Fang Ziye wasn't the top student in the Orthopedics Department at Zhongnan Hospital. After all, there were older Ph.D. senior brothers ahead of him.
But Fang Ziye didn't need to be the best; he just needed to be ahead of his classmates in his same year to stand out.
Whether one admits it or not, both the National College Entrance Examination and the National Unified Entrance Examination for Postgraduate Students are processes designed to select the best.
Unless they were oddities, undergraduate and master's students from 985/211 universities would generally have a relatively good future and qualifications, no matter how mediocre they might be.
In such circumstances, it was already not easy for Fang Ziye to stand out.
Although the number of master's students in Fang Ziye's year had not increased, was Li Yuanpei not excellent enough? Although Li Yuanpei's professional skills were not that good, they were just not good enough. Compared to general residents or even general graduate students, his skills were still commendable, placing him in the upper ranks.
And the number of Li Yuanpei's scientific research outputs, could one dare say he wasn't excellent?
Even if he had published four SCI papers through questionable means, he still mastered good research ideas and methods. He could produce such results, and others couldn't; it showed their abilities were not as good as his.
And what about Xiong Jinhuan? Was he not excellent?
His current professional skills and the number of papers he published meant he had a good chance even at applying to prestigious institutions like the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. But Xiong Jinhuan chose to stay at his current institution for a more stable path, with his mentor's agreement.
Fang Ziye, however, could surpass them in professional skills, which was a form of excellence.
For many years, the training room had always set its standards here, aligning with the "graduation" requirements for master's students. In the Orthopedics Department, with five wards, it might take one or two years for a student to "graduate," and sometimes there were none, except when a Ph.D. student met the corresponding requirements.
In a vertical comparison, this was also a form of excellence. Such talent deserved attention and the opportunity to pursue further studies and a Ph.D. It wouldn't be controversial.
After all, if one could achieve it, others could too.
"Congratulations, Brother Fang," Luo Tingzhu said with a smile before leaving.
"Thank you, Sister Luo, for your guidance in the future," Fang Ziye humbly replied, slightly bowing.
After all, his skills were still somewhat lacking compared to an absolute genius like Luo Tingzhu. She had already met the standards he was striving for.
He might really need her guidance in the future.
"Brother Fang, your progress is much faster than mine. The difficulty of research is no less than clinical work. You've been writing papers all this time; you're the one who's been hiding your true abilities."
"In the future, we'll learn from each other," Luo Tingzhu said without false modesty, but with sincerity.
"If I don't show my abilities, I won't be able to continue my studies," Fang Ziye joked.
Luo Tingzhu saw that Jie Han and Yuan Weihong were still standing by the operating table, so she knew it was time for her to leave and return the remaining joy to this small academic family.
"Goodbye, Teacher Yuan," Luo Tingzhu waved to Yuan Weihong before leaving.
Yuan Weihong replied, "You need to practice your WB (Western Blot) more. It's an essential experimental method in the lab. Papers with WB are of a higher standard."
"Teacher Yuan, I've been asking senior brothers and watching videos," Luo Tingzhu listened attentively before leaving.
"Congratulations, Brother Fang," Jie Han said, bumping Fang Ziye's shoulder with his fist.
"What are you congratulating for? You don't need to take this path. Just publish a few more papers; who can beat you in your cohort?" Fang Ziye envied Jie Han's talent for writing papers.
Even though Jie Han's current papers weren't of high quality, he was just starting. Being able to write a paper scientifically and contribute to academic research at the beginning was a skill.
Those who could publish in Nature right from the internship stage were just a fantasy.
Yuan Weihong put his arms around both students' shoulders, "Let's go eat."
"What you two are doing now, you'll need to do in the future. There's no necessary or unnecessary."
"Your teacher's wife and Little Seven have probably been waiting for a long time."
Hearing this, Fang Ziye quickly started to remove his equipment, "Master, I'll come back for my lab coat later. Let's go now."
"You might not be able to come back later. We're in high spirits today, after your teacher's wife and Little Seven leave, the three of us will drink a bit," Yuan Weihong grinned.
"We chose to drink at noon for more time to sober up. Tomorrow's a workday; we can't delay normal work."
"Alright!~" Fang Ziye smiled. He wanted Yuan Weihong to have a good time.
Another small private room, with only a few people, a small gathering within the group. Yuan Weihong brought his family along.
The first half was naturally eating, chatting, and congratulating Fang Ziye on his Ph.D. qualification. The teacher and teacher's wife each encouraged him a bit, with some light drinks.
After the teacher's wife left with Little Seven, Fang Ziye took the initiative to switch to a larger wine glass.
"Master, I toast you with a big one. You can drink as you like. We don't force drinks, but I sincerely thank you for your cultivation and guidance. I feel ashamed for not being able to repay!" Fang Ziye's voice choked up, then he drank it all.
Besides feeling ashamed for not being able to repay, there was also a guilt of being unable to repay with accomplishments.
Yuan Weihong only drank half a glass, not drinking heavily with Fang Ziye.
He pressed down his hand, "Drink some yogurt to calm down, don't go too hard."
Jie Han immediately filled Fang Ziye's yogurt glass. Fang Ziye took a sip without hesitation.
Downing two ounces of alcohol in one go is like eating and drinking water for some people, but for Fang Ziye, his stomach was already churning completely, his eyes were wet, not knowing if it was too spicy, or if he was too happy, or too moved.
"Do you understand the deeper meaning of Professor Du's advice to prepare diligently?" Yuan Weihong asked while Fang Ziye was sobering up.
"To write more papers in the future, strive to stay at the hospital, and if I can further improve my professional skills, I can become more mature," Fang Ziye replied.
Yuan Weihong nodded but also shook his head, "What you said is only the first layer of meaning. The second layer of meaning is that you already have the basic qualities to become a high-level orthopedic technical doctor but not the basic qualities of an orthopedic research doctor."
"Do you understand this level of meaning?"
Fang Ziye blinked, half understanding.
"Anyone can see the origin of the paper under your name. At that time, Jie Han, you weren't here yet, and I didn't even know you were my student," Yuan Weihong explained to Jie Han.
Jie Han quickly smiled apologetically. He wasn't jealous now. He had already met graduation requirements when he first enrolled; what was he anxious about!
"If you don't engage in innovation and research, you'll always be stuck in place. Whether it's clinical research or basic research, you need to master the most basic research methods. It's a tool."
"The key difference between Ph.D. students and master's students from undergraduates is the number of methods mastered."
"If you want to make waves in the academic world, you must master these basic methods well."
"Once mastered, you may fail, but the dream isn't entirely extinguished because research is your only direct tool to communicate with the world."
"So, experimental methods, data processing methods, and basic processes of foundational experiments must be firmly grasped."
"Top teaching hospitals no longer need purely high-level technical roles. Because only research can create characteristics unique to oneself."
"The era when exquisite techniques alone could change the world is long gone."
"The highest temple of medicine is never in clinical practice..." Yuan Weihong finished with a sip of his drink.
Fang Ziye and Jie Han listened to Yuan Weihong speak of such lofty matters, their gazes becoming increasingly distant.
Yuan Weihong's perspective, from the view of graduate students like them, was too far away.
They hadn't even entered Zhongnan Hospital yet, how could they look at the whole city? They hadn't even understood the whole city clearly, yet wanted to know about global changes. It seemed too ethereal and elusive.