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

The morning mist had not completely dissipated, and the grayish-white fog clung to the roots of the withered wild grass. A green jeep with military license plates bumped along the uneven dirt road, its wheels rolling over gravel with a dull thud.

Gu Zheng gripped the steering wheel firmly with both hands, his long, slender fingers subtly adjusting the direction as the road undulated. He wore a crisp military overcoat, the collar open to reveal a faded military green shirt underneath. The car wasn't heated, but his high body temperature made the air around the driver's seat feel warm.

He turned his head and glanced at the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye.

Ye Zhen wore a simple black wool coat with the collar turned up, obscuring half of her fair neck. A thick, hardcover notebook lay open on her lap, and she held a Hero brand fountain pen in her right hand. As the car swayed, the pen nib left clear ink marks on the yellowed pages.

The dirt road jolted violently again, causing the jeep to tilt to the right. Ye Zhen's pen left a long, illegible line on the paper. She stopped, frowning as she looked at the extra ink mark.

"The road is uneven, be careful it hurts your eyes," Gu Zheng said, stepping on the brakes to slow down the car and avoid a muddy puddle ahead.

Ye Zhen capped the pen, clipped it to the cover of her notebook, and then stuffed the notebook into her somewhat old military green canvas bag. She turned her head and looked out the car window at the receding poplar tree trunks.

"The ventilation system in the interventional center needs its data recalculated," she said, her voice cool and calm, carrying the rationality honed from years spent in the operating room. "Siemens equipment is large and generates an astonishing amount of heat when it operates. Current hospital building standards in China simply don't meet the requirements, making heat dissipation a major problem. If the ventilation issue isn't resolved, the temperature in the catheterization lab will get out of control, directly affecting the lifespan of the equipment and the safety of the surgery."

Gu Zheng didn't understand the complicated medical jargon, but he knew his wife was doing something big that would change the state of healthcare in China. He turned the steering wheel with one hand and onto a slightly smoother asphalt road.

"Once we get to the county, you stay home and work. Don't worry about the bridge construction in Heishan Village; I'll pick up Lao Ma at the North City train station today." Gu Zheng stepped on the gas, and the jeep picked up speed. "Lao Ma loved studying blueprints when he was in the engineering corps. Later, he transferred to the provincial design institute and is considered an expert in bridges. As long as he's willing to help, the blueprints and hydrological calculations won't be a problem."

Ye Zhen nodded. She knew Gu Zheng's efficiency; he never failed to complete a task he took on. The feud between Dahe Village and Heishan Village was temporarily put aside because of the bridge construction project. As long as the bridge was completed, the economies of both villages would be revitalized. Her current focus, however, had to be on the soon-to-be-established cardiovascular interventional center.

As the jeep entered Qingyun County, the brick and tile houses lining the streets gradually became denser. Early-rising vendors set up their oil fryers by the roadside, and the aroma of fried dough sticks wafted into the jeep through the cracks in the windows.

Gu Zheng turned the steering wheel, and the Jeep came to a steady stop in front of the rusty iron gate of Qingyun County People's Hospital.

As soon as the car came to a stop and the engine was still running, a large group of people poured out of the gate.

Leading the way was Dean Zhao Haifeng. He was wearing a brand-new Zhongshan suit today, his hair neatly combed. His usually stern, aloof face was now beaming with smiles, his eyes almost closed. Vice Dean Hu Dazhi followed half a step behind, carrying a thermos, his face equally wreathed in smiles. Behind them were the heads of internal medicine and surgery departments and several head nurses—a large group of over a dozen people, completely blocking the hospital entrance.

Gu Zheng pulled out the car key, pushed open the car door, and got out. He walked around the front of the car, strode to the passenger side, and opened the door.

Ye Zhen stepped out of the car, carrying a canvas bag and wearing black leather boots. A blast of cold air hit her in the face, and she pulled her coat collar tighter, her gaze calmly sweeping over the group of people in front of her.

"Expert Ye! We've been waiting for you for so long!" Zhao Haifeng strode up to greet him, extending his hands from a distance and bowing his back in a humble manner.

Ye Zhen didn't extend her hand, but simply stood there and greeted them with a smile: "Good morning, Dean Zhao and Dean Hu."

Zhao Haifeng's hand froze in mid-air, but he reacted quickly, retracting it and rubbing it on his clothes. His smile didn't fade; instead, it grew even brighter. He turned and waved to the doctors and nurses behind him, shouting, "Everyone, give us a round of applause! Welcome back to our county hospital to guide our work!"

The sparse applause quickly turned into enthusiastic applause, which sounded particularly loud on the quiet streets in the early morning.

The doctors and nurses standing behind her had often gossiped about Ye Zhen, calling her a "pretty face" who had come down to the military region to gain experience, a pampered young lady who only knew how to dress up. But now, their eyes looked at Ye Zhen completely different, filled with awe and admiration.

Gu Zheng leaned against the car door, arms crossed, watching the dramatic scene unfold before him. His tall, imposing figure blocked most of the cold wind, and his stern military aura kept Zhao Haifeng and the others at bay.

"I've delivered you, honey. I'll come pick you up next week," Gu Zheng said.

Ye Zhen turned to look at him and nodded in response, "Drive carefully."

Gu Zheng straightened up, opened the driver's side door, and got in. The engine roared, the jeep turned around, kicked up a cloud of dust, and sped away.

Zhao Haifeng watched the jeep disappear around the street corner before turning around, taking two steps closer to Ye Zhen: "Little Ye, while you were gone, I had the head of surgery's office repainted. All the desks and chairs were replaced with new ones, and even the thermos was the best one I picked out from the department store. How about we go there today?"

"No need." Ye Zhen walked straight past Zhao Haifeng and headed into the courtyard. "I'm going back to the archives. Don't knock on the door unless there's a critically ill patient."

Zhao Haifeng stopped in his tracks, his smile fading considerably.

Seeing this, Hu Dazhi quickly stepped in to smooth things over. He tugged at Zhao Haifeng's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Dean, Expert Ye is a man of high moral character, not seeking personal comfort. The archives are quiet and undisturbed, perfect for experts to delve into medical challenges. Let's not join in the fun. If we annoy the expert, he might just walk away, and then we'll be left crying."

Zhao Haifeng nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Lao Hu, you're right. Quickly, tell everyone to disperse and go about their business. Nobody is allowed to wander around the archives area. If they disturb the experts, I'll hold them accountable!"

The crowd dispersed.

"Old Hu, do you think Xiao Ye is still angry with me?" Zhao Haifeng quietly asked Hu Dazhi.

Hu Dazhi smiled and lowered his voice to comfort her, "Xiao Ye isn't that kind of person. I've figured it out. She cares about all living beings and only focuses on healing and saving lives. That's why she wouldn't hold a grudge over such a small matter. She simply can't be bothered with those social niceties and office politics."

After listening, Zhao Haifeng's furrowed brows relaxed. "What you say makes some sense. This girl is aloof and doesn't like crowds. You were right to have the foresight to have the archives room tidied up."

Ignoring the commotion behind her, Ye Zhen walked through the path next to the outpatient building and arrived at the hospital's archives.

Pushing open the somewhat old wooden door, it made a soft "creak" sound.

The scene inside surprised her. The archives room was spotless. The cement floor was mopped clean, and the mountains of old medical records were neatly categorized and stacked on wooden shelves against the wall.

The desk that was missing a leg had been repaired, and a faded old bed sheet was laid on its surface. Most eye-catching was a clean glass jar on the corner of the desk, with a few sprigs of red plum blossoms still glistening with water droplets inside, adding a touch of life to the otherwise quiet room.

Ye Zhen walked to the table, put down the canvas bag in her hand, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

The noise outside had been shut out, and the room was so quiet that only her own breathing could be heard. She took out the hardcover notebook from her bag, removed the pen cap, flipped to the page she had ruined in the car, tore it out, and turned to a brand new page.

The pen tip landed on the paper, making a soft, scratching sound.

Draw a straight line down; that's the load-bearing wall of the catheterization lab.

Next was the layout of the sterile passageway. Considering that future cardiac angiography and stent implantation procedures would be performed, the handwashing sinks for medical staff must be located in the buffer zone of the passageway and equipped with foot-operated faucets to avoid secondary contamination of hands.

Next is the observation area. Critically ill patients are highly susceptible to arrhythmias and heart failure after surgery, so the observation area must be right next to the catheterization lab, separated by a transparent glass partition, to ensure that nurses can see the patient's vital signs at any time.

Ye Zhen's pen moved faster and faster, and area after area gradually took shape on the paper. She was completely immersed in her own world, forgetting the passage of time and the cold outside. She knew that this drawing was not just a design for an building, but also the starting point for cardiovascular interventional treatment in China. She wanted to use her medical knowledge, which was ahead of its time, to lay a solid foundation here, giving hope to children with congenital heart disease and patients with coronary heart disease who would otherwise have no choice but to wait for death.

The delicate fragrance of red plum blossoms slowly filled the room. Ye Zhen put down her pen, looking at the nascent blueprints on the paper, marking the exhaust system's duct openings on the top of the duct room. The heat dissipation problem of the Siemens equipment had to be solved; she planned to consult a knowledgeable engineer to see if a large exhaust fan could be installed on the hospital's load-bearing structure.

She closed her notebook, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes to rest. The bridge in Heishan Village needed to be repaired, and her intervention center also needed to be built. Everything was progressing according to plan, and although the process was difficult, she had enough patience and ability to overcome each obstacle.

The sunlight outside the window gradually rose, shining through the glass onto the wooden table. Qingyun County People's Hospital began another busy day, and this secluded archive room became the quietest and most central place in the entire hospital.