"Sister Xian, you're not being fair. You found out about the letter early on but didn't tell ."
After they t outside, Liu Banxia complained.
"Don't bla . Old Qiu wanted to co too, but Ming Yuan made him stay ho to accompany Tiggie," Wang Jingxian said, smiling. "But that's okay. He'll take Tiggie and Tang Dou straight to the barbecue restaurant.
"Tiggie and Tang Dou are also part of our family. This is our big gathering; they should participate too."
"HAHA, that's great. We shouldn't waste any ti. Let's go. Wang Mingxing, you can ride with ," Liu Banxia called out.
"Sure, Dr. Liu. It's so hard to get a chance to see you," said Wang Mingxing, beaming.
"You're busy, and I'm even busier. We'll just have to be two ships passing in the night," Liu Banxia said solemnly.
"What nonsense? Mingxing, you sit in the front. I'll sit in the back with Qing Kewa," Qiaoqiao said, rolling her eyes at him.
"Qiaoqiao, now that you're expecting, does this an you can't co to my place for your honeymoon anymore?" Qing Kewa asked.
"We still need to figure that out," Qiaoqiao said. "Anyway, we'll definitely co visit you. If necessary, we can just bring the baby along."
"You must co! You're my very, very, very best friends," said Qing Kewa.
"Don't worry, it's absolutely no problem. Let's go!" Qiaoqiao waved her hand.
The group set off, everyone eagerly anticipating the barbecue.
"Mingxing, are you still planning to apply to dical school?" Liu Banxia asked.
"Actually, I am still thinking about it. But I'll wait and see what my estimated scores are after the college entrance exam," Wang Mingxing responded. "I wasted too much ti in the past. Even if I try hard to catch up this year, I don't think it will be very effective. It makes feel a bit disheartened."
"You're a classic case of being impulsive," Liu Banxia said. "Initially, you went through a major ordeal. Perhaps our conversations sparked your curiosity about dicine.
"Or perhaps you were influenced by and impulsively decided you could study dicine. You thought that after getting into dical school, you could practice dicine just like .
"It's a good aspiration, but it's not your only path forward. I've been wanting to talk to you about this, but I haven't found the right opportunity.
"If I were to guess, another reason you're hesitating now is that you're worried it would be embarrassing if you gave up on dical school and applied to other colleges instead, right?"
Wang Mingxing nodded shyly. That was indeed part of it. He had made such bold claims back then. Never mind how the exams would go; if he didn't even apply for dical school as he'd declared, he would indeed lose a lot of face.
"You're still just a kid. Why worry so much about 'face'?" Liu Banxia said with a laugh. "Choosing what's best for you is what truly matters. Our Tang Dou never cares about 'face' when he wants treats. He used to be a bit shy, but now he just stares you down until he gets what he wants.
"It's the sa for us humans. What's more important, 'face' or your future well-being? dical school admission scores are often higher. With those extra points, you could enjoy other majors at other schools. Isn't that a better deal?
"Another issue is your health, which you also need to consider. You underwent major surgery, and you're still in the recovery period.
"dical school is incredibly demanding. There's an imnse amount of knowledge to master and so many books to read. You can co to my place soti and see for yourself; my bookshelves are packed with books I still need to study.
"If you trust , choose engineering. There's a good university right here in our city with many excellent engineering programs. Whether for future employnt or other opportunities, the school has a good reputation, and its programs are strong."
"Okay, Dr. Liu, I'll take your advice," Wang Mingxing nodded.
"Wow, you gave up that quickly? It would have been more interesting if you'd defied the odds and gotten into dical school," Qiaoqiao teased.
"Sister Qiaoqiao, I was too impulsive back then," Wang Mingxing said with a laugh. "Now I think Dr. Liu is right. I not only have to live well myself but also need to take good care of my dad."
Qiaoqiao gave him a thumbs-up. "It's good that you've thought it through. Don't worry about what others think; as long as you're happy, that's what matters. People always say he's just living off , but believe , sotis the 'rice' he cooks is pretty hard."
"Hard rice is delicious! I don't like soft rice; I'd rather have porridge," Qing Kewa added.
Liu Banxia and the others burst out laughing. Clearly, Qing Kewa hadn't quite grasped the "living off a woman" idiom yet.
Liu Banxia, however, was quite happy. Successfully dissuading Wang Mingxing from applying to dical school had lifted a weight from his mind.
When they first heard Wang Mingxing's intention, both he and Comrade Old Wang had been very happy. It seed Wang Mingxing had beco sensible and was focused on his studies.
But slowly, the true implications had sunk in. For Wang Mingxing, the hardship of dical school would be far more exhausting than for a normal person. His surgery wasn't a simple matter of removing a small tumor from his pancreas and being done with it. Even now, his daily diet required careful attention. The organs that had been removed were essential for daily life. It wasn't like the liver, where a removed portion could slowly regenerate.
Not to ntion, anyone who had undergone such extensive surgery needed to be extrely careful with their diet; otherwise, an intestinal obstruction was practically inevitable sooner or later.
But at that ti, Wang Mingxing's determination had been unshakable; he was adamant about getting into dical school, no matter the cost.
After all, he had pancreatic cancer. Even though it was detected early due to a stroke of luck, there was still a chance of recurrence. Excessive fatigue could also compromise his immune system, potentially leading to other problems.
This situation had, in a way, started because of Liu Banxia, so he felt a heavy burden. Now that he had helped bring it to a close, he felt much lighter. It wasn't that he didn't want to take responsibility. If Wang Mingxing were perfectly healthy, he would have encouraged him. But everyone's situation is different, and in Wang Mingxing's case, they had to be exceptionally cautious.
This was, in a sense, a unique form of after-sales service. Wang Mingxing was the first truly special patient he had treated, which was why their relationship had beco so close and why Liu Banxia cared so much.
Otherwise, he was usually quite detached. Once a patient was diagnosed and the corresponding treatnt was administered, his involvent ended. He wouldn't worry excessively, even for patients whose diagnoses had required considerable effort and nurous tests.
The doctor-patient relationship shouldn't be too tense, but it shouldn't be too close either. He could chat and joke with patients in their wards, but he wouldn't allow himself to beco too emotionally invested. A doctor should, as much as possible, play the role of a machine. If you aren't detached enough, personal feelings might interfere with future diagnoses and treatnts.
When they arrived at Wang Mingxing's family restaurant, although it wasn't the peak season for outdoor eateries yet, many tables were already filled.
Liu Banxia hadn't expected Qiu Huaili's family to join, as he had originally planned for them to sit outside. But it was no problem; they were imdiately shown to the largest private room.
Upon entering, they saw Qiu Huaili holding Doudou, with Tang Dou and Tiggie seated on either side of him.
"Brother Qiu, quite impressive! So you've decided to take a backseat now, huh?" Liu Banxia joked.
"What's so impressive about it?" Qiu Huaili retorted. "I wanted to be there at the scene too, you know! But neither Xian nor Ming Yuan would let go. They said I'd just cause a distraction, and then who would people be watching, you or ?"
"Is everyone here now? I just asked President Qiu, and he said they were still waiting for you all," Wang Dashan said, walking in at that mont. "Tiggie, Tang Dou, I've prepared two lamb legs for you. Will that be enough?"
"That's plenty. They'll also be mooching off our plates for other things," Liu Banxia said with a smile. "Old Wang, how about this: just serve whatever you think is good. There are no outsiders here. Actually, I like all your grilled skewers."
"That won't do," Wang Lishan replied. "You must have so favorites. And let make this clear: even though you're a famous doctor and President Qiu holds a high position, now that you're in my place, I'm in charge of the food."
"What else did you expect?" Liu Banxia retorted unabashedly. "If we weren't here to freeload off you a bit, would we have co? Hurry up and get things settled outside, then co join us for drinks!"
"HAHAHA, alright then!" Wang Lishan bead. "Every ti you and Qiaoqiao co, you insist on paying. It always makes feel so obligated." He then walked out.
"Xian, it's your first ti here, so you can decide what you'd like to order first," Liu Banxia said earnestly. "And Yueyue, even though it's only your second ti, I still have to give you the right to order sothing to curry favor with Director Xiao."
Hearing his words, Xiao Yue blushed a little.
"Brother Liu, can you please stop teasing us? Why are you still holding a grudge?" Qiu Mingyuan said helplessly. "Don't worry. In the future, no matter if Sister Qiaoqiao has a little boy or a little girl, I'll look out for them.
"Then they can play happily with our Doudou. Wouldn't that be great?"
"HUG, HUG."
Little Doudou stretched out her small hands, but this ti her target wasn't Liu Banxia, nor Qiu Mingyuan, nor even her mom, but Qing Kewa. Children are always curious about new faces. For Doudou, Qing Kewa was soone new and interesting. Actually, she had t Qing Kewa before, but the little one had a poor mory and didn't recall having been the subject of such curious observation in the past.
"Yueyue, which departnt are you planning to join in the future?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.
"Actually, I haven't really decided yet," Xiao Yue replied. "I was initially considering cardiothoracic surgery, but my father wants to go into neurosurgery."
Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "You have such a brilliant general surgeon sitting right here, and you don't even ntion it, even just to be polite?"
"No matter how brilliant he is, Yueyue should choose for herself," Wang Jingxian interjected.
This made Xiao Yue a bit more embarrassed, but it successfully livened up the atmosphere at the dinner table. It was always hard for things to stay dull when Liu Banxia was around.
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