Chapter 208 - 207: The Resection Line

Chapter 208: Chapter 207: The Resection Line

Seventeen or eighteen minutes after making the report, Yu Zhiming received a phone call from Deputy Director Jin Feng of the local police station.

Yu Zhiming was informed that his concerns had been correct; an accident had indeed occurred at the apartment he had reported.

After entering, the police officers found a young mother who had fallen in the kitchen and was unconscious.

There was an oil bottle and spilled oil on the kitchen floor. The young mother had likely slipped, and the impact had knocked her unconscious.

Fortunately, the young mother showed no signs of a skull fracture or any open wounds.

However, the pork ribs stewing on the gas stove had nearly boiled dry.

The young mother and her child, who was sobbing uncontrollably, were being sent to the hospital.

After hearing Jin Feng’s summary of the situation, Yu Zhiming breathed a sigh of relief.

His call had been timely, after all.

If nothing else, if the stewing ribs on the stove had burned, they would have produced a large amount of thick smoke.

Inhaling so much smoke while unconscious would have caused severe damage to her respiratory system, and even carried a significant risk of death.

Yu Zhiming made sure to remind Jin Feng not to reveal his identity if anyone asked.

He could just say a concerned neighbor heard the child’s incessant crying and made an anonymous report...

After 9:30 that evening, Yu Zhiming was reading and studying in his bedroom when he received a call from his eldest sister.

"Fifth Brother, is the boyfriend Lao Si is dating an orphan now?"

Yu Zhiming hadn’t expected his sister to open with that question. He thought for a moment before replying, "I heard him mention once that his father abandoned him and his mother when he was young. I haven’t heard that his father died, though."

"Eldest Sister, isn’t that a good thing? Fourth Sister and that guy can have a world of their own after they get married."

Yu Zhaoxia’s voice was full of worry on the other end. "Fifth Brother, some children from single-parent families have significant personality issues."

"I’m just worried that Lao Si is being impulsive and only seeing his good qualities, not his flaws."

Yu Zhiming said thoughtfully, "Eldest Sister, the guy is decent-looking and about the right age. He also graduated from a prestigious university, and my impression of his character is pretty good."

Yu Zhaoxia replied bluntly, "Fifth Brother, you’re still young. You have a long way to go when it comes to judging character."

Yu Zhiming muttered to himself, ’I’m already twenty-six, and she still thinks I’m young?’

"Eldest Sister, it’s not like Fourth Sister and that guy are getting married right away. You, Mom, and Dad will have time and opportunity to size him up carefully."

Yu Zhaoxia hummed in agreement. "He’ll have to observe a mourning period for a while. Maybe not for three years, but at least for one."

"Sigh... Fifth Brother, please keep a close eye on Lao Si. Don’t let her do anything impulsive or foolish."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Don’t worry, Eldest Sister. You, Mom, and Dad can rest assured. I’ll watch Fourth Sister closely."

After a pause, he asked, "Eldest Sister, have our second sister and her husband come to see Mom and Dad again?"

"No! Dad gave them a harsh scolding last time, so they probably won’t be back anytime soon."

"Dad also specifically warned the two of them not to bother you with that matter again."

Yu Zhaoxia sighed softly again. "It used to be us taking care of you, the youngest. Now, it’s the other way around—you’re taking care of us."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "I’m grown up now and have some ability. It’s only right that I contribute more."

He then asked boastfully, "Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, guess how much my salary will be next month!"

"Will it be over two hundred thousand?"

Yu Zhaoxia ventured a guess, then added, "Lao Si told me you’re now the head of a very large and important medical research project and that you’re much busier than before."

Yu Zhiming chuckled lightly. "Eldest Sister, I’m not that much busier. It’s still well within my limits."

"Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, this month I solved major problems for two wealthy individuals."

"So, my income for this month will be quite substantial. When I get paid next month, it should be around one million."

"One million? That much!" Yu Zhaoxia’s voice on the phone more than doubled in volume.

Yu Zhiming said, full of pride, "Eldest Sister, my future monthly income will be at least one or two hundred thousand. If I get called to make house calls for wealthy families, my income will be even higher."

"Eldest Sister, you, Mom, and Dad should stop thinking about saving money. Eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want."

"We’re not short on cash anymore, hehe."

Yu Zhaoxia’s voice was filled with joy. "Fifth Brother, you know that Mom, Dad, and I haven’t been skimping on food these past few years. We’ve basically had a constant supply of chicken, duck, fish, and meat."

"Fifth Brother, even though you’re earning a lot more, you still need to save up to buy a house in Binhai, so you don’t need to send any more money over."

"Xiaobo also sends me money every month; he sent two thousand last month. And your third sister often brings things for Mom and Dad."

"The family isn’t short on money at all."

"Everyone in the village is so envious of Mom and Dad now. They say you’ve become so successful, and that all their daughters are so dutiful."

Yu Zhiming chuckled, then said with great ambition, "Eldest Sister, they’ll be even more envious of us in the future."

"Xiaobo’s and Fourth Sister’s businesses will both take off. When that happens, Eldest Sister, you, Mom, and Dad can all move to Binhai to live with me."

Yu Zhaoxia laughed. "I believe that our lives will keep getting better and better. But there’s no need for us to move to Binhai."

"We have our land and the river here, and the air is good. I think it’s much better than living in the city."

Yu Zhaoxia then changed the subject. "Fifth Brother, you’re so busy with work every day. Do you still have time to study?"

Yu Zhiming explained, "Eldest Sister, for a doctor, treating patients and saving lives every day is not just about accumulating experience; it’s also a form of learning."

"Doing rounds with Teacher Qi every day, observing different patients and treatment plans, that’s also learning."

"Teacher Qi even gave me a reading list and told me to find time to read a little every day and finish it within six months."

"Besides being able to consult Teacher Qi anytime, I can also seek guidance from the hospital’s academicians and numerous medical experts."

"Eldest Sister, compared to the county hospital, I have so many more learning opportunities here. I feel like I’m making significant progress every day..."

On Wednesday morning, as lunchtime approached, Yu Zhiming finally received an apology and words of thanks from the American, Dr. Kant.

Yes, a literal, verbal apology and thanks. He hadn’t even brought a bouquet of flowers.

However, Yu Zhiming saw that Dr. Kant had dark circles under his eyes and was in low spirits. Knowing he had been hit hard by the pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Yu Zhiming didn’t take the perfunctory nature of his thanks to heart.

The other two Americans who came with Dr. Kant wanted Yu Zhiming to give them a physical examination as well.

But since they didn’t say so outright, Yu Zhiming pretended not to understand their hints.

’Aren’t foreigners supposed to be straightforward and direct?’

Since they were acting out of character and playing mind games, trying to get Yu Zhiming to offer the examination himself, why would he do as they wished?

He was a little surprised, however, that Qiu Yi hadn’t come with them...

Thursday arrived in the blink of an eye. Having already informed Teacher Qi Yue, Yu Zhiming rushed to the General Surgery Department early in the morning to prepare for a surgery with Dr. Cui Zhitan.

It was a mid-stage stomach cancer resection surgery for a forty-six-year-old male patient.

As the first surgical assistant, Yu Zhiming was deeply involved, assisting Doctor Cui in completing the operation.

The pre-operative preparations and the laparotomy during the surgery all proceeded smoothly and according to plan...

Just as Doctor Cui was holding the scalpel, preparing to resect the cancerous part of the stomach, Yu Zhiming suddenly spoke up.

"Teacher Cui, how is the resection margin determined for the part of the stomach being removed?"

Doctor Cui paused the surgery to explain, "It’s mainly based on the size and location of the tumor, the extent of the infiltration zone and cancerous area, and we also have to consider many other factors like the difficulty of the surgery, the function of the remaining part of the stomach, and postoperative recovery."

"For example, with this specific stomach..."

While patiently explaining to Yu Zhiming, Doctor Cui used a special medical marker to outline the portion of the stomach to be resected.

Yu Zhiming saw that the marked area meant nearly two-thirds of the stomach would be removed.

He asked eagerly, "Doctor Cui, could you let me try marking a resection area based on feel?"

Doctor Cui was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Aha, how could I forget? Dr. Yu, you’re countless times better than us at detecting visceral cancers."

"If you mark the resection area, it will definitely be more precise."

"Dr. Yu, come on, give it a try..."

Having received permission, Yu Zhiming didn’t hesitate. He reached out and cradled the patient’s stomach in his hands.

He gently palpated the patient’s stomach with alternating hands for two or three minutes, then reached for the marker.

In just over ten seconds, Yu Zhiming had marked a new resection margin on the patient’s stomach.

This new resection margin had only a very small section of overlap with the one Doctor Cui had marked. While it extended beyond the original line in one part, the majority of it was drawn inside the initial boundary.

If the resection were performed along Yu Zhiming’s margin, it would be equivalent to removing nearly one-half of the patient’s stomach.

For the patient, the postoperative difference between leaving half a stomach versus a third of a stomach was enormous.

Leaving half a stomach could basically satisfy the digestive needs of an adult.

After recovering from the surgery, his daily diet wouldn’t be much different from that of a person with a healthy stomach.

Yu Zhiming put down the marker, met Doctor Cui’s gaze, and explained, "Doctor Cui, for this line, I only considered the scope of the tumor, the infiltration zone, and the cancerous area."

"I didn’t take any other influencing factors into account."

Doctor Cui’s eyes lit up with delight. "The primary, and most important, goal of surgery is to remove the tumor completely and thoroughly, delaying the recurrence of cancer for as long as possible."

"Dr. Yu, this line you’ve drawn is priceless."

He stared at the resection margin Yu Zhiming had marked, contemplated for a few minutes, and picked up the scalpel once more...

Yu Zhiming was happy to see that Doctor Cui basically used the margin he had marked as the guide for the resection.

In the end, Doctor Cui left the patient with a stomach that was nearly half its original size...