Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1996 Medical Skills Decentralization
Gu Yuefeng had already decided that Bian Mu was the only true benefactor he could rely on for the rest of his life. Whenever he had free time, he would make a trip to the main clinic to ask for advice on all aspects. He would then go back and make improvements. Under his influence, many other clinics naturally followed suit. As the old forest ranger Liang had suggested, they were now seeing results. Bian Mu seized the opportunity to offer guidance on all aspects and occasionally gave away some high-quality pharmaceutical equipment and medicinal herbs for free, as a small form of support.

In Go, building up "position" is the most important thing. No matter how good a professional player is, if they ignore "idle stones", "cold stones", or "discarded stones" in special positions for more than three consecutive moves, they will soon lose their advantageous position. Once the overall position collapses, they will definitely lose the game.

Bian Mu abstracted this principle further: wasn't he weak and isolated in Lijin City? Then why not openly and honestly create a harmonious atmosphere within the industry?!
Like water helping fish, and fish helping water, mutual assistance among peers will inevitably lead to a more upright and harmonious business environment for individual medical entities on the streets of Lijin. This is a huge benefit for Bian Mu! It's like running a business; if you only focus on making your own products better and stronger, without ever thinking about cultivating a positive market atmosphere or participating in building a healthy and progressive industry culture, you'll forever remain a small-time businessman. Forget about making a fortune; if the market winds change one day, you'll have to bear all the business risks yourself!
Helping others is helping yourself.

That evening, some time after get off work, a heavy rain began to fall. Bian Mu was sitting in the clinic explaining to three young interns the techniques of how to make turns in the acupuncture qi pathways when Gu Yuefeng hurriedly arrived with an old-fashioned fishing basket.

Bian Mu quickly finished up the matter and told the three interns to go prepare their own meals.

"What's in this thing?" Bian Mu asked curiously.

"A golden eel! That's quite rare. I stumbled upon it by chance. The shopkeeper was kind; he only charged me a little extra. You can keep it for your medicine!"

"Oh! This is really good stuff! How many?"

"11, wild ones."

“It’s not easy for you to run a small business. I’ll transfer the money to you!” As she spoke, Bian Mu took out her phone and prepared to transfer the money.

"No! Please don't! You've always helped us so much, I can't possibly afford a proper thank-you gift. Just a token amount. If you really give me money, I won't even be able to get in the door next time." Looking somewhat embarrassed, Gu Yuefeng quickly stopped him.

"Alright then! It's getting chilly, let's go out and grab something to eat!" Bian Mu said with a smile.

"No, we've already prepared something at home. Otherwise, we'll have to eat leftovers tomorrow morning. They asked me to discuss something with you. Is that alright?"

"This way, please! We can talk things over. Let me make you some fruit tea!" As she spoke, Bian Mu picked up a pot of freshly brewed tea from the side, which was just the right amount to drink right now.

The two sat there, drinking and chatting.

"We've discussed it, and we're thinking of referring any patients who are better off financially but whom we can't afford to treat directly to you. Is that okay?"

"Oh! So... how much of a cut do you take from each patient?!" Bian Mu asked casually, with a half-smile.

"No way! We can't treat them anyway, so it's better to just send them all here. At least it'll be a gesture..."

"Uncle! Stop! Stop right now! If we encounter similar shady dealings again, cut them off with you immediately! We absolutely cannot start this! First, as you've seen, our clinic is always packed, and people are constantly suggesting I open a third branch! Not for any other reason than to divert patients! What do they take our clinic for?! Huh?! To make money off traffic! We're legitimate doctors! Second, the doctor-patient relationship is very special. Uncle Gu, you all need to strengthen your understanding of this. It's completely different from the relationship between teachers and students, businessmen and clients, or lawyers and clients. There's an extra element of 'goodness' involved. Doctors do good deeds, saving people from dire straits, and patients have good intentions and seek a good outcome. Patients shouldn't be treated like ordinary commercial clients, constantly being moved around; it's unlucky! If we continue like this, won't we become smugglers in the industry?!"

After hearing these words, Gu Yuefeng's expression immediately turned ashamed.

"We were all too naive, we'll never mention it again, it was my fault..." "No need for that! Just understand in your heart. Put yourself in my shoes. If we were in each other's shoes, I might not have acted so noblely. We're just ordinary people! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, right? By the way, the infection in that foot injury patient has spread down to the ankle area. Let's both stop the medication for three days. On the fourth day, have him get admitted to the 7th Municipal Hospital. The rest of the treatment should follow the Western medicine approach, it's economical and efficient, and the key is... we're talking behind closed doors, so you don't have to take any more responsibility. Oh, and have you returned the money that was supposed to be returned?"

"We've already settled everything! So I'll tell their family tomorrow, and... can we just get an appointment with any doctor at the 7th Hospital?"

"No! Find a female doctor named Lu Yunxia, ​​with an associate senior professional title. I often read her papers. Don't let her average reputation fool you; her medical skills are actually quite remarkable. Just book an appointment with her. Also... the patient you're dealing with isn't a reasonable person. After you've completed the formalities, go to the inpatient department and see if they didn't go to the Seventh Hospital or if they asked someone else through connections. Let me know later so I can help us sort things out."

"understood!"

"Since you don't feel like eating out, and the rain has lessened a lot lately, let's head back!"

"Alright! I'll be going now!" With that, Gu Yuefeng grabbed his long raincoat and hurriedly left.

At the main gate, watching Gu Yuefeng's figure gradually disappear into the rain and mist, Bian Mu couldn't help but let his mind wander. If his medical skills remained mediocre, he might end up worse off than Gu Yuefeng when he got old! In any case, this kind of TCM doctor is the majority, and it is they who truly support the TCM community in Lijin. The extent to which their medical ethics, conduct, and skills have been honed truly reflects the real state of TCM in the Lijin area. It would be wrong to only focus on top experts like himself and Lu Yisi.

"We need to find a way to democratize the 'Digital Medicine' school of thought! At least half of the students in Lijin City should be middle school graduates like Dian Shuhua, right?! I can't just voluntarily become their teacher... Oh well, let's do some groundwork in the group first. Master Liang is right! Let's let things settle down a bit more!" Looking at the crowd of people hurrying home from work in the rain, Bian Mu felt quite accomplished over the past year.

……

The next day at noon, Bian Mu still had two elderly patients left, one for dental work and the other for post-wound care. Their conditions were relatively simple, but Bian Mu remained vigilant, treating even minor ailments as serious ones, and dared not slacken her efforts in the slightest...

Just then, Nurse Wei glanced at Bian Mu from the doorway of the clinic.

Bian Mu gestured to the intern, Xiao Shang, to go out and find out what was going on.

……

Just as the last patient finished changing his dressing and was about to leave, the intern Xiao Shang stood up and reported, "Two guests have come into the lobby. They say they are booksellers and want to discuss something with you."

"Oh! A bookseller is looking for me?! That sounds a bit strange... Get yourselves together and head back now! Tomorrow afternoon, compile the assignments. Xiao Liu, fill out the relevant forms for everyone. I need to report it to Professor Mi later. I'll also be sending out your first internship evaluations soon!"

The three young interns responded with a single word, gave Bian Mu a half-bow, and hurriedly left.

Both booksellers were somewhat established; they weren't private companies, but legitimate, long-established ones. They were originally large state-owned factories that were later restructured into the publishing institutions they are today, with multiple shareholding structures. One was a man, and the other a woman. The man looked to be just over forty, and the woman was in her early thirties. Both were dressed in formal suits, making them appear very professional.

The man explained that they wanted to commission a manuscript from Bian Mu. The content was very simple, purely limited to the field of "pulse diagnosis," without digressions, and could be considered a medical monograph. It would definitely be a plus for future professional title evaluations!