Chapter 13: Suturing a Lacerated Hand

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ling Ran was already accustomed to having the system issue him various missions out of the blue. After he stopped for a moment, he continued walking to walk as if nothing had happened.

On the other hand, the skinny Doctor Xiong raised his head to glance at Ling Ran, but turned away, yelling, "Juan Zi, come help."

He had retired from the hospital almost ten years ago and had seen far too many green-eared interns. He did not expect Ling Ran to be of much help.

Juan Zi was the Lower Groove Clinic's only nurse. She weighed 194 pounds, and she was so efficient that she could do the work of two nurses alone.

Thumping sounds rang out on the old wooden floor, and everyone knew that this meant Juan Zi was moving quickly. It gave them a strong sense of security.

"What's up?" Juan Zi's voice carried just as much weight and power.

"We're going to rebandage Boss Yang's cut."

As Doctor Xiong spoke, he instructed Boss Yang to sit in the treatment room and dispersed the crowd watching the show.

Ling Ran took the opportunity to follow Doctor Xiong into the treatment room. He had handled over ten cases that involved knife wounds today, and it had given him a lot of confidence.

The treatment rooms of small clinics were usually for injections and the removal of stitches. There was a big hospital nearby, and ordinary people did not mind heading for the Emergency Department to have their wounds sutured. However, when it was time to remove their stitches, hospitals suddenly seem to be far more inhospitable because of the long queues to the sign-up, waiting for their numbers to be called, and the waiting time itself.

Of course, due to the Ministry of Health's demands, small clinics were also equipped with all the instruments to debride, suture, and disinfect wounds.

When Doctor Xiong slowly unwrapped the towel around Boss Yang's hand, Ling Ran unfurled his large suturing kit.

Needle-holder, smooth forceps, toothed forceps, curved scissors, straight scissors, tissue forceps, hemostatic forceps, towel forceps... Ling Ran counted these instruments one by one.

Suturing was the simplest among surgical procedures, but it was also considered a minor surgery. That was why not a single instrument can be missing for the operation.

"Let's take a look at this, I'll clean it up first..." Doctor Xiong washed his hands, took a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and prepared to pour it on Boss Yang's cut.

*Clatter.*

Ling Ran turned on the tap and began performing the seven steps of handwashing...

Doctor Xiong snorted and suppressed a cough in his throat. He said, "Young Ran, my boy, we're only going with some simple disinfection to stop the bleeding, that will be enough."

Ling Ran turned around and flashed him a quick smile. He had nothing to say; some things could not be solved with words.

In the meantime, Doctor Xiong could not just ignore the bleeding palm and continued to discourage the young man from washing his hands.

Doctor Xiong turned back to Boss Yang's palm. He said while pouring disinfectant on the cut, "Your wound was inflicted by a knife. The good news: it's easy to clean. The bad news: the wound is rather deep. It's very likely that your tendons are injured. You should head for Yun Hua Hospital and let them take a look—"

"Let me take over." Ling Ran watched as Doctor Xiong finished disinfecting the wound. He put on a pair of gloves and sat on the chair beside Doctor Xiong. He slowly turned Boss Yang's chair around, the latter shocked as he came face to face with Ling Ran.

Doctor Xiong and Juan Zi exchanged looks.

As neighbors, Boss Yang recognized Ling Ran instantly, he also knew that he went to medical school. But as a member of society, he knew better than anyone that there was a huge difference between studying, and applying the skills learned in school into practical use.

Boss Yang grimaced. "It's pretty severe, isn't it, Ling Ran?"

"It's just your palm that's injured. Nothing's severed, from what I can tell. This isn't exactly bad." Ling Ran offered what he thought were words of comfort.

Boss Yang repeated the word "severed" and began to fidget.

Most patients do have some knowledge about medical conditions and ailments. However, most patients in the Emergency Department were there because of accidents, and also because they had no corresponding knowledge regarding their own conditions. They usually relied on the doctors' opinions.

Boss Yang turned to Doctor Xiong for a second opinion. As doctors were part of a medical organization, patients were easily swayed by doctors. The fact that they were not equipped with medical knowledge made everything that doctors said to them sound like direct quotations from the Bible.

According to conventional understanding, Boss Yang should have such a wound treated at a big hospital, but it was rather daunting to have him travel six miles with a still-bleeding wound.

Doctor Xiong appeared even more skeptical than Boss Yang. Even his form of address towards Ling Ran changed. "Ling Ran, it's better if we prioritize reliability and stability over—"

But before he could finish speaking, Ling Ran was already holding a pair of forceps.

Boss Yang let out a scream, "Ouch!"

"Injecting anesthetics after cleaning the wound reduces the likelihood of superinfections. Bear with it a little."

Ling Ran turned and smiled. "Sister Juan Zi, please dilute 2% lidocaine into 1% and give it to me. Also, can you prepare more hydrogen peroxide and iodine?"

The processes for debridement and suturing basically remained the same for all cases. Ling Ran did not complicate things and began to work according to the steps.

When Juan Zi saw that Doctor Xiong did not react, she did as Ling Ran asked. Ling Ran was already getting to work. At this juncture, it was difficult for Doctor Xiong to even object to his actions.

He could even walk away for a minute or two before decisively coming back to stop him. But with Ling Ran's Master Level Appositional Suturing Technique, one minute was long enough for him to perform dozens stitches.

If they were to really talk about it, there was no way that Boss Yang's cut could be considered minor. A severed tendon could potentially affect one's hand function. If it was not sutured well, there was a possibility that in the future, the patient would not be able to exert force when gripping something or when working on something delicate.

If he were to be sent to the Emergency Department of Yun Hua Hospital, the attending physician would most probably send him to the Hand Surgery Department for treatment.

From a doctor's perspective, Boss Yang's injury was actually more severe than the tattooed men's gashes. But for Ling Ran, it was all one and the same.

The Master Level Appositional Suturing Technique he possessed allowed him to be much better than most doctors in Yun Hua Hospital when it came to suturing. A lot better.

Reattaching tendons was a challenge to the doctors in Yun Hua Hospital's Emergency Department, but it was a routine task for those in the Hand Surgery Department. It was even easier for Ling Ran.

Boss Yang had owned a knife-cut noodles restaurant for over a decade. He relied on his skills to earn an income. In other words, he needed a fully functional hand to work.

If he went to the hospital, he might be able to get a more ideal suture, but he might also receive average medical service at best.

Ling Ran was certain that he could reduce the probability of negative consequences to the minimum. He put all his heart into it, working slightly slower than he did in the emergency room, but the results were exceptional.

"I'm done suturing your hand. Let me bandage it for you now. Try not to get it wet, and remember to keep the medication fresh..." Ling Ran recited the Standard Precautions for Patients, as per usual.

Doctor Xiong was gawking at him. 'Is Yun Hua University School of Medicine really this great?'

Even after a medical intern graduated from medical school, worked as a houseman for two years, and then worked as a resident for two more years, he would still never be able to produce such suturing.

Ling Jiezhou was a lot more direct. He rubbed his hands together and said excitedly, "Son, with this standard, you're qualified to practice in our clinic."

Even though he was not a doctor, he was experienced and knowledgeable. More importantly, Doctor Xiong had supervised the entire process. This itself was enough to set his mind at ease.

Ling Ran said, "I still need to complete my internship."

"It'll be good if you can also help us save up on wages, you know." Ling Jiezhou sighed.

Doctor Xiong was not swayed. He said calmly, "My pay remains."

Ling Jiezhou huffed and was just about to go ahead and argue with Doctor Xiong when he heard someone shout loudly behind him.

"Dad, dad, where are you?"

In an instant, a muscular and robust figure ran over.

"It's okay, it's already stitched up." Boss Yang pointed at his hand which was already being bandaged, and he forced a smile.

If Boss Yang was unsettled, then his son was even more anxious. He widened his eyes and asked, "Didn't you call the ambulance? Why was it stitched up here?"

"The clinic stitched it up for me, there's no need to go to the hospital." As a neighbor, Boss Yang was somewhat embarrassed. He said weakly, "Hu'zi, don't panic..."

"How can I not panic? If his hand becomes handicapped, it would be a lifelong issue. Can a small clinic be compared to a big hospital?" Yang Hu glared fiercely at Doctor Xiong and Ling Ran, who were in large white robes. In the end, he fixed his gaze on Doctor Xiong and asked,

"How dare you lay hands on such a serious wound?! My father relies on his hand to earn a living. If my father's hand doesn't return to normal, you'll be paying up for the rest of his life."

Doctor Xiong stroked his chin and stared off into the distance. "Normal functionality, that is a broad idea..."

"The suturing is done." Ling Ran dusted his hands and said, "The surgery went well. You can bring him to the hospital for an examination. Make sure to exercise and rehabilitate the hand after the surgery. There's a great chance of recovering normal functionality."

"Do you mean there's a possibility that he won't recover?" Yang Hu grew even more frustrated.

Ling Ran frowned. Before he could speak, his father stopped him.

Ling Jiezhou knew his son's personality too well. He pulled his son back and immediately said to Yang Hu, "There's indeed a possibility that it won't be able to recover, but the odds are very low, just like the chances of winning the lottery. If that really happens, there's also a way to handle it, isn't there?"

Upon hearing that, Yang Hu felt his displeasure drain from him. He could not just refute them by saying the odds were high. Would that not be equivalent to cursing his own father?

"Hu'zi, Lower Groove Clinic has been in business for decades, and we have treated thousands of neighbors. When have you seen us encounter any problems? If we're not confident about it, we wouldn't handle the patient."

Even though Ling Jiezhou spoke slowly, his words were very compelling.

Yang Hu finally simmered down a little. Indeed, even though Lower Groove Clinic was a small clinic, it was the alley's small clinic. Before he attended university, he had also frequented the clinic every time he had a headache or a fever.

"Your father's injury isn't severe, but it isn't very minor. The ambulance wasn't here when we started, and it still isn't here. We don't know how the traffic condition is, and we don't even know if it's on the way here. Since we can treat it, we decided to do so. We couldn't just let him bleed out like that."

Even though Ling Jiezhou himself had no medical skills, his words were relatable to others. He tapped Yang Hu's shoulder and said, "Don't panic. Since you're worried, why don't you bring your father to the hospital for an examination? After the examination, you can come back to pay the medical expenses if you don't see any issues, okay?"

"What else can I say?" Yang Hu raised his arms up in surrender.

"I'll bring my father for an examination in a big hospital now to see if everything's good. It's alright if there's no problem. If there's a problem..."

He did not continue speaking. He angrily picked up his father and put him on the wheelchair outside the clinic's door before pushing him away.

Juan Zi extended her hand and tried to stop him, but Ling Jiezhou stopped her.

"Don't be anxious. We're a small, neighborhood business. They'll be back." After running the clinic for thirty years, Ling Jiezhou had gone through all sorts of trials and tribulations. He was calm and collected as always.

Ling Ran stared in the direction of the front door and was deep in thought.

'It seems like my mission would only be complete after they're finished with the examination.'