But Duan Xiaoming obviously didn’t think so.
The day after Gao Yuan didn’t reply to the ssage, Duan Xiaoming’s call ca.
"Director Gao, did you block ?" The voice on the other end had the sa tone, with a slight southern accent in Mandarin, neither too fast nor too slow.
"No! Busy, didn’t have ti to reply," Gao Yuan said.
"Busy with what? So busy you can’t even reply to a brother’s ssage?" Duan Xiaoming laughed, "I heard you made quite a splash in New York. The experts at HSS were dumbfounded, and that guy Robert was even your assistant. Director Gao, you’re now an internationally renowned expert."
"Nonsense! Robert is my junior."
"I know, Professor Yang’s student. I’m also Mr. Yang’s student. The three of us are like brothers, but you and Robert are official disciples, and I’m an auditor."
Duan Xiaoming was still the sa Duan Xiaoming, his way of speaking hadn’t changed, his self-deprecating humor hadn’t changed. What had changed was his confidence when he spoke. It wasn’t a boastful confidence, but a quiet assurance of "I know what I’m worth." Gao Yuan was very familiar with this kind of confidence because he had it too. It’s not given by money; it’s given by skill. When a surgeon knows they can do things on the operating table that others can’t, they have confidence.
"Seriously," Duan Xiaoming said, "this Friday I have a eting in Nandu Provincial City. If you’re available, let’s have dinner together in the evening. I’ll co pick you up."
"No need to pick up, I’ll go myself."
"Alright! I’ll send you the address, see you Friday."
"See you Friday."
Gao Yuan hung up the phone, looking at the address ssage on his phone screen, Nandu New City, the top floor of so office building, a restaurant with an expensive-sounding na. He smiled a bit; Duan the bald is treating, feel free to order sea cucumbers and abalone.
On Friday evening, Gao Yuan drove to Nandu New City.
The evening in Nandu Provincial City was very pleasant, with the wind blowing from the river carrying a slight fishy sll. He stood below the office building, looking up. The building was very tall, with glass curtain walls reflecting the afterglow of the sunset, the whole building like a golden pillar set against the velvet sky. The lights of the top floor restaurant were already on, the warm yellow light shining through the glass walls, like a lantern suspended in mid-air.
The elevator went straight to the top floor, and when the door opened, a hostess in a qipao greeted him with a smile, asking if he was Mr. Duan’s guest. Gao Yuan nodded. She led him through the hall to a private room by the window.
The door of the private room opened, and Duan Xiaoming stood up.
He was wearing a dark blue shirt, no tie, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His bald head was still the sa, reflecting the light under the restaurant’s illumination, just like back then. But his physique was sturdier than before, not fat, just that kind of "no longer burdened by life" relaxation.
"Director Gao!" Duan Xiaoming extended his hand.
"Mr. Duan!" Gao Yuan shook his hand.
"Call Mr. Duan, and I’ll be mad at you." Duan Xiaoming gave a firm shake, let go, and pointed to the chair opposite, "Sit! Order what you like."
Gao Yuan sat down, picked up the nu, flipped through two pages, and closed it.
"You order!" he said.
Duan Xiaoming picked up the nu, opened it, and told the waiter: "Braised pork, roast goose, poached shrimp, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, seaweed egg soup, rice, and apples." He paused, adding, "The braised pork should be a bit fatty, he likes the fatty ones."
The waiter was a bit stunned; in a place like this, this kind of ordering was probably uncommon. But she said nothing, noted it down, and left.
The private room was left with just the two of them.
Outside the window, the river water flowed in the night, the lights on both banks reflecting on the surface like countless strands of golden thread swaying in the waves. In the distance, the slender tower glowed with purple light, like a giant luminous hourglass, recording the ti of the city.
Duan Xiaoming picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put it down.
The dishes were served, the fatty braised pork, glistening and translucent, lay trembling on the plate like a piece of amber. The roast goose was covered with a layer of translucent golden oil...
Gao Yuan picked up a piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth, chewed twice, and nodded.
"It’s still that taste," he said.
"Of course!" Duan Xiaoming said, "I specifically asked the kitchen to make it in the style of the Sanbo Canteen. The sugar color has to be caralized, the pork belly blanched to remove the sll, and when stewing, add star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, simr on low heat for two hours. It’s Old Li’s recipe from back then at the Sanbo Canteen; I specifically asked him."
Gao Yuan picked up another piece, chewing slowly. The taste of the braised pork lted in his mouth, rich but not greasy, sweet and savory just right, like holding a piece of the past in his mouth. He rembered the greasy table at the Sanbo Canteen, the white plastic lunch boxes bound with rubber bands, left in the training room of the institute for an hour before eating, and how every ti Duan Xiaoming handed him the lunch box, he would say, "Director Gao, eat while it’s hot, it’s not good when it’s cold."
"You know," Duan Xiaoming said while peeling shrimp, "the uterine fibroid treatnt I do now uses the thod Professor Yang taught back then."
Gao Yuan nodded, "If Professor Yang knew you’re doing so well, he’d be very happy."
Duan Xiaoming shook his head, placed the peeled shrimp in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then said sothing that surprised Gao Yuan.
"I don’t know if I’ve tainted his reputation."
"Why?"
"Because I’m doing it for money," Duan Xiaoming said, his tone calm, without guilt or justification, simply stating a fact, "Professor Yang perford surgeries for the patients; I do Gamma Knife purely for money. Of course, I have helped patients, but my purpose is completely for money, and I use those marketing tactics."
Gao Yuan was silent for a while.
"But you haven’t deceived the patients; it’s genuinely safe and effective."
Duan Xiaoming smiled, "Yes, but even so, I still feel unworthy of being called Professor Yang’s student. That’s why I never ntion Sanbo or Professor Yang in any of my external publicity. I don’t want to tarnish his na. Without the thods he taught , I wouldn’t have this modest success today."
"He knows everything," Gao Yuan said. "He knows you went to a private hospital, knows you started a company, knows you’re making money, but he’s never said a bad word about you. Do you know why? You actually don’t understand Professor Yang. Professor Yang never opposed doctors making money, but it must be earned with integrity and without going against one’s conscience."
Duan Xiaoming looked at him, saying nothing.
"So he surely thinks you’ve done nothing wrong," Gao Yuan continued. "What you’re doing and what he’s doing are essentially the sa. You’ve taken what you do best to the extre and used it to help more people. As long as it’s not money earned against your conscience, money is not an issue."
Duan Xiaoming lowered his head, looking at the plate of peeled shrimp in front of him. His hand stopped mid-air, fingers trembling slightly. After a while, he looked up.
"Director Gao," his voice choked slightly, "thank you for telling this."
Gao Yuan said nothing; he lifted his teacup and clinked it with Duan Xiaoming’s again.
After finishing the al, the two stood at the entrance of the office building. The night wind in Nandu New City was strong, blowing from the river, carrying the chill of late autumn. Duan Xiaoming put on his coat, zipped it up, and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Director Gao, I’m heading to Beijing next week," he said, "My fourth center is opening. I want to invite the brothers from Sanbo to celebrate, but I’m hesitant, afraid it might seem too materialistic."
"What nonsense, making money is an honorable thing. With all the money you’ve made, why is your thinking still so old-fashioned?" Director Gao teased him.
"With you saying this, my mind is at ease. I’ve always worried that carrying Professor Yang’s teachings everywhere to make money might upset him." Duan Xiaoming felt much relieved.
Gao Yuan laughed, "Haha, there are plenty of Professor Yang’s things around; who isn’t advancing with his teachings now? Like , or Robert. You’re just overthinking, it’s completely unnecessary."
User Comments
0 comments from readers