In the evening, An Kemeng, feeling bored, came over to Xiangtai Apartment and saw Lin Jie preparing dinner in the kitchen. She eagerly put on an apron, saying she wanted to help cook.

Lin Jie had no choice but to let her help with selecting and washing vegetables.

Naturally, they started talking about the topic of travel.

"Brother Jie, does this mean Brother Qin Gang won't be traveling with us?"

Lin Jie nodded and said, "Yes, Yang Leyi is having serious pregnancy symptoms, so it's better for Qin Gang to stay in Binhai to take care of her."

An Kemeng chuckled and said, "In that case, it'll be just us four beauties—sister, Xiaoxiao, Miaomiao, and me—accompanying you on your travels. Isn't that wonderful?"

Lin Jie snorted and said, "What's so wonderful about it? I just hope that by then, you won't be too tired and end up giving me all your bags."

He glanced at An Kemeng's slightly thin body and warned, "Relatively speaking, your physique is the worst."

"I see from your and Miaomiao's planned activities that there'll be hiking and camping. You better not falter then. No one will help you, at least not me."

An Kemeng scoffed, feeling defiant, "Brother Jie, don't underestimate me."

"I sometimes go to the gym with sister. At the school sports meet, I participated in the 1500-meter long-distance race and even won a rank."

Lin Jie took a prepared fresh fish out of the fridge, saying skeptically, "I hope your stamina is as impressive as you claim."

"There's good news; Lele will also join us. If you're too exhausted to walk, let Lele drag you. It's got quite some strength now."

He remembered something and asked, "Hey, Kemeng, have you been practicing the finger and wrist exercises I taught you?"

"Yes, I practice it every day. Look..."

An Kemeng quickly put down the greens and eagerly showed Lin Jie the results of her practice.

Her slender fingers danced swiftly, looking quite pleasing.

It was evident that she had been dedicated to practicing over these days.

Lin Jie nodded, praising her, "Not bad, but you need to consistently persevere."

"I will. You are my goal to pursue, after all."

After stating her grand ambition, An Kemeng eagerly asked, "Brother Jie, when can I practice with a scalpel and real items?"

Lin Jie glared at her and admonished, "You want to run before you can walk? You're too impatient."

He looked at the fish in his hand and smiled, "Watch me handle the fish carefully first."

Saying this, Lin Jie pulled a small sharp knife from the rack and began to remove fish bones from the meat.

This was a task he often did.

When Lin Miao's eyesight wasn't good, it was said that eating fish was beneficial for vision, and fish were relatively inexpensive. Hence, fish often appeared on the Lin Family siblings' dining table.

But the bones were a major issue, and to prevent Lin Miao, who had poor eyesight, from choking on fish bones, Lin Jie always dealt with the bones thoroughly before preparing the fish.

Thus, handling fish bones was something Lin Jie had become proficient at through practice.

Now, it was a skill he excelled at with ease.

Intending to show off, Lin Jie wielded the small sharp knife with flair.

To An Kemeng's astonishment, in a short amount of time, Lin Jie extracted the bones and sliced the fish into evenly thick slices.

The entire process was like an art, full of beauty.

Lin Jie seriously said, "Kemeng, for a surgeon, excellence is when the mind, eyes, and hands all work in unison. You need to first practice hand-eye coordination."

"This doesn't necessarily require practicing with surgical instruments. As long as you're willing, there are opportunities to practice everywhere in life. For example, in the kitchen..."

An Kemeng suddenly understood and excitedly said, "Brother Jie, your method of dissecting a chicken is the same, right?"

Saying this, she eyed the black-boned chicken on the plate and asked, "Can I handle this black-boned chicken?"

Lin Jie nodded and said, "Sure, no problem."

"You don't need to chop it open, nor separate the bones from the meat. Just make sure to break it apart at the main joints."

An Kemeng took a sharp knife from the rack, full of confidence, "Brother Jie, just watch me."

Over half an hour passed. Lin Jie had already cooked two dishes while An Kemeng, sweating profusely, finally managed to disassemble the chicken into several pieces.

An Kemeng looked at the bones without any fish meat and then at the chicken chunks, some large as a palm, others small as a coin, feeling utterly dejected.

Lin Jie took the soup pot, put the chicken pieces in, and smiled, "Don't be discouraged, what you did is fairly good."

"Let me put it this way, you managed to handle the knife for over half an hour without cutting yourself. This shows you have a talent for wielding a scalpel."

"I'll stew Black Chicken Cordyceps Soup later for our midnight snack."

"Kemeng, you tidy up the dining table. Miaomiao will be off work soon, and Xiaoxiao should be back from walking the dog."

Despite Lin Jie's reassurance, An Kemeng still felt a little down.

She came to the sink to wash her hands, and halfway through, she suddenly asked, "Brother Jie, are you trying to coax me into learning cooking, or can this really help practice surgical skills?"

Lin Jie solemnly replied, "As the saying goes, understanding one principle can illuminate a hundred others! Surgical skills not only rely on medical expertise but also on the dexterity of hands and fingers."

"It's hard to imagine someone who is clumsy having exceptional surgical skills. Similarly, someone naturally skillful will excel no matter what they do."

"And Kemeng, don't put surgery on a pedestal."

"Once you have seen certain surgeries with your own eyes, you'll wonder how the lead surgeon could be so rough, almost like a butcher!"

"Let's put it this way, the chopping, cutting, and slicing techniques you practice in the kitchen can actually be applied in surgery."

Lin Jie then laughed and said, "Of course, practicing in the kitchen improves your cooking skills while also honing some surgical skills; it's a two-in-one deal."

An Kemeng was somewhat confused by Lin Jie's words, but trusting him, she assured, "Brother Jie, I understand. From now on, I'll often practice my cooking—no, my surgical skills—in the kitchen..."

After dinner, An Kemeng, Lin Miao, and Zhang Xiaoxiao gathered on the living room sofa, chatting and laughing, and envisioning their upcoming trip.

Lin Jie was not far from them, responding to a few work emails on his laptop until a phone call interrupted him.

After answering the call, Lin Jie casually asked, "Mr. Shao Deyao, are you thinking about getting a fine-tuning vocal surgery?"

"No, no, I'm very satisfied with my current voice, extremely satisfied!" A voice rich with masculine charm came through the phone.

"Then, why are you calling?" Lin Jie straightforwardly inquired.

"Well, um..."

Shao Deyao hesitated over the phone, then bit the bullet and said, "Expert Lin, you once mentioned that because of Lin Xiaoxiao, you owe me a favor?"

Hearing this, Lin Jie was slightly taken aback.

Up to now, the bounty search for a specific patient, targeting Weize Company's employees nationwide, hadn't been withdrawn, yet there had been no good news.

The patient Lin Xiaoxiao was particularly important.

Lin Jie gently said, "Yes, without your significant help, my research would lack a crucial validation patient. I've always kept my word; just tell me what you need."

Shao Deyao sighed deeply over the phone and said, "Actually, I really didn't want to make this call."

"It's my own fault for boasting and then being asked by an elder I couldn't refuse. I had no choice but to reach out to you, Expert Lin."

Lin Jie chuckled and said, "Mr. Shao, just say it straight; as long as it's within my capabilities, I won't refuse."

"Expert Lin, do you know the Ma Family in the Capital City?"

"Hmm, the Ma Family in the Capital City?"

Lin Jie asked back, "Is it the same Ma Family that recently offered a large reward and gathered medical experts to treat a child in the Capital City?"

Shao Deyao said helplessly, "That's the Ma Family. Our families are kind of old friends, so when they begged, I couldn't refuse!"

Lin Jie caught the implication and asked, "Are you asking me to diagnose that child? Did their expert consultation not work?"

Shao Deyao sighed, "To be honest, it's about that child."

"As for how effective the expert consultation was, I don't know. I just know that a few days ago, the child was hospitalized again."

"This time, the Ma Family matriarch is thoroughly anxious, and my loose tongue is to blame; thus, the favor you promised is being called upon..."

"Sigh, Expert Lin, what do you think about this matter..."

Lin Jie found it somewhat amusing.

The matter of sending the child's medical records in the mail ended without follow-up. He had thought that the child's condition had been treated successfully by the expert consultation.

Lin Jie suspected that the Ma Family might have thought that he might be upset because of the medical records issue, so they asked Shao Deyao to mediate.

Lin Jie laughed and said, "Mr. Shao, since you're bringing up the 'favor,' I naturally won't refuse,."

"It's just..."

Lin Jie calculated that with so many nationwide experts unable to solve the problem, he likely wouldn't have an immediate solution either, requiring considerable time for a thorough diagnosis.

Cui Shanshan's surgery and the trip planned for a few days later...

Lin Jie continued, "You'll need to wait another half a month."

"My schedule won't be free until half a month later, and only then will I have enough time to thoroughly diagnose the child's condition."

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