Doctor: Picking Up Attributes in the Hospital

Chapter 553 - 426: Dad Zhao Creates a New Dish

After finishing the clinic, Zhao Heng checked the time; it was already five forty, past the usual clock-out time of ten o’clock."When is the next clinic?"

Zhao Heng stretched his body and asked Tian Zhen.

"The day after tomorrow, a whole day, with fifty appointments scheduled."

Tian Zhen glanced at the schedule on her tablet and spoke slowly.

"A whole day, fifty?"

Hearing this, Zhao Heng felt a bit headache, not because he couldn’t see that many patients, but because such a routine was slightly different from his ideal work state.

However, in the country, the work of doctors, especially that of excellent doctors, only gets busier, never the busiest; it’s pretty much like this.

This is the fate of a doctor.

"Yes, the registration department said they have tried to evenly distribute the number of registrations every day."

Tian Zhen said.

She also knew that Zhao Heng’s appointments were truly very hard to get, and besides the regular appointments, quite a few people would use internal channels to directly get several slots, which is standard procedure for the hospital, just not something shared with outsiders.

There are also those with strong connections, like asking the hospital staff to bring patients directly to Zhao Heng during his breaks.

Those directly brought in are usually high-level figures in the hospital. Generally, Zhao Heng finds it hard to refuse, though luckily there aren’t too many.

After all, the hospital doesn’t only have Zhao Heng as a highly skilled doctor.

"Shall I ask the registration office to spread some out to later?"

Tian Zhen inquired.

Seeing fifty patients in a day is really just the usual for Eastern Hospital’s outpatient doctors, but this means Zhao Heng would have to spend all his time seeing patients.

Zhao Heng’s schedule is already very tight as it is, and he has many things he wants to do.

"Forget it, since everything’s arranged, let’s leave it as it is. It’s not fair to make the patients with appointments wait longer."

Upon hearing Tian Zhen’s suggestion, Zhao Heng slightly shook his head and said.

Some patients have already waited a very long time for an appointment. For those who come to North City for treatment, the daily cost of food and accommodation is a significant burden.

"Let’s get off work and rest. I’ll check the ward once more."

Zhao Heng said to Tian Zhen.

"Okay."

Tian Zhen nodded.

After making a round in the ward and ensuring there were no major issues, Zhao Heng headed to the food street.

At the noodle stall, although it was already seven o’clock, Zhao Heng saw that there were still quite a few people eating inside.

Upon entering the shop, Zhao’s mother saw Zhao Heng coming and immediately asked, "Son, have you eaten?"

"I had a bit at the hospital."

Zhao Heng replied.

The number of clinic appointments today was overwhelming, leaving him no time to eat dinner, but for a doctor, this is pretty normal.

"Why haven’t you eaten dinner again, child?"

Zhao’s mother grumbled while quickly preparing a large bowl of noodles for Zhao Heng. She knew he liked mint and cilantro, so she added a generous amount of both. Lastly, she fried an egg for him.

Soon, the noodles were brought to the table. Zhao’s mother looked at Zhao Heng with eager eyes; since childhood, Zhao Heng loved his mother’s egg noodles, although back then, there was no beef, and having a fried egg was already a treat.

Looking at this enhanced beef noodle bowl, Zhao Heng felt a bit dazed, as if he had returned to his childhood.

"It’s freshly made, give it a try."

Zhao’s father also brought a steaming bowl of beef offal to Zhao Heng and said.

"Dad, is this beef offal?"

Zhao Heng was a bit surprised. He didn’t expect his father to be so invested in the beef noodle shop business that he developed new dishes so quickly.

Beef offal, or "niu za sui," involves eating the internal organs of the cow. While commonly found in Guangzhou, Zhao Heng wondered why his father suddenly thought to try making it.

"Why did you suddenly want to make beef offal, Dad?"

After a pause, Zhao Heng curiously asked.

"I saw many people eating braised stews here, so I thought beef offal might have its audience. Serving just noodles felt a bit monotonous."

Zhao’s father said.

He’s always been someone who loves exploring. In Zhao Heng’s childhood, he self-taught carpentry, banquet preparations, and many other skills.

Braised stew is a famous traditional local snack in North City, featuring stewed pig intestines and lungs served together, usually eaten with fire-baked pastry.

This dish originated in the southern part of North City, as legend has it, it served as a cheaper substitute for the very expensive five-flower pork dish called Su-style pork.

The best pairing for braised stew is with fire-baked pastry and mung bean juice. As for its taste, well, at least Zhao Heng doesn’t quite favor it.

In comparison, beef offal tastes much more fragrant.

"Give it a try."

After a pause, Zhao’s father eagerly said to Zhao Heng again.

"Alright."

Zhao Heng nodded. To be honest, he was a bit surprised that his father began making beef offal, because while it seems simple, making it taste good is no easy feat.

For instance, in Guangzhou, many time-honored beef offal shops have secret recipes that have been refined over generations. It’s not something that’s easily made well. Good beef offal relies on meticulous handling of the organs and the spice mix used to cook them. Each reputable shop’s formula has subtle differences.

Could his father have figured out a suitable spice mix in such a short time?