Chapter 49: Need to Ask Comrade Song’s Opinion

Zhang Aiguo sighed, sat up, and interrupted Huang Xiuying, “Xiuying, I know you really want to help Comrade Song.”

“But this isn’t the way to do it.”

“Think about it—everyone who gets into the county hospital is a university graduate.

Some were assigned there, others returned voluntarily, or they were already doctors who requested a transfer.”

“No matter which category they fall into, they’re all university graduates.”

That one phrase—”university graduate”—completely shut down Huang Xiuying’s idea.

Comrade Song was certainly not a university graduate. First, her age didn’t match.

Second, university graduates were assigned jobs after graduation.

The only ones without jobs or sent to the countryside were those in special situations—cases that were extremely rare.

Zhang Aiguo paused and looked at Huang Xiuying, waiting to hear what she had to say.

After a moment, seeing that she remained silent, he continued, “Song Yue does know medicine, but I checked her records—she’s not a university graduate. There’s no way to help.”

“There are many ways to repay a kindness; it doesn’t have to be this one.”

“Xiuying, don’t rush. Think of something else. If nothing works, we can visit her from time to time.”

“That, in itself, would be a way to help Comrade Song.”

Huang Xiuying nodded in agreement.

Indeed.

Doctors at the county hospital needed to meet a certain standard, unlike those in grassroots settings—village brigades, communes, or street offices—where the requirements weren’t as high.

Wait!

Grassroots!

An idea suddenly flashed through Huang Xiuying’s mind, and she instantly became excited.

She turned to Zhang Aiguo with excitement in her eyes. “If she can’t be a county doctor, could she become a barefoot doctor?”

Zhang Aiguo was momentarily stunned.

Huang Xiuying continued, “Isn’t there a barefoot doctor training program at the county hospital?

They say after one or two months of training, they can be assigned to a brigade, a commune, a street office, or even a factory as doctors.”

Zhang Aiguo thought for a moment. That was indeed a possible direction. “Alright, I’ll ask about it tomorrow.”

Huang Xiuying, now having his approval, smiled.

Zhang Aiguo reminded her, “If it’s possible, we still have to ask Comrade Song’s opinion. We should respect her wishes and not force anything.”

Huang Xiuying nodded firmly. “Yes.”

Zhang Aiguo lay back down. “It’s getting late. Turn off the light and get some sleep—we have work tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

…

The Next Day

Song Yue woke up, opened her eyes, and lifted a corner of the newspaper covering the window.

She glanced outside.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, shrouded in mist.

She put the newspaper corner back down and looked to the side.

Li Xinyue and Liu Wei were still sound asleep.

She got up, put on her clothes, combed her hair, and used the warm water from the kettle to wash her face and rinse her mouth.

Then, she took out a few pieces of peach crisps and ate them with warm water for breakfast.

Just as she finished eating—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone suddenly pounded on the door.

Song Yue: “…”

Good thing she was already up. Otherwise, with that noise, she might’ve jumped straight out of bed.

She glanced toward the kang bed.

Li Xinyue and Liu Wei were also woken up.

Liu Wei turned over.

Li Xinyue pulled the blanket over her head, covering herself completely.

The knocking continued.

Whoever was outside kept banging on the door without saying a word.

Song Yue got ready to open the door and see who it was.

Just then, Li Xinyue suddenly threw off her blanket, sat up with her eyes still closed, and yelled, “Who is it?! So annoying! Can’t you let people sleep?!”

The knocking immediately stopped.

Then, a voice came from outside—it was Lin He.

“Li Xinyue, today is the first day of work. If you want to slack off, just go ahead and keep sleeping! Zhao Zirui and I are leaving now.”

The moment she heard “first day of work” and that Zhao Zirui was about to leave—

Li Xinyue snapped awake instantly.

“Hey!” She quickly responded, jumping out of bed in a hurry to get dressed. “Wait—!”

As she got up, she saw that Liu Wei was still asleep.

In a rush, Li Xinyue reached out and shook Liu Wei hard. “Liu Wei! Liu Wei!”

“Get up!”

“It’s time for work!”

Liu Wei opened her eyes and, just like Li Xinyue, hurriedly got dressed.

The two of them scrambled to get ready, as if they didn’t even see Song Yue.

Song Yue glanced at them, then turned and walked out.

Just as she turned—

Li Xinyue and Liu Wei exchanged a look and both rolled their eyes at her back.

Then, the two of them grinned at each other and kept urging each other to hurry up.

“Quick, quick, quick!”

Song Yue opened the door.

Lin He was standing right outside.

Their eyes met.

They were only a step apart.

Lin He quickly took a few steps back to create some distance, then greeted her, “Song Yue…”

Song Yue cut him off. “Morning.”

Lin He responded, “Morning…”

Song Yue glanced at Zhao Zirui, who was standing nearby.

Seeing her look over, Zhao Zirui quickly smiled.

However—

Song Yue merely glanced at him, said nothing, didn’t even give him a smile, and walked straight past them, heading out of the educated youth compound.

Lin He opened his mouth to say something, wanting to suggest that they wait and go together.

But before he could finish, “How about—”

Song Yue had already stormed off.

Lin He: “…”

He could only swallow his unfinished words, feeling a little disappointed.

Zhao Zirui caught the brief flash of disappointment in Lin He’s eyes.

His heart skipped a beat, and he said, “Lin He, if you want to go with Song Yue, just go. I’ll wait for Xinyue here.”

Lin He glanced at Zhao Zirui. “She’s already gone.”

He shifted his gaze toward the house and shouted, “Li Xinyue, hurry up!”

Li Xinyue responded, “Coming! Coming!”

A few minutes later.

A plainly dressed Li Xinyue and Liu Wei rushed out. “Go, go, go!”

…

Song Yue left the educated youth compound.

At first, she wasn’t sure which way to go. But then she saw a group of people heading in one direction.

That clued her in.

She followed the main road straight ahead. Not far along, she came across the older educated youths.

Song Yue didn’t overtake them.

Instead, she trailed behind, keeping a certain distance.

If anyone asked why—it was because she had no idea where the assembly point was.

Following behind the experienced ones meant she could figure it out. Then, once they got close, she could overtake them.

After walking for about ten minutes—

Up ahead, a crowd had gathered.

Song Yue’s eyes lit up—they had arrived.

She took a deep breath and sprinted forward.

The older educated youths, walking together in pairs and groups, were stunned as they watched her dash past.

Song Yue reached the gathering point and, unsurprisingly, became the first educated youth to arrive.

As soon as she got there, the people who had arrived earlier turned to look at her, their gazes scanning her from head to toe.

Song Yue looked around and saw that everyone was standing in five lines.

Just as she was deciding which line to join, someone called out to her.

“Song Yue, you’re here.”

Song Yue looked up. It was a familiar face—Yang Chunhua.

Yang Chunhua smiled warmly at her.

She had just gotten in line, with no one standing behind her yet.

As Song Yue responded, she walked over and lined up behind Yang Chunhua. “Chunhua-jie.”

She glanced at Yang Chunhua’s belly and hesitated—

Shouldn’t she be resting at home since she was close to giving birth?

“You…”