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

The car was warm and cozy. Gu Zheng parked the Jeep next to the old locust tree downstairs at the main hospital, without immediately turning off the engine. The deep roar of the engine, along with the warm air, effectively kept the chill of the northern winter night out of the car.

Ye Zhen held the aluminum lunchbox and lowered her head to drink the soup. The pig's trotters were stewed until extremely tender, and the soybeans had absorbed all the meat juices, melting in her mouth. The fatigue from three hours of high-difficulty surgery was mostly dispelled by this sip of piping hot, rich soup.

"Old Ma's progress is very fast." Gu Zheng rested one hand on the steering wheel, turned his head to look at her, "The load-bearing design drawings for the bridge were submitted to the county for approval this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, the people from Dahe Village and Heishan Village will bring stones to lay the foundation. You won't be going back for the next two weeks, so I'll keep an eye on things for you, and nothing will go wrong."

Ye Zhen nodded, scooped up a piece of well-cooked, boneless pig's trotter with a wooden spoon, and handed it directly to Gu Zheng's mouth.

Gu Zheng opened his mouth and swallowed, savoring the secret pleasure of being fed by his wife. He reached out his rough thumb and wiped away a drop of oil from the corner of her lips.

"The temporary outpatient clinic at the main hospital is already operational." Ye Zhen closed the lid of her lunchbox and put the empty lunchbox into a mesh bag. "The group of directors that Director Zhou 'borrowed' from various places have a very solid foundation. With them doing the initial screening and writing the medical records, my surgery schedule can be booked directly until the end of the month."

"I think these old guys have ulterior motives," Gu Zheng sneered. "Free labor isn't so easy to use. What they want is the real stuff you have."

Ye Zhen hugged the canvas bag to her chest and opened the car door. "Trading labor for skills is a fair trade. Medicine, if kept hidden away, won't save many lives. The more they learn, the more lives they can save when they return to their hometowns."

A cold wind swirled withered leaves past their feet. Gu Zheng closed the car door behind him, took the net from her hand, and the two walked side by side into the stairwell of the apartment building.

In the past few days, the environment at the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital has undergone tremendous changes.

The lobby on the first floor was still bustling with people, but the chaos of the previous days was long gone. The three temporary clinics were operating with great efficiency, and patients from all over the country, holding their test results, lined up in an orderly fashion for their consultations. The logistics department had deployed extra staff, pushing carts filled with thermos flasks and distributing free hot water among the crowd.

Zhou Hai sat in the dean's office on the third floor, holding a large enamel mug, humming the Peking Opera piece "The Empty City Stratagem." A stack of newly arrived letters of commendation from higher authorities piled on his desk. In the past few days, the hospital's reputation had truly become known throughout the country.

There was a knock on the wooden door. Wang Pangzi, the head of the logistics department, wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushed the door open, closed it behind him, and reported in a low voice, "Director Zhou, a few people have come downstairs. They say they're from Fuwai Hospital."

Zhou Hai paused in his tea-drinking motion.

Fuwai Hospital, a leading institution in Beijing's cardiovascular field, is backed by national-level medical resources. For the past decade, whenever the General Hospital of the Military Region encountered a difficult coronary artery bypass graft or valve replacement surgery, Zhou Hai would have to swallow his pride and personally bring two bottles of Moutai to Fuwai to beg their chief surgeon to come and perform the operation. Even then, they might not have the time to even bother.

Now, the tables have turned, and these arrogant big shots have actually come to the doorstep of the North City Military Region General Hospital.

"How many people?" Zhou Hai put down his teacup.

"Three." Fatty Wang held up three fingers as thick as carrots. "Leading them is their Vice Dean Gao, followed by Director Liu from the Cardiac Surgery Department I and Director Ma from the Cardiac Surgery Department II. They're dressed so impressively, and they're blocking the meeting room downstairs."

"Go, get out that packet of good tea that was given out at the provincial meeting two years ago and brew it." Zhou Hai straightened his collar, put on a warm smile, and said, "Let's go greet the guests."

In the small reception room on the first floor.

Vice Dean Gao, dressed in a well-tailored navy blue woolen overcoat, sat upright on an old leather sofa, leaning on a walking stick. Beside him, Director Liu and Director Ma were also impeccably dressed in Zhongshan suits, their hair neatly combed. Compared to the visiting doctors outside, sweating profusely as they scrambled for medical records, they exuded an air of superior composure.

The door was pushed open. Zhou Hai strode in, stretching out his hands from afar.

"Oh dear, Vice Dean Gao! What wind blew you, such a great Buddha, to our little temple!" Zhou Hai said with a big smile, grabbing Vice Dean Gao's outstretched right hand and shaking it up and down.

Vice President Gao smiled reservedly and sat down again on the sofa. "President Zhou, you're too kind. I just read the People's Daily a couple of days ago. I heard that our General Hospital of the Military Region has made great strides in the field of cardiovascular medicine, developing many new surgical techniques. As a leading specialist hospital, Fuwai Hospital should come and see for ourselves. Let's exchange ideas."

These words were impeccable, emphasizing Fuwai Hospital's "elder brother" status and characterizing the trip as an inspection and business exchange between a superior and a subordinate.

Zhou Hai cursed inwardly for being shameless, but his smile widened as he personally served the tea that Fatty Wang had just brewed to Vice Dean Gao.

"Vice Dean Gao is right, we must exchange ideas! However, our place is small and simple, and I'm afraid we might be neglecting our great experts."

Vice Dean Gao picked up his teacup, skimmed off the tea leaves floating on top, took a small sip, then put the cup down and got to the point: "No need for tea. Time is precious. I heard that Dr. Ye has two heart surgeries this afternoon? How about this, Dean Zhou, you arrange for Lao Liu, Lao Ma, and I to go to the operating room this afternoon. We'll just observe from the sidelines, and if there's anything that's not handled properly, we can offer our opinions promptly."

The true intentions were revealed. They were after Ye Zhen's core surgical techniques, and instead of doing the hard work of writing medical records and pulling retractors, they wanted to stand right next to the surgeon and "borrow" the techniques for free, even adopting a superior, instructive attitude.

Zhou Hai sat down on the wooden chair opposite him, spread his hands, looked extremely troubled, and sighed heavily.

"Oh dear, Vice Dean Gao, you've really put me in a difficult position. It's not that I don't want to make arrangements, it's just that there are no operating rooms available this afternoon."

Director Liu, who was standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore and frowned: "Dean Zhou, aren't you being too polite? A sterile operating room is such a big place. The three of us can go in and stand by to observe, and there's not even room to put our feet down?"

Zhou Hai slapped his thigh, his face full of sincerity. "Director Liu, you have no idea what the current situation is. Around Dr. Ye's operating table, the first circle is filled with first and second assistants, all of whom are experts from major hospitals; the second circle, responsible for handing over instruments and monitoring blood pressure, consists of deputy directors leading teams from various hospitals; and the outer third circle is already packed with people. I'm not trying to be presumptuous, but the operating room door can barely close, and you all, with your delicate bodies, can't even lift your arms when you're squeezed in."

Vice President Gao's face darkened. He believed Zhou Hai was deliberately trying to intimidate him. A vice president of Fuwai Hospital observing surgery—which hospital in the country wouldn't line up to welcome him, practically offering him the surgeon's seat? Now they wouldn't even give him a place to stand?

Seeing that the time was right, Zhou Hai leaned forward, lowered his voice, and adopted a posture of being extremely considerate of his old acquaintance.

"However, since Vice President Gao has personally spoken, I, Zhou Hai, am willing to be criticized by other hospitals to save face for you." Zhou Hai gritted his teeth, as if making a major decision. "Here's what we'll do: this afternoon, in operating room number one, I'll add a seat for you. There's only one spot; who do you want to go?"

Vice Dean Gao was stunned.

He leaned back on the sofa, glancing at the two directors on either side of him, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. He had participated in countless high-level surgical observations, some while sitting in a glass observation room on the second floor sipping coffee, others while standing half a meter behind the surgeon, giving pointers.

What kind of novel viewing experience is this "adding a bench"? Does it mean placing a grand chair next to the operating table for him to sit and watch?

Vice Dean Gao cleared his throat and straightened his tie, assuming this was a special courtesy Zhou Hai had secured for him, and nodded in satisfaction. "Since Dean Zhou is so kind, then there's no need to fight for a spot. I'll personally take this seat this afternoon. Old Liu and Old Ma can just wait for me outside."