Reborn in 1977

Chapter 565 Treatment

Wild Game Restaurant, second floor, private room.

Director Yang picked up the wine bottle and poured, finally shaking it vigorously, only to see a drop of exquisite nectar fall into the seven-tenths full glass.

He regretfully put down the wine bottle, "It's gone."

Chen Fan immediately stood up, "It's okay, I'll go get another bottle."

"Forget it, forget it, forget it."

Director Yang quickly pulled him back and pressed him into the chair, "Can't afford it, really can't afford it!"

A full table of dishes, even though they had already eaten their fill, still had more than half left. The wine was drunk, the dishes were eaten, and Director Yang felt his heart ache for three years. This meal was seriously over budget and could not be reimbursed. He would have to pay for it himself, and a month's salary would not be enough. A big loss!

In the future, he must never invite this kid to dinner again, or at least not let him choose the restaurant!

At this time, the driver, who had been asleep, also woke up in time and took Director Yang's briefcase to pay the bill.

When he came back, he also brought several lunch boxes to pack up the remaining dishes.

They certainly couldn't take the leftovers, so they could only give them to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan, carrying the mesh bag with the lunch boxes, followed Director Yang and walked out, asking, "Are this year's graduates not yet fully assigned?"

Director Yang had said earlier that one of the purposes of coming to the provincial capital this time was to ask the higher authorities for staffing quotas.

In this era, every unit was like a radish in a pit. Temporary workers were one thing, but all formal positions, including worker positions, administrative positions, and cadre positions, were subject to the higher authorities' approval of the number of people.

Units could be "understaffed", that is, leave positions vacant, but they could not be "overstaffed", because the higher authorities would not recognize the salaries and benefits of overstaffed positions, and they could not use the excuse of temporary workers to deceive, because giving people high salaries for no reason would not pass the financial hurdle.

Therefore, if Yunqi Factory wanted to add more people, it had to go to the staffing department of the Mechanical and Electrical Industry Bureau to ask for staffing quotas. Without staffing quotas, nothing could be discussed.

Yunhu Automobile Factory was considered good in that it only needed to come to the provincial capital. If it were replaced by a ministry-affiliated unit like Jiangnan University, getting a staffing quota would require a trip to the capital, which was extremely troublesome.

Director Yang was already somewhat drunk, staggering as he walked, humming twice and saying, "This year was only the first year of the resumption of the college entrance examination. Seventy to eighty percent of the students in the universities and technical colleges now have a 'source'. They come from somewhere, and they have to go back to somewhere.

Only a small number come from school recommendations, and those who can get recommendations basically have their own connections and backgrounds. They don't have to wait until graduation; their units are determined early on."

Hearing this, Chen Fan nodded in agreement.

Wasn't his own little secretary like this? She was directly assigned to the Writers Association. As long as she didn't have too much ambition, she could stay there steadily until retirement. The benefits were high, and everyone looked up to her!

A proper connected person.

It was just that her work attitude and ability were still okay, considered a "high-quality" connected person.

Director Yang was still saying, "However, even though the destination is set, as long as the person hasn't reported for duty, the assigned unit can be adjusted. Furthermore, it's not just university and technical college students; I also want skilled technicians, technicians, engineers, and workshop cadres!"

As he spoke, he perked up, raising his forehead high, "Although our Yunhu Automobile Factory isn't in the provincial capital, it's not too far away. Taking a bus during the day only takes six or seven hours at most, and taking a boat at night only takes one night. It's also a unit recognized by the ministry, and the future is visible to the naked eye.

When I release this news and show off the benefits, do you believe that there will be many people asking to transfer units? Maybe we can even attract engineers from Jiangnan Automobile Factory. Anyway, they are just muddling through in the factory, so it's better to come to Yunqi Factory to shine.

Of course, the key is still relying on the Mechanical and Electrical Industry Bureau to allocate. We used to be a small third-tier factory, but now we have become a 'favorite son'. We should get some family property, hahaha."

Every time Chen Fan traveled between the provincial capital and Yunhu, it only took about four hours, that was when he drove himself. If he took a long-distance bus, five hours was considered fast. Under normal circumstances, it should take about six hours, and seven hours was not too late.

If it rained or snowed… then forget about the time, just be glad to arrive!

However, for the workers now, this distance was indeed very close.

If there was a transfer order from above, let alone a distance of six or seven hours, even six or seven days would require packing up and setting off immediately.

For example, when Wuhan Iron and Steel was being built, Anshan Iron and Steel sent 2,900 people at once, nearly 300 of whom were grade 7 and grade 8 workers. Anshan Iron and Steel sent out a total of 125,000 people, supporting more than 300 units across the country. It could be said that all the old steel plants across the country had people who spoke the Anshan dialect.

"The eldest son of the Republic's steel industry" was not only enjoying the benefits, but also paying a lot.

Concentrating people to support the production of new factories was the old tradition of human resource allocation in this era. If Yunhu Automobile Factory wanted to start mass production as soon as possible, it really couldn't do without the support of the Mechanical and Electrical Industry Bureau.

The question was, how many people could Director Yang "cry" for?

…

After sending Director Yang and the others to the Mechanical and Electrical Industry Bureau's guest house, Chen Fan turned the car around and returned to the unit.

He still had six boxes of wild game delicacies, and he had to find someone to share them with.

Although he could finish them all by himself, ever since he practiced the Taoist exercises given by Master Zhang, his need for food had gradually decreased. Now he only needed to eat normally like ordinary people. Since that was the case, there was no need to force himself.

It just so happened that he had borrowed the strength of Uncle Xiang, the gatekeeper, today. Although it was for the collective good, the pit was dug by himself, so he still had to acknowledge this favor.

He would invite him to a meal. … It wasn't that he deliberately invited people to eat leftovers, it was mainly that making it too formal might not be accepted by the old man. Moreover, people now didn't care about this, they only looked at whether the dishes were good or not. Meat was a good dish, let alone so much wild game, which was more expensive than a large table of ordinary banquets. Taking it out would definitely not be embarrassing.

Parking the car at the entrance, Chen Fan walked into the guard room with the lunch boxes in hand, lifted them up and shook them, laughing, "Uncle Xiang, look what this is."

Uncle Xiang was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. Seeing Chen Fan come in with a mesh bag containing lunch boxes, he immediately took off his reading glasses, looked at him, and asked, "What is it?"

As he spoke, he twitched his nose, took a deep breath, and frowned slightly, "It smells like wild game?"

Chen Fan gave a thumbs up, "Good job, it's indeed from the wild game restaurant, and it's from the second floor."

Saying that, he put the lunch boxes on the table, pulled up a chair and sat down, taking out a cigarette and handing it over.

Uncle Xiang took the cigarette, frowning even more, looked at him and asked, "The person who came to find you earlier, did he invite you to eat? Public funds?"

Chen Fan leaned back, "Uncle Xiang, do you still want to be a people's supervisor?"

Uncle Xiang hummed twice, put his glasses back on, shook the newspaper, and said unhappily, "Mr. Li said countless times in the past that the masses should be good supervisors and oppose all unhealthy tendencies."

Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly, "That's Secretary Yang from Yunhu Automobile Factory. I designed their factory's cars, and he is also my elder, so this meal was a private invitation from him. Besides, without a suitable reason, no unit can reimburse so much money. You certainly know the price of wild game restaurants, more than two hundred for a table of dishes."

Uncle Xiang moved his gaze away from the newspaper, lowered his head, and looked at him through the gap above his glasses, "Really?"

Chen Fan's face collapsed, "They came to the provincial capital on official business, and it's inconvenient to carry the leftovers, so I took them. Originally, I wanted to heat up the leftovers and have a drink with you, to thank you for solving the big problem of the hospital for the unit's dormitory. Since you don't believe me, then forget it, I'll take it home and eat it myself!"

After saying that, he was about to take the mesh bag.

Uncle Xiang quickly threw away the newspaper, grabbed the lunch boxes with both hands, grinned and said, "You take it home? Don't think I don't know, you live in the guest house every day, where would you get a stove to heat it up?"

Then he got up and walked to the corner, "Fortunately, I have a coal stove here, and a big casserole. Let's have a stew, and then add some potatoes, fragrant."

Chen Fan grinned and smiled, "Okay, then what, I'll go get a bottle of wine, we'll drink it here, and it won't delay your work."

Uncle Xiang was busy, and turned his head and said, "Get a bottle of wine? Where are you going to get it? Are you going to sneak into Chairman He's office again?"

Chen Fan immediately sternly denied, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

Uncle Xiang rinsed a large casserole with water, opened the lunch boxes and poured them in, smiling and asking, "Then where are you going to get it?"

Chen Fan coughed dryly, "Sister Xu is in charge of external receptions, she should have some there."

Uncle Xiang gave a disdainful "tsk", turned his head and continued to pour the dishes, "I knew you little brat had no good intentions."

Then, he pointed to the table under the windowsill, "There are two bottles of Xifeng liquor in the cabinet below. We'll drink that later."

Chen Fan bent down to look and pulled open the cabinet door below. There were far more than just two bottles of Xifeng liquor inside. There was Lao Baigan, Erguotou, Hanfen liquor, Liantang sorghum liquor... There were even two bottles of Yunhu Daqu. Altogether, there were more than a dozen bottles of various types of white liquor.

He couldn't help but turn his head and ask, "Uncle Xiang, do other people collect stamps, and you collect liquor?"

Uncle Xiang poured all the vegetables into the pot, placed the casserole on the coal stove, opened the stove door, turned around, took out a few potatoes from a cloth bag, and picked up a knife to peel them.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, he laughed without turning his head, "Collect liquor? These were all brought over by a few old comrades, or colleagues from their work units, who asked people to bring them when they came to handle matters. They're from different places all over the country, so the liquor they sent is all kinds. I've already drunk a lot of it, and these are all that's left."

Slowly peeling the potatoes, he turned his head and glanced at Chen Fan, smiling, "If you want to drink, take whatever you want."

Saying that, he pointed to the large casserole on the coal stove, "This pot of vegetables is much more valuable than those bottles of liquor."

Chen Fan took out two bottles of Xifeng liquor, which was also the most expensive liquor in the cabinet, and said with a smile, "I wouldn't dare take the liquor from your cabinet. This isn't just liquor; it's full of your comrades' friendship."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Xiang nodded sharply, "Yes, I like hearing that. Back then, we went through life and death together and were lucky enough to survive the battlefield. That relationship is even closer than blood brothers..."

Saying that, he started telling stories about the battlefield, just like Captain Xiao, Master Zhang, and Master Lin. He was so animated and passionate, it was truly inspiring.

Chen Fan listened very carefully, occasionally chiming in with a few words, which made the old man even more excited.

At the same time, he was also observing Uncle Xiang's complexion.

He Qingsheng had said in the morning that Uncle Xiang still had a few shrapnel pieces in his body, and now it seemed that they did indeed have a significant impact on his health.

After Uncle Xiang finished telling a story, Chen Fan complimented him as usual, then suddenly changed the subject, "I heard that you still have a few pieces of shrapnel in your body that haven't been removed?"

Uncle Xiang was stunned for a moment, then pointed to his body and laughed, "Chairman He told you, right? There are still four pieces, all small, not even as big as a fingernail. The doctor said they're pressing on nerves, so it's not easy to remove them. If it's done well, it's fine, but the one on my back is pressing on my spine, and there's a chance of paralysis if it's not done right, so I left them alone."

As he spoke, he swung his arms and laughed, "Anyway, it doesn't affect my movement, so I just let it be."

"What the doctor said makes sense. Since it involves the nervous system, you do need to be careful."

Chen Fan smiled, "I'm also a doctor. How about I take a look at it for you?"

Don't let the old man's relaxed words fool you; if it really had no effect, he wouldn't have shown a painful expression multiple times just now.

How could it not be uncomfortable to carry shrapnel in your body? It's just that the old man can endure it. If possible, he naturally wanted to relieve this veteran's pain.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Xiang didn't hesitate and laughed, "Sure, I've heard that your medical skills are good for a long time. Take a look, then."

Saying that, he stood up, "How do you want to look?"

Chen Fan also stood up and asked, "Do you remember where the shrapnel is?"

Uncle Xiang pointed to his back, "There are three pieces on my back, all near the spine."

Then he pointed to his chest, "There's also one near my heart."

Chen Fan's eyes twitched slightly. Goodness, they were all in dangerous areas. No wonder he didn't dare to remove them.

Without saying much, he walked over and placed his hand on the area Uncle Xiang pointed to, gently pressing down with his fingers.

Chen Fan's medical skills were naturally beyond question. When he treated Jiang Tiantian, several old physicians from Fudan were all convinced of his superiority. Pulse diagnosis was definitely not a problem.

On the other hand, he was also a master of internal force. Especially after practicing Taoist techniques, his control over energy was even more meticulous.

His fingers gently pressed on his back, quickly locating the position of the three pieces of shrapnel through the tremor of the muscles. After a few seconds, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

After a while, he examined his chest again.

After the examination, Uncle Xiang smiled calmly and asked, "How is it? Can you treat it?"

Chen Fan raised his head and said seriously, "I can treat it, and it must be treated."

Uncle Xiang was stunned for a moment and asked, "Must be treated?"

Chen Fan nodded, "The position of the shrapnel is already close to the spine. If it's not removed, there's a risk of paralysis at any time. On the other hand, the shrapnel near the heart shows signs of moving away, which is convenient for removing them together."

Uncle Xiang felt a little confused, "When I had the examination done, they took an X-ray with a machine. You can feel it just by touching it?"

China introduced the first X-ray machine from Germany as early as the end of the 19th century. In 1952, the Shanghai Precision Medical Equipment Factory, formerly the Second Equipment Factory of the East China Industrial Department, developed the first domestically produced 200mA medical X-ray machine and installed it in Zhongshan Hospital for trial use.

So, in this era, some medical devices that are common in later generations have been widely used in major hospitals.

Uncle Xiang, as an injured veteran at the time, was naturally the object of key care, so it was not surprising that he had an X-ray taken.

Chen Fan looked at him and said, "If you don't believe me, it's best to go to the hospital for a re-examination today and see if what I said is correct."

Uncle Xiang pondered for two seconds, then suddenly raised his head and smiled, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go to the hospital for an examination tomorrow."

He looked back at the fragrant casserole, "We can't waste such good food. Everything else can wait until tomorrow."

Chen Fan laughed, "Okay, it doesn't matter if it's a little later. Moreover, before the surgery, I have to condition your body first, otherwise the risk is too great, and it's not easy to start."

Uncle Xiang looked at him curiously, "How do you condition it?"

Chen Fan took out a thin cotton cloth package from his pocket, placed it on the table, and spread it open, smiling, "It's very simple, acupuncture."

Uncle Xiang blinked, looked at the dense silver needles in the needle bag, and without saying a word, took off his undershirt, "Go ahead and stick them in."

Chen Fan didn't hesitate, picked up a filiform needle, and slowly inserted it into his back.

He didn't use many needles this time, only three, but it took a full half an hour.

When manipulating the needles, he also had to use internal force to push the shrapnel pressing on the spine outward through the filiform needles. This kind of needling must be done very carefully. Even the slightest mistake can affect the main nerve of the spine. It was only because Chen Fan was highly skilled and bold, relying on his subtle internal force, that he dared to perform the needling. It is estimated that no other ordinary doctor would dare to do it.

After the needling was completed, Chen Fan pulled the needles out, and Uncle Xiang couldn't help but stand up and move around a few times, his face full of surprise, "Hey? Hey? It doesn't hurt anymore?"

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "Not bad, not bad, your acupuncture is really amazing!"

Chen Fan put away the needles, exhaled a long breath, and shook his head, "This is only the first needling, so it feels better, but it's only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. You need at least a week of continuous needling to force the shrapnel away from the spine, create enough space for the surgery, and then perform the surgery to remove the shrapnel. That's the only way to achieve complete success."

Uncle Xiang put on his undershirt, smiling from ear to ear, "Okay, okay. You don't know, these few pieces of iron filings have been making me uncomfortable day and night, and I can't sleep well. I've seen many doctors before, but none of them had any solution. I didn't expect that you could make it stop hurting with just a few needles. Amazing! You're really amazing!"

He stood up and walked towards the coal stove, "The food is cooked just right, I must give you a good toast!"

Chen Fan quickly said, "That won't work. Starting today, you can't drink alcohol."

Uncle Xiang turned around, with a bit of surprise in his eyes, "But I used to feel more comfortable when I drank alcohol?"

Chen Fan patiently explained, "Before, there were no other treatment methods. Alcohol anesthesia can reduce the pain, and after drinking alcohol, the blood accelerates and the blood vessels expand, which increases the space for the shrapnel to move and reduces the pressure on the nerves, so you feel comfortable.

But this method is like drinking poison to quench thirst. The reason why the shrapnel is closer to the spine is because of drinking alcohol.

I just used acupuncture to separate the shrapnel from the spine. If you drink alcohol at this time, it is very likely that all previous efforts will be wasted. Therefore, before the surgery is successful and the wound heals, you can only stop drinking alcohol."

Uncle Xiang looked disappointed, "Is that so...?"

After a pause of two seconds, he shook his head regretfully, "Alright then."