Chapter 1020: Chapter 1020: The Six Little Ones’ Gift

(Thanks to PP9, Yohan, Evernight Qiming, Goldendove, PP, sincostgctg, Water Drop Stone Penetrating Monthly Ticket Encouragement)

"Teacher Liu, it’s not working out, I also asked that patient, but they didn’t tell me anything."

After waiting for a while, Li Hao came over.

"You’re not much help, huh? Such a simple task, keep trying harder." Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Teacher Liu, are you sure the patient is hiding some symptoms?" Li Hao asked cautiously.

"Liu Yiqing, come over here." Liu Banxia called out.

"Teacher Liu, what’s up?" Liu Yiqing asked as she ran over.

"Liu Yiqing, even though you told me, Li Hao doesn’t believe it." Liu Banxia suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, both of them were a bit dumbfounded.

Weren’t they discussing the patient’s condition? Why did it veer off into something else entirely?

Their minds quickly kicked into gear, exchanging glances, but the signals seemed to be on different frequencies, making smooth communication impossible.

"Liu Yiqing already said, the patient hesitated a bit when answering questions, and their voice wasn’t as loud as at the beginning. So, there’s definitely something there." Liu Banxia said leisurely.

"Uh... Teacher Liu, is that it?" Li Hao let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, what else could it be?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Nothing, maybe it’s just me not trying hard enough, I’ll give it another shot." Li Hao said and quickly slipped away.

"What are you looking at?" Liu Banxia glanced at Liu Yiqing.

"I’m not looking at anything." Liu Yiqing replied somewhat puzzled.

"Then put in some effort to figure out what’s really going on with this patient. Should we keep them under observation, or diagnose and release them as growing pains? That’s the arrangement, right, Dr. Liu?" Liu Banxia said.

Liu Yiqing nodded, then realized something was off. Having snapped out of the playful trouble caused by Liu Banxia, she felt somewhat aggrieved and leaned closer.

"Oh, my dear Director Liu, what game are you playing?" Wang Chao came over.

Liu Banxia said nothing, just stared at him.

"What is it?" Wang Chao asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Nothing much, it’s just that this patient’s case is really complex. I’m considering whether to use new equipment for further examination, but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything suitable." Liu Banxia said.

Then he briefly explained the patient’s situation.

"Anyway, I just feel that whenever there’s pain, there’s definitely a symptom. If it were just a bruise from playing soccer, it shouldn’t still hurt now, especially with increasing intensity." Liu Banxia continued.

"Also, I have great confidence in my orthopedic skills, and I think there’s nothing wrong with the child’s fascia, muscles, and other parts."

"Can we rule out growing pains?" Wang Chao asked.

Liu Banxia nodded, "Growing pains are mostly lower limb pains, often localized around the knee joint, and usually occur at night."

"The patient mentioned back pain, difficulty standing for long periods, which I find puzzling. I feel there might be some symptoms the patient hasn’t clearly explained. What could it be?"

Wang Chao shook his head cluelessly.

"So, I suspect it might involve some privacy issues." Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"And you still sent Liu Yiqing?" Wang Chao asked incredulously.

"So what? It’s a kind of training, isn’t it?" Liu Banxia said indifferently.

"If Liu Yiqing manages to get some information out of this kid, it would definitely prove an improvement in her inquiry skills. If not, there’s no real loss either."

"Patients like this are hard to find. If it were adults, they might just spill everything. Today’s patients are tricky, often playing hide-and-seek with you."

Wang Chao nodded, "That’s really the case. Some deliberately hide it; others just forget about it."

"How’s your night shift been lately? Many patients having issues at night?" Liu Banxia asked.

"It’s okay, there are always a few that need checking in the ward. Last night there was a post-surgery humerus fracture case with pulmonary embolism, but we were monitoring it, so no big problem."

"It’s just a pity about today’s little one. Even if it had gone just a little deeper, they wouldn’t have pierced the blood vessel, leaving at least a chance for rescue."

"What happened with the little one? Was it just kids playing around?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I’m not sure, didn’t look into it closely. But later, some others came around, it was quite chaotic, then they all left." Wang Chao said.

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Liu, I talked to the patient, and today they’re taking a leave from school to stay with us for more observation." At this moment, Liu Yiqing ran over.

"That’s it? No constructive feedback?" Liu Banxia asked.

Liu Yiqing shook her head.

"Alright, keep trying, keep an eye on him." Liu Banxia said.

"We should really run some tests, but nothing showed up in the X-rays. If we go for an MRI, the kid might not be able to afford it."

"That’s a tricky part when dealing with adolescent patients. Ideally, we’d reach out to their guardians, but they’re not always easy to get hold of."

"Okay, I’ll keep observing and see if his pain shows any cyclical changes or varies with conditions." Liu Yiqing said.

Liu Banxia gave a thumbs up, "That’s exactly right. This is how it should be done. When we can’t clearly diagnose an illness, we need to observe."

Liu Yiqing felt confident, realizing that Liu Banxia wasn’t trying to trick her but was genuinely praising her.

Sometimes that’s just how it is. It might seem like a bit of a dodge, but it’s the best approach.

It’s not like abdominal pain or headaches, where the symptoms are clear and you can just order a CT scan. He wanted to do a CT scan today, but had to consider the child’s financial situation.

Plus, we need to consider that this is a minor. If you just go ahead with the CT, the parents might come back questioning it, saying you caused trouble for their child. Why use a CT when an X-ray will do?

So now, all we can do is choose this gentle approach. If the child doesn’t show any changes or report any hidden symptoms, there are only two options left.

Either call the child’s guardian, or let the child go home. If the pain continues or worsens, the parents will need to accompany them for further consultation.

For now, this kind of "dodge" is at least safe, and there’s no responsibility attached.

"Director Liu, you should go have dinner. I’ll keep an eye on things here. Then we can all get a bit more rest." Qi Wentai approached as it was mealtime.

"Alright, we have something extra for dinner tonight, so take a little extra if you like it." Liu Banxia nodded.

This was his low-key celebration, even if he was modest about it, he was quietly thrilled inside.

Although we had some extra dishes, it wasn’t a full banquet prepared by the team, just low-key. Happiness calls for everyone to join in.

It doesn’t really cost much more anyway.

"Haha, it would be great if Mr. Liu made breakthroughs every day, then my meal card wouldn’t need reloading." Xu Yino said with a smile.

"As if you loaded it with that much money. How much have I already covered for you?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Mr. Liu, that’s not how it works. We never take advantage; it’s all part of our reward." Xu Yino replied.

"Exactly, it’s a reward." Miao Rui chimed in.

"Hmm... A bit more reward would be nice too." Shi Lei wasn’t one to miss out.

"What’s all this fuss about? How did the recent lectures feel?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"A bit overwhelming, definitely more tiring than the internship back then." Shi Lei replied.

"Then eat more meat, so someday you’ll nurture more pillars of medicine for us." Liu Banxia said solemnly.

"Teacher Shi, keep it up." Xu Yino punched the air.

"You girl, I speak for you and you turn to support him." Shi Lei shook his head helplessly.

"Mr. Liu performed an incredible surgery today, it was inevitable." Xu Yino said with a grin.

"Not going to tell me what exactly you did behind my back?" Liu Banxia suddenly asked.

"Mr. Liu, you already guessed, why keep asking? Just wait and see." Xu Yino paused and then spoke confidently.

She admired herself for being so wise and handling the big boss this way.

"Haha, that’s amusing." Shi Lei laughed.

Liu Banxia looked at the smirking Wang Chao, "What are you laughing at? You claim to be well-informed, but you don’t know a thing."

Wang Chao was dumbfounded, wondering why the fire was suddenly directed at him. He felt innocent.

However, he was a bit curious too because he really didn’t know the deal. Perhaps they feared he’d secretly tell Liu Banxia?

He thought not; he kept secrets well enough.

During the meal, Wang Chao ate uneasily, even urging others to eat faster, under the guise of quickly rotating mealtime shifts.

"According to my estimate, we should have results when we return to the emergency center." Liu Banxia said cheerfully on the way back.

Xu Yino shot him a helpless look without saying a word.

As they walked into the emergency center, Liu Banxia was drawn to a big box placed at the office door.

"A little gift prepared for me?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile.

Xu Yino nodded, "Hurry and open it up."

Those staying behind, including Liu Yiqing, gathered around.

Liu Banxia excitedly opened the box, finding a huge cake inside. "Success" was written on it, along with four small cream dogs beneath the words.

Even after battling with the six little ones all afternoon, Liu Banxia felt genuinely touched.

"Congratulations, Mr. Liu."

The six little ones shouted in unison.

"Thank you, thank you all. Go on with your tasks; I can finish this cake myself." Liu Banxia said earnestly.

"Mr. Liu..."

Liu Yiqing drawled out, having waited all afternoon for this.

"Haha, let’s go ahead and cut it, everyone gets a share. We’ll buy some fruit later, as our dessert." Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

He was truly delighted that the little ones put so much thought into the gift. But why did they act so fast to dig up all their weather props of Beifeng in such haste?