Li Jingsheng continued practicing vertical mattress sutures, and after previous research and practice, he had made significant progress.
He gradually grasped many key points of the technique.
His entire suturing movements were getting faster and faster. The fabric was repeatedly cut and sewn up by him.
Time was slowly passing by.
Concentrating on practicing vertical mattress sutures, Li Jingsheng didn't even notice a customer entering.
Li Jingsheng was finishing the last knotting of his suturing practice.
Looking at the effect of the suture on the fabric, it resembled a railway track, which is the basic feature of vertical mattress suturing, also known as railroad track marks.
Beginners, due to lack of skill and irregular operation, are most likely to create railroad track marks.
However, he was quite pleased.
Because this meant he had initially learned vertical mattress suturing.
"Dr. Li, Dr. Li..."
The incoming customer was an old acquaintance, with messy gray hair sticking to his scalp due to sweat, his tall and robust frame clothed in a dust-covered dark blue work uniform. Also soaked in sweat, it clung tightly to his sturdy body.
At that moment, he was being assisted by a coworker of similar age, hopping on one foot as he walked.
As the two approached the counter, a pungent smell of sweat hit.
"Oh, Master Liu, what happened to you?"
Li Jingsheng quickly went around the counter to get a chair for him to sit on.
Faintly, Master Liu's right calf seemed to be bleeding heavily, the dark red blood soaking a large area of his blue work pants, with a rip about ten centimeters long clearly visible.
A strap was tightly tied near his thigh close to the knee.
Basic tourniquet bleeding control is something almost everyone knows.
In fact, Master Liu was only 46 years old, but because of long-term heavy manual labor, he looked like a sixty-year-old man.
"Ah... don't even mention it. While building a wall, a large piece of glass suddenly broke, and I didn't notice from behind, got my leg slashed open."
Upon hearing it was a glass injury, Li Jingsheng let out a slight sigh of relief.
Relatively speaking, glass causes less contamination to a wound, whereas rusty metal would be more problematic.
"Let me check if the injury is serious first!"
He tried to roll up the left pant leg of Master Liu but found it impossible.
It was all blood and dust, which was very bad for the wound.
Handling it could easily lead to secondary contamination.
Moreover, when soaked, the pant leg was tight, and rolling it up would clamp tightly on the thigh, making it uncomfortable for the patient and obstructing blood flow in the leg.
"I'm afraid this pant leg needs to be cut off."
"This work suit cost more than fifty bucks and was worn less than two years, cutting it is such a pity! Can't we not cut it?"
Master Liu felt very reluctant hearing that the pant leg needed to be cut.
City folks who are a bit particular spend hundreds on a single shirt, wearing it only a bit old is enough to stop wearing it. Master Liu spent more than fifty bucks on a stall-bought outfit, worn for almost two years, with collar and sleeves long frayed, yet he was still unwilling to cut it.
The hardships of the lower class are indeed not easy.
"Hmm... If you are reluctant to cut it, taking it off would work too."
Li Jingsheng's small clinic typically dealt with the impoverished people, and he could understand their bitterness and hardships.
Master Liu hesitated, casting a look at his coworker beside him.
Truly taking off the pants and walking on the street in just underwear would be so embarrassing!
"Old Liu, it's just a pair of pants, cut it if you must, your treatment is the priority."
The coworker persuaded him from the side.
"Okay, okay, then cut it off!" Master Liu made up his mind as if cutting off a piece of flesh, gritting his teeth.
Li Jingsheng brought scissors, carefully helping him cut the pant leg off.
By this time, the calf was already a mass of bloody flesh.
The wound stretched from the calf up to the bend of the leg, with skin and flesh slightly flipping outward.
Seeing the extent of the injury, Li Jingsheng couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
From his experience, he could tell the wound was very deep.
The piece of glass at that time must have been particularly sharp, slicing down from Master Liu's calf bend deep into the muscle.
The wound length was at least more than 12cm.
Whether the blood vessels, tendons, and nerves inside were damaged was unknown to him.
This kind of deep wound was beyond his capacity to manage.
"This wound is too deep; you must go to a big hospital quickly for treatment. I'm afraid I can't handle it here."
Li Jingsheng said with a frown and a serious expression.
After running the clinic for more than nine months, although the business was poor, nothing untoward happened so far.
This had much to do with his upright style and cautious actions.
As long as the risk was slightly significant, he would rather not earn that money.
The most feared thing for a small clinic is mishaps.
Almost all surviving clinic owners are vigilant and cautious.
Daredevils cannot survive in this trade.
"Going to a big hospital and the treatment would cost thousands or tens of thousands! You have treated me for several injuries before, it's just a bit deeper this time, trust me with the treatment, it's fine."
Master Liu said while rolling up his sleeve to reveal a five to six-centimeter-long centipede scar on his left forearm.
That was Li Jingsheng's handiwork.
An injury from six months ago that Li Jingsheng had sewn.
Although his suturing skills were not quite up to par, getting the wound to heal at all was already commendable.
Leaving an unsightly scar is inevitable.
Li Jingsheng was still somewhat hesitant; he dared to handle superficial wounds.
But the risk of such deep wounds was too great.
"I'm just afraid of injuring nerves, major blood vessels, or tendons. If you don't go to a major hospital and end up disabled, what then?"
Li Jingsheng said seriously.
The coworker remained silent beside him.
Everyone has their own little calculations. He and Master Liu partnered up to take on demolition and renovation jobs. Now that Master Liu was injured, technically, it should count as a work-related injury.
Going to a major hospital costs a lot, and not only would that make this job a loss, but they might also have to pay extra for Master Liu's treatment.
He was definitely not happy with that idea.
"Master Shun, why don't we call the homeowner and ask for their opinion?"
Hearing that disability was a possibility, Master Liu was also a bit fearful.
As a migrant worker in the city, Master Liu lived in this big city with his wife and two children, which was no easy task.
He not only had to rent a place but also needed to support two kids' education.
His parents back home and his in-laws needed support during festivals and birthdays. Adding to that the various social expenses, it was no small sum.
As the family's pillar, with elderly above and children below, if he ended up disabled in the leg, he wouldn't be able to work and earn money anymore.
"Alright, I'll make a call and talk to him."
The coworker took the phone outside the clinic to make a call.
He came back soon afterwards.
His face had a slightly unpleasant expression.
"I called President Yu, and he asked if we had insurance. I said no. Then he asked if 2,000 yuan would be enough for the treatment. From his tone, it seemed that anything beyond 2,000 would be on us."
After speaking, the coworker hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Old Liu, maybe we should just get treated here. If we end up offending President Yu, losing out on future jobs would be a bigger loss."
In the face of interests, people are selfish.
The coworker felt sympathy for Master Liu and was worried about the poor treatment at a small clinic. But to avoid offending a major client, he chose to have Master Liu take the risk of potential disability by getting treated at the small clinic.
Master Liu's expression fluctuated, his gaze deep.
It took more than ten seconds before he bitterly said, "I should have spent those few hundred bucks to buy New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance, and then a commercial accident insurance."
That's the role of medical insurance as a safety net.
If you get sick or injured, a large portion of the treatment cost can be reimbursed, reducing the patient's financial burden significantly.
"Dr. Li, can you please check me first and treat me here if possible?"
Master Liu eventually bowed to reality and chose to take the risk of being treated at the clinic.
There's a reason why people say the poor have tough lives.
Who can afford an ICU room costing tens of thousands a day? How many families can bear the cost of cancer treatment over a million?
The most terrifying thing in a hospital is having no money.
"Alright then, let me examine you first. I need to take an X-ray to see if there's any bone injury. This will cost 100 yuan; is that okay?"
Li Jingsheng's clinic was quite simple.
Don't even think about getting a CT machine; even the cheapest would cost over half a million.
When he bought the X-ray machine, he gritted his teeth and bought a second-hand one. It still cost fifteen thousand.
It was an outdated industrial-frequency machine from a private hospital.
Buying a new one would cost over thirty thousand.
That private hospital made money and upgraded straight to a clearer imaging high-frequency machine.
Li Jingsheng's newly opened small clinic had to make do with other people's discarded equipment.
Sometimes he dreamed of making enough money to one day buy a building and hire a large number of doctors, nurses, logistics, and administrative staff, forming a hospital.
But sadly, that dream was far out of reach.
Right now, even survival was difficult, let alone development.
"Can I get treated here after the X-ray?"
Master Liu hesitated a bit upon hearing the X-ray would cost 100 yuan.
"I can't guarantee anything, but if the check shows no major bone issues, I should be able to treat here."
Li Jingsheng, having been through life's trials, never made absolute promises to patients, leaving some leeway.
Otherwise, getting face-slapped would be minor; any potential medical disputes would be troublesome.
The older the doctor, the more conservative they are when discussing illness.
They never say they can definitely cure an illness, or promise recovery in three days, or diagnose a condition with certainty. In the diagnosis opinion section, they usually add a question mark after the diagnosed disease name.
This indicates suspicion of the disease.
If it turns out not to be that illness, there's no dispute.
While speaking with Master Liu, Li Jingsheng secretly checked the Medical Skill Attribute Panel.
Indeed, a new skill had appeared in the skills section: Suturing.
Vertical Mattress Suturing Entry Level 0/10, can be used for deep wound suturing and wounds on relaxed skin areas, or to reduce skin tension at the wound.
Seeing he had successfully learned Vertical Mattress Suturing, he felt slightly more confident.
Though it was just at entry level now, it wasn't enough to suture Master Liu's leg wound.
But it didn't matter, he had recently earned 10 life points, which he hadn't used yet.
If needed, prioritizing an upgrade in Vertical Mattress Suturing wouldn't be bad either.
First, he'll take an X-ray for Master Liu and see what's going on.
Right now, he's the type who's not worried because he has reserves.