The higher your expectations, the greater your disappointment.
Lu Xuan eagerly waited for someone to visit the traditional medicine department, but even by the end of the day, not a single person showed up.
Forget about patients, even the staff from the Health Center barely visited the traditional medicine department. It was evident how unappreciated the traditional medicine department was here.
"Dr. Lu, it's the end of the shift."
It wasn't until a man in his fifties from the test department shouted toward the traditional medicine department that Lu Xuan realized it was time to clock out.
"This is no different from sitting on a cold bench."
Lu Xuan smiled wryly.
Everyone at the Health Center was quite nice; there weren't as many intricate relationships as in large hospitals, the competition wasn't as brutal, and it didn't involve fierce battles for positions.
But compared to the current situation, Lu Xuan would have preferred staying at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although the head of the department might have been tough, at least there would be opportunities to interact with patients, unlike now with not a single traditional medicine patient all day.
Moreover, at the District Hospital, there were one or two experienced veteran traditional medicine doctors who were kind and available for consultation. It wasn't like now, just sitting idly in the consultation room.
Lu Xuan finally understood why the director wanted him to transfer as soon as possible. If he stayed here much longer, his future would be quite bleak.
"Dr. Lu!"
The man's shout wasn't just for show, and quickly brought Lu Xuan back to reality. He shook his head with a wry smile, grabbed his bag, locked the door, and left the consultation room.
As soon as he came out, he saw a middle-aged man in his fifties waving at him from not far away.
Wang Youqing, the head of the test department, had been at the Health Center for decades.
"Dr. Wang."
Lu Xuan had just spoken when the other interrupted him, "What's with the 'Dr. Wang'? Just call me uncle, like everyone else."
Seeing the serious look on his face, Lu Xuan readily agreed, "Uncle."
"That's more like it."
Wang Youqing laughed heartily, slapping his thigh.
It was evident that Wang Youqing was a warm-hearted person with no hidden agendas.
But it wasn't surprising. Wang Youqing was older and naturally had fewer thoughts, unlike the younger ones like Lu Xuan with ambitions to move beyond the Health Center.
"By the way, do you need to accompany your girlfriend tonight? If not, how about we grab a drink at a nearby restaurant?" Wang Youqing winked at Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan couldn't help but laugh, "Uncle, I don't have a girlfriend."
Wang Youqing didn't believe him, and asked in surprise, "Lu, you must be kidding, right? A handsome young man like you, surely there are girls who like you?"
Lu Xuan was silent for a moment, then gave a sheepish smile, "Well, there might have been, but in college, I focused on learning skills so as not to waste time after coming out. I really didn't think about those things."
With a nod of agreement, Wang Youqing said, "Indeed, you need to study hard at school, especially as a medical student. If you don't learn real skills by graduation, you'll be harming yourself and others."
He then placed his hand on Lu Xuan's shoulder, "Since you don't have a girlfriend, you have no reason to refuse."
With no option, Lu Xuan had initially not planned to eat out, but seeing how enthusiastic the uncle was, he couldn't refuse and had to agree.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead, uncle."
"That's the spirit. There's a great Anhui cuisine restaurant nearby; I'll take you there to try it."
With a laugh, Wang Youqing led the way, and soon they arrived at a small restaurant called Li Family's Small Garden, just under two hundred meters across the road from the Health Center.
Even from the outside, Lu Xuan could see that quite a few people were inside, signaling good business.
Once inside, the owner, seemingly familiar with Wang Youqing, greeted him, "Old Wang, bringing a newcomer this time?"
With a smile, Wang Youqing replied, "Yes, a new doctor at our Health Center, a top student from Zhijiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He had some free time this evening, so I brought him to try your dishes."
"Sure, the usual?"
"I'll leave it to you."
"Alright then."
Before Lu Xuan could react, Wang Youqing had already paid the bill, much to his chagrin, as he had been thinking of finding an excuse to go to the bathroom and settle the bill. The uncle's swift action caught him off guard.
The owner seemed to notice Lu Xuan's thoughts and laughed, "Young man, don't try to argue with Old Wang. Whenever he brings someone here, he always pays first without hesitation."
With an awkward smile, Lu Xuan then joined Wang Youqing at an empty table.
Before long, four dishes were brought to the table.
Enjoying the delicious food, Wang Youqing took a sip of locally brewed sorghum wine, "Lu, how was your first day at the consultation?"
Putting down his chopsticks, Lu Xuan replied, "It was alright, the people at the Health Center are nice, but the traditional medicine department was slow, not a single patient all day."
Not surprised at all, Wang Youqing reassured him, "It's normal; the traditional medicine department here has been stagnant for a while, often ignored. And you know, even other departments, except for the pediatrics department, are pretty empty as well.
Plus, being so close to the City Ninth Hospital, unless there are special circumstances, people prefer going to the Ninth Hospital rather than our Health Center.