Chapter 25: Poverty, a Good Medicine!_1

[Ding! Abnormal Points +1000!]

[Ding! Abnormal Points +500!]

[Ding! Abnormal Points +500!]

...

In the school cafeteria, Chen Gong's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the string of rewards, momentarily dumbfounded.

What... what did I do this time?

To receive so many abnormal points?

And one of them is 1000 points?

"Look, learn diligently. Just look at Chen, how well he's cutting the meat!"

One of the chefs was lecturing his apprentice.

Chen Gong, overhearing this, turned off the system interface and resumed slicing meat.

Ever since he acquired the level 2 "Incision" skill, Chen Gong's knife skills had improved significantly, but every skill needs to be applied in practice to gain a true understanding.

Therefore, Chen Gong sought out Hou Liang once again and volunteered to help in the kitchen.

At first, Chen Gong didn't even want a salary, and Hou Liang was hesitant since... he feared the lad might cause trouble like before.

However, after a couple of days, the head chef in the kitchen took a special liking to Chen Gong and insisted that Hou Liang pay him a salary.

Hou Liang just walked in at the right moment and heard the head chef smiling at his nephew: "Qiangzi, seriously learn from your Brother Chen."

"Such knife skills, such technique, truly delicate!"

"I've been a chef for so many years, and I've never seen a young man with such good knife work."

"Chen, why don't you just come and help out?"

"I'll have your Liang pay you a good salary."

Before Chen Gong could reply, Hou Liang hastily said, "Enough, Wu, our Chen is a genuine top student, a university student from a 211 prestigious university, a future doctor."

"Don't make a mess, alright?"

"Chen, take it easy, don't neglect your main business."

Chen Gong smiled and said, "I'm aware of my priorities, Liang, Uncle Wu."

At this moment, head chef Wu and Hou Liang were watching Chen Gong slicing pork and separating the skin, his movements as smooth as flowing water, which somehow had an aesthetic appeal!

"Brother Chen, where did you learn these knife skills?"

"Could you teach me?"

Standing nearby, Wu Qiang spoke with a touch of respect and a smile.

Chen Gong, ever generous with his knowledge, responded, "Actually, it's quite simple."

"Frequently... killing, no, I mean dissecting... ah, that's not right, in short, frequently using a knife, that's the gist of it..."

This remark made Hou Liang and the others' scalps tingle!

Buddy, if you're not good at giving examples, don't give any—talking like this makes us want to call 110, okay?

Hou Liang couldn't help but swallow nervously, his gaze towards Chen Gong now mixed with a hint of wariness.

Chen Gong continued:

"Essentially, people who often cut meat develop a sense called 'tissue rebound force and tenacity feedback.'"

"Your knife is an extension of your hand, and you must use the blade to understand the tissue, then determine the angle, force, depth, and destructive power to apply."

"Beyond that, you also need to understand the tissue, um, for example, take the human body."

"The skin is made up of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, with accessory organs such as sweat glands and sebaceous glands, then there are blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, and muscles."

"And the epidermis consists of the stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, basal cell layer, and the basal layer..."

"Actually, the cutting force and angle vary for different tissues."

"The quality of meat cutting is crucial—it's not just about paying attention to the texture of the skin and muscles, but adopting a certain angle for the optimal method."

"For instance, when cutting, you can avoid touching the blood vessels..."

Hearing Chen Gong's words, everyone was speechless.

And Qiangzi's expression crumbled, filled with regret as he looked at Wu.

He originally turned to learning cooking with Wu because he disliked studying, and now... he felt almost life-questioning disillusionment.

Wu swallowed and, covering Qiangzi's ears, comforted him, "Kid, we don't listen to him."

"Turning cutting meat into a speciality!"

"I'm sorry for you."

Chen Gong shook his head: "No, no, no, this is all knowledge."

Hou Liang was also torn between laughter and tears: "Chen, enough, didn't you tell me you'd only come for two or three days?"

"Go attend to your own important affairs."

"Your presence here is simply a waste of talent."

"I believe you'll definitely make a fine doctor."

Hou Liang was also fearful that Chen Gong would make the kid burst into tears.

As a student from a prestigious university, do you really need to be this competitive?

After all, the kid had been learning knife skills for two or three years, and you come along and bring him to tears; is that appropriate?

Chen Gong had achieved his goal, which had been to embrace the practice as training in the first place.

After these two or three days of training, Chen Gong also improved his mastery of incision techniques.

Before departing, Hou Liang pulled out five hundred yuan and handed it to Chen Gong.

"This is your salary, take it!"

Chen Gong was taken aback for a moment and shook his head, "Liang, it's really not necessary. I was just here to practice, and I haven't even thanked you yet."

Hou Liang waved his hand, "Let's keep things separate, the meat you've cut is delicious once cooked, I know it well."

"But, Chen, your talent doesn't lie here. Don't waste your potential."

"Being a good doctor is stronger than anything else, and for these five hundred yuan, I'm not losing out."

After leaving the restaurant, Chen Gong sorted out his thoughts.

Suddenly, he saw that he had received an email on his cellphone.

Opening it, Chen Gong instantly felt a surge of joy.

It was an acceptance notification from "Chinese Basic Medical Research."

However, they were asking for a fee of 4,200 yuan for publication.

This made Chen Gong frown involuntarily.

Does publishing a paper also require a page charge?

It was the first time Chen Gong was publishing a paper and he was not very familiar with this circle.

But... does publishing a paper require a fee?

Chen Gong was puzzled. Shouldn't they just not pay me for the content I've written, and now they even require a page charge?

Moreover... 4,200 yuan was not a small sum.

Chen Gong's living expenses for a month were only one thousand yuan.

If he paid this page charge, would he have to live on air!

Is it that all journals require payment to publish?

Chen Gong started searching on his cell phone.

After all, as a newcomer to scientific research, Chen Gong didn't understand why he had to pay after submitting his work.

Shouldn't the publisher be the one to pay me instead?

After searching, he indeed found an answer.

"Medical Forum"

This was a medical research forum that Chen Gong had stumbled upon.

"Search: Are you always required to pay a page charge to publish a paper?"

"I'm Liangchen Who Fears No One: It's regular for authors to pay for publishing because academic journals have very limited circulation and exchange, and few readers are willing to spend money on an academic journal that most people don't understand. The publication runs are therefore very limited, mostly confined to the academic community.

With fewer copies distributed, the profit margins are low, and it's difficult for academic journals to sustain themselves, hence they charge authors to keep running."

"Tangyuan Papa Loves Chicken: If you're really good, you might not necessarily have to pay a page charge. Some top-tier mainstream journals, which are extremely strict in their review processes, are difficult even for average professors to get published in, and if you're lucky, you might get paid instead."

"Regardless: Even little Carami has to pay, but if you're sought after for solicited work, not only do you not need to pay, you also receive a generous author fee.

Here are some recommended journals for everyone, they are supported by national scientific research funds, and if accepted, you receive a generous fee! "Chinese Biochemical Research Institute," "Huaxia Gene"..."

...

After reading this, a light bulb went off in Chen Gong's mind.

Right, this acceptance notice was completely optional, he could submit to "Chinese Biochemical Research Institute."

It wasn't that Chen Gong didn't respect the page charge.

The main point was... he didn't have the money!

If he didn't have money, he had to think of ways that didn't require money, didn't he?

Thinking this, Chen Gong directly sent a message to the email address of "Chinese Basic Medical Research":

"Thank you to your journal for taking time to review during your busy schedule. However, I regretfully decline to publish this paper."

Then, he forwarded the paper to "Chinese Biochemical Research Institute."

It was said that the institute was directly affiliated with a national ministry, and the journal was its internal publication, with one of the top impact factors in China and high citation rates.

The only thing was that the review process was very stringent.

But, it didn't matter.

After all, even if other journals accepted his paper, Chen Gong had no money to pay the page charge, did he?

Being poor was actually the most crucial and direct factor in making a choice.

And it was an effective remedy for "decision paralysis syndrome."

Afterward, Chen Gong sat down and started browsing the medical forum.

Before long, he found a reward zone.

"Reward Zone: Need verification to join, offers paid Q&A, research custody, research employment, idea expansion, etc..."

...

ps: As the need arises, I might write some of the readers into the story, potentially as key characters.

These individuals will have a prominent role later on.