Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2482: Old and wilted
"Lao Nian" was originally surnamed Yan. He was a medical school graduate from a remote county in a neighboring province. He was somewhat introverted and reserved in his actions. At present, he seemed to be working as a resident physician in the inpatient department of a municipal-level TCM hospital. During the Spring Festival, "Lao Nian" called Bian Mu's parents to wish them a Happy New Year. In the conversation, "Lao Nian" said that he had not yet been able to obtain full prescription rights, and his words revealed a hint of disappointment.

If calculated by birthday, "Lao Nian" is two years older than Bian Mu. His birthday is on the third day of the Lunar New Year. He was graduating from high school that year. He failed the exam and barely passed the local first-tier university admission line. "Lao Nian's" mother was worried that the university's reputation was not prestigious enough and the choice of major was even more limited, so she decided to let her son repeat a year.

When Lao Nian enrolled at the same time as Bian Mu, he was only 3 points above the minimum admission score for the medical university. He barely passed, but that was enough to make Lao Yan's family "look down on" all the villagers and relatives. They even held a "thank you banquet" to celebrate.

"Lao Nian" was not a classmate like Qian Xiaotong. They were in the same department but different classes, and the two originally had no interaction.

One evening, more than half an hour past dinner time, "Old Nian" was still struggling with an acupuncture problem about filling the "Qi Hai" point in the reading room on the second floor of the library. Bian Mu was also a little late that day because of other things. When he passed by "Old Nian's" seat, "Old Nian" politely stopped him and asked him a few questions.

At that time, Bian Mu was already quite famous in the department. His comprehension in professional courses was consistently ranked first. Many teachers would use Bian Mu as a negative example to teach everyone a lesson when they got angry in class. "Old Nian" was very impressed by this!
"Lao Nian" left almost no impression on Bian Mu's mind. He had never seen "Lao Nian" on the basketball court, in debate competitions, on the podium, at train stations, or at airports. However, as soon as he heard "Lao Nian" speak, he knew that they were from the same department. "Lao Nian" looked a bit old. At first, Bian Mu mistakenly thought he was some senior.

I politely offered a few hints, but "Old Nian" didn't quite understand and kept nitpicking a few logical details.

Shocked, Bian Mu sat down in the next seat and sketched a few drafts on a blank sheet of paper with "Lao Nian's" pencil. Surprisingly, despite such a detailed explanation, "Lao Nian" still only half understood.

Left with no other option, Bian Mu continued drawing with a pencil in his left hand and making annotations with a ballpoint pen in his right, explaining in a complete and in-depth manner for quite some time. His display of his unique skill attracted students from different grades to gather around and watch the spectacle...

"Old Nian" was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat, but finally he understood.

From then on, Lao Nian, known for his "perseverance" in studying professional details, regarded Bian Mu as the best teacher around him, and even gave Bian Mu the nickname "medical dictionary" behind his back.

In the blink of an eye, the vibrant and carefree campus life has become a thing of the past, and "Old Nian" must have been married for two or three years now!

Before the banquet, "Old Nian" specially booked a hotel in his hometown and invited Bian Mu to come and offer his congratulations. At first, Bian Mu agreed to go over the phone. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. He was having a terrible time at the county hospital and was temporarily assigned by Director Kuang to go to a rural town to provide medical support and agricultural assistance. He was not allowed to ask for leave. Helpless, Bian Mu had to transfer 300 yuan to "Old Nian" via mobile phone to settle the matter.

In Bian Mu's memory, "Lao Nian" was a fairly honest and upright person. He rarely contacted his classmates to catch up unless it was a holiday. At least, that's how he treated Bian Mu.

"Is she planning to buy a house or a car? Or borrow money?!" Bian Mu couldn't help but wonder to himself.

Lijin is a first-tier city. The sudden arrival of "Old Nian" must mean he has something important to do. Otherwise, given his personality, he would usually just stay quietly in the inpatient department.

There were still quite a few patients ahead of her, so Bian Mu didn't have time to think much and went back to the consultation room to continue seeing patients.

……

"Yu's Private Kitchen," Bian Mu had contacted the beautiful female chef by phone beforehand and arranged a very good stall for "Lao Nian."

The pretty female chef had a distinguished guest at her stall, so Bian Mu accompanied "Old Nian" over to say hello before heading to the reserved stall to wait for tea.

After selecting the ingredients, the two chatted over tea. "You're not what you used to be, renowned doctor! My colleagues often ask me to seek your medical advice and medicine!"

"Exaggeration! Even if someone has a bit of a reputation, it wouldn't reach your level!" Bian Mu questioned dramatically, clearly stating that there was no need for such insincere politeness between old classmates.

"It's true! In fact... one of our executive vice presidents has a son with an uneven leg, apparently from a car accident a few years ago. Hearing that you've pioneered a brand-new TCM orthopedics department, she recently came to see me specifically to ask me to get to know you better first, and then invite you to visit us for a few days, and maybe take a look at her son!"

"Oh...you made a special trip for this?!" Bian Mu questioned with some disbelief. In his opinion, "Old Nian" didn't seem to be that scheming.

"We've already come this far! Even if I'm not the best off... I wouldn't go to the trouble of taking the high-speed train all the way here just for that. I'm here today purely for my personal family matters..."

"Family matters?! Can't you explain it over the phone?" Bian Mu still thought about borrowing money, and besides, a classmate with "Lao Nian's" personality would definitely ask for a lot of money once he opened his mouth.

"No...it's my lover..."

What's wrong with her?

"I suspect... she might be... having recurrent miscarriages, which has scared my mom and me so much that we can't sleep well at night. Since last month, I've been having nightmares every night, and we really can't take it anymore. It just so happens that our hospital's logistics department is procuring equipment like ECG monitors from your place, and we're a bit short-staffed, so I volunteered to come and help out. It's a bit like using my position for personal gain, and... by the way, let me mention that vice president's family affairs..."

"Damn! Look at how you're beating around the bush... Your wife had a miscarriage before?"

"No, not at all. All signs indicate that there are signs of that... I'm just scared, aren't I? I feel really uneasy..."

"Oh...did you bring the relevant medical examination reports or something?"

“They’re all here. The medical records have been compiled into a collection, and the one on top is it!” As he spoke, “Old Nian” took a file bag from his satchel and pushed it over.

At this point, the young male chef began serving the first dish.

Bian Mu gestured for "Old Nian" to eat first, while he casually opened the file folder and glanced at it...

As a fellow student who practiced asceticism, Bian Mu always felt that "Old Nian's" medical skills were actually not that bad, at least much better than those of Qian Xiaotong and Suo Yurong. Preventing habitual miscarriages would not be a piece of cake for him, but it wouldn't be too difficult either. Why did he make a special trip for this?!

The medical report wasn't complicated at all; the key was the pulse diagnosis provided by "Old Nian"—wow! It was as detailed as a diary. "Old Nian" really cares about his beloved wife.

……

The old man's medical records were absolutely accurate, and his skill level was also commendable. It was clear that the reason why this old classmate had not been able to obtain complete and independent prescription rights was probably due to personnel arrangements.