Chapter 147 - Agreed! (1/2)

Zhang Fan hurriedly spoke first, saying, ”I just have one simple request. Sir and Ma'am, please move to my new apartment that just got finished with its renovations! I shouldn't have been the one to say this, but I heard from Shao Hua that you didn't really want to move, so I take this opportunity to say it. Both of you are getting older, and we have the financial ability to take care of you. Please live comfortably while you can. I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't have the ability to take care of you. Besides, Shao Hua is your only daughter. You deserve to live in a new place.”

It was so silent after this that you could hear a needle drop!

After Zhang Fan said this, his status within the Shao Family was now solidified. Shao Hua's father would no longer be able to bully Zhang Fan every day in Chinese chess.

[Author's note: I don't know what it's like in other countries, but this is how it is in China. A fiancé would be like half a son. If this fiancé was capable and could take care of his fiancée's parents, then he would be treated as the head of the household. This wasn't something only in name! This was how things were in life. If you were considered to be the most reliable, it also typically meant that you had the heaviest responsibility!]

Originally, after Shao Hua talked to her mother about moving, she then told Zhang Fan that since a fiancé was different from a son, her parents felt really awkward about moving into his apartment. This was especially so for her father as he felt like he wouldn't be able to move into Zhang Fan's apartment, because it'd mean a loss of face.

Zhang Fan thus took today's opportunity to speak in an incredibly frank manner. Otherwise, this matter might really have to be set aside. Since Zhang Fan also had parents of his own, he could understand Shao Hua's feelings and why it was difficult for Shao Hua's parents.

Shao Hua's mother wasn't even able to react to Zhang Fan's words at first. He almost never spoke so directly. Typically, he seemed like the gentlemanly type. As for Shao Hua's father, he took a drink of wine from his wineglass and then exchanged glances with Shao Hua's mother. Things were different depending on whether Shao Hua was asking them or Zhang Fan was asking them.

If Shao Hua was the one asking them to move, her parents could easily find reasons or excuses to reject the request. However, this wouldn't do if Zhang Fan was the one making the request. Shao Hua's parents would need to give a clear answer to him on moving. They would also need to consider his feelings! Chinese society was so difficult to navigate! Relationships were so complex!

”We're getting old and becoming a burden to you. I truly don't feel good about this!” Shao Hua's father said.

”What do you mean? If you move there, I'll be able to eat Ma'am's cooking even while I'm working at the hospital. Go ahead and move! There are elevators at that apartment, after all. It's also a higher floor, which is good to live on.”

”Then…” Shao Hua's mother glanced at her husband. This was a major decision that would require his agreement. Zhang Fan was being incredibly direct, which was breaking typical Chinese etiquette, and likely making it difficult on Shao Hua's father. Was Shao Hua's father supposed to get angry? He wasn't, since Zhang Fan was offering to do something so nice. But, if he didn't get angry, what was he supposed to do about how forceful and direct Zhang Fan was acting today?

”Dad, you should move. Your always mention how your legs ache. Of course your legs would ache because we live on the fourth floor in this apartment and have to climb the stairs every day. All you have to do is go easy on Zhang Fan in Chinese chess in the future!” Shao Hua acted spoiled to her father. She also wanted her parents to move over to Zhang Fan's apartment. Besides, since Zhang Fan was directly making the request, it would really make him feel awkward if her father ended up rejecting the request.

Shao Hua's father took a big gulp of wine. Exhaling an alcoholic breath, he said, ”Fine, we'll move! My wife and I really thank you for your heartfelt intentions!”

Shao Hua instantly broke out into a big smile. She had been worried that her father would find it difficult to accept. Chinese men in the northwest would commonly be somewhat of male chauvinists. They would consider it as really losing face if they had to live in a son-in-law's home.

Although the apartment's renovations were complete, the apartment was still completely empty, with no furniture or anything else. Shao Hua's parents refused to take any money from Zhang Fan. They intended to use some of their savings accumulated over the years to buy new furniture!

If this apartment had been their own, they definitely would have purchased cheaper furniture, but since this apartment was Zhang Fan's, that wouldn't do. They had to buy better furniture for the sake of face! The furniture had to look good! Shao Hua would deal with buying the furniture, and Zhang Fan wouldn't need to worry about a thing!

On the next day, cardiothoracic Director Liu looked over the ruptured pulmonary bulla patient that Zhang Fan performed surgery on for an incredibly long period of time in silence. He found that the surgery had been performed perfectly and that the clipped locations were excellent.

At the end of the department's daily morning meeting, Director Liu announced to the other doctors, ”Last night, Doctor Zhang and Doctor Tang did an excellent job on performing an emergency surgery. Doctor Zhang's share of bonuses from our department will be equivalent to an attending physician's. I believe that nobody will have objections? Also, from now on, I'll be in charge of coming over for emergency surgeries for three nights per week, and Doctor Zhang will be in charge of coming over for four nights per week. Is that alright with you, Doctor Zhang?”

”Not a problem, it's what he deserves!” Tang Xiong agreed. The other doctors didn't say anything. They didn't dare to object to the director's order, as that would mean going against their boss. Zhang Fan also nodded in agreement.

Director Liu was highly fatigued. He was the only doctor in the department who was capable of independently performing cardiothoracic surgeries. At first, he had been really happy about this as this meant his income would be very high, but patients would always come, not caring about day or night, not caring if he was resting or not. Director Liu became stuck at the hospital seven days a week with very little rest time. Although his income was excellent, he really was becoming quite fatigued as this had gone on for several years already. Now that Zhang Fan had been temporarily rotated to his department, he immediately took this opportunity to give Zhang Fan some of his workload.

After the morning departmental meeting was over, it was now time to check up on the patients. ”Let's have Doctor Zhang lead you guys in checking up on the patients today. Tang Xiong, help me perform outpatient services. I'm a little tired today!”

Last night, Director Liu had a fun night out with friends and drank too much alcohol. He woke up this morning with a bad hangover, and was still suffering. Luckily, he found that Zhang Fan was highly skilled at cardiothoracic surgery, so he figured that it would be no problem at all to leave checking up on the patients to Zhang Fan.

After Zhang Fan checked up on the patients, he talked to the department's head nurse and had yesterday's ruptured pulmonary bulla patient transferred to a private patient room. There were very few patients in the cardiothoracic department, so there were many empty patient rooms, which meant it was easy to do. This would have been much more difficult to do in the bigger departments where all the patient rooms were forever full.

The majority of cardiothoracic patients in the department were patients with lung problems as patients with heart problems preferred to go to the better provincial hospital. The patients often had to rest on their beds with closed chest drainage systems attached to them, relying on gravity in order to create a pressure gradient by which air and fluid would leave the chest. Zhang Fan only gave the patients a cursory checkup. He was only a mere resident doctor who was here on rotation. He didn't dare to do too much which might offend the attending physicians!

The director was giving him face by letting him lead the checkups. The director could also not give him face by telling him to only write medical reports. Besides, records of the patient checkups needed to be kept. If the checkup was done by a resident doctor, but the doctor in charge of the patient was an attending physician, the hospital auditor would laugh to death! That was why Zhang Fan only hurriedly gave the patients a cursory checkup before beginning to deal with his own patient.

Giving face was a mutual process. Since Zhang Fan was giving face to the cardiothoracic department doctors, the doctors also gave him face. The director's actions only represented the director. The director also couldn't go too overboard, or he wouldn't be able to lead the department anymore.

Shao Hua was really delighted that her father had agreed to move. She took her parents out shopping for new electronics and furniture. They would need to purchase a new television and new refrigerator. Their television was really old, had a small screen, and was ridiculously heavy, while their refrigerator sounded as loud as a tractor in the middle of the night.

Shao Hua's mother had prepared 50,000 yuan for purchasing new electronics and furniture, but when she saw how Shao Hua was acting, it seemed that 50,000 yuan wouldn't be enough! Shao Hua's mother felt some pain as she said to her daughter, ”How about we pick some cheaper things instead? The ones you picked are a little expensive!”

”Let's just buy these! Zhang Fan is even willing to spend more than 100,000 yuan on an apartment for you, so we have to pick appropriate furniture that will fit the apartment. Just buy it!”