godfather of surgery

Chapter 1362 A Family of Doctors
Lin Lan's due date is the 20th of next month.

Su Nanchen wrote this date on the lab's whiteboard, at the very top of all the to-do items. Next to it were a bunch of experimental progress reports, paper deadlines, grant application deadlines, and schedules for major surgeries. Only this one line was written in red pen.

These days he tries to get home early, buying some fruit or yogurt that Lin Lan likes on the way. Sometimes he doesn't buy anything, he just wants to see her as soon as possible.

In the afternoon, Su Nanchen had just finished surgery when her phone vibrated.

It's Grandpa.

"Nan Chen, come home for dinner tonight." On the other end of the phone, Su Butong's voice was still so loud and clear. He was over ninety years old, but his voice was full of energy. "Bring Lin Lan with you. It's been a long time since I've seen you. Oh, and call Yang Ping and Xiao Su. Bring the child too. Let me see my great-grandson."

Su Nanchen agreed, hung up the phone, first sent a message to Lin Lan, and then called Yang Ping.

Yang Ping answered quickly: "Okay, what time?"

"Around six o'clock, you can go directly there."

"understood."

After hanging up the phone, Su Nanchen sent Lin Lan a message: Yang Ping and the others are going too; Grandpa wants to see the child.

Lin Lan replied: That's great! Xiao Su was just talking about wanting to visit her grandparents a few days ago.

At six o'clock in the evening, Su Nanchen helped Lin Lan slowly get out of the car. The old locust tree in the yard was shedding its leaves, carpeting the ground with golden yellow. They had just reached the gate when they heard the sound of a car behind them.

Looking back, two black sedans were parked outside the gate. The back door of the second car opened, and Xiao Su got out of the back seat first, smiling and waving at them: "Brother! Sister-in-law!"

Then, Yang Ping carried the child downstairs, and the child was looking around with wide, round eyes.

Su Nanchen smiled and said, "You've come at the right time, let's go in together."

Xiao Su walked over quickly, first looked at Lin Lan's belly, and exclaimed, "My God, it's gotten even bigger!"

Lin Lan smiled and patted her belly: "You say that every time you see me."

"Because it's always big." Xiao Su cautiously reached out and touched it.

The two women, sister-in-law and aunt, walked inside, talking as they went. Yang Ping followed behind, carrying the child, while Su Nanchen walked alongside him.

The little guy stared at Su Nanchen for a long time, then suddenly reached out his little hand and reached out to grab him.

Su Nanchen was stunned for a moment: "This is... asking me to carry you?"

Yang Ping said, "That's right."

Su Nanchen was a little flustered; he had almost no experience holding a baby. But seeing the little guy's outstretched hand, he tentatively took it. The little guy didn't cry when he was in his arms; he just stared at him and then reached out to touch his face.

Su Nanchen's heart suddenly softened completely.

“Call him uncle!” he said.

The little guy didn't bark, of course; he just grinned at him, revealing two tiny baby teeth.

Yang Ping watched from the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You'll be able to call him uncle in a while."

The group crossed the courtyard and entered the old house. Su Butong had already heard the commotion and came out of his study to greet them. When he saw Yang Ping holding the child, his eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh my, my great-grandson has arrived!"

He walked over quickly. Although he was over ninety years old, he walked very steadily, and everyone could see his joy.

Yang Ping handed the child forward: "Call him Great-Grandpa."

The little guy looked at the old man with a full head of white hair in front of him, blinked, and suddenly reached out his little hand to touch Su Butong's beard.

Su Butong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"This kid is just like his mother when she was a child, he loves to grab people's beards!"

Xiao Su laughed from the side: "Grandpa, you still remember this?"

“I remember, I remember, how could I not remember?” Su Butong smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. “When you were little, you would grab my beard, grab it really hard, and pull out several hairs.”

Everyone laughed.

Grandma slowly walked down the stairs, heard the laughter, and asked, "What's making you so happy?"

"Grandma, we're here." Xiao Su went up to her and took her grandmother's arm. "Please take your time."

Grandma waved her hand, but her eyes remained fixed on the child in Yang Ping's arms. She walked over, sat down on the sofa, and beckoned to Yang Ping: "Come here, let me see."

Yang Ping gently placed the child beside her. The little one wasn't shy at all, just sitting on the sofa, tilting his head to look at the kind-faced old lady.

Grandma looked him over carefully, and after a long time, she nodded.

"It's like him, like Xiao Su when he was little. The eyes are similar, and the nose is similar too."

Xiao Su leaned closer: "How is he similar? I think he looks more like his dad."

"What do you know?" Grandma glared at her. "I've been watching children for decades, how could I be wrong? This child's face shape, eyebrows, and nose are exactly the same as yours when you were little. It's just that his eyes are like his father's."

Su Butong sat down beside him and reached out to tease the child. The little guy grabbed his finger and shook it vigorously, as if it were some amazing toy.

Su Butong laughed even more heartily.

"This child has strong hands; he'll definitely be a good doctor in the future."

Xiao Su said, "Grandpa, he's only a little over a year old, and you're already thinking about having him study medicine?"

“So what if he’s a little over a year old?” Su Butong said matter-of-factly. “When I was his age, I had already started recognizing characters. Your great-grandfather taught me.”

Grandma said from the side, "Alright, alright, stop bringing up your childhood. The child is still young, let him have fun."

Su Butong retorted, "I'm just trying to motivate them. Our Su family has been studying and pursuing knowledge since my grandfather's generation. It's been passed down from generation to generation, and we can't let it stop in their generation."

As she spoke, Grandma took Lin Lan's hand again, asking her all sorts of questions, saying that she could tell it was a boy just by looking at the shape of her belly.

Just then, the sound of a car came from outside the door.

Su Nanchen peeked out and smiled: "Dad and Mom are here too."

Professor Su and his wife got out of the car and walked into the yard. Professor Su looked up at the two old locust trees.

The two talked as they entered the room.

When Su Butong saw his son and daughter-in-law, he smiled and waved, "They're here, they're here, come in and sit down."

Professor Su put down the fruit basket, walked over to the old lady, and bent down: "Mom, you look great today."

The old lady waved her hand: "What's so good about it? It's still the same as always. You've come at the right time, come and see this great-grandson."

"This child is so well-behaved. He smiles at everyone he sees."

The old lady said, "He's like his mother. Little Su was like that when he was little too. He would smile at anyone he saw and would let anyone hold him."

Su Butong chimed in from the side, "It's good that he takes after his father!"

Xiao Su pretended to be angry: "Grandpa!"

Su Butong waved his hand, "I was just joking, you can look like anyone."

Professor Su sat down beside him, looking at the people in the room, a smile appearing on his face.

"It's been a long time since we've all been together like this," he said. "The last time our whole family was together like this was during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Mrs. Su said, "That's right, you're all so busy, it's not easy for you to get together."

Lin Lan was a little embarrassed: "It's all my fault. I haven't been able to get around much lately, so I haven't been able to visit my grandparents much."

Grandma waved her hand: "What are you saying? Taking good care of yourself during your pregnancy is the greatest act of filial piety. After the baby is born, you'll have plenty of time to come and see us."

Grandma held Lin Lan's hand and looked her up and down again: "Have you lost weight? Are you eating well? Are you sleeping well at night?"

Lin Lan answered them one by one, feeling a warmth in her heart. Her mother-in-law's family had always treated her very well; from the first day she married into the Su family, they had doted on her like their own daughter. Over there, the little one was being touched on the face by one person and held by another, yet he didn't cry. He just sat there obediently, occasionally babbling a few words, as if responding to them.

Yang Ping stood aside, watching this scene with a rare gentleness in his eyes.

Mrs. Su cooked dinner herself. She spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, preparing a table full of dishes. Braised pork belly, steamed sea bass, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, sweet and sour pork ribs, baby bok choy in broth, tomato and beef brisket soup, and pickled cucumbers that Xiao Su brought were all laid out in a row.

The little one was placed in a high chair next to Xiao Su, staring wide-eyed at the table full of food, smacking his lips as if he really wanted to try it.

Su Butong saw this and said with a smile, "This child is greedy, just like his mother."

Little Su protested: "Grandpa, I wasn't greedy when I was little."

"Aren't you greedy yet?" Su Butong said, "When you were three years old, you stole some braised pork from the table, climbed up and knocked the plate over, getting covered in oil. Don't you remember?"

Xiao Su blushed: "Grandpa, how do you still remember this?"

“I remember, I remember, how could I not remember?” Su Butong smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. “Your mom beat you, you cried your eyes out, and I was laughing on the side, while your mom glared at me.”

Mrs. Su chimed in from the side, "Dad, how dare you laugh? You spoiled the child back then too. You gave Xiao Su whatever he wanted. I told you we couldn't spoil him like that, but you wouldn't listen."

Su Butong defended himself, saying, "It's because I feel sorry for the child."

"It's heartbreaking to see you suffer, but rules are rules," the old lady said. "Our Su family has always lived this way for generations. We show kindness when it's necessary, and we're strict when it's necessary. Otherwise, how could we have produced so many scholars?"

Su Butong nodded and remained silent.

Professor Su placed a piece of food on Su Butong's plate and said, "Dad, please eat more. You like this braised pork."

Looking at the braised pork in the bowl, Su Butong remarked with emotion, "You've all been so thoughtful."

He paused, then suddenly looked at Yang Ping and said, "Yang Ping, how's your research going lately?"

Yang Ping put down his chopsticks and answered seriously, "I'm still working on it. I've made a few new discoveries and I'm preparing to write a paper."

"Okay, okay." Su Butong nodded repeatedly. "I don't understand your direction, but I know it's difficult. It won't be easy to achieve results."

Yang Ping said, "Thank you, Grandpa."

Su Butong then looked at Su Nanchen: "And you? You got the Outstanding Youth Science Fund award, what are your next plans?"

Su Nanchen said, "We are preparing to apply for clinical trials. The materials are almost ready, and we are just waiting for the ethics review."

"Ethical review must be taken seriously," Su Butong said solemnly. "When conducting research, especially clinical research, ethics must be the top priority. As doctors, our primary responsibility is the patient, not papers or grants."

Su Nanchen nodded: "I know, Grandpa."

Grandma said from the side, "Your grandpa is right. Without this bottom line, you can't be a good doctor."

Professor Su chimed in, "Dad and Mom are both right. Nan Chen, you must remember this tradition that has been passed down through generations of our Su family. You must uphold it."

Su Nanchen nodded solemnly: "I've got it."

Watching this scene unfold, Lin Lan felt a surge of respect. This was the Su family; for generations, they had passed down not only knowledge, but also medical ethics and the bottom line of being a decent human being.

The little guy suddenly started babbling and reached for the spoon on the table. Xiao Su quickly pulled him away, saying, "Don't grab it, this isn't for playing with."

The little guy was unhappy, pouting, and looked like he was about to cry.

Yang Ping reached out and took the child, holding him in his arms and patting him gently. The little guy glanced at him, then stopped crying and nestled obediently against his shoulder.

Su Butong saw it and marveled at it.

"Why does this child listen to you so much?"

Yang Ping said, "I don't know, maybe I'm used to it."

Grandma smiled and said, "It's normal for children to be closer to their fathers. Weren't you the same way back then? When your eldest was little, he loved to be held by you."

Su Butong thought for a moment and said, "Really? I don't remember."

“Of course you don’t remember,” Grandma said. “You were so busy every day back then, you didn’t have time to hold the baby, I was the one who held him.”

Mrs. Su laughed from the side, "Mom, you remember this account so clearly."

“Of course,” Grandma said.

Everyone laughed.

After laughing, Professor Su looked at the child in Yang Ping's arms and suddenly said, "I wonder what this child will do in the future."

Xiao Su said, "I'm still young, how would I know?"

“He’s still young,” Professor Su said, “but our Su family has been a family of scholars for generations. It would be good if he followed that path in the future.”

Su Butong nodded, his gaze becoming distant.

"Speaking of which, something comes to mind."

He looked at his children and grandchildren and spoke slowly.

Do you know when our Su family started studying and pursuing knowledge?

Su Nanchen thought for a moment: "You mentioned before, from your great-grandfather's generation?"

“Not only,” Su Butong shook his head, “it started from my grandfather’s generation.”

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through time, looking towards a distant place.

“My grandfather, your great-great-grandfather, was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Qing Dynasty. That was during the Guangxu era, before the imperial examinations were abolished. After passing the Jinshi exam, he could have easily become an official, but he didn’t. He participated in the Self-Strengthening Movement and advocated ‘learning from the barbarians’ superior techniques to control the barbarians.’ There weren’t many people who could keep up with the times back then, and he was one of them.”

As Su Nanchen listened, a thought struck her. Her grandfather had mentioned these things in bits and pieces before.

Grandma nodded beside her: "I've heard you talk about your grandfather's deeds. He was a man of foresight."

Su Butong glanced at her and continued, "Then came my father's generation. Your great-grandfather was a doctor who studied in the United States during the Republic of China era. Counting from when he started studying medicine, our Su family has been practicing medicine for four generations."

Professor Su picked up the thread: "I remember when I was a child, my grandfather brought back books from America. Some were in English, and some were in Chinese. I couldn't understand them, but he would patiently explain them to me."

Su Butong nodded.

"Then came your grandmother's generation. We went to the Soviet Union to study medicine. At that time, the new China had just been established and everything was in need of rebuilding. After we returned from studying medicine, we devoted our lives to it."

He looked at Professor Su: "In your father's generation, he also studied abroad, in Germany. He studied orthopedics and is now an academician."

Then he looked at Su Nanchen: "You've done well in your generation too, winning the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and you have a chance to become an academician in the future. Yang Ping is even more remarkable, winning two Nobel Prizes and bringing glory to the country."

He paused, then said with emotion, "If you count it up, our Su family has been around for six generations, from the Qing Dynasty to now. Every generation has studied, every generation has pursued scholarship, and every generation has wanted to do something meaningful."

He looked at Su Nanchen and Yang Ping with eager eyes.

"Your generation has better conditions, more opportunities, and greater responsibilities than we did. I hope that no matter what you study, you will always remember the tradition of our Su family: study to understand principles, apply what you have learned, and serve the country."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Yang Ping nodded and, unusually, said, "Grandpa, I'll remember."

Su Nanchen also solemnly said, "Grandpa, we've remembered."

Grandma looked at Su Butong with a smile in her eyes.

"Old man, what brings you up today?"

Su Butong said, "I'm happy. Looking at all the people at the table and thinking about the generations of our Su family, I feel emotional."

Grandma nodded, then looked at the younger generation present.

“Your grandfather is right. Our Su family doesn’t have any other skills, except for studying. Back in the Qing Dynasty, your great-grandfather was involved in Westernization, setting up factories and manufacturing guns and cannons, all with the goal of making the country strong. And then, generation after generation, we all followed the path of studying.”

She paused, then smiled and said, "When you have children in the future, you must also make sure they study hard. We can't lose the traditions of our Su family."

Lin Lan patted her belly and said with a smile, "Grandma, he started listening in my belly, so he'll definitely love reading in the future."