Chapter 30.1

The father and son of the Deng family had just left when Guan Yue asked Gu Sui, “I can understand why Director Zhang would look for me, but why would Li Dingbang want to see me?”

Gu Sui replied, “Maybe he’s asking you for hemostatic powder?”

“That can’t be! I’ve given them plenty of it lately. Didn’t Xiao Ma say just a few days ago that things have been relatively calm at the border, and the hemostatic powder consumption hasn’t been high? They even had some left over to transfer to other military districts.”

Gu Sui said, “Apart from medicine, what else could he possibly want from you?”

“That’s true. Well, I’ll just ask him tomorrow and find out.”

The next morning, Guan Yue went down the mountain. Director Zhang and Li Dingbang were both waiting for her.

Director Zhang spoke first, “What I need to say is simple and won’t take long, so I’ll go first.”

Li Dingbang replied, “My matter is more important, so I’ll go first.”

At that moment, Xiao Ma ran over and said, “Minister, there’s a call from Beijing.”

“I’ll be right there,” Guan Yue said. The call from Beijing couldn’t be delayed.

Director Zhang smugly said to Li Dingbang, “It seems like the heavens are helping me. You’d better leave, Guan Yue should come with me to the office first.”

Li Dingbang shot him a glance and turned to Guan Yue, saying, “Go ahead with Director Zhang, don’t rush off later, I’ll come right over. I have something important to discuss with you.”

Li Dingbang hurried off, and Guan Yue followed Director Zhang to the office, with Deng Baishu trailing behind.

To show the seriousness of the matter, Director Zhang had called her today to officially present her with the appointment letter for the special doctor position, as well as to go over her salary and benefits.

Director Zhang said, “There are only three days left in this month, so starting from the first of next month, which is the third day of the Lunar New Year, the sanatorium will officially start receiving patients. You’ll begin receiving your salary next month.”

Guan Yue was surprised. “Director Zhang, didn’t Minister Li tell you? I’ve already received my salary.”

As previously agreed, for every day she worked, Daqing Mountain would rent the place to her for the same amount of time.

“I know, Minister Li told me about that. But anyway, the salary should still be paid. Don’t push it away, just listen to me. Our unit offers good benefits. Besides the salary, there are various vouchers for things like grain, cloth, and meat. You don’t need vouchers for these, do you?” Director Zhang was also thinking of Guan Yue’s best interests.

Guan Yue really wanted to nod honestly, as she didn’t need those things at all.

She had enough grain from the nearby teams to last her and Gu Sui, and they couldn’t possibly eat all of it. As for meat, there was still plenty of cured meat and sausages at home, so they didn’t lack for meat. And when it came to cloth, she couldn’t possibly wear all the clothes she had.

Director Zhang decisively said, “Alright, don’t refuse. Just take it. If anything comes up in the future, Deng Baishu will notify you. That’s settled.”

“Okay, Director, I’ll leave now.”

“Go ahead, Minister Li will probably come looking for you soon.”

The phone call from Li Dingbang was taking quite a while. Guan Yue had been waiting outside the hospital office for some time, but Li Dingbang still hadn’t arrived.

Deng Baishu, ever observant, quickly went and fetched a chair: “Teacher, sit here. The sun’s shining on this spot.”

Guan Yue sat down and replied, “Who’s your teacher? Don’t call me that.”

“Hehe, you might not recognize me as your disciple, but can I still consider you my teacher? As the saying goes, ‘Among three people, one must be my teacher.’ You answer my questions, so it’s only right for me to call you Teacher, isn’t it?”

Tsk tsk, this young man sure was thick-skinned, just like his father, Deng Weimin.

Seeing that Guan Yue didn’t argue with him, Deng Baishu immediately took the opportunity: “Teacher, I didn’t quite understand what you said yesterday…”

Guan Yue, in a good mood, basked in the sunlight while giving him a little lesson.

After waiting for another ten minutes, Xiao Ma ran over: “Doctor Guan, Minister Li wants to see you.”

Guan Yue stood up, brushed off her clothes, and turned to Deng Baishu: “Go back and think about it carefully. Don’t just come to ask me every time you don’t understand something. Where’s your brain?”

Deng Baishu followed her for two steps but then realized, oh, once again he had been scolded by his teacher.

Once Guan Yue had walked far away, Deng Baishu happily jumped up and hurried back to find his father. Guan Yue had agreed to be his teacher.

Guan Yue thought that Li Dingbang wanted to talk to her about medicine, but to her surprise, they had actually gotten in touch with her Teacher and Zhang Mingrui.

Guan Yue couldn’t believe it: “Their identities are so sensitive, how did you manage to contact them?”

Li Dingbang replied, “Do you think your contacts with Hong Kong were done secretly? If we wanted to investigate, would we not be able to find them?”

“That’s not it, I was very open about it. But my contact with them and your contact with them are not the same thing.”

Li Dingbang sighed: “That’s why we need your support.”

Li Dingbang then explained to Guan Yue their plan to exchange medical quotas for supplies, asking her what she thought about it.

Guan Yue wasn’t particularly concerned about this. She didn’t mind where her patients came from, as long as they weren’t enemies.

After all, enemies wouldn’t bypass Li Dingbang and his team to come directly to her.

Li Dingbang continued, “Our agricultural production is still very primitive, and the current output is insufficient to feed such a large population. As for industry, we lack so much; any possible solution, we are willing to try. No matter how tough the situation gets, we must continue to push forward. We will use the opportunity of seeking medical treatment to exchange for some benefits. As for you personally…”

Guan Yue interrupted him, “I don’t mind.”

“Minister Li, there’s no need to elaborate so much. I understand what you mean. Just go ahead and do what you need to do.”

With those simple words, her tone even casual, as though a girl carelessly handing over a piece of rope, Li Dingbang couldn’t help but feel his throat tighten.

The pressure that Li Dingbang and his team bore for making this decision, in this kind of situation, was something only they truly understood.

Li Dingbang said, “If you have any requests, tell me. We will try our best to fulfill whatever we can.”

“There is one.”

Guan Yue wanted books on virology. Gu Sui’s parents had been looking for them, but they hadn’t found any yet. Additionally, researching viruses required advanced equipment, and she didn’t have any equipment at all.

Li Dingbang smiled, “What you want, we actually don’t have. But don’t worry, we will make sure the things you need will be delivered to you when the time comes.”

After Guan Yue agreed, everything was set in motion. On the morning of the Lunar New Year’s Eve, Xu Huaping and Zhang Mingrui in Hong Kong received a phone call along with a list.

After hanging up, they didn’t even stay home for lunch on the New Year’s Eve. They met at Zhang Mingrui’s house and immediately began using their connections to gather the items on the list.

The most important two items on the list were production lines, which Zhang Mingrui had already prepared. Besides the production lines, there were also some foreign books and medical instruments. With time running out, he couldn’t find new ones, so he used his connections to buy instruments from several private hospitals and chemical research institutes in Hong Kong.

As for Xu Huaping, although his assets couldn’t match Zhang Mingrui’s, he still needed to provide other items, even if he couldn’t offer the production lines.

Jiang Zhi said, “These things aren’t cheap, but they won’t break our bank.”

Xu Huaping replied, “Mr. Zhang said they’ve probably already investigated us in advance.”

Xu Hua’an proudly crossed his legs, “Did you forget the letter we received last time? Guan Yue is now a specially appointed doctor at the sanatorium, so they must be taking her very seriously. I’m not concerned with anything else, Big Brother. You’re going back to get treated, but I’m definitely going back to check on my disciple.”

Every time he read Cai Guofu’s letters mentioning how outstanding his disciple was, it made him itch with curiosity. And that boy, Gu Sui, he wanted to go back and check on him. How dare he approach his disciple? He was going to break his legs.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you.”

Jiang Zhi asked, “Did they say when we’re going back? Is it safe?”

“It should be very safe. Mr. Zhang said he can have everything ready and sent over in two days. After that, it’s just a matter of the news.”

Jiang Zhi was somewhat pleased: “Once Guan Yue cures your old ailments, everything will go smoothly for us from now on.”

“Don’t worry, Big Sister, it’ll definitely work out!” Xu Hua’an had great confidence in Guan Yue.

Last year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Xu family had been clouded in worry. This year, on the same day, everyone wore smiles, and their hearts were full of hope for the future.

Things would get better.

In Qingxi Village, Gu Sui had started preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner early in the morning. By around seven in the evening, the steam baskets, filled with vegetables, cured meats, and sausages, were sending out an enticing aroma that floated in the air with the steam.

In another pot, Gu Sui had washed a large wok and was preparing for the final stir-frying. He poured a bit of rapeseed oil into the wok, sprinkling in dried chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns. The strong fragrance began to spread throughout the air.

Guan Yue, who was tending the fire, couldn’t help but sneeze.

Gu Sui said, “You go inside and wait, it’ll be ready soon.”

“I’m not going.”

Guan Yue moved a bit farther from the stove, squatting next to the stove in the corner of the room. On top of the stove sat a clay pot with her favorite braised taro inside.

Skillfully, she picked up a pair of chopsticks, opened the lid, and selected the softest-looking taro. After a few quick blows to cool it down, she gobbled it up in one bite.

The outside of the taro was cool, but the inside was still piping hot. She tilted her head back, huffing and puffing as she ate. It was so delicious that she didn’t want to spit it out.

That afternoon, while Gu Sui was busy preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner in the kitchen, Guan Yue was on standby, ready to sneak a bite whenever she could.

As Gu Sui was stir-frying, he glanced over at her: “If you want to eat, just grab a bowl. Don’t burn yourself.”

Guan Yue grinned. Grabbing a bowl wasn’t as fun; sneaking a bite was much more satisfying.

Just then, a voice called out from outside the yard, “Doctor Gu, Doctor Guan, are you there? We’ve brought you some food!”

It was Xiao Ma. Guan Yue immediately jumped up: “Close the kitchen door, I’m going out.”

As soon as she went outside, Gu Sui shut the kitchen door behind her.