Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2017 Camp Realm
In recent days, a festive atmosphere has been quietly brewing in the streets and alleys. Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are both major holidays, and they are very close together. Pedestrians on the road clearly have the relaxed, joyful and contented look that is unique to the holidays. Looking at the various colorful flags fluttering in the wind, Bian Mu suddenly realized that the two clinics would soon have to prepare holiday gifts.

Business is going fairly smoothly, my friends have been very supportive, and now that I have some extra money, I feel I have to show my appreciation in various ways.

Before Bian Mu could even give a signal, San Qiangzi and the others had already arranged to decorate the entrances and roofs of the two clinics. The festive spirit of the traditional holiday was directly conveyed to every patient, and those coming and going all had noticeably more relaxed and contented smiles on their faces.

Bian Mu went to the branch of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic to discuss with Nurse Ye for a long time. Finally, they drafted a gift list. Bian Mu took some money from the clinic's revenue and gave it to San Qiangzi, "Knife Face", and Li Yunhu to make the arrangements.

That evening, the sky cleared and there was no wind. After getting off work, Bian Mu called Old Liang, the forest ranger, to go out for a quick bite and chat.

Old Liang suggested that they eat the traditional mixed hot pot, which is light, good for the stomach, and replenishes qi.

The proprietress was once a patient of Bian Mu. Back then, Bian Mu was still running a small clinic in "Four Seasons Harbor". She had pneumonia, which was chronic and complicated by bronchial dysfunction. Thanks to Bian Mu's careful treatment, she has been fully recovered for almost a year.

Seeing Bian Mu enter with his friend, the proprietress and her husband greeted him from afar with great courtesy. The proprietress's son smiled and asked a few questions about the ingredients, then quickly called his wife to the kitchen to assemble a special cloisonné health hot pot for Bian Mu.

Seeing that the proprietress and her husband were busy with their work, Bian Mu poured Old Liang a cup of red bean soup drink, which was specially heated up. He sipped it slowly to warm himself up and whet his appetite.

"If I were to start thinking about opening another branch right now, wouldn't you think I'm getting a little too famous and losing my mind?" Bian Mu said with a smile.

Old Liang smiled but didn't say anything. He took a sip of the hot red bean paste drink and seemed to be wondering what was usually put in it.

Watching Bian Mu carefully clean the table and tableware with his own tissues, Old Liang chuckled and said, "So you're already trying to overtake us on a curve?!"

"I didn't dare to have such thoughts, haha! Taking your advice, I'll secretly do some small things to 'expand' the effective parts of the 'Digital Medicine' school. It's a bit like... When I was a kid, we lived in the factory compound. Every day, someone would come out and sweep the yard, rain or shine! I remember... most residents would intentionally or unintentionally sweep the area in front of their own doors further outwards. As a result, no one was too tired, and the residential area was always so clean all year round. To be honest, it was cleaner than hiring a professional cleaner. There were almost no unsanitary corners, especially on rainy days, I never saw any standing water. Other clinics expand their business to make money, but I'm just looking to 'establish a foothold'! It's not that I'm weak or have no connections. I'm using this method to proactively solidify my own position! To create a good working environment for myself that I can stay in for a long time." Bian Mu explained with a smile. "You've figured it out?! Hehe... That's right! Look at that painter Fang upstairs, he's not very old, but he has a deep understanding of brushwork and artistic conception. With just a few strokes, the meaning immediately leaps off the paper. He's got skill! We're pretty much the same. On the surface, we're the nth or nth branch of our family, but actually... who knows who the real master is! In a few years, the good cultural environment will be mostly established, and your rational medical propositions will be implemented in clinical practice. The patients will be the ones who directly benefit! By then, the 'numerical medicine' school of thought will be gradually accepted by the industry. At that time, the specific benefits will still be a question! You've finally got the idea of ​​planning and doing big things. Actually... in the early years, Old Nie did quite well in this regard, at least he was very generous! Later, as his children, grandchildren, and disciples gradually increased their material needs, he didn't have enough money, and he became a bit stingy. You've already grasped this level before you were even thirty. You're better than him!" Old Liang replied with a smile.

"You flatter me, sir. I wouldn't dare compare myself to Dr. Nie! Dr. Gu and Dr. Han are indeed living a rather frugal life. There's no way around it; their children aren't very ambitious, and the burden is quite heavy! I'm planning to open a joint clinic with some decent doctors in the featured section of our group. In the first phase, they can't use our name, but their work software, medical practice model, and professional philosophy... will be almost identical to our clinic. The only difference is that their overall skill level might be slightly lower. Patients they can't handle will be referred elsewhere. I want to emphasize that they absolutely cannot be directly referred to us, not a single one. Even if a family goes through a long and complicated process at public hospitals or other medical institutions and finally gets an appointment with us, we still can't directly refer patients. More importantly, they can't have any financial dealings with either of our clinics. We'll keep our own accounts, and our finances can't overlap! This is the most crucial point." Bian Mu patiently explained some of his recent new ideas to Old Liang.

"Sure! You've clearly put your heart into it. Once their medical ethics and skills are finally on par with ours, we can consider whether or not to let them use our brand. From beginning to end, they've essentially just been a branch of our clinic. I think it's a good idea! If you continue along this path, you could actually start considering opening a fourth branch now." Out of the blue, before the third branch had even materialized, Old Liang was already suggesting that Bian Mu begin preparing for a fourth branch of the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.

"Huh?! You're not using me as a hot pot, are you?" Bian Mu joked with a smile.

“It might not work for others, but it’s different for you. Although you haven’t been with ‘Huikang’ for long, you’ve built a solid foundation. With the opportunity approaching, you can definitely take advantage of it. Besides, it’s also a way to reduce the burden on society! It’s a public service!” Old Liang explained with a smile.

Just then, the young owners of the restaurant, a married couple, began serving the dishes.

After exchanging a few polite words, Bian Mu joined Old Liang for a meal.

"What exactly do you mean by 'reducing the burden'? I really can't figure it out..."

"Originally, 'Huikang' was definitely one of the best private hospitals in the surrounding area, even surpassing the average level of top-tier hospitals in some aspects. Its management was particularly flexible and adaptable, creating many new models for running hospitals, some of which have been adopted by some top-tier hospitals. Of course, the social returns to 'Huikang' were also quite substantial. Unfortunately, later on, some problems became insurmountable. Operating costs kept piling up, and many things could only go up, not down, such as employee salaries and daily benefits. Recently, it has become quite unbearable. I don't know much about the other departments, but the Traditional Chinese Medicine department definitely won't last much longer. Lu Shiyuan and his team have already started looking for a new place. If you take over the medical staff who can treat patients there and establish a branch based on them, wouldn't that be relieving the burden on society?! For example, Sun Zhengting is a good example." While eating, Old Liang gave a simple explanation of the reasons behind this.

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu seemed to understand.