock to those who had status.

Superintendent Ouyang became more and more satisfied with Zhang Fan. He was skilled, had a steady personality, and was especially respectful towards his higher-ups! If it wasn’t for the fact that he was too young, Zhang Fan would already be Superintendent Ouyang’s ideal orthopedic department director!

The hospital administration department director personally poured a cup of water for Zhang Fan in this department. Zhang Fan was really scared by this! Although the hospital administration department was really protective of the hospital’s doctors when dealing with outsiders, internally this department would often be punishing the doctors, especially the younger doctors.

“Director! This isn’t appropriate! Allow me to do it myself!” Zhang Fan hurriedly stood up and grabbed the water kettle.

“No, I should do this for you! Have a seat! You might not know that Wang Weiping was my classmate, although he’s three years older than me. Although we’re getting old now, the younger generation is maturing. You’re the best among the younger generation. I should be serving you!”

Zhang Fan felt rather awkward after hearing this. “It’s all because my teachers gave me opportunities!”

“It’s also the result of your own hard work. A few months ago, I heard that there was a time when you took every single surgery possible from the emergency department. The heavens favor the hardworking! Continue as you are!”

“Yes, Director, I will.”

“Here is your paperwork for finishing the rotation in the gynecology department. Have a drink of water and then go to the superintendent’s office. The superintendent wants to speak to you; she’s been waiting for you ever since this morning.”

Zhang Fan didn’t dare to waste time, since the superintendent was waiting for him. He only drank two sips of water before taking his paperwork and going to the superintendent’s office.

Zhang Fan knocked on the door. “Come in!” said Ouyong Hong.

“Superintendent, you were looking for me?”

“Haha! Have a seat! Nice, you’re not being proud or hasty! Prepare yourself to go to the rural area!” Superintendent Ouyang smiled as she said so.

“Rural area?” Zhang Fan was rather confused.

“Our city is choosing the 10 most excellent youths of Chasu City. The medical field will have only one slot to nominate a candidate! If you want to obtain this slot, you must have experience treating rural communities. That’s why you’re going to a rural area starting tomorrow for one week.”

“That long? In a small village or the nomadic area?” Zhang Fan didn’t really want to go. There would be far fewer patients for him there. He felt like it would be far too much a waste of his time, doing nothing there every day.

“Haha! You’re still young! Do you know how important this award is? Go, your rotations aren’t that urgent. I know that you love to perform surgeries, but there will be plenty of opportunities for you to perform surgeries in the future, and this is a one-time opportunity that you can’t afford to miss!”

Although Superintendent Ouyang made it sound easy, she had actually spent a great deal of effort on obtaining one slot for the 10 excellent youths of Chasu City award. Once she had obtained the slot, many people tried to contact her about it, including the Chasu City Communist Party Committee, women’s organizations, organizations for the disabled, and so on. Although some of these were smaller organizations, they could still be quite powerful. Ouyang Hong had withstood significant pressure in order to save this slot for Zhang Fan. She intended on crafting Zhang Fan into a shining example of the young doctors at Chasu City Hospital!

Compared to other workplaces, fewer doctors paid attention to such things, but this was an opportunity that didn’t matter who you were and whether you were male or female. Such a chance to get recognized by the government would potentially lead to a great career opportunity! If Zhang Fan really did understand what this award represented, he would refuse to go, because he didn’t care about his career opportunities!

Shao Hua had just returned from Shanghai, yet Zhang Fan was now being sent off to a rural area. Although she was somewhat dissatisfied with this, there was nothing that could be done. Back when Shao Hua was taking Jingshu to Shanghai, Zhang Fan had already given his bank card over to Shao Hua. Although he hadn’t discussed the matter of moving into the new apartment home with her yet, he felt that this was something he should do. Older people deserved to live in comfort. Since he had the ability to, he wanted to help Shao Hua’s parents do so.

The rural location that Zhang Fan was sent to was deep in the plains, with many people of H Country ethnicity. Two other people were sent together with Zhang Fan: a female teacher who was a graduate student working at the Bureau of Education and a Uighur Muslim young man who worked at the Animal Husbandry Bureau.

Chasu City Communist Party Committee sent a car to take them to the plains. However, Zhang Fan drove his own car instead. He still wanted to busy himself with work. He figured that he would have very little work to do in the rural area, and with his car, he would be able to visit other hospitals to take a few surgeries instead.

In autumn, the nomadic district was lush with plant life and water. The cows and sheep were gaining fat. The nomads had begun to cut the grass and sell off their livestock in preparation for winter.

This place had only a very small nomadic tribe. No matter what the government tried to tell them, they would refuse to go to the government’s chosen location for them to reside during winter.

One of the leaders from Chasu City Communist Party Committee was dissatisfied with how Zhang Fan chose to drive his own car, but there was nothing that the minor government official could do. He wasn’t Zhang Fan’s direct boss, so his words wouldn’t have much of an impact! However, he did complain in the car for the others to hear how Zhang Fan lacked a sense of shared community and glory, and that Chasu City Hospital had chosen a bad candidate for the 10 excellent youths of Chasu City award!

Anyone who was able to participate in this wouldn’t be an idiot. Even if they didn’t have strong backgrounds, they would be quite intelligent. They all remained silent and pretended not to hear the minor government official! Everyone was quite clear on who was likely more important between a minor government official and a young man who was able to receive a slot for such an important award.

The nomadic tribe that Zhang Fan was sent to take care of was quite small, with only 40ish people. There were plenty of elderly and children among the tribe. The Uighur Muslim young man from the Animal Husbandry Bureau was named Maimaiti. Actually, his name was far longer than that, so that was only the abbreviation! The female teacher from the Bureau of Education was named Tan Jie.

Zhang Fan’s job was to give the nomads checkups and treat their medical problems. Tan Jie’s job was to convince the nomads to send their children to receive schooling. Maimaiti’s job was to help treat the nomads’ livestock’s diseases and give the nomads advice on how to raise livestock.

The nomads were friendly towards the visitors. They were especially happy and warmly welcomed Zhang Fan’s group since they were a doctor, teacher, and veterinarian. It just happened to be that they arrived at a time for circumcising the children!

Circumcision was actually a type of coming-of-age ceremony in the border province. The older nomads or religious elders would circumcise boys who were around 10 years old.

The family’s friends and relatives would all come over from distant locations to send their blessings to the boy. The boy’s family would also hold a party for all the guests, including Zhang Fan’s group. Everyone sat around in a circle on the plains while singing a song of blessing and dancing joyously. After that was the main character of today’s ceremony, young Balang! His family dressed him in a rather unique nomadic style.

Zhang Fan had never seen such a ceremony before. He was really curious about it! An old man was shaking a bowl containing peppers, oil, and some other ingredients that Zhang Fan didn’t recognize. The old man also sang a song in a language that Zhang Fan didn’t understand as he poured wine onto the ground, thanking the heavens!

After this part of the ceremony was finished, the old man then brought out a sharp and shiny knife for the final part of the ceremony! The boy who was about to be circumcised was really nervous! His face was completely red.

The old man cleansed himself with the ingredients in the bowl and then started wielding the knife. Zhang Fan subconsciously closed his legs tight. ‘They’re not even using anesthesia for the circumcision!’

It seemed that the old man was experienced in performing circumcision. Several adults held down the boy as he cried and screamed while the circumcision was completed. It truly hurt an incredible amount! Zhang Fan was so scared that his face went pale. This was truly horrifying! Zhang Fan was truly afraid because he understood how painful circumcision would be without any anesthesia!

“It’s a hot day, won’t the boy get infected? Will the boy hurt so much that he goes into shock?” Zhang Fan secretly asked Maimaiti.

“No, the nomads have their own secret techniques. They’ve done this for so many years already, and have never gotten infected! We nomadic people are really courageous!” Maimaiti said quite proudly.

Zhang Fan and the other two all spent their first night out on the plains in a tent. Although it was really hot during the day, it was far colder at night.

On the next day, the three all began to do their own work. Zhang Fan had brought along a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and some basic common medicines with him.

Food in the nomadic district was quite simplistic. The nomads’ diet lacked green vegetables. Most of their food was created from animal fats and milk. The majority of the older nomads thus had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other such chronic illnesses. Since this place was far away from the cities, the nomads had almost never been properly treated before.

However, 40ish nomads couldn’t even compare to the average number of clinical visits in a single day. Zhang Fan finished all of his work on the first morning, prescribing necessary medications to the nomads. This government-sponsored activity would be just like a band-aid. Once Zhang Fan and the other two left in a week and the nomads used up the medicine given to them, the nomads would still return to their regular lifestyle. This activity would barely have any effect. The circumcised boy had his legs somewhat splayed as he ran like a crab, chasing after his friends!

It wasn’t that the nomads didn’t want to improve their lives. The plains here was just too far away from the cities. They wouldn’t be able to go for regular checkups. Zhang Fan wasn’t able to do anything about this, so all he could do was treat them the best he could.

On the morning of the third day, Zhang Fan was helping Maimaiti give vaccination shots to the livestock when he received a call from Li Liang. “Brother Zhang, Director Chen Qifa had a big argument with Superintendent Zou! Director Chen’s been suspended from work! He intends to resign, and I don’t want to work at Kuake City Hospital any longer, either! Could you help us obtain a job of some sort at the emergency department or any other department in Chasu City Hospital?”

“What happened?” Zhang Fan inquired.

“It’s difficult to explain in just a few words over the phone. We’ll go over to Chasu City to find you. Are you free today?”

“Don’t! I’ll come to find you instead. I’m currently in a rural area. I can be in Kuake City by this afternoon.”