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After a long pause, he finally spoke in an extremely gentle yet undeniably authoritative tone:

"You must be Comrade Qiao Xinxin?"

Qiao Xinxin was stunned for a moment.

In her memory, she had never seen this distinguished-looking middle-aged man before. Yet not only could he call her by name accurately, but his gaze... was clearly directed at her.

"I am Qiao Xinxin."

Qiao Xinxin blinked her large, watery almond-shaped eyes warily. "May I ask who you are? Is there something you need?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, and introduced himself:

"My name is Lin Zhengping, and I am the director of the Medical Department of the General Hospital of the Military Region."

"Minister Lin... Minister Lin?!"

Qiao Xinxin was shocked and completely stunned.

Having spent so many days at the military hospital, she certainly knew what the words "Minister of the Military Medical Department" meant. He was one of the most important figures in the entire military medical system, and even the chief physicians usually treated him with utmost respect.

But why would such an important person suddenly come to this bathhouse on a cold winter night and stand in front of the ticket window looking for her?

"Minister Lin, how...how did you find your way here?" Qiao Xinxin gripped the enamel mug tightly in her hand nervously, her voice trembling slightly.

Looking at her somewhat flustered appearance, Lin Zhengping sighed, his tone filled with complex emotions:

"A couple of days ago, Dr. Chen showed me a bottle of newly arrived hemostatic powder. I personally examined the effects of that medicine at the surgery department, and it truly is miraculous. The medicine is called 'Qiao's Hemostatic Powder.' Out of professional habit, I had someone check the registration information for this medicine. It turned out that although the manufacturer is a small private pharmaceutical factory in the west of the city, the formula provider is listed as your name—Qiao Xinxin."

Lin Zhengping paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes:

"I found it strange at the time, so I followed this clue and inquired around. And what I found out... I was shocked! They told me that Qiao Xinxin, the person who concocted this miraculous medicine, was actually working as a manager at a bathhouse, sitting here collecting bath tickets!"

Hearing this, Qiao Xinxin lowered her head shyly, a faint blush rising on her fair face.

Lin Zhengping looked at her, his brows furrowing tightly, his tone carrying a strong sense of disappointment and frustration:

"To be honest, I didn't believe it at first! A young girl who's only twenty years old and hasn't even attended a proper medical school, busy all day and still here at night tending the stove and collecting tickets—how could she possibly have the time and energy to study pharmacology? But this afternoon I specifically sought out Dr. Chen and went to the inpatient ward to see several wounded soldiers who had used the medication. The efficacy was irrefutable, several times better than any of our current hemostatic drugs!"

At this point, Lin Zhengping became visibly agitated. He slammed his hand on the wooden ticket counter, his voice rising several decibels:

"But you! A genius like you, capable of concocting life-saving remedies, is actually working as a bathhouse manager here? Sitting here all day, this is simply... this is simply absurd! It's a complete waste of your talent!"

Lin Zhengping's heartbroken expression was like watching a prodigy who could have gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University end up picking up trash on the street every day, making him so anxious he was stamping his feet.

Qiao Xinxin was almost amused by his flustered appearance. But knowing that the old man genuinely valued talent, she tried her best to suppress her laughter and explained in an extremely soft and sincere tone:

"Minister Lin, please calm down. I am indeed the manager of this bathhouse, and I did provide the prescription. However, I think working here is quite good. I can spend time with my family while helping out at the restaurant during the day, and I can work here at night. The hours are flexible and it's quiet, which makes it convenient for me to work on the prescription. It doesn't really interfere with my work."

"Nonsense! How can this not cause delays?!"

Lin Zhengping glared at her, looking angrily:

"You, someone who can concoct that kind of powder, are sitting here collecting bath tickets. Don't you think that's a huge waste? These hands of yours are for holding pens, doing research, and saving the lives of hundreds and thousands of soldiers! Do you know that when Dr. Chen handed me that trial report, I couldn't sleep half the night! If you could put all your energy and time into drug development, you could create far more than just this one hemostatic powder!"

Lin Zhengping spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he couldn't wait to drag Qiao Xinxin to the military medical department's laboratory.

Just then, the heavy cotton curtain at the entrance of the bathhouse was lifted again, and noise came from outside. Several workers who had just finished get off work and were still wearing their work clothes were holding bath tickets and hunching their shoulders as they lined up.

"Comrade, hurry up!" the worker behind couldn't help but urge.

Qiao Xinxin looked up at the crowd in line, then at the military medical department director in front of her who was sweating profusely with anxiety.

She smiled sweetly at Lin Zhengping, a little embarrassed, clasped her hands together, and said in a soft, almost coquettish tone:

"Minister Lin, I understand what you mean, and I'm very grateful for your high regard. However... as you can see, I still have work to do right now. Why don't you sit on the bench over there for a moment? After I've settled everyone in line, we can sit down and have a proper chat, okay?"

Lin Zhengping followed her gaze and glanced back. The few people in blue overalls, shivering from the cold, were staring expectantly at the door. It was indeed inappropriate to interrupt their normal shower.

He adjusted his glasses, and, being quite understanding, nodded kindly: "Okay, you go ahead and do your thing, I'm not in a hurry."

After saying that, he turned around and sat down on the old wooden bench by the wall.

He placed his hands neatly on his knees, his back ramrod straight, like an old leader waiting for a meeting in a grand hall. Although he was in the noisy, soapy lobby of the bathhouse, he exuded a dignified and authoritative aura.

Qiao Xinxin withdrew her gaze, took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and sat back down behind the small window, starting to efficiently collect money, tear up tickets, and hand out tags.

Her voice was sweet and she spoke politely. Under her guidance, the originally crowded queue quickly shrank by more than half.

After the peak season passed, very few people came to take a bath.

More than an hour passed before the hall finally fell completely quiet. Apart from the occasional splashing of water and muffled voices, the ticket windows were deserted.

Qiao Xinxin rubbed her slightly sore wrists, put down her ballpoint pen, and looked at Lin Zhengping on the bench through the glass window.