After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Ye Zhen was somewhat surprised: "Now?"

"Right now!" Zhou Hai said without further ado, grabbing Ye Zhen's sleeve and striding towards the side building where the medical equipment department was located. His leather shoes clattered rapidly on the concrete. "You're going to Qingyun County. It's not a relocation; it's representing our military hospital to provide 'technical assistance'! It's supporting the front lines! Since it's poverty alleviation, you have to bring your own 'rations'!"

As Zhou Hai walked briskly, he pulled a well-worn Hero fountain pen and a small notebook from his jacket pocket, muttering to himself like an old general reviewing his troops before battle: "What does that wretched place lack? Let me tell you, everything! Scalpels, hemostats, needle holders, sutures… these are all basics. Oh, right, didn't the logistics department just approve a few portable ECG monitors last time? Those were samples brought by the Germans, they treasured them like the plague. I'll give you one!"

Ye Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tried to stop him: "Dean, that's too expensive. The county hospital doesn't even have a voltage stabilizer, so we simply don't have the resources to maintain it..."

"Take it!" Zhou Hai's eyes widened, his gray beard bristling. "What are you afraid of? I'll take responsibility if it breaks! That's a life-saving item; letting it gather dust in the storeroom is the biggest waste! Only in your hands can it become a lifesaver!"

The two rushed into the equipment department's warehouse like a gust of wind.

The warehouse reeked of stale disinfectant mixed with dust. Rows of tall iron shelves held various medical instruments, neatly arranged by category. Old Wang, the warehouse keeper, was drinking hot tea from a huge enamel mug when the director burst in with a chill. Startled, he spilled the scalding tea onto his trousers, making him wince in pain.

"Dean? What... what serious thing happened?"

"Bring me the requisition form!" Zhou Hai slammed his hand on the dusty registration desk. "Prepare supplies for Dr. Ye! Pick out the best, most durable, and most practical equipment from the stock!"

Ye Zhen looked at the sophisticated equipment on the shelf, which was considered excellent for that era, and quickly began to make her calculations. She didn't stand on ceremony, nor did she try to take too much. She walked to the table, picked up a pen, and began to write fluently on the yellowed requisition form, the pen tip making a soft scratching sound as it glided across the paper.

"Basic surgical kits, five sets. They need the old-fashioned type with carbon steel handles, heavy, resistant to high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, and easy to sharpen."

"I need twenty dozen each of Ethicon absorbable sutures, sizes 0, 1, and 4. The county is still using cotton thread, which causes too much tissue reaction and a high postoperative infection rate."

"Antibiotics. Penicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, give me the same amount as a field medical team. There are many external injuries in the mountains, and infection is the leading cause of death."

"Also," Ye Zhen paused, thinking of her older brother Ye Cheng's leg, her gaze falling on a large set of equipment covered with canvas in the corner, "orthopedic Kirschner wires, plates, and screws. If the specifications are incomplete, give me that set of retired Soviet-made trauma orthopedic instruments. I know it's bulky, but it's sturdy."

Old Wang stared at the long, increasingly outrageous list, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Holding the list, he looked to Zhou Hai for help: "Dean, this...this is far too much! It's enough to arm a reinforced platoon of field medical personnel. Forget the logistics department, even the military region's logistics department would skin me alive if they found out..."

"Let them come find me!" Zhou Hai snatched the form and pen, and scribbled his name in bold, sweeping strokes across the paper. "This is an emergency allocation of war supplies! If Lin Weiguo dares to make things difficult for me, I'll empty his coffers! If anything goes wrong, I, Zhou Hai, will take the blame!"

He turned to look at Ye Zhen, his eyes, which were always filled with anxiety, now brimming with love and expectation: "Girl, take these things with you. When you get to Qingyun County, show those country bumpkins what you've got! Let that old bastard Lin Weiguo see that even if you throw a phoenix into a ditch, it can still grow claws on its own!"

Ye Zhen looked at the signed form, her throat tightening slightly.

This is the kind of people we live in. They may be rough around the edges or stubborn, but their hearts, which are willing to break all conventions for the sake of their careers, for the sake of talent, and for the sake of saving lives, are burning hot enough to scorch you.

"Thank you, Dean." Ye Zhen solemnly gave Zhou Hai a military salute that was not perfect, but absolutely sincere.

By the time they left the warehouse, it was completely dark. The streetlights below the administration building cast a dim, yellowish light, stretching their shadows long.

Gu Zheng's jeep was still parked in the same spot, its body covered with a thin layer of frost. The man wasn't sitting inside to escape the cold; instead, he leaned against the cold car door, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, like a silent statue, stubbornly guarding that spot.

Upon seeing Ye Zhen and Zhou Hai emerge, Gu Zheng immediately straightened up, crushed the cigarette in his palm, and strode forward to greet them.

"Finished talking?" Gu Zheng's gaze swept over Ye Zhen's face, confirming that she looked calm and showed no signs of being wronged, before turning to Zhou Hai and nodding slightly, "Dean Zhou."

When Zhou Hai saw Gu Zheng, his heart skipped a beat. This living devil was not to be trifled with. He rolled his eyes, strode up to Gu Zheng, and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Gu Zheng! I need to tell you something, but don't get angry!" Zhou Hai pointed to the dark window on the third floor of the administration building. "That old bastard Lin Weiguo is sending your wife to the countryside in Qingyun County! One week a month!"

As soon as Zhou Hai finished speaking, the casual smile on Gu Zheng's face vanished without a trace.

The air around us seemed to have cooled down a few degrees.

"Where to?" he asked, his voice low and menacing, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Qingyun County!"

Gu Zheng's eyes darkened, not with the usual depth he displayed when teasing Ye Zhen, but with a cold, bloodthirsty aura befitting a battlefield commander. Without a word, he turned and walked towards the entrance of the administration building, radiating a terrifying aura of ferocity.

"Gu Zheng!" Ye Zhen quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

The man's arms were as hard as iron.

"Let go." Gu Zheng didn't turn around, his voice filled with overwhelming anger. "I'm going to talk to Vice Dean Lin about 'organizational principles'."

Everyone knows what the consequences of his so-called "talk" will be.

"This is a hospital, not your training ground." Ye Zhen tightened her grip, calmly watching his retreating figure. "If you go up there now, you'll only make things worse and put Grandpa in a difficult position in the military region. Lin Weiguo would love for you to make a move, then he'll have the upper hand."

Gu Zheng stopped in his tracks. The taut lines of his back showed that he was trying his best to suppress his emotions.

"So what do you want?" He finally turned around, his dark eyes locking onto Ye Zhen. "Just let it go like that? Let him kick you into a ravine?"

"Who said it's over?" Ye Zhen released her grip, meeting his almost fiery gaze with a calm expression. "He wants to see me make a fool of myself, but I'll show him what I can do. He thinks Qingyun County is a quagmire, but I'll turn that quagmire into my home turf. The dean has already given me all the 'weapons'."

She waved the heavy list of supplies in her hand.

Gu Zheng looked at her. Looking at this woman who remained calm and collected despite his overwhelming rage, looking into her eyes that burned with fighting spirit instead of fear, the raging fire within him was gradually extinguished by her clear, piercing gaze.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the fierceness in them had subsided, leaving only an unyielding, dark aura.

"Okay." Gu Zheng took the bag full of documents from her hand, and with his other hand, he naturally took her cold hand and stuffed it into the pocket of his warm military coat, wrapping it tightly. "You are in charge of your battlefield. I will provide logistics for you, and we'll see who dares to cut off your supplies."

Zhou Hai was momentarily taken aback by the arrogant aura between the two young men, then burst into laughter: "Fine! That's enough! Go on, go on, don't get in this old man's way!"

The jeep started, its roar breaking the silence of the night. Two bright headlights tore through the darkness, illuminating the road ahead—a road leading to the unknown, yet also to hope.

The heating in the carriage was on full blast. Ye Zhen leaned back in her seat, watching the street scenes rushing past the window, and her tense nerves finally began to relax.

"Are we really going to Qingyun County?" Gu Zheng asked, breaking the silence as he gripped the steering wheel with one hand.

"Mm," Ye Zhen responded, carefully folding the important list and putting it into her inner pocket.

"Do you regret it?" Gu Zheng asked.

He gave up the comfortable life in Beijing and the top-notch platform at the main hospital, insisting on returning to that poor, remote place. He had already prepared himself to ruin the whole thing if she showed the slightest sign of reluctance.

Ye Zhen turned her head and looked at Gu Zheng. The lights outside the car window flickered, making her eyes shine like stars.

"Gu Zheng, do you know why I like surgery?"

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow, and the atmosphere in the car relaxed a bit: "Because it can be used to beat people up?"

Ye Zhen couldn't help but let a slight smile bloom on her lips: "That was just a side effect."

She suppressed her smile, turned her gaze to the deep night sky ahead, and spoke in a clear and firm voice.

"Because surgery is the most direct approach. Wherever it's damaged, you cut it off. Where it's broken, you reconnect it. It doesn't require fancy words, interpersonal relationships, or even the patient's gratitude. As long as your hand is steady enough and your scalpel is sharp enough, you can pull someone back from the brink of death."

"On the operating table, there is only ironclad truth, not disgusting faces."

After she finished speaking, she turned back and looked at him quietly.

Gu Zheng drove in silence. After a long while, he freed his right hand and placed it on the back of Ye Zhen's hand, which was resting on the seat. His rough fingertips caressed her delicate skin, bringing a shiver of warmth.

"I understand," he said in a deep voice. "You go and fix your road, I'll clear the obstacles for you."