26 Stealing Eggs

The man stuffed a cloth bag into Luo Hao’s arms as if he were a thief, a pungent odor of scalded chicken feathers wafting from it. It must have been a freshly slaughtered old hen.

Luo Hao tried to return it, but the man was adamant. He possessed immense strength and an unyielding attitude; the two of them nearly ended up "wrestling" in the hospital corridor. Seeing other patients' caregivers emerging to watch the spectacle, Luo Hao had no choice but to accept the bag.

He felt truly troubled, standing there with the family’s gift, not knowing what to do.

*Ding-dong~*

A notification flickered on the top-right corner of his field of vision.

*Huh?* Luo Hao looked closer.

【Congratulations, Dr. Luo, on receiving your first sincere expression of gratitude from a patient’s family. Reward: +1 Attribute Point (Self-Select).】

!!!

This works too?

Luo Hao was stunned. An attribute point from the heavens! Without a second thought, he subconsciously added the point to his Luck stat. The number 34 shimmered brilliantly.

"Luo Hao, you're taking red envelopes from patients now? As a staff member of the Medical Affairs Office, taking bribes is a crime—you're knowingly breaking the law and making it worse for yourself," Chen Yong teased.

"Heh," Luo Hao scratched his head. He didn't see it that way, but the patient’s family was clearly of modest means; an old hen was undoubtedly a significant gift for them. It was a gesture of deep sincerity.

What now? If it were money, Luo Hao could have just paid it toward the patient's hospital bill and given the receipt to the family. But how do you deposit a live chicken into a hospital account? He felt heartless keeping it, but the family was so obstinate that they’d practically fight him if he refused. He was caught in a dilemma.

"I'm joking, what are you afraid of? On a serious note, what's such a good thing?" Seeing Luo Hao’s frown, Chen Yong stopped teasing.

Luo Hao opened the bag to glance inside. "It’s an old hen slaughtered this morning."

"The sentiment is what matters, just take it. As long as it's not cash, it should be fine. The family looks honest and simple," Chen Yong consoled him.

Luo Hao thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Boss Ding, are you busy?"

The sleepy, groggy voice of the owner of Feiyang Barbecue drifted through the line. "I don't close until the early hours. I haven't even woken up yet."

"My bad. Boss Ding, besides barbecue, can you cook other things?" Luo Hao asked.

"Is it for you? You want a monthly meal plan? Nothing too complex, but I can handle ordinary home-style cooking."

Luo Hao found a quiet corner and briefly explained the situation. "Boss Ding, I’ll give you the hen, and you provide daily meals and have them delivered. I’ll transfer the extra money to you directly. Don’t tell the family; is that alright?"

"Little Luo." Boss Ding was silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, "That's not how you should be a good person. You see people who can’t afford medical care in the hospital all the time. How much do you earn a month? You can't just throw it away like this. Besides..."

"Alright, alright, Boss Ding, I know what I'm doing. I'll transfer 2,000 yuan to you first. We have a deal: we'll settle the difference later. I’m busy here, hanging up."

Luo Hao hung up and made the transfer.

"You're what they call a 'pushover for good deeds,' aren't you?" Chen Yong asked.

"Not really. It’s mostly just converting the hen into a meal credit at Feiyang Barbecue. I still need to register this with Director Lin to avoid any future issues."

"How much do you even earn? Dropping 2,000 yuan in one go, isn't your heart bleeding?" Chen Yong asked, ever the one to stir the pot.

"What about you? Is your income enough?" Luo Hao countered, busy with his own work. Doctors’ incomes were low, and recent deductions from the health insurance bureau made Luo Hao curious.

"Oh ho, is the big shot from the administration finally empathizing with the common people?" Chen Yong mocked.

Luo Hao frowned slightly. Chen Yong really didn't know how to talk to men. It seemed he didn't know how to talk to women either, but because he was handsome, women were willing to listen to whatever he said. When talking to men, however, he was purely sarcastic. Luo Hao genuinely wanted to punch him in the mouth and knock his teeth out.

"I have a side hustle," Chen Yong said.

"Doing what? Same as your master?"

"Ha, not telling you."

Luo Hao disdained this kind of secretive, hesitant behavior and firmly decided not to ask.

Boss Ding arrived quickly. Luo Hao handed him the hen and led him to the corridor to point out the room number, bed number, and the family from a distance. Boss Ding didn't approve of Luo Hao’s "meddling," but he didn't try to stop him either. Luo Hao paid generously, and Boss Ding was, after all, a businessman.

After Boss Ding left, the minor interlude was over. Luo Hao kept checking the imaging workstation, waiting for the patient's scans to refresh. He and Wang Guohua were the first to see them.

"The stone in the intrahepatic bile duct looks quite large; it’s firmly lodged," Wang Guohua said with great vigor. "Little Luo, do you think a basket catheter can crush it?"

Luo Hao pursed his lips and began a series of operations on the computer. Wang Guohua didn't understand what Luo Hao was doing—his operations involved medical device engineering. After a while, Luo Hao calculated the density and assessment of the stone.

"Director Guohua, I don't think it's possible."

"Hmm? What's not possible?"

"The position is too deep. When Director Wen performed the surgery, the records showed an exploration and flushing with a No. 8 biliary probe. But the stone is still there. If we operate again..."

"Heh." Wang Guohua smiled, his expression full of arrogance and pride. "That’s just because his skill isn't up to par. Let me ask you, Dr. Luo: can a basket catheter extract a stone this deep and this tightly lodged?"

"No," Luo Hao shook his head.

"Since ERCP isn't an option, surgery is the only way," Wang Guohua said in a deep voice. "Reduce the inflammation, lower the jaundice, and operate in three days." He waved his hand, an air of unquestionable authority radiating from him.

Luo Hao had no choice but to temporarily agree with Wang Guohua. He hadn't seen the old director's surgical skills in person, but he estimated them to be around a Level 3 or 4, with 4 being more likely. After all, before retiring, Director Guohua was known as the "Number One Blade" of Donglian City.

Luo Hao checked his system tasks and pondered the director's assessment, planning to use his spare time to practice in the system operating room. Every minute of the limited system surgical training time felt precious, and after a few sessions, he had burned through most of it, leaving only one opportunity left.

He was certain that a standard surgical approach wouldn't work. If he insisted on open surgery, the procedure would have to be expanded to a partial hepatectomy.

A liver resection!

For a single stone.

There was no helping it. There weren't many patients like this, but there were certainly not a few. In the days before minimally invasive treatment, this was how it was done. Although removing part of the liver was drastic, it ensured the patient’s survival, which was enough.

Without enough system training time, Luo Hao had to rely on the normal passage of time to figure it out bit by bit. A day later, he discovered a hybrid surgical technique: laparoscopic common bile duct exploration combined with laparoscopic choledochoscopy and holmium laser intrahepatic lithotripsy. After a few attempts, Luo Hao confirmed that this procedure could preserve the patient’s liver.

Wang Guohua was already preparing for open surgery. Luo Hao didn't want to clash with him directly, so he went to the Medical Affairs Office to find Lin Yuming. Holmium laser lithotripsy required special equipment; Luo Hao called Manager Yin and then prepared to report to his uncle, Lin Yuming.

*Knock, knock, knock~*

Just as Luo Hao knocked, the door to the Medical Affairs Office flew open, and Lin Yuming rushed out. He strode so fast it was as if his house were on fire, nearly colliding with Luo Hao.

"Director Lin, I have..."

"Talk while we walk." Lin Yuming didn't have a second to spare. He seemed to think walking was too slow and broke into a trot, leaving Luo Hao with no choice but to follow.

"Director Lin, where are you going?" Luo Hao asked.

"To snatch some eggs!"

"!!!"

Luo Hao quickened his pace, following behind Lin Yuming, not daring to say another word.

In recent years, albumin had become increasingly scarce, yet the clinical demand remained high. Many doctors knew that a few doses would lead to a patient’s rapid recovery, but they couldn't make bricks without straw. If the hospital didn't have it, what could they do? Often, due to a lack of stock, doctors had to tell the families to buy it themselves, which led to a host of other problems.

To be fair, the pharmaceutical companies weren't completely out of stock; it was just extremely limited. Every time a shipment arrived, they had to beg and plead—or even "snatch"—to get any. Lin Yuming once joked that he felt like the elderly people queuing at supermarket entrances for free eggs, except he was fighting for albumin.

Once in the car, Lin Yuming leaned on the horn and turned on the hazard lights, signaling everyone that he had an emergency. He drove with the pedal to the metal all the way to the municipal pharmaceutical company.

Luo Hao didn't bring up his own matter, simply following along to "snatch the eggs." Arriving at the pharmaceutical company, Lin Yuming strode upstairs and pushed open the manager’s door.

"Luan! I heard you got a shipment of albumin! I want three cases!" Lin Yuming demanded without preamble.

A man as thin as a reed was startled. Seeing it was Lin Yuming, he stood up to greet him. "Director Lin, your nose is better than a dog's. We haven't even finished unloading the shipment and you're already here."

"Cut the crap. If I wait for you to finish unloading, three or five days will pass, and the patients at the Mining Hospital will all be dead."

Luo Hao felt a twinge of regret for Lin Yuming’s dramatic flair.

"Luan, hurry up! Don't you dare try to hike the price on us. Let me tell you, when your sister-in-law came to me for that ovarian cyst puncture, Dr. Liu from the Medical University didn't charge you a cent in expert fees."

"..." Manager Luan looked awkward.

"Let’s not talk about that. Give me three cases of albumin and I’ll leave immediately. I won't ask for the rest."

Manager Luan looked constipated. "Director Lin, we only got four cases in total, and you're asking for three right off the bat."

"Our Mining Hospital is the biggest user in Donglian City; I’d take them all if I could." Lin Yuming’s emotions were high, his voice growing louder.

Luo Hao had accompanied his uncle on these "egg-snatching" missions before and knew he was acting. His uncle’s acting skills were masterful—he looked genuinely furious, as if he would fight to the death if he didn't get the albumin. But the moment he walked out that door, he would return to normal. Sometimes, if you didn't show intense emotion, you couldn't get anything done, especially with "short-supply" materials like albumin.

*Acting is truly useful,* Luo Hao thought, glancing at the passive skill he’d received from a system draw.

Within minutes, Lin Yuming began listing the favors he’d done for the pharmaceutical company over the years, from top to bottom. Manager Luan couldn't take it and finally surrendered. Everyone knew that the reason Lin Yuming was so bold was because he held the high-end resources of Donglian City. Especially since Luo Hao started connecting them with the capital, Lin Yuming’s spine had stiffened considerably.

"Old Lin, why do you have to be like this? It's official business, why do you have to make such a fuss?" Manager Luan sighed after agreeing.

"That’s just my temper, Luan. Bear with me." Having succeeded, Lin Yuming was in a great mood. The two walked out with their arms around each other, acting like brothers, and Manager Luan personally saw him downstairs.

Back in the car, Lin Yuming waved goodbye.

"Bunch of bastards," Lin Yuming cursed as he drove away.

"Haha, Uncle, snatching these eggs is essentially cutting into their profit margins," Luo Hao said.

"What else can I do? If I don't come, no one else can get it..." Lin Yuming glanced at Luo Hao. "You should try it next time."

Luo Hao knew very well that the high-end medical resources he possessed were extremely scarce for the middle-management in Donglian City.

"By the way, what did you want to see me about?" With the eggs secured, Lin Yuming was no longer in a rush and asked leisurely.

Luo Hao explained the condition of the patient involved in the medical dispute. "Uncle, the basket catheter extraction won't work. We need laparoscopic incision and intrahepatic laser lithotripsy."

"Laser lithotripsy? Can we use the equipment from Urology?"

Urology was the primary user of lithotripsy equipment, and Lin Yuming thought of them immediately.

"No, we need specialized equipment for intrahepatic holmium laser lithotripsy."

"!!!"

Lin Yuming looked at Luo Hao as if he were an idiot.

"Uncle, I’ll find the equipment. What’s the most convenient way to handle the process?"

"None of it is convenient. Do you think the hospital is your family’s? Even if you have the money, getting equipment into the hospital requires a series of procedures. It wouldn't take less than half a year."

Luo Hao frowned in thought.

"Ten years ago, manufacturers would use the excuse of a 'trial' to promote equipment," Lin Yuming said. "That doesn't work anymore. Little Luo, you really have no sense of reality. A basket catheter costs a few thousand—that's peanuts; they might give it to you for free out of respect for your teacher. But do you really think you're that big of a deal? That lithotripsy equipment must cost millions. You really dare to dream."

"Uncle, is there any other way?" Luo Hao ignored the mockery and pressed on.

"If we can't do it here, we can send the patient to the Medical University," Lin Yuming mused. "The Mining Hospital can waive the hospitalization fees, and we can waive the ambulance fee. But I can't call the shots at the Medical University; I can only talk to the relevant doctors and try to minimize the costs."

"Even though this isn't really Wen Youren's fault—he’s just purely incompetent and can't be blamed for everything—it’s still a medical dispute. As for..."

"Uncle," Luo Hao interrupted softly.

"Hmm?"

"I mean, if I can get the equipment, what procedures do I need to get it into the hospital?"

"!!!" Lin Yuming froze. He kept his hands on the steering wheel, glanced at Luo Hao, and then focused back on the road.

As an experienced driver, Lin Yuming only drove at the speed limit when "snatching eggs." Now that the mission was accomplished, he was barely doing 60 on an 80-mph road.

"Little Luo, you really think you're something," Lin Yuming said with disdain. "Do you think just because you know a manufacturer's sales rep and they gave you a few baskets for your teacher, you're invincible? I just told you this—how did you manage to treat my words like wind?"

Luo Hao smiled honestly, not daring to argue.

"I don't know the exact price, but lithotripsy equipment is at least a million. Such a huge sum of money, and they'll just give it to you? Your teacher might have that kind of pull, but you certainly don't. You need to know your place!" Lin Yuming repeated the "key point."

"Uncle, assuming I *could* get the equipment, is there really no way to get it into the hospital?" Luo Hao persisted.

"You'd have to go through a charitable donation, and even then, you'd need someone powerful in the city to speak up to shorten the process."

"Can I use the person I contacted for that bypass surgery?"

"Well, you could..." Lin Yuming started, then realized what he was saying. "Stop dreaming. If you aren't convinced, go handle the manufacturer first. If you can do that, you won't need to worry about the rest."

Lin Yuming’s tone had turned sour; he strongly disapproved of Luo Hao’s delusions. In his view, Luo Hao was just a young man getting too big for his boots. Because of his teacher—a big shot in medical consumables—the "respect" shown to Luo Hao had led the boy to misjudge his own position. This kind of misjudgment was fatal.

When Luo Hao first arrived at the Mining Hospital, Lin Yuming had been afraid he would use his name to throw his weight around. But over the last two years, Luo Hao had been fine. Why was he acting like this now?

Lost in thought, Lin Yuming’s train of thought was interrupted by Luo Hao.

"Uncle, then I’ll ask Manager Nie."

"Ask what?"

"What if it works?" Luo Hao stated honestly and naively.

His tone was as casual as mentioning eating a meat bun for breakfast; there wasn't a hint of "what if" in his voice, only absolute certainty.

A dark cloud gathered in Lin Yuming’s mind. It seemed he needed to teach Little Luo a lesson soon and make him tone it down. But then again, youthful arrogance was to be expected—if you aren't arrogant when you're young, when will you be? Lin Yuming subconsciously tried to find excuses for Luo Hao.

Back at the hospital, Lin Yuming had countless things to deal with and instantly forgot about the so-called "Manager Nie." A million-dollar piece of equipment, just given away? What a joke. Did he really think capitalists weren't bloodthirsty? Their scythes were sharpened daily, and they were ruthless when it came to reaping the harvest.

Busy until he got off work, Lin Yuming dragged his exhausted legs, his throat parched, his phone nearly dead, as he returned to the administration building. The Director of Medical Affairs sounded prestigious, but the work was too trivial and too complex—it was truly not a job for a human.

At the corner, Lin Yuming saw several people standing in front of his office. His head throbbed. Which department’s patient family was complaining now? Lin Yuming felt life was meaningless. *Just destroy me.*

Lin Yuming walked over with his head down, deliberately ignoring the "family members." His throat was bone-dry from talking all day; all he wanted was to sit in his office and drink some water from his enamel mug.

"Director Lin, hello, we meet again," a magnetic voice said.

*Huh?* So familiar.

Hearing the voice, the scene from the dressing room outside the gastrointestinal endoscopy suite a few days ago flashed through Lin Yuming’s mind.

It was Manager Nie from Southern Minimally Invasive!

Lin Yuming was surprised, but he instantly suppressed any shock or astonishment. "Manager Nie? What are you doing here?"

"Dr. Luo mentioned that you need laser lithotripsy equipment here, so I caught the earliest flight."

"!!!"

*Holy crap!*

A thousand alpacas stampeded through Lin Yuming’s mind, and each one spat on him. What was going on?!

"Director Lin, I don't know if your hospital has gone through similar procedures before, so I’ve prepared some documents for you to look over. We don't often do things like this and aren't familiar with the specific situation at Mining Hospital, so please advise us if there are any issues."

Manager Nie spoke with dignity, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

"Come in and talk."

After entering the room, Lin Yuming boiled some water, poured a cup for Manager Nie, and then filled his own enamel mug. He held it with both hands, took a satisfied sip, and drank in silence while listening to Manager Nie explain the various ways to donate products for free.

*There must be one that suits the Mining Hospital.*

Lin Yuming wore a warm, pleasant smile, but his heart was in a storm of shock. He had thought Little Luo couldn't possibly do it—that it was all a delusion. But! After Little Luo had contacted him through some unknown means, Manager Nie of Southern Minimally Invasive had flown thousands of miles in just a few hours, bringing several models of equipment.

The implications were too rich; Lin Yuming felt a bit confused and overwhelmed. According to Manager Nie, this was equipment worth over a million yuan! And he was just giving it away?! This wasn't a queue for free eggs; this was a million-dollar piece of gear!

Moreover, Manager Nie looked elegant and composed, but Lin Yuming could sense the underlying anxiety—the fear that the hospital wouldn't accept the free equipment.

*What the hell!*

Giving away a million-dollar piece of equipment and worrying they wouldn't take it!!

Ten minutes later, Lin Yuming’s mood finally settled—at least enough not to affect his judgment. He asked Manager Nie about any strings attached and the obligations the hospital would have upon receiving it. Finally, Lin Yuming was stunned to find that the other party was truly there to do "charity."

*When did capitalists become so generous?!*

*Is it trendy these days for mice to be bridesmaids for cats?*

*This is truly insane!*

...

Luo Hao had simply made a call to Manager Yin and Manager Nie, and put the matter aside.

For a doctor, "off the clock" meant nothing. Luo Hao was still writing medical records, but his attention shifted to Chen Yong. He had ordered milk tea for the doctors and nurses on duty; Chen Yong had ordered an iced Americano, looking like he was preparing for a long haul to finish all his charts.

But after Chen Yong took a call, he put down his work with a helpless expression and prepared to leave. He hesitated for a long time before coming over to Luo Hao.

"Luo Hao, do me a favor."

"Hmm?"

Chen Yong looked embarrassed, spread his hands, and sighed.