“Two families from different villages were fighting over land, and it escalated into a brawl between the villagers. It’s unclear who dealt the fatal blows, but it ended up like this,” the nurse explained.

Other nurses didn’t know much, but she was already instructed by the director to settle the support doctors after they rested.

The county hospital had its own staff dormitories and family quarters, though the conditions were very poor, with inadequate lighting and old, broken-down rooms.

Chuxia and Feng Xiaoyuan were assigned a dorm room shared with two other doctors, making it four people per room.

Their room was on the first floor. As soon as they entered, a musty smell hit them, and the cement floor was stained with large and small patches of dampness.

Feng Xiaoyuan’s face fell as she touched the wooden beds, which were damp.

“How long has this place been unoccupied? The conditions are much worse than our hospital’s dormitory!” Feng Xiaoyuan complained.

Chuxia placed her luggage in a slightly drier area of the room and said, “It’s much better than I expected. At least we’re not crammed into a single room with a dozen people.”

The other two doctors, older and more experienced, took it in stride.

Chuxia rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a basin, and headed outside to fetch water for cleaning. “Xiaoyuan, don’t just stand there. Sweep the room. It’s uninhabitable if we don’t clean it.”

Feng Xiaoyuan pouted and sighed, “How are we going to get rid of this musty smell?”

“Open the windows, clean thoroughly, disinfect, and let it air out,” Chuxia instructed.

The other two doctors joined in the cleaning, knowing that a clean room was necessary for everyone’s comfort.

Not only were Chuxia and her team cleaning their dormitory, but other support doctors were also busy tidying their own rooms.

On the first day in the county, Chuxia and Feng Xiaoyuan, along with two other doctors sharing the same dormitory, worked for half a day before they managed to tidy up the place.

Fortunately, they had all brought their own bedding, so they wouldn’t have to sleep on bare mattresses at night.

The first day in the county passed in such a busy state for Chuxia.

When she went to bed, the musty smell in the room hadn’t completely dissipated.

Chuxia hung herbal medicine bags by the bedside in the room.

She asked Feng Xiaoyuan and the other two roommates if they needed any, and gave each of them one.

With the scent of the herbs, the mustiness in the room seemed less overwhelming.

However, Chuxia was too exhausted to pay much attention to it.

She fell asleep as soon as she lay down and slept until dawn.

The next day, the doctors who came to offer assistance were each assigned to different consultation rooms at the county hospital, officially starting their aid work.

News about the free medical help provided by the doctors from the capital quickly spread to the villages around the county.

Chuxia and her team became very busy. People from surrounding areas who couldn’t afford medical treatment flocked to the county hospital.

The traditional Chinese medicine consultation room where Chuxia and Feng Xiaoyuan were stationed was filled with patients.

Most of the patients seeking help were women and children from the villages.

They dressed modestly and were nervous when they entered the consultation room. Seeing Chuxia, the doctor, their eyes were filled with respect and pleading.

They didn’t mind Chuxia’s age or question her medical skills.

They only knew that the doctors from the capital were offering free medical help.

Most of these women suffered from gynecological issues, while the children had problems ranging from malnutrition to other symptoms.

Gynecological problems were often due to neglect of health, improper postpartum care, and resuming work too soon after childbirth.

This wasn’t just an issue for one place but was common among many rural women.

There were also many other ailments: some had breast discomfort, stomach or abdominal pain, and others suffered from back and leg pain.

From the moment Chuxia started her consultations until the end of the day, aside from eating, drinking water, and using the restroom, there was no time to rest.

However, she felt her medical skills were improving rapidly.

One day, a patient with a swollen abdomen came in.

Her lower body was also swollen, and when she lifted her clothing, her stomach was almost translucent.

Chuxia furrowed her brow, observing the patient’s face, which was tortured by this condition.

Her complexion was dark, sallow, and yellowish.

Seeing these signs, Chuxia knew it was a liver problem.

The most troublesome case would be liver cancer, as ascites caused by liver cancer is difficult to treat.

The woman had been brought by her husband, and both had expressions of despair, as if they were grasping at the last straw.

Chuxia felt a lot of pressure.

She asked the woman to place her hand on the pulse pillow and carefully took her pulse.

“Switch to the other hand.”

The woman obediently changed hands, looking at Chuxia with hope.

She weakly asked, “Doctor, is there any hope for me?”

After taking the pulse, Chuxia felt relieved. It wasn’t liver cancer, so there was still hope for treatment, though she couldn’t guarantee it.

“You should be able to feel where it hurts, right?”

The woman hesitated and nodded, “I often feel nauseous and vomit.”

Chuxia wrote out a prescription and said, “That’s normal. Your liver is problematic. Fortunately, it’s not malignant liver disease like liver cancer, but benign. It’s only in the middle stage, so there is a chance for a cure. I will mainly prescribe traditional Chinese medicine for you, and I need to make this clear.”

“We’ll take traditional medicine. Doctor, we don’t have much money.”

Chuxia said, “I understand. I’ll try not to prescribe expensive medicine, but you must follow the medical advice strictly. Don’t take anything I tell you not to, take your medicine on time, and come back in a week.”

While Chuxia’s consultations were free, the medicine still cost money; otherwise, the hospital’s finances wouldn’t hold up.

Chuxia handed the prescription to the couple, repeatedly reminded them of what they could and couldn’t eat, and then let them leave.

The couple, holding the prescription, nodded repeatedly and looked at Chuxia with deep gratitude, as if she had already saved their lives.

Chuxia suddenly felt a heavy burden as a doctor.

She had never realized how significant her responsibilities were until this moment.

In a fleeting thought, a life could be at stake.

Chuxia took a deep breath and looked towards the door, “Next!”

The most challenging case Chuxia dealt with that day was the woman with mid-stage ascites.

Her case was marked multiple times in her file.

While lying in bed, Chuxia hoped the patient would follow her advice.

Only patients who cooperate with their doctors can recover quickly.

The rural free clinics wouldn’t end in a short time; the initial plan was for a month. Chuxia had also prepared to stay here long-term.

Unlike at the affiliated hospital where there are rest days, there are none during the free clinic, as there are too many patients and doctors from villages coming to learn.

Chuxia also had a barefoot doctor from a nearby village coming to observe how she treated patients these days.

The barefoot doctor, much older than Chuxia, told her, “I didn’t learn medicine from anyone. I didn’t have the conditions back then. I learned some bandaging and medication skills from a Red Army member who was hiding in the village, read a medical book, and started treating people.”

With a long sigh, the barefoot doctor continued, “At that time, I didn’t dare to treat people. I was unsure and afraid of making mistakes. But when people came to me, saying that children would die if not saved, I had to grit my teeth and became a barefoot doctor, flipping through books as I went.”

He was cautious throughout his life and refused to treat patients if he wasn’t confident, so he had seen many people die in front of him.

“Although I didn’t directly cause their deaths, whenever I think it’s my lack of skill that led to their inability to be treated, it feels like being bitten by insects all night, unbearable and sleepless!”

“So when I heard there were doctors from the capital offering free consultations and teaching other doctors, I came to learn. Dr. Luo, you’re very skilled. Learning from you these days has taught me more than I learned in half a lifetime of treating patients!”

The barefoot doctor was so happy that his dark face glowed with joy, looking at Chuxia as if she were a guiding light.

Chuxia waved her hand, “We learn from each other. Your experience in treating and saving lives has also taught me a lot.”

That night, Chuxia, exhausted, returned to the dormitory, washed up, and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes.

Her hand still touched a photo under her pillow.

“Senior Sister,” Feng Xiaoyuan suddenly pushed the door open, her voice filled with confusion and heaviness.

Chuxia’s drowsiness faded a bit as she opened her eyes and looked in Feng Xiaoyuan’s direction.

“What’s wrong?”

“A patient I treated a few days ago came to see me today with a basket of eggs. As soon as she saw me, she tried to kneel and said I had saved her life,” Feng Xiaoyuan said, clearly disturbed.

At that time, it was lunchtime, and Chuxia hadn’t been with Feng Xiaoyuan, so she hadn’t witnessed the scene.

“She waited at the hospital all morning and finally saw me around noon.”

Chuxia looked at her. “Do you feel like you’re carrying a heavy burden now? That burden is called human life.”

“Senior Sister, how did you know?” Feng Xiaoyuan immediately looked at her, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Because the stages you’re going through are the same ones I went through before. It seems the teacher made the right decision sending you to the county town for volunteer work. You’re growing slowly. It’s normal to feel the weight, but you need to learn to adjust your mindset; otherwise, it will affect your ability to treat patients.”

Feng Xiaoyuan couldn’t adjust herself immediately as Chuxia suggested.

She and Chuxia were working in the same consultation room.

For patients she was confident about, Feng Xiaoyuan would prescribe treatment herself.

For those she wasn’t sure about, she would seek Chuxia’s help.

After arriving in the county town and treating many patients without making mistakes, Feng Xiaoyuan felt she had improved in her medical skills.

She had been purely happy about it.

But today’s encounter with the cured patient had shaken Feng Xiaoyuan.

She began to reflect on the true value of being a doctor.

The pressure at this stage was immense.

Seeing Feng Xiaoyuan still frowning and troubled, Chuxia shared her own experiences from when she first started treating patients.

The other experienced doctors in the dormitory also helped Feng Xiaoyuan, advising her to gradually adjust her mindset and turn pressure into motivation.