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DJPWNK 81

Respect Medicine

The next day, Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu went to the office together.

Just before entering the door, they let go of each other’s hands.

Fortunately, they didn’t run into anyone on the way. When they walked into the office, Shen Fangyu hummed a song, his good mood almost overflowing with joy.

Zhong Lan glanced at him and teased, “Senior Brother Shen, is there a happy event?”

“It’s not exactly a happy event. I proposed but the other person didn’t say yes,” Shen Fangyu smirked, glancing at Jiang Xu, “But they didn’t say no either.”

“Oh my, things are progressing quickly,” Zhong Lan knew from the last time Shen Fangyu bought a meal for everyone that he must have started dating the person he liked, “You’re moving fast.”

Zhang Cheng turned his face away, unable to bear looking at Shen Fangyu’s triumphant expression. He hadn’t realized Shen Fangyu was so showy… well, he had never been in a relationship before.

Now he looked at Shen Fangyu, who was beaming with confidence, and all he could hear in his mind were the heartbroken voices of the two rich second-generations from last night.

How vicious, stabbing the roommates in the back, then going home and proposing directly.

He couldn’t help but shed a tear for the two unfortunate souls.

Jiang Xu had remained silent all along, until Yu Sang yelled out, “Brother Xu, what happened to your neck?”

Jiang Xu tugged at his collar to cover the bandage, “Got injured.”

“Oh my, did someone cause a ruckus at the hospital?” Yu Sang guessed instinctively, “Who’s so ruthless to directly target your neck?”

Shen Fangyu couldn’t help but cough twice, and Jiang Xu heard his voice. His earlobes turned slightly red, and he said to Yu Sang, “No.”

“Then what happened?”

“…”

Last night, some drunkard played around in bed and insisted on leaving a mark on him. He didn’t know why he foolishly agreed, and now he just wanted to go back in time and slap some sense into himself.

Jiang Xu was really bad at lying, and blaming it on mosquito bites in this season would sound too fake. He fell silent for a moment, and Yu Sang finally realized.

“Could it be that sister-in-law is asserting her dominance? She’s quite domineering… Brother Xu, I think you should talk to her and tell her not to be too aggressive-“

Zhang Cheng walked over and covered Yu Sang’s mouth, and the latter struggled angrily for a while, glaring at him, and mumbled, “Zhang Cheng, what are you doing!”

“Amitabha,” Zhang Cheng’s Buddhist halo shone behind his head, and he smiled at Yu Sang, “Saving your life.”

Yu Sang rolled his eyes at him, “What do you care about my conversation with Brother Xu? Weren’t you always on Dr. Shen’s side and looking down on us? I advise you to go care about Dr. Shen’s life events.”

“Jiang Xu is doing well, Shen Fangyu is also doing well, everyone is doing well and deserves our care and protection,” Zhang Cheng spoke like a peace ambassador, his voice gentle, “May our department be free from division and disputes.”

Yu Sang looked as if he had seen a ghost, and he tugged at Jiang Xu’s sleeve, “What’s wrong with him?” He pointed to his own head, “Is there something wrong here?”

Jiang Xu paused for a moment, patted Yu Sang’s shoulder, and said, “Dr. Zhang is right, you should learn from him.”

Yu Sang: “?”

… Did they all go for a collective brain transplant without bringing him along?

The joy of bantering and teasing didn’t last long, as it was quickly disrupted by a piece of news.

There was a big event in the scientific research community.

In a recent interview in Country M, Professor Kenn openly mocked doctors from Country Z. When the video was circulated domestically, all the doctors from the Jihua Obstetrics and Gynecology Department fell silent.

Previously, after Mr. Baker woke up, the government of Country S proposed that Mr. Baker make a public appearance and explain the situation to the outside world through official media in order to suppress criticism from all walks of life worldwide.

Unexpectedly, a key person in charge of the relevant work in the government of Country S believed that Mr. Baker’s case had a lot of news value, and privately leaked Mr. Baker’s identity as a wealthy person in Country S to unofficial media.

Mr. Baker, who discovered the source of privacy leak, was very angry. He completely lost confidence in the government of Country S and exposed in the interview the actions of the government of Country S against Dr. Albert in the past.

This allowed Dr. Albert, who had been nailed to the pillar of shame and deliberately ignored at the celebration banquet, to regain the attention of the public.

However, Mr. Baker did not expect that Dr. Albert was originally someone who pursued fame and fortune and had was not a simple character.

He quickly saw the huge potential behind this opportunity, exaggerated the difference in the difficulty of the surgery he performed compared to Dr. Kenn’s in his interviews with reporters, and contacted various news outlets for hype, giving Dr. Kenn, who had previously been praised to the skies, the title of “Dr. Lucky”.

For a time, public opinion reversed, and discussions about this topic were heated. In the end, Dr. Albert even faintly surpassed Kenn’s reputation, and the title of “Dr. Lucky” spread more and more widely.

A skilled surgeon suddenly went from being a “genius doctor” to a “lucky doctor”, which was undoubtedly a huge insult to the proud Dr. Kenn.

He repeatedly explained in front of the media that although Dr. Albert’s surgery was difficult, his intraoperative judgment was indeed flawed, but now Dr. Albert’s momentum was strong, and not many people cared about his argument.

In the end, I don’t know if Dr. Kenn was angered and spoke without thinking, or if he simply didn’t care about Country Z. When a sharp-tongued journalist from Country Z asked him in public how to evaluate Dr. Albert’s surgery, he blurted out that a patient from Country Z had been contacting him all along and sarcastically mocked the journalist, suggesting that he should first care about the medical level of his own country, and even threatened that no one in Country Z would be able to perform this surgery even after twenty years.

When Jiang Xu saw this interview, he smashed a cup in the department out of anger.

Because of concerns about privacy leaks, neither Jiang Xu nor Shen Fangyu mentioned their identities as doctors or their full names when asking Dr. Kenn whether he could perform the surgery.

Previously, every email that Shen Fangyu sent to Dr. Kenn to inquire about the details of the surgery using his identity as a doctor from the Jihua Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Department went unanswered. If their guess was correct, the other party probably didn’t even bother to open them.

After deciding to undergo surgery on their own, they politely informed Dr. Kenn that they no longer needed his services. Dr. Kenn, thinking that they had turned to Dr. Albert instead, responded to their email with a very rude attitude, even venting his anger in an interview by saying such words.

No doctor in China would accept such sarcasm from Dr. Kenn, especially at the prestigious Jihua Hospital, where the top doctors in the country gather.

After this news spread to the public, the usually harmonious and lively Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Jihua Hospital fell silent for three whole days. Even Director Cui, who always smiled, had no trace of a smile on his face during those three days.

On the internet, many netizens discussed this matter with concern. Some people said that the patient was not at fault and that it was not a problem to seek better medical resources. Others believed that the patient should have sought medical treatment in China first, as it was too much to blindly admire foreign countries.

Inside the conference room of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Jihua Hospital, Director Cui had a serious and solemn expression.

“A few months ago, I asked all of you whether you thought you could perform this surgery. Now Dr. Kenn has thrown this question to the whole world, to all obstetricians and gynecologists in China.”

Director Cui’s gaze swept across the faces of her colleagues in the department, and it was clear that the pressure of public opinion and the suppression of dignity had made everyone’s expression unpleasant.

“Although Dr. Kenn is arrogant, we should actively face the questioning,” Director Cui finally said, “Let’s not blame the patient for now. I hope everyone will think carefully about whether we are truly capable and willing to perform this surgery if this patient really comes to our hospital.”

On the same night, Jiang Xu lay on his bed after finishing his nightly routine, scrolling through countless comments on the internet about this surgery.

Shen Fangyu glanced at him, helped him switch off the tablet and sighed, “Stop looking and get some rest.”

“Shen Fangyu.” Jiang Xu suddenly turned his head and called his name.

“Hmm?”

Jiang Xu looked at him, frowned slightly, and spoke with a tone of negotiation, but with a firm expression, “Let’s publish a paper after our surgery is over.”

Shen Fangyu fell silent for a moment and said to him, “Take a look at Mr. Baker’s situation. You have to consider that if you publish a paper, it will be difficult to guarantee your privacy completely, and the risk of leakage will also increase.”

“Aren’t you angry?” Jiang Xu’s knuckles holding the tablet turned slightly pale from exertion.

“I am angry,” Shen Fangyu said, “But right now, nothing is more important to me than you, so I can endure it.”

Jiang Xu said, “But I can’t swallow this anger.”

Over a decade ago, when he entered A Medical University, most of the top students and academic elites from all over the country came with infinite ambitions.

They believed in “Even if thousands of people, I will still go,” believing that they could make outstanding contributions to humanity, believing that they were the pillars and future of the country.

Ten years of studying and working slowly tempered people’s minds, and those students gradually realized that most people were just cogs in the machine, without much personal heroism.

Most of the time, for Jiang Xu, for the doctors of Jihua Medical Center, saving lives is more like a simple job than a belief.

The sense of accomplishment his profession brings him is minimal, and he has never felt as great as described in the media and various articles.

He does not subsidize money for patients, nor does he tolerate patients who create chaos in the hospital. Apart from regularly donating a small amount to the Women’s Mutual Aid and Rights Association, he is just an ordinary worker who takes money to do his job, and has pressures in his own life. He is not some great philanthropist.

Jiang Xu sometimes thinks that the youthful vigor he had when he was seventeen or eighteen years old has gradually disappeared with the passage of time, and it is not until today that he realized that the pride in his bones has never changed.

“Do you remember Professor Hao?” Jiang Xu asked Shen Fangyu.

One drowsy afternoon in the clean and bright classroom of A Medical University back then, the bright sun shone through the window, illuminating the eyes of the middle-aged professor standing at the three-foot podium.

“I stayed in Country M for twenty years, and did research for twenty years. I still remember the day I returned to China, my only student came to pick me up, and I said to him, ‘The country has no money, and I have no money, but I will bring back the centrifuge that I personally carried back from overseas, as well as the cells and mice that I accumulated in the Country M laboratory for years, and start anew here.’”

“I just hope that one day, our students will be able to learn the best knowledge and do cutting-edge research without having to go abroad.”

“The hot topics in scientific research change every few years. As you all know, chasing the hot topics in the field is the best way to easily publish papers.”

“But do you know, my students?” Professor Hao said.

“In Country M, every once in a while, the top editors of prestigious journals and top scientists from various countries in the field would gather together for a private conference. The top scientists would share the progress they have made in their research, and the editors would agree in advance to accept their papers, thereby setting the hot research topics for the next few years.”

“The cycle of biomedical experiments is very long,” Professor Hao sighed, “because we don’t get any advance notice, countless students and professors in our country have to chase after the hot topics and publish papers in a shorter time with higher efficiency before the hot topics fade away.”

“I am a ‘selfish’ scientist,” Professor Hao took off his glasses and leaned his hands on the podium, looking at the young faces of his students. “I hope that there will be Chinese scientists at this conference some day, and I hope that our students can receive advance notice and start chasing the hot topics earlier.”

“I also hope that there will be many of our own researchers at this conference, so that our students do not have to exhaust themselves chasing after hot topics, but can lead the international research trends and make our own research topics become hot topics, and our own country’s journals become top-tier publications.”

“Now our country is gradually attracting back the biomedical professors from Country Z abroad.”

His voice trembled slightly.

“I hope that one day, our students will not have to go abroad in search of a better research environment, but can stay in our own country to contribute to the development of biomedical research.”

He said, “I know that scientific progress cannot be achieved overnight. It takes many, many years of accumulation to reach this goal. In my lifetime… I probably won’t be able to see it.”

“But I hope that in the future, when you become independent professors and principal investigators, you will also be able to tell your students the same thing.”

“And your students will continue to tell their students.”

Professor Hao, who was spirited and vigorous, said firmly, “You must remember that the most important quality of the people in Z country is perseverance, just like the story of ‘Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains’.”

“Z country has come from a state of desolation to where it is today,” he pointed to his heart, “by relying on that unyielding spirit in the chest and the determination to never give up no matter what!”

The middle-aged man with a serious expression on the podium had red eyes that seemed out of place for his age and status.

The students who were dozing off in the classroom suddenly woke up, and after a brief silence, erupted into thunderous applause that seemed to overturn the classroom.

Many years later, Jiang Xu couldn’t remember what class it was that day, or which chapter they were studying, and how Professor Hao had digressed from the topic and started talking about something else.

But Jiang Xu always remembered that moment when Professor Hao, who wasn’t particularly tall, had a particularly majestic shadow cast by the sunlight.

Jiang Xu took out a tall wine glass from the cupboard, poured a glass of red wine for Shen Fangyu, and poured himself a glass of clear and pure cold water.

The red wine represented a passionate and fervent heart, while the clear water represented an untainted original intention and faith.

“If the surgery is successful,” he looked at Shen Fangyu and said, “we must publish a paper.”

“I’m willing to believe in my country,” he said.

“But if our privacy is really leaked…” Jiang Xu clinked glasses with Shen Fangyu, tilted his head back and drank the cold water in one gulp, then closed his eyes and said, “I have no regrets, I’ve accepted it.”

Shen Fangyu looked at him, feeling a sourness in his heart like it was soaking in lemon water.

He wanted Dr. Kenn to apologize for his arrogance and conceit just like Jiang Xu wanted, but he didn’t want Jiang Xu to take any risks.

It was this moment that he realized who Jiang Xu was once again.

He was someone who made him feel heartache, but also someone he loved beyond words.

They shared the same aspirations and ideals.

Two people who had always competed against each other, placed their desire to win or lose on the same “enemy” for the first time.

So he raised his tall wine glass and clinked it with Jiang Xu’s glass, producing a crisp sound, “To medicine.”

Outside the window, the lights of countless homes were dazzling. Jiang Xu put down his empty glass and softly said to him, “To our motherland.”

Comment

  1. Bob says:

    This is a very good story. 4 out of 5. I know it is fiction. But when irl medical science is very strong on not having alcohol during pregnancy (due to its mutagenic effects as well as dehydration etc), I find it somewhat difficult to suspend this 1/5 bit of reality. These two irresponsible doctors…

  2. skysenshi says:

    O…k. What is Dr. Kenn doing? I am a professor, and a researcher, and it’s always been a source of pride to share resources with other researchers, especially in the international community, because that’s how you progress. And I particularly prefer international publishing abroad because the process is less tedious (it’s surprisingly annoying to publish locally sometimes). A researcher who would talk down on other researchers, let alone other countries, is just shooting himself in the foot.

    Now for the author…ya know I really can’t blame the whole nationalism ek of nearly all danmei authors. You’ve seen where they are based. You can’t even view outsider content without VPN.

    And to be honest, as a researcher, I’ve had my own publications based on national pride, too. In fact, most of my creations are. And that’s because I’m trying to preserve what’s left of our culture (at least the better part of the culture, minus the toxic ones) after centuries of colonization (from different countries, too).

  3. lady of new tomorrow says:

    боже, американцы в очередной раз ущемились появления патриотической позиции автора, и новелла тут же стала проблематичной, как и автор. но по сути этот профессор Хао толкнул правильную речь. если почитать про историю Китая, всё становится ясно. и гнев главных героев на доктора Кенна, который буквально обвинил Китай в отсталости, понятен. почему вдруг наличие у персонажей патриотической позиции вдруг стало проблематичным?

    dear translator-laoshi, thank you very much for your hard work!!!!!!💗💗💗💗

  4. EmpathicWan says:

    Alright, so…. I’m not gonna defend the nationalism here. It’s pretty blatant.

    HOWEVER, I’ve seen some form of nationalism in almost every CN novel that I’ve read. I’ve also seen explanations in some novels about celebrities that reality shows in the story have “mandated national promotion”. So I have to wonder… With nearly every novel I’ve read there’s always something in there… what are the odds? Is it also possible that there’s pressure put on authors to put something like this in there? This kind of censorship is what countries like this are like, so I wouldn’t rule out that some online publishing platforms have certain criteria that are necessary to prevent you from being pulled from the platform. Or maybe certain content has stricter censorship and if you want to avoid it you need to be more flattering….

    All of this is just speculation, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

  5. Amy says:

    Com tanto preconceito e xenofobia que a China recebe de toda a parte do mundo eu não me surpreendo com a atitude do autor patriota, eu mesma sempre sou a primeira a criticar meu país, mas a cultura da china é totalmente diferente e eu compreendo. Claro, o autor deu sinais claros de uma antipatia pelos EUA, mas como eu sou latina não posso dizer que me incomodei já que não foi o meu país kkkk o autor realmente pisou na bola aí expor o de Jiang e xiaoxiao ao perigo de serem expostos por causa do nacionalismo. E vi alguém aqui citando a mãe do dr Jiang e acredito que foi um comentário precipitado, não podemos diagnósticar um personagem assim, ela se preocupa com a felicidade do filho, mas como ela é uma personagem realista ela está vulnerável a errar. E ela errou, mas se arrependeu e pode mudar, apesar de não apagar o que ela disse. Deveria pararem de invalidarem o crescimento do personagem. E quanto aos personagens não errarem como médicos eu particularmente não me incomodo, não queria ver nenhum deles morrerem, ainda mais quando o autor mostrou um pocou das histórias de cada um deles e acima de tudo eu entendo que estou lendo uma ficção e se quero algo extremamente realista eu vou ler uma biografia ou algo do tipo kkk

  6. 🌸 says:

    To the translator, my sincere apologies. I really appreciate all your effort in translating. Sorry to say it this way, but in fact it is very uncomfortable to see people without the slightest sense in these comments. Thank you for your translation, thank you for your effort, I wish you all the best.

  7. Critical thinking says:

    They are talking so much about the author and about him talking about his own country with patriotism. Aren’t you hypocrites? North Americans in general have been making movies, series and books for decades boasting about lies and blatant Imperialism.
    Seriously, do some self-reflection, please. That’s ridiculous. When it’s your own country that does it, it’s all well and beautiful, but when it’s a Chinese author who demonstrates socialist/communist tendencies in his own history aimed at other, gasp, Chinese, is that somehow wrong? Oh, it disgusts me. Create a critical sense, and study geography. Have a good year.

    1. lady of new tomorrow says:

      damn yes!!!!

    2. Hwa says:

      Omg i agree with youuu

  8. emy says:

    i guess i should’ve heeded the reviews that the nationalism is really pushed in your face in this novel. it’s not needed, but i guess that’s what some people (like the author) prefer. i’ll still finish it, but it definitely does reduce the enjoyment for me.

  9. tama_ochi says:

    @K
    i agree. though it feels awkward since their priority is not the child or dr. jiang’s well being, but once again, it’s just a fiction. this book is the author’s world, not ours. and as a proud man, getting their country mocked, it ignited their patriotism or something.

    well, you know china. even a simple story sometimes inserted with propaganda, patriotism, capitalism, marxism, whatever. it’s what they were taught since a child.

    after this story is published, maybe the author will quote what uncle roger said, “my social score is up!” 😂

    yeah. don’t take it to heart and just enjoy the story.

  10. K says:

    The author made this. This is their story. They can do whatever they want. And it’s our choice whether to drop it or not

  11. K says:

    Y’all this is just some fictional don’t think of it too much. This isn’t some based on true story shenanigans. This is just fictional. Don’t take it seriously and if u don’t want it then don’t continue, drop it.

  12. Darkn3ss Darkn3ss says:

    The author seriously is somehow ruining this piece with the propaganda.

  13. RileyK says:

    This is just propaganda at this point. There were too much instances like this.

    No matter how problematic the behaviour of the parents are its because they don’t know any better, its just tradition that is just how old people are, one sentence and they understood and now everything is ok.
    But having simillar people around me I can assure you they NEVER change. And the actual situation is way way worse. Either you accept that fact or you move away. You cannot change them.

    Fr that woman who called her own son a woman man WILL I tell you she WILL say some very bad things to the child. Just one thing has to go wrong that’s it.
    And of course the author won’t do that because it doesn’t fit the story anymore. Now they are here to fill the role of indulging grandparent. Seriously I skipped everything including jiang xu’s mother. Cannot stand even a word she says. She is a narcissist. I tell you the signs are not subtle at all.

    Also the moment they step into another country there are guns and robbers. Nothing good there. Not even the doctors are good. I assume this was a hint at America with all the gun violence. To sum it all our country is better that country is bad.

    Now this thing …its just cringe. This is everywhere in chinese novels. I tell you everywhere. Either it is fatphobic,homophobic, sexist,racist or something else. No matter how much you enjoy a novel they desperately needs to dedicate atlest one sentence for the above mentioned. Thankfully this doesn’t have that.

    But something that is here is extremely problematic behaviour in the side of the parents which will according to the author made worse if they choose to remove the parent or excused in some way or form of they need the parentd to stay. Also extremely focused in appearence. Its as if you don’t write a poem about it the author will be struck by lightening.

    I don’t know if the propaganda thing is a way novels use to survive. If so I am sorry .

    But to tbh this is making me loose interest in the story which is sad for me. I really like this couple but I have to fight my urges every once in a while not to stop bacause of things like this.
    You’ll say to me to just stop reading… BUT I DON’T WANT TO!

    Srsly even the surgeons are bad in other countries but their country is filled with good ones. Is this a joke?

    Oh also these two win in everything …the overly perfect achievements. This is also a common occurence in CN.Either the character is written so he gets brain damage from x plus y eqals or they can do calculus eyes closed. Too perfect. Too unrealistic. Just too much.

    It’s ok let them fail once in a while. Let them get up. Let them try for a while to get it right. I personally would not stop loving the character because tbey failed at something

    I’m upset cause I want to read fluff and these stuff are everwhere and my heart is always unsettled telling me that there is something wrong here again and again.

  14. Kari says:

    Thinking about your country’s honor first and not your baby’s safety doesn’t strike me as particularly smart.

  15. Rose says:

    Nationalism makes me squirm now a days. Whether from my own country or others. So while I admire their resolve to risk their careers and privacy, doing it for “the motherland” feels icky. As if that same motherland won’t roll you into a pit and bury you alive if you fail. Your Glory is their glory. Your failures are your own.

    1. Dftbashleigh says:

      Personally I have no problem with it as long as you don’t take it to far, but that is just my personal opinion and everyone is free to feel differently.

    2. mc defender says:

      same. love for your country is normal and healthy and what most think “moderate” nationalism is. nationalism itself can never be “not taken too far” or done “too much” because it is an extreme. jx’s feelings here are admirable and noble when you think about his love for his country and desire to defend his fellow doctors in the country but is the risk of the leakage of his privacy and therefore his and syf’s lives and abilities forcefully pushed to the forefront truly worth it? has he even stopped to think about their child’s privacy and wellbeing after that? their country in this setting shouldn’t respond to the provocation and instead, call it out for what it is: racism and a white man’s arrogance.

    3. PeonyDancer says:

      I guess everything is good in moderation. I’m personally proud of my nationality, far more than I am of the country my family came from. Because I’m thankful for being able to grow up pretty privileged, and safe. So, I want to do what I can for it.

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