Chapter 22 Marriage Application Approved
As the transport team sped back to the factory, the factory's staff hospital was also in an uproar.
"Dr. Chen, do you know what this instrument is?"
Under Liu Baoguo's direction, the factory workers, dressed in their uniforms, carefully carried out the instruments that had just been taken out of the wooden boxes.
A gray-green chassis, about the size of a small refrigerator, with four rubber wheels on the bottom that were rusty and mottled from a distance. Dust kept falling from the ventilation holes as the workers lifted it.
"It should be a black and white ultrasound machine."
Chen Yun had studied the history of ultrasound instrument development worldwide. Judging from its appearance, this model was an old one imported from the Soviet Union. Its resolution was only 5 μm, and its accuracy still depended on the doctor's experience.
"What is an ultrasound machine used for?" Zuo Lingling asked a question that seemed quite incongruous with her identity as a doctor.
Ye Yuanjun snorted coldly, without uttering a curse, his contempt for Ye Lingling revealing that he himself was unaware of the truth.
The barefoot doctor training course never mentioned the role of ultrasound equipment, and Zuo Lingling completely forgot about the three-day crash course on injections after entering the health center.
Fang Ping, who was also watching the commotion with her arms crossed, suddenly spoke up sarcastically.
"They don't even know what an ultrasound machine is. The level of medical care in our hospital is really worrying."
Fang Ping's eyes revealed undisguised contempt, like a cold, piercing sword stabbing straight at Zuo Lingling.
“Some people are graduates of proper medical schools and still work in provincial hospitals.” Zuo Lingling curled her lips and retorted sarcastically without the slightest hesitation: “In the end, they still work in the same hospital as me and get the same salary, there’s no difference.”
"What do you know?" Fang Ping sneered, her expression about to change quickly returning to normal as she thought of something: "I'm not like you. I'll go back to the city to work sooner or later, unlike you who will stay in this mountain village your whole life."
The words "mountain bump" were uttered through gritted teeth with considerable force. Chen Yun watched as Liu Baoguo's smile froze instantly, and she turned back to glare fiercely at Fang Ping.
Having finally been promoted from the head of a health center to the head of a staff hospital, Fang Ping described it as a "mountain bump."
"Those who are supposed to leave work should leave. Don't get in the way."
Fang Ping finally realized she had said something she shouldn't have, and reluctantly fell silent.
After Zuo Lingling went home and inquired, she found that Fang Ping's situation was almost exactly as Liu Baoguo had described.
Furthermore, it added two inside stories about a medical school student who consistently ranked at the bottom and almost couldn't graduate, and another student who caused a patient's poisoning in his first year at the hospital by prescribing the wrong medication.
If others make fun of her, Zuo Lingling will at most give a sheepish smile and remain silent.
Fang Ping, who almost failed to graduate, was not even as good as Ye Yuanjun in her heart. How could the "crooked doctor" who caused people's deaths have the face to laugh at others?
Upon learning the news, Zuo Lingling immediately reported it to Liu Baoguo.
I originally thought it was a waste of talent for a top student to be transferred to a health center, even if his character was questionable, his medical skills were at least guaranteed.
Who would have thought that they would get a hot potato, one that they couldn't get rid of and that was burning their hands?
Ever since Liu Baoguo found out, he has never given Fang Ping a kind look. When he criticizes her in meetings, he criticizes her by name without any ambiguity.
"Does Dr. Chen also know about black and white ultrasound machines?" Liu Baoguo asked.
Chen Yun is the most reliable; she recognized the ultrasound machine at a glance, even though few people haven't seen it before.
“When I was a student, I visited Taicheng People’s Hospital to observe and learn how to interpret images,” Chen Yun said.
The above is, of course, nonsense. Back when I was a student, the two teachers were fighting over the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union for further studies. How could students possibly have a chance to observe at the hospital?
"That's wonderful!" Liu Baoguo exclaimed with delight.
This machine is an old ultrasound machine that the Provincial Medical Supplies Security Bureau managed to squeeze out after the health center was officially upgraded to a hospital.
Even though it's an old piece of equipment that the provincial hospital has been using for several years, hospitals in various counties are still fighting tooth and nail to get it.
Now that the staff hospital has an ultrasound machine and several testing instruments, Liu Baoguo feels proud to go to meetings in the county town.
The machine is there... but nobody knows how to operate it.
The personnel application reports submitted disappeared without a trace, and Liu Baoguo even lamented that the machines would gather dust in the inspection room. Unexpectedly, he got a big surprise when he asked a casual question.
"Dean, don't count on me." Chen Yun quickly waved his hand: "I've only watched the teachers operate; I've never done it myself."
In her previous life, Chen Yun had colleagues in the radiology department who were responsible for the examinations, so she rarely had the opportunity to operate the equipment herself, especially such an old machine.
"Then let's give them more hands-on experience. Let's practice with our colleagues from the hospital." Liu Baoguo immediately gave the order, pointing them out one by one: "It's a good opportunity to give everyone a physical examination."
Since they had finally managed to catch Chen Yun, who only had a superficial understanding, they couldn't let the machine they had finally gotten their hands on be used as a decoration.
“Then I’ll figure it out first,” Chen Yun replied.
To become familiar with and integrate into the existing medical environment, she definitely needs more hands-on experience and to learn from it what she lacks.
"Please feel free to ask if you need anything, and the hospital will try its best to meet your needs."
"Dean," Chen Yun actually had a request to make: "I would like to request a few books on general internal medicine."
Liu Baoguo remarked, "Dr. Chen's spirit of progress is something that everyone in our hospital should learn from. Only by continuously learning and improving can we better serve the people."
Chen Yun: "..."
Sure enough, they can bring up the spirit of serving the people in everything.
"I'll go to the provincial medical college library to borrow it when there's a meeting in the provincial capital the day after tomorrow," Liu Baoguo assured him repeatedly, not finding it troublesome at all.
"There's also a microscope in the car, so be careful."
Watching Liu Baoguo walk away, his back view radiating energy, Chen Yun seized the opportunity to explain the main functions of the ultrasound machine to Zuo Lingling.
"..."
"Aren't you going to leave work yet?" Zuo Lingling felt that she had become much closer to Chen Yun recently, and would occasionally make a joke: "The transport team should have arrived by now."
“Dr. Zuo knows better than I do,” Chen Yun smiled.
In the afternoon, after giving Li Weihong's father acupuncture, I also massaged his sprained arm from farm work for half an hour. When I went downstairs, I happened to see them moving an ultrasound machine.
"I asked them to bring me some things, and I'm in a hurry to pick them up later."
"Let's go together then." Chen Yun patted the wrinkles on her skirt and looked down to check if there was any mud on her shoes. "We'll stop by the finance department to collect our salaries on the way. There shouldn't be as many people as the past few days."
The last day of each month is payday, and on that day, the finance office is usually so crowded that even the corridor is blocked.
Chen Yun didn't wait for the money to buy rice to cook, so she would deliberately wait a few days before collecting it.
"You haven't gone to collect it yet?" Zuo Lingling asked, puzzled. "The money is only safe once it's in your own pocket."
Chen Yun just smiled.
As expected, no one was in the finance office. Chen Yun went in, signed for and received her salary of fifty-six yuan. With the director's allowance and two bonuses, she had a total of eighty yuan.
He neatly folded the money and put it in his backpack. Instead of going downstairs to deposit it at the credit union next door, he carried it directly on his back.
"Not saving money?"
"You have to pay back the money."
Chen Yun had no idea that Gao Ming was helping his parents repair the house, but based on her understanding of him, she was sure that the trip had cost a lot of money.
The bag contained not only this month's salary, but also the salaries from the previous two months.
It is her duty as a daughter to be filial to her parents; she can't let Gao Ming, who is still just her boyfriend, pay for everything.
There was nothing to be embarrassed about, and Zuo Lingling wanted to know, so Chen Yun explained, and then smiled and said, "Even close brothers keep clear accounts! Besides, Gao Ming and I aren't married yet."
Zuo Lingling chuckled softly, seemingly struck by a thought, and kicked a small pebble in the road with her foot: "So what if we're family? When it comes to money, we're shrewder than anyone else."
Dressed smartly and acting freely, Zuo Lingling gave Chen Yun the impression of a happy family woman loved by her husband.
Judging from her kick, which seemed to be full of venting her anger, her home life was probably not as happy as it appeared to outsiders.
"What's bothering you lately, Sister Zuo?" Chen Yun asked casually.
It takes at least twenty minutes to walk from the finance building to the transport team's parking lot, so we always have to chat about gossip along the way to pass the time.
Calling her "Sister Zuo" made Zuo Lingling happy, and she affectionately linked her arm with Chen Yun's, complaining, "I'm not afraid to tell you, but being a stepmother is so frustrating..."
Before his second marriage, Gao Cheng had a son and a daughter, the older one was thirteen and the younger one was ten. After hearing outsiders say a few bad things about Zuo Lingling, he had long harbored resentment towards this stepmother.
In the first few years of their marriage, Zuo Lingling treated them with all her heart, spending most of her salary on the children.
But in the end, she almost miscarried after being pushed down the stairs by her brother and sister as soon as she got pregnant. Her in-laws and husband sided with the child and said she was making trouble for no reason.
"That was my first pregnancy, and if I miscarried, it would be very difficult to get pregnant again... Later I realized, it's not like it's my own child, why should I go out of my way to please it?"
Chen Yun couldn't quite hear what Zuo Lingling said afterward; the words "first child" kept echoing in her mind.
Rumors say that Zuo Lingling has a husband and children in the city, and that her relationship with Gao Cheng was ambiguous even during their marriage, and something else...
"Don't believe those rumors circulating in the factory." Zuo Lingling seemed to have guessed what Chen Yun was surprised about, and waved her hand in front of her eyes.
"What about the children in the city?"
“My ex-husband had a child with someone else. His mother was worried about being reported and punished, so she asked me to tell everyone that the child was born in our hometown.”
"How shameless! This divorce was the right thing to do! Neither of us will die from the divorce."
Having read too many family drama novels, Chen Yun could subconsciously guess that the scumbag husband cheated on her, divorced her, and then falsely accused his ex-wife of having an affair.
“Those are all things of the past.” Zuo Lingling waved her hand, clearly no longer caring about the past: “My sister introduced us because Gao Cheng seemed honest, but it turns out that while he is honest, he has quite a few other flaws.”
The biggest problem is that he values money too much. Even after several years of marriage, Zuo Lingling still doesn't know how much her husband earns each month.
The mother-in-law said that Gao Cheng's salary was enough to cover the family's expenses, and there were also social obligations to support the three children. As she was talking, the money ended up in her pocket.
"That sounds nice, but in just a few days, the family is running out of money and resources, relying entirely on my meager salary, haha..."
Later, Zuo Lingling came to a realization: rather than spending money on an ungrateful wretch, she should spend it on herself and her own daughter.
"Just make do! It doesn't matter who I marry," Zuo Lingling sighed in conclusion.
Chen Yun nodded, then thought for a moment and advised, "Relying on others is unreliable, and clothes get old after a few washes. Only knowledge becomes more useful the more you use it. Our hospital's patient numbers will definitely increase..."
The country's rapid development opportunities are just around the corner. Don't be fooled by the fact that your current job sounds like a secure job; the wave of layoffs started with them.
Barefoot doctors without medical knowledge faced the same challenge; if they didn't go ashore, they would be the first to be washed ashore and die on the beach.
Zuo Lingling just listened quietly, and Chen Yun didn't know how much of it she actually took in.
Anyway, it was just a friendly reminder, and how one chooses is their own business. Chen Yun stopped talking and pointed to the parking lot gate not far away: "They're just coming back."
After the cars lined up for inspection at the gate, they drove into the parking lot, but Chen Yun couldn't find Gao Ming.
There were quite a few people in the parking lot, all waiting to pick up their things.
Chen Yun stood at the door for a while, hesitating whether to go in or not, when the sharp-eyed Su Weiming spotted her from afar.
"sister in law."
To be precise, as soon as the car stopped, everyone in the convoy was looking for Chen Yun. After calling out to her, they shouted into the shed in a loud voice, as if afraid that others wouldn't hear them: "Captain, your wife is here to pick you up."
"..."
Chen Yun: "..."
It was even more uncomfortable than the day I went on stage to receive an award in front of thousands of people; it felt like being caught dating in the middle of the playground by a teacher.
Chen Yun even dressed up specially today.
Gao Ming carried the face cream that Zhao Qing from the Housing Affairs Department wanted to bring into the office. Just as he put it on the table, he heard Su Weiming's ill-intentioned shout.
He hurried to the door and looked up.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her light blue collared dress swayed in the wind. The seemingly shy smile on her face actually carried a hint of embarrassment.
"Chen Yun".
Gao Ming smiled and walked out, waving his hand at the few people from the transport team who were making a fuss, shooing them away like flies.
In just two or three minutes, Chen Yun walked until her face was completely flushed.
It's just...awkward!
"Why are you at the parking lot?" Gao Ming turned to make way for him to enter the office, his fragrant hair brushing against his cheek, the tickling sensation quickly reaching his heart: "Your aunt and uncle brought a lot of things, and Uncle Luo also brought some fabric for you to make new clothes."
"How are my parents?" Chen Yun couldn't wait to know about her family.
"I'll finish handing over my work first and then I'll tell you all about it when I get back."
The office was stuffy after a day in the sun, and the close contact he had just made Gao Ming feel hot and bothered, so he didn't even dare to look in that direction.
After asking Chen Yun to sit down and wait a while, he immediately turned and left the office.
Chen Yun: "..."
It's like dressing up for a blind person; they didn't even bother to look at it properly.
Gao Ming hurriedly joined the handover work, his ears turning bright red, which drew a lot of teasing from the team members.
Outside the bustling crowd, Xu Xingfang had just unloaded all the luggage she had brought from the car.
No one helps you get on the bus, and you have to carry everything yourself when you get off.
"Captain, why didn't you stay with your wife a little longer? You came out so quickly."
"She must be shy."
"Sister-in-law, you're dressed up so beautifully today, it seems you're wearing it for the blind man to see..."
"You brat." Gao Ming casually tossed the registration book to Su Weiming, laughing and scolding, "Don't you dare say anything out of line in front of your sister-in-law."
"We respect our sister-in-law so much..." Su Weiming signed his name with a smile, but his expression changed immediately after glancing at her and he spat.
"I completely forgot to mention this to your sister-in-law."
Gao Ming was not the type to repay evil with kindness, and he showed no pity for Xu Xingfang, even though she was a woman.
No matter how much the team members mocked and ridiculed him along the way, he coldly pretended not to see it.
"My sister-in-law is out."
The office had only one small window that was closed, and Chen Yun's back was already covered in sweat after sitting in the room for just a few minutes.
In Panshui County, spring, summer, and autumn are only different in terms of heat and even heat.
The advantage is that it saves money on clothes, but the disadvantage is that washing clothes too frequently can damage them.
"You guys take over the rest. I'll take Comrade Chen back to his dormitory first."
After Gao Ming finished speaking, he strode towards Chen Yun.
It's Chen Yun...
The moment Xu Xingfang saw Chen Yun, she instinctively hid behind the car, only sticking her head out to look ahead.
My cousin, who used to blush if she spoke even slightly loudly, seems like a completely different person now.
Like a shimmering blue butterfly fluttering its wings in the sunlight, it can still attract the attention of others even from a hundred meters away.
The black lace-up leather shoes, in particular, gave Xu Xingfang an unparalleled shock, and her newly established pride collapsed instantly.
The workers in the remote mountain village were wearing leather shoes that she had wanted to buy countless times but could never afford.
Looking at the cloth shoes on his feet, Xu Xingfang gave a wry smile and chose to take a long detour and leave from the other side.
"..."
On the way back, Gao Ming told Chen Yun everything that had happened in Taicheng over the past two days.
The two opened the door and entered the dormitory. Chen Yun pushed open the window to let the breeze in and dispel the stuffiness.
"Xu Xingfang was also in the team that supported the machinery factory this time."
"Xu Xingfang?"
It seemed to be a name that hadn't been mentioned in his memory for a long time, and it took Chen Yun a while to remember who it was.
"Aunt Xu is letting you decide for yourself. If you don't want to deal with her, just pretend you don't have this cousin."
Gao Ming had been to the dormitory countless times. After piling all his things on the table, he would stand up to pour water, knowing better than Chen Yun which shelf in the treasure cabinet the cups were.
Xu Xingfang only briefly thought about it, while Chen Yun quickly turned her attention back to looking through the things her parents had brought.
Family ties cease to exist the moment someone spits on your face; when that person no longer exists, that's the final attitude.
Chen Yun rummaged through the cloth bag and took out several pairs of cotton shoes, carefully stroking them in her hands.
"I wonder if these cotton shoes will be wearable in winter?"
The thick, layered soles were specially made of dirt-resistant dark red checkered cotton fabric, and the fine stitches showed how many nights Xu Cuihua had stayed up to prepare them.
“You’ll definitely be able to wear them.” Gao Ming sat back down at the table and handed Chen Yun a glass of water. “Last year, it snowed on the mountain during the two coldest months.”
"Is this for you?"
Two of the pairs were clearly men's sizes, and one of them had dust on the sole, suggesting it had been tried on.
Gao Ming nodded with a simple smile.
How much did this trip cost?
Although Gao Ming didn't mention it at all, replacing the roof tiles and buying glasses were things that couldn't be done without money, tickets, and favors.
You need a special permit to buy bricks and tiles, and Chen Yun didn't expect Gao Ming to be so thoughtful, even helping Chen Shu replace his glasses with new ones.
The original owner of those glasses had already broken one of the temples before leaving home, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
"Thanks to the help of the brothers in the team." Gao Ming let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. "I'll have to treat them to a good meal to repay this favor."
"How much money did you borrow? I'll withdraw it now, and you can pay it back tomorrow."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chen Yun's face as she earnestly took money out of her bag. For some reason, I suddenly felt weak all over and didn't want to move at all.
They have a house that shelters them from the wind and rain. The husband hands over all his wages, and the wife counts the money and plans for living expenses and social obligations.
Trivial but relaxing...
“Chen Yun,” Gao Ming suddenly spoke.
Chen Yun turned her head, puzzled, and broke off a piece of yellow millet cake that smelled sweet and sour, then put it in her mouth.
"I am applying to marry Comrade Chen Yun. Please approve my application."
Chen Yun's mind went blank for a moment, and he forgot to chew, just staring at the screen in a daze.
Gao Ming sat up straight, placed his hands obediently on his knees, and said earnestly, "If Comrade Chen refuses, I will apply again next year. I will submit a report every year, and eventually it will be approved."
Having been rejected the first time he showed interest, Gao Ming was already prepared to be rejected several times as well, even if he wanted to get married.
"Uncle Luo brought you some candy, saying that Taicheng's milk candy is your favorite..."
After saying that, she naturally changed the subject, took out the milk candy that Uncle Luo had given her from the cloth bag, and carefully unwrapped the candy.
The milk candy was so sweet it tasted bitter, with a strong artificial sweetener flavor. Chen Yun pushed the milk candy aside with the tip of her tongue and held it in her mouth.
It seems like Gao Ming always has endless chores to do with her. After feeding her candy, he goes to the door to clean up the honeycomb briquette residue that has fallen there.
Chen Yun recalled Zuo Lingling's sentiment that it didn't matter who she married.
Is it really the same no matter who you marry?
...The answer is obviously no!
"Brilliant." Chen Yun's voice was muffled. When the person stood at the door with a broom and looked at him questioningly, he bit down hard on the milk candy, crunched it a few times, and swallowed it.
Chen Yun stood up, very seriously: "Get married and live in my dorm? This room is too hot in the summer!"
“I’ve already submitted the family housing application form. Once the marriage certificate is submitted, it should be approved quickly,” Gao Ming replied instinctively.
"Then I won't wash the dishes."
"I'll wash!"
"The provincial hospital rewarded me with a washing machine voucher, but I only want a refrigerator as part of the dowry."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly curved his lips into a smile, and Gao Ming let out a muffled laugh that overflowed from his chest, the laughter not loud but filled with great joy.
"I'll wash the clothes, and I'll be responsible for exchanging the refrigerator voucher. I guarantee there will definitely be a refrigerator in the dowry."
"Hand over your entire salary?"
"I'll give you my pay slip. You can collect your salary when it's due. It just so happens that I haven't collected this month's salary yet..."
Chen Yun pursed her lips and then smiled broadly.
"Marriage application approved!"
When choosing an apartment, never choose the top floor again... Chen Yun only had one thought left in her mind.
***
A crescent moon peeks out from behind sparse clouds, and the stars in the unpolluted sky seem so close they could be reached out and touched.
This was Chen Yun's first night shift after the hospital implemented a shift system.
No one has entered the consultation room since the afternoon; it's so quiet you can hear someone breathing.
Chen Yun closed the last page of the [Guide to External Injury Treatment], which she had read at least ten times, and silently opened the notebook again.
The notebook was the one she brought from the dormitory. Now, Chen Yun no longer had the habit of writing a diary, and it had become a draft notebook for random scribbles.
She was determined to marry Gao Ming, but it wasn't something she could just do on a whim.
First, you need to submit a marriage application, and then take the factory's stamp to the county civil affairs bureau to get your marriage certificate.
Those were all minor matters; Gao Ming handed over the decision-making power regarding the furnishing of their new home entirely to Chen Yun.
"The washing machine is the first one."
Although I said I was going to replace the washing machine with a refrigerator, when I actually started planning our daily life, I realized that the washing machine was more practical.
We can't really expect Gao Ming to do nothing but wash clothes and cook all day.
Just as I was about to write down the second thing that came to mind, the door to the consultation room was suddenly pushed open.
Duan Yun reported breathlessly, "A pregnant woman who is having a difficult labor has arrived. She is a family member of one of our factory's employees."
"Walk!"
Chen Yun jumped up, grabbed the stethoscope, and ran downstairs.
On my first day on duty, I was destined to have no time to think about anything else.
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