godfather of surgery

Chapter 1361 He's my brother-in-law!
Su Nanchen had been holding a piece of paper in his hand for a full ten minutes.

That was a notification of approval for a National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars project. The research topic was "Research on the Repair Mechanism and Intervention of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration," within orthopedics and spinal surgery. It was a five-year grant of four million yuan.

He finally got it!

Intervertebral disc degeneration—a condition affecting over a billion people worldwide. Current treatment options are either conservative or surgical removal, addressing the symptoms but not the root cause. Is it possible to allow the intervertebral disc to regrow on its own?
Su Nanchen knew this idea sounded almost absurd. When he first discussed it with Yang Ping, he himself felt unsure of his own abilities. But Yang Ping only remained silent for a moment before saying, "Go check the literature and give it a try." What groundbreaking research in this world wasn't initially met with ridicule? Including his own project.

So Su Nanchen began researching literature. Three months later, he joined the laboratory.

Three years, over two hundred animal experiments, sixty-seven failures. Twenty-three papers, fifteen rejected. Five patent applications, two rejected. Countless nights spent working until dawn, countless times staring at the microscope, wondering if he had taken the wrong path.

Today, this piece of paper has finally come into my hands.

He looked down at the paper, at the bright red official seal, at the words: National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. The paper was light, yet it felt as if it carried the weight of the past three years.

The door was gently pushed open.

Lin Lan entered. She was wearing a white lab coat, her hair casually tied up, and her pregnant belly was quite obvious; she was thirty-seven weeks along, and her due date was next month. She walked slowly, one hand supporting her lower back, the other holding documents.

"I'll take you home to rest early later. From today onwards, you have to stay home obediently to prepare for childbirth, okay?" Su Nanchen said with heartache.

"I'm just idling around anyway, so I'll just look at the data and give the PhD students some pointers," Lin Lan said casually.

She was taken aback when she saw the paper in Su Nanchen's hand.

"You got it?"

Su Nanchen nodded.

Lin Lan walked over, took the paper, and looked at it for a long time.

"Congratulations!"

Su Nanchen smiled, reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, carefully avoiding her stomach.

Lin Lan didn't move, letting him hold her.

After a while, Su Nanchen let go of her hand.

How are you feeling today?

Lin Lan lowered her head and touched her stomach.

"It's alright, but it's tiring. My back aches after walking just a few steps. This little guy has been moving around a lot lately too."

Su Nanchen squatted down and put his ear to her stomach. After listening for a while, there was no sound. He looked up at Lin Lan, somewhat puzzled.

Why isn't he moving?

Lin Lan looked down at him, her eyes filled with a smile.

“He’s sleeping. Now that you’re going to be a dad, you should take some time to specialize in obstetrics and pediatrics.”

Su Nanchen listened for a while longer before standing up.

"What do you want to eat tonight? I'll ask Mom to make it."

Lin Lan thought for a moment.

"Mom knows better than I do what I like to eat."

Mrs. Su is now taking full-time care of Lin Lan.

Su Nanchen nodded.

Lin Lan turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned back.

"Oh, right, Xiao Su called and said she's coming over tomorrow and will bring some of her homemade pickled cabbage."

“That’s perfect, I also have something I’d like to talk to my brother-in-law about.”

"He's my brother-in-law!" Lin Lan corrected with a smile.

Su Nanchen immediately realized he had made a mistake again: "Yes, brother-in-law."

Although he was supposed to be her brother-in-law, Su Nanchen always felt that calling him that was awkward, so she unintentionally called him her sister's husband instead, and it felt quite natural to call him that.

"Come pick me up at five o'clock."

Lin Lan smiled and pushed open the door to go out.

Nine months ago, Su Nanchen and Lin Lan got their marriage certificate. There was no wedding, no banquet; they just went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to take a photo, get it stamped, and then went back to their respective workplaces. They were both too busy to even find time for a wedding. She said they would talk about it when they had time, and he agreed.

The baby is almost due, but the wedding hasn't happened yet.

Su Nanchen stood by the window, thinking about these things, and always felt guilty.

He picked up the phone and called Yang Ping.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Brother-in-law!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Oh……"

"I received the Outstanding Young Scientist award."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Yang Ping's voice came through: "Very good, continue."

The two chatted for a few minutes and then hung up.

At 5 p.m., Su Nanchen drove Lin Lan home.

He and Lin Lan live in a five-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in a residential complex near Nandu Medical University. He bought it a few years ago, thinking that he would have children in the future and the house would need to be bigger. Now, the baby is really coming.

He pushed open the door and entered. Lin Lan was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in reading a professional journal with one on her lap. She didn't even notice him coming in.

Mrs. Su had already set the food on the table.

"Stop looking, let's eat first." Su Nanchen walked over.

Lin Lan looked up at him, then looked down again and continued looking.

"Wait a minute, I'll finish watching this part soon."

Su Nanchen sighed, sat down next to her, and waited.

Mrs. Su poked her head out from the kitchen: "Don't rush me, it's still hot from the pot. Let Lanlan see what's wrong, why are you rushing her?"

This is?

Su Nanchen was criticized by his wife and couldn't explain himself.

Five minutes later, Lin Lan finally closed the journal and rubbed her eyes.

"What time will Xiao Su arrive tomorrow?"

"They said it would be in the morning," Mrs. Su replied.

Lin Lan nodded, sat down at the table, and picked up her chopsticks.

The table was covered with her favorite dishes. Her mother-in-law was always a good cook, and she loved her meals.

After taking a few bites, she suddenly said, "I might have to have a C-section next month."

Su Nanchen was stunned for a moment.

"What the doctor said?"

"The baby isn't in the correct position," Lin Lan said. "I went for a prenatal checkup a few days ago, and the doctor said there's little chance it will turn around."

"Then let's do a C-section!" Mrs. Su interjected first, "Safety first."

Lin Lan nodded and continued eating.

After dinner, Mrs. Su went to wash the dishes. Lin Lan picked up the magazine again.

Su Nanchen walked over and gently pulled it away.

"Take a break."

Lin Lan looked at him, somewhat helpless.

"There's still one question I haven't figured out."

I'll think about it tomorrow.

Lin Lan opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't say anything, leaned back on the sofa, and closed her eyes.

Su Nanchen sat down next to her and held her hand: "Starting today, get some rest, okay?"

Lin Lan nodded, and after a while, he asked softly, "Who do you think the child will look like when it's born?"

Su Nanchen thought for a moment.

"Like you, smart."

Lin Lan smiled.

"You're not stupid either."

The two chatted and laughed, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. Usually, he was either in the operating room or she was in the laboratory; they rarely had time to sit together and chat like this.

After finishing her work in the kitchen, Mrs. Su tactfully went to her room to rest, leaving the time to the two young people.

……

The doorbell rang at 10 a.m. the next day.

Su Nanchen went to open the door. Standing outside was Xiao Su, carrying a large bag, followed by Yang Ping. Yang Ping was holding a child in his arms, the little one staring wide-eyed at Su Nanchen.

"Brother!" Xiao Su called out with a smile.

Su Nanchen took the bag and looked inside; it contained glass jars.

"what is this?"

"The pickled cabbage, I pickled it myself. Lin Lan likes sour food, so let her try it."

Su Nanchen smiled.

"Come in quickly."

As Xiao Su entered and changed her shoes, she called out, "Sister Lan!"

Lin Lan walked out of the bedroom, supporting her lower back, her steps slow. Xiao Su's eyes lit up when she saw her belly, and she quickly went to meet her. "My God, it's so big!"

Lin Lan looked down at her protruding belly.

"It's alright, it's much smaller than when you were pregnant with it."

Xiao Su carefully reached out and gently touched her belly.

Is he moving?

"It was moving just now, but it's probably asleep now."

The two women, sister-in-law and aunt, stood there, one touching her belly and the other having her belly touched, chatting enthusiastically.

Yang Ping walked in carrying the child and stood next to Su Nanchen.

Su Nanchen looked at his nephew, and the little guy was also staring at him, his eyes round and bright, just like Yang Ping's.

"Call me uncle," Su Nanchen tried to tease him.

The little guy stared at him for a while, then suddenly buried his head in Yang Ping's shoulder and ignored him.

Yang Ping gently patted the child's back.

"It's my uncle."

Su Nanchen smiled and waved his hand.

"Come, sit down."

They sat down on the sofa. Xiao Su and Lin Lan sat on the other side, still chatting. Prenatal checkups, fetal movement, hospital bag... they talked as if no one else was around.

Yang Ping looked at Su Nanchen.

"Tell me about your outstanding youth award."

Su Nanchen took out the approval notice and handed it to Yang Ping.

Yang Ping took it and examined it carefully for a while.

"Research direction?"

"The repair mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration. We tried using a composite material of polycaprolactone and β-tricalcium phosphate, loaded with growth factors, to see if it could induce nucleus pulposus cell regeneration and repair the annulus fibrosus at the same time..."

Yang Ping nodded.

How many animal experiments have been conducted?

"More than two hundred times, with sixty-seven failures."

"Why did it fail?"

Su Nanchen thought for a moment.

"The main problem was the mismatch between the material degradation rate and the nucleus pulposus regeneration rate. Some materials degraded too quickly, providing insufficient support; others degraded too slowly, affecting regeneration. We later adjusted the ratio and found a balance."

Yang Ping nodded again.

"Next step?"

"We are already preparing the materials for the clinical trial application."

Yang Ping looked at him.

"Just tell me what you need."

Su Nanchen nodded.

"it is good."

Over there, Xiao Su and Lin Lan's conversation came to an end. Xiao Su got up, walked to Yang Ping's side, and picked up her son.

"Come here, let Mommy hug you, Daddy's tired."

The little one squirmed in her arms and quickly calmed down.

Xiao Su looked at Lin Lan.

When is the due date?

Around the 20th of next month.

"It'll be soon," Xiao Su said. "I'll come and keep you company then."

Lin Lan nodded: "Okay, thank you."

Xiao Su waved her hand.

"No need to thank me, we're family."

Mrs. Su cooked lunch. She stir-fried a few home-style dishes, and the pickled vegetables that Xiao Su brought were also placed on the table—pickled cucumbers, pickled green beans, and pickled radishes, a whole row of them.

Lin Lan picked up a pickled cucumber with her chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded.

"good to eat."

Mrs. Su said to Xiao Su, "You're not bad, you've learned my skills."

“I told you my sister-in-law loves it,” Xiao Su said with a smile. “I’ve pickled several jars, enough for you to eat for a while.”

Yang Ping sat quietly to the side, eating his meal. He was a man of few words to begin with, and even less so while eating. Su Nanchen was already used to it and didn't feel awkward at all.

After dinner, Xiao Su went to the kitchen to help wash the dishes. Lin Lan rested on the sofa.

Yang Ping held his son and continued chatting with Su Nanchen.

"There's something I want to ask you."

"explain."

"Lin Lan has recently been researching the genetic mechanisms of intervertebral disc degeneration," Su Nanchen said. "She has discovered several gene loci that may be related, and would like to ask you to take a look at the data."

Yang Ping turned to look at him.

"When did she start?"

"From the first day I told her I needed to have disc repair."

Yang Ping remained silent for a moment.

"Where is the data?"

Su Nanchen opened his laptop and retrieved the data.

Yang Ping stared at the screen. Gene sequencing results—hundreds of samples, hundreds of thousands of data points. Lin Lan stood up and walked over, pointing to the screen and explaining each point one by one.

"Look at this site, rs number 2289482, located on the COL9A2 gene. This gene encodes type IX collagen, an important component of the intervertebral disc. In the samples we sequenced, people with this mutation have a 3.7 times higher risk of intervertebral disc degeneration than normal people."

Yang Ping looked at the data.

"Sample size?"

"452 cases. Case group: 226; control group: 226."

Yang Ping nodded.

"P-value?"

"0.003."

Yang Ping watched for a while longer.

Is there anything else?

Lin Lan turned to the next page.

"This, rs1074536, is located on the GDF5 gene. It encodes growth differentiation factor 5, a key factor in intervertebral disc development. People with this mutation have a 2.8 times higher risk than normal individuals."

Yang Ping stared at the data, remaining silent for a long time.

Then the question was asked: "Do these two sites interact?"

Lin Lan was stunned for a moment.

"There has been no analysis yet."

Yang Ping said, "We can analyze it. Sometimes a single site has little effect, but when combined, the effect can be amplified."

Lin Lan nodded, and Su Nanchen took notes beside her.

Yang Ping looked at the data for a while longer.

“Very good,” he said. “Keep going, you’ll make more discoveries. But… take a break. If the data isn’t finished running, you can wait. There will be plenty of time for research after the baby is born.”

In the evening, Xiao Su insisted on showing off her skills and cooked six dishes and a soup.

Lin Lan sat at the table, watching her bustling around, and felt a little guilty.

"You're a guest, why should I ask you to cook?"

Xiao Su brought the last dish to the table, sat down, and said earnestly, "What guest? I'm your sister-in-law, we're family, don't be so polite."

Lin Lan smiled. She and her sister-in-law indeed got along better than blood sisters.

After dinner, Yang Ping, holding the child, chatted with Su Nanchen on the balcony, still discussing their research project.

In the living room, Xiao Su, Lin Lan, and Mrs. Su sat together, looking at photos on their phones. They flipped through hundreds of photos of Xiao Su's child, from birth to the present. Lin Lan looked closely, occasionally asking, "How old were you? Were you walking by then?"
After looking through the photos, Xiao Su put away her phone and looked at Lin Lan.

Are you nervous?

Lin Lan thought for a moment.

"A little."

“It’s normal,” Xiao Su said. “I was nervous before I gave birth. But I didn’t have time to be nervous after I gave birth—I’m planning to have a second child; I love children.”

“Yes, many children bring many blessings,” Mrs. Su chimed in from the side.

Xiao Su held Lin Lan's hand.

"It's okay, I'll be with you the whole time."

Lin Lan looked into her eyes and nodded. The nervousness in her heart seemed to have subsided a bit.