Chapter 33 Inspection

The staff hospital of the machinery factory.

As the weather gets colder, the nurses in the cashier's office start using honeycomb stoves to warm themselves, and the steam from the fire turns into water vapor that covers the terrazzo floor.

The hall became wet and slippery, and Aunt Jiang and the others suddenly had a lot more work to do.

Chen Yun arrived at the hospital at 7:30 a.m. After signing his name in the notebook, he greeted Duan Yun and the others who were busy working.

"Good morning, Director Chen."

Duan Yun looked up from his work log, a smile on his face, indicating he was in a good mood.

"What good news is it that makes you so happy?"

Several people were still chatting and laughing in the nurses' station, and Li Hongmei's expression even revealed a hint of schadenfreude.

"It's such a pity that Director Chen missed such a good show yesterday." Li Hongmei jumped up from her seat with a smile when she saw Chen Yun: "Yesterday, the hospital director was even here."

The hospital's working hours have changed due to the addition of a night shift system. The situation of working 24 hours a day will no longer occur, and patients can take a day off after finishing their night shift.

Chen Yun, who worked the night shift on Wednesday, took a day off on Thursday and came to work as usual on Friday.

"Tell me the details quickly," Chen Yun said, clearly intrigued.

Li Hongmei winked mysteriously: "Yesterday, Dr. Zuo and Dr. Fang got into a fight..." As she spoke, she spread her hands and made a scratching motion: "His face was scratched quite a bit, leaving many bloody marks."

"That serious!" Chen Yun exclaimed in surprise.

"In my opinion, this matter cannot be blamed on Doctor Zuo. Anyone would have been unable to swallow that anger," Duan Yun commented.

"Then hurry up and tell me why they started fighting... I'm so anxious!" Chen Yun urged impatiently.

"Yesterday, a doctor was assigned to Dr. Zuo's office for a consultation, but guess what... Dr. Fang intercepted him halfway through!"

In addition to changes in working hours, the hospital has also introduced a new performance-based bonus system.

In other words, the number of patients a doctor sees directly affects his/her bonus for the month, and there's now a list of patient numbers posted on the bulletin board at the main entrance.

Chen Yun currently has a significantly higher number of patients, thanks to the fact that most patients from Huangniba Commune specifically request her.

Even if it weren't for the prize money, none of the doctors wanted to lose to others on that row of five-pointed stars that were publicly displayed.

Liu Baoguo's change instantly boosted the enthusiasm of the four doctors to see patients, and the rest of them, except for Chen Yun, competed fiercely with each other behind the scenes.

As for why all three of them tacitly excluded Chen Yun.

It's because only Chen Yun can treat many diseases; even if they were to take over, they wouldn't be able to diagnose the problem.

This is why doctors, who used to be eager to pass the time by reading newspapers at work, have now turned into scrambling for patients.

Fang Ping snatched a patient and openly belittled Zuo Lingling's background as a barefoot doctor and her poor medical skills, which was overheard by the patient herself.

The verbal conflict escalated into slapping and tearing clothes, and the fight went from the second floor all the way down to the first floor.

Zuo Lingling was slightly outmatched in physical combat, but she was quite formidable in verbal attacks, exposing Fang Ping's past in front of everyone.

"Dr. Zuo said that Dr. Fang is just daydreaming and having wild fantasies during the day... Hahaha, I can't help but laugh just thinking about Dr. Fang's face."

Li Hongmei laughed so hard she almost fell over, and accidentally bumped into Duan Yun, who was busy writing his shift handover log.

Duan Yun wasn't annoyed at all, and continued to describe yesterday's events to Chen Yun with a smile: "Doctor Zuo said that Doctor Fang's parents, who are officials in the city, have already remarried, and the young couple are living a good life..."

Fang Lingling not only found out about Fang Ping's past, but also kept track of her adoptive parents in the city, and even knew about her brother's wedding.

And just like that... at the crucial moment, he dealt Fang Ping a fatal blow.

Fang Ping's incredulous look left a deep impression on everyone. Later, she ran straight to the post office with her hair disheveled.

According to the colleague who went to persuade her, Fang Ping called her adoptive father's office in the city. After being transferred, the other party hung up immediately. Later, the operator told her that the other party refused to talk.

There really are people who are completely oblivious to facial expressions... otherwise, how could they not notice any changes in their adoptive parents' attitudes?

Just as they were feeling sentimental, the people at the nurses' station suddenly stopped laughing and joking.

Li Hongmei greeted him first: "Good morning, Dr. Zuo."

Chen Yun turned around and saw Zuo Lingling, who indeed had two bloody marks on her face, limping into the hospital.

Somewhat surprisingly, she was dressed rather plainly today, having changed her black leather shoes, which hadn't changed in the past six months, into green rubber shoes, which didn't even look right.

Good morning, Dr. Zuo.

Zuo Lingling nodded expressionlessly to Duan Yun and the others, then gestured with her chin towards Chen Yun: "Shall we go upstairs together?"

"Okay." Chen Yun casually placed the net bag containing breakfast at the payment counter: "Please put it on the stove for me when you heat up lunch at noon as well."

The cashier's office is the only place in the entire hospital where you can warm yourself by a fire in winter, as it also serves to heat up meals.

"He brought his own lunch today...it seems Captain Gao is home."

It's no secret in the courtyard that Chen Yun's new husband, Captain Gao, is considerate and gentle; it's just a pity I didn't get to attend their wedding banquet.

"He went out this morning and won't be back for several days." Chen Yun smiled and pointed to Zuo Lingling's face: "As for your face, I'll put some medicine on it for you at the nurses' station. Be careful not to leave a scar."

"Whatever." Zuo Lingling waved her hand indifferently: "It's good to have a scar, so I won't forget what Fang Ping said about me being worthless today."

As they walked, the door to Chen Yun's office appeared.

"Don't take it to heart. What's the harm in her saying anything?" He only realized Zuo Lingling was following behind him as he reached for the door: "You've already walked past your office."

"I just want to talk to you about something."

creak—

Even when it's cold, Chen Yun still habitually opens the window for ventilation when she enters the office.

The wind in Panshui is not as biting as in the north; it doesn't hurt when it blows on your face, but the chill lingers like a leech.

Zuo Lingling shivered as she turned up her collar to shield herself from the cold wind, and Chen Yun then noticed a red mark on her neck.

"Fang Ping really went all out. I'll put some medicine on your neck later; the cut looks pretty deep."

“It wasn’t Fang Ping.” Zuo Lingling sneered repeatedly, her voice carrying a chilling coldness, even more intense than the cold air in the room: “It was Gao Cheng’s sister who arrested him.”

"Did you have a fight when you got home last night?" Chen Yun asked as she sat down.

"Gao Cheng blamed me for looking for trouble and deserved to have my face scratched, but his sister... said I dress like a vixen every day and deserve to be beaten."

I used to think that Gao Cheng was just a bit tight on money, but when a real problem arose, I realized that money was the least of his problems.

Instead of caring whether his wife was injured, he indiscriminately berated her for making trouble, and most importantly, he was worried that it would affect his work.

The sister-in-law immediately suspected that she was having an affair, which is why she was beaten.

"This... family!"

Even if you think through many things all night, it's still hard to avoid feeling sad when you bring them up again.

Her ex-husband divorced her because she didn't like to dress up and had an affair. When she remarried, she only hoped to find an honest man who didn't scheme for romantic relationships.

In the end... Gao Cheng's selfishness still made the marriage teeter on the brink of collapse.

"If you can hit Fang Ping, why can't you teach Gao Cheng's sister a lesson?" Chen Yun wasn't one to swallow her anger. As soon as she put on her white coat, she raised her fist: "If it were me, I would tear her mouth apart."

"I guess I'll be lying at home today." Zuo Lingling laughed, glancing at Chen Yun with surprise: "I thought you would advise me to be patient, just like my sister."

"Endure breast hyperplasia for a while, retreat for uterine fibroids." Chen Yun immediately thought of a famous saying from her previous life.

Many illnesses are caused by holding grudges. At worst, venting your anger will hurt others, but keeping it inside will only hurt yourself.

"That's so true!" Zuo Lingling sighed. "If I had this kind of awareness before remarrying, I wouldn't have had to suffer so much humiliation."

"So what are your plans next?"

Life goes on, but we can't live like we used to!

"How can I help you?"

One divorce can lead to years of gossip and criticism. If she were to divorce again, Zuo Lingling would be pointed at and talked about for the rest of her life, making it even harder for her to live a good life at the factory.

The marriage... definitely cannot be dissolved.

So Chen Yun guessed Zuo Lingling's idea almost instantly... she wanted to start with her work.

"I've thought carefully about what you said last time, and I think it makes sense. I want to study medicine again!"

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

"That's exactly what I was waiting for." Zuo Lingling stood up briskly and patted Chen Yun on the shoulder: "If you encounter any cases, remember to call me. Let's start by learning and observing more."

"Dr. Chen."

Several people had appeared in front of the office door, which was not closed at any time. Chen Yun smiled at Zuo Lingling and said, "Then come to the examination room to find me in a while."

Zuo Lingling turned around and glanced at the woman holding her pregnant belly, then nodded knowingly.

"I'll tell Duan Yun not to call my number later."

Zhang Guixiang slowly walked in, supported by Ma Zhigang and his mother. All three of them looked unwell, and they didn't even bother to greet Zuo Lingling as they passed by.

"Here you are..."

I ran into Zhang Guixiang outside a public restroom last night. She suggested that she should come to the hospital beforehand for a black and white ultrasound to check the condition of her uterus.

Although she didn't say anything harsh at the time, Zhang Guixiang was already nervous about this pregnancy that she had finally managed to conceive, and she was so anxious that she didn't sleep all night.

This morning, Ma Zhigang almost fell into the vegetable garden again after getting up, so he took a day off to accompany his wife to the hospital for a check-up.

"Dr. Chen," Zhang Guixiang asked hurriedly as soon as she sat down, "Will there be any problems with this pregnancy?"

Chen Yun, as usual, took off his stethoscope and hung it up, then smiled at Ma Cuifen and her sister who had followed him into the room: "Auntie and Cuifen, go wait at the door. It's not good to examine someone if there are too many people in the room."

"I asked you to come to the hospital yesterday for a black and white ultrasound, just to check the general development of the fetus."

"I'm worried that something might be wrong with my child."

Although Chen Yun said that, it still didn't ease Zhang Guixiang's tension.

"Don't be nervous. There are many reasons why a pregnant belly might be larger than normal. For example, it could be due to a large fetus, excessive amniotic fluid, or even excessive abdominal fat from overeating..."

Chen Yun tried to choose situations with no serious consequences to ease Zhang Guixiang's tension.

“My mother always says that you can’t eat anything during pregnancy, otherwise it will be difficult to give birth to the baby later. But Ma Zhigang insists that the old woman is talking nonsense.”

Old Ma pouted at the doorway, "He thought I hurt his wife!"

Ma Zhigang scratched his head in embarrassment, not expecting his wife to blurt out all the things they had said in private in just a few words.

"Nutrition should be balanced. Drinking two bowls of chicken soup every day is not as good as eating two pieces of chicken."

Chen Yun put down the pulse pillow and gestured for Zhang Guixiang to place her hand on it.

“I can’t listen to your nonsense anymore. I don’t want to eat that chicken oil that’s supposed to be good for babies anymore.” Zhang Guixiang put her wrist down and rolled her eyes at her husband. “I must have been stupid to listen to your nonsense, you big man.”

Old Ma walked around the doorway with her hands behind her back twice, looking quite pleased with herself. Chen Yun agreed with what she said.

"Mother, how come Doctor Chen can also take pulses?" Ma Cuifen asked, very puzzled as she watched Chen Yun take Zhang Guixiang's pulse. "Don't doctors in hospitals usually use that to listen to the stomach to find out if there's a problem?"

Only the barefoot doctor in the brigade, who carried a medicine box every day, could take pulses; the doctors in the health center listened to people's chests with a stethoscope.

In Ma Cuifen's eyes, there are still significant differences between the two.

"As long as it works, who cares about the method?" Old Ma saw things clearly, and then sighed to her daughter, "Don't be like those bastards in the team who say you can't learn this or listen to that, even if you fart a little loudly, they say it has a capitalist flavor... If you want to learn, learn from Dr. Chen."

“Then I want to be a doctor too,” Ma Cuifen muttered softly.

"you……"

"Mother! Look what's wrong with my sister-in-law?"

The mother and daughter had only exchanged a few words when Zhang Guixiang suddenly became extremely nervous again.

Old Lady Ma took off running inside.

"Doctor, is there something wrong with my daughter-in-law's pregnancy?"

“I felt two pulses.” Chen Yun smiled at Old Ma: “Your daughter-in-law is pregnant with twins, so it’s understandable that her belly is big.”

Chen Yun was not only happy for Zhang Guixiang, but also felt relieved.

The abnormal abdominal circumference caused by twins is one of the most gratifying cases, and the happiest people should be Ma Zhigang and his wife.

She lost her first two children, and then she had twins with her third pregnancy.

“Your pulse is fine. You can have an ultrasound examination in a bit.” Chen Yun wrote down the payment slip and handed it to Ma Zhigang, who was still overjoyed. “After you pay, go to the examination room on the first floor and wait for me.”

The cement floor of the hospital examination room was damp from the heat, and small patches of mold had appeared on the corners of the walls.

Outside the window, there were piles of scaffolding used by the elementary school across the street to set up a stage, blocking out most of the light.

Chen Yun went into the room and pulled down the light cord.

The room was instantly filled with a stark, pale light.

A propaganda poster on the wall reads "Learn from so-and-so," and the person in the picture has piercing eyes, as if staring at the huge gray-green machine below.

As soon as the cloth covering the machine was removed, Duan Yun rushed into the room with the registration book in her hand.

"Director Chen, are you going to have an ultrasound examination in a bit?"

"Um."

Chen Yun took the notebook and wrote her name on it.

Whoever uses the machine signs it; if the machine malfunctions while in whose hands...then we'll hold them accountable.

Of course, Chen Yun's name was on both of the few checks recorded in the register, and even if the machine is broken, probably no one would recognize it right now.

"The dean is here too."

A single inspection was enough to alarm Liu Baoguo, who was hiding by the fire at the payment counter, and soon the inspection room was crowded with people.

"Little Chen!" Liu Baoguo said with a smile, his hands rubbing together like flies. "When you're doing your examination, could you let other doctors and nurses observe?"

Craftsmen... those who can use ultrasound machines and read images are now also called craftsmen.

These people usually carry considerable weight in the hospital, and they don't even allow others to be present during examinations.

So Liu Baoguo applied for more than half a year but no one assigned him... Provincial hospitals were scrambling to send him, so how could the factory hospital possibly get a turn?

"We'll have to ask Comrade Zhang first, since we'll be showing our bellies soon."

"I'll personally go and explain the situation to Comrade Zhang," Liu Baoguo said with a smile, then rubbed his fly-like hands and walked away.

Chen Yun took an enamel mug from the cabinet, thought for a moment and didn't use it, then pushed the ultrasound machine to the bedside.

"Director Chen." Zuo Lingling appeared at the door right on time.

"You've come at the right time. Let me teach you about thermal coupling agent first." Chen Yun took out a bottle of coupling agent in a brown glass bottle from the cabinet: "Pour some hot water into the tank."

The existing coupling agent is unstable. In winter, the paraffin oil will solidify like lard and needs to be melted before it can be used.

As for why Chen Yun knew so much... she wasn't even surprised.

If you put the small bottle into the enamel mug and hear a very slight "sizzling" sound, it means that the ointment is slowly softening.

Zuo Lingling carefully placed the enamel mug aside.

After waiting for a short while, Zhang Guixiang, surrounded by several people, walked into the examination room with a nervous expression.

Chen Yun nodded to her and bent down to plug in the power.

As soon as the consecration was activated, a low humming sound came from inside the instrument, like an old lady struggling to breathe while climbing a hill.

After a long buzzing sound, the oscilloscope suddenly lit up, and a thin, faint beam of light pierced the dark screen from left to right.

Chen Yun raised his hand to signal Zhang Guixiang to lie down, and with his other hand picked up the long-handled probe, ran his fingers over the metal surface of the probe, and began to focus on adjusting the rows of knobs on the instrument panel.

Liu Baoguo gasped in shock. No wonder there was a shortage of doctors to perform the instrument examinations; just looking at those few rows of knobs made one dizzy.

Anyway, he didn't know what Chen Yun was adjusting. Chen Yun stared at the instrument screen for a long time before finally stopping.

"Dr. Zuo, look, this baseline needs to be stabilized, and this part must be moderate..." Chen Yun pointed to the screen and taught Zuo Lingling how to use it in great detail.

After seeing her nod to indicate that she understood, I took the coupling agent out of the jar and wiped the surface water stains clean.

“Comrade Zhang, don’t be afraid. You just need to pull your clothes up to show your stomach.” Chen Yun looked up at the only man in the crowd who wasn’t related to Zhang Guixiang: “Director, how about you…”

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving." Liu Baoguo quickly backed away and closed the door.

With Ma Zhigang's help, Zhang Guixiang slowly lay down on the examination bed made from a long bench. Surrounded by so many female comrades, she was so stiff that she didn't know what to do next.

"Don't be nervous." Zuo Lingling gently comforted Zhang Guixiang and helped her roll up the hem of her cotton-padded coat: "I heard from Director Chen that it doesn't hurt at all."

"It's just a bit chilly."

Chen Yun picked out a clump of coupling gel, touched it to the probe, and then gently pressed it onto Zhang Guixiang's stomach.

Despite being warned beforehand, Zhang Guixiang didn't feel cold. She gripped the thin sheet tightly with both hands, her eyes rolling upwards in nervousness.

Gradually, Zhang Guixiang could feel something round pressing on her belly, sometimes rolling to the left and sometimes to the right.

"..."

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yun suddenly pointed to the screen and showed it to everyone.

"The heartbeat on this line is that of a child."

On the black-and-white instrument, that tiny, flickering point, like a lighthouse in the ocean, instantly illuminated the minds of the few people who were watching intently.

Chen Yun quietly counted the fetal heartbeats.

Ma Zhigang has poor eyesight and couldn't see any children on the screen even after looking for a long time.

I was eager to ask, but the peek slowly moved to another spot.

Moving and stopping on that bulging belly, searching and searching again, I finally found another heartbeat in the lower right corner.

This heartbeat was slightly weaker than the previous one, and Chen Yun had to press harder on the screen to make it appear.

"They are indeed twins, congratulations!"

"Is the child...is the child alright?"

"Currently, one appears to be stronger and the other weaker, but their heart rates are both normal."

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Chen Yun turned around and saw that the person asking was Zuo Lingling, who looked excited and eager to know.

"Can you tell how a baby sleeps in its mother's womb by looking at this black and white screen?"

Those patches of shadows meant that, let alone determining the sex of the baby, they couldn't even find where the fetus was.

Chen Yun smiled, put away the probe, and suddenly replied unexpectedly: "If the doctor is experienced, they can barely tell if the pregnancy is a little further along, but... I don't have that kind of eye."

Even if Chen Yun could tell, she couldn't possibly say it in front of Zhang Guixiang and her husband, otherwise how would she answer if they asked her?

"The older child's heartbeat is 145, and the younger child's heartbeat is 127. Both are currently within the normal range..."

With her heart finally at ease, Zhang Guixiang wiped her belly clean with toilet paper and lay on the examination bed for a few more minutes before slowly sitting up.

"However, I see that you have too much fat on your abdomen. You should not only drink less soup and eat more meat, but also not lie in bed all the time... In the morning, I'll have Comrade Ma take you to the bathhouse, and you can walk back slowly after get off work."

The family quarters are about a ten-minute walk from the bathhouse. The downhill path is relatively gentle, which is suitable for pregnant women's exercise.

"Thank you, Dr. Chen."

Upon arriving at the office, Chen Yun took advantage of the moment when Ma Cuifen helped Zhang Guixiang to the restroom to call Ma Zhigang and Ma's mother into the office as well.

"Thank goodness you listened to what I said yesterday. Having twins is certainly a good thing... but there are also many things to be careful about."

Having twins is a big challenge for the mother, the most common problems being premature birth and the difficulty in expelling the placenta during vaginal delivery due to its large size.

"Therefore, my suggestion is to have an ultrasound examination once a month starting from the sixth month. If any problems arise, you can go to the county hospital for a cesarean section earlier."

The staff hospital is not equipped to perform cesarean sections, so in such cases, the only option is to go to the county town.

"No wonder Old Liu's daughter-in-law from our brigade died during her twin birth. The midwife said it was because the two babies were too crowded inside her and wouldn't come out, so in the end, neither of them survived," Old Ma said, her face turning pale.

Everyone thought having twins in one pregnancy was a great joy, but after hearing Chen Yun's explanation, they realized there were actually so many risks involved.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’m not saying this to scare you.” Chen Yun gestured for the two parched people to sit down. “I just want you to be more careful in your daily lives and to deal with problems early.”

"You're right, you're right!"

"I will prescribe two doses of traditional Chinese medicine for Comrade Zhang Guixiang to regulate her body. As long as she is healthy during her pregnancy, she will definitely have a safe delivery."

"Doctor, we'll do whatever you say."

In the end, it was Old Lady Ma who took charge. Ma Zhigang was already dumbfounded in his ecstasy and grief.

Grandma Ma had made up her mind. Since she was already at her eldest son's house, she wouldn't rush back. She would wait until her daughter-in-law gave birth before heading back.

Her eldest son is timid and panics easily when something happens.

Of course, the main reason is... Old Ma secretly glanced at Chen Yun.

If only we could find a way out for the girl!