Chapter 323: First Day on Duty: The Realities of Pediatrics

While Zhou Can was chatting with Director Dai, a few more outpatient doctors arrived for their shifts.

Among them were elderly doctors with white hair, as well as younger ones in their thirties and forties.

There were both men and women.

“Good morning, Director Dai!”

“I heard you did a week-long consulting stint over at Xinxiang Maternity and Child Hospital. How was it? Pretty good, right?”

“Director Tang was even singing your praises just yesterday! Said you really brought honor to our Pediatrics Department at Tuyu Hospital. Honestly, it feels like we’ve had more patients these last couple of days. Sigh, it’s classic—more work but not a cent more pay. Our workload keeps growing, but our paychecks sure don’t.”

These pediatricians clearly got along well outside of work.

Their conversations were relaxed and casual whenever they met up.

“This must be Dr. Zhou, right?”

Finally, someone’s attention landed on Zhou Can.

“My name’s Zhou Can. I’m new here, so I hope you all can show me the ropes!”

He kept a humble posture and smiled while introducing himself to the group.

“Haha, you do seem pretty modest! Just a heads-up—pediatric outpatient work is no walk in the park. You’d better keep a close eye on the family members’ moods. If you sense any trouble, change your tone fast and keep the peace!”

A woman with short hair in her thirties grinned as she offered her advice.

“Dr. Wu Qin isn’t exaggerating. When you’re on shift, you really do have to watch out for unreasonable families. Here in pediatrics, our doctors and nurses are the most likely to get roughed up. As for getting yelled at, that’s basically a daily thing—we’re used to it by now. Just don’t get into spats with families or you might end up getting sick with stress yourself.”

Director Dai chimed in to back her up.

She was mostly worried since Zhou Can was brand new to pediatrics and might not know what to expect.

Pediatrics is nicknamed the ‘Silent Department’ since kids can’t explain their own illnesses. It’s tough to get accurate patient histories, causes, or symptoms. To make things tougher, it’s also the department where staff get hit or yelled at the most—no surprise it’s been called the most dangerous department.

If the Emergency Department has a four-star danger rating, then pediatrics easily hits five stars.

Many doctors and nurses can’t handle all the squabbling and find ways to transfer out.

The ones who stick it out in pediatrics tend to be patient, caring, and emotionally intelligent.

“You all are making it sound terrifying! I’m almost getting nervous just hearing about it.”

Zhou Can joked about being scared, though he honestly wasn’t fazed.

If a family member really tried to lay hands on him, he wouldn’t hesitate to show them what lawful self-defense looked like—even in front of their child.

Society’s gotten stranger and meaner these days.

Teachers can’t criticize students anymore and sometimes the students even fight back. Doctors have to focus on treating illnesses and at the same time keep an eye out for a flying size-43 shoe from an angry parent.

“Young man, a doctor shouldn’t be afraid of the patient’s family. Ever heard the phrase ‘evil can never prevail over good’? As long as we have a righteous heart, even the most unreasonable family members will back down. If trouble really comes your way, let me teach you what to do—protect yourself first, call hospital security, and then call the police. Over my years of practice, I’ve had someone throw water right in my face. That family member ended up in detention for three days and later apologized to me.”

The oldest doctor in the group spoke up.

She looked to be at least sixty, still not retired. The respect the others showed her made it clear she held a high status.

“Thank you for the advice, I’ll remember everything you said. If any family member dares get violent, I’ll make sure the law handles them.”

Zhou Can didn’t know this senior doctor’s name.

So that was about all he could say.

“Director Yan is our department’s treasure. Her experience is second to none. Even the worst-behaved family members fall silent in front of her—not a hint of aggression left.”

Director Dai discreetly introduced her as Director Yan.

If it were another doctor, they probably would’ve memorized all the chief physicians in pediatrics by now, but Zhou Can never cared much for politics.

“Director Yan? So you’re the legendary expert who helps children breathe freely! I’m honored to meet you.”

Zhou Can really had heard of Director Yan before.

Despite sharing a surname with King Yan, ruler of the underworld, her actions were the complete opposite.

King Yan takes lives, but Director Yan saves kids with breathing problems—everything from congenital airway stenosis, poor lung function, absent nasal passages, to later infections or pneumonia.

If it’s a respiratory illness, she can treat it.

Breathing illnesses in young children are notoriously tricky with high death rates.

The fact that she became a top expert in such a tough field says everything about her skill.

“It’s all just empty praise—take it seriously and you’ll lose. Anyway, it’s almost time. Let’s all get to our clinics and get ready to start. If we start early, we might even squeeze in a couple more patients!”

Director Yan was still in excellent health.

She walked briskly, her steps light and quick.

Everyone went off to their own outpatient rooms. Some brought students along, while others worked solo.

Even chief physicians like Director Dai didn’t have any assigned assistants.

Director Yan, meanwhile, had two assistants—most likely her own students.

One male, one female. The man looked close to forty, a bit heavyset and average-looking. Judging by his hands, Zhou Can could tell he must perform surgeries often. People who play the piano, work as programmers or data entry, or do surgery always have deft hands—much more nimble than most.

Zhou Can himself was an extremely skilled surgeon, so it was easy to spot another of his kind.

In the hallway outside the clinics, a long line had already formed. The guides had stacks of medical record books piling up on their desks.

“Everyone, please don’t crowd. Fill out your basic info in your record book first, then bring it here. If you haven’t got a number yet, please use the ticket machine!”

The triage nurse’s job was to keep the consultations orderly.

Their presence helped prevent fights or accidents.

They had to make sure vulnerable patients—like the disabled or those with serious illnesses—got the attention they needed.

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They’d even help patients get a number from the machine, fill out their record books, and if anyone was in urgent need or had a critical illness, notify the doctor or Emergency Department right away.

Sometimes, patients didn’t know where to go for tests or couldn’t read what the doctor wrote. The triage nurse was there to explain everything until it all made sense.

Honestly, most doctors’ handwriting on prescriptions or test requests looked like chicken scratch.

No wonder most people couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Zhou Can made his way to Consultation Room 17. The triage nurse didn’t recognize him, but as soon as she saw him enter Room 17, she figured it out. These nurses always had the best gossip.

If a doctor’s pet cat or dog gave birth, they’d know. Nothing in the hospital escaped their hushed conversations.

Even rumours or secrets never stayed hidden long thanks to their skills at whispering.

Despite the long line in the hallway, Zhou Can’s clinic sat cold and empty after he opened the door.

A good half-hour passed before his first patient finally arrived.

“Dr. Zhou, my daughter sprained her right foot this morning during dance practice. Can you help?”

A woman in her thirties led a little girl—maybe six or seven—into the room. The girl wore ballet tights and a skirt.

She needed her mother’s help just to walk.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll take a look at her foot first.”

Zhou Can’s spirits lifted at having a real patient to examine.

Even if it was just a sprained right foot.

“Has she sprained it before?”

He started asking his questions.

Kids who do dance are prone to sprains and strains. If it’s an old injury flaring up, it’s much harder to treat.

“It’s the second time. Last time she hurt her left foot—guess I’m unlucky,” the little girl replied bravely, sounding like a miniature grown-up.

“Well, the road to success is full of bumps and hurdles! It’s because it’s tough that people who get through it shine brighter. I believe all your hard work will pay off one day.”

Zhou Can couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s grown-up way of talking.

“Alright, let’s see you try to point your toes!”

“Um…it hurts, it hurts! I can’t point my toes,” she said after trying.

Looking her over, Zhou Can could tell her right ankle was bruised, though the white tights made it hard to see the details.

“Would you mind taking off her tights? She’ll need them off for the X-ray anyway,” he said, looking to her mother.

The advice the senior pediatricians gave kept echoing in his mind.

To avoid conflicts with families—even with a little girl—he always asked the mother’s permission before having her take off her tights.

No mother would hit a doctor, but a complaint could still be a pain.

“Of course!”

The girl’s mother was quick to help her daughter take them off.

“We saw your name on the news—everyone says you’re great at treating children’s bone injuries, so we came specially for you. We went to Xinxiang first but found out the expert team had left, so we rushed over to Tuyu Hospital.”

Hearing her story touched Zhou Can.

Another fan gained through TV news.

“Since you put so much faith in me, I’ll be sure to give your daughter the best care.” Zhou Can responded while examining the foot. “There’s some bruising, not too bad, but if she can’t point her toes, I’m worried there’s a bone injury. Let’s get an X-ray first.”

He ordered the necessary tests.

After the family left, the room went quiet again. They even thoughtfully closed the door for him on their way out.

Knock, knock, knock!

A short while later, there was another knock at the door.

“Come in!”

Zhou Can wondered if the family was back with the X-ray already. Even if there was no wait, getting it done and picking up the film would take at least twenty minutes.

But it turned out to be another family with a little boy.

This time, it was a woman in sanitation worker’s clothes, probably in her fifties. Her hands were rough, her sneakers cheap and worn. She was there with a little boy around three years old.

Zhou Can couldn’t quite tell—was this woman his mother or his grandmother?

These days, there are plenty of older mothers.

Especially among couples who lost a child or remarried later in life—they’re often eager to have a child together.

“Hello, Dr. Zhou! I saw you on TV, so I brought my grandson to see you.”

Another patient sent by TV news—the reach of media was amazing.

Once again, Zhou Can silently thanked Mu Qing, the female reporter.

Everyone meets benefactors on their journey.

For Zhou Can, Mu Qing was one of them.

She’d done a lot for his career.

“Please, have a seat. What brings you in today?” Zhou Can looked the boy over but couldn’t immediately tell what was wrong. The little boy was shy, head down, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Lele, take your hands out and let Dr. Zhou see!”

The grandmother coaxed the little boy.

But he kept his head down and wouldn’t show his hands.

So it was his hands. Judging by the way he acted, Zhou Can guessed it might be a deformity.

“Be good, little one! Uncle Zhou is a doctor—he’s here to help you. Let me see, okay?”

This kind of gentle coaxing didn’t come naturally to Zhou Can.

Still, this was the job. No matter your comfort level, being a doctor meant rising to the occasion. It was the bare minimum for the profession.

With a mix of coaxing and pulling, the grandmother finally managed to get his right hand free.

Even at three, kids have plenty of pride.

When he finally showed his right hand, Zhou Can’s gaze sharpened. It was his first time encountering this type of case.

The boy’s right index finger was huge—at least three times as thick as a normal finger. Even the adjacent middle finger looked thicker and crooked, bending off to one side.

Zhou Can kept his expression steady. He’d seen cases like this in books before, even if it was his first time in real life.

This was called macrodactyly. If left untreated, the condition would keep getting worse, just like cancer, hepatitis, or kidney disease.

Surgery before age three was the only effective solution.

There are many causes for it.

Usually, kids are born with it and as they grow, the abnormal finger becomes more obvious.

The affected fingers get thicker and longer over time.

Oftentimes, these fingers can’t bend and always stick out straight.

Nearby fingers can also get bigger and longer, but can usually bend.

“Is his other hand normal?”

Zhou Can asked after the exam.

“The other one’s fine. Can you cure this?”

“Absolutely. With surgery, we can get good results.”

“What caused this? His right index was already thick when he was born, and it’s grown ever since. Even his middle finger changed. He’s almost three now and about to start preschool. His dad died in a car crash two years ago…” As she spoke, the grandmother’s eyes filled with tears.

Misfortune always seems to find the ones who can least afford it.

Sometimes fate deals especially harsh hands to the poor.

Poverty, outdated ideas, and lack of education often plant the seeds of tragedy in these families.

For example, saving leftovers or eating moldy rice may seem harmless at first.

But later, tumors can appear out of nowhere.

Moldy rice, corn, and peanuts contain aflatoxin—a carcinogen so potent cigarettes and liquor pale in comparison.

Aflatoxin doesn’t just cause cancer. It suppresses immunity, causes mutations, and leads to malformations.

As a deadly toxin, its cancer risk is just the tip of the iceberg.

Short-term, high-dose exposure can trigger acute aflatoxin poisoning, resulting in hepatitis, liver tissue necrosis, and more.

But even tiny amounts, if eaten over time, can cause liver fibrosis, stunted growth, infertility, fetal deformities, and other chronic symptoms.

So whenever you find moldy rice, corn, or bitter peanuts or seeds, spit them out fast.

When it comes to spoiled food, don’t hesitate—throw it out right away.

If you don’t, the consequences can be dire. A bag of rice only costs a couple hundred yuan at most. Throwing it away loses you a little money.

But if someone eats it and develops even just acute hepatitis, treatment will cost thousands. Severe cases could cost forty or fifty thousand.

When you’ve got two bad options, always pick the lesser evil.

Anyone with common sense would rather throw away moldy food than risk their life.

“My daughter-in-law is such a good person. After my son died in that crash, she raised the boy by herself for over a year, then left home to work. She’s saved a bit now and sent us to the hospital at last.”

Her eyes glistened with pride and gratitude when she spoke about her daughter-in-law.

People have soft hearts.

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships are famously tough. Most are riddled with tension and distrust. A loving bond like theirs was rare.

They were few and far between.

Zhou Can felt a pang—every family had its story. Every patient came with its own pain and joy.

Every household has its own burdens to bear.

“Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll order some tests for your grandson. Once they’re done, bring the results back to me and I’ll make the best plan. Macrodactyly has many types—neurofibromas are the most common. The earlier the surgery, the better the outcome. Good thing you came now; before age three is ideal. Any later and it could affect his growth, development, and emotional wellbeing.”

Zhou Can was a little worried the family might not take this seriously, so he spelled out the dangers and stressed the importance of early treatment.

Some people just want to get a quick consult.

But then when they see all the tests and the cost, they just give up and leave.