Li Wanqing took Meng Renjie’s letter and went to the director’s office.
When Zhang Zhuoliang learned that Li Wanqing knew Meng Renjie, his attitude immediately became much warmer.
“Five years. I never thought Old Meng would still remember me.”
Zhang Zhuoliang’s face was filled with emotion.
Li Wanqing smiled gently and handed him the letter.
“Director Zhang, Doctor Meng asked me to give you this letter.”
After five years, seeing his friend’s handwriting again instantly brought tears to Zhang Zhuoliang’s eyes.
Even his hands trembled slightly as he opened the letter.
After reading it, Zhang Zhuoliang choked up several times. Once his emotions gradually settled, he looked at Li Wanqing kindly.
“Comrade Xiao Li, could you tell me how Old Meng is doing now?”
Li Wanqing nodded.
Actually, she didn’t know much about Meng Renjie’s past, so there wasn’t much she could tell him.
Meng Renjie had once been the top surgeon at the provincial hospital in Hunan and was also an associate professor at the Hunan Medical Academy.
He had enjoyed a good reputation in the medical field.
But five years ago, one of his students reported him for making politically extreme remarks. Later, the hospital also reported him, claiming that he had improperly handled a surgical procedure.
In the end, he was sent to a farm in the far north for three years of labor reform. Two years ago, he was transferred to the health clinic at Renxing Brigade to work as a doctor.
“Doctor Meng is very skilled. These past two years at Renxing Brigade have been fairly peaceful for him, except…”
Li Wanqing paused briefly before speaking with a hint of concern.
“I feel like he seems rather depressed.”
It wasn’t depression about his work.
It was depression about life itself.
He had been reported by a student he had devoted himself to teaching and betrayed by colleagues with whom he had once worked side by side.
After everything happened, even his own family abandoned him, leaving him to endure three years of hardship alone…
Experiences like that could completely break a person’s spirit.
The fact that Meng Renjie could still use his medical skills to save people and serve the public even now was already remarkable.
Some wounds might appear healed, but they were merely hidden deeper.
Without ever seeing sunlight, they slowly eroded a person’s body and soul.
Li Wanqing thought for a moment before speaking.
“Director Zhang, if it’s convenient, perhaps you could write Doctor Meng a letter.”
Although she hadn’t known him for long, Meng Renjie had treated her and her daughter well. If there was a chance, she wanted to help him.
When someone was emotionally and mentally worn down, what they needed most was encouragement from family or friends.
Zhang Zhuoliang looked at Li Wanqing with a warm smile.
He thought he probably understood why Old Meng had written the letter.
That old mule was notoriously stubborn and hated troubling other people!
This young comrade must have caught his eye, which was why he had made an exception and written to ask Zhang Zhuoliang to look after her.
“I’ve wanted to write to him for a long time, but his situation is special. There are some things that can’t be stated openly in a letter.”
He and Old Cao had always been concerned about Old Meng. Unfortunately, there had been nothing they could do when everything happened.
By the time they found out, everything had already been decided, and Old Meng had already been sent away.
Li Wanqing thought about what Director Zhang had said and suddenly came up with a roundabout solution.
In this era, people sent away for labor reform generally lived in places known as “cowsheds,” and both visitors and incoming or outgoing items were subject to strict monitoring.
Although Meng Renjie didn’t have to live in a cowshed and the people at Renxing Brigade treated him with reasonable respect, any packages or letters he received would still have to be inspected.
Some things really weren’t suitable to be written directly in a letter.
“Director Zhang, if you trust me, you can give the letter to me. I’ll send it back to the Educated Youth Station and have a friend help deliver it.”
Zhang Zhuoliang’s eyes lit up.
“That’s indeed a good idea. I’ll write it right now.”
If Old Meng trusted this young comrade, then the people she trusted should certainly be trustworthy as well.
Zhang Zhuoliang immediately picked up his pen, visibly excited.
There were simply too many things he wanted to ask Old Meng about.
Li Wanqing: …
Actually, there was no need to rush quite that much, was there?
By the time Zhang Zhuoliang carefully finished writing the letter, half an hour had already passed.
“Comrade Xiao Li, I’m really sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Zhang Zhuoliang handed the letter to her, still unable to conceal his excitement.
Li Wanqing smiled faintly.
“It’s all right. I’ll be leaving now. I’ll come back if I hear anything.”
Li Wanqing didn’t mention anything about Cheng Baichuan’s rehabilitation.
His body was fine anyway, so recovery was only a matter of time.
After Li Wanqing left, Zhang Zhuoliang called over his assistant, Xiao Wang.
“Didn’t Director Huang submit an application yesterday to use that new batch of rehabilitation equipment?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Wang nodded.
“But that batch of rehabilitation equipment is very expensive. The hospital administration thinks it’s not the right time to use it yet.”
That was the polite way of putting it.
In reality, because the equipment was imported, its approval had been held up for more than half a year.
Zhang Zhuoliang frowned.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s not the right time to use it’?”
“Most of the people staying at our military hospital are soldiers who protect our country. Are a few pieces of equipment really more valuable than these heroes?”
Xiao Wang fell silent.
There wasn’t much he could say about that.
The military hospital had recently acquired a group of people who did little actual work but specialized in finding fault with others. Sometimes, even the staff were helpless.
Zhang Zhuoliang naturally knew about the situation as well.
He waved his hand.
“Notify all department heads and the administrative staff. We’ll have a meeting in the conference room at two this afternoon.”
Li Wanqing returned to the ward with the letter, planning to send it before they moved back to the military district.
She could also call He Mei and let her know that everything was fine.
When she returned to the ward, Cheng Baichuan was lying on the bed, while Nuo Nuo was standing beside him, holding onto the bed rail.
Li Wanqing frowned slightly.
As expected, fathers really couldn’t be trusted to take care of children, could they?
Although Nuo Nuo could walk steadily now, what if she fell or ran off?
Cheng Baichuan couldn’t even stand up yet, so there was no way he could stop her.
And judging from Cheng Baichuan’s extremely guilty expression, Li Wanqing became even more suspicious that he hadn’t been paying enough attention to the child.
The moment Cheng Nuo saw Li Wanqing return, she toddled toward her on her little legs.
“Mommy~~~”
Li Wanqing crouched down, and the little girl immediately threw herself into her arms.
She babbled away, apparently complaining about something that had happened.
Cheng Baichuan rubbed his nose and inexplicably felt that his daughter seemed to be reporting him.
Fortunately, she still couldn’t speak very well.
Li Wanqing probably couldn’t understand her anyway. Otherwise, where would he put his dignity?
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he looked up and met Li Wanqing’s stern expression.
“You were secretly practicing just now, and you fell?”
Cheng Baichuan: …
His heart instantly panicked.
How did she know?
After one second of panic, Cheng Baichuan calmly denied it.
“No. How could I possibly secretly practice and then fall…”
“Daddy~ Ah-ah~”
Cheng Nuo looked at him angrily.
Li Wanqing also gave him an accusing look.
Cheng Baichuan became even more guilty.
“How… how did you know?”
Li Wanqing held Nuo Nuo and pushed her slightly forward, looking incredibly proud.
“Of course, it’s thanks to my adorable little supervisor!”
Cheng Nuo raised her little chin proudly.
She was the little supervisor, after all.
Her job was to supervise Daddy and make sure he didn’t do anything reckless.
Cheng Baichuan awkwardly rubbed his nose.
He didn’t believe Li Wanqing’s explanation at all.
He must have looked so guilty just now that she had simply bluffed the truth out of him.
But seeing his wife and daughter smiling so happily, he decided to believe it for the time being.