“I guess it was all just a coincidence.”
The housekeeper had gone back to her hometown, leaving Tan Xiwen alone. If Tan Zheng hadn’t happened to visit her to borrow some industrial coupons, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Although Tan Zheng trusted Qin Man, a small seed of doubt lingered in his mind.
That doubt came from a soldier’s instinctive vigilance, not from any lack of gratitude toward Qin Man.
Song Qingsong stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Whatever the case, Comrade Qin Man is extraordinarily gifted.”
Thinking back to what had happened at the state-run restaurant earlier that day, the Tian and Zhou families had tried every trick in the book—soft persuasion, intimidation, pressure.
Just when they thought they had the upper hand, Qin Man flipped the situation in an instant.
“She even borrowed a rope and threatened to hang herself in the restaurant.”
Song Qingsong rubbed the corner of his twitching mouth.
With Qin Man’s brains and tactics, she could probably hang every one of them with that rope—and walk away completely unscathed.
“What happened?”
Tan Zheng crushed out his cigarette and gazed into the distance.
Snowflakes drifted steadily from the sky, quickly dusting his shoulders in white.
He brushed them off casually before turning back to Song Qingsong.
Qin Man was now the Tan family’s benefactor. He didn’t want to see her wronged.
“Wronged?”
Song Qingsong nearly lost it.
He eagerly recounted everything that had happened at the restaurant.
“I don’t know what she said to the waitress, but she charmed her completely. Xiaoyun and I even got treated to bowls of beef noodles because of her.”
The canned beef had been shipped from Tianjin, making it a rare commodity.
The meat was tender and soaked in rich, steaming broth.
The chef had even added a few precious drops of sesame oil—a luxury that left an unforgettable aftertaste.
“Comrade Qin Man isn’t someone who lets herself be bullied. Otherwise, how could she have escaped those human traffickers?”
The night before, Song Qingsong had gone home, and his mother had mentioned something she’d heard.
The traffickers, Chen Fengying and the lame man, were experienced criminals who specialized in abducting women.
Every target they picked had fallen into their trap.
They were cautious professionals.
Unfortunately for them, they chose Qin Man—and that’s where they finally met their downfall.
At the mention of the traffickers, Tan Zheng frowned slightly.
“Qingsong… just admit it.”
“Your observational skills aren’t exactly your strong suit.”
“What do you mean?” Song Qingsong protested indignantly, abandoning his usual refined demeanor.
“If I were that clueless, could I even be a doctor?”
“The trafficker gave herself away long before that.”
Back in the hospital ward, Tan Zheng had noticed the details.
Chen Fengying had disguised herself as an honest country woman, yet her hands were smooth, without a single callus.
Her coat looked plain and shabby, but her leather shoes were expensive.
There was even a faint mark on her finger where she’d recently worn a gold ring.
Real farm women didn’t wear jewelry while doing manual labor.
Remembering how he’d helped the traffickers capture Qin Man, Song Qingsong felt guilty.
“How was I supposed to know? Besides, Qin Man just happened to run in front of your jeep. I thought she’d planned it.”
Marshal Tan, the Tan family’s patriarch, was the commander of the military district, and nearly everyone in the family served in the army.
Tan Zheng, though only in his twenties and still unmarried, was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the military compound.
Unfortunately, his permanently stern expression had frightened more than one shy young woman to tears.
Most girls lost their nerve the moment they stood in front of him.
By the time the two men returned to the third floor, Yang Xiaoyun hurried over.
“Doctor Song, the patient is stable and under observation. Qin Man is still in the operating room. I’m going home for a bit.”
It was already late.
The hospital cafeteria had closed.
Qin Man had eaten very little for dinner, giving most of her noodles to Song Qingsong and Yang Xiaoyun. After performing such a demanding operation, she had to be starving.
“I’ll go home, see what food we have, ask my mom to cook something, and bring it back.”
Yang Xiaoyun had thought everything through.
She practically glowed with excitement.
“Qin Man is incredible!”
Knowing Yang Xiaoyun had become close to Qin Man, Song Qingsong asked,
“What did Comrade Qin Man do back in her village?”
“She was a barefoot doctor.”
Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Don’t underestimate her just because she’s from the countryside. She’s famous around there. People from neighboring towns all came to her for treatment.”
“But she never attended medical school, did she?”
Song Qingsong pressed further.
The national college entrance examination had been suspended years ago.
Among the doctors at the provincial hospital, only a handful had attended the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.
Yang Xiaoyun leaned in mysteriously and lowered her voice.
“This is a secret. You can’t tell anyone.”
“Go ahead,” Song Qingsong promised.
“I won’t breathe a word.”
Not only did he listen himself, he even waved Tan Zheng over.
Yang Xiaoyun didn’t mind at all.
“Weren’t there a lot of famous doctors and professors sent down to the countryside during those years?”
“Well… several legendary medical masters ended up in Qin Man’s village.”
“She became their student.”
“She’s amazing.”
In truth, Qin Man had only mentioned that an elderly traditional Chinese physician had taught her.
By the time the story reached Yang Xiaoyun, it had grown considerably.
Ironically, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
During those turbulent years, countless renowned scholars and professors had indeed been sent down to labor in rural villages.
Most were already elderly.
Living in crude cattle sheds and doing exhausting manual labor ruined their health.
Many never survived to see better days.
At the thought, Tan Zheng’s expression darkened.
Still, he believed firmly—
Every storm eventually passed.
Dawn would come.
As Yang Xiaoyun prepared to leave, Tan Zheng stopped her.
“Comrade Yang Xiaoyun, there’s no need to trouble yourself.”
“I’ll go home instead.”
There was no hiding Tan Xiwen’s condition from the family.
The Tan household employed a housekeeper whose cooking was excellent.
A nourishing meal would help Tan Xiwen recover after surgery.
“Commander Tan… there’s something…”
Yang Xiaoyun knew the Tan family’s meals would certainly be better than what her mother could prepare.
She happily agreed, then nervously twisted the hem of her coat, unsure how to bring up what she wanted to say.
“Go on,” Song Qingsong urged gently.
“Just say what you’re asking for.”
“I want to ask if you can help Qin Man get a job.”
“Preferably here at the provincial hospital.”
While Qin Man had been in surgery, Yang Xiaoyun had quietly made inquiries.
The provincial hospital recruited exceptional talent every year, sometimes making special exceptions.
Of course, many of the less important departments were filled through personal connections.
“But someone who can perform surgery like Qin Man shouldn’t be turned away.”
Afraid Tan Zheng would misunderstand, she quickly added,
“This isn’t Qin Man’s idea.”
“It’s mine.”
Qin Man was still in the operating room.
Yang Xiaoyun hadn’t even had a chance to speak with her afterward.
She genuinely admired Qin Man and wanted desperately to help her stay in the provincial capital.
Besides, earlier that day at the restaurant, Qin Man had openly said she wanted a permanent city job while negotiating with the Zhou family.
“Done.”
Tan Zheng agreed without the slightest hesitation.
For the Tan family, arranging employment wasn’t particularly difficult.
Of course, the matter would have to wait until Director Zhang returned from his conference in Beijing.
The Tan family could recommend Qin Man, but she would still need to pass the provincial hospital’s professional assessment.
There was no skipping that step.
An hour later, the operating room doors finally opened.
Tan Xiwen was wheeled back to the maternity ward.
Qin Man emerged slowly, one hand braced against the wall.
Her legs were trembling with exhaustion.
After greeting Doctor Xu, she planned to fetch some hot water so she could wipe herself down in the ward.
She was drenched in sweat and felt miserable.
“Qin Man, come with me.”
“We’ll go to my dormitory.”
Yang Xiaoyun hurried over to support her, handing her a cup of warm water first.
There was sugar dissolved in it, giving it a pleasant sweetness.
Qin Man drank more than half the cup before finally catching her breath.
“Xiaoyun… will it be alright if I stay in your dorm?”
The hospital room Qin Man had been using had just admitted an elderly patient whose family member was staying overnight.
She didn’t want to inconvenience them.
At the same time, she worried that a crowded dormitory might disturb the other nurses.
“Of course it’s alright!”
The dormitory housed four people.
One nurse was working the night shift, while the other two weren’t there.
Yang Xiaoyun grabbed Qin Man’s hand, her face turning bright red.
“Qin Man…”
“I made a mistake.”