Chapter 11: Buying a Condom

"What? A foreign object in the esophagus?" Upon hearing this, Jin Mingcheng’s expression shifted slightly as he hurriedly rushed out.

A foreign object lodged in the esophagus is an extremely dangerous situation.

Generally, when a foreign object of considerable size becomes stuck in the esophagus, it can press against the trachea, causing a suffocating sensation.

If rescue is not prompt, the patient will inevitably die from asphyxiation.

Jin Mingcheng quickened his pace while continuing to inquire, "What kind of object is it?"

“It’s a soda bottle cap,” the nurse on the phone explained swiftly.

Upon hearing this, Jin Mingcheng slowed down somewhat.

“Is the patient currently experiencing suffocation?” A strange look crossed his face.

“Not yet. The soda cap has threads around its edge, allowing the patient to still breathe," the nurse explained.

Jin Mingcheng nodded slowly.

That meant the foreign object in the esophagus was not immediately life-threatening.

He turned to look at Gu Tao, who was trailing behind, still anxious after being caught by the mayor taking credit for someone else’s work.

But where exactly had he slipped up to be exposed?

Jin Mingcheng’s first thought went to Fang Zhiyan, whom he had threatened earlier.

When he spoke to Fang, the latter showed no nervousness, hardly like a new intern.

Could it be that he was sabotaging things from within?

If that were the case, the traditional Chinese medicine hospital could not keep him.

If the mayor asked about this in the hospital, Fang Zhiyan would be a ticking time bomb. Jin Mingcheng needed to find an excuse to get rid of him.

Thinking back to the patient with the foreign object, Jin Mingcheng decisively spoke into the phone, “No, I cannot handle this for now.”

“I have a seventy-five-year-old man needing emergency care for acute left heart failure. The situation is critical.”

“Here’s what you do: call the new intern doctor to manage it.”

“What?” The nurse on the other end was astonished.

Let an intern doctor handle a foreign object in the esophagus?

Though it wasn’t life-threatening at the moment, Fang Zhiyan was still just an intern—what could he possibly do?

“Director!” The nurse tried to protest, but Jin Mingcheng cut the call abruptly.

He returned to his office, anxiously glancing at his watch.

“Director, aren’t we going to see the patient?” Gu Tao asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry, the patient won’t die. We’ll go in ten minutes.”

---

Jin Mingcheng frowned, his mind racing.

With Fang Zhiyan’s abilities, he certainly wouldn’t be able to solve the foreign object issue.

So, Fang would be stuck, unable to help, and might even face complaints from the patient.

After ten minutes, Jin Mingcheng would personally attend to the patient, and at the same time, pick apart Fang Zhiyan’s mistakes.

Meanwhile, the nurse who had been cut off called Fang Zhiyan, informing him of the patient’s situation.

Fang Zhiyan was surprised—not because of the patient’s condition, but that he was actually being allowed to handle the case alone.

Though unsure why, out of responsibility, Fang hurried over.

Outside the emergency room, Nurse Shen Qingyue paced anxiously.

When Fang Zhiyan appeared, she quickly waved him over.

“Over here.”

“Sister Qingyue, how is the patient?”

“A foreign object in the esophagus—a soda bottle cap is stuck. The patient feels the object but isn’t suffocating yet, so no immediate danger.”

Shen Qingyue led the way, explaining as they walked.

Fang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow.

A foreign object in the esophagus? A soda cap?

In his previous life, this would have been an easy case.

But in the early twentieth century, it was a serious problem.

If lucky and the cap was plastic, it might pass through the esophagus, soften from stomach acid, and be expelled naturally.

But if it was firmly lodged, it could damage the esophageal mucosa.

The object could pierce through the mucosa into the muscular layer or even the entire esophageal wall.

In such cases, only open-chest surgery could remove the object.

It was a truly difficult situation.

Fang Zhiyan understood this well, and Shen Qingyue, with some experience, looked at him helplessly.

She didn’t expect him to act immediately, just hoped the director would finish treating the other patient soon and come to take over.

Fang Zhiyan quickly entered the emergency room and examined the patient carefully.

“Doctor, please help! My brother swallowed a soda bottle cap,” the patient’s relative pleaded.

That voice sounded oddly familiar.

Fang Zhiyan looked up in surprise, and the patient’s relative also showed shock.

They spoke simultaneously.

“Teacher Xu?”

“Fang Zhiyan?”

Nurse Shen Qingyue glanced between them, realizing they knew each other.

“Teacher Shen, is this your brother?” Fang Zhiyan asked, astonished.

Xu Qiushuang was equally surprised. “Yes, my brother accidentally swallowed a soda cap.”

“By the way, I didn’t know you were a doctor.”

Xu Qiushuang marveled. She had always thought Fang Zhiyan’s family was humble, assuming he was just an ordinary worker.

She never expected he was an emergency doctor at the traditional Chinese medicine hospital.

“Mm,” Fang Zhiyan nodded, but now was not the time for catching up.

He turned to Shen Qingyue for confirmation. “Did the director really assign me to this patient?”

“Yes, the director is currently treating a patient with acute left heart failure and should be here later.”

“If you’re unsure, wait for the director to arrive,” Shen Qingyue suggested.

Before she could finish, Fang Zhiyan waved her off.

“No need to make it complicated. The director isn’t necessary.”

For others, this was a complex and difficult problem.

But for Fang Zhiyan, with his surgical expertise from a previous life, handling this was simple.

It wasn’t some superhuman ability—medical progress over decades made a vast difference.

In the early twentieth century, very few performed gastroscopic foreign body removals, especially in a fourth-tier city like Jiang’an.

Fang Zhiyan quickly instructed the patient to get an X-ray, then headed to the gastroscopy room.

It was not yet closing time. The gastroscopy unit, part of the gastroenterology department, only operated during the day.

Fortunately, the attending doctor was still there and agreed to let Fang Zhiyan use the gastroscope.

Shortly after, Xu Qiushuang arrived with her brother and the X-ray images.

Fang Zhiyan examined the films carefully, then hesitated before saying, “Teacher Xu, could you please go buy a condom?”