Chapter 358: After the Crisis: Family Bonds and Unspoken Grievances

“Nurse, how’s my child?”

“Thanks to Dr. Zhou and the team, we’ve managed to remove the fishbone stuck in your child’s esophagus. However, since there’s significant local bruising and the fishbone was lodged deeply, your child will need to avoid eating or drinking for a while. Also, try to have them speak as little as possible.”

The nurse handed the child back to the family.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness!”

Cousin Zhou Hai’s entire family was overjoyed, with Sis-in-law even breaking down in tears of happiness.

Once she took her daughter, she noticed Huanhuan’s breathing was no longer rough or frightening, and her expression wasn’t pained anymore.

Their relief was almost overwhelming.

“Huanhuan, Huanhuan, as long as you’re okay! Does it still hurt?”

Sis-in-law hugged her daughter and asked gently.

Huanhuan opened her mouth to answer, but not a sound came out.

Sis-in-law’s face changed immediately, worried that the fishbone had hurt her daughter’s throat and cost her voice.

“Nurse, why can’t she make a sound?”

“It’s from the local anesthetic spray we used during the laryngoscopy. Her voice will come back once the medicine wears off.”

The nurse explained patiently.

Laryngoscopy is usually done under local anesthesia—doctors simply spray the anesthetic at the throat. It doesn’t last long or carry much risk, so there’s no need to worry.

“Oh, that’s a relief! Thank you so much!”

With her doubts gone, Sis-in-law finally relaxed.

“To be safe, we recommend keeping your child under observation here at the hospital for a while. When she’s stable, then you can head home.”

The nurse directed Sis-in-law to bring Huanhuan to the observation room.

Even Zhou Hai let out a long sigh of relief.

Just a little while ago, Huanhuan’s condition really was frightening. They’d waited almost twenty minutes at the restaurant for Professor Wei, only for his solution to be surgery. Luckily, Zhou Can—his cousin—had suggested a different approach.

He couldn’t even imagine the consequences if a child so young had had neck surgery.

And from what the nurse said, it was Zhou Can who had removed the fishbone.

“Just goes to show, trusting so-called experts isn’t always right—they don’t hold a candle to my cousin!”

Even now, thinking back, Zhou Hai’s heart skipped a beat.

He realized there were so many things he could’ve handled better.

Once it was over and he calmed down, the contrast was painfully obvious. He saw now that when Cousin Chen Shangfu invited Professor Wei to the restaurant to treat Huanhuan, while it was out of good intentions, it was also mostly about showing off.

No real skill, all for appearances, risking the child’s safety—that was just plain shameless.

And to think the whole family had been so grateful to Chen Shangfu at the time.

“I need to call Dad, let him know everything’s okay.” Zhou Hai quickly dialed his father’s number, mainly worried about his father’s heart condition.

The phone connected right away, but it wasn’t his father who answered.

It was his mother on the other end.

“Son, how’s Huanhuan?”

“Mom, don’t worry! Acan managed to take the fishbone out of her throat. She didn’t need surgery. Huanhuan’s much better now—after some observation at the hospital, she’ll be able to come home. Honestly, we owe it all to Acan this time.”

He stressed that for his parents’ sake, worried they’d get the wrong idea and thank Chen Shangfu instead.

He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now just recalling the whole mess, he found himself furious at Chen Shangfu.

It’s not about being ungrateful—it’s about how Chen Shangfu’s behavior showed serious issues with character.

“That’s good—just good.” His mother breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t actually sound that happy.

“Why didn’t Dad answer? Is his heart acting up again?”

Zhou Hai was an official, after all, and could tell something was wrong from the way things added up.

“He took his medicine, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He still feels pretty unwell.”

The older someone with heart trouble gets, the more dangerous it becomes—any kind of shock can be deadly.

Huanhuan’s accident happened because she ate the piece of fish Uncle had picked out.

Uncle blamed himself for missing the bone, which led to the whole accident. Then Director Wang and Professor Wei both said Huanhuan’s case was serious and surgery was needed.

You could imagine how bad that made Uncle feel.

He kept it all bottled up. With his heart condition, that could be catastrophic.

“Mom, please take Dad to the Provincial People’s Hospital right away! Have the doctors check him out. That way, I’ll feel better. Remember old Liu from my work last year? He passed because of his heart too.”

Honestly, Zhou Hai wasn’t supposed to become deputy division head so soon.

He only got promoted because Deputy Director Liu at his work unexpectedly died of a heart attack, leaving an opening.

Not that his workplace was some sort of power center or anything.

Anyone could tell from Director Lu’s attitude.

There are plenty of departments under the health system. The Health Commission is the head office, but things like the Institute of Health Education or the Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine are more like backwater offices.

Even if you’re a division head, even if you’re the boss, it’s really nothing compared to the central departments.

But for regular folks, it’s still impressive enough.

After the call, Zhou Hai waited outside the operating room patiently.

He felt he had to give his thanks to Professor Wei, Director Lu, and the others in person.

As for Zhou Can, he figured that’s what family was for—no need for over the top thanks.

Usually, the doctors and hospital leaders come out of the OR first. But this time, even after the patient was out, Director Lu and the others stayed inside much longer.

He realized Director Lu must be taking this rare chance to chat with Professor Wei and Zhou Can, getting closer with them.

After over twenty minutes, Zhou Can and Director Lu finally came out together, along with the others.

As they walked, Director Lu and Professor Wei had Zhou Can between them, talking with him the whole way. It looked like the whole conversation revolved around Zhou Can, the trainee.

It was a rare sight. Zhou Hai suddenly found himself seeing his cousin in a new light.

Having real skill is just something else. There’s no need to play politics or force connections—people in power and famous experts naturally come to you.

Zhou Hai couldn’t help but feel both admiration and envy.

“Director Lu, Professor Wei, thank you for everything you did to help my daughter. Thank you, and thank you to all the medical staff!”

Zhou Hai gave them a deep bow.

“Haha, don’t mention it! Dr. Zhou Can’s niece is like my own. As long as it’s within my ability, of course I’ll help. Besides, Dr. Zhou and Professor Wei did most of the work—honestly, I didn’t contribute much at all.”

Director Lu chuckled, doing his best to center the praise around Zhou Can.

“I really can’t take credit. Dr. Zhou Can is the one who got that fishbone out. The younger generation is truly remarkable. Today I finally saw for myself just how talented the young doctors at Tuyu Hospital are! Dr. Zhou has incredible skills, sharp thinking, and real depth of knowledge. If he’s representative, it’s no wonder Tuyu Hospital keeps getting stronger.”

Professor Wei didn’t hold back, offering heartfelt praise.

For an old academic type like him, flattery just isn’t his thing.

Besides, Zhou Can was just a trainee—he had no real power.

“My cousin really is impressive—it’s surprising. Either way, my daughter’s safe now, and it’s thanks to all the efforts of you medical staff.”

As he spoke, Zhou Hai looked at Zhou Can with clear gratitude.

Zhou Can stayed as humble and composed as ever—never showy, never drawing attention. The more this happened, the more Zhou Hai respected him.

Just then, Zhou Can’s phone began to ring.

Looking at the screen, he saw it was his girlfriend calling.

“Excuse me, I need to take this.”

He stepped aside. “Qian Qian, are you guys done eating?” He’d only tried two dishes before everything got interrupted.

“I didn’t eat. Your uncle’s heart attack was pretty serious. I brought Wei Fang and your aunt to the hospital with him. Are you still at the Provincial People’s Hospital?”

“Yes! Where’s Uncle now? I’m coming over right away!”

“We’re in the outpatient hall!”

“Got it. I’ll join you there with my cousin.”

After hanging up, Zhou Can explained the situation to his cousin. Director Lu, overhearing, didn’t want to miss a chance to show support.

He immediately told Director Wang from Cardiothoracic Surgery to personally examine Uncle on Zhou Can’s behalf.

Director Wang was more than happy to oblige.

Opportunities to get closer to Zhou Can were not to be missed.

In the outpatient hall, Zhou Can found Uncle sitting there—face pale, body trembling, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, the pain clear on his face.

His breathing was also extremely rapid.

Director Wang handled the examination, ordering all the necessary tests and giving Uncle the green light for fast-track service. Cousin and Aunt stayed by his side.

Zhou Can didn’t leave the hospital right away but waited quietly with Qian Qian for the results.

Professor Wei was a busy man, and came here with tasks to complete.

He’d chatted with Zhou Can in the OR for over twenty minutes about the pathology and diagnosis of the boy who ate the live fish—seeking Zhou Can’s expertise, and leaving satisfied.

Before leaving, he exchanged numbers with Zhou Can, saying they should keep in touch to discuss and learn.

Director Lu was busy too. After arranging the best possible care for Uncle, he rushed off to attend an important meeting at the Health Bureau.

“Qian Qian, you look a little down. Are you upset that your first dinner with my family turned out this way?”

Zhou Can asked with concern.

“No.”

She shook her head.

“After I left, did my parents say something that offended you?”

“No, your parents are lovely to me.”

“I see—it must be that you can’t bear to leave my hometown and want to stay here and get married, right?” Zhou Can joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Not at all! After you left, your cousin came over with bags of clothes and notebooks for me to sign. Her parents joined in too. Later, your other cousin brought even more hats. I couldn’t refuse, so I ended up signing everything. They didn’t even try to hide that they wanted to sell them online for money.”

Su Qianqian looked exasperated as she spoke.

“My aunt’s family really is something—completely obsessed with money. Next time, if any relative ever asks anything unreasonable of you, just refuse. Don’t worry about what I think. If I’d been there, I probably would’ve lost my temper.”

Zhou Can had never had a high opinion of his aunt’s family.

Now, hearing how his girlfriend had been used for profit, he felt even more resentful toward them.

It only proved how short-sighted and selfish they were—closing off their own path.

With relatives like that, one encounter is more than enough.

“Please, don’t start a feud with your relatives because of me. If it happens again, just let me handle it in my own way.” Su Qianqian was no naïve girl; she could handle herself in any situation.

At the very least, she had no trouble dealing with her uncle’s family’s pestering.

She preferred to suffer a little herself rather than embarrass them—just for Zhou Can’s sake.

All she cared about was protecting his family ties.

That was it.

Just then, his younger cousin called Zhou Can.

“Shangmei, what’s up?”

Zhou Can fought to keep his anger in check.

“We’re done eating and getting ready to head back to the capital. Can we go with you? I just bought some more hats and T-shirts for Qian Qian to sign. I was surprised how popular she was. She signed a few hats for me already, and when I posted them online, they sold out immediately! It’s no big deal for her—she’s rich anyway. I offered her money, but of course she refused.”

This cousin was truly greedy.

She actually wanted Su Qianqian to sign even more.

Zhou Can had to take several deep breaths to calm down.

Beside him, Su Qianqian squeezed his hand, signaling him to stay cool.

“Sorry, we have other plans. We can’t travel with you.”

With his girlfriend by his side, Zhou Can managed to swallow his anger.

“You and Qian Qian are still at the hospital, right? How about we drive over? My brother bought tons of new clothes and shoes too.”

It seemed she’d made a good bit from selling those hats.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t keep pestering him after his refusal.

“It’s no use—Qian Qian doesn’t have time.”

Without another word, Zhou Can hung up.

Some things just can’t be tolerated—not even for family.

He valued his family, but it didn’t mean he had to be friendly to everyone, especially those who didn’t care about his girlfriend’s feelings. Honestly, if Qian Qian hadn’t been so easygoing, things might have gone very differently.

If not, there was a real chance Su Qianqian could’ve been so hurt by their behavior that it would break them up.

Not long after, the phone rang again.

This time, it was Uncle himself.

Unbelievable.

Hang up on the daughter, and the father steps in?

“Hello, Uncle. Is something wrong?”

Zhou Can pressed down his frustration and picked up.

Maybe, just maybe, the older generation was calling to apologize.

“Xiao Can, your family’s rich anyway. Can’t you spare a little to help us out? Is it really so hard for your girlfriend to sign a few things for us? It’s a tiny favor—how can you refuse?”

Uncle wasted no time, launching straight into scolding.

In his view, Su Qianqian signing merchandise for them was completely reasonable.

“No matter how much my family has, it was earned by my parents through hard work; no matter how much my girlfriend has, she earned every bit—it has nothing to do with you. As for helping out, tell me, Uncle: when my family was in trouble, did you ever do anything to help us?”

That was Zhou Can reaching his limit.

What a joke—to expect respect just because you’re older, or manipulate him with family ties.

With relatives like that, who needs them?