At half past ten in the morning, a piercingly bright ray of sunlight filtered through the glass above the **Hall**.
The somewhat dirty glass fragmented this beam of light, scattering it widely.
Just a faint sliver fell quietly on the corner of Du Heng’s eye.
As Du Heng squinted, he glanced at the glass over the entrance.
Only then did he notice that the original grayish-brown willow tree, with its withered, slender branches, had already sprouted numerous tender green buds.
Several sparrows, which seemingly came from nowhere, perched on the treetops, moving their plump, chubby bodies.
They twittered, expressing the beauty of spring and their excitement for the upcoming abundance of food.
However, their chatter was particularly annoying at this moment.
Squinting, the plump sparrows reminded Du Heng of his favorite childhood pastime.
He would take a sieve, prop it up with a stick tied to a rope, scatter some grain underneath, and then hide inside the house, holding the other end of the rope.
The golden grain would make the sparrows salivate; they couldn’t resist the temptation. After a while, they would hop under the sieve, and with a gentle pull on the rope, they would become his snacks.
Now he was also holding a rope, but the sparrow under the sieve had become Li Qingde, and he lacked the courage to pull it.
Why was he upset? Perhaps it was because Li Qingde had claimed credit that wasn’t his, credit that Du Heng himself deserved. As the one actually involved, he hadn’t received any benefits, leading to this feeling of injustice. If he was upset about this, how different was he really from Li Qingde?
Right, the incessant twittering of these sparrows was truly irritating.
From a flowerpot near the bulletin board, Du Heng picked up two clods of earth, walked to the **Hall** entrance, and forcefully threw them at the sparrows in the tree.
Startled, the sparrows flapped their wings and scattered.
The area in front of the **Hall** door suddenly fell quiet.
Wang Zhenzhen was no fool. Her offer to help Du Heng meant that regardless of his answer, he would owe her. If he agreed, the debt would be significant. If he refused, he would still owe her a favor, albeit a smaller one.
As such a shrewd woman, how could she not notice the hesitation and resentment on Du Heng’s face?
With a slight raise of her eyebrows, she moved closer to the bulletin board. She examined the photos carefully and finally spotted a subtle inconsistency.
Of course, most people wouldn’t scrutinize the photos as meticulously as Wang Zhenzhen, looking for inconsistencies. They would just glance over them, extracting the key information.
"Xiao Du, you’re by the door. Hurry to my office; I need to discuss something with you."
Li Qingde’s hearty voice held a hint of joy. He waved Du Heng over and then went straight upstairs.
Wang Zhenzhen chuckled. "Xiao Heng, hurry up, the **Dean** is looking for you."
As Du Heng walked past her, she said quietly, "Cheer up. There must be some benefit in it for you."
Du Heng smiled. He didn’t care about any benefits; he was simply annoyed by such an unannounced intervention.
Li Qingde’s office was unusually bright that day; even the nooks and crannies had been spotlessly tidied.
When Du Heng entered, Li Qingde, uncharacteristically, made him a cup of tea and then pulled him over to the sofa to chat.
They chatted about various things, reminiscing about past hardships and present comforts.
After a while, Li Qingde suddenly asked, "I saw you looking at the bulletin board in the **Hall** earlier. What do you think of the new display?"
Du Heng was no fool, nor was he petty. Hearing Li Qingde’s words, he smiled and said, "It’s quite good. It effectively reflects the work ethic and spirit of our **Health Clinic**."
Li Qingde chuckled. "Xiao Du, the evaluation team has confirmed they’re coming to our **Health Clinic** this afternoon. Prepare well, and during the meeting, you can report on your recent work."
Is this a reward he’s offering?
Du Heng nodded with a smile. "**Dean**, rest assured, I won’t let you down."
"I trust your character and your work ability," Li Qingde paused. "**Fan** from Fanjiaping Town is retiring this year. If all goes well, I’ll be transferred there at the end of this month."
Du Heng’s heart skipped a beat. He had thought the **Dean’s** position adjustment would wait until at least the end of May or early June.
"Who will take over your position, Director Li?"
"For now, **Song** will be the acting director. Specific personnel arrangements will have to wait until May."
"Director Li, this arrangement seems a bit rushed. Is there any problem?"
Li Qingde stroked his blue-and-white porcelain cup. A smirk flickered across his lips but vanished almost immediately.
"**Fan’s** health isn’t good. He requested early retirement, and the organization agreed, considering our older comrades."
After Li Qingde finished speaking, Du Heng recalled the smirk he had seen on Li Qingde’s lips earlier. He suspected **Fan’s** retirement wasn’t as straightforward as Li Qingde claimed. After all, no matter how poor his health, surely he could have held on for another month.
However, this wasn’t something he could confirm, nor was it his place to inquire. All he could do was smile and congratulate Li Qingde.
"Xiao Du, I have an idea, but I want to hear your thoughts on it first."
"**Dean**, please go ahead."
"When I transfer, I’m thinking of taking you with me. Are you interested?"
After asking, Li Qingde didn’t press Du Heng for an answer. He just fiddled with his teacup, knowing Du Heng needed time to think.
Meanwhile, Du Heng’s mind raced.
Li Qingde wanted to take him along for one reason: he needed a reliable ally in his new workplace.
A hospital is a technical institution, fundamentally different from a general public-sector unit.
No matter how skilled a hospital dean is, he still needs the support of technical experts.
Otherwise, if key technical staff refused to cooperate, the section they were responsible for would be paralyzed, creating a critical incident for the leadership.
Du Heng had recently demonstrated his capabilities and was clearly an asset worth cultivating. Taking him to the new workplace would give Li Qingde a natural supporter.
The key question was: would Du Heng be willing?
If he transferred, the workplace would still be a **Health Clinic**. Besides being closer to the city, nothing much would change.
His salary and benefits wouldn’t be up to Li Qingde, and neither would his position. He’d definitely be in the Chinese Medicine Department and might even gain a direct superior.
But if he stayed in Zhonghu Town, apart from the **Dean** who could manage him, the Chinese Medicine Department only had him and Wu Buwei. He called the shots there. Why should he move?
Thinking Du Heng had pondered long enough, Li Qingde played his trump card. "Xiao Du, as you know, Fanjiaping **Health Center** is a large **hospital**. They have two appointed positions for Deputy Chief Physician. When I go, I’ll certainly take one. But as far as I know, the other spot has remained vacant."
What did he mean by that?