Chapter 32: Can a Person Have Three Hearts?

Due to an unexpected delay, it took a little longer than expected for Lu Ming to arrive at the Cardiology Department. When he arrived, he found that Gu Yongchao was waiting anxiously outside one of the examination rooms.

Gu Yongchao was one of the third-phase interns that Lu Ming had supervised. After passing his exams, he chose to work in the Cardiology Department. He was a very talented and hardworking young man, someone with a practical and can-do attitude, and Lu Ming had a very favorable impression of him.

“Chao-zi,” Lu Ming called out.

When Gu Yongchao heard the familiar voice, he looked up abruptly, and upon seeing Lu Ming, his face lit up with a bright smile.

“Dr. Lu!”

“My mentor!”

“You finally made it!”

“I want you to know if I ever win any awards, you have to mentor me!”

“Just put my name on your list of people to thank.”

Lu Ming looked bewildered. What was this guy talking about? “What are you saying? Why can’t I understand you?”

“Weren’t there some difficult cases? Where are they?” Lu Ming asked.

Gu Yongchao didn’t explain much and handed Lu Ming a CT scan image.

“Mentor, take a look at this image of the patient. I think you’ll understand,” Gu Yongchao said.

Lu Ming took the patient’s CT scan image with a puzzled expression. At first glance, he didn’t pay much attention. On the second glance, he was somewhat bewildered. On the third glance, he started to question his existence. Then, he looked again and couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the heck!”

“Is… is this…”

“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with the imaging equipment?”

Lu Ming found it hard to believe and said, “The imaging equipment is fine!”

“It’s the patient who has a problem!”

“He has three hearts!”

“This is an incredibly rare case in the history of human medicine!” Gu Yongchao said excitedly. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Indeed! That was right! The image showed that the patient had three hearts! One was in the normal position in the chest. Another was on the lower right side, between the lungs and the liver. And the third one was located between the spleen and the left kidney.

Lu Ming finally understood why Gu Yongchao had made those remarks earlier with so much excitement. Cases like this would excite any competent doctor. Successfully managing such a case would mean making waves in the medical field. It would leave a significant mark in the history of medicine.

“Teacher, I thought of you immediately,” Gu Yongchao said. “If we can treat this patient successfully, you must consider me your assistant! Let me bask in your glory!”

Gu Yongchao’s mental abacus beads shattered as he looked at Lu Ming’s expression. Lu Ming took a deep breath. Those considerations could come later. Right now, he wanted to meet the patient and understand their current physical condition. From the images, it appeared to be a young boy, probably around four or five years old.

“Is the patient inside?” Lu Ming pointed to the examination room.

“Yeah,” Gu Yongchao replied, “It’s a little boy, and his mother is with him. Judging from their clothing, they don’t seem wealthy, probably from a rural area.”

Gu Yongchao nodded, providing some background information about the patient.

“Alright, let’s go inside and take a look,” Lu Ming said, pushing open the door to the examination room.

When Luo Sanmei was seven years old, she suffered a leg injury due to an accident. Her family was poor at the time, and the conditions for treatment at the local health clinic were limited. As a result, she became permanently disabled and had a limp. Later, her parents had another accident and passed away when Luo Sanmei was seventeen years old. After reaching the legal marriage age, despite her attractive appearance, the matchmaker was reluctant to introduce her to potential suitors upon learning about her parents’ deaths and her disability.

Years passed, and she remained single. It wasn’t until she was twenty-six years old that she met a man who didn’t mind her background. He had also lost his parents at a young age, and they shared a sense of understanding. Their relationship quickly blossomed, and they had a child together. However, with the addition of their child, the burden of life became even heavier.

Luo Sanmei’s partner had to work outside to support the family. Then, on their child’s second birthday, she received devastating news: her partner had fallen from scaffolding, hitting his head on the steps, and died instantly from a brain hemorrhage. Although the accident occurred while he was working, it became a complicated situation due to his status as a third-party labor worker, and various parties shifted responsibility. When they saw that the one seeking compensation was a widow with an orphaned child, their attitudes became even more hostile.

In the end, after much negotiation, they were willing to offer Luo Sanmei an eight thousand yuan compensation and eight hundred yuan for funeral expenses. However, Luo Sanmei was unsatisfied and continued to appeal, but the case dragged on without resolution. Life had already been difficult enough for her, but it seemed that the worst was yet to come.

Five days ago, while Luo Sanmei was working in the fields, she left her five-year-old son, Shen Ruicong, alone at home. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name. Looking up, she saw her neighbor, Auntie San, running towards her from the neighboring field, waving her hand and shouting something.

“Sanmei!”

“Your son has collapsed at home!”

The sun was scorching, and Luo Sanmei set down her hoe, grabbed a water jug, and took a sip of water. She hurriedly made her way home with a sense of urgency.

“Quick, go back and check!” With the distance closing, Luo Sanmei finally heard what Auntie San was shouting.

Luo Sanmei was startled. Her son had collapsed? Without saying a word, she dropped the water jug and rushed towards her home. Returning home with muddy footprints, she found old villagers gathered at her doorstep.

“Ruicong?”

Luo Sanmei rushed into the crowd and saw her son lying on the bed. In front of the bed was the village’s only old Chinese medicine practitioner. It seemed someone had called him for help.

“Dr. Chen, how is my son?” Luo Sanmei asked anxiously, panting heavily.

Dr. Chen glanced at Luo Sanmei, shook his head slightly, and said, “I have limited knowledge and experience, and I’ve never seen these symptoms before. You should take him to the town’s health center.”

So, the man from Auntie San’s family immediately brought his old truck, and they took Luo Sanmei and her son to the town’s health center.

After an examination, the doctor admitted that he could not diagnose the condition and suggested they go to a larger hospital in the city. The rural health center lacked advanced medical equipment, so they could not discover the secret of Shen Ruicong’s three hearts.

After hearing the doctor’s advice, Luo Sanmei reluctantly returned to the countryside. She borrowed money from her fellow villagers, collecting a little over 5,000 yuan.

Despite leaving an IOU, the villagers insisted she didn’t have to repay the money, knowing her difficult circumstances as a single mother. With the borrowed 5,000 yuan, along with her savings of over 6,000 yuan, Luo Sanmei arrived in the city.

After inquiring around, she learned that Mingren Hospital was the best hospital in town, so she decided to go there for help. Not knowing which department to visit, she followed the guidance of volunteer staff and decided to start by visiting the cardiology department. In the examination room, Shen Ruicong snuggled in Luo Sanmei’s arms, feeling homesick.

“Mom, when are we going home?” He asked.

Luo Sanmei comforted him gently, “We’ll go back home as soon as we get better, dear.”

As she was speaking, Luo Sanmei heard the door opening and turned to see that Dr. Lu had entered the room.

“This is my teacher, Dr. Lu, the head of the Emergency Department,” introduced Gu Yongchao.

“Hello, Dr. Lu,” Luo Sanmei greeted, quickly standing up. When she inquired about the hospital earlier, she had gathered some information and knew that the department head was usually the most capable doctor. Therefore, she didn’t want to be disrespectful.

“Please, have a seat,” said Lu Ming, pressing his hand gently to indicate there was no need for formalities.

He then got straight to the point, asking about the child’s condition.

“Last week, my child fainted at home,” Luo Sanmei began. “We had our village doctor examine him, but he couldn’t find the cause. Later, we went to the town’s health clinic, but the doctor there couldn’t identify the problem either. However, my child has been weak, so I decided to come here.”

Lu Ming nodded, knowing Luo Sanmei was unaware of her son having three hearts. He speculated that the fainting episodes were related to the extra strain placed on the body by these three hearts, like adding two additional V12 engines to a car perfectly configured for one, causing the rest of the vehicle’s components to struggle to keep up.

“Please be prepared for what I’m about to tell you,” he said.

“Three hearts?” Luo Sanmei was shocked, wondering if her son’s condition was beyond treatment.

“Don’t worry; there’s still hope for treatment,” reassured Lu Ming. “However, the situation is quite unusual. Your son has three hearts.”

Luo Sanmei thought she had misheard and asked in shock, “How many?”

“Three hearts,” Lu Ming confirmed.

Luo Sanmei couldn’t believe her ears. “Three… three hearts?!”

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