She saw a girl in the back row raise her hand.
"Excuse me, what's your question?"
The girl stood up, her voice trembling slightly: "Vice Dean Bai, I...I heard that some places in the border regions don't even have clean gauze, is that true?"
Bai Yajing nodded: "It's true. But it's precisely because of this lack that we need to make changes. When I was in the Tangzhou earthquake zone, I used boiled bandages to bandage the wounded and bamboo strips as splints. Conditions can be created, but life is only given once."
Another boy stood up: "Vice Dean Bai, is it dangerous to go to the frontier?"
"Yes," Bai Yajing answered without hesitation, "but there are dangers in hospitals too. Infectious diseases don't discriminate between cities and villages, and it's a doctor's duty to face challenges head-on."
Silence fell over the classroom again. Bai Yajing knew that these young people were going through an inner struggle.
"I'm not asking you to make a decision right now," she concluded. "Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, I'll be waiting for interested students in the main conference room."
Whatever you choose, I will respect it.
"But please remember one thing: the Great Wall built by our ancestors with their blood and flesh has completed its historical mission. Now we need to build a new 'Great Wall' with knowledge, innovation and collaboration."
They were like the night watchmen holding torches through the long night, while we are the messengers of dawn, taking the torch and continuing to illuminate the night.
Speaking of this, she felt deeply moved. The Xiao family, her uncle and aunt, her godmother and godfather, the Pei family, her colleagues at the hospital, Li Da and others, and countless others are still working tirelessly for the country and the people, with no time to enjoy life.
She herself felt the same way; she couldn't even remember the last time she had a proper meal with her elderly parents and children.
After the class meeting, Bai Yajing declined Li Jing's invitation to have dinner together and took a walk alone on the path in the college.
Winter dusk comes early, and the streetlights on campus light up one after another, casting an orange glow on the snow.
She walked to a grove of trees and heard a heated argument coming from inside.
"Xiaofang, are you crazy? You're your mother's only daughter. What will happen to her if you go so far away?" A shrill female voice rang out.
"But... Vice Dean Bai is right, the border regions need medical personnel even more. We've heard our teachers talk about their deeds many times, and I want to learn from our predecessors!" The voice was soft but firm, and Bai Yajing recognized it as the girl who had asked the question in class.
"Are you stupid? That's all propaganda! My cousin went to the frontier last year and wrote back saying it was incredibly tough; even getting water for a bath was a problem!"
"No, the Xiang family's story is true! Their tombstones are in the martyrs' cemetery! And I'm not afraid of hardship..."
"Fine, even if the Xiang family's story is true, aren't you afraid? You've grown up in the city your whole life, you've hardly ever been to the countryside!"
Bai Yajing didn't listen any further and quietly left. Everyone has their own choices, and she couldn't and shouldn't interfere.
The next morning, Bai Yajing arrived at the conference room half an hour early. To her surprise, seven or eight students were already standing outside, including the girl named Xiaofang from the previous night.
"Hello, Vice Dean Bai!" the students greeted in unison.
Bai Yajing smiled and nodded, then opened the door to let everyone in.
More than ten students arrived one after another, and in the end, there were twenty-five people in the meeting room, more than she had expected.
"I'm so glad to see so many students here," Bai Yajing said, standing at the front. "Before the official registration, I must tell everyone the most accurate information."
She described in detail the harsh medical conditions in the border regions: lack of doctors and medicine, inconvenient transportation, harsh climate, and a lack of cultural activities. She also frankly spoke about the potential dangers and the reality of long-term separation from family.
"Now, those who still want to register, please stay. Everyone else may leave. Don't worry about it; it won't affect your job placement after graduation." Bai Yajing finished speaking and waited quietly.
Several students hesitated for a moment, then got up and left. In the end, only eighteen people remained in the meeting room.
Xiao Fang was the last to submit her registration form. Bai Yajing glanced at the form: Liu Xiao Fang, 20 years old, her father died young, and her mother was a food factory worker.
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