"I've reached my apartment complex, thanks for escorting me home. Take care on the way, it's late, head home early!"
Her reaction was within Li Jingsheng's expectations.
His ex-girlfriend broke up with him after six years simply because she disliked his poverty.
The encounter with this pretty girl was just a one-time thing. Although they got along quite well, Li Jingsheng's financial situation was enough to completely erase any hint of goodwill she might have developed.
Throughout, she never asked for Li Jingsheng's name, nor did she tell hers to him, let alone ask for contact details; this already showed her attitude.
The apartment complex she lived in was high-end, indicating her high standards for the quality of life.
Such a girl was way beyond his reach.
"Goodbye!"
Fortunately, Li Jingsheng himself dared not harbor any unrealistic fantasies about her, so he wasn't disappointed, although he felt a bit lost as he turned away.
Men understand this feeling.
He didn't notice the girl watching him disappear into the complex before limping inside.
Li Jingsheng returned to the clinic after eleven.
He cleaned up the dishes, washed them, and put them in the changing room. Tang Ping changes clothes there daily, stores her bags; it's not easy to forget things after work.
Compared to those realistic women, Tang Ping's unwavering support for him made him feel particularly warm.
After tidying up, Li Jingsheng didn't feel sleepy.
With as much as 112 health points balance, he must quickly find a way to apply them on medical skills.
Because improving a medical skill means being able to handle patients that other clinics can't manage. This would become his exclusive skill to snatch clients from Quick Recovery Clinic, Jinkui Clinic, and the City Southern Community Health Service Center.
"The drug efficacy is currently at Proficient 10.6/100. If I can level up again, my medication skills should reach the level of an attending physician in a top-tier hospital. A medication expert can stand out anywhere and become the backbone of a department."
He understood the importance of medication deeply.
A medication expert can become the backbone in top-tier hospitals; in a small clinic like his, they'd be as dazzling as the sun, shining brightly.
By then, his reputation would quickly spread, attracting many patients for consultation.
While other clinics take half a month for any effect from medications, he could see results in a day or even half a day.
When other clinics treat a patient with repeated flare-ups post-treatment, he could provide a cure once and for all.
Other clinics might hesitate or unable to medicate, but he could take it all.
That is the reason for his urgent desire to level up drug efficacy.
To succeed in a counterattack within just over two months and earn a year's rent, it's extraordinarily challenging.
Without a siphoning effect, he's almost certainly doomed.
However, leveling up drug efficacy requires consuming 90 health points.
This made him quite hesitant.
The elderly lady's consultation today made Li Jingsheng realize that poor diagnostic skills render advanced medication skills useless.
His diagnostic skills, apart from Pulmonary Medicine, were all merely Entry Level, certainly far too inadequate.
"There are many medical skills to enhance, with only 112 health points, so I must prioritize and allocate wisely."
He listed all the medical skills learned so far, then sorted them by importance and the health points required to level them up.
Pressure Hemostasis Entry Level 6.7/10, Ligature Hemostasis Entry Level 8.6/10. These two surgical skills consume few health points yet can have a significant impact during critical times.
Especially in handling trauma patients and surgical hemostasis, they are quite useful.
Pressure Hemostasis isn't narrowly limited to using hands or tools to press the proximal end of a vessel for hemostasis; it includes clamps, clips, gauze packing, pressing with gauze, all falling under Pressure Hemostasis.
Even the most common accidental injury causing severe bleeding from hands or legs, followed by wrap hemostasis, falls under Pressure Hemostasis.
Its principle is to tightly constrict the limb's proximal end to apply pressure to and occlude the vessel, reducing or temporarily stopping bleeding.
Previously, with few health points, Li Jingsheng dared not allocate any to these two skills.
Now he decisively advanced these life-saving skills during emergencies.
Pressure Hemostasis Proficient 10.7/100, Ligature Hemostasis Entry Level 9.6/10.
Unexpectedly, only Pressure Hemostasis advanced to Proficient level; Ligature Hemostasis got stuck at Entry Level 9.6/10.
He suddenly understood the practice and technique of Pressure Hemostasis vividly, like someone clearing the blockage in his mind. Previously, given the chance to assist senior doctors using hemostatic clamps, he was scolded terribly.
Initially, he dared not clamp too tightly, so the bleeding wasn't stopped. The senior doctor scolded him, "Did you skip lunch? Clamp tighter!"
Li Jingsheng immediately followed suit, increasing force and clamping the vessel tightly.
Afterwards, the senior doctor found the vessel tissue injured from the clamp.
Nearly wielding the scalpel to kill Li Jingsheng.
Eventually, it took a senior surgeon from General Surgery, exceptionally skilled, to repair the injured section of the vessel. That time, the senior doctor got a deduction of hundred yuan, while nothing happened to Li Jingsheng.
But no one dared to ask him for help in clamping hemostasis again, nor even in retracting hooks.
If given another chance today, he wouldn't let the senior doctor down.
Why did Ligature Hemostasis get stuck?
This puzzled Li Jingsheng greatly.
With over a hundred health points left, the balance was ample.
"Could my knotting skills not meet Ligature Hemostasis's advancement requirements?"
Considering this possibility, he checked further and, indeed, found the problem.
Ligature Hemostasis closely relates to knotting skills. It requires Square Knot, Surgical Knot, and Slip Knot leveling up to Proficient for Ligature Hemostasis to reach Proficient level.
Now he got it.
No wonder it wouldn't improve.
Square Knot is only suitable for simpler vascular hemostasis, dealing with larger vessels poses significant drawbacks.
For instance, hemostasis isn't firm, prone to loosen.
Or maybe too tight causing vessel damage.
Surgical Knot addresses this issue, and Slip Knot has a unique advantage in temporary hemostasis.
Post ligature hemostasis, when it needs loosening post-surgery, Square Knot and Surgical Knot are tough to untie, typically requiring cutting, risking vessel damage.
Slip Knot can perfectly circumvent this issue.
Each knot type has its distinct purpose.
"Alright, let's get Slip Knot to Proficient level first."
This technique was already on the priority list for upgrading.
Li Jingsheng spent 5 health points, leveling Slip Knot from Entry 5.6/10 to Proficient 10.6/100.
His understanding of various Slip Knot uses, knotting techniques skyrocketed instantly.
The skills were incomparable to before.
He even self-taught and grasped the preliminary application of Double Slip Knot.
Mastering two Slip Knots, he could ensure tightness while preventing loosening. To untie, simply pull both ends of the thread simultaneously.
Proficient level Slip Knot skills were truly phenomenal.
In future bleed handling for patients requiring temporary ligature hemostasis, Slip Knot would find use.
Compared to Square Knot, it has a significant advantage.
Square Knot locks similarly to a dead knot, if the tightness isn't well-balanced, the knot is useless. It needs cutting, then sewing and knotting again.
Slip Knot allows flexible adjustment of thread tightness.
Like adjusting a tie, pulling to loosen, pushing to tighten.
Very convenient and flexible.
Now, both Square Knot and Slip Knot are at Proficient level, only Surgical Knot remained.
Unfortunately, he hasn't learned Surgical Knot yet.
Li Jingsheng decided to practice incisions and Surgical Knot techniques tonight.
Two pieces of pork shouldn't go to waste, he must make good use of them.
It might also allow trials in a couple of advanced suturing techniques.
Previously, a very skillful surgical director once stated that surgery is basically sewing, mending, excising, hemostasis!
He was exceptionally skilled, daring to make such high-tone remarks.
But thinking carefully, it's indeed true.
Suturing skills are the highlights in surgical techniques.
Despite modern technology allowing some instruments to automatically suture the cuts immediately during excisions, machines are ever machines; for complex and high-precision surgeries, manual skills are indispensable.