Xibao had been staying at the Cheng Family’s at a time when he began recognizing people, almost three months now. Naturally, he was very familiar with Cheng Baoguo, because Cheng Baoguo can lift him up high, Xibao joyfully abandoned his grandfather from the Lu Family and happily went toward Cheng Baoguo.
When Cheng Baoguo lifted him up, he took out a silk bag and handed it to Wang Cuilan who in turn passed it to Feng Qingxue.
Watching his grandson go out with Cheng Baoguo without sparing him a glance, Lu’s father was instantly heartbroken, "Xibao doesn’t want to follow me anymore. For sure, it’s because we didn’t spend much time together recently. Xiaoxue, when will your doctors’ training end? I fear that if you two continue to stay here, Xibao will no longer be from the Lu Family but the Cheng Family. That’s unacceptable! He is my grandson, after all!"
Feng Qingxue smiled and said, "It will be over in about ten days. Not long after we return home, it will be the busy farming season."
The three-month training ended in mid-May. Of the original thirty or so participants, only twenty or so persisted to the end. Those who left had their reasons: family matters for some, the inability to cope with surgical procedures for others. The most promising among the remaining ones were Zhou Chengfeng, Chen Yuwan, and Feng Qingxue.
They were solidly grounded in medical knowledge, calm and collected during clinical practice, their skills not lacking.
It could even be said that they were more skilled than some of the medical staff who joined the public hospital halfway. Some of the staff knew nothing about medical care when they came to work.
The hospital intended to retain them. Zhou Chengfeng and Chen Yuwan were very willing, as they were not from the countryside to begin with.
When asked, Feng Qingxue politely declined, "I believe the countryside needs me more. Although it is indeed an honor to be able to stay and work in the city, I came from the countryside and should go back to the countryside. My original intention to study medicine was to alleviate the lack of medical supplies in the countryside. They have been supporting me all along, and I cannot abandon them now after the training and being qualified to practice medicine."
Zhao, the pediatrician at the hospital, who appreciated Feng Qingxue’s gentle and diligent nature, desired to keep her on as his assistant, paving her a route to further specialize and eventually practice medicine on her own. Upon hearing her words, he showed great respect.
Rural doctors don’t get paid and have to work in the fields during the busy farming season. Feng Qingxue’s determination in returning was truly admirable.
A kind and talented person like Feng Qingxue was loved everywhere she went.
When Feng Qingxue was packing to leave, Grandpa Cheng, Grandma Cheng, and Wang Cuilan were particularly reluctant to let her go.
"Why don’t you go back alone and leave Xibao here?" Cheng’s mother said while watching Xibao squatting behind a chair to defecate. His little chubby hands were on his knees, expelling with all his might until his face turned red.
Feng Qingxue laughed and said, "You should discuss this with my father, see if he agrees."
"Of course he wouldn’t agree!" Lu’s father had just taken the mother and daughter’s bedding to the mule cart and heard their conversation when he returned. He shook his head and said, "Xibao is Lu Xibao. What’s the point of him staying here? Isn’t that right, Xibao?"
Upon hearing his name, Xibao lifted his head. Then he moved his squatting legs forward, and he pushed the chair away.
He was very strong; he could move the chair at just one year old.
Turning his head, Xibao pointed at the pile of poop on the ground and said, "Mama! Mama! Stinky!"
This was the first time Xibao used a third word, and Feng Qingxue was both surprised and delighted. She then laughed and cried at the same time, and while going over to clean him and remove his poop from the ground, she said, "So you know that your poop stinks, huh?"