For this round of medical team assignments, the hospital still intended to select doctors with experience and strong professional skills. After all, according to the Ministry of Health’s directives and the needs of rural grassroots communities, capable physicians were required.
However, they also could not send away all of the hospital’s key personnel and affect the county hospital’s normal emergency and treatment work.
“If every department has to send one person, then I vote for Doctor Jiang from the Surgery Department. His technical skills speak for themselves. During the medical outreach, he’ll certainly be able to train many excellent local medical workers,” Director Jia of Internal Medicine said, raising his hand.
“No. Doctor Jiang is the Surgery Department’s top surgeon. If he leaves, there’ll be no one to take over the major operations,” Director Chen immediately objected.
“What about Doctor Liu from Surgery? He’s an old doctor with thirty years of medical experience. His skills are still quite good,” someone suggested.
“Doctor Liu’s health isn’t very good. We don’t even dare let him into the operating room anymore. He probably isn’t suitable for rural work,” Director Lin said, shaking his head as he rejected the proposal.
“Old Chen, I think the Surgery Department should send Doctor Fang instead. She’s a genuine university graduate from the Provincial Medical University. Her professional skills shouldn’t be a problem,” Party Secretary Du Guoliang suddenly proposed.
There were two reasons he brought up Fang Yuan. First, he was convinced that her abilities were excellent. During the schistosomiasis outbreak, her acupuncture skills had left a deep impression on him. Second, he had heard from his wife, Doctor Zhang, that Fang Yuan was rather delicate, wanted to climb the social ladder, and had problems with her ideological awareness.
Although he did not entirely believe it, he still felt this would be a good opportunity for the young doctor to gain experience.
“Secretary Du, I know Doctor Fang well. Her professional abilities are quite good. Over the past six months, she’s been studying under Doctor Jiang and has improved rapidly. She’s already capable of performing surgery independently. However, she’s still a young female doctor. If she’s assigned to work in the countryside, she’ll encounter all kinds of complicated situations. I’m concerned that this responsibility may be too heavy for her at this stage,” Director Chen said cautiously as he looked at Secretary Du.
He was also somewhat puzzled. Doctor Zhang had only recently suggested having the organization step in to help arrange a relationship between Fang Yuan and her nephew, yet Secretary Du was now planning to send her away. He wondered whether the husband and wife had failed to discuss the matter with each other.
“This is also an opportunity to test young doctors. The heavier the responsibility, the faster they’ll grow,” Secretary Du said decisively.
“It’s true that there are only a limited number of doctors in the Surgery Department who can be selected. However, Doctor Fang hasn’t been at our hospital for very long. She has lived in the county town all her life and has never experienced rural life. Sending such a young female doctor into an unfamiliar, difficult, and complicated environment all at once is something I think we should consider more carefully,” Director Lin said seriously, holding his fountain pen.
“I’d also like to say something,” said Doctor Tian from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.
“Everyone remembers the tragedy a few months ago when a mother and her unborn twins all died. Part of the reason was that the patient’s family avoided letting a male doctor examine her because of traditional taboos, which delayed treatment. In the countryside, besides infectious diseases and traumatic injuries, the most common medical problems involve women and children. So I believe that for rural communities where feudal beliefs still remain, Doctor Fang would be more suitable for this medical team.”
After Doctor Tian finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Secretary Du slapped the table and declared, “Then Doctor Fang will be the Surgery Department’s representative.” He marked her name on the list.
…
After Fang Yuan returned from the hospital, Fang Xiaoqin had already gone to work, and Da Mao and Xiao Mao had gone to school. She washed her face, then collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep from exhaustion.
She slept until noon. When she pushed open the door, the sunshine was just right.
At the doorway, Liu Qizhi was tossing Shengli high into the air before catching him again. Xiao Shengli squealed excitedly, drool soaking the front of his bib.
“Ah Yuan-jie~” Seeing Fang Yuan come outside, Xiao Shengli pushed his father away, ran over with quick little steps, gently tugged at her pant leg, tilted his head up, and called out sweetly.
Ever since Fang Yuan had given him two White Rabbit milk candies the last time she came home, Xiao Shengli had become completely devoted to her. Every time she saw him happily running over, Fang Yuan felt a little guilty.
Xiao Shengli, Big Sister doesn’t have any candy now.
“You little rascal, you’re trying to beg for candy again, aren’t you? Hurry and take your dirty little hands off her. Look at the mess you’ve made of Ah Yuan’s pants.” Aunt Liu came outside, saw her grandson trying to ingratiate himself, smiled as she lightly scolded him, then pulled him away.
“Brother Liu, how long is your leave this time?” Fang Yuan asked as she looked at Liu Qizhi, who was sitting by the doorway repairing an old stool.
Before Liu Qizhi could answer, Aunt Liu burst into laughter.
“Your generation is all mixed up. You call him Brother Liu, while Shengli calls you Big Sister. That makes Shengli and his father the same generation.”
Fang Yuan laughed as well. Technically, she and Liu Qizhi belonged to the same generation. It was only because Shengli had followed Da Mao and Xiao Mao in calling her Big Sister that he had never managed to change the habit.
“I’ve got more than twenty days of leave this time, so I’ll be home for a while. If any of you have heavy work or repairs that need doing, just come find me,” Liu Qizhi said.
“Alright, I won’t be polite,” Fang Yuan replied with a smile. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Brother Liu, do we still have troops stationed on the Vietnamese battlefield?”
Liu Qizhi nodded heavily. “This war to aid Vietnam has been very brutal. We’ve received news that many comrades on the front lines have sacrificed their lives. Our unit also wanted to go, but the higher-ups wouldn’t allow it.”
“Bah, bah, bah. Don’t say things like going to the battlefield.” Aunt Liu had just been wiping Xiao Shengli’s hands. The moment she heard those words, her expression changed. Having a son serving in the army was an honor for the entire family, but what military families feared hearing most was news about the front lines.
Fang Yuan’s mood also became somewhat heavy. She remembered that Chen Nanfang had sent only one letter before all news from him stopped. She wondered whether he was safe.
“Fang Yuan.” A figure appeared at the entrance of the alley and waved to her.
Seeing that it was Yao Hongying, Fang Yuan quickly walked over.
“What brings you here? Have you had lunch yet?”
Yao Hongying’s expression was solemn. She took Fang Yuan’s hand, seeming to want to speak but hesitating.
“…I’ve been selected?” Fang Yuan asked softly.
Yao Hongying nodded and squeezed Fang Yuan’s hand. “The list was just announced, and I came to find you immediately. Do you think you should discuss it with your family and try talking to the leadership about your circumstances?”
Fang Yuan remained silent for a while before shaking her head. “No need. Now that the result is out, the weight in my heart has finally fallen. It was waiting for the decision that was truly unbearable.”
“Have you really come to terms with it?” Yao Hongying asked.
“Mhm.” Fang Yuan nodded. “Come on, let’s eat at a restaurant. I’ll treat you to something delicious.”
“Is this your last supper?”
“Hahaha.” Fang Yuan burst into laughter.
Fang Yuan did not tell her family about the assignment because she knew her mother would only worry herself sick. Since everything had already been decided, there was no use being anxious. She might as well wait until just before departure to tell her.
The next morning, Director Chen called her into his office for a talk.
Fang Yuan had already prepared herself mentally, so she accepted it calmly. She asked Director Chen where this medical team would be assigned.
Director Chen told her that the hospital would be sending four doctors to join the medical team. According to the municipal health authorities’ assignment, three doctors would be sent to remote areas in the northwestern province, while one doctor would remain to support rural medical work in Nanhua City.
Before Fang Yuan could ask further, Director Chen continued by telling her that Director Lin had taken into consideration that she was the only female doctor on the county hospital’s medical team. Since adapting immediately to the harsh conditions of the northwestern province would be difficult for her, Director Lin had given her the one position that remained within the city.
Only then did Fang Yuan completely relax, unable to stop herself from smiling happily.
What she had feared most was being sent to a distant province. Having grown up in the eastern region, she had heard far too many stories about the northwestern province. During the Three Years of Hardship, large numbers of people had starved to death there. Water was scarce there. People there did not eat rice…
Realizing that smiling at that moment was inappropriate and somewhat unfair to the colleagues who had been assigned there, she immediately straightened her expression.
Director Chen smiled and pointed at her. “The day you no longer fear harsh environments is the day you’ve truly grown.”
She did not want to grow up quite so quickly. Holding that thought, Fang Yuan walked out of Director Chen’s office with light, cheerful steps.
After the list was announced, Fang Yuan had to prepare to attend a three day training program organized by the Provincial Health Department.
Before leaving, she needed to arrange all of her current work, transferring the patients under her care to Doctor Liu and Doctor Jiang from the Surgery Department so they could continue their treatment.
There was also one special patient, Zhang Huiyun. Fang Yuan had assumed she would not return for acupuncture, but when the scheduled treatment time arrived, she came anyway. Her expression was unpleasant, and she did not say a single word. Fang Yuan did not take it to heart.
She simply regarded their relationship as that of doctor and patient, which allowed her to adjust her mindset.
After the acupuncture treatment, Fang Yuan informed Zhang Huiyun that she would soon be leaving for training. After she returned, she would perform one final acupuncture session, and the course of treatment would be complete.
Zhang Huiyun got up from the treatment bed, straightened her clothes, let out a light snort, and left. If the treatment had not truly been effective, and if she had not wanted to completely cure this chronic condition, she would never have given such an ungrateful doctor the slightest courtesy.
Before Fang Yuan left for training, the patient she had admitted during her night shift went into shock two days after being hospitalized. His condition became critical for a time. Every one of his physical indicators was abnormal, and his organs began to fail.
Eventually, the test results confirmed that he was infected with several kinds of parasites. There was no longer any possibility of a cure, and he had very little time left to live.
Neither the patient nor his family had imagined that a relatively minor injury would become fatal because he had swallowed live toads. They simply could not accept the diagnosis. They completed the discharge procedures and decided to seek treatment at a major hospital in the provincial capital.
Neither Doctor Jiang nor Fang Yuan tried to stop them. Although, as doctors, they knew there was no possibility of recovery once multiple organs had begun to fail, they also understood the patient’s desire to survive.
Fang Yuan only told Fang Xiaoqin the news two days before she was due to leave. Her mother stared at her in disbelief, repeatedly murmuring, “How can you still have to go to the countryside after getting into university?”
She immediately grabbed Fang Yuan and wanted to go ask Lu Yongjun for help. Fang Yuan spent a long time calming her down, explaining that the decision had been made by the hospital leadership, the official document had already been issued and publicly announced, and there was no possibility of changing it. Besides, she felt that spending some time in the countryside was not a bad thing. It would be a good opportunity to get rid of some of her own pampered habits.
What comforted Fang Xiaoqin was that Fang Yuan had not been assigned to somewhere far away but would remain within the same city. To her, that was a blessing in disguise, especially after learning that the other doctors were being sent to the northwestern province.