Chapter 62 Hospital Report

Qiu Zhifang had little formal education, limited experience, and was timid.

Over the years, I've felt uneasy keeping the money I've saved in the bank as just numbers, so I keep it all in cash locked in a drawer in my room.

The seemingly useless lock gave Gao Yi an opportunity to steal money.

The first time he took a few cents, his parents didn't notice. But he kept taking more and more until Gao Fei wanted to give money as a gift and found that there were only a few cents left in the drawer.

"When did this happen?" Gao Tiejun asked, puzzled.

The fact that the elderly couple didn't realize such a big thing had happened in their eldest son's house, even though they could hear the slightest fart in the house, suggests that Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang deliberately concealed the matter at the time.

“The month before last.” Qiu Zhifang cautiously peeked at Gao Tiejun’s expression, her timid look exactly the same as Gao Liang’s: “Gao Fei wanted Gao Yi to get the money back, so he didn’t make a big deal out of it.”

"And then what happened?" Chen Yun asked.

The result was definitely that the money wasn't recovered. Whether Gao Fei's injury was related to this incident, and what Gao Yi did with the money, remain mysteries.

Qiu Zhifang lowered her head and slowly uttered three words: "Arcade".

In the past two years, arcades have become popular in the northern part of the city, attracting many teenagers and adult men. Those with money buy tokens to play, while those without money just watch others play.

Chen Yun often heard the sounds of parents cursing at each other in the alley as they dragged their children back from the arcade.

The other children were completely absorbed in watching, while Gao Yi was a "rich guy" who bought game tokens without batting an eye.

Gao Yi, who left home with his schoolbag in the morning, actually went to the arcade.

Thirty yuan worth of game tokens could keep you occupied all day. Around the time school ended, you would pack your schoolbag and go home.

I use game currency, plus breakfast and lunch, and drinks. Occasionally, when I'm in a good mood, I'll treat others to a couple of rounds.

In just two and a half months, Gao Yi squandered all of his parents' savings of seven or eight years.

For the next two months, neither Gao Fei nor Qiu Zhifang noticed that the money in their drawer had decreased.

When Gao Fei went to the school to look for Gao Yi, he heard from the teacher that Gao Yi had not been to school for more than two months. The reason for his absence was that his grandfather had died and needed to be taken back to his hometown for burial.

Moreover, the teachers had already heard rumors circulating in the grade that Gao Yi spent all his time in the arcade, and many students in the class would go to the arcade at lunchtime to watch him play games.

Since Gao Fei is not coming to school, the teacher plans to visit his home to talk to his parents and resolve the issue.

High-speed rail army: "..."

The veins on Qiu Zhifang's neck bulged with anger, and as she spoke, her rage grew increasingly uncontrollable.

"How did you get your hand injured, brother?"

"Your older brother went to the arcade to find Gao Yi..."

Chen Yun could almost imagine what would happen next.

After learning the truth, Gao Fei went to the arcade to find the person. Gao Yi was not only caught on the spot, but he also overheard the owner tempting children to play a gambling machine called a "slot machine".

That machine allows you to win hundreds or even thousands of coins with just one coin, so it can no longer be called a game machine.

Just as Gao Yi was about to give in, Gao Fei appeared and overheard that the boss was encouraging the child to play this gambling-like game. He then angrily demanded a refund from the boss.

A refund is impossible...

In a fit of anger, Gao Fei got into a fight with the boss and his wrist was injured by one of the thugs who was minding the shop.

I didn't get the money, and I even broke my wrist!

"..."

After a brief silence, Gao Tiejun spoke up: "Treat the boss's hand first. We'll deal with Gao Yi when we get back."

After hearing the reason, he didn't seem so angry. Instead, he gave a forced smile, as if a storm was brewing in his heart.

The storm hit the Gao family's house before dawn the next day.

The person at the center of the storm is Gao Ming, not Gao Tiejun.

"Going to work... to pay off debts!"

When Gao Yi first heard the word "go to work," he didn't show any fear. It wasn't until Gao Ming mentioned the word "pay off debts" that Gao Yi's expressionless face made him start to panic.

He looked at Gao Tiejun as if pleading for help, and found that his grandfather's face was even darker than the pre-dawn sky outside. He quickly moved from Gao Lan's face to Dong Qiaoying's face.

Gao Lan was even more frightened than him, and didn't dare to look in Gao Ming's direction at all.

"Grandma, what debt do I need to pay back!"

Gao Yi had imagined many scenarios of his family getting angry, and he was even prepared to be beaten up by Gao Ming.

But no one expected that while no one said anything last night, they brought him up first thing this morning, saying he had to go to the transportation company to wash his car to pay off his debts.

Gao Yi would rather be beaten and spend a few days in bed than do car washing work.

Dong Qiaoying ignored him, turning her back as if she hadn't heard him.

“You have to go today, whether you like it or not.” Gao Ming sat on the bench, glancing at Gao Yi sideways. “If you don’t go, I’ll have someone send you back to your grandfather’s house to farm tomorrow. Anyway, there’s nowhere to run around in those mountain valleys.”

To get to Qiu Zhifang's village, you have to cross two mountains. It's the only village for miles around, and there are wolves and wild boars on the mountains.

Gao Yi still has memories of being so hungry in the mountains as a child that he had to eat tree bark, so he has no intention of going back.

"..."

"Second Uncle, I know I was wrong." Gao Yi knelt down in front of Gao Ming with a thud. "I won't do it again. Second Uncle, please forgive me this time!"

"Hurry up and decide, buy a train ticket to go back to farming or come with me?" Gao Ming shrugged nonchalantly: "Once you pay back the money you spent on games, you can go back to school and continue your studies."

"grandfather."

"grandmother."

"Second Aunt, please beg Second Uncle for me."

Everyone in the room had been begged by Gao Yi, and Chen Yun discovered that thirteen-year-old Gao Yi was even more shameless than many adults.

He knelt down and admitted his mistake smoothly, showing absolutely no self-respect that a boy his age should have.

Gao Ming smiled at Zhou Jianguo: "In a little while, I'll have your second sister-in-law take Xiao Juan and Gao Liang to buy two sets of clothes as a welcome gift from your uncle to your niece."

Chen Yun chimed in, "School's about to start, let's buy some more stationery for the kids."

As a second aunt, she would never be stingy, especially since Gao Lan had been doing a lot of housework lately, so Chen Yun didn't even have to lift a finger to add rice.

She was also very happy to buy clothes for her niece.

Let's go!

No one paid any attention. Gao Ming stood up, grabbed Gao Yi by the collar, and started to walk out. Li Huguo chuckled twice and raised an eyebrow at the people in the room: "Don't worry, everyone! Our convoy is full of veterans. He can't get away!"

Gao Tiejun's biggest worry about Gao Yi escaping was that it was no big deal within the company; he would be caught as soon as he left the train depot.

Besides, with Gao Yi's small arms and legs, he couldn't beat anyone in the team.

Where is Xiaojuan?

Chen Yun wasn't worried about Gao Ming's side; the only problem was that she hadn't yet seen Zhou Xiaojuan's true face, whom she had wanted to see last night.

"Xiao Juan." Gao Lan waved to the door, trying to make her voice sound as gentle as possible: "Come and meet your maternal grandparents and second aunt."

Chen Yun looked closely and finally spotted an eye peeking out from the doorway.

Zhou Xiaojuan, like a frightened quail, huddled outside the door, completely blocking her view. Gao Ming passed by the door without even noticing the child standing there.

"Come on, Auntie, let me see what Xiaojuan looks like?" Chen Yun smiled and beckoned.

He waved again and again, and finally his whole face slowly appeared at the door.

The little girl had sparse, dry, yellow hair, with two thin braids tied at the ends with red ribbons.

A pair of round, almond-shaped eyes watched the people in the room warily, as if she was ready to run out the door at any moment if anyone dared to say a loud word.

"Wow, you're so tall!"

Chen Yun smiled; Zhou Xiaojuan, who was only seven years old, was already a head taller than Gao Nian'an.

“My mom also said I’ll be very tall when I grow up!” Zhou Xiaojuan blinked happily, and the next second she did something that surprised everyone.

She trotted over to the table, her little hand naturally grabbing Chen Yun's clothes as if she had grasped a reassuring straw.

"Second Aunt, have some candy!"

With his other hand, he took out an orange candy that was stuck to the wrapper from his pocket and stuffed it into Chen Yun's palm.

"Here..." Chen Yun looked at Zhou Jianguo and Gao Lan, and for a moment she didn't know how Zhou Xiaojuan addressed them.

“Both my uncle and aunt have one, this one is for my aunt,” Zhou Xiaojuan said happily.

The titles are completely messed up; she calls Gao Lan "Auntie," and Chen Yun "Auntie"...

"I'll definitely keep it safe. When Nian'an wakes up, I'll tell her that the candy was given to her by her cousin."

We can correct the way she's addressed later. No one in the house cares what she's called; on the contrary, they're all happy that Zhou Xiaojuan is close to her family.

"Could I trouble you, Auntie?"

"I will definitely do my best," Zhou Xiaojuan immediately promised in a crisp voice.

"Go wake up your younger sister and brother and tell them we're going out to buy new clothes in a little while."

"good."

As the bouncy figure ran away, Chen Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiao Juan is quite lively; it seems that Cai Hong's incident didn't affect her much."

“The child is keeping it all inside!” Gao Lan sighed. “Jianguo and her second brother brought her back several days ago. On the way back, Xiaojuan didn’t ask her parents a single question. Even when she found out that they had returned to Guanming Hutong, she didn’t mention the rest of the Zhou family.”

Zhou Xiaojuan possessed extraordinary intelligence, and even though she knew in her heart that she might have been sold by the Zhou family, she didn't complain at all.

Zhou Jianguo then recounted Gao Lan's account of the scene when they went to pick up Zhou Xiaojuan.

Zhou Xiaojuan was sold to an elderly, childless couple in the county town. The old couple were not good people; they immediately transferred her to a nightclub to serve drinks to customers.

The proprietress saw that Zhou Xiaojuan was just a child, so she didn't push her into the lobby, but instead kept her in the kitchen to clean.

Gao Ming and his group found the nightclub, and the proprietress readily agreed to release them. Before leaving, she even gave Zhou Xiaojuan some money as payment for working there for several months.

Zhou Jianguo was very grateful to the proprietress, who was the one who told the two that Zhou Xiaojuan's household registration had been transferred to the elderly man's name, and that if they wanted to take the child back to Beicheng, they must cancel the adoption procedures.

If Zhou Jianguo and his wife had left with the child without knowing the situation, the elderly couple would definitely have reported it to the police, and they might have been arrested for child trafficking.

"My second brother and I went to the police station to explain the situation and cancel the household registration of those two old guys, and the result was..." Zhou Jianguo pointed to his face: "Don't look at how white the old geezer's hair is, he's no good!"

The old man had special channels to adopt girls from orphanages or those who had been sold, and then he would send them out to work and earn money.

The pretty ones go to entertainment venues, while the young ones, who are unwanted by anyone, stay at home to take care of two old men.

They had legal adoption paperwork and found a group of local thugs to back them up.

Gao Ming was injured by that gang of thugs when he went to find the old man, while Zhao Jianguo's face was hit by the door frame when he turned around without noticing.

Zhou Jianguo was too embarrassed to talk about it, so he just glossed over the fight.

At this point, she couldn't help but glance at Chen Yun cautiously, wondering what her second sister-in-law had done to make her second brother so obedient and submissive.

You should know that Gao Ming was so fierce when he fought that he was like a ruthless killer, and he single-handedly drove away five or six thugs.

Gao Ming's shoulder was twisted, and a lot of blood was left on the ground after the other party ran away.

It's obvious whose blood it is!

This made Zhou Jianguo even more determined... never to mess with his second brother again.

"The two old bastards went to the police station to cancel the adoption that very day, and didn't even dare to ask us for the money they spent on buying the child."

Two old guys were also frightened; their old arms and legs weren't even enough for a skilled fighter to beat them up with one hand.

The two dared not say another word, eager to get rid of the trouble Zhou Xiaojuan had caused as soon as possible.

After leaving the police station, Gao Ming also reported the two old men for maliciously adopting orphans. They had heard before boarding the train that the gang of thugs had been busted!

Gao Tiejun asked curiously, "Does Xiaojuan know her mother is dead?"

"..."

Gao Lan nodded: "We didn't say anything, but I think she should know."

Otherwise, even though the Zhou family lived in the next alley, Zhou Xiaojuan never suggested going home; instead, she stayed peacefully at the Gao family's house.

“Whether you know it or not, if the child ever asks to go back to the Zhou family, you should tell her the truth.” Gao Tiejun shook his head and took out some money from a bag hanging on the wall: “Use this money to buy clothes today. Two sets of clothes aren’t enough to change into.”

Gao Tiejun doesn't really feel like he's gained a granddaughter; right now, he still sees Zhou Xiaojuan as someone else's child.

But people have feelings, and perhaps after spending more time with him, he will accept and genuinely love this poor child from the bottom of his heart.

Gao Tiejun gave the money to Chen Yun, and he and Dong Qiaoying went to work one after the other.

Chen Yun suddenly realized a big problem.

She's going to work at the hospital tomorrow. Who will take care of the two children at home?

Although her impression of Zhou Jianguo and Gao Lan had changed, Chen Yun was still worried and asked the two of them to help take care of them.

It's okay to bother Ruanqiu in the short term, but once she moves back in, are we going to keep sending the two kids to the Li family next door every day to bother them?

Judging from Li Zhong's proactive attitude tonight, Chen Yun believes that he will move back soon.

"Second Aunt, my little brother is awake and crying!"

Zhou Xiaojuan's panicked cry quickly interrupted Chen Yun's thoughts, and she hurriedly turned around and went back into the house.

Let's discuss it again when Gao Ming returns...

***

Autumn seems to arrive much earlier in the north of the city than in the south. By the end of August, many withered leaves had already fallen from the plane trees on the road, covering the road in front of the Workers' Hospital.

Chen Yun walked slowly across the square, stepping on the fallen leaves, her ears filled with the crunching sound.

Beicheng Workers' Hospital.

The hospital is at least five times the size of Kun'an People's Hospital, with seven or eight buildings of seven stories or more scattered throughout the vast hospital.

The six heavy glass doors of the outpatient building slowly closed behind Chen Yun, quickly shutting out the last bit of stuffiness from the outside world.

What hit you was a strong and complex smell.

The disinfectant had a pungent smell, and the dozen or so rows of wooden chairs in the middle of the hall emitted a musty, rotten smell that made one's throat itch.

Nurses were busy moving around the lobby, their steps so hurried that they didn't even have time to glance at the people passing by.

The terrazzo floor looked like it had just been mopped, and the water stains on the ground were covered with many footprints. Chen Yun's newly bought leather shoes slipped after only a few steps and she almost did a split on the spot.

"Is the woman alright?"

A young nurse wearing a nurse's cap ran out of the nurses' station, but she herself slipped and stumbled after only a couple of steps.

"We've had to mop the floor so many times, it's completely useless," the ponytail nurse complained to her colleague. "If a patient falls, we'll be the ones who get punished again."

"That's right." The short nurse who ran over next smiled apologetically at Chen Yun: "Comrade, are you alright?"

"No, thank you!" Chen Yun smiled.

"Are you registering or seeing a doctor?" the short nurse asked in a friendly tone.

"I'm a new doctor at the hospital, and today is my first day at work."

"Doctor?" The short nurse turned around and exchanged a glance with her colleague, then shook her head, clearly having not heard of it either.

"Which department are you from?" The nurse with the ponytail searched her memory carefully, and suddenly trembled as she thought, unable to suppress her excitement, she blurted out: "You...you must be Director Chen, the new nursery doctor!"

A month ago, a notice to establish a nursery was sent to every department in the hospital. The notice stated that five nurses would be seconded from three of the departments to work in the nursery.

The hospital was already short of medical staff, and when they heard that they would have to borrow staff from other departments, the heads of the three departments almost went to the president's office and slammed their fists on the table.

Whether or not a secondment is necessary, the director has the final say on personnel arrangements.

The nurse with the ponytail's best friend was assigned to the cardiology department by its director, and she often cried with her friends after get off work.

The reason... is, of course, because salaries are linked to performance.

"Hello." Chen Yun nodded and smiled, glancing around the crowded lobby. "Excuse me, where is the dean's office?"

"Director Chen, please come with me."

The nurse with the braided hair winked at her colleague and warmly led Chen Yun to the elevator lobby.

"The dean's office is on the twelfth floor; you'll see it as soon as you go up."

"Thanks."

bite--

The elevator doors opened, and Chen Yun stepped inside. When she turned around to look out, she was a little puzzled as to why the nurse who had led the way was standing there in a daze.

Just before the elevator doors closed, the nurse with the braided hair muttered under her breath, "The new director looks way too young."

Chen Yun's slender figure and clear, bright eyes were clearly reflected in the elevator doors.

"It's not just that I look young." Chen Yun brushed a stray hair from her forehead and laughed. "I am young by nature."

The twelfth floor is the hospital's administrative office floor.

The dean's office is at the end of the corridor. The five characters "Dean's Office" on the old, peeling blue wooden door are still written in red paint.

The hospital lobby gave Chen Yun the illusion of the late 1990s, until she reached the twelfth floor and was suddenly transported back to 1984.

Knock knock knock—

"Please come in."

Hu Xiangming's distinctive hoarse voice drifted through the wooden door.

The office was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and Hu Xiangming was leaning on the windowsill, fiddling with a bonsai that looked to have only four leaves.

Whether it was intentionally pruned that way or simply died, Chen Yun couldn't appreciate it.

"Xiao Chen, you've finally arrived."

Dean Hu was still tending to the bonsai when, in the next second, the last few leaves were blown away by his breath, leaving only bare branches.

"..."

"On behalf of all the staff of the Workers' Hospital, I would like to welcome you."

He calmly put down the scissors, dusted off his hands, and then smiled and extended his hand to Chen Yun.

Hu Xiangming had very sparse hair, with only a few strands on the top of his head that couldn't completely cover his shiny scalp. When he sat down, the sunlight reflected off his head and into Chen Yun's eyes.

"Being able to work at the Workers' Hospital..." Chen Yun subtly shifted her body to avoid the glaring light: "It's my honor."

“When Uncle Li strongly recommended you, I actually had some doubts!” Hu Xiangming stood up again, picked up an enamel mug from the table, poured in boiling water, and handed it to Chen Yun: “But after personally visiting the Hongri Machinery Factory Staff Hospital, I was truly convinced.”

"You're going to Hongri Machinery Factory?" Chen Yun asked in surprise.

She had always assumed that Hu Xiangming received recognition because of the topic he presented at the conference, and before coming, she had worried that she might be assigned to an "administrative position" specifically for writing papers.

"How could I dare to invite someone back to take charge of a new department without seeing your medical skills with my own eyes?"

"That's true."

Before the commendation ceremony, Hu Xiangming and Grandpa Li had already visited the Huangniba Town Central Hospital, which had been renamed at that time.

The two sat in the outpatient hall for several hours, making a point of talking to patients and their families who had finished their appointments about their experiences.

The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, and many people consulted Chen Yun from pregnancy to childbirth.

“I witnessed a heart-stopping emergency labor resuscitation. You completed the prenatal examination using only the hospital’s old black-and-white ultrasound machine; everything else relied on your extensive experience in emergency care…”

It should be noted that at that time, the Workers' Hospital had already started using imported color Doppler ultrasound, and its procedures for handling difficult labor were far less effective than Chen Yun's.

Those seemingly rudimentary rescue methods streamlined many unnecessary and complicated procedures, and their effects were clearly better.

At that time, Hu Xiangming decided to invite Chen Yun to work in the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department.

But he quickly dismissed that idea. Xue Ruzhi, the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, was equally experienced. He was worried that Chen Yun's talent would be wasted, and he was also worried that the two of them would argue because of their different ideas.

Xue Ruzhi is very experienced, but... she has a strange temper and is completely unable to calmly discuss any work-related issues with anyone.

The gynecologists who collaborated with the obstetrics and gynecology department were so verbally abused that they came to the dean's office to complain countless times. The head of the gynecology department even said that he would not hand over his work to Xue Ruzhi in the future.

Of all the nurses temporarily transferred to the neonatal ward, now temporarily called the nursery, probably only the one from the obstetrics and gynecology department is hoping to leave as soon as possible.

In his predicament, Hu Xiangming heard about Chen Yun's topic and his mind immediately brightened.

Neonatal Department!

While these are already well-established and mature treatment departments abroad, they are currently a blank slate in China.

Then...why doesn't the Workers' Hospital take the lead and set an example?

And right now, this important leader is sitting right in front of me.

"Come on! I'll show you around our hospital, and then I'll take you to see the nursery. Right now it's called the Neonatal Department outside, but inside it's called the Nursery."

His impassioned speech seemed to ignite Hu Xiangming's passion, inspiring him to make the Neonatal Department of the Workers' Hospital a leading department in the entire northern city.

At least... when people in Beicheng think of childbirth, the first thing that comes to mind is the Workers' Hospital!

"Dean Hu," Chen Yun said, standing up while holding onto the table, but then slipped for some reason. "I have a suggestion to make."

Hu Xiangming was puzzled.

Chen Yun looked down at the damp ground and smiled helplessly.

"Could you please use a dry mop to mop the floor one last time in the future? This floor... is just too slippery."

She firmly denied that the leather shoes Gao Ming had specially brought back from Guangzhou were not slip-resistant.

It must be because the floor wasn't dried properly.

Although the leather shoes did rub a bit against my feet...