“When Ah Yuan made her decision back then, she never should have given up the chance to stay in the provincial capital and come back to work at the county hospital. And you, as her mother, even helped her keep it from me. If I’d known, I never would have let her be assigned back here.
The provincial capital isn’t far from the county anyway. Whenever she missed home, she could have come back anytime. There was even a house there, life would have been so much more convenient. Later on, we could even have found a way to bring Da Mao and Xiao Mao over. Then none of this trouble would have happened.”
Fang Xiaoyu looked at her younger sister and could not help complaining. “You spoil her too much. You always let her make her own decisions.”
Fang Xiaoqin smiled awkwardly. “I just thought that with a girl all alone outside, I couldn’t stop worrying.”
Fang Xiaoyu still wanted to say something, but Lu Yongjun tugged at her. He had also supported Fang Yuan’s decision to return. “Your sister’s right. The current social situation is complicated. If she stayed out there alone and suffered some grievance, she wouldn’t even have anyone to discuss it with. It’s better for her to stay at home. Living nearby means we can look after her too.”
“In that case, there’s no need to bother with the house in the provincial capital anymore. If someone wants to occupy it, then let them have it. No one’s living there anyway,” Fang Xiaoyu said angrily.
It was only something she said in the heat of the moment. If the house were really taken back, she would be the first to object. It had belonged to her late father. Although he had left it to her niece, she still had deep feelings for it.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Lu Yongjun said.
“Eldest Aunt Xu, it’s because the house is sitting empty that people are coveting it. Isn’t Mingming studying in the provincial capital now? He might stay there to work after graduation. Why not let him move in?” Fang Yuan suggested. In truth, she had made the same suggestion before, but Eldest Aunt Xu’s family had never agreed.
“No,” Lu Yongjun said firmly before anyone else could speak.
“You silly girl, this house was left to you by your grandfather. Mingming may be your cousin, but if he really moves in, gets married there, and settles down, it won’t be easy to ask him to move out later.” Fang Xiaoyu shot her a look and said loudly, “Even if you’re cousins, what’s supposed to be kept separate still has to be kept separate. Do you know the saying, ‘It’s easy to invite a god in, but hard to send one away’?”
“Big Sister, listen to yourself. What are you taking Mingming for?” Fang Xiaoqin could not bear to hear it anymore.
She actually did not object to Lu Ming living there. The house was empty anyway. Her daughter would definitely settle down in the county town in the future, so she would not have any use for that house.
“I know my own son. Mingming has always been more calculating than his older brother,” Fang Xiaoyu said. Back when their father had left the house to Fang Yuan, her younger son had grumbled about it several times.
She then added, “After he graduates and gets assigned a job, the state will provide him with food and accommodation. His work unit will also assign him housing. If they know he already has a house, he’ll actually be at a disadvantage when it comes to housing allocation.”
“Ah Yuan, has the property deed already been transferred into your name?” Lu Yongjun asked.
“Yes.” After her grandfather passed away, his will had clearly stated that the house was to be left to Fang Yuan. Later, when she went to cancel her grandfather’s household registration, she had also gone to the Housing Administration Bureau and changed the registered owner.
“Then there’s no problem. When the time comes, I’ll ask someone to handle the registration with the neighborhood administrative committee stating that the homeowner is working away from home,” Lu Yongjun said. “You don’t need to worry about this. The country still protects private property. As long as all the paperwork is in order, it won’t be confiscated just because of someone else’s improper ambitions.”
Hearing Lu Yongjun say that, Fang Xiaoqin finally felt relieved. She then turned her attention to her nephew and asked Fang Xiaoyu, “Big Sister, Ah Yuan said Mingming is seeing someone. What’s the girl like?”
At the mention of that matter, Fang Xiaoyu frowned again. She waved her hand and only spoke after a long pause.
“Don’t even mention it. I’m still furious over it. The two of them wanted your brother-in-law to help arrange the girl’s job assignment after graduation. But she failed her political review, and even the school leadership is holding it up. How could we possibly dare to touch something that dangerous?”
“If that’s the case, then you should persuade Mingming to break it off sooner rather than later. Once their feelings get any deeper, it’ll be even harder to deal with,” Fang Xiaoqin said.
“He can’t hear a word of it now. He’s usually such a clever child, but he’s completely fallen for this Lu Li.”
“Don’t overthink it, or your stomach will start hurting again. Lu Ming is already grown up. Whether it turns out well or badly, let him make his own choice. If he truly loves that girl, then regardless of her class background, they’ll still be able to build a good life together,” Lu Yongjun said as he patted his wife’s shoulder.
Afterward, Fang Xiaoyu remembered the matter of introducing Fang Yuan to a prospective match and brought it up again, but Fang Yuan quickly stopped her. She took Fang Xiaoqin by the arm and prepared to leave. The two sisters exchanged helpless smiles, thinking they would wait until she came around on her own.
…
By November, the weather had suddenly turned cold. Fang Yuan had just come out of the ward, and early that morning her mood was as gloomy as the temperature outside.
During the morning ward rounds, she had gone to check on the patient who had undergone an amputation the previous day. The patient’s entire family was gathered around his bedside, crying their hearts out as they stared at the empty trouser leg.
The patient was a commune member from one of the communes under Yuyang County. The previous month, he had cut his calf with a rusty sickle. After developing tetanus, he had not received prompt treatment. When the flesh on his calf began to rot, his family had simply gathered some medicinal herbs and applied them to the wound for a period of time.
Later, the rot grew increasingly severe, and his entire leg became swollen and deformed. Only then did they begin to panic. They borrowed a flatbed cart from the commune and brought him to the county hospital. After examination, it was confirmed that his lower limb had already become necrotic. The only option was to perform an amputation as soon as possible to prevent the infection from spreading further.
The patient was in the prime of his life and was the family’s main laborer. His accident was almost a devastating catastrophe for the entire household. Today, the patient’s elderly parents and young children had all come to the hospital. Seeing his current condition, the family could not accept it and broke down in grief together.
Fang Yuan did not know how to comfort the patient. The patient’s wife was grabbed by her mother-in-law and slapped several times. The old woman accused her of making the decision on her own and letting other people cut off her husband’s leg.
When Fang Yuan stepped forward to persuade her, the old woman learned that she had assisted in the surgery and immediately decided she was an accomplice. She rushed over and tried to grab Fang Yuan by the hair. Fortunately, the doctors and nurses nearby pulled her away in time.
Doctor Jiang came over, harshly scolded the patient’s family, waved for Fang Yuan to leave first, and then went to examine the postoperative patient himself.
By the time Fang Yuan returned to the consultation room, she was feeling rather dispirited. She did not blame the patient’s family for causing such a scene. She only felt that if the patient had received timely treatment in the first place, it never would have progressed to the point of requiring amputation.
Nowadays, when farmers suffered from even minor illnesses, they would not go to the hospital. Instead, they relied on folk remedies to treat themselves. Usually, they only sought treatment at a major hospital after the condition had become quite serious, but by then it was already too late.
There were also many people who, even in the end, could not receive treatment because their circumstances did not allow it. Problems that could have been cured went untreated, leaving them with no choice but to wait for death at home.
Thinking about it, she felt that the country’s decision to send city doctors to work in rural areas was the right one. If she were asked to travel to the countryside to provide medical care now, she probably would not resist it as much.
When An Zi came to have his stitches removed, Fang Yuan’s mood improved a little. He had always been the joker of the Scissors Factory, and after the wound on his hand healed, he had returned to his usual humorous and entertaining self. As soon as he arrived, he told Fang Yuan a joke, making her laugh despite herself.
“Don’t laugh, Doctor Fang. What I’m telling you is absolutely true,” An Zi said animatedly. “When everyone was putting out the fire, they all saw it. An entire family ran out with their bottoms bare. Only one of them was wearing trousers. Know why? Because there was only one pair of trousers in the whole house, and they took turns wearing them whenever they went outside.”
While he was busy talking, Fang Yuan snipped the thread ends and swiftly pulled out the stitches. An Zi cried out twice.
“Doctor Fang, do we still need to come back to the hospital for another checkup?” a young man standing behind An Zi asked.
He was a clerk from the Scissors Factory’s personnel department, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was tall, thin, refined, and spoke in a gentle manner. He had accompanied An Zi for his follow-up examination today, and while he was there, he also planned to obtain the necessary documents to take back to the factory so An Zi’s medical expenses could be reimbursed.
“Once the stitches are removed, if you don’t feel any discomfort, there’s no need to come back to the hospital,” Fang Yuan said.
“Doctor Fang, I can’t move my fingers. D, does that mean they haven’t healed?” An Zi moved his hand and began to worry. He had thought everything would be fine as soon as the stitches came out.
“It won’t recover that quickly. I’ll teach you a set of rehabilitation exercises. As long as you practice them every day, your fingers will gradually regain their flexibility,” Fang Yuan said with a reassuring smile.
An Zi rubbed his palm, finally feeling relieved. Rolling his eyes playfully, he said to Fang Yuan, “Doctor Fang, I trust you completely. My master said your medical skills are outstanding, and if he says so, then it can’t be wrong. My master’s the kind of man whose words are as dependable as his craftsmanship. Real gold fears no fire. No one would disagree with him.”
Fang Yuan said embarrassedly, “I’ve only just started working not long ago. Master Hao is giving me far too much credit.”
“Absolutely not. I’m a witness,” An Zi quickly said.
Fang Yuan began teaching An Zi the rehabilitation exercises for his hand, and An Zi copied the movements while manipulating his fingers.
He mastered the simple set of exercises very quickly. Fang Yuan told him to continue practicing while she picked up his medical record and wrote the treatment summary.
“Doctor Fang, did you study at the Provincial Medical University in the provincial capital?” Clerk Zheng asked.
“I studied in the provincial capital.” Fang Yuan kept her head lowered as she wrote in the medical record while smiling as she answered.
“That’s right, Clerk Zheng. You studied in the provincial capital too, didn’t you? Did the two of you ever meet before?” An Zi asked loudly.
Clerk Zheng smiled gently. “If I’d met Doctor Fang before, I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten her.”
An Zi’s eyes darted about. He looked at Clerk Zheng, then at Fang Yuan, and suddenly said, “Our Clerk Zheng has been at the factory for a year now. There’s really nothing bad anyone can say about him. He’s well educated, warmhearted, and always looks after us workers both in daily life and at work. Whenever people mention him, everyone gives him a thumbs up. The only thing is that he doesn’t have a girlfriend yet. All the uncles and aunties at the factory want to introduce someone to him.”
After such a blunt introduction from An Zi, Clerk Zheng’s face turned red. He gave a light cough and nudged An Zi.
“The way you can talk, it looks like you’re completely fine now. All right, hurry up and get out of the chair so the next patient can have a seat. Doctor Fang is still busy.”
An Zi paid no attention to the remark. He stood up from the chair and cheerfully said goodbye to Fang Yuan.
That afternoon, Director Chen ran into Fang Yuan, stopped her, and seemed hesitant to speak.
“Director Chen, what’s the matter? Just tell me,” Fang Yuan asked in confusion.
“It’s nothing really… I just wanted to ask whether Doctor Zhang has said anything to you.”
Fang Yuan immediately thought of the matter involving Doctor Zhang and her sister. She did not want to bring it up with Director Chen, so after a moment’s thought, she shook her head.
“Then it’s nothing. Go ahead and get back to work,” Director Chen said, waving his hand.
Since Director Chen refused to elaborate, Fang Yuan could only leave, still completely puzzled.