Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1987 Exorbitant Registration Fee

Since graduating from university, Suo Yurong, Qian Xiaotong, Bian Mu, and other former classmates have all changed in some way, like the wind creeping into the night, silently and imperceptibly... Perhaps, this is what is called growing up?

Suo Yurong has completely left the medical field and is now focused on her dream of becoming a star. According to Bian Yue, Suo Yurong is currently filming a business drama at a filming base in Beiqi.

Bian Yue had absolutely no interest in the traditional Chinese medicine clinic and rarely visited it. When they chatted on the phone, Bian Mu felt that she was quite envious of Suo Yurong and would occasionally contact Bei Qi, but she rarely contacted Sister Nana.

Qian Xiaotong has clearly gained weight, with a big belly. He doesn't look like a medical student at all, and he doesn't seem to have much of a business background. However, he has put on a very bossy demeanor. The spirited star quality he had in college is almost completely gone.

Nowadays, only Bian Mu is still working diligently as a professional doctor on the front lines, while also making a little money by selling traditional Chinese medicine.

Since the National Medical Center officially opened, Qian Xiaolei, much like his younger sister Bian Yue, has almost never shown his face. At first, Bian Mu thought everyone was busy, so she didn't pay much attention. Later, she found that it wasn't like that. Especially after Qian Xiaotong met his current girlfriend, their relationship became noticeably distant. It was a very natural kind of estrangement, without any reason, without needing to delve into it, and they had less and less in common.

Bian Mu gradually realized that most of his college classmates were no longer on the same track; they lived different lives, and he just hoped they were all doing well!

Out of the blue, Qian Xiaotong called to say that Dean Jia had officially submitted his resignation and that the handover would be almost complete in a month at most. With Dean Jia's sudden departure, the dean's position would be vacant. Judging from his tone, Qian Xiaotong was determined to get the position!

The news came unexpectedly, and Bian Mu's mind couldn't process it for a moment.

In Bian Mu's memory, Dean Jia was much more capable of managing the hospital than Feng Lezhang. Dean Jia respected Bian Mu quite a bit, and the two would occasionally call each other for a chat. Sometimes, when faced with particularly difficult or complicated cases, Dean Jia would consult Bian Mu's opinion first. The two had always had a pretty good relationship.

however……

Dean Jia didn't mention resigning at all, which made Bian Mu feel a little uncomfortable. He felt that he had always treated Jia as a friend, but when it came to something important, Jia didn't say a word and didn't treat him as one of his own at all!
"Why did you suddenly resign when you were doing so well?! What happened?!" Bian Mu asked casually.

“If the profits don’t improve, the board of directors has annual targets!” Qian Xiaotong replied calmly on the other end of the phone.

"That's it?!"

"That's right! Our hospital relies entirely on profits! We can't compare to large public hospitals. Every day, just the water and electricity bills, cleaning fees, and daily maintenance costs add up to a huge sum! Not to mention, the monthly and annual salaries of medical staff are quite high. How can a hospital like ours retain anyone without high salaries?! Over the years... the costs are really staggering!"

"What about his future? Do you know?" Bian Mu asked curiously.

"I heard he went south. An old classmate of his had wanted him to go there when he was doing his master's degree. He was offered a high annual salary. As for whether he will still be the dean, I don't know. I'm not very familiar with him, and we don't have much in common."

"I see... Then tell me... how exactly can I help you?"

"Let me borrow your reputation! Let's sign an agreement, you can come here periodically for a special consultation, the registration fee is 2000, one person, one visit! Of course, with such a high fee, we definitely won't accept ordinary patients, for example, quite complicated bone-setting surgeries, the traditional Chinese kind. Actually, to upgrade to the level of a national medical clinic, your registration fee should be at least 300 per visit, and the treatment fee should increase by at least 30%, which is already the lowest in the area. You have many ideas and are unwilling to raise the price, so I'll play the bad guy and do it twice a week, not much, right?" "A registration fee of 2000 for one person, one visit? And afterwards, I have to get the medicine from your hospital pharmacy, and if it's a complicated surgery, there will be additional charges?!" On the other end of the phone, Bian Mu immediately expressed his objection.

"This is still considering your feelings. In my original intention, I would have charged more! It's the market rate, and we charge according to quality! But who told us to have such irreplaceable skills! You're the only one in the entire city of Lijin, you had no choice!"

“Providing special consultations is no problem, but… we can’t charge such high fees. Twice a week is really too much to handle. How about once a week? Sunday morning! What do you think?”

"Even if you cut it in half, the profits still won't pick up! By the way, your senior sister Mu has agreed to come back and do a special consultation, twice a week. Her fees are a bit lower than yours, 850 per session! Treatment fees and the like will be handled on a commission basis, and you'll do the same. With your reputation, our pharmacy commission alone will be quite substantial!"

"Charging 2000 yuan for registration is definitely not an option; that's not the going rate! If this gets too big of a fuss, sooner or later people will criticize us online. Aren't you afraid the relevant departments will call you in for a talk? It's not appropriate!"

"Look at you! Our hospital has always operated in compliance with regulations. I originally planned to charge more, but I only lowered it to 2000 because I considered your feelings!"

"Let me think about it. You know, the branch has only been open for a few days, and many things haven't been fully integrated yet. I usually do odd jobs there in my spare time. How about this... I'll come up with a proposal in a couple of days to try and give you a few more points with the board of directors. By the way, if you can't be promoted to dean smoothly, shouldn't it be Cui's turn to be promoted?"

“That’s right! We brothers have to make sure this is handled properly for his sake. We can’t let him have his way. If he gets promoted, our hospital will be one step away from bankruptcy!”

"Oh, I see... I get it now. I'm in a meeting right now, let's talk in more detail later!"

"Hurry up!" With that, Qian Xiaotong hung up the phone.

Back in the small conference room, Bian Mu stopped the murmurs and gave a detailed explanation of the unique new phenomena and patterns emerging in the new TCM clinic under the new era. Except for Old Liang and "Knife Face," everyone else sat there quietly and diligently taking all sorts of notes...

Judging from the reactions of the people, today's special industry gathering was somewhat effective. Old Liang seemed quite satisfied. "Striped Face" probably got up a little early this morning and has been dozing off since.

Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, and not wanting to spoil everyone's fun, Bian Mu quickly stopped talking, said a few polite words, and invited everyone to the designated restaurant for a "crab feast"!
The audience erupted in cheers!
During the meal, Bian Mu quietly conveyed Qian Xiaotong's intentions to Old Liang.

"They're just insatiable when it comes to making money! What do they mean by 'not profitable'?! They're just spouting nonsense all day long! Their hospital's fees have already reached the maximum limit, and this so-called board of directors thinks they don't have enough money. They're just too greedy! People's medical expenses have already been heavy these past two years, and they still want to raise prices! It's outrageous! I know you two are close, but if you want my opinion, we're not going to put up with it!"

"That's what I think too. He helped me a lot back then! I need to find a suitable excuse..."

"Here's what I think: since we're brothers, we should speak frankly and compromise with each other... but we'll inevitably fall out sooner or later."

“You’re right, I’ll think about it some more… In principle, we shouldn’t touch on this!” Bian Mu replied with a smile.

With fine wine, delicious food, and tasty crabs, everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.