The training officially began.

Thirty trainees were assigned to various departments at Sanbo Hospital, each paired with a teaching mentor, to rotate and train at Sanbo Hospital for two years, with the final year spent at Sanbo Research Institute. However, there were two doctors, whom Yang Ping chose to train entirely at the institute: One was Zhaxi from Tibet Changdu; the other, Ah Yi, was from Guizhou Qian Dongnan, a Miao Clan girl, who had worked at the county hospital in General Surgery for five years and could independently perform some simple surgeries. Ah Yi was temporarily mentored by Doctor Li Guodong.

On the first day in the operating room, Zhaxi stood behind Yang Ping, watching him perform a vertebral tumor resection surgery.

The operating room was very quiet, with only the ticking of the monitor and the faint clinks of surgical instruments. Under the shadowless lamp, Yang Ping wore magnifying glasses, and his surgical knife steadily cut through the skin layer by layer. His movements were slow, and each step was performed clearly as he intentionally demonstrated for the students.

As he worked, he explained: "Here, the vertebral artery runs through, stick closely to the transverse foramen, and if you accidentally touch it, it’s major bleeding."

Zhaxi leaned in closer, eyes focused intently.

"This incision should be along the tumor, not too deep, as going deeper would reach the spinal cord. Here, the boundary between the tumor and normal tissue is here, the color is different, the texture is different too, you can feel it." Yang Ping paused, allowing Zhaxi to gently touch it with his finger.

Zhaxi’s fingers slightly trembled; it was his first time witnessing the process of vertebral tumor resection firsthand.

"Now we’re separating the dura mater, watch my technique. Use a dissector to gently push, not pull; pulling will tear it." Yang Ping’s hands were steady, his movements soft and precise.

Zhaxi watched while mentally noting everything. Whenever he didn’t understand something, he asked questions, and Yang Ping patiently explained each one, sometimes explaining twice or three times until Zhaxi nodded.

Two hours later, the tumor was completely resected, both vertebral arteries intact, with minimal bleeding.

While closing the wound, Yang Ping glanced at Zhaxi and asked, "Did you understand?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Zhaxi nodded, then shook his head: "I understood a bit, but still don’t grasp many parts, especially how you determined the boundary between the tumor and spinal cord earlier."

Yang Ping smiled: "We’ll come back tomorrow."

Zhaxi was taken aback: "Can I come back tomorrow?"

Yang Ping said: "This entire year, you need to follow surgeries every day until you understand. I perform eight surgeries a week; don’t miss any."

Zhaxi nodded vigorously.

That night, Zhaxi wrote in his dorm until two in the morning. He had a thick notebook, with the words "Study" written in Tibetan on the cover. He documented every step of the day’s surgery, every detail, and every uncertainty in the notebook. He drew over a dozen diagrams, marking every anatomical location and every operational point.

He wrote over thirty pages, until his hand ached, but he was content.

He recalled before departing from Changdu, the hospital director held his hand and said: "Zhaxi, you are the only one selected from our hospital. Learn well when you’re there, come back after you finish learning, our hospital relies on you."

He placed the notebook by his pillow, closed his eyes. His mind was filled with images from the day’s surgery, Yang Ping’s hands, the appearance of the tumor, the position of the vertebral artery, every detail etched clearly in his brain.

At six the next morning, he appeared promptly in the department.

At the same time, Ah Yi also began her first day of observing surgeries under her mentor, Song Zimo’s guidance.

During the first week of training, the daily routine for the thirty trainees was almost fixed: Arrive at the hospital by six in the morning, observe surgeries until the afternoon; at three in the afternoon, engage in case discussion and theoretical learning; after seven in the evening, there’s free study time to read books, watch surgery videos, or write notes.

On Friday evening of the first week, Yang Ping appeared at the trainees’ dormitory. He knocked on Zhaxi’s door and found him hunched over the desk writing notes, the desk cluttered with books and printed papers.

"Not sleeping yet?" Yang Ping asked.

Zhaxi stood up: "Professor Yang, how come you’re here?"

Yang Ping came in, looked at his notes. A thick notebook filled densely with text, alongside many hand-drawn anatomy diagrams. He flipped through and nodded: "Not bad, very diligent."

Zhaxi smiled shyly: "I’m worried I might be slow, and forget things, so I write them down multiple times."

Yang Ping looked at him, his expression carrying a hint of admiration: "It’s not that you’re slow; you’re diligent. A diligent person learns slowly but thoroughly. Medicine requires thoroughness."

He paused, then said: "Tomorrow is Saturday, I have a special emergency surgery, and you can come if you’d like."

Zhaxi’s eyes lit up: "I do want to!"

At eight on Saturday morning, Zhaxi hurried to the operating room. The patient was a shepherd transferred from Tibet, suffering from spinal tuberculosis compressing the spinal cord, with near paralysis of the legs. The patient couldn’t speak Mandarin, only Tibetan, so Zhaxi served as an interpreter, helping him communicate with the doctors.

The surgery took two hours, during which Yang Ping explained the characteristics of spinal tuberculosis in high-altitude areas, surgical key points, and postoperative care concerns. Zhaxi listened and noted, his hand never resting.

After the surgery finished, the patient’s vital signs were stable. Yang Ping removed his gloves and looked at Zhaxi: "How much did you understand from today’s surgery?"

Zhaxi thought for a moment and said: "Probably half."

Yang Ping smiled: "That’s enough, the remaining half you’ll see tomorrow."