Before the afternoon shift, Du Heng and Wang Zhenzhen left the police station, chatting as they walked towards the Health Clinic.
Du Heng then started asking about Wang Shuqiu’s family, trying to get a sense of things so he’d know what kind of gift to bring for his visit the next day.
Wang Zhenzhen was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected their relationship to progress so quickly. It had only been two months since they met, and they were already meeting each other’s parents.
If they kept going at this pace, they might end up getting married on Children’s Day.
But she was genuinely happy for her cousin. Du Heng was an excellent match; except possibly for his currently low salary, there was nothing else to criticize about him.
"When are you going?"
Wang Zhenzhen responded, "I suggest you drive there yourself tomorrow."
"Why?" Du Heng was a bit puzzled.
"Two reasons. First, my aunt cares a lot about appearances. If you drive there, she can show off to her neighbors, and this will make her speak more favorably of you."
Upon hearing this, Du Heng raised his eyebrows. Speak more favorably? Was his future mother-in-law difficult to deal with?
"Second, it’s not convenient to take public transport to our village, so driving yourself would also be more practical."
Wang Zhenzhen continued, "As for gifts, I suggest you get something for Xiao Qiu’s younger brother. The family absolutely adores him. If you can win him over, other issues won’t be a big deal."
Upon hearing this, Du Heng nodded thoughtfully. Wang Shuqiu’s comments about her brother from the previous night resurfaced in his mind.
As they chatted and headed into the Health Clinic, they unexpectedly bumped into Song at the main entrance; he was also just returning from outside.
Seeing the two together, Song greeted them with a smile. He seemed as friendly as ever, but his words made Du Heng uneasy. "Xiao Du, I stayed up last night writing your recommendation. I submitted it to the leadership this morning, and they were quite pleased. They said they would personally deliver it to the Health Commission and do their best to secure this spot for you."
Du Heng mumbled noncommittally.
That crafty Song! He must have known I’d tell Li Qingde, so he submitted the documents beforehand, leaving Li Qingde with no grounds to object.
After all, Song’s actions were, strictly speaking, legitimate.
Pulling the rug out from under him—this was a blatant attempt to snatch the opportunity from Li Qingde.
"Xiao Du, just wait for the good news. After the holiday, you can start preparing your documents for registration."
"Thank you, Dean Song, for going to all this trouble."
"HAHAHA, it’s my duty. Serving everyone is my responsibility as the Dean. You two carry on; I have to go up now."
Song chuckled, clutching his black leather briefcase as he walked into the building.
Wang Zhenzhen was left completely puzzled by their conversation. Once Song was out of earshot, she asked Du Heng, "What were you two talking about?"
Du Heng didn’t hide anything and explained what had happened.
After hearing his account, Wang Zhenzhen was, on one hand, shocked by Du Heng’s abilities and luck, and on the other, astonished at Song’s rapid change of face.
However, that was a matter for the leadership, not her place to comment. Right now, all she wanted to do was congratulate Du Heng. "Congratulations, Xiao Heng."
Du Heng gave a wry smile. "It’s not certain yet. The Health Commission might not approve it."
"Don’t worry. Generally, if the qualifications are comparable and there’s a detailed local recommendation, they’ll approve it."
They didn’t talk further. After entering the building, they each went to attend to their own business.
Wu Buwei and Ma Zichen were exceptionally diligent that day. When Du Heng arrived at his office, the two were already engrossed in the practice room.
Seeing the two of them practicing and discussing over the dummy, Du Heng didn’t disturb them and returned to his own office.
With no one to interrupt, it was a good opportunity for him to make a phone call.
Wei Kaida was Du Heng’s university classmate and roommate. After graduating, he worked at a hospital for three years, then decisively resigned to join his father’s clinic. Du Heng planned to work at this clinic during his vacation.
"Kaida, are you busy right now?"
"Not really, same old, same old. By the way, when are you coming?"
"How about the third? Is that okay?"
"Sure, I’ll let my dad know."
"We’re brothers, no need for formalities!"
"I have another favor to ask."
"Can I borrow your car tomorrow?"
"First, tell me what for."
"To accompany my girlfriend to her family’s home."
"Wait up, I’ll bring it over to you right now! My god, brother, it’s like an old iron tree finally blooming!"
Without waiting for Du Heng to say anything more, he hung up the phone.
Du Heng chuckled as he looked at the disconnected call. His classmate’s personality hadn’t changed a bit, still so impetuous.
With nothing else to do, Du Heng thought he’d read a book to pass the dull time.
But just as he opened the book, a knock came at the door.
Du Heng felt a wave of exasperation. When he wasn’t trying to read, he’d eagerly wait for patients, but none would ever come. Now that he finally decided to relax and read, a patient shows up. SIGH!
"Come in." He looked up and was surprised by the face he saw.
"Director Xu, what brings you here?" Du Heng stood up and greeted him politely. The visitor was none other than Xu Pinglin, with whom he had clashed previously.
Xu Pinglin walked in with a smile. Behind him, a young woman pushed an old man in a wheelchair. She looked around the office, then carefully examined the young doctor before them.
"Doctor Du, hello. We meet again."
"Hello, Director Xu. Shall I take you to the Dean’s office?"
Du Heng started to lead the way but was stopped by Xu Pinglin. "I came to see you today, Doctor Du."
Du Heng paused. "Me?"
"Yes, you." Xu Pinglin gestured towards the young woman and the elderly man who had followed him in. "This gentleman is a patient of my wife’s. He’s been paralyzed for half a year due to a cerebral infarction. We’ve tried many treatments, but nothing has worked. After hearing about your skills last time, I thought I’d ask you to take a look."
Hearing it was a patient, Du Heng returned to his desk and gestured towards the chairs in the office. "Director Xu, young lady, please sit down and tell me about it."
Xu Pinglin didn’t stand on ceremony. He gestured for the young woman to sit and pulled over a chair for himself. "This young woman is very devoted to her father. She’s willing to spend any amount for his treatment and has unfortunately been scammed out of a lot of money. I heard she recently found a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, spent over 50,000 yuan in three months, and saw no improvement at all."
Xu Pinglin sighed. "She came for a follow-up with my wife yesterday. I happened to tell my wife about you, and she recommended they come here to give it a try."
As Xu Pinglin spoke, the young woman just observed Du Heng closely, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the surroundings. Distrust was evident in her eyes.
The patient’s condition didn’t faze Du Heng, but the 50,000 yuan fee certainly startled him. "May I ask, what kind of treatments cost over 50,000 yuan?"
Xu Pinglin knew about this. Seeing that the young woman didn’t seem to want to speak, he took up the explanation once more.