Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2033 Tripped a Little
Having painstakingly run a very respectable community clinic, Bian Mu had plenty of experience. In addition, being proficient in mathematics, he could roughly guess with just a glance that Dr. Han's clinic was actually not doing very well. He estimated that after deducting normal expenses such as rent, the income was about the same as that of an ordinary doctor working in a hospital.

Located in a scenic area, things might be a bit better during peak tourist season. However, that just means there's a lot of foot traffic. Any tourist with a brain, especially one unfamiliar with the area, wouldn't easily trust a complete stranger who practices traditional Chinese medicine.

Although I don't usually go out for leisure, I still glance at related news every day. In the past ten years or so, with the rapid economic development, many scenic spots of varying levels have been built across the country. From a mathematical point of view, the off-season of any scenic spot is definitely much longer than the peak season. Therefore, Dr. Han's decision to set up camp at the "Guiyun Mountain Villa" scenic spot was probably a miscalculation.

The scenery is beautiful, and tourists flock to the area. You can make money just by sitting and enjoying the view, haha... Dr. Han has indeed overestimated his own medical skills.

Bian Mu could basically conclude that he and Dr. Han still had something to talk about.

Of course, neither Dr. Han nor Gu Yuefeng are particularly outstanding in terms of professional competence, business acumen, or personal character. They do not fully meet Bian Mu's requirements for a partner. If it weren't for Bian Mu's recent repeated contact with Ms. Mu and others, and his gradual realization that the "Big Health" project has objectively posed a certain threat to traditional Chinese medicine clinics and small clinics, it would have been difficult to find a suitable partner.

Out of a desire for self-preservation, Bian Mu naturally developed a sense of the need to seek protection as soon as possible.

Back then, if it weren't for Assistant Zhang and Qian Xiaotong's help, both overt and covert, I might have died a pathetic death in the hospital in my small hometown.

A person who stubbornly endures hardship in a certain place must have external help, must have hope, and must break through the predicament... Otherwise, all they will do is suffer, and the ending can only be very tragic.

Even a small team can be like this!
Not to mention the pressure from President Mu, President Wei, and the father of that little patient... the pressure from other traditional Chinese medicine clinics was already enough to give Bian Mu a hard time. If it weren't for the help of the forest ranger Lao Liang, the herbalist Lao Pei, and Assistant Zhang, he probably wouldn't even be able to run a small clinic properly!
After much deliberation, Bian Mu secretly decided to expand the influence of the "Digital Medicine" school by establishing a branch of the National Medical Center. At the same time, he also wanted to unite some kind-hearted colleagues with decent medical skills so that they could jointly resist the competitive pressure that might suddenly come at any time in the future.

however……

Dr. Han's idea was still somewhat different from what Bian Mu had figured out.

"Master! What exactly is the joint operation method?" Dr. Han asked in a rather cautious tone.

It's been over a year now, and Dr. Han has been worried about the low revenue! What's worse, with business so bad, the landlady has been subtly hinting that she's planning to raise the rent again—isn't that just making things worse?!

Are you trying to kill us?!

When Bian Mu mentioned merging some small clinics together to open a joint medical center, it sounded like it would be called the "New Concept" Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic. Putting everything else aside, Dr. Han and Gu Yuefeng would immediately be able to ride on the coattails of Bian Mu's online fame, at least they wouldn't have to worry about having few customers.

After a short while of relief, Dr. Han gradually realized that this so-called "alliance" was not as simple as both parties had imagined. There were quite a few logical details that needed to be coordinated and worked out, and Dr. Han's brows furrowed involuntarily.

“Here’s what I’m thinking… Based on your current medical skills, I’ll discuss with Dr. Gu Yuefeng privately how to assess their abilities. If that doesn’t work, we can simply hold an open application process, and I’ll give them a test. Of course, the prerequisite is that the doctors who are notified must be of good character. In this regard, I’ll have to trouble you two to do a lot of research, such as whether they’ve had any conflicts with patients, the specific reasons, and who bears the primary responsibility… In short, it’ll be very hard work! Once we’ve screened a decent number of people, we’ll see how big a place to rent is and how the rent will be calculated,” Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"This...doing it this way seems a bit disrespectful to our colleagues...Isn't it perfectly normal for medical skills to vary? Using this standard to artificially divide everyone into two categories, I don't know what others will think, but I certainly feel uncomfortable! Your medical skills are indeed amazing, many aspects are completely beyond our imagination, and even...some cases are quite unbelievable to us! But that can't be a reason to belittle our colleagues or use a lower-level selection method! We can chat here casually, but if you really do that...I'm afraid I'll be cursed to death by other colleagues!" Well! Dr. Han's words revealed a hint of considerable displeasure.

Hearing this, Bian Mu suddenly felt her face flush slightly. Oh no! She'd misspoke! The logic was sound, but… that's not how you say it, it was too hurtful! After all, most traditional Chinese medicine doctors who run clinics are significantly older than her! By seniority, she should respectfully address them as "teacher"!

Dr. Han's medical skills are quite good, and her self-esteem is naturally stronger than that of her colleagues, so she must be a little unhappy right now.

"I'm so sorry! I spoke without thinking! I apologize to Teacher Han! It's still the same thing, but my medical skills have to be about the same as yours, otherwise it's fine; as for medical ethics, I'd like to choose someone who is approachable. I don't want someone who is not very skilled but has a big temper. I'm young and not very good at speaking, so please forgive me, Teacher Han!"

Seeing that Bian Mu's attitude was quite sincere, Dr. Han's expression softened a bit.

"It's easier said than done... I might end up ruining my reputation. I'll have a talk with Lao Gu later. I can't promise you anything right now! So... whose sign should the clinic have?" Dr. Han asked about the more important matters.

"We'll put up at least two signs. One will be for our clinic, which, to put it bluntly, is to attract customers to the newly established clinic. The other will be for the joint clinic. As for what to name it, we'll discuss that later."

"So, you didn't think anything through, and this idea just popped into your head... Isn't that a bit hasty?!" Well! Doctor Han was clearly a bit resistant.

Hearing Dr. Han's rebuttal, Bian Mu was surprised and somewhat regretful. After all, wasn't Dr. Gu Yuefeng the one who would be in charge in the future? Why didn't he ask him to communicate with the colleagues who were interested in partnering with him beforehand?
That was indeed a bit hasty!
Moreover, perhaps because things have been going too smoothly lately, Bian Mu has become a little arrogant!

Alright! Time to brake!
"Hehe... I was also provoked by that Mr. Mu this morning... I did indeed overlook some things..." At this point, Bian Mu briefly summarized the most important points of the meeting, clearly stating that those bigwigs in the business world have both talent and funds, and they might even start preparing for construction next year!

Upon hearing this, Dr. Han chuckled.

"If you put it that way, I feel like high-level medical clinics like yours should be the first to be targeted! They wouldn't even look at us lowly ants. You're a strong-willed person, aren't you? You wouldn't want to be recruited by them, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu immediately realized that he had underestimated the seemingly honest and unassuming Dr. Han.

With an embarrassed smile, Bian Mu replied, "That's true! My personal development plan is a bit far removed from their grand ambitions, so... we couldn't quite reach an agreement!"

"Yes, I don't want to be recruited either! You've seen my situation here, business isn't doing so well, but... if I squeeze in with other clinicians, there will be too many troubles in the future. Don't laugh at me, but I'm not a magnanimous person, so... let's talk about what the master just mentioned later!"

Now that we've said all that, how can we continue the conversation?

With an awkward laugh, Bian Mu exchanged a few polite words and then took her leave.

Dr. Han respected Bian Mu as a person of importance, and he paid great attention to etiquette. He politely saw Bian Mu off and also gave him a box of good tea, which Bian Mu smiled and politely declined.