Chapter 127 - 116: Hero
Orthopedics Emergency Room.
The doctor on duty saw someone limping in through the morning light. He first assumed it was a car accident victim and hurried forward, only to realize it was Jiang He.
The doctor immediately said with respect, "Dr. Jiang."
The commotion in the emergency hall tonight had been too great. Even with every department so busy they were running off their feet, the news had already spread.
The story spreading was that a third-year medical student had been on a rampage in the red-tagged critical care zone.
Not only had he saved more than a dozen lives with his incredibly accurate diagnoses, but he had even ended up at the operating table.
The name Jiang He resounded throughout Affiliated Hospital No. 1 overnight.
Some were even spreading a rumor in private: "Zhao Yumin from the ER and Lin Peidong from Anesthesiology are both calling him River God!"
And so... the nickname "River God" started to spread as well.
"Sorry for the trouble. I sprained my right ankle."
"Does it hurt here?"
"No."
"How about here?"
"A little." Jiang He decided to report the injury himself. "It’s mainly at the anterior talofibular ligament. The ligament’s torn. A cast to keep it immobilized for two weeks should do the trick."
The orthopedic doctor nodded, marveling to himself.
’He doesn’t just know general surgery; he’s an expert on the orthopedic physical exam, too. He even came up with his own treatment plan.’
’As a doctor, this is the easiest case I’ve ever had.’
"Alright, I’ll put you in a short leg cast."
A nurse quickly came over, carrying a basin of warm water and plaster bandages.
Applying a cast requires skill.
The orthopedic doctor carefully padded Jiang He’s ankle with cotton wadding before wrapping the water-soaked plaster bandages around it, layer by layer.
The nurse helped by supporting Jiang He’s lower leg and said softly, "Dr. Jiang, it’s been a long night for you. I just went to the emergency hall to drop something off, and everyone there was talking about you."
Jiang He replied, "I just did what I could."
The orthopedic doctor added, "I heard about it, too. For a few of those patients, a typical attending might not have even spotted the problem at first glance. You’ve rendered a great service to our hospital today..."
When the cast was finished,
Jiang He thanked them.
He took the pair of crutches the nurse handed him and left the orthopedics emergency room.
After turning a corner, he saw Li Xiaoya standing by the wall.
She had clearly been waiting for some time.
Li Xiaoya walked up to him. "Doctor, my mom has been moved to the ICU. The doctor said her vitals are stable..."
Jiang He said, "That’s good. The next few days are a critical period for infection. Follow the nurses’ instructions and only go see her during visiting hours."
Li Xiaoya pursed her lips, then said suddenly, "Dr. Jiang, thank you."
She had grown a great deal tonight.
After experiencing the terror of a life-or-death situation and personally witnessing her father and the doctors fight with everything they had, she seemed to have matured overnight.
Jiang He said softly, "Your mother is very brave, and so is your father. You should get some rest."
Li Xiaoya looked at Jiang He’s youthful face, hesitated, then asked, "Dr. Jiang... is it okay if I ask which university you went to for your undergraduate studies?"
"Southern Medical University."
Li Xiaoya nodded earnestly, committing the name to memory.
She glanced at the brightening sky outside the window, and a look of determination slowly filled her eyes.
At fifteen, she was just old enough for high school.
And so, she made a resolution.
She would study medicine.
She wanted to become like Jiang He, like her mother, and like her father.
The kind of person who had the strength to protect others in a life-or-death crisis.
"I’ll remember," Li Xiaoya said softly. "Goodbye, Dr. Jiang."
Watching her retreating figure, Jiang He knew that Xiaoya would grow up to be an exceptional person.
After he had taken a few more steps, a voice called out from behind him, "How’s your leg?"
He turned around. It was Liu Jianbang.
Jiang He replied, "Director Liu, it’s nothing serious. Just a cast for two weeks."
Liu Jianbang said, "That’s good. Come on. Don’t rush back to the university just yet. The dean wants to see you."
...
「Administration Building.」
Dean Chen sat behind a massive mahogany desk. When he saw Jiang He come in, he smiled in welcome. "Have a seat, our great hero."
Jiang He thanked him and sat down, resting his crutches beside him.
In truth, the dean was an old acquaintance. A rather interesting man.
His medical expertise went without saying, but he also had a very curious private habit. On the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, Dean Chen would invariably eat a vegetarian diet and arrange for someone to release animals by the river.
Jiang He recalled the hospital gossip. People would wonder how a doctor could believe in such things. ’Is this his version of integrated Chinese and Western medicine?’ they’d joke.
But Jiang He had drinks with the dean once. After having a bit too much, the dean had poured his heart out.
He had said that after a lifetime working in a hospital, he had grown accustomed to the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. He knew all too well that life was as fragile as paper.
So often, a person could be laughing and joking one day, only to be gone the next after a sudden accident.
No matter how advanced medicine became, there were still too many moments when it was utterly powerless.
So, even though he wasn’t a religious man, he still chose those specific days to observe a vegetarian diet and release animals.
In his own words—
"I know my faith is a pragmatic one. I’m not praying for wealth or fame; I just want a bit of stability and to ask that my family stays safe and healthy."
’The end of science is mysticism,’ Jiang He mused. ’Or perhaps, when human strength is exhausted, you just need something to hold on to. I know from my past life that Dean Chen’s family did indeed stay healthy. I never heard of any of them getting seriously ill. In a way, you could say his wish was granted.’
"Jiang He?"
"Yes, Dean."
"Both Yang Xu and Liu Jianbang have briefed me on the situation last night. Faced with a sudden disaster involving dozens of lives, you, a student, shouldered a responsibility far beyond what’s expected at your age."
Here, Dean Chen paused before continuing with great solemnity, "Behind every life is a family. There’s a saying that saving a single life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. On behalf of all the patients and their families, I thank you."
Jiang He nodded slightly. "Thank you, Dean."
"When we encounter exceptional talent, it is my duty, on behalf of this hospital, to show our appreciation."
With that, Dean Chen took a work ID and a key from his drawer and said: