Chapter 14 Receiving Gifts
Factory Health Center.
The cicadas chirping in the poplar trees by the roadside couldn't drown out the commotion at the kindergarten gate. Chen Yun had only been sitting down for a short while when she saw Zuo Lingling slowly walking out of the crowd again.
Today, Zuo Lingling wore a red dress, the specially modified waistline accentuating her graceful figure.
Chen Yun looked down at her faded shirt and decided to buy a new skirt when she got her salary this month.
"Dr. Chen, is Master Niu being discharged from the hospital today?"
Chen Yun was startled when Duan Yun suddenly peeked in from outside the office door, leaving the door open to allow ventilation.
"Let's take Master Niu's temperature first. I'll go for a follow-up check-up in a bit. If there's no recurrence, he can be discharged." Chen Yun casually took off his stethoscope and hung it around his neck.
At first, Chen Yun was worried that there wouldn't be enough antibiotics, but now Master Niu, who should have been discharged three days ago, was forced by Liu Baoguo to stay for a full week.
As a model case for treatment established by the health center, the patient must be treated until they are lively and energetic before being released.
This delay lasted for eight days.
After the heavy rain, Chen Yun finally experienced the power of summer in Panshui. The sunlight seemed to have thorns, and wherever it touched, a stinging sensation was felt.
During the day, it's fine in the office, but when I get off work and go back to my dormitory on the top floor, which has been exposed to the sun all day, it feels like stepping into a steamer.
With the windows open, the mosquitoes inside were incredibly annoying; with the windows closed, the heat was unbearable. Chen Yun was so frustrated that she couldn't sleep well for several days.
Right now... I miss the days of being in an air-conditioned room so much.
Good morning, Dr. Chen.
After signing the papers, Zuo Lingling walked towards her office, while Chen Yun went to the second-floor inpatient department.
As they walked towards each other, their mental states were completely different.
Good morning, Dr. Zuo.
"Dr. Chen must have been hiding in the bushes! His face is covered in mosquito bites."
Zuo Lingling was surprised by Chen Yun's haggard appearance. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't rested at all. In addition, there were several red and swollen mosquito bites on her face. She looked like she had been paraded through the streets for several days.
When Chen Yun shared her troubles, Zuo Lingling's expression instantly turned from one of bewilderment to one of amusement and exasperation.
"Go to the dean and apply for a mosquito net voucher. No matter how wide you open the window at night, the mosquitoes won't be able to touch you."
Chen Yun: "..."
I never used a mosquito net from birth to work in my past life. If I just glanced into the next room, I would never suffer for nothing.
Having resolved her biggest worry, Chen Yun walked upstairs with a sense of relief.
"Dr. Chen, Mr. Niu's temperature is 36.8 degrees Celsius, which is normal."
At the top of the stairs on the second floor, Duan Yun was standing at the door shaking a mercury thermometer when he saw Chen Yun coming up and immediately reported it.
Chen Yun nodded, her gaze passing over her and settling on a room on the second floor.
"It seems like things are still the same even though you say you're changing them!"
The previously empty meeting room sign was removed and replaced with a brand new one that still looked like it had the words "Office".
"I heard they're planning to move you to the second floor, and convert the first floor into a laboratory and pharmacy."
Duan Yun is not only the most senior nurse in the health center, but she also always knows all the gossip in the center before anyone else. If you have any questions, you can never go wrong asking her.
"It seems our health center will need to add quite a few..."
"Dr. Chen!"
The last word "person" was still in his mouth when suddenly everything went black, as if a very heavy bag was being forcefully stuffed into Chen Yun's arms.
Before Chen Yun could react, she stumbled back several steps before managing to regain her footing.
"Dr. Chen, you must accept this no matter what."
Sister-in-law Zhang reached out and grabbed Chen Yun's arm, pulling him forward. She then rattled off a string of unintelligible words in the local dialect of Panshui County.
Anyway, Chen Yun understood the words "thank you".
"Mom! What are you doing...?"
Chen Yun hadn't had a good rest these past few days, and when Zhang Dasao shook her, she almost vomited on the spot, and didn't even have the strength to break free.
The young man next to Zhang Dasao had good eyesight and noticed Chen Yun's pale face at a glance. He quickly ran up and pulled his agitated mother away.
"Dr. Chen, are you alright?"
He pulled Zhang Dasao aside, lifted the things away with one hand, and held Chen Yun's arm with the other.
"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't been resting well these past few days, so I'm a little tired."
The scent of spices wafting from her bosom was slightly pungent, mingling with the smell of engine oil on the young man's clothes, causing Chen Yun to blink repeatedly to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.
"Dr. Chen, you've worked so hard these past few days. Our family doesn't know how to thank you enough. We never expected to cause you any trouble!"
Zhang Dasao finally noticed that Chen Yun's expression was not good. She took two steps to pull the young man away, grabbed the bag, and stuffed it into his arms.
"Dr. Chen, can my wife go home today?"
"Let me check first."
The inpatient ward has two beds in one room. The beds are old wooden frame beds that were discarded from the dormitory. If you turn over too much, the whole room will creak.
Master Niu slept in fear the night he moved in, and the next day he hurriedly asked his apprentice to find some scrap nails in the workshop to nail a lot of wooden strips inside and outside the bed.
Therefore, the hospital beds are now covered with wooden strips of varying lengths and colors.
And on those wooden strips... hung Zhang Da Sao's socks, which she had just washed this morning and were still dripping wet.
Chen Yun glanced at it casually; it seemed like the whole family had brought their socks to the clinic to be washed.
It seems the water at the health center... is free.
"Dr. Chen."
Having recovered his health and received ten days of paid leave for nothing, Master Niu's complexion looked even rosier than Chen Yun's.
Chen Yun walked to the bedside and bent down to examine the patient.
"Is it difficult to go up and down the stairs?"
"I can run up to the second floor without breaking a sweat, and changing two lathe belts wouldn't be a problem."
"Are you eating?"
"I ate three steamed buns and a bowl of porridge the day before yesterday... This morning I had two big bowls of sweet potato porridge..."
"If there's nothing else, pack up and get discharged."
After listening to Chef Niu's long list of meal plans, Chen Yun smiled, put the stethoscope back around her neck, and then announced...
"Bengzi, pack your father's clothes first," Zhang Dasao instructed the young man, then swiftly picked up the package and shoved it into Chen Yun's arms: "Dr. Chen, you must accept this today, or I won't leave."
"The health center has regulations prohibiting it from admitting patients."
Chen Yun pushed and backed away.
Even picking mushrooms on the mountain can get you criticized. If someone with ulterior motives sees and reports you accepting gifts from patients' families, losing your job would be the least of your worries.
"It's nothing valuable, just a small token of our appreciation from me and Coin's dad."
“Bonzi’s dad, you should also help persuade Doctor Chen.”
"Don't worry, Dr. Chen, we are definitely not bourgeois; we just have some cheap food from home."
Perhaps because she was thinking about being discharged from the hospital anyway, Sister-in-law Zhang insisted that Chen Yun accept the package today, and unknowingly followed him downstairs.
Chen Yun: "..."
The once quiet clinic was suddenly filled with all the doctors and nurses.
Zuo Lingling chimed in, "If Sister-in-law Zhang is truly grateful to Dr. Chen, she should go back and write a thank-you letter to the factory. That would be far better than anything else."
"We must write a thank-you letter and accept the gifts," said Sister Zhang, her face full of determination.
"Why don't you open it and see what's inside, sister-in-law? Then let Dr. Chen pay for it."
"Why don't you just deliver the things to the dean's office? No one will dare to gossip then."
"Or the Party Committee office would work too."
"No matter where it's sent, Dr. Chen can't accept it directly."
Everyone offered suggestions, which made Sister-in-law Zhang, who had originally decided to give the things away, suddenly light up her eyes and stomp her foot.
Then he turned around and ran upstairs in a flurry.
Chen Yun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Zhang Dasao had finally given up. He waved his hand and slowly returned to his office amidst the envious gazes of the crowd.
Issue a discharge certificate, and have it signed and stamped.
The treatment process must be recorded in detail and submitted to the director's office for stamping before work in the afternoon. Then, it should be posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the health center for the whole hospital to study.
Currently, the work at the health center involves writing reports far more than seeing patients.
Knock knock knock—
"Please come in."
The ink on the notebook was not yet dry when Sister Zhang returned, followed by the beaming dean.
Liu Baoguo's expression was a mixture of pride and satisfaction, as if he were even happier than if he had received praise himself.
"Sister-in-law Zhang, what's wrong...?"
It seems he really took Zuo Lingling's words to heart; if she wouldn't accept it herself, he would simply deliver it to the dean's office.
"Comrade Zhang has already explained the situation to me. Although our health center has regulations against accepting things from patients and their families privately, there are always exceptions... We can't ignore the wishes of the families."
After a rousing speech, Liu Baoguo solemnly placed the package on Chen Yun's desk.
"Everyone, come and be a witness. This is the sentiment of the patient's family, not some kind of bribery..."
Liu Baoguo untied the rope from the cloth bag and called the crowd gathered at the door to come in and witness the spectacle.
“These are wild star anise from the mountains of my hometown. They’re so delicious when stewed with meat…” Sister Zhang grabbed a handful of star anise and showed it to everyone.
Although the bag was large, a closer look revealed that there was nothing of value in it; it was all wild game from the mountains.
No one noticed that Chen Yun, sitting behind the table, swallowed several times as he watched.
Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dried chili peppers, bay leaves, and other spices are essential ingredients for making hot pot broth!
As Sister-in-law Zhang introduced each of the spices, Chen Yun could almost smell the aroma emanating from the hot pot.
“These dried mushrooms were carried to our factory from thousands of miles away by my boyfriend. Yesterday, she specifically told me to give them to Dr. Chen. I can’t just ignore the sentiment behind her gift…”
Chicken stew with mushrooms!
Chen Yun licked her lips, and immediately thought of this famous Northeastern dish.
"This kind of stuff, it doesn't count as capitalist practices, does it?" Sister-in-law Zhang asked the crowd.
"These are all our own things, and we didn't spend any money on them."
"The dean is right. We must value the family's sentiments and never equate them with capitalism."
“We will testify for Dr. Chen.”
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Liu Baoguo smiled and gestured with his hand: "I have another good news to announce."
"..."
"After a meeting at the factory, it was decided that our health center will undergo reform next month and will be officially upgraded from a health center to the Hongri Machinery Factory Staff Hospital."
After finishing speaking, Liu Baoguo looked around and was pleased with the stunned expressions on everyone's faces. He paused for a moment before continuing his announcement.
"At the same time, the provincial hospital has approved our application to transfer another internal medicine doctor, who will come to our hospital next month to start working..." He glanced at Chen Yun as he spoke: "Comrade Chen Yun will be officially promoted to the position of Director of Internal Medicine next month."
Chen Yun: "..."
In the blink of an eye, he went from being a hot pot base supplier to getting a promotion!
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