Chapter 43: Celebrity Doctor?
"Mom, take one of these pills every day. In three days, your illness should be completely gone."
During dinner, Lin Mu brought out the elixirs he had refined the night before. Three thumb-sized, milky-white pills lay quietly in the bottle, looking perfectly round and smooth. He had refined five of these pills, but Lady Su’s condition only required three.
Moreover, his elixirs were not just for treating cancer. A single pill was potent enough to cure minor ailments and even ward off calamities!
"Lin Mu, what’s wrong with Mom?" Qin Luoli put down her chopsticks and asked worriedly.
The concern on her face was genuine. This woman is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, Lin Mu thought, nodding to himself before explaining, "It’s nothing serious. She’ll be fine after taking this medicine."
Lady Su, not wanting Qin Luoli to worry, took a pill and said, "Xiao Mu is right; it’s nothing serious. It’s normal for someone my age to have a few minor health issues."
"But this medicine... is it safe?" Qin Luoli poured a glass of water for Lady Su and asked cautiously.
"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I’ve been taking these for a while now," Lady Su said hurriedly. Although she didn’t know where Lin Mu had gotten the medicine, she was sure Xiao Mu would never harm her.
"Oh, that’s good then." After Lady Su took her pill, Qin Luoli said, "Mom, I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up in a few days. If you’re sick, you need to see a doctor, not just rely on medicine."
"Yes, yes, Luo Li is so filial," Lady Su said, her face filled with relief.
After the meal, Lady Su took Qin Luoli to the market. She said she wanted to buy some groceries and find someone to replace the window on the way. As Lady Su spoke, she muttered that the windows must have been broken by the strong winds last night.
Qin Luoli remembered what her mother-in-law had said earlier. A faint blush colored her cheeks, but she didn’t refuse.
As for Lin Mu, he was still exhausted from the previous night, so he stayed home to cultivate.
However, half an hour later, Lin Mu received a frantic call from a crying Qin Luoli, telling him that her mother-in-law had fainted.
"Lin Mu, come quickly! We’re at the hospital, and Mom’s been taken into the operating room. She still hasn’t come out," Qin Luoli said through her tears.
"Don’t panic! I’m on my way!"
Lin Mu rushed out of the house and headed for the hospital.
「The Hospital.」
Qin Luoli paced anxiously in the corridor, her face pale with worry and her eyes red as she glanced constantly toward the operating room.
The sound of footsteps approached. Lin Mu had arrived.
"What happened?" Lin Mu asked urgently. Everything had been fine. How could she have suddenly fainted and even ended up in the operating room?
Seeing Lin Mu, Qin Luoli finally felt her heart settle. Grasping his hand, she said, "I don’t know what happened. We were at the market picking out vegetables when Mom suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood and passed out. I was terrified, so I rushed her to the hospital."
"What did the hospital say?" Lin Mu’s brow furrowed. In theory, after taking the elixir I refined, Mom should have had some normal reactions, but nothing as severe as vomiting blood and passing out.
"The doctor said Mom’s condition is critical and she needs major surgery," Qin Luoli said, gripping Lin Mu’s hand, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Don’t panic yet. Mom will be fine. I’ll go in and have a look," Lin Mu reassured her, feeling even more bewildered.
He had checked her thoroughly. Besides the cancer, his mother had no other issues and certainly didn’t need surgery. He was sure the hospital’s diagnosis had to be wrong.
"But Mom is in surgery right now. How can you go in?" Qin Luoli asked.
"Who is the patient’s family?" At that moment, a nurse pushed open the operating room doors and came out.
"I am." Lin Mu strode over.
"Nurse, how is my mom?" Qin Luoli asked anxiously.
"The patient has an abdominal hemorrhage and needs thoracic surgery. But since she’s in the late stages of cancer, there might be other complications, so we need a family member to sign the consent form," the nurse said coldly.
"Would you hurry up and sign? You’re delaying Doctor Meng’s operation! Can you bear that responsibility?" the nurse snapped impatiently.
Hearing her words, Lin Mu’s expression turned icy. "Delaying your doctor’s operation? And you don’t care if the patient lives or dies?" he retorted, his voice chilling.
"Who said we don’t care? I’m telling you to sign quickly so we can proceed with the surgery! Stop causing trouble! If anything happens to the patient, it’ll be your responsibility, not the hospital’s!" the nurse shot back, her gaze filled with scorn.
Doctor Meng was the youngest and most skilled doctor in their hospital. Despite being a recent graduate, he was already the hospital’s most famous star doctor. Young, handsome, and with superb medical skills, not to mention his excellent family background, he was Prince Charming in the eyes of every woman on staff. It was even rumored that the famous Master Sun intended to take him on as a disciple. This guy in front of her couldn’t compare to Doctor Meng in any way, yet he dared to spout such nonsense. Of course, she was angry.
"Am I causing trouble?" Lin Mu said coldly. "You want to perform such a major operation without even having a clear understanding of the patient’s condition, and you think all you need is a signature from us?
"If the surgery fails, you can just use this form as an excuse to shirk all responsibility, can’t you?"
The nurse’s expression changed. While some hospitals might do that, Doctor Meng certainly wouldn’t!
"Are you going to sign or not? If you don’t, we won’t perform the surgery. You can transfer the patient to another hospital!" the nurse said, her temper flaring. "But I’m telling you, the patient is in critical condition right now, and only Doctor Meng can save her."
"I’m not signing this form. I’m going inside to see for myself!" Lin Mu said, moving toward the operating room door.
"You can’t go in!" the nurse shouted, blocking his path. "Don’t you know this is a sterile operating room? No unauthorized personnel are allowed inside."
Qin Luoli gently tugged on Lin Mu’s arm, signaling him not to be impulsive.
"What’s going on?"
As they stood in a standoff, a gentle voice came from within the operating room.
The young nurse’s eyes lit up. Stepping aside, she said, "Doctor Meng, this is the patient’s family. I asked them to sign the consent form, but not only did they refuse, they’re also questioning your medical skills."
The nurse launched into an embellished tale, belittling Lin Mu at every turn while heaping praise on Doctor Meng. "Doctor Meng, you have to tell them. You’re the best and most handsome doctor in our hospital. No one but you could perform this surgery," the nurse finished, gazing at Doctor Meng with stars in her eyes.
"You are the patient’s family?"
Doctor Meng took off his mask. He was indeed handsome, with the charming look of a pretty-boy pop idol.
"Our hospital has a policy: we will not perform any surgery without the family’s signed consent. However, the patient’s condition cannot wait," Doctor Meng said, his gaze sweeping over Lin Mu before landing on Qin Luoli. His eyes lit up.
"And you," he continued, looking back at Lin Mu. "This hospital isn’t your home. Even if you’re dissatisfied, you don’t get to shout in the hallways. Don’t you understand such basic common sense?" Doctor Meng looked at Lin Mu coolly, his tone patronizing.
The young nurse looked smug.
Qin Luoli’s expression turned grim.
"Basic common sense?" Lin Mu’s eyes were cold. "If you had any, you wouldn’t have administered anesthesia to a patient without their family’s consent!"