CHAPTER 187: 187 USE THE CAFETERIA AS A STRONGHOLD

"Dr. Liang, do you think I still have time to run away?" Liu Banxia asked quietly, standing obediently outside the operating room.

"What do you think? Are you sure you weren’t just guessing?" Liang Xiaolin said irritably.

"To be honest, I’m not sure anymore," Liu Banxia said with a bitter smile.

At this moment, Xiao Zhaoqiu walked out of the operating room and looked at Liu Banxia with a calm expression.

"Hello, Director Xiao," Liu Banxia greeted quickly.

"How confident were you when you alerted me?" asked Xiao Zhaoqiu.

"I felt there was a 60% chance at the time, but thinking about it now, it’s probably not even 30%," Liu Banxia said, his head lowered.

"What about next time? What if the same situation arises?" Xiao Zhaoqiu continued to ask calmly.

"I know my mouth gets ahead of me sometimes. I want to say it won’t happen again next time, but I don’t know if I can hold back," Liu Banxia answered honestly.

The difference in rank between them is too great; there’s no point in lying. It’s better to be honest with people like Xiao Zhaoqiu and Zhou Shuwen. Perhaps I can even earn some goodwill.

"That’s good. You can maintain that. But if you’re wrong, you will also bear responsibility." After saying this, Xiao Zhaoqiu walked directly out.

Liu Banxia blinked and looked at Liang Xiaolin.

"What are you staring at me for? We’ve been out of the emergency room for so long now," Liang Xiaolin complained.

"So, was Director Xiao praising me just now, or criticizing me? I just don’t get it," asked Liu Banxia.

"Isn’t it obvious? He was certainly complimenting you, but also reminding you to take responsibility for your words. Seriously, can’t you walk by yourself?" Liang Xiaolin glared at him.

"I can, I can," Liu Banxia quickly replied.

However, even though the strained area didn’t hurt as much as before, he still walked with a slight limp, on his tiptoes.

"Brother Wei, I’m sorry. I was watching Director Xiao’s surgery and got completely engrossed," Liu Banxia quickly apologized after returning to the emergency department.

Not only had he left, but he had also taken Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa with him, leaving Wei Yuan to hold the fort alone.

"There’s not much going on in the emergency department, all minor issues. Just treat me to dinner tonight. Adding a chicken leg is optional," Wei Yuan said seriously.

"Haha, a chicken leg is a must. Director Xiao’s surgery was also very successful. Should we admit Wang Yu first and have the police officers watch over him here?" Liu Banxia asked.

Wei Yuan nodded. "That’s the usual procedure, since Wang Yu is a suspect in a criminal case."

"Sigh... I feel like today has been longer and more tiring than any other," Liu Banxia sighed.

"It’s good to experience this now. Once the emergency department is truly operational, it won’t be so easy," said Wei Yuan.

"But today was a successful day, wasn’t it? All four critically ill patients were treated. In our line of work, this is about as much self-congratulation as we can get, right?"

"By the way, that young man came looking for you again. It seems his father also wants to talk to you, but the young man wasn’t very clear about what."

"Alright, I got it. After dinner, I’ll do a round in their ward. The family’s one-year-old baby has an auricular fistula; the surgery was just done today," Liu Banxia stretched.

Now that the patient’s problem was solved, he also needed to tend to his leg. It wasn’t serious in the first place, so not icing it wouldn’t be a major issue.

Admitting Wang Yu to the hospital was Nurse Wang Ying’s job, so Liu Banxia didn’t need to worry about it. As he said, the day had been too stressful; he really needed a break.

Just as they were waiting for mealtime, Shi Lei walked in carrying a stack of lunch boxes.

"Well, well, if it isn’t our life-saving boss!" Liu Banxia cheered.

"So, you think you’re pretty clever, don’t you? Luckily, your guess was right," Shi Lei said after putting down the lunch boxes.

"My goodness, is information that advanced these days? News spreads so fast?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.

"Otherwise, did you think your audacious act could be kept secret? It’s not just those sizzling plate dishes; a patient’s family also made dumplings for you," Shi Lei said.

"Hehe, that’s great. When we go to the cafeteria later, I’ll ask them to fry the dumplings. Xu Dan, join us for dinner after work, and call Xiao Yue too," Liu Banxia called out.

"Why invite Xiao Yue? How did you know she hadn’t gone home yet?" Xu Dan asked curiously.

"I have my ways of knowing these things," Liu Banxia said proudly.

"Boss, you’re on duty tonight. Can you hold the fort for a bit? I still need to get Dr. Wei his chicken leg. We’re going to eat first."

"Go ahead. Which patients need attention?" Shi Lei asked.

"There’s one patient who had surgery for an intestinal obstruction with a stoma, and one with gastric bleeding. Another is in the ICU, and then there’s the recent spinal hematoma case," Liu Banxia replied.

Shi Lei nodded; that was all he needed to know.

The group arrived at the cafeteria. Since they were rather early, not many people were there yet.

"Manager Zhou, could you please reheat all this, and fry the dumplings for us?" Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"That’s not very cool of you. If there’s something you want to eat, just tell me. I’ll arrange it for you," Zhou Qiang complained.

"Alright, arrange for six chicken legs then," Liu Banxia said.

That satisfied Zhou Qiang. As long as you’re spending money, you’re a friend.

They joked around like this because they were familiar with each other. Liu Banxia was definitely a valued customer at the cafeteria this month; they had to help him out, chicken legs or not.

"Brother Liu, I’ve come to mooch a meal again," Qiu Mingyuan, who had come down with Xiao Yue, said cheerily.

"Then sit down properly. After dinner, I’ll come over to your place and mooch some fruit or something," Liu Banxia said.

Xiao Yue felt somewhat embarrassed, sensing that Liu Banxia had already figured out her situation.

"Xiao Yue, how is Han Miao doing?" Liu Banxia asked seriously.

"Um... she’s doing well now," Xiao Yue replied, also seriously.

Xu Dan looked at them and instinctively felt that something was a bit off. She got the impression that Dr. Liu was very familiar with her cousin.

Xu Dan had been quite concerned about this, but after the reheated sizzling plate dishes were served, her mind was cleared of other thoughts.

Although the food wasn’t as fragrant as when freshly made, it was still delicious. It tasted different from the cafeteria’s usual fare, and it was all good stuff.

It wasn’t as Shi Lei had said, that he would only bring three dishes. A small incident had occurred: Shi Lei was originally going to pay, but Xu Chengjun had insisted on paying instead. So, the three dishes had expanded to five.

They were eating boisterously and didn’t notice Qi Wentai sitting in a corner of the cafeteria.

His relationship with Liu Banxia was one of mutual dislike. Seeing Liu Banxia’s group eating so happily, he felt even his favorite sautéed pork slices didn’t taste as good anymore.

He had also heard in the cafeteria about what happened in the emergency department today and felt a pang of regret. If I had been in the emergency department then, could I have spotted these problems earlier and shown everyone what I’m capable of?

But he couldn’t; his rotation was here, and unlike Liu Banxia, he couldn’t just stay in the hospital all the time.

Liu Banxia was thoroughly enjoying his meal when his phone beeped with a message notification. He picked it up and saw it was from Qiaoqiao, asking where he was. He snapped a picture of their dinner table and sent it back to her.

"Wait for me," Qiaoqiao replied quickly.

Liu Banxia never quite understood this girl’s way of thinking. She probably came to the hospital to see Qiu Huaili’s baby, he guessed.

"Sneaking off to eat good food, and you didn’t even think to call me?" In just about five minutes, Qiaoqiao appeared in the cafeteria, carrying a bag.

"What are you doing? Running from a disaster or something?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"Didn’t Ming Yuan’s sister have surgery today? We weren’t close before, so that’s that. But I spent all day gathering some dolls and toys. I can’t just buy a fruit basket for a child, can I?" Qiaoqiao said directly.

"Sister Qiaoqiao, thank you in advance on Doudou’s behalf. Have you eaten? Join us, these dishes are delicious," Qiu Mingyuan offered with a smile.

"This stuff is best when it’s fresh," Qiaoqiao said, not standing on ceremony. Spotting a plastic stool nearby, she pulled it over.

"Why are you alone today?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Yanzi has class today. Huh? How come you all have chicken legs? I need one too," Qiaoqiao said casually.

Liu Banxia felt quite helpless; her train of thought was too erratic for him to follow.

"By the way, have you settled the compensation with that person?" he asked after getting a chicken leg for Qiaoqiao.

"All settled. He’ll cover the medical expenses and pay an additional 100,000 for lost income and as a nutritional supplement," Qiaoqiao said.

"Learn your lesson next time. There are many ways to punish someone; you don’t have to resort to violence," Liu Banxia advised.

"That won’t do. I won’t feel right if I don’t beat him up. If I run into someone like that again, I’ll still beat him. But I need to find some rubber batons so I don’t seriously injure anyone," Qiaoqiao said, then happily started gnawing on her chicken leg.

Liu Banxia really didn’t know what to say about Qiaoqiao. Her family actually let her manage a bathhouse with that fiery temper of hers. Weren’t they afraid she’d cause too much trouble?

Then Liu Banxia also noticed that Qiaoqiao was very dedicated when it came to mooching meals.

"Oh no, shoot!" Qiaoqiao suddenly exclaimed while eating.

"What happened?" Liang Xiaolin asked curiously.

"I forgot to feed Tang Dou! He must be at home starving and howling," Qiaoqiao said seriously.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. It’s truly been tough for Tang Dou to grow this big.

"It’s fine. Missing a couple of meals will be like a diet for him," Qiaoqiao said nonchalantly, and continued eating.

Everyone was left speechless. Just how brazen could Qiaoqiao be? Never mind anything else, she was completely absorbed in mooching this meal.

Wei Yuan, however, found this little team quite interesting. He had to admit, Liu Banxia had a wide and diverse circle of friends. Look at this table: colleagues, students, people from various walks of life. The cafeteria was practically his base of operations.