Chapter 20: Job Hunting

The middle-aged woman anxiously looked at the man lying on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she cried in panic. Seeing Lin Anran nearby, and realizing that she had just been saving him, she felt extremely grateful.

As people were about to lift the man to take him to the hospital, Lin Anran quickly stopped them. “The patient is only just stabilizing. You can’t just carry him like that. He needs to be placed on a wooden stretcher before going to the hospital.”

Hearing her, the crowd agreed—it made sense. He had just fainted, and now he seemed more conscious. They quickly found a wooden board, laid him on it, and began carrying him to the hospital. Lin Anran decided to go to the county hospital as well, partly to help support the patient. Since the incident occurred in a busy area near the hospital, the patient was successfully carried there with everyone’s combined effort. Once the doctors arrived, Lin Anran felt assured and left.

Thinking about applying for a job, she went to the hospital office and politely knocked. “Hello! I’d like to see the hospital director in charge of operations.”

A young woman of about twenty looked up and said, “The director isn’t here today.”

“Not here?” Lin Anran thought, it seemed she had come all the way for nothing. Still persistent, she asked, “Will the director be coming later?”

The young woman, busy with work, coldly asked, “What do you need with the director?”

Lin Anran replied simply, “I want to apply for a job.”

The young woman glanced at her, unimpressed. “There are no job openings right now. You should try somewhere else.”

Lin Anran felt disappointed. She was just trying to find work, and without connections or money for gifts, it was difficult. She left the office feeling a bit discouraged. Seeing a male doctor walking by, she approached him quickly.

“Hello, doctor. Could you tell me the surname of the hospital director?” she asked.

The doctor glanced at her curiously. She looked simple, honest, and not like someone who worked in the fields, so he replied, “The director’s surname is Chen. He’s unwell and hospitalized right now.”

“Chen?” Lin Anran thought back to what had happened on the street—it must be the same person who had collapsed. Realizing this, she knew she’d have to come back another day.

As she left the office, unsure where to go next, she noticed the emergency department on the first floor. Feeling uncertain, she lowered her head, contemplating her next step.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone.

“Ah!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. Looking up, she saw the middle-aged woman who had brought her husband to the hospital earlier, frowning with worry. She was about to scold Lin Anran for bumping into her: “You—your eyes…”

But then she realized Lin Anran was the same young woman who had just saved her husband. Quickly, she softened her tone: “Miss, I’ve been so busy with Old Chen. Thank you for saving him.”

Seeing Lin Anran’s somewhat forlorn expression, she surmised that her medical skills must be quite advanced. She also picked up things that had fallen on the floor and cautiously asked, “Are you here at the hospital to stay?”

Lin Anran bent down to gather the fallen items and handed them to the woman. “Sister, it’s nothing. Saving lives is the duty of a doctor—you don’t need to thank me.”

The woman’s eyes lit up. “You’re a doctor?”

“Yes, Sister. I want to work at this hospital. I heard the director isn’t here today and that no one is being hired…” Lin Anran said, feeling dejected.

The woman smiled. “You’re here to apply as a doctor? My husband, Old Chen, is the director here. I can tell him for you.”

After thinking, she realized it might be improper to disturb him now. Instead, she said, “Director Chen is unwell today. Come see me tomorrow morning in Room 6. Don’t worry about the job—I’ll handle it for you.”

“Thank you so much, Sister,” Lin Anran said, smiling happily.

“You’re welcome. I need to take care of patients now,” the woman said.

“I understand, Sister. Don’t worry, go ahead,” Lin Anran said. She watched the woman hurry off, noticing how fit and well-maintained she looked. Lin Anran then left the hospital. It was now June, and the midday sun was scorching.

Hungry, she found a quiet spot and entered her hidden space. She picked a few leafy vegetables from the garden and a tomato, took out some stored noodles, and another tomato to prepare food.

Lin Anran went to the kitchen, lit the fire, poured in some cold water, and heated a pan with oil. She first fried the eggs, then added some Sichuan pepper, chili, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and the diced tomatoes. She stir-fried them briefly before adding the eggs back into the pan. From another pot of boiling water, she ladled some into the vegetable pan, added some noodles, and cooked them for about three minutes. A fragrant bowl of tomato and egg noodles was ready. Lin Anran served it in a bowl and ate it with relish.

After finishing her meal, she went to the river to check on the fish and shrimp, which had grown quite a bit, and the cows, sheep, and pigs had also grown. She went to the cow shed, and since there was no time limit, she milked the cows and made the milk into milk tablets. Some of the fruit trees in the yard were ripe, while others were still growing. After working a while, feeling tired, she remembered the mushrooms she hadn’t harvested yet. Using her thoughts, she collected them, laid them in the sun to dry, and stored them.

Remembering that she needed to visit the hospital director the next day, she went to the warehouse to find a set of cosmetics and dug up a reasonably large ginseng from the field. After packing everything, she lay down to rest. She dozed off, not knowing how long she slept.

Suddenly, she heard a voice: “The woman who bought the eggs last time is said to be living nearby?” Lin Anran’s hair stood on end…

Then she heard another voice: “You go over there, I’ll handle this side. If we don’t go now, it’ll be dark soon….”

“Right away, immediately…” someone shouted outside…

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