Chapter 321: Turning Point in the Operating Room

It was probably Director Zhu who gave her personal instructions—no wonder she treated Zhou Can with such respect.

A hospital is like its own little society. Most folks are sharp and quick to pick up on things. If the director is personally overseeing something, of course the information officer wouldn’t dare treat Zhou Can like just any other doctor.

Zhou Can grabbed his paperwork and headed to the outpatient office, easily finding Yan Lele.

Registering an attending physician turned out to be even stricter than he’d imagined.

While handling the documents, his phone rang again.

He glanced down to see that Dr. Zhang from Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital was calling.

He figured it must be about performing corrective surgery for that little boy’s hand deformity.

“Hello, Dr. Zhang!”

“Dr. Zhou, do you have time at eleven this morning? We’re planning the corrective surgery for that child today.”

“Absolutely, I’ll head over right now!”

Hearing that the surgery was finally scheduled, Zhou Can couldn’t hide his excitement.

That little boy and his family had been on his mind for a while.

He wanted to make sure things ended as well as they began.

Once he finished the registration process, Zhou Can rushed to Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital. The ride took over fifty minutes, and by the time he arrived it was nearly eleven.

He hurried straight into the pediatric orthopedics office.

“You’re here, Dr. Zhou!”

In the office, Dr. Zhang, the five-year-old boy, and his family were all present. As soon as Zhou Can walked in, the boy’s father jumped up, smiling to greet him.

The little boy still retreated into his shell, head down, hiding both hands inside his sleeves.

“How’s the prep going, Dr. Zhang?” Zhou Can nodded to the family, then turned to Dr. Zhang.

“I’ve already discussed things with the family. They trust you completely, Dr. Zhou—just do what you need to for the surgery. Everything else is ready and we’ve only been waiting for you.”

Hearing this, Zhou Can felt a wave of gratitude.

The family’s trust only strengthened his resolve to make this surgery a success.

…

Inside the operating room, Dr. Zhang and his surgical team were already in position. For this type of surgery, general anesthesia isn’t usually used; instead, a brachial plexus block is more common.

“I’ll handle it!”

Zhou Can took the initiative to administer the nerve block anesthesia for the patient.

“To save time, how about we each operate on one of the boy’s hands simultaneously?” Today’s main steps were releasing subcutaneous bands and free skin grafting.

“If you’re confident, working together will be even better.” Although Dr. Zhang hadn’t personally seen Zhou Can perform surgery, he still felt a little uneasy.

“No worries at all. If something comes up that I can’t handle, I won’t force it.”

Zhou Can also anesthetized the boy’s other arm.

After a short while, the anesthesia took effect and the boy could no longer feel pain in his hands.

“Little one, we’re going to fix your hands so you can play just like other kids. But you have to stay really, really still, okay?”

Squatting down, Zhou Can comforted the boy and gently placed a blindfold over the child’s eyes.

He did this so the boy wouldn’t see any blood or get scared during the procedure.

Some people might think it’d be better to go with general anesthesia to keep a child from moving during surgery.

After all, kids aren’t like adults—they don’t understand the consequences if they move during an operation.

But the truth is, the type of anesthesia used isn’t something doctors choose on a whim.

General anesthesia is the highest level and has very strict requirements.

An anesthesiologist must conduct a pre-op assessment before deciding if general anesthesia is appropriate. Even spinal anesthesia comes with tough evaluation standards.

If local anesthesia will do the job, no doctor would easily opt for general.

It’s not just about saving the patient money—it’s about keeping risks as low as possible.

But local anesthesia has risks too.

There have been plenty of cases of patients dying from brachial plexus blocks. Hospitals deal with at least a few tragedies every year.

General anesthesia is even riskier.

Some patients never wake up, ending up in a vegetative state, dying from complete organ failure for reasons no one can explain. Cardiac and respiratory arrests during general anesthesia happen all the time.

Every surgery carries risk.

When doctors ask families to sign surgical consent forms, it’s not because they’re overly cautious.

It’s because, after seeing so many surgery mishaps, they know firsthand what’s at stake.

“Let’s start!”

Zhou Can and Dr. Zhang began the surgery together.

Having two doctors operate at once isn’t that uncommon. Sometimes even three or four doctors work on a patient at the same time—for example, if skin grafting is needed, one doctor can harvest skin while another works directly on the hand, saving precious time.

One surgeon takes the graft, while the other operates on the hand—it makes everything more efficient.

This time, though, they did things a bit differently.

Each surgeon was in charge of one hand.

Zhou Can started by quickly releasing the subcutaneous bands in the left hand. The boy’s hand was shaped a bit like a claw, partly because of deformed skin and fascia.

The lack of skin would need to be fixed by transplanting a skin flap.

Abnormal bands beneath the skin and fascia had to be corrected by surgical release. Also, hand skin is unique—there’s a huge difference between the palm and the back. The palm is thick-skinned.

So, usually, doctors harvest grafts from the thigh first.

That area has lots of skin, and scars left behind there won’t affect the patient’s life much in the future.

But this time, they needed a full-thickness graft.

Not only was Zhou Can lightning fast, but he also kept bleeding to a minimum and delivered outstanding surgical quality.

The incision he made was so neat that even Dr. Zhang, the experienced chief physician, felt a little self-conscious.

At first, Dr. Zhang had been worried whether Zhou Can could even manage the basic part of the surgery for skin and fascial deformity.

Watching Zhou Can pick up his scalpel and get straight to work like a pro tiger on a mission, Dr. Zhang’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. In a shockingly short time, Zhou Can completed several major steps—freeing the skin, releasing the bands, controlling bleeding—all to near perfection.

There’s no way this guy is just a trainee.

He’s a true surgical ace, hands down.

Dr. Zhang actually started to question his own abilities. He stopped watching—any longer and Zhou Can might have the whole operation done while he was still stuck on freeing skin. He’d have nowhere to hide his embarrassment.

…

The boy’s two hands weren’t equally deformed—the degree and type of deformity were different.

But the two doctors had discussed the details beforehand, so there were no disagreements about the procedure. The only question was whether their technique was up to par.

Zhou Can’s left hand case needed three or four surgeries in total.

Today’s focus was fixing the thumb’s inability to move outward and the palm’s severe contraction.

When it came time for the metacarpal osteotomy, he humbly asked Dr. Zhang for guidance and successfully improved the function of the joint. Next up was grafting skin to cover the areas where skin was missing.

An hour and a half later, Zhou Can had already finished the first phase for the left hand.

The freshly stitched left hand looked nothing short of transformed.

Now, the palm could lie almost flat, and the thumb no longer curled tightly into the palm. Even the narrow web space between thumb and finger was opened up for good.

Some finger deformities still remained.

Those will have to wait for the next operation.

Also, the thumb can’t be fully restored in a single procedure—it’ll take a second surgery to bring most functions back.

Overall, he was really satisfied with the results so far.

He looked forward to the boy’s bones healing up and starting the next phase.

It wouldn’t be long—maybe at most two months. At that point, everything would depend on the child’s recovery.

While Zhou Can had finished the left hand, Dr. Zhang was only halfway through the right.

Not everyone can match Zhou Can’s surgical speed.

So he went over to help.

Soon, Dr. Zhang realized Zhou Can was incredibly skilled at hemostasis, suturing, and tissue dissection.

He gave up the lead surgeon role and happily became Zhou Can’s assistant.

Forty-some minutes later, the surgery wrapped up smoothly.

As Zhou Can looked at the boy’s hands after surgery, he couldn’t help but smile. His Bone Fixation Technique just leveled up by over two hundred experience points.

The system even rewarded him twice with one hundred points each for the Bone Fixation Technique.

The first boost came from reconstructing the metacarpal bones in the left hand. The second came from correcting the joints in the right.

These were both high-difficulty orthopedic surgeries—Dr. Zhang guided him while he carried out the operations. His gains were enormous.

“Amazing—really, truly amazing! Looking at his hands, I can’t tell you how happy I am. This was exactly the result I hoped for, even better than I’d expected from the first surgery.”

Dr. Zhang looked at the boy’s hands, grinning with satisfaction.

Zhou Can also felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

It was like seeing a work of art he’d crafted with his own hands.

“I have to head back to work at Tuyu this afternoon, so I’ll make my exit now!”

He spoke up to Dr. Zhang.

“But lunchtime’s long since passed! I ordered food ahead—we should all eat together before you go. Otherwise that extra lunchbox will go to waste.”

Dr. Zhang had been in the OR with him the whole time and didn’t see him make any calls to order food.

So it had to be arranged before the surgery.

He really is thoughtful.

The patient would need to stay in the hospital to recover—sending him home wasn’t even an option at this point.

Outside the operating room, the boy’s father waited anxiously.

When he saw his child being brought out, he immediately hurried over, not saying a word as his gaze locked onto his son’s hands.

“They’re flat. The palm is flat again, and the thumb isn’t curled up anymore. This is wonderful!”

His words tumbled out in disbelief, joy spreading from his face to his whole body.

His rough, calloused hands clenched tight, his face flushed red, and his body started shaking with emotion.

“Thank you, Doctor! Thank you!”

He bowed repeatedly to Zhou Can, Dr. Zhang, and the others.

“Your son’s successful first surgery wasn’t just thanks to us doctors—the nurses played a huge role, too!”

Zhou Can smiled, making sure the nurses got their due.

“Heh, I’m just a rough man—beautiful nurses, don’t mind me. Thank you, all of you—doctors and nurses, you’re angels for my family…” His voice broke, and he couldn’t speak any more.

Only someone who’s seen their family torn apart, watched their child unable to attend school at five years old, their kid so withdrawn and anxious, can truly understand that pain.

It’s unimaginably hard on a father.

These past years, especially since his wife left, must have been all darkness, not a bit of hope.

Now that doctors and nurses had worked together to give his son new hope, that darkness finally lifted, and he found courage to live again.

If there’s hope, there’s no despair. Life suddenly has meaning again.

In a small conference room, Zhou Can, Dr. Zhang, the rest of the team, and the nurses all sat together, eating their lunch boxes.

They were just ordinary lunch boxes, but they tasted incredible after hard work.

Zhou Can’s performance in surgery was so impressive, on par with any lead surgeon. Nurses and doctors alike respected him deeply. When the family gave thanks, Zhou Can spoke up for the nurses.

For the first time, this usually unrecognized group of hard-working women felt seen and appreciated, thanks to him. The nurses looked at Zhou Can with newfound warmth and respect.

Over lunch, Dr. Zhang mostly chatted with him about the surgery itself.

The nurses with lively personalities also joined in, bringing up other fun topics.

“Dr. Zhou, you’re so talented and young. I bet you’re a big deal at Tuyu Hospital too, right?”

Before Zhou Can could answer, a nurse piped up, “Of course he is! Tuyu picked Dr. Zhou for their expert consultation event, and only true specialists get that honor.”

Zhou Can wasn’t the type to put on airs—he joked and chatted easily with the young, lively nurses.

The mood was easygoing and full of laughter.

He became good friends with the pediatric orthopedic team and nurses.

“Alright, I’m done! Thanks for lunch, Dr. Zhang. Thanks everyone for working together. I have to get back to Tuyu! See you soon!”

He waved goodbye to the group.

“Dr. Zhang, let me know when it’s time for the next surgery for that kid!”

“Of course—we’ll need you to lead again! By the way, can I pay your consultation fee later?”

Dr. Zhang didn’t even try to keep it private—he mentioned it right in front of everyone.

Inviting doctors from within the hospital to help isn’t a big deal.

But for outside consultants like this, it’s normal to offer a red envelope as thanks.

“No need for a fee! Having you guide me through these complex procedures for bone cutting and joint correction is worth more than any money. I’m just here to learn and lend a hand.”

Zhou Can laughed and waved it off.

“No, we have to pay you. If you hadn’t come, this surgery would’ve taken six or seven hours. Plus, you solved some of the toughest problems in the plan. We call this mutual learning. Your suturing and skin flap techniques really impressed me—I learned so much today.”

The camaraderie between Dr. Zhang and Zhou Can was obvious.

“Haha, you’re the most humble chief physician I’ve ever met! See you soon!”

Zhou Can didn’t push the issue further.

If they insisted, he’d just accept the payment—forcing politeness only makes things awkward.

Sometimes, being too courteous puts distance between people.

For adults, interests are always the strongest bonds.

Of course, real friendship exists too.

But in the adult world, interests usually come first. Even Zhou Can and Mr. Li, despite being close friends, couldn’t let loyalty outweigh everything when major interests were involved.

…

Back at Tuyu’s gastroenterology department, Zhou Can had barely stepped in when Director Shang called him over to help.

Several new and difficult cases had been admitted to the ward.

It almost felt like Director Shang left the hard ones just for him.

Having a boss like this meant one thing—time to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

Zhou Can never shied away from tough problems.

If you really want to improve your skills, you have to accumulate experience and tackle difficult cases—no way around it.

After returning from the last expert consultation, Zhou Can noticed his status in the gastroenterology department jumped a notch.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

But his colleagues now treated him differently; his influence in the department had clearly grown.

Dr. Chi had always thought highly of him and remained very friendly.

Now, though, there was a subtle, hard-to-pin-down respect in her attitude.

Maybe calling it awe would be too much.

But respect was definitely there.

As for Dr. Zheng Hongtao—the only one in the department who could challenge Director Shang—since clearing up an earlier misunderstanding, he’d been treating Zhou Can decently. Still, that was mostly out of professional interest. Whenever Dr. Zheng’s team ran into tough cases they couldn’t solve, they’d ask for Zhou Can’s help.

So really, it was a matter of shared interests that brought them together.

Even so, Dr. Zheng still acted like an old hand, always calling Zhou Can “Xiao Zhou” with ease.

Given the difference in age and experience, that wasn’t strange at all.

Zhou Can accepted this naturally.

But after coming back this time, Dr. Zheng no longer called him “Xiao Zhou.” Now he greeted him warmly with “Dr. Zhou” every time. Zhou Can found it a little odd.

And when managing patients and ordering medications, as long as he gave a word, the nurses acted right away, giving him top priority.

All these subtle changes made it clear—his status had definitely gone up.